Have the bone carefully removed from a rather lean shoulder of mutton, and fill the orifice thus left with a good forcemeat. To make this, chop fine half a pound of lean veal and quarter of a pound of ham and add to these a small cup of fine bread crumbs. Season with a quarter-teaspoonful each of ground mace, cloves, and allspice, and a saltspoonful of black pepper. Stir in a raw egg to bind the mixture together. When the forcemeat has been put into the hole in the shoulder, cover the mutton with a cloth that will close the mouth of the opening, and lay the meat in a pot with the bone from the shoulder, a peeled and sliced onion, carrot and turnip, a little parsley and celery, and a bay leaf; Pour in enough cold water to cover the mutton entirely, stir in a heaping tablespoonful of salt, and let the water come gradually to a boil and simmer until the mutton has cooked twenty minutes to the pound. Let it cool in the broth; take it out; lay it under a weight until cold, and serve. This is also very good hot. The liquor makes excellent soup.
TO FRY HAM.
First, parboil it and drain well; then fry a light brown. Make a gravy with milk, a little flour, and a teaspoonful of sugar; pour over the ham.
HAM TOAST. MRS. E. SEFFNER.
Chop lean ham (the refuse bits); put in a pan with a lump of butter the size of an egg, a little pepper, and two beaten eggs. When well warmed, spread on hot buttered toast.
BOILED HAM.
The best ham to select is one weighing from eight to ten pounds. Take one that is not too fat, to save waste. Wash it carefully before you put it on to boil, removing rust or mold with a small, stiff scrubbing brush. Lay it in a large boiler, and pour over it enough cold water to cover it. To this add a bay leaf, half a dozen cloves, a couple of blades of mace, a teaspoonful of sugar, and, if you can get it, a good handful of fresh, sweet hay. Let the water heat very gradually, not reaching the boil under two hours. It should never boil hard, but simmer gently until the ham has cooked fifteen minutes to every pound. It must cool in the liquor, and the skin should not be removed until the meat is entirely cold, taking care not to break or tear the fat. Brush over the ham with beaten egg, strew it thickly with very fine bread crumbs, and brown in a quick oven. Arrange a frill of paper around the bone of the shank, and surround the ham with water-cress, or garnish the dish with parsley.
TONGUE.
Wash the tongue carefully, and let it lie in cold water for several hours before cooking—over night, if possible. Lay it in a kettle of cold water when it is to be cooked; bring the water to a boil slowly, and let it simmer until the tongue is so tender that you can pierce it with a fork. A large tongue should be over the fire about four hours. When it has cooled in the liquor in which it was boiled, remove the skin with great care, beginning at the tip, and stripping it back. Trim away the gristle and fat from the root of the tongue before serving it. Serve with drawn butter or lemon sauce.