Skin, clean, and cut into quarters a pair of fine gray squirrels. Fry a large onion, sliced, in dripping; take it out, and fry the squirrels in the same fat. Put them then into a soup-pot with the onion, a sliced turnip, a sliced carrot, a slice—thick—of lean ham, some parsley, and two blades of mace; add three quarts of water; cover closely and boil gently three hours; take out the pieces of squirrel, and put away for a breakfast dish. A tolerable fricassee can be made by warming it up in drawn butter, then adding a beaten egg.
Revenons à nos moutons—in this case, our soup. Rub the vegetables through the colander; cool, skim and season the broth. Heat again; add a tablespoonful of butter cut up in flour, a tablespoonful of catsup, the juice of half a lemon, a glass of claret, boil up and pour into the tureen.
Fricassee of Calf’s Tongues.
Boil the tongues one hour. Pare, and cut into thick slices. Roll these in flour, and fry in dripping five minutes. Put the tongues into a saucepan; add sliced onion, thyme and parsley. Cover with a cupful of your soup or other gravy. Simmer half an hour, covered tightly. Take up the tongues and keep them warm; strain the gravy; thicken, put in four or five thin slices of lemon, from which the peel has been taken; boil one minute, and pour over the fricassee.
Fried Egg-plant.
1 fine egg-plant; 2 eggs; ½ cup of milk; flour for thin batter, salt, and fat for frying.
Slice, and pare each slice. Lay in salt and water one hour; dry between two towels and dip each slice in a batter made of the materials above given. Fry in hot fat to a good brown. Drain well.
Squash.
Pare, quarter, and cook soft in boiling salted water. Drain, mash smooth in a heated colander, work in butter, pepper and salt, and serve in a deep dish.