STEWED TOMATOES.
TOMATOES, Stewed.
Ingredients.—8 tomatoes, about ½ pint of good gravy, thickening of butter and flour, cayenne and salt to taste. Mode.—Take out the stalks of the tomatoes; put them into a wide stewpan, pour over them the above proportion of good brown gravy, and stew gently until they are tender, occasionally carefully turning them, that they may be equally done. Thicken the gravy with a little butter and flour worked together on a plate; let it just boil up after the thickening is added, and serve. If it be at hand, these should be served on a silver or plated vegetable-dish. Time.—20 to 25 minutes, very gentle stewing. Average cost, in full season, 9d. per basket. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable in August, September, and October; but may be had, forced, much earlier.
TONGUE, Boiled.
Ingredients.—1 tongue, a bunch of savoury herbs, water. Mode.—In choosing a tongue, ascertain how long it has been dried or pickled, and select one with a smooth skin, which denotes its being young and tender. If a dried one, and rather hard, soak it at least for 12 hours previous to cooking it; if, however, it is fresh from the pickle, 2 or 3 hours will be sufficient for it to remain in soak. Put the tongue into a stewpan with plenty of cold water and a bunch of savoury herbs; let it gradually come to a boil, skim well, and simmer very gently until tender. Peel off the skin, garnish with tufts of cauliflowers or Brussels sprouts, and serve. Boiled tongue is frequently sent to table with boiled poultry, instead of ham, and is, by many persons, preferred. If to serve cold, peel it, fasten it down to a piece of board by sticking a fork through the root, and another through the top, to straighten it. When cold, glaze it, and put a paper ruche round the root, and garnish with tufts of parsley. Time.—A large smoked tongue, 4 to 4½ hours; a small one, 2½ to 3 hours. A large unsmoked tongue, 3 to 3½ hours; a small one, 2 to 2½ hours. Average cost, for a moderate-sized tongue, 3s. 6d. Seasonable at any time.
TONGUES, to Cure.
Ingredients.—For a tongue of 7 lbs., 1 oz. of saltpetre, ½ oz. of black pepper, 4 oz. of sugar, 3 oz. of juniper berries, 6 oz. of salt. Mode.—Rub the above ingredients well into the tongue, and let it remain in the pickle for 10 days or a fortnight; then drain it, tie it up in brown paper, and have it smoked for about 20 days over a wood fire; or it may be boiled out of this pickle. Time.—From 10 to 14 days to remain in the pickle; to be smoked 24 days. Average cost, for a medium-sized uncured tongue, 2s. 6d. Seasonable at any time.
Note.—If not wanted immediately, the tongue will keep 3 or 4 weeks without being too salt; then it must not be rubbed, but only turned in the pickle.