"Room! Make way! Hunger commands. My valour must obey."—Beaumont and Fletcher.
TO JUDGE GOOD BEEF.—Good beef, if young, will be of a bright red color, fine grained and firm to the touch. The fat of a clear straw color with a little of it through the muscles, giving the meat a marbled appearance. The suet should be dry and crumbly and of a darker shade than the fat. In old beef both flesh and fat will be darker, much coarser in fiber and decidedly dry compared with young beef. If the beef is of a pale, dull color, and flabby, it is not well matured; if very dark and colored and coarse grained with deep yellow fat it will be found tough and tasteless and if it bears greenish tints and feels slippery on the surface it is already stale and unfit for use. When meat is tough add a little vinegar or a piece of lemon to the water in which it is boiled. This will result in a shortening of time and a saving of fuel, while the meat will be rendered more easy of digestion; also any slight taint that may be about the meat will be entirely removed by this process. A pinch of baking soda can be used instead of lemon or vinegar.
POT ROAST.—Take a nice piece of the round beef weighing about four pounds, season well with salt and pepper and dust over thoroughly with flour. In a flat bottomed kettle melt a piece of butter the size of an egg, when hot put in the meat, turning until well browned on every side. When roast is brown add a little onion, six cloves, six allspice and enough boiling water to come up half way to the top of the meat. Cook slowly for three hours. When done take out meat, add one tablespoon of flour to a little cold water to thicken gravy.
MEAT BALLS.—Two pounds round steak, put through sausage grinder three times, season with salt and pepper, nutmeg and a little cream. Beat two eggs and mix all together; shape into balls and roll in cracker crumbs and fry in butter to a light brown.
BAKED VEAL CUTLETS.—One and one half pounds of veal cutlets laid in well buttered roasting pan with one cup of water; over this spread dressing made of two cups bread crumbs; two onions chopped fine, two well beaten eggs; butter size of an egg, salt and pepper. Mix well, add water to moisten. Lay tin cover on top of pan to prevent scorching. Bake from half to three quarters of an hour. Remove cover to brown.
ROAST SPARE RIBS.—Trim off ends neatly, crack ribs across the middle, rub with salt, sprinkle with pepper, fold over, stuff with turkey dressing, sew up tightly, place in dripping pan with one pint water, baste often. Turn over once so as to bake both sides equally.
ROAST VEAL LOAF.—Four pounds of veal, one pound of pork, one or two eggs, one cup of crackers rolled fine, one tablespoon of salt, one teaspoon of pepper, one teaspoon of sage, mix and make into roll. Bake three hours.
STEAMED VEAL LOAF.—To two pounds of veal, put through a grinder or chopped very fine, add two teaspoons of salt, one fourth teaspoon pepper, butter size of an egg, one cup freshly grated bread crumbs, two eggs, two tablespoons milk. Knead until well mixed. Butter baking powder cans, coat with bread crumbs and fill compactly with the meat and put on cover. Stand in a kettle of water almost to the top of mold. Boil steadily one and one half hours. When cool take out at once.
STUFFED BEEF STEAK.—Prepare a dressing as for chicken, of one cup of bread crumbs moisten with one tablespoonful of melted butter, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Trim off the fat from a sirloin steak, spread on the dressing; roll up; tie to keep in shape, and bake one hour. Baste often with stock and drippings. When done remove the string that it may not unroll and serve with brown sauce. Mushrooms may be added to the dressing if desired. (Roll may be steamed instead of roasted if desired.)
SAUCE.—Melt and brown one large tablespoonful butter, add to it two tablespoonfuls of flour, stir until it is smooth and brown, then add one pint of the liquid strained from the pan. Stir until it thickens, take from the fire and add one tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper.