“All moisture should be wiped daily, or even more frequently, from the venison with soft cloths, when any appears upon the surface, and every precaution must be taken to keep off the flies when the venison is not hung in a wire safe. Black pepper thickly powdered on it will generally answer the purpose.
“Hares and rabbits are stiff when freshly killed, and if young the ears tear easily, and the claws are smooth and sharp. A hare in cold weather will remain good for ten or fourteen days; care only must be taken to prevent the inside from becoming musty, which it will do if it has been emptied in the field. Pheasants, partridges, and other game, may be chosen by nearly the same tests as poultry—by opening the bill the staleness will be detected easily if they have been kept too long by the hardness of the bill. With few exceptions game depends almost entirely for the fine flavour and the tenderness of its flesh, on the time which it is allowed to hang before it is cooked, and it is never good when very fresh; but it does not follow that it should be sent to table in a really offensive state.”
Game, Hashed. Ingredients.—The remains of cold game, one onion stuck with three cloves, a few whole peppers, a strip of lemon peel, salt to taste, thickening of butter and flour, one glass of port wine, one tablespoonful of lemon juice, one tablespoonful of ketchup, and one pint of water or weak stock.
Proceed as follows:—Cut the remains of cold game into joints, reserve the best pieces, and put the inferior ones and the trimmings into a stewpan with the onion, pepper, lemon peel, salt, and water or weak stock; stew these for about an hour, and strain the gravy; thicken it with butter and flour; add the wine, lemon juice, and ketchup; lay in the pieces of game, and place them by the side of the fire until they are warmed through, avoiding boiling, otherwise the game will become too hard. Just on the point of simmering serve, and garnish the dish with sippets of toasted bread. Time. Altogether, an hour and a quarter.
⁂ The above recipe applies to any kind of game.
If desirable, the flavour may be varied by adding flavoured vinegars, curry powder, &c.; these, however, cover the gamey taste of the dish, and are, therefore, not to be recommended.
Grouse, to Roast. Ingredients.—Grouse, butter, a thick slice of toasted bread. Mode.—Let the birds hang as long as possible; pluck and draw them; wipe (but do not wash them) inside and out, and truss them without the head, the same as for a roast fowl. Put them down to a sharp clear fire, keep them well basted the whole of the time they are cooking, and serve them on buttered toast, soaked in the dripping-pan, with a little melted butter poured over them, or with bread sauce and gravy. Time. Half an hour; if liked thoroughly done, thirty-five minutes. Seasonable from the 12th of August to the beginning of December. (Mrs Beeton.)
Hare, Jugged. Ingredients.—One hare, a bunch of sweet herbs, two onions, each stuck with three cloves, six whole allspice, half a teaspoonful of black pepper, a strip of lemon peel, thickening of butter and flour, two table-spoonfuls of mushroom ketchup, quarter of a pint of port wine. Mode.—Wash the hare nicely, cut it up into joints (not too large), and flour and brown them; then put them into a stewpan with the herbs, onions, cloves, allspice, pepper, and lemon peel; cover them with hot water, and when it boils carefully remove all the scum, and let it simmer gently till tender, which will be in about 13⁄4 hour, or longer should the hare be very old. Take out the pieces of hare, thicken the gravy with flour and butter, add the ketchup and port wine, let it boil for about ten minutes, strain it through a sieve over the hare, and serve. A few fried forcemeat balls should be added at the moment of serving, or, instead of frying them, they may be stewed in the gravy, about ten minutes before the hare is wanted for use. Do not omit to serve red-currant jelly with it. Time. Altogether, two hours. Seasonable from September to the end of February. (Mrs Beeton.)
Hare, to Roast. Ingredients.—Hare, forcemeat, a little milk, and butter. To be eaten in perfection, the hare must hang for some time. After it is skinned wash it well, and soak it for an hour in warm water to draw out the blood. Make a forcemeat, wipe the hare dry, fill the belly with it, and sew it up. Bring the hind and fore legs close to the body towards the head, run a skewer through each, fix the head between the shoulders by means of another skewer, and be careful to leave the ears on. Put a string round the body from skewer to skewer and tie it above the back. Mode.—The hare should be kept at a distance from the fire when it is first laid down. Baste it well with milk for a short time, and afterwards with butter; and particular attention must be paid to the basting, so as to preserve the meat on the back juicy and nutritive. When it is almost roasted enough, flour the hare, and baste well with butter. When nicely frothed dish it, remove the skewers, and send it to table with a little gravy in the dish, and a tureen of the same. Red-currant jelly must be served with
it. If the liver is good it may be parboiled, minced, and mixed with the stuffing; but it should not be used unless quite fresh. Time. A middling-sized hare an hour and a quarter; a large hare one and a half to two hours. (Mrs Beeton.)