THE CAVALIER’S BROIL.
Half roast or stew, or parboil, a small, or moderate-sized shoulder of mutton; lift it into a hot dish, score it on both sides down to the bone, season it well with fine salt and cayenne or pepper, and finish cooking it upon the gridiron over a brisk fire. Skim the fat from any gravy that may have flowed from it, and keep the dish which contains it quite hot to receive the joint again. Warm a cupful of pickled mushrooms, let a part of them be minced, and strew them over the broil when it is ready to be served; arrange the remainder round it, and send it instantly to table. The reader will scarcely need to be told that this is an excellent dish.
FORCED SHOULDER OF MUTTON.
Cut off all the flesh from the inside of the joint down to the blade-bone, and reserve it for a separate dish. It may be lightly browned with some turnips or carrots, or both, and made into a small harrico or stewed simply in its own gravy, or it will make in part, a pie or pudding. Bone the mutton (see page [219]), flatten it on a table, lay over the inside some thin and neatly-trimmed slices of striped bacon, and spread over them some good veal forcemeat (No. 1, Chapter [VIII].) to within an inch of the outer edge; roll the joint up tightly towards the knuckle (of which the bone may be left in or not, at pleasure), secure it well with tape or twine, and stew it gently in good gravy, from four hours to four and a half.
4 to 4-1/2 hours.
Obs.—In France it is usual to substitute sausage-meat for the bacon and veal stuffing in this dish, but it does not appear to us to be well suited to it.
MUTTON CUTLETS STEWED IN THEIR OWN GRAVY.
(Good.)
Trim the fat entirely from some cutlets taken from the loin; just dip them into cold water, dredge them moderately with pepper, and plentifully on both sides with flour; rinse a thick iron saucepan with spring water, and leave three or four tablespoonsful in it; arrange the cutlets in one flat layer, if it can be done conveniently, and place them over a very gentle fire; throw in a little salt when they begin to stew, and let them simmer as softly as possible, but without ceasing, from an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half. If dressed with great care, which they require, they will be equally tender, easy of digestion, and nutritious; and being at the same time free from everything which can disagree with the most delicate stomach, the receipt will be found a valuable one for invalids. The mutton should be of good quality, but the excellence of the dish mainly depends on its being most gently stewed; for if allowed to boil quickly all the gravy will be dried up, and the meat will be unfit for table. The cutlets must be turned when they are half done: two or three spoonsful of water or gravy may be added to them should they not yield sufficient moisture; or if closely arranged in a single layer at first, water may be poured in to half their depth. The advantage of this receipt is, that none of the nutriment of the meat is lost; for that which escapes from the cutlets remains in the gravy, which should all be served with them: any fat which may be perceived upon it should be carefully skimmed off. Cold broth used for it instead of water will render it extremely good.
1-1/4 to 1-3/4 hour.