TABLEOFWEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
Forthe convenience of those who have no scales and weights, the following table has been arranged. The measures correspond as nearly as possible with the weight of the different articles specified. These measures will answer for all the plainer cakes, &c. but greater accuracy is necessary for the richer kinds.
Avoirdupoisis the weight employed in this table.
THENATIONAL COOK BOOK.
All soups are better to be made with fresh uncooked meat, as that which has been cooked once has lost much of its flavor and nearly all its juices. It is therefore better economy to hash or spice your cold meat, and buy fresh for soup.
Soup should not boilveryhard, as that has a tendency to toughen the meat.
Fat meat is not so proper nor healthy for soup as the leaner parts of the finest meat. The fat does not impart much flavor, and is not palatable.
Soup may be kept till the next day; before it is heated over again, skim off the cake of fat which congeals on the top. It is often preferred one day old to the day it is cooked.
1. Crack the bone of a shin of beef, and put it on to boil in one quart of water to every pound of meat, and a large tea spoonful of salt to each quart of water. Let it boil two hours, and skim it well. Then add four turnips pared and cut in quarters,four onions pared and sliced, two carrots scraped and cut in slices, one root of celery cut in small pieces, and one bunch of sweet herbs; which should be washed and tied with a thread, as they are to be taken out when the soup is served. When the vegetables are tender, take out the meat, strain off the soup and return it to the pot again, thicken it with a little flour mixed with water; then add some parsley finely chopped, with more salt and pepper to the taste, and some dumplings, made of a tea spoonful of butter to two of flour, moistened with a little water or milk. Drop these dumplings into the boiling soup; let them boil five minutes and serve them with the soup in the tureen. Noodles may be substituted for the dumplings. For directions for making them seeNo. 11.
2. Take a knuckle of veal, put it in a pot with four quarts of water, and add a tea spoonful of salt to each quart. Pare and slice three onions, four turnips, two carrots, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a small portion of celery. Let the veal boil one hour, then add the above vegetables. When they are tender, strain the soup. Put it in the pot it was boiled in, thicken the soup with some flour mixed smoothly with a little water, and add a little parsley finely chopped. Make some dumplings of a tea spoonful of butter to two of flour, and milk orwater enough to make a very soft dough. Drop them into the boiling soup. They should be about as large as a hickory-nut, when they are put in. If noodles are preferred, they may be put in and boiled ten minutes. For directions for making them seeNo. 11. Dish the meat with the vegetables around it. Drawn butter may be served with it, or any other meat sauce.
3. Cut in small pieces four pounds of tripe, put it on to boil in as much water as will cover it, allowing a tea spoonful of salt to every quart of water. Let it boil three hours, then have ready four calves feet, which have been dressed with the skin on. Put them into the pot with the tripe and add as much water as will cover them; also four onions sliced, and a small bunch of sweet herbs chopped finely. Half an hour before the pepper-pot is done add four potatoes cut in pieces; when these are tender add two ounces of butter rolled in flour, and season the soup highly with cayenne pepper. Make some dumplings of flour and butter and a little water—drop them into the soup; when the vegetables are sufficiently soft, serve it.
The calves feet may be served with or without drawn butter.
Any kind of spice may be added. If allspice or cloves are used, the grains should be put in whole.
4. Wash a fine large chicken, put it in a pot and cover it with water with a little salt. Pick and wash two table spoonsful of rice, a bunch of sweet herbs, washed, and tied with a thread, two onions, and a little celery cut fine. Add these to the chicken as soon as it begins to boil. When the chicken is tender add a small bunch of parsley finely minced; let it boil a few minutes and then serve it. Season with pepper and salt to the taste. Serve the chicken with drawn butter. Some like allspice in this soup. If you should like it add a tea spoonful of the whole grains.
Noodles or dumplings may be substituted in place of the rice. To make noodles seeNo. 11. The dumplings are made with a tea spoonful of butter, two of flour, and water enough to form a soft dough. Take a tea spoonful of the dough and drop into the boiling soup. Let them boil a few minutes.
Pearl barley may be used instead of rice.
5. Take a neck and breast of lamb, wash it, and to each pound of meat add a quart of water, and a tea spoonful of salt. Pare and slice two onions, two carrots, four turnips, two or three potatoes and a bunch of sweet herbs. Add all these to the meat after it has boiled one hour. If in the proper season add three or four tomatoes or half a dozen ochras.
When the vegetables are done, take out the meat, and add some flour mixed to a smooth paste with a little water. Noodles or dumplings may be added, as for beef soup. Some thicken lamb soup with a little rice put in the pot with the lamb.
6. Take one hundred oysters out of the liquor. To half of the liquor add an equal quantity of water. Boil it with one tea spoonful of crushed allspice, a little mace, some cayenne pepper and salt. Let it boil twenty minutes, then strain it, put it back in the stew pan and add the oysters. As soon as it begins to boil, add a tea cupful of cream, and a little grated cracker rubbed in one ounce of butter. As soon as the oysters are plump, serve them.
7. Wash the shells of the clams and put them in a pot without any water. Cover the pot closely to keep in the steam; as soon as the clams are opened which will be in a few minutes, take them out of the shells and proceed as directed for oyster soup.
8. Put on a knuckle of veal to boil in three quarts of water, and three tea spoonsful of salt. Cut the corn off of one dozen ears, and put iton to boil with the veal. When the veal is tender the soup is done. Then roll an ounce of butter in flour and add to it before it is served. If the fire has been very hot and the water has boiled away too much, a little more may be added.
9. This is made in the same manner as the green corn soup, only the peas must not be put in till about half an hour before the meat is done. A quart of peas will be requisite to make a dish of soup.
10. One quart of green corn cut off the cob, one quart of lima beans, and two pounds of pickled pork. If the pork should be very salt, soak it an hour before it is put on to boil. Put the pork on to boil and let it be about half cooked before the vegetables are put in. Then put in the corn (which must be cut off the cob) and the beans; let them boil till they are tender. Take all up, put the meat on a dish and the vegetables in a tureen. It should be a very thick soup when done.
11. Beat up an egg and to it add as much flour as will make a very stiff dough. Roll it out in a thin sheet, flour it, and roll it up closely, as youwould do a sheet of paper. Then with a sharp knife cut it in shavings about like cabbage for slaw; flour these cuttings to prevent them from adhering to each other, and add them to your soup whilst it is boiling. Let them boil ten minutes.
Fish should always be perfectly fresh when cooked. To select fresh ones observe the eyes; if they have a bright life-like appearance the fish is fresh; if, on the contrary, the eyes are sunken and dark colored, and have lost their brilliancy, they are certainly stale. Some judge by the redness of the gills, but they are sometimes colored to deceive customers.
Crabs should be of a dark green color, and when fresh from the water are always very lively, the same remarks hold good with regard to lobsters. If the tail of the lobster will return to its former position when pulled out, the lobster is fresh.
Never buy a clam or oyster if the shells are parted. If the valves are tightly closed the oyster is fresh.
12. Scale a rock, take out the eyes and gills, draw it and wash it well. Flour a cloth, wrap the fish in it, and boil it in plenty of water strongly salted. A common sized fish requires about halfa large tea cupful of salt. Place your fish kettle over a strong fire, and when the water boils put in the fish. Let it boil hard twenty minutes. Take it out of the cloth carefully, place it on your fish dish and send it to the table. Have egg sauce in a sauce boat. Mashed potatoes are an accompaniment to boiled fish. Garnish the dish with green parsley.
If any of the boiled fish should be left from dinner it may be spiced as shad, and makes an excellent relish for breakfast or tea.
13. Clean and score your fish; wash and wipe them dry; season well with cayenne pepper and salt. Let them stand at least one hour before they are cooked, that the seasoning may have time to penetrate them. Have ready a pan of hot lard, dredge flour over your fish, put them in the pan and fry them slowly, that they may be done through. They should be of a handsome brown on both sides.
All pan fish are fried in the same way.
14. Soak a dried cod for three hours in cold water; scrape and wash it very clean; then put it on to boil in as much cold water as will cover it. Let it boil half an hour. Drain it on your fish dish, and serve it with mashed potatoes, drawn butter, or egg sauce, and eggs boiled hard.
The castor should contain cayenne pepper, mustard, sweet oil, pepper, vinegar, and catsup.
15. Boil a piece of salt cod; take out all the bones, and mash with it equal quantities of mashed potatoes. Season it with pepper and salt to your taste; then add as much beaten egg as will form it into a paste. Make it out into thin cakes, flour them, and fry them of a light brown.
16. One large shad,Two table spoonsful of salt,Three tea spoonsful of cayenne pepper,Two table spoonsful of whole allspice,As much vinegar as will cover it.
Split the shad open, rub over it two table spoonsful of salt, and let it stand several hours. Have ready a pot with boiling water in it sufficient to cover the shad, allowing a tea spoonful of salt to every quart of water. Boil it twenty minutes. Take it out of the water, drain it, bruise your allspice just so as to crack the grains. Sprinkle over your shad the allspice and pepper, and cover it with cold vinegar.
17. Clean your shad, wash it and wipe it, flour it well, wrap it in a cloth, and put it into a large vessel of boiling water with a great deal of salt. It will require about twenty minutes to cook it. Serve it with egg sauce, or rich drawn butter.
18. Cut your shad in half, wash it and wipe it dry, score it and season with cayenne pepper and salt, dredge flour over it, and fry it in hot lard. When done, put the two halves together, that it may assume the appearance of a whole fish.
19. Split your shad down the back, wash it and season it well with salt. Have your gridiron heated, grease the bars, put on the shad and broil it slowly till quite done. It should be of a fine brown on both sides. If designed for the dinner table, after having basted it well with butter on both sides, fold it over, that it may assume its original form, and serve it.
20. Open your shad by cutting it down the back, wash it well and wipe it dry, score it and season it with cayenne pepper and salt; put it in a pan with two ounces of butter cut in small pieces,put a few pieces of butter in the bottom of the pan and the remainder on the shad, add two table spoonsful of water. Place it in a very moderate oven and let it stand three or four hours.
21. Take a piece of clean oak board about three inches thick, and two feet square, stand it before the fire till the board is very hot, indeed almost charred. Have your shad split down the back, cleaned, washed, wiped dry, and seasoned with salt; fasten it to the hot board with a few small nails; the skin side should be next the board, place the board before the fire with the head part down; as soon as the juices begin to run, turn it with the tail down; it should be turned frequently in order to retain the juices. When done butter it and serve it hot. Send it to the table on the board.
This is the receipt for baking shad at the Philadelphia "fish house."
22. Cut a shad in six or eight pieces, wash and wipe it dry. Mix one dessert spoonful of ground allspice, half a table spoonful of black pepper, and half a table spoonful of salt—sprinkle a portion of this seasoning over each piece of shad. Put them into a stone jar with enough good cider vinegar to cover them; cover the jar with a clean cloth, andover this tie closely several thicknesses of brown paper to keep in the steam; set it in a moderate oven and let it remain twelve hours.
This is very good, but the fish is dark colored. When potted according toNo. 2, it retains its whiteness.
23. Cut a shad in about half a dozen pieces, wash it and wipe it dry. Mix together two table spoonsful of whole allspice and one table spoonful of whole black pepper; put one table spoonful and a half of salt over the shad the evening before it is to be potted, the next morning sprinkle over it a half a tea spoonful of cayenne pepper. Place the shad in a stone jar, and over each layer throw a portion of the grains of pepper and allspice, cover it with vinegar and set it in a moderate oven for twelve hours.
24. Cut it in slices about a quarter of an inch thick; wash and dry them, season with cayenne pepper and salt; have ready a pan of hot lard and fry your fish in it till of a delicate brown on both sides.
Some dip the cutlets in beaten egg and then in bread crumbs and fry it. When done in this manner it should be cut rather thinner than according to the first method.
Or, heat your gridiron, grease the bars, season your fish with cayenne pepper and salt, and broil it till of a fine brown color. Lay it on a dish and butter it.
25. Cut each fish in two parts, down the back and stomach; take out the upper part of the back bone next the head; wash and wipe them dry, season with cayenne pepper and salt, and dredge flour over them; fry them in hot lard of a nice light brown.
Some dress them like oysters; they are then dipped in beaten egg and bread crumbs and fried in hot lard. They are very nice dipped in beaten egg, without the crumbs, and fried.
26. Clean your herring, wash them well and wipe them dry; then rub each one with salt and cayenne pepper; place in your jar a layer of herring, then some grains of allspice, half a dozen cloves, and two or three blades of mace; then put in another layer of herring, and so on till all are in; cover the herring with cold vinegar, tie up the jar closely with several thicknesses of paper, and set it in the oven after the bread has been drawn out; let it remain there all night. As soon as they become cold they will be fit for use.
27. Take one hundred oysters out of their liquor, and add to them as much water as there was liquor. Put them over the fire, with salt to the taste, skim them, and as soon as they boil take them off. Have ready in a pan one gill of vinegar, one table spoonful of allspice, one table spoonful of pepper grains, a little cayenne pepper and mace, half a gill of pepper vinegar and half a gill of common vinegar. They should be pickled the day before they are to be eaten. After standing a few hours, if a scum should have risen on them, take out the oysters and strain the liquor. About six hours before they are to be served, slice a lemon and add to them.
28. Select the largest oysters for frying. Take them out of their liquor with a fork, and endeavor in doing so, to rinse off all the particles of shell which may adhere to them. Dry them between napkins; have ready some grated cracker, seasoned with cayenne pepper and salt. Beat the yelks only of some eggs, and to each egg add half a table spoonful of thick cream. Dip the oysters, one at a time, first in the egg then in the cracker crumbs, and fry them in plenty of hot butter, orbutter and lard mixed, till they are of a light brown on both sides. Serve them hot.
29. Take one hundred large oysters, add to them a quarter of a pound of butter, with salt, black and red pepper to the taste. Stewas fast as possiblefor three minutes. Serve them hot.
30. Rinse one hundred oysters, and put them in a stew pan with the water which adheres to them; season them with salt and cayenne pepper, and a very little mace. As soon as they begin to boil pour in half a pint of cream, and stir in half an ounce of butter rolled in a little grated cracker. Let them boil once and serve them hot.
31. Drain your oysters, and season them with salt and cayenne pepper; crumb some stale bread, and season it with salt and pepper. To each gill of the bread crumbs add one hard boiled egg, finely chopped; butter a deep dish, strew in a layer of egg and crumbs, then a layer of the oysters, with some lumps of butter on them, then more crumbs, and so on till all are in. Put a cover of crumbs on the top. Bake this in a tolerably quick oven and serve it hot.
32. Drain the oysters and wipe them dry; season them with salt, if they are not salt enough; make a batter in the proportion of a pint of milk to three eggs, and flour to thicken it; beat the yelks till they are very thick, stir in the milk and as much flour as will make a batter, but not a very thick one; add a pinch of salt, beat the whole very hard, whisk the whites to a stiff dry froth and stir them in gently at the last. Put a small spoonful of the batter in a pan of boiling lard, then lay an oyster on the top, and over this put a little more batter; when they are brown on both sides, put them on a dish and send them to the table hot.
33. Take one hundred oysters out of their liquor, one at a time, so as to free them from any portions of the shell which might adhere to them. Drain and place them between clean napkins in order to dry them perfectly; pour off half the liquor into a stew-pan, salt it to your taste, stir in one gill of cream, one ounce and a half of butter rolled in grated cracker, and a little cayenne pepper; boil two eggs hard, chop them up, and mix them with as many bread crumbs as will cover the top of your pie; season the bread and egg with cayenne pepper and salt, make a rich paste, line the sides ofyour pie dish, put in the oysters, pour the hot liquor over them, strew the bread crumbs on the top, cover the whole with a lid of paste, cut an opening in the centre of the top crust, and ornament it with flowers or leaves made of the paste, bake it and serve it hot. As soon as the crust is done take the pie out of the oven.
34. Wash the shells perfectly clean, put them in pans and set them in the oven, or place them in rows on the top of your kitchen range. Those who live in the country, and have large wood fires, may roast them nicely on their hot hearth stone. Take them up as soon as the shells begin to open, before the liquor is lost; have ready a hot vegetable dish, take out the oysters and serve immediately. Or, the upper shell may be taken off, and the oysters placed on broad dishes in the other shell. The dishes must be well heated as the oysters should be eaten hot.
Each person dresses his oysters on his plate.
35. Eight oysters chopped fine,Six eggs,A wine glassful of flour,A little milk,Pepper and salt to the taste.
Beat the eggs very light, add the oysters and the flour, which must be mixed to a paste with a little milk; pepper and salt to the taste. Fry it in hot butter, but do not turn it; as soon as it is done slip it on a dish and serve it hot.
The above is the usual mode of preparing oyster omelette; but the better way is to put your oysters in a stew pan, set them over the fire, and the moment they begin to boil take them out, drain them and dry them in a napkin. They are not so watery when prepared in this manner, and consequently will not dilute the beaten egg as much as the former mode. When they are cold mince them and proceed as above.
36. Wash the clams, put them in a pot and cover them closely; set them near the fire, and as soon as they begin to open take them out of the shell; drain them, and to a pint of clams add half a pint of water, one ounce of butter rolled in flour, cayenne pepper and salt to the taste; let them stew ten minutes. Just before they are to be dished add one gill of cream.
37. Wash your clam shells, put them in a pot with the water only which adheres to them, cover the pot closely, and as soon as they open take themout of the shell. Take out the hard part and cut the remainder in half, and season them with pepper and salt; beat the yelks of four eggs very light, add to them a pint of milk, a little salt, and flour enough to form a batter; whisk the whites very dry and add them at the last. Have ready a pan of hot lard, put in a spoonful of the batter, lay on the top two or three pieces of the clams, then cover them with a little more of the batter. Fry them on both sides and serve them hot.
The small sand clams are the best kind.
38. Wash your clams before they are opened; place them in a vessel without any water. Cover the vessel closely and as soon as they open their mouths take them out of the shell. Dry them in a napkin, season them with cayenne pepper and salt if necessary, and fry them in butter. Or, they may be fried in egg and bread crumbs as oysters.
39. Put the terrapins on in boiling water and let them boil ten minutes, take them out and with a coarse cloth rub all the skin off the head, neck, and claws, also the thin shell that may come loose. Then boil them in clean water, with a little salt in it, until the claws are perfectly soft. The time of boiling depends very much on the age of the terrapin; some take three hours. When they are soft, open them carefully, take out the sand bag, the spongy part, and the gall, which you must not break. Cut all the remainder of the terrapin in small pieces, put them in a stew pan, and to each large terrapin take a quarter of a pound of butter, one wine glass of Sherry or Madeira wine, salt, black and red pepper, and mustard, to suit the taste, also to each terrapin, the yelks of two hard boiled eggs, mashed to a paste, with a little butter. Mix the whole together, and stew fifteen minutes. Send them to the table hot.
40. Have a large pot of water strongly salted, let it boil hard, put in your crabs and boil them for twenty minutes. If the water should cease boiling the crabs will be watery. Take them out, break off the claws, wipe the shells very clean, also the large claws.
When cold, place them on a dish with the large claws around it. The claws should be cracked before they are sent to the table. The small ones are not generally eaten.
41. Prepare your crabs by removing the spongy part, and sand bag. Wipe them very clean and fry them in some hot lard and butter mixed. Whenthey are a fine yellow brown on both sides, place them on a dish and send them to the table hot.
42. Lobsters, as well as crabs, should be boiled in strong salt and water. Have your pot of water boiling hard, put in your lobsters and boil them for half an hour, or if they are very large, a little longer. Take them out of the pot and when they have drained, open them, extract the meat carefully, and send it to the table cold.
Lobster is usually dressed at the table with mustard, hard boiled eggs, cayenne pepper, salt, vinegar and oil.
43. One large lobster,Three table spoonsful of French mustard, or,Two dessert spoonsful of common mixed mustard,One gill and a half of vinegar,One gill and a half of sweet oil,The yelks of five hard boiled eggs,Salt to the taste,A small tea spoonful of cayenne pepper,The inside leaves of two heads of cabbage lettuce.
Cut the meat and lettuce in small pieces. Boil the eggs hard, mash the yelks with a wooden orsilver spoon, and oil enough to make them to a smooth paste, then add the vinegar, mustard, pepper, and salt to the taste. Mix this dressing thoroughly with the lobster and lettuce, and serve it before the salad becomes wilted.
44. Beat four eggs very light. Cut the hard part out of eight or a dozen oysters, according to their size, wipe them dry, and cut them up in small pieces, stir them into the beaten egg and fry them in hot butter. When the under side is brown, sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top, and fold one half over the other.
Never turn an omelette, as it makes it heavy.
The finest grained beef is the best, the flesh is of a fine red, and the fat a light cream color, but not yellow; the fat, too, is solid and firm. The lean of mutton should be of a red color, and the fat white. The lean of veal should be of a light color and the fat white. The skin of pork should be of a light color, and if young it is tender. The fat should appear firm. A tender goose is known by taking hold of the wing and raising it; if the skin tears easily, the goose is tender, or if you can readily insert the head of a pin into the flesh, it isyoung. The same remarks will hold good with regard to ducks. Young chickens may be known by pressing the lower end of the breast bone; if it yields readily to the pressure they are not old, for in all animals the bones are cartilaginous when young. The breast should be broad and plump in all kinds of poultry, the feet pliable, and the toes easily broken when bent back.
45. The nicest piece for roasting is the rib.
Two ribs of fine beef is a piece large enough for a family of eight or ten. The lean of beef should always appear of a bright red before it is cooked, and the fat of a very light cream color.
Season the beef with salt, and place it in a roaster before a clear bright fire. Do not set it too close at first. As to the time of roasting, that must be left to the judgment of the cook and the taste of those who are to eat it. If it is preferred quite rare an hour and a half or two hours will cook two large ribs sufficiently, but if it is to be better done, it must be cooked a proportionably longer time. Whilst the beef is roasting, baste it frequently with its own gravy. When nearly done, dredge flour lightly over it so as to brown it. When the meat is taken out, skim off the fat on the top of the gravy, and pour the remainder in a pan, add a little flour, with salt to the taste, and some water, giveit one boil, and serve it in a small tureen or gravy boat.
In cold weather the plates should be warmed just before the dinner is served. Or, a small chafing dish placed under each plate.
46. A round of beef is the best for this purpose. With a sharp knife cut incisions in the meat about an inch apart, and within one inch of the opposite side, season it with pepper and salt according to the size of the piece of meat.
Make a dressing of butter, onion, and bread crumbs, in the proportion of a pint of crumbs, one small onion finely chopped, and an ounce of butter, with pepper and salt to the taste, fill the incisions with the dressing, put the meat in a pot, with about a pint of water, and cover it tightly. Let it simmer six or eight hours.
Some stick in a few cloves, and those who are fond of spice add allspice. When the meat is done, dish it up and thicken the gravy with a little flour. Let it boil once, and serve it. This is excellent when cold.
47. Scrape some fine sirloin steaks, wipe them with a clean cloth, heat the bars of your gridiron, grease them, and put your steaks over clear coals.Turn them frequently by placing a dish over them, and then quickly turn them, holding the dish in one hand and the gridiron in the other. In this manner you will preserve the gravy. When done, season them with pepper and salt; baste them well with butter, and add two table spoonsful of water, with a little salt. Send them to the table hot.
48. Season your steaks with salt and pepper, and fry them in hot lard. When done, dish them, add a little flour to the fat they were fried in, pour in a little water, and season with pepper and salt to the taste; give the gravy one boil and pour it over.
49. Take one dozen large onions, boil them in very little water until they are tender.
Pound and wash a beef steak, season it with pepper and salt, put it in a pan with some hot beef dripping, and fry it till it is done. Take it out, put it on a dish, where it will keep hot. Then, when the onions are soft, drain and mash them in the pan with the steak gravy, and add pepper and salt to the taste. Put it on the fire and as soon as it is hot, pour it over the steak and serve it.
50. Rub salt on a nice piece of beef, put it on bars, which should fit your dripping pan, set it inthe oven, with a gill of water in the pan, and when it is half done, make the pudding in the following manner:
Beat four eggs very light; the yelks in a pan, the whites in a broad dish. When the yelks are thick stir in a pint of milk, and as much flour as will make a batter, but not a thick one. Then stir in the whites which must be whisked very dry; do not heat the batter after the white is in; lastly stir in a tea spoonful of dissolved carbonate of ammonia. Take out the meat, skim all the fat off the gravy, pour in the batter and replace the meat; put all into the oven again, and cook it till the pudding is done. You should make batter enough to cover your dripping pan about half an inch deep. When the meat is dished, cut the pudding in squares, and place it round the dish, the brown side up.
51. Cut up two pounds of beef, and add to it a pint of sliced tomatoes. The tomatoes must be peeled. Put the meat in a stew-pan and season it well with pepper and salt, then add your tomatoes and an ounce of butter rolled in flour. Cover it closely, and let it simmer till the beef is tender. It does not require any water as the tomatoes are sufficiently juicy.
If the gravy should not be thick enough, add a little flour mixed with cold water.
52. Cut up one pound of beef in small pieces about an inch square, pare and slice six onions; put a layer of the meat and a layer of onions in a stew-pan, with salt and pepper and a little flour alternately till all is in, and add half a tea cupful of water; cover it closely and set it on a slow fire to stew; when about half done, if the gravy seems too thin, add one ounce of butter rolled in flour; but if it should be thick enough, add the butter without the flour.
When tomatoes are in season two tomatoes may be cut in small pieces and stewed with the meat.
Cold beef may be cooked in the same manner.
53. Cut some tender beef in small pieces, and season it with pepper and salt, slice some onions and add to it, with water enough in the stew-pan to make a gravy; let it stew slowly till the beef is thoroughly done, then add some pieces of butter rolled in flour to make a rich gravy.
Cold beef may be done in the same way, only the onions must be stewed first and the meat added. If the water should stew away too much put in a little more.
54. Clear the kidney of all the fat, cut it in two,and with a sharp knife cut out the fibre which runs through the middle of it. Lay it in a sauce-pan with a very little water and a little salt, cover it close and let it stew till it is perfectly tender, then take it up and cut it in small pieces, season it with pepper, and more salt if requisite, and return it to the stew-pan; let it stew till there are about two spoonsful of gravy remaining in the stew-pan, then add a piece of butter and a little flour. Let it boil once and serve it.
55. Clean all the fat off the kidney, cut it open and take out the fibre which runs through it; put it in a stew-pan with a very little water and some salt, and cook it till it is tender; then season it with pepper and more salt if required, flour it and fry it in hot lard, add a little flour and water to make the gravy.
Or, you may broil instead of frying it, after it has been parboiled.
56. One hundred pounds of beef,Six pounds of coarse salt,Two ounces and a half of saltpetre,One pound and a half of sugar,Four gallons of water.
Mix the above ingredients together and pour over the meat. Cover the tub closely.
57. Take out all the veins. Sprinkle with salt and let it lay for half an hour; wash off all the salt and soak it half an hour in cold water, drain it and then put it in the pickle as directed above.
58. Put on the meat in cold water; allow one quart of water to every pound of meat. The slower it boils the better it will be. For every pound of meat let it boil fifteen minutes; thus, a piece of beef weighing twelve pounds should boil three hours. If the beef is to be eaten cold—as soon as it is taken out of the pot immerse it in cold water for a short time, in order to retain the juices.
Tongues are boiled in the same manner.
59. See boiled corned beef,Article 58.
60. Scrape and wash it very clean—put it in apot with a tea spoonful of salt to every quart of water, and let it boil till the top of each piece begins to look clear—it requires a great deal of boiling and must be exceedingly soft.
When cold cut it in pieces, season and fry it in egg and bread crumbs like oysters. Or, it may be fried without the egg and crumbs, and the gravy thickened with a little flour, and flavored with catsup or vinegar. Serve it hot.
61. Season a breast of veal with pepper and salt; skewer the sweet-bread firmly in its place, flour the meat and roast it slowly before a moderate fire for about four hours—it should be of a fine brown but not dry; baste it with butter. When done put the gravy in a stew-pan, add a piece of butter rolled in browned flour, and if there should not be quite enough gravy add a little more water, with pepper and salt to the taste. The gravy should be brown.
62. Take the best end of a neck of veal, cut it in pieces, season it with pepper and salt, and stew it in just enough water to cover it. When it is nearly done make a rich gravy with some butter rolled in flour, added to the water it was stewed in.
Line the sides of a deep pie dish with paste, put in the meat and pour in the gravy, roll out a sheet of paste and cover the top; cut an opening in the centre of the top, about three inches long, and another to cross it at right angles; turn back the four corners and ornament with bars of paste twisted and laid over. Set it in the oven, and when the crust is done send it to the table in the dish it was baked in.
63. Cut up some veal, the best part of the neck is preferable to any other, wash and season it with pepper and salt; line the sides of your pot with paste, put in the veal with some pieces of paste rolled out and cut in squares, cut up some pieces of butter rolled in flour and add to it, pour in as much water as will cover it, and lay a sheet of paste on the top, leaving an opening in the centre; put the lid on the pot and put it over a moderate fire, let it cook slowly till the meat is done; place the soft crust on a dish, then put the meat over it, and on the top lay the hard crust, with the brown side up. Serve the gravy in a boat.
To have the crust of a pot pie brown, set the pot on a few coals before the fire, and turn it frequently.
64. Cut deep incisions in the meat about an inch apart, and season it with pepper and salt. Make your dressing with a four cent baker's loaf, two small onions finely chopped, and an ounce of butter, with pepper and salt to the taste; fill the incisions with this dressing, put the veal in a pot with three gills of water and cover it tightly. Let it cook slowly two hours at least. Some prefer a little sweet marjoram or thyme, finely powdered, added to the dressing. Take out the veal when it is done, and thicken the gravy with a little flour.
65. Make incisions all around the bone as closely as possible, so as not to touch each other. Make a dressing of bread crumbs, an onion finely chopped, a little sweet marjoram, pepper and salt to the taste, with enough butter to cause the bread crumbs to adhere together; fill these incisions with the dressing, season the meat with pepper and salt, and skewer the strip of fat around it. Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, put in the rack and place the meat on it; as the gravy stews away add a little more water, put it in a cool oven and let it cook three or four hours. When done, make the gravy with some flour rolled in butter, and add pepper and salt to the taste.
66. Boil a knuckle of veal in just enough water to cover it, with a little salt. When the veal is tender pour off the water it was boiled in and save it. Cut the veal in small pieces and put it in a pan with the water it was boiled in. Add to this two hard boiled eggs, chopped very fine, a table spoonful of allspice in grains, (which should be crushed but not broken fine) a quarter of a pound of butter, a little mace and pepper, and salt to the taste. Stir two table spoonsful of flour smoothly in a little water, and pour into it. Set it over the fire, let it boil for two or three minutes, pour in two glasses of wine, and serve it hot.
67. Cut a slice of the cutlet in small pieces, season it with pepper, salt, and, if you prefer it, a little grated lemon peel and nutmeg. Pour in as much water as will nearly cover it, let it cook slowly till about half done, then make a rich gravy with some pieces of butter rolled in flour, and add to the water it was stewed in.
63. Cut the veal in thin slices, pound and wash it, then dry it in a clean cloth. Beat some egg, and have ready some bread crumbs, or grated cracker. Season the meat with salt, pepper, and alittle mace, dip each slice in the egg, then in the crumbs, and fry them in hot lard. They should be brown on both sides.
69. Cut some veal in thin slices, season it and fry it of a nice brown. Have ready some tomatoes which have been stewed very dry; pass them through asieveto take out the seeds. Then put them into the pan in which the meat has been fried and add butter enough to make a rich gravy. Pour them hot over the veal and serve it.
Beef is excellent cooked in the same way.
70. Cut the meat in thin slices, pound and wash them. Season with pepper and salt, and fry them in hot lard, of a nice brown, on both sides. When the meat is done stir a little flour into the fat and pour in some water; set the pan over the fire, let it boil once, then pour it over the veal, and send it to the table.
71. Take some of the thick part of a cold loin of veal, cut it in small pieces, and pour over as much hot spiced vinegar as will cover it.
To half a pint of vinegar put a tea spoonful ofallspice, a very little mace, salt and cayenne pepper to the taste.
72. Parboil them in salt and water; when done, take them up and dry them in a cloth. With a sharp knife, cut them in half, season them with pepper and salt, and flour them, fry them in hot lard, of a light brown. Or they may be fried as oysters, with egg and bread crumbs, or grated crackers.
73. Put them on in very little water with some salt, when they have cooked slowly for half an hour, take them out. Cut them in small pieces, and return them to the liquor they were boiled in. Make a rich gravy of butter rolled in flour, and pepper and salt to the taste. Mace and nutmeg may be added if preferred.
74. Wash and dry them, and rub them with dry flour and a little salt, then put them in a stew-pan, with water sufficient to keep them from burning. When they are tender, put them in a dish and pour over a rich drawn butter.
75. Boil them as directed for fried calves' feetin the following receipt, and save the liquor they were boiled in. When cold, cut them in pieces, and put them in a jar; take equal portions of the liquor they were boiled in, and good sharp vinegar; to every pint of this mixture add a tea spoonful of allspice crushed, two or three blades of mace, and salt and cayenne pepper to the taste. Heat the vinegar, liquor, and spices together, and pour it hot over the feet.
This makes a good dish for tea or breakfast.
76. Boil them in very little water, with some salt. There should be no more water than barely sufficient to cook them. When they are tender, cut them in half, and place them on a dish to get cold. Save the liquor they were boiled in. When they are to be fried season them with pepper and salt, dredge flour over them and fry them in hot lard or butter.
They should be of a handsome brown on both sides when done. Put some of the liquor they were boiled in, in the pan, and make a rich gravy with some pieces of butter rolled in flour. Pour this over the fried feet, and send them to the table.
77. Cut the liver in thin slices and lay them in salt and water for several hours, to draw out allthe blood. Then season them with pepper and salt, and fry them in hot lard. When they are done, thicken the gravy with a little flour, and add a little water. Let it boil once, pour it over the liver, and serve it.
It should be fried slowly, or it will be brown on the outside before it is done through. Some prefer the liver fried without any gravy made for it. In that case, lay the slices on the dish and serve.
It may be broiled and buttered.
78. Wash them and put them on to boil in water enough to cover them, with a little salt. When they are quite tender, drain them, put them on a dish, and pour over them a rich drawn butter.
79. Cut deep incisions round the bone and in the flesh; make a dressing of bread crumbs, salt, pepper, sweet marjoram, or summer savory, and as much butter as will make the crumbs adhere together. Fill all the incisions with the dressing, season the meat with salt and pepper, put it on the spit and roast it before a clear fire; when nearly done dredge flour over and baste it with the gravy.
Skim the fat off the gravy, and add a little flour, mixed with water; let it boil once, and serve it in a gravy boat.
80. Trim off all the loose fat, cut off the shank, wash and wipe it dry; dredge it with flour and tie it in a clean cloth; put it in boiling water enough to cover it. The water should be salted in the proportion of two tea spoonsful of salt to a quart of water. Let it boil from two to three hours according to its size. Serve it with drawn butter or rich parsley sauce, which ever may be preferred, and vegetables of any kind which may be in season.
81. This is a French dish. Peel some onions, cut them in slices, and put them in your stew-pan; cut off the ends of the chops, pound them, and lay them in with the onions and some pepper and salt. Put in as much water as will cook them; let them stew slowly till they are tender, then add a piece of butter rolled in flour to thicken the gravy.
82. Hang a leg of mutton and let it freeze. Then cut from it slices about a quarter of an inch thick, cook them at the table in a chafing dish with butter and currant jelly, and salt and pepper to the taste.
83. Trim your mutton chops, take off the loosefat, and heat your gridiron; grease the bars, put on the chops over clear coals, turn them frequently, and when done put them in a dish, butter them well and season with pepper and salt.
They may be served with slices of lemon.
84. Wash the chops, wipe them dry, grease the bars of your gridiron, and broil them over hot coals. When they are done lay them on a dish and season them with pepper and salt, and baste them with butter; peel and slice lemons, lay a slice on each chop and send them to the table.
This is the French method of serving them.
85. Take a nice middle piece of young pork, separate the joints and crack the bones across the middle, but do not break the skin, score it parallel with the ribs, wash it, put it on the spit, with a little water in the bottom of the roaster, and to five pounds of pork rub in well two tea spoonsful and a half of salt, two tea spoonsful of sage and one of cayenne pepper. Put no flour on it nor baste it while cooking, as it softens the skin and makes it tough. Pour the gravy into a pan, skim off a part of the fat, stir in a little flour mixed with cold water, add some water and let it boil once, thenserve it in a gravy tureen. If it should not be sufficiently seasoned, add a little more pepper or salt, as it may require.
Apple sauce is always served with roast pork.
86. Prepare the pig by cutting off the feet, scraping and cleansing the head and ears, cutting out the tongue and eyes, and cleaning the throat. Wash it perfectly clean and wipe it dry. Make a dressing of bread crumbs, some onions finely chopped, with salt, pepper, and sweet marjoram to the taste, also butter enough to make the crumbs adhere together. Any spice may be added, and the grating of a lemon, but many prefer the dressing without spice.
Rub the pig thoroughly inside with salt, cayenne pepper, and powdered sage, then fill it with the dressing and sew it up. Rub the outside with salt, cayenne pepper and sage, put it on the spit and place it before a clear, but not too hot a fire. Have a piece of clean sponge tied on a stick, dip it in melted butter, and as the skin dries moisten it. A common sized pig takes from three to four hours to roast. An excellent filling may be made of potatoes boiled and mashed instead of the bread. If potatoes are used the dressing will require more butter.
Roast pig is always served with haslet sauce.For directions for making it see under the head of Sauces. Apple sauce is also thought to be an indispensable accompaniment to roast pig.
87. Make deep incisions in the meat parallel to the bone; trim it so as to leave the skin longer than the flesh; then boil some potatoes, when they are done mash them with a piece of butter, cayenne pepper, salt, and an onion finely chopped and a little rubbed sage. With this dressing fill the incisions, draw the skin down and skewer it over to keep the dressing from falling out; season the outside of the meat with salt, cayenne pepper, and rubbed sage; roast it slowly; when it is done pour the gravy in a pan, skim off the fat, and add a little flour mixed with water; let it boil once. Serve it with apple or cranberry sauce. Some prefer a dressing made of bread crumbs instead of potatoes.
88. Cut the steaks in thin slices, season them with cayenne pepper, salt, and rubbed sage. They may be broiled and buttered, or fried in hot lard, with a gravy thickened with a little flour and poured over them.
89. Mix salt and sugar together, in the proportionof a table spoonful of salt to one tea spoonful of sugar; with this mixture rub your meat all over well, let it stand three days, and turn it every day. Have boiling water enough to cover it, put in the meat, and if the water should boil away put more in; when it is tender, serve it with tomatoes, cabbage, turnips, or any vegetables in season.
90. Crack the ribs across, separate the joints, wash it and season it with cayenne pepper, salt, and rubbed sage; put it on the spit and cook it slowly till it is done. This is served without gravy.
Or, it may be prepared in the same manner and broiled on the gridiron.
91. After they have been well scalded and cleaned, wash them, and put them on to boil in a sufficiency of water to cover them, with two tea spoonsful of salt to a quart of water. Let them boil till the bones are all loose and the flesh nearly ready to fall to pieces. Take them out and lay them on a dish to get cold, and save the liquor they were boiled in; mix equal portions of the liquor and good sharp vinegar, with whole allspice, a few cloves, pepper and salt to the taste. Heat the vinegar and spice, and pour it over them. They maybe sent to the table cold, or they may be heated with a portion of the vinegar.
The feet may be boiled as for the souse, and when cold, cut in half, dredged with flour, and fried brown.
92. This is generally made of the head, feet, and any pieces which may be left after having made sausage meat.
Scrape and wash well all the pieces designed for the scrapple, put them in a pot with just as much water as will cover them. Add a little salt, and let them boil slowly till the flesh is perfectly soft, and the bones loose. Take all the meat out of the pot, pick out the bones, cut it up fine, and return it to the liquor in the pot. Season it with pepper, salt, and rubbed sage, to the taste. Set the pot over the fire, and just before it begins to boil, stir in gradually as much Indian meal as will make it as thick as thick mush. Let it boil a few minutes, take it off, and pour it in pans. When cold, cut it in slices, flour it, and fry it in hot lard, or sausage fat.
Some prefer buckwheat meal; this is added in the same manner as the Indian. Indian meal is preferable, as it is not so solid as buckwheat.
Sweet marjoram may be added with the sage, if preferred.
93. Clean a pig's head nicely, wash it well, and boil it in very little water, with some salt. Let it boil until the bones fall from the flesh. Then take it up, pick out all the bones, and with a wooden spoon mash it up well, and return it to the water it was boiled in. Add red and black pepper, rubbed sage and sweet marjoram to the taste. Boil the whole down till it is quite thick and nearly dry; then pour it in pans or forms, smooth it over the top with the back of a spoon, and stand it away to get cold. Cut it in slices and send it to the table.
Some prefer spice in hogs-head cheese; in that case, add a small quantity of ground cloves and mace.
94. Wash and scrape your ham; if it is not very salt it need not be soaked; if old and dry, let it soak twelve hours in lukewarm water, which should be changed several times. Put it in a large vessel filled with cold water. Let it simmer, but be careful not to let it boil, as it hardens and toughens the meat. Allow twenty minutes to cook each pound of meat.
When it is done, take it out of the water, strip off the skin, and serve it. Twist scalloped letter paper round the shank, or ornament it with sprigs of green parsley neatly twisted round it. If it isnot to be eaten whilst hot, as soon as it is taken from the pot, set it away to get cold, then skin it, by which means you preserve all the juices of the meat. It may be garnished as above, or, if you choose, you may glaze it; the receipt for which see under its proper head.
95. Beat the yelks of two eggs very light, cover your ham all over with the beaten egg, then sift over some grated cracker, and set the ham in the oven to brown the glazing.
96. Twenty-five pounds of pork,Half a pint of salt,One gill of rubbed sage,Half a gill of black pepper,One table spoonful of cayenne pepper.
97. Put your venison on a spit before a clear, steady fire, cover it with some thick paper to keep it from burning, and place it at a sufficient distance from the fire, that it may not brown too soon. The paper may be fastened on by sticking through it two or three large darning needles. Turn the spit frequently, and baste the meat with butter. Venison is very unpalatable if too much cooked; abouttwo hours will be sufficient. It should never be roasted unless it is fat. A gravy may be made of the trimmings of the haunch stewed in very little water, to which add the drippings from the meat, season with pepper and salt, and thicken with butter rolled in flour.
Some baste with melted butter and wine mixed together. Serve with currant jelly.