Part 4

1 sheep’s head, 3 onions, 3 turnips, a small bunch parsley, 1 tablespoonful pearl barley, 2 teaspoonfuls salt, ½ teaspoonful pepper, sufficient cold water to cover the head, ½ oz. flour, 1 oz. dripping.

Soak the head for one hour in lukewarm water. Then remove the tongue, brains, and all the thin soft bones from the inside of the head. Tie it together put it in a saucepan, cover with water, adding the salt, and bring it slowly to the boil; take off the scum. Prepare the vegetables, wash the barley, and add all to the head. Let the whole simmer gently for 3 hours. About ½ hour before it is done, tie the brains in a little piece of muslin, and throw them into the saucepan. Boil the tongue separately. When done, place the head on a hot dish. Mash the turnips with a little dripping, pepper and salt, form into little balls, and place round the dish alternately with the carrots. Halve the tongue, and lay it across the head. Pour over all a sauce made of the flour browned in the dripping, half a pint of the stock in which the head has been boiled, the brains, slightly chopped, and a little finely-chopped parsley. The broth may be used as it is, or made into a soup of any kind.

Roast Sheeps’ Hearts. Time—¾ hour.

2 sheeps’ hearts, 2 oz. dripping. _Stuffing_—2 oz. suet, 1 tablespoonful herbs, 2 tablespoonfuls bread-crumbs, rind of 1 lemon grated, 1 egg; pepper and salt to taste.

Put the hearts into boiling water for a few minutes. Meanwhile make the stuffing as follows:—Chop the suet, mix with the herbs, bread-crumbs, lemon-rind, pepper, salt and beaten egg. Take the hearts out of the water, dry them, stuff them, skewer them up, flour them, put them in a saucepan with a little dripping, baste occasionally, and turn them over. When done pour a little stock into the saucepan, stir it well, boil it up, and pour over the hearts.

Stewed Steak. Time—2½ hours.

1 lb. beef steak, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, ½ saltspoonful salt, ¼ saltspoonful pepper, 1 dessertspoonful chopped parsley, 2 oz. dripping, 1 dessertspoonful flour.

Melt the dripping, cut the steak into 3 pieces, and fry them. Then take out the meat, cut the onion and carrot into thin slices, the turnip into thick blocks, and fry these in the dripping. When they are browned, lay the meat on top of them, add the seasoning and ½ pint of warm water. Close the lid and simmer 2 hours. Thicken with the flour ¼ hour before serving; add the chopped parsley at the last minute.

Smoked or Salt Tongue.

Smoked tongues must be soaked over-night in cold water. Salt tongues do not require this. Tongues must be placed in boiling water and simmered till tender, then skinned and replaced in the liquor to get hot again.

Toad-in-the-Hole. Time—¾ hour.

½ lb. scraps of cooked or uncooked meat, 3 gills water, ½ lb. flour, salt, 2 eggs.

Grease a pie-dish or baking-tin; lay the pieces of meat in it; make a batter by stirring the water gradually into the flour and salt, beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat all together, pressing out any lumps against the sides of the basin, let it stand two hours if possible, then pour it over the meat and bake in a quick oven about ½ hour.

Stewed Knuckle of Veal. Time—2¼ hours.

4 lbs. knuckle of veal, ¼ lb. rice, 1 onion, 1 teaspoonful salt, ¼ teaspoonful pepper, 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley, 3 pints water, 1 oz. flour, juice of 1 lemon.

Simmer the veal for 2 hours in the salt and water. After it has simmered 1 hour add the onion, peeled and cut up, and the rice well washed. Simmer again for 1 hour, add the flour mixed to a cream with the lemon-juice, then add the chopped parsley, cook for 10 minutes, and serve the meat in the middle of the rice and gravy.

Breast of Veal or Mutton Stuffed. Time—2 hours.

Cut breast in half and stuff; or bone, stuff and roll round. Bake for 1½ hour, basting well.

_Forcemeat_: 2 oz. smoked beef, ¼ lb. suet, rind of ½ lemon, 1 teaspoonful chopped herbs, and parsley, salt, cayenne and pounded mace to taste, 4 oz. bread-crumbs, and 1 egg.

Shred the smoked beef, chop the suet, lemon-rind, and herbs, mincing all very finely. Add seasoning to taste, and mix well with the bread-crumbs before wetting with the egg. Work all together and use.

SIMPLE WAYS OF USING COLD COOKED MEAT.

Curry. Time—1¼ hour.

1 lb. pieces of cold cooked meat, 2 oz. clarified dripping, 1 apple, 1 onion, 1 dessertspoonful curry powder, 1 dessertspoonful flour; salt and pepper to taste; ½ pint cold water.

Peel and cut up the onion and apple, and cut the meat into neat slices; fry the vegetables brown in the dripping, add the curry powder, flour, salt and pepper, and stir the water into it gradually. Let it boil, and then simmer for ½ hour with the lid off. Add the meat, heat it through, but do not let it boil. Serve in a ring of boiled rice (see page 35).

Hash. Time—2 hours.

1 lb. cold cooked meat and bones, 2 onions, 1 carrot, a small bunch of herbs, ½ oz. dripping, 1 tablespoonful flour, 1 dessertspoonful ketchup, 1 saltspoonful salt, ½ saltspoonful pepper.

Chop the bones of the meat into small pieces, and put them into a saucepan with enough cold water to cover them. Add to them the herbs, chopped onion, and the carrot, washed, scraped and cut into slices. Simmer 1½ hour, strain, and add the seasoning. Cut the other onion into thin slices, fry it brown in the dripping, add it to the stock, and thicken with the flour. Stir well till it boils, then add the ketchup, the meat cut into neat slices, and heat thoroughly without boiling. Serve with small pieces of toast, or in a ring of mashed potatoes.

Macaroni Mutton. Time—2¼ hours.

1 lb. cold cooked mutton, 1 large onion, 1 oz. dripping, 1 pint of stock or pot-liquor, 1 tablespoonful sauce of any kind, ¼ lb. macaroni; pepper and salt to taste.

Fry (in a saucepan) some slices of mutton (underdone is best) in the dripping, with the onion cut in pieces, then add the stock or pot-liquor, Worcester, Harvey or other sauce, pepper, salt and macaroni. Simmer for 2 hours and serve.

Meat Croquettes. Time—1 hour.

¼ lb. cold meat; pepper and salt to taste; ½ lb. cold boiled potatoes, ¼ lb. flour, 2 oz. dripping, bread-crumbs or vermicelli, 1 egg.

Rub the potatoes through a sieve, add the flour and salt and rub in the dripping. Mix to a stiff paste with cold water, roll it out and cut in into rounds. Put a little chopped meat in each round, egg half the round, press the edges together and nick them. Roll each croquette first in egg and then in bread-crumbs or vermicelli, and fry in boiling fat or oil.

Cold Meat Patties. Time—1 hour.

½ lb. cold cooked meat, ¾ lb. flour, ¼ lb. dripping, 1 teaspoonful baking-powder, pepper and salt to taste, ½ teaspoonful mixed herbs, 1 gill stock or gravy.

Rub the fat into the flour, add the baking-powder, mix to a stiff paste with a little cold water, roll it out ¼ inch thick, and cut 24 rounds. Grease 12 patty pans, and line them with 12 rounds of paste. Mince the cold meat, season with pepper, salt, and half a teaspoonful mixed herbs, moisten with stock or gravy. Fill the patty pans with the mixture, press on the remaining 12 rounds of paste, trim the edges neatly, decorate, brush over with beaten egg, and bake ½ hour.

Potato Pie. Time—1 hour.

1 lb. cold cooked meat, 1½ lb. boiled potatoes, 1 oz. dripping, 1 tablespoonful gravy or water, ½ teaspoonful herbs or 1 onion, 1 teaspoonful salt, ¼ teaspoonful pepper.

Cut the meat into small pieces, or mince it, sprinkle with the seasoning and put in a pie-dish, add the water or gravy. Melt the dripping, add to it the mashed potatoes, pepper and salt, stir well and spread over the meat to form a crust. Smooth neatly with a knife dipped in hot water, and mark with a fork. Bake in a hot oven about ¾ hour.

Potato Surprise. Time—½ hour.

2 oz. lean cooked mutton, 1 potato, pepper and salt.

Choose a large potato, parboil it without peeling, cut a small piece off the end and scoop out the inside. Mince the meat fine, flavour with pepper and salt, mix with a little gravy and fill the potato. Cork up the end with the piece cut off and bake about 20 minutes.

Ragout of Beef. Time—2½ hours.

1 lb. pieces of beef, raw or cooked, ½ pint cold water, 3 large onions, 1 teaspoonful salt, ¼ teaspoonful pepper, 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley, ½ teaspoonful chopped herbs, ½ oz. rice or pearl barley.

Peel and cut the onions into rings, cut the pieces of meat into squares, put them in a stew-pan, add all the other ingredients and then the water. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Rissoles. Time—¾ hour.

½ lb. cold cooked meat, ½ gill stock or gravy, 1 dessertspoonful flour, 1 oz. dripping, ½ teaspoonful mixed herbs, or 1 slice cold smoked beef, ½ teaspoonful chopped parsley, pepper and salt to taste, 1 egg, bread-crumbs.

Melt the dripping, stir in the flour and stock, the seasoning, and lastly the meat, chopped fine. Heat thoroughly, then turn on to a plate to cool; form into balls, dip into egg and bread-crumbs, and fry a golden brown in hot fat or oil.

Salt Meat Salad. Time—¼ hour.

Cut up into neat pieces any scraps of cold salt meat. To a small quantity, add 1 tablespoonful capers, 1 tablespoonful mustard pickles, and small pieces of watercress chopped fine. Mix well together, heap on to a dish and garnish, if liked, with the white and yolk of a hard boiled egg rubbed through a sieve, strips of beetroot and small bunches of watercress.

Tomato Pie. Time—¾ hour.

1 lb. cold mutton, ½ lb. potatoes, 1 lb. tomatoes, 1 gill stock, ½ onion, pepper and salt to taste.

Cut the meat into neat pieces, add the potatoes and onion sliced, and cover with sliced tomato. Add the stock and seasoning, make a short crust (see page 41) and bake about ½ hour.

Stuffed Tomatoes.

2 lbs. round tomatoes, 2 oz. chopped smoked beef, 1 chopped shalot, 2 to 3 mushrooms, 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley, 1 tablespoonful bread-crumbs.

Cut a small piece off the top of each tomato and squeeze them slightly. Mix the other ingredients over the fire for a few minutes, then stuff each tomato with some of the mixture, replace the top pieces, sprinkle with bread-crumbs and bake 10 minutes.

Stuffed Vegetable Marrow. Time—½ hour.

1 marrow, 1 lb. cold meat, pepper and salt to taste, ½ teaspoonful herbs, ½ gill stock or gravy.

Cut a small piece off the end of the marrow, scoop out the seeds, and replace them with the meat, chopped fine and seasoned, and moistened with stock. Cork up the end with the piece cut off, roll up in a pudding cloth, cover with boiling water, and cook about twenty minutes. Serve with gravy. This dish may also be baked, but must be basted occasionally with dripping.

Walnut Stew. Time—2 hours.

Proceed as for Hash (page 28), but when heating the meat, add 2 pickled walnuts cut up small, and a little of the liquor, and garnish with 6 or 8 walnuts instead of toast.

VEGETABLES.

Hints on Preparing Vegetables.

1. Vegetables keep best on a stone floor.

2. All green vegetables should be laid in cold salt and water for 1 hour before they are cooked. This draws out all the insects they contain. Carrots should be scraped, then cut up and thrown into cold water till they are cooked. Turnips must be peeled thickly, then cut up and thrown into cold water till they are cooked. Onions must be peeled, then, as a rule, sliced or chopped.

3. Green vegetables should be thrown into boiling water with a little salt and small piece of soda, boiled quickly for a few minutes and then simmered until tender.

4. A crust of bread should be boiled with cabbages, greens, etc. This takes off the disagreeable smell.

5. Vegetables must never be left over-night in saucepans, for a poison would be produced.

6. All the waste part of vegetables should be dried under the grate, then burnt at once, _never thrown into the dust-bin_. By this means all unwholesome smells are avoided.

Baked Beetroot. Time—3 hours.

Boil a large beetroot about 2 hours, be careful not to pierce it. When cold mash it very smooth, add a little dripping, pepper, salt and stock. Place in a greased basin and bake for 1 hour.

Broad Beans. Time—¾ hour.

Shell, wash and drain them. Throw into cold water with a little salt and a bunch of parsley. Boil until soft (20 to 30 minutes), then drain them. Serve either with melted butter or gravy.

French Beans. Time—¾ hour.

String the beans, cut each slantwise into 2 or 3 pieces, wash them well in cold salt and water, drain them, and throw them into boiling water with a little salt and a small piece of soda in it. Let them boil very fast with the lid off, until tender. Drain the water off and serve.

_French beans, à la maître d’hôtel_ are boiled as above, then rinsed in cold water, dried and put into a stew-pan on the fire with a little dripping, chopped parsley, pepper, salt, nutmeg and lemon-juice, till thoroughly heated through.

Haricot Beans. Time—6 hours.

1 pint haricot beans, 1 tablespoonful vinegar, 1 teaspoonful brown sugar; pepper and salt to taste.

Soak the beans over-night. Next day boil them for 5 or 6 hours in plenty of water. One hour before serving, mix the vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt well together, pour away some of the water from the beans, and add the mixture to them.

Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Greens, and Savoys. Time—1½ hour.

Cut off the faded outside leaves and hard part of the stalk, and wash the vegetables well. Cook in plenty of boiling water, with a tablespoonful of salt to every half-gallon. If the water is very hard, add sufficient carbonate of soda to cover a threepenny piece. Boil with the lid off till the stalk is soft.

Stewed Carrots. Time—½ hour.

Scrape carrots carefully and cut in thick pieces. Place them in sufficient water to cover them and stew till tender. Then evaporate water till only half remains. Add a little dripping, flour and pepper and toss carrots gently in pan till they are coated with their own juice, and serve.

Stewed Celery. Time—¾ hour.

Boil some heads of celery, cut into pieces about 2 inches long, in some good stock, add salt, pepper, and a little lemon-juice. Thicken the stock with flour and serve.

Colcannon. Time—¼ hour

Equal quantities of cooked cabbage and potatoes, chopped, mixed together, seasoned with pepper and salt, and fried in a little dripping.

Boiled Green Peas. Time—20 to 30 minutes.

Shell and pick them over, wash them in cold water, drain them. Throw them into boiling water, add a teaspoonful brown sugar, a little mint and salt. Boil until quite tender, drain off the water, and serve in a hot dish with the mint.

Dried Green Peas. Time—4 hours.

Soak over-night; next morning put them in a jar in the oven with plenty of water, salt and a spoonful of sugar. Stew gently for 3 or 4 hours, until quite tender. A pinch of carbonate of soda may be added to the water, to improve the colour of the peas. Serve either with gravy, or a little butter, pepper and salt.

Jerusalem Artichokes. Time—½ hour.

Peel and wash them, place in cold water with a little salt and lemon-juice, and cook till soft. They can be served either with gravy or butter sauce.

Baked Potatoes. Time—1½ hour.

Choose potatoes of equal size. Brush them very clean, drop them into a basin of cold salt and water, then dry them. Place them on a baking sheet, and bake in a moderate oven. When a fork will pierce them easily they are baked. The skins should never be eaten.

_Another way._—Brush the potatoes, peel them very thin, parboil them, then brown them under the meat.

Boiled Potatoes. Time—¾ hour.

Potatoes should be well brushed, dropped into a basin of cold salt and water, and when a saucepan of water boils they should be placed in it. When a fork will pierce them easily, they are done. The water must then be strained off, the saucepan drawn to the side of the fire, a clean cloth folded over the top of the saucepan, and the lid pressed down on to it. This dries the potatoes, and makes them a good colour. They should be held in a cloth and peeled, then re-heated for a minute. _New potatoes_, if well brushed or scraped, do not require peeling.

Fried Potatoes. Time—½ hour.

Brush the potatoes, peel them very thin, slice them, dry them, and fry them a light brown in hot fat.

Mashed Potatoes. Time—1 hour.

Boil the potatoes, mash them through a sieve, or beat them with a fork. Add a little dripping or butter, and brown in the oven.

Boiled Rice. Time—½ hour.

½ lb. rice, ¼ teaspoonful salt, 4 quarts boiling water.

Well wash the rice in cold water, then put it into the boiling water with the salt, and let it boil fast 15 to 20 minutes. When it is quite tender, strain it into a colander, turn the cold water tap on to it for 2 or 3 seconds. Then place it in a dry saucepan by the side of the fire, with the lid half on, to dry and get hot. Shake it occasionally to prevent it burning, and serve.

Spanish Onions. Time—¾ hour.

Wash them, throw them into boiling water _with their skins on_, and boil until tender. Remove the outer skin. Serve with pepper, salt, gravy or butter.

Turnip Tops or Spinach. Time—¾ hour.

2 lbs. turnip tops, 2 oz. clarified fat, pepper and salt.

Wash well in several waters, strip off the leaves and place them in a saucepan of cold water with a little salt, and boil till tender. Strain and squeeze them as much as possible, chop very fine on a board, put back in the saucepan with the dripping, pepper and salt, and mix well till thoroughly hot. Serve decorated with hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters.

Fried Vegetable Marrow. Time—¾ hour.

1 vegetable marrow, 2 oz. flour, ½ gill tepid water, 1 dessertspoonful salad oil, salt, white of 1 egg.

Put the flour into a basin with a pinch of salt, add the oil and tepid water gradually, then the white of egg, well beaten. Peel the marrow, put it into boiling water, and boil until tender. Cut it into slices, remove the seeds, dip each piece in the batter, and fry in hot fat or oil a golden brown.

SALADS AND PICKLES.

Bean Salad. Time—¾ hour.

1 lb. cold boiled French beans, or 1 lb. cold boiled haricot beans, 2 tablespoonfuls salad oil, 3 tablespoonfuls vinegar, ½ teaspoonful ground ginger; pepper and salt to taste.

Boil the beans, strain and allow them to get cold (haricot beans must be soaked 12 hours before boiling). Mix the ginger, pepper, salt, oil and vinegar carefully together, and pour this dressing over the beans. _Cauliflowers_ and _cabbages_ can also be treated this way.

German Celery or Celeriac. Time—1 hour.

1 root German celery, ½ gill white wine vinegar; pepper and salt to taste.

Wash the celery well, and boil it off cold; peel it, cut it into rather thick slices, pour the vinegar over it, and sprinkle with pepper and salt.

Lettuce Salad. Time—½ hour.

1 lettuce, ¼ beetroot, 1 bunch cress, ½ bunch radishes, 1 egg, pepper and salt to taste, ¼ teaspoonful made mustard, 2 tablespoonfuls salad oil, 3 tablespoonfuls vinegar.

Wash the lettuce thoroughly, pull it to pieces with the fingers, dry it in a coarse cloth. Wash the radishes, halve them; wash and pick the cress. Boil the egg hard, cut the white into pieces, and mix it with the salading. Pass the yolk through a sieve, and mix carefully with it the pepper, salt, mustard, oil and vinegar. This dressing should be poured over the salad and very thoroughly mixed with it. Ornament with small pieces of beetroot.

If preferred, use 3 tablespoonfuls of oil to 2 of vinegar.

Pickled Onions. Time—1 hour.

1 quart onions, 1 pint vinegar, ⅛ oz. peppercorns, salt and water, ½ oz. ginger.

Peel the onions, and when some water with plenty of salt in it is boiling pour it over them, and let them remain in it 24 hours. Keep them close covered till all the steam has evaporated. After 24 hours wipe them dry. Boil the vinegar, pepper, and ginger together, and pour this over the onions. Cover tightly, and keep them several weeks before using.

Potato Salad. Time—¾ hour.

8 large waxy potatoes, 1 small onion or shalot, 2 tablespoonfuls chopped parsley, 1 yolk of egg, 1 gill of salad oil, 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar, pepper and salt to taste, 1 lettuce.

Boil the potatoes off cold, slice them into a salad bowl, and sprinkle the chopped onion, parsley, and seasoning over them. Beat up the yolk, and stir the oil and vinegar gradually into it. Pour this dressing over the potatoes; mix with a fork, and garnish with lettuce.

Red Cabbage, Pickled.

1 red cabbage, 1 quart vinegar, whole peppers, whole ginger (bruised), whole allspice, cloves, 6 slices beetroot, salt.

Shred the cabbage very fine, spread it over some flat surface, sprinkle with salt, and leave 24 hours, then rub the cabbage in a clean cloth. Add the spice, tied up in a muslin bag, to the vinegar, and let it come to the boil. Meanwhile, place the cabbage in a jar which has a cover, with the slices of beetroot on top. When the vinegar boils, pour it over the cabbage, and cover close when it has become quite cold. This pickle will be ready for use in a few days.

Russian Salad. Time—1½ hour.

Take equal quantities of carrots, turnips, French beans, haricot beans, cauliflower, green peas, potatoes, beetroot, and celery, or any other vegetables that may be in season. Boil till tender: the carrots and turnips together, the French beans and green peas together, the haricot beans (which must have been soaked over-night), cauliflower and potatoes all separately. When cold, cut all the vegetables into neat pieces. Mix all well together, with some Mayonnaise sauce (see page 40), turn into a basin or mould. When required, turn the salad on to a dish, and pour Mayonnaise sauce over it.

Salad Cream. Time—20 minutes.

1 tablespoonful raw mustard, 2 tablespoonfuls salad oil (¼ lb. brown sugar, if liked), a few drops anchovy sauce, a few drops soy or Worcester sauce, 1 egg, ½ pint vinegar.

Mix the mustard quite smooth with the oil, add the sugar, the anchovy and Worcester sauces. Beat up the egg thoroughly, and add it and the vinegar to the other ingredients. Beat all well together for 10 minutes. Pour it into a bottle; it will keep well some time in a cool place.

SAUCES AND SYRUPS.

Almond Milk. Time—¾ hour.

¼ lb. ground almonds, 1 pint water.

Put the ground almonds in a saucepan with the water, and stew slowly about ¾ hour, stirring occasionally. Strain the milk through a piece of muslin.

Bread Sauce. Time—½ hour.

1 roll (stale), ½ pint clear stock; pepper, salt, ground mace to taste.

Soak the crumb of the roll in water, then strain away the water thoroughly; beat the bread to a cream, put it in a saucepan with the stock and seasoning. Bring it to the boil, then stir 2 or 3 minutes longer.

Caper Sauce (for Boiled Mutton). Time—½ hour.

½ pint liquor, 1 tablespoonful flour, pepper, salt, 3 teaspoonfuls chopped capers.

Boil ½ pint of the liquor in which the meat has been cooked, then stir the flour in carefully (as on page ix., hint 2). Add the seasoning and capers. If required for _fish_, this sauce must be made with fish-liquor or milk, instead of the liquor from the meat.

Cheap Sauce for Boiled Fish. Time—20 minutes.

1 dessertspoonful cornflour, 2 tablespoonfuls milk, ½ pint fish-liquor, 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley; salt to taste.

Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste with the milk, then add the fish-liquor; stir over the fire till the sauce boils, then add the chopped parsley and salt.

Clarified Sugar. Time—¼ hour.

¼ lb. lump sugar, 1 gill water, egg-shells.

Put the sugar into the cold water with the egg-shells, and stir frequently over the fire till all the sugar is dissolved and a thick syrup formed; strain well and boil up again.

Egg Sauce.

2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 oz. butter, ½ oz. flour, 1½ gill milk, pepper and salt.