Home Pork Making Part 12

KIDNEY ON TOAST.

Cut a kidney in large pieces and soak in cold water an hour. Drain and chop fine, removing all string and fiber; also chop separately one onion.

Put a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter in a frying pan, and when melted add the chopped kidney and stir till the mixture turns a whitish color, then add the onion. Cook five minutes, turn into a small stewpan, season and add a cupful of boiling water. Simmer an hour and thicken with a teaspoonful of cornstarch wet with cold water. Cook five minutes longer, pour over slices of nicely browned toast and serve.

_Pork Fritters._

CORN MEAL FRITTERS.

Make a thick batter of corn meal and flour, cut a few slices of pork and fry until the fat is fried out; cut a few more slices, dip them in the batter, and drop them in the bubbling fat, seasoning with salt and pepper; cook until light brown, and eat while hot.

FRITTERS WITH EGG.

Fry slices of freshened fat pork, browning both sides, then make a batter of 1 egg, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon baking powder sifted through enough flour to make a rather stiff batter, and a pinch of salt. Now remove the pork from the frying pan and drop in large spoonfuls of the batter, and in the center of each place a piece of the fried pork, then cover the pork with batter, and when nicely brown, turn and let the other side brown. Currant jelly is nice with them.

FRICATELLE.

Chop raw fresh pork very fine, add a little salt and plenty of pepper, 2 small onions chopped fine, half as much bread as there is meat, soaked until soft, 2 eggs. Mix well together, make into oblong patties and fry like oysters. These are nice for breakfast. If used for supper, serve with sliced lemon.

CROQUETTES.

Raw pork chopped fine, 2 cups, 1 small onion chopped very fine, 1 teaspoon powdered sage, 1 cup bread crumbs rubbed fine, salt and pepper to taste, 2 eggs beaten light. Mix thoroughly, make small flat cakes, roll lightly in flour and fry in hot lard.

_Pork Pies, Cakes and Puddings._

PORK PIE.

Cut fresh pork in small inch and half-inch pieces, allowing both fat and lean. Boil until done in slightly salted water. Lay away in an earthen dish over night. In the morning it will be found to be surrounded with a firm meat jelly. Will not soak pie crust. Make a rich baking powder biscuit paste. Roll out thin, make top and bottom crust, fill with the prepared pork. Bake.--[H. M. G.

A HINT FOR PORK PIE.

Every housekeeper knows how to make pork pie, but not every one knows that if the bottom crust is first baked with a handful of rice to prevent bubbling--the rice may be used many times for the same purpose--and the pork partially cooked before the upper crust is added, the pie will be twice as palatable as if baked in the old way. The crust will not be soggy and the meat juices will not lose flavor by evaporation.--[Mrs. O. P.

PORK PIE WITH APPLES.

Line a deep pudding dish with pie crust. Place a layer of tart apples in the dish, sprinkle with sugar and a little nutmeg, then place a layer of thin slices of fat salt pork (not cooked), sprinkle lightly with black pepper. Continue to add apples and pork until the dish is full. Cover with a crust and bake until the apples are cooked, when the pork should be melted. Serve as any pie.--[M. C.

SPARERIB PIE.

Chop the small mussy pieces of meat, put in a pudding or bread tin, add some of the gravy and a little water. Make a biscuit crust, roll half an inch thick and put over the top and bake. A tasty way is to cut the crust into biscuits, place close together on top of the meat and bake. More dainty to serve than the single crust. A cream gravy or some left from the rib is nice with this pie. Any of the lean meat makes a nice pie, made the same as the above.

PORK CAKE WITHOUT LARD.

Over 1 lb. fat salt pork, chopped very fine, pour a pint of boiling water.

While it is cooling, sift 9 cups flour with 1 heaping teaspoon soda and 2 of cream tartar, stir in 2 cups sugar and 1 of mola.s.ses, 4 eggs, teaspoon of all kinds spice, 2 lbs. raisins, 1 lb. currants and 1/2 lb. citron.

Lastly, thoroughly beat in the pork and water and bake slowly. This will keep a long time.

PORK CAKE.

Take 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup strong coffee, 1/2 cup mola.s.ses, 1/2 cup chopped salt pork, 1/4 cup lard, 1 cup raisins, stoned and chopped, 2 cups flour, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon soda, dissolved in coffee, 1 teaspoon cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.

PORK PUDDING.

This is made somewhat after the style of the famous English beefsteak pudding--differs only in two points. Cut up the pieces of fresh pork and stew in the skillet, in slightly salted water, till soft. Make a rich biscuit dough or plain pie paste. Line a quart basin and fill with the stewed pork. Add pepper, a few chopped potatoes if desired, cover all with the paste pinched tightly over, tie a small cloth tightly over the basin, then place basin in a larger cloth, gather the corners together and tie snugly over top, boil in a kettle for half an hour. Be sure the water is boiling hot before placing the basin in, and keep it boiling, with a tight lid.

_Roasts._

FRESH LEG.

Score the leg with sharp knife in half-inch gashes, fill with a filling made of chopped onion, sage, bread crumbs and mixed with the beaten yolks and whites of 2 eggs, salt; stuff knuckle and gashes also. Pepper freely and roast it well. A leg weighing 8 lbs. requires three hours of a steady fire. Drain off fat from roasting tin and make a brown gravy. Serve with tart apple sauce.

WITH b.u.t.tERMILK.

Take a piece of pork that is quite lean, soak over night in b.u.t.termilk and boil until about half done, then put it in the baking pan, cut through the rind in slices, sprinkle with pepper and sugar and bake to a golden brown.

DANISH PORK ROAST.

Braise the roast, and between each slit insert a bit of sage--which may be removed before serving; place in a deep stewpan and fill the corners and crevices with prunes that have been previously soaked in water long enough to regain their natural size. Roast in moderate oven, basting as usual, taking care not to break the prunes. When half done, take up the prunes, remove pits, crush and add to a dressing made as follows: Moisten 2 cups bread crumbs--one-third corn bread is preferable to all wheat--season with salt, pepper and a mere hint of onions. Put into a cheesecloth bag--saltbag if at hand--and bake beside the roast for half an hour, taking care to prevent scorching. Serve in slices with the roast.

SPARERIB.

Season well with salt, pepper and a little sage. Put in roasting pan with a little water, bake a nice brown. By cracking the ribs twice, you can roll up and fasten with skewers, or tie up with coa.r.s.e twine. Put the stuffing inside, same as turkey. After it is done, take meat from pan. If the water is not all cooked out, set on top of stove until none remains.

Pour out the grease, leaving about half a cup. Set back to cool so as not to cook the gravy too fast at first. Stir 2 spoons or more of flour into the grease and let brown. Add boiling water to make the required amount of gravy. Before removing from fire, add 1/2 cup sweet cream. Baked or mashed potatoes with cold slaw are in order with sparerib, with currant, cranberry or apple sauce. Very nice cold with fried potatoes or chips for supper.

_Liver._

WITH BACON.

Pour salted boiling water over the liver and let it stand a few minutes, drain and slice. Crisp thin slices of bacon in a hot frying pan, lay them neatly around the edge of a platter or deep dish, and set the dish where it will keep hot. Fry the liver in the drippings from the bacon and put it in the middle of the dish. Pour a little boiling water into the frying pan, season to taste with pepper and salt, thicken with browned flour and pour over the liver or serve separately.--[R. F.

LIVER AND ONIONS.

Use two frying pans. In both have a generous supply of fryings or salted lard. Cut the liver in thin, even slices, and wash in cold water. Wipe each slice dry before placing it in the hot grease; fill the frying pan full, pepper and salt all, cover with lid and set over a brisk fire. Slice the onions and place them in the second frying pan of hot grease, pepper, salt and stir frequently. Turn the liver once, each slice. When done, place on a platter, with the onions heaped over and around.--[H. M. G.