It must be cooked in the same manner as other smoked meats, more time being allowed for it than for fresh. Drop it into boiling water, and when it has boiled quickly for ten minutes, take off the scum should any appear, add cold water sufficient to reduce it to mere scalding heat, bring it again gently to a boil, and simmer it until the lean appears quite tender when probed with a sharp skewer; then lift it on to a drainer and serve it hot or cold, and garnished in either case with vegetables or otherwise at pleasure. Beef, 6 lbs.: 3 hours or more.
CHORISSA (OR JEWISH SAUSAGE) WITH RICE.
The chorissa is a peculiar kind of smoked sausage much served at Jewish tables[[189]] as an accompaniment to boiled poultry, &c. It seems to be in great part composed of delicate pounded meat, intermingled with suet and with a small portion of some highly-cured preparation, and with herbs or spices which impart to it an agreeable aromatic flavour.
[189]. It may be had at the same shops as the smoked beef, and is the same price—a shilling the pound.
Drop the chorissa into warm water, heat it gently, boil it for about twenty minutes, and serve it surrounded with rice prepared as for currie. It will be found very good broiled in slices after the previous boiling: it should be cold before it is again laid to the fire. In all cases it will, we think, be found both more easy of digestion and more agreeable if half-boiled at least before it is broiled, toasted, or warmed in the oven for table. It is a good addition to forcemeat, and pounded savoury preparations, if used in moderation.
TO FRY SALMON AND OTHER FISH IN OIL.
(To Serve Cold.)
Turn into a small deep frying-pan, which should be kept for the purpose, a flask of fresh olive oil, place it over a clear fire, and as soon as it ceases to bubble lay in a pound and a half of delicate salmon properly cleansed and well dried in a cloth, and fry it gently until it is cooked quite through. The surface should be only lightly browned, and when the proper colour is attained the pan must be lifted so high from the fire as to prevent it being deepened, as we have directed in Chapter [IX.] in the general instructions for frying. Drain the fish well when it is done, and when it is perfectly cold, dish, and garnish it with light foliage. The Jews have cold fried fish much served at their repasts. Fillets of soles, plaice, brill, small turbots, or other flat fish, may be fried as above, and arranged in a symmetrical form round a portion of a larger fish, or by themselves. We would recommend as an accompaniment one of the Mauritian chutnies which are to be found in this chapter.
Olive oil, 1 small flask; salmon, about 1-1/2 lb.: 1/2 hour or rather more. Fillets of fish 5 to 10 minutes.
Obs.—The oil should be strained through a sieve, and set aside as the fish is done; it will serve many times for frying if this be observed.