Part 45

_Ingredients._—½ lb. of good short crust, 1½ pint of plums, 1 lb. of moist sugar. _Mode._—Line the edges of a deep tart-dish with crust; fill the dish with plums, and place a small cup or jar, upside down, in the midst of them. Put in the sugar, cover the pie with crust, ornament the edges, and bake in a good oven from ½ to ¾ hour. When puff-crust is preferred to short crust, use that made by the given recipe, and glaze the top by brushing it over with the white of an egg beaten to a stiff froth with a knife; sprinkle over a little sifted sugar, and put the pie in the oven to set the glaze. _Time._—½ to ¾ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_, with various kinds of plums, from the beginning of August to the beginning of October.

PLUMS, French, Stewed (a Dessert dish).

_Ingredients._—1½ lb. of French plums, ¾ pint of syrup, 1 glass of port wine, the rind and juice of 1 lemon. _Mode._—Stew the plums gently in water for 1 hour; strain the water, and with it make the syrup. When it is clear, put in the plums with the port wine, lemon-juice, and rind, and simmer very gently for 1½ hour. Arrange the plums on a glass dish, take out the lemon-rind, pour the syrup over the plums, and, when cold, they will be ready for table. A little allspice stewed with the fruit is by many persons considered an improvement. _Time._—1 hour to stew the plums in water, 1½ hour in the syrup. _Average cost_, plums sufficiently good for stewing, 1_s._ per lb. _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ in winter.

PLUMS (Preserved).

_Ingredients._—To every lb. of fruit allow ¾ lb. of loaf sugar; for the thin syrup, ¼ lb. of sugar to each pint of water. _Mode._—Select large ripe plums; slightly prick them, to prevent them from bursting, and simmer them very gently in a syrup made with the above proportion of sugar and water. Put them carefully into a pan, let the syrup cool, pour it over the plums, and allow them to remain for two days. Having previously weighed the other sugar, dip the lumps quickly into water, and put them into a preserving-pan with no more water than hangs about them; and boil the sugar to a syrup, carefully skimming it. Drain the plums from the first syrup; put them into the fresh syrup, and simmer them very gently until they are clear; lift them out singly into pots, pour the syrup over, and, when cold, cover down to exclude the air. This preserve will remain good some time, if kept in a dry place, and makes a very nice addition to a dessert. The magnum-bonum plums answer for this preserve better than any other kind of plum. Greengages are also very delicious done in this manner. _Time._—¼ hour to 20 minutes to simmer the plums in the first syrup; 20 minutes to ½ hour very gentle simmering in the second. _Seasonable_ from August to October.

PLUMS, to Preserve Dry.

_Ingredients._—To every lb. of sugar allow ¼ pint of water. _Mode._—Gather the plums when they are full grown and just turning colour; prick them, put them into a saucepan of cold water, and set them on the fire until the water is on the point of boiling. Then take them out, drain them, and boil them gently in syrup made with the above proportion of sugar and water; and if the plums shrink, and will not take the sugar, prick them as they lie in the pan; give them another boil, skim, and set them by. The next day add some more sugar, boiled almost to candy, to the fruit and syrup; put all together into a wide-mouthed jar, and place them in a cool oven for 2 nights; then drain the plums from the syrup, sprinkle a little powdered sugar over, and dry them in a cool oven. _Time._—15 to 20 minutes to boil the plums in the syrup. _Seasonable_ from August to October.

PORK.

In the country, where, for ordinary consumption, the pork killed for sale is usually both larger and fatter than that supplied to the London consumer, it is customary to remove the skin and fat down to the lean, and, salting that, roast what remains of the joint. Pork goes further, and is consequently a more economical food, than other meats, simply because the texture is closer, and there is less waste in the cooking, either in roasting or boiling.

In fresh pork, the leg is the most economical family joint, and the loin the richest.

Pork, to be preserved, is cured in several ways,—either by covering it with salt, or immersing it in ready-made brine, where it is kept till required; or it is only partially salted, and then hung up to dry, when the meat is called white bacon; or, after salting, it is hung in wood smoke till the flesh is impregnated with the aroma from the wood. The Wiltshire bacon, which is regarded as the finest in the kingdom, is prepared by laying the sides of a hog in large wooden troughs, and then rubbing into the flesh quantities of powdered bay-salt, made hot in a frying-pan. This process is repeated for four days; they are then left for three weeks, merely turning the flitches every other day, After that time they are hung up to dry. The hogs usually killed for purposes of bacon in England average from 18 to 20 stone; on the other hand, the hogs killed in the country for farm-house purposes, seldom weigh less than 26 stone. The legs of boars, hogs, and, in Germany, those of bears, are prepared differently, and called hams.

The practice in vogue formerly in this country was to cut out the hams and cure them separately; then to remove the ribs, which were roasted as “spare-ribs,” and, curing the remainder of the side, call it a “gammon of bacon.”

Small pork to cut for table in joints, is cut up, in most places throughout the kingdom, as represented in the engraving. The side is divided with nine ribs to the fore quarter; and the following is an enumeration of the joints in the two respective quarters:—

{1. The leg. HIND QUARTER {2. The loin. {3. The spring, or belly.

{4. The hand. FORE QUARTER {5. The fore-loin. {6. The cheek.

The weight of the several joints of a good pork pig of four stone may be as follows; viz.:—

The leg 8 lbs. The loin and spring. 7 “ The hand 6 “ The chine 7 “ The cheek from 2 to 3 “

Of a bacon pig, the legs are reserved for curing, and when cured are called hams: when the meat is separated from the shoulder-blade and bones and cured, it is called bacon. The bones, with part of the meat left on them, are divided into spare-ribs, griskins, and chines.

PORK CHEESE (an Excellent Breakfast Dish).

_Ingredients._—2 lbs. of cold roast pork, pepper and salt to taste, 1 dessertspoonful of minced parsley, 4 leaves of sage, a very small bunch of savoury herbs, 2 blades of pounded mace, a little nutmeg, ½ teaspoonful of minced lemon-peel; good strong gravy, sufficient to fill the mould. _Mode._—Cut, but do not chop, the pork into fine pieces, and allow ¼ lb. of fat to each pound of lean. Season with pepper and salt; pound well the spices, and chop finely the parsley, sage, herbs, and lemon-peel, and mix the whole nicely together. Put it into a mould, fill up with good strong well-flavoured gravy, and bake rather more than one hour. When cold, turn it out of the mould. _Time._—Rather more than 1 hour. _Seasonable_ from October to March.

_Note._—The remains of a pig’s head, after the chops are taken off, make most excellent pork cheese.

PORK CUTLETS, or Chops.

_Ingredients._—Loin of pork, pepper and salt to taste. _Mode._—Cut the cutlets from a delicate loin of pork, bone and trim them neatly, and cut away the greater portion of the fat. Season them with pepper; place the gridiron on the fire; when quite hot, lay on the chops, and broil them for about ¼ hour, turning them 3 or 4 times; and be particular that they are _thoroughly_ done, but not dry. Dish them, sprinkle over a little fine salt, and serve plain, or with tomato sauce, sauce piquante, or pickled gherkins, a few of which should be laid round the dish as a garnish. _Time._—About ¼ hour. _Average cost_, 10_d._ per lb. for chops. _Sufficient._—Allow 6 for 4 persons. _Seasonable_ from October to March.

PORK CUTLETS, or Chops.

_Ingredients._—Loin, or fore-loin, of pork, egg and bread-crumbs, salt and pepper to taste; to every tablespoonful of bread-crumbs allow ½ teaspoonful of minced sage; clarified butter. _Mode._—Cut the cutlets from a loin, or fore-loin, of pork; trim them the same as mutton cutlets, and scrape the top part of the bone. Brush them over with egg, sprinkle with bread-crumbs, with which have been mixed minced sage and a seasoning of pepper and salt; drop a little clarified butter on them, and press the crumbs well down. Put the frying-pan on the fire, put in some lard; when this is hot, lay in the cutlets, and fry them a light brown on both sides. Take them out, put them before the fire to dry the greasy moisture from them, and dish them on mashed potatoes. Serve with them any sauce that may be preferred; such as tomato sauce, sauce piquante, sauce Robert, or pickled gherkins. _Time._—From 15 to 20 minutes. _Average cost_, 10_d._ per lb. for chops. _Sufficient._—Allow 6 cutlets for 4 persons. _Seasonable_ from October to March.

_Note._—The remains of roast loin of pork may be dressed in the same manner.

PORK CUTLETS.

[COLD MEAT COOKERY.] _Ingredients._—The remains of cold roast loin of pork, 1 oz. of butter, 2 onions, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, ½ pint of gravy, pepper and salt to taste, 1 teaspoonful of vinegar and mustard. _Mode._—Cut the pork into nice-sized cutlets, trim off most of the fat, and chop the onions. Put the butter into a stewpan, lay in the cutlets and chopped onions, and fry a light brown; then add the remaining ingredients, simmer gently for 5 or 7 minutes, and serve. _Time._—5 to 7 minutes. _Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 4_d._ _Seasonable_ from October to March.

PORK, Roast Griskin of.

_Ingredients._—Pork; a little powdered sage. _Mode._—As this joint frequently comes to table hard and dry, particular care should be taken that it is well basted. Put it down to a bright fire, and flour it. About 10 minutes before taking it up, sprinkle over some powdered sage; make a little gravy in the dripping-pan, strain it over the meat, and serve with a tureen of apple sauce. This joint will be done in far less time than when the skin is left on, consequently, should have the greatest attention that it be not dried up. _Time._—Griskin of pork weighing 6 lbs., 1½ hour. _Average cost_, 7_d._ per lb. _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ from September to March.

_Note._—A spare-rib of pork is roasted in the same manner as above, and would take 1½ hour for one weighing about 6 lbs.

PORK, Hashed.

_Ingredients._—The remains of cold roast pork, 2 onions, 1 teaspoonful of flour, 2 blades of pounded mace, 2 cloves, 1 tablespoonful of vinegar, ½ pint of gravy, pepper and salt to taste. _Mode._—Chop the onions and fry them of a nice brown; cut the pork into thin slices, season them with pepper and salt, and add these to the remaining ingredients. Stew gently for about ½ hour, and serve garnished with sippets of toasted bread. _Time._—½ hour. _Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 3_d._ _Seasonable_ from October to March.

PORK, Boiled Leg of.

_Ingredients._—Leg of pork; salt. _Mode._—For boiling, choose a small, compact, well-filled leg, and rub it well with salt; let it remain in pickle for a week or ten days, turning and rubbing it every day. An hour before dressing it, put it into cold water for an hour, which improves the colour. If the pork is purchased ready salted, ascertain how long the meat has been in pickle, and soak it accordingly. Put it into a boiling-pot, with sufficient cold water to cover it; let it gradually come to a boil, and remove the scum as it rises. Simmer it very gently until tender, and do not allow it to boil fast, or the knuckle will fall to pieces before the middle of the leg is done. Carrots, turnips, or parsnips may be boiled with the pork, some of which should be laid round the dish as a garnish. A well-made pease-pudding is an indispensable accompaniment. _Time._—A leg of pork weighing 8 lbs., 3 hours after the water boils, and to be simmered very gently. _Average cost_, 9_d._ per lb. _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ from September to March.

_Note._—The liquor in which a leg of pork has been boiled makes excellent pea-soup.

PORK, Roast Leg of.

_Ingredients._—Leg of pork, a little, oil, sage and onion stuffing. _Mode._—Choose a small leg of pork, and score the skin across in narrow strips, about ¼ inch apart. Cut a slit in the knuckle, loosen the skin, and fill it with a sage-and-onion stuffing. Brush the joint over with a little salad-oil (this makes the crackling crisper, and a better colour), and put it down to a bright, clear fire, not too near, as that would cause the skin to blister. Baste it well, and serve with a little gravy made in the dripping-pan, and do not omit to send to table with it a tureen of well-made apple sauce. _Time._—A leg of pork weighing 8 lbs., about 3 hours. _Average cost_, 9_d._ per lb. _Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons. _Seasonable_ from September to March.

PORK, Leg of, to Carve.

This joint, which is such a favourite one with many people, is easy to carve. The knife should be carried sharply down to the bone, clean through the crackling, in the direction of the line 1 to 2. Sage and onion and apple sauce are usually sent to table with this dish,—sometimes the leg of pork is stuffed,—and the guests should be asked if they will have either or both. A frequent plan, and we think a good one, is now pursued, of sending sage and onion to table separately from the joint, as it is not everybody to whom the flavour of this stuffing is agreeable.

_Note._—The other dishes of pork do not call for any special remarks as to their carving or helping.

PORK, Roast Loin of.

_Ingredients._—Pork; a little salt. _Mode._—Score the skin in strips rather more than ¼ inch apart, and place the joint at a good distance from the fire, on account of the crackling, which would harden before the meat would be heated through, were it placed too near. If very lean, it should be rubbed over with a little salad oil, and kept well basted all the time it is at the fire. Pork should be very thoroughly cooked, but not dry; and be careful never to send it to table the least underdone, as nothing is more unwholesome and disagreeable than under-dressed white meats. Serve with apple sauce and a little gravy made in the dripping-pan. A stuffing of sage and onion may be made separately, and baked in a flat dish: this method is better than putting it in the meat, as many persons have so great an objection to the flavour. _Time._—A loin of pork weighing 5 lbs., about 2 hours: allow more time should it be very fat. _Average cost_, 9_d._ per lb. _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ from September to March.

PORK, to Pickle.

_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of saltpetre; salt. _Mode._—As pork does not keep long without being salted, cut it into pieces of a suitable size as soon as the pig is cold. Rub the pieces of pork well with salt, and put them into a pan with a sprinkling of it between each piece: as it melts on the top, strew on more. Lay a coarse cloth over the pan, a board over that, and a weight on the board, to keep the pork down in the brine. If excluded from the air, it will continue good for nearly 2 years. _Average cost_, 10_d._ per lb. for the prime parts. _Seasonable._—The best time for pickling meat is late in the autumn.

PORK, Pickled, to Boil.

_Ingredients._—Pork; water. _Mode._—Should the pork be very salt, let it remain in water about 2 hours before it is dressed; put it into a saucepan with sufficient cold water to cover it, let it gradually come to a boil, then gently simmer until quite tender. Allow ample time for it to cook, as nothing is more disagreeable than underdone pork, and when boiled fast, the meat becomes hard. This is sometimes served with boiled poultry and roast veal, instead of bacon: when tender, and not over salt, it will be found equally good. _Time._—A piece of pickled pork weighing 2 lbs., 1¼ hour; 4 lbs., rather more than 2 hours. _Average cost_, 10_d._ per lb. for the primest parts. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PORK PIES (Warwickshire Recipe).

_Ingredients._—For the crust, 5 lbs. of lard to 14 lbs. of flour; milk, and water. For filling the pies, to every 3 lbs. of meat allow 1 oz. of salt, 2¼ oz. of pepper, a small quantity of cayenne, 1 pint of water. _Mode._—Rub into the flour a portion of the lard; the remainder put with sufficient milk and water to mix the crust, and boil this gently for ¼ hour. Pour it boiling on the flour, and knead and beat it till perfectly smooth. Now raise the crust in either a round or oval form, cut up the pork into pieces the size of a nut, season it in the above proportion, and press it compactly into the pie, in alternate layers of fat and lean, and pour in a small quantity of water; lay on the lid, cut the edges smoothly round, and pinch them together. Bake in a brick oven, which should be slow, as the meat is very solid. Very frequently, an inexperienced cook finds much difficulty in raising the crust. She should bear in mind that it must not be allowed to get cold, or it will fall immediately: to prevent this, the operation should be performed as near the fire as possible. As considerable dexterity and expertness are necessary to raise the crust with the hand only, a glass bottle or small jar may be placed in the middle of the paste, and the crust moulded on this; but be particular that it is kept warm the whole time. _Sufficient._—The proportions for 1 pie are 1 lb. of flour and 3 lbs. of meat. _Seasonable_ from September to March.

PORK PIES, Little Raised.

_Ingredients._—2 lbs. of flour, ½ lb. of butter, ½ lb. of mutton suet, salt and white pepper to taste, 4 lbs. of the neck of pork, 1 dessertspoonful of powdered sage. _Mode._—Well dry the flour, mince the suet, and put these with the butter into a saucepan, to be made hot, and add a little salt. When melted, mix it up into a stiff paste, and put it before the fire with a cloth over it until ready to make up; chop the pork into small pieces, season it with white pepper, salt, and powdered sage; divide the paste into rather small pieces, raise it in a round or oval form, fill with the meat, and bake in a brick oven. These pies will require a fiercer oven than those in the preceding recipe, as they are made so much smaller, and consequently do not require so soaking a heat. _Time._—If made small, about 1½ hour. _Seasonable_ from September to March.

POTATO FRITTERS.

_Ingredients._—2 large potatoes, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, 2 ditto of raisin or sweet wine, 1 dessertspoonful of lemon-juice, ½ teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, hot lard. _Mode._—Boil the potatoes, and beat them up lightly with a fork, but do not use a spoon, as that would make them heavy. Beat the eggs well, leaving out one of the whites; add the other ingredients, and beat all together for at least 20 minutes, or until the batter is extremely light. Put plenty of good lard into a frying-pan, and drop a tablespoonful of the batter at a time into it, and fry the fritters a nice brown. Serve them with the following sauce:—A glass of sherry mixed with the strained juice of a lemon, and sufficient white sugar to sweeten the whole nicely. Warm these ingredients, and serve the sauce separately in a tureen. The fritters should be neatly dished on a white d’oyley, and pounded sugar sprinkled over them. They should be well drained on a piece of blotting-paper before the fire previously to being dished. _Time._—From 6 to 8 minutes. _Average cost_, 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

POTATO PASTY.

_Ingredients._—1½ lb. of rump-steak or mutton cutlets, pepper and salt to taste, 1/3 pint of weak broth or gravy, 1 oz. of butter, mashed potatoes. _Mode._—Place the meat, cut in small pieces, at the bottom of the pan; season it with pepper and salt, and add the gravy and butter broken into small pieces. Put on the perforated plate, with its valve-pipe screwed on, and fill up the whole space to the top of the tube with nicely-mashed potatoes mixed with a little milk, and finish the surface of them in any ornamental manner. If carefully baked, the potatoes will be covered with a delicate brown crust, retaining all the savoury steam rising from the meat. Send it to table as it comes from the oven, with a napkin folded round it. _Time._—40 to 60 minutes. _Average cost_, 2_s._ _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

POTATO PUDDING.

_Ingredients._—½ lb. of mashed potatoes, 2 oz. of butter, 2 eggs, ¼ pint of milk, 3 tablespoonfuls of sherry, ¼ saltspoonful of salt, the juice and rind of 1 small lemon, 2 oz. of sugar. _Mode._—Boil sufficient potatoes to make ½ lb. when mashed; add to these the butter, eggs, milk, sherry, lemon-juice, and sugar; mince the lemon-peel very finely, and beat all the ingredients well together. Put the pudding into a buttered pie-dish, and bake for rather more than ½ hour. To enrich it, add a few pounded almonds, and increase the quantity of eggs and butter. _Time._—½ hour, or rather longer. _Average cost_, 8_d._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

POTATO RISSOLES.

_Ingredients._—Mashed potatoes, salt and pepper to taste; when liked, a very little minced parsley, egg, and bread-crumbs. _Mode._—Boil and mash the potatoes; add a seasoning of pepper and salt, and, when liked, a little minced parsley. Roll the potatoes into small balls, cover them with egg and bread-crumbs, and fry in hot lard for about 10 minutes; let them drain before the fire, dish them on a napkin, and serve. _Time._—10 minutes to fry the rissoles. _Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note._—The flavour of these rissoles may be very much increased by adding finely-minced tongue or ham, or even chopped onions, when these are liked.

POTATO SALAD.

_Ingredients._—10 or 12 cold boiled potatoes, 4 tablespoonfuls of tarragon or plain vinegar, 6 tablespoonfuls of salad-oil, pepper and salt to taste, 1 teaspoonful of minced parsley. _Mode._—Cut the potatoes into slices about ½ inch in thickness; put these into a salad-bowl with oil and vinegar in the above proportion; season with pepper, salt, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley; stir the salad well, that all the ingredients may be thoroughly incorporated, and it is ready to serve. This should be made two or three hours before it is wanted for table. Anchovies, olives, or pickles may be added to this salad, as also slices of cold beef, fowl, or turkey. _Seasonable_ at any time.

POTATO SNOW.

_Ingredients._—Potatoes, salt, and water. _Mode._—Choose large white potatoes, as free from spots as possible; boil them in their skins in salt and water until perfectly tender; drain and _dry them thoroughly_ by the side of the fire, and peel them. Put a hot dish before the fire, rub the potatoes through a coarse sieve on to this dish; do not touch them afterwards, or the flakes will fall, and serve as hot as possible. _Time._—½ to ¾ hour to boil the potatoes. _Average cost_, 4_s._ per bushel. _Sufficient_,—6 potatoes for 3 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

POTATO SOUP.