The accomplisht cook Part 58

_To hash a Carp._

Take a carp, scale, and sc.r.a.pe off the slime with your knife, wipe it with a dry cloth, bone it, and mince it with a fresh water eel being flayed and boned; season it with beaten cloves, mace, salt, pepper, and some sweet herbs, as tyme, parsley, and some sweet marjoram minced very small, stew it in a broad mouthed pipkin, with some claret wine, gooseberries, or grapes, and some blanched chesnuts; being finely stewed, serve it on carved sippets about it, and run it over with beaten b.u.t.ter, garnish the dish with fine grated manchet sea.r.s.ed, and some fryed oysters in b.u.t.ter, c.o.c.kles, or prawns.

Sometimes for variety, use pistaches, pine-apple-seeds, or some blanch't almonds stew'd amongst the hash, or asparagus, or artichock boil'd & cut as big as chesnuts, & garnish the dish with sc.r.a.ped horse-radish, and rub the bottom of the dish in which you serve the meat, with a clove or two of garlick. Sometimes mingle it with some stewed oysters, or put to it some oyster-liquor.

_To marinate a Carp to be eaten hot or cold._

Take a carp, scale it, and sc.r.a.pe off the slime, wipe it clean with a dry cloth, and split it down the back, flour it, and fry it in sweet sallet oyl, or good clarified b.u.t.ter; being fine and crisp fryed, lay it in a deep dish or earthen pan, then have some white or claret wine, or wine-vinegar, put it in a broad mouthed pipkin with all manner of sweet herbs bound up in a bundle, as rosemary, tyme, sweet marjoram, parsley, winter-savory, bay-leaves, sorrel, and sage, as much of one as the other, put it into the pipkin with the wine, with some large mace, slic't ginger, gross pepper, slic't nutmeg, whole cloves, and salt, with as much wine and vinegar as will cover the dish, then boil the spices and wine with some salt a little while, pour it on the fish hot, and presently cover it close to keep in the spirits of the liquor, herbs, and spices for an hours s.p.a.ce; then have slic't lemons, lemon-peels, orange and orange peels, lay them over the fish in the pan, and cover it up close; when you serve them hot lay on the spices and herbs all about it, with the slic't lemons, oranges, and their peels, and run it over with sweet sallet oyl, (or none) but some of the liquor it is soust in.

Or marinate the carp or carps without sweet herbs for hot or cold, only bay-leaves, in all points else as is abovesaid; thus you may marinate soles, or any other fish, whether sea or fresh-water fish.

Or barrel it, pack it close, and it will keep as long as sturgeon, and as good.

_To broil or toast a Carp divers ways, either in sweet b.u.t.ter or Sallet Oyl._

Take a carp alive, draw it, and wash out the blood in the body with claret wine into a dish, put to it some wine vinegar and oyl, then sc.r.a.pe off the slime, & wipe it dry both outside & inside, lay it in the dish with vinegar, wine, oyl, salt, and the streight sprigs of rosemary and parsley, let it steep there the s.p.a.ce of an hour or two, then broil it on a clean scowred gridiron, (or toast it before the fire) broil it on a soft fire, and turn it often; being finely broil'd, serve it on a clean scowred dish, with the oyl, wine, and vinegar, being stew'd on the coals, put it to the fish, the rosemary and parsley round the dish, and some about the fish, or with beaten b.u.t.ter and vinegar, or b.u.t.ter and verjuyce, or juyce of oranges beaten with the b.u.t.ter, or juyce of lemons, garnish the fish with slices of orange, lemon, and branches of rosemary; boil the milt or sp.a.w.n by it self and lay it in the dish with the Carp.

Or make sauce otherways with beaten b.u.t.ter, oyster liquor, the blood of the carp, grated nutmeg, juyce of orange, white-wine, or wine vinegar boil'd together, crumbs of bread, and the yolk of an egg boiled up pretty thick, and run it over the fish.

_To broil a Carp in Staffado._

Take a live carp, scale it, and sc.r.a.pe off the slime, wipe it clean with a dry cloth, and draw it, wash out the blood, and steep it in claret, white-wine, wine-vinegar, large mace, whole cloves, two or three cloves of garlick, some slic't ginger, gross pepper, and salt; steep it in this composition in a dish or tray the s.p.a.ce of two hours, then broil it on a clean scoured gridiron on a soft fire, & baste it with some sweet sallet oyl, sprigs of rosemary, time, parsley, sweet marjoram, and two or three bay-leaves, being finely broil'd; serve it with the sauce it was steeped in, boil'd up on the fire with a little oyster-liquor, the spices on it, and herbs round about it on the dish, run it over with sauce, either with sweet sallet oyl, or good beaten b.u.t.ter, and broil the milt or sp.a.w.n by it self.

_To roast a Carp._

Take a live carp, draw and wash it, and take away the gall, and milt, or sp.a.w.n; then make a pudding with some grated manchet, some almond-paste, cream, currans, grated nutmeg, raw yolks of eggs, sugar, caraway-seed candied, or any peel, some lemon and salt, make a stiff pudding and put it through the gills into the belly of the carp, neither scale it, nor fill it too full; then spit it, and roust it in the oven upon two or three sticks cross a bra.s.s dish, turn it and let the gravy drop into the dish; being finely roasted, make sauce with the gravy, b.u.t.ter, juyce of orange or lemon, some sugar, and cinamon, beat up the sauce thick with the b.u.t.ter, and dish the carp, put the sauce over it with slices of lemon.

_Otherways._

Scale it, and lard it with salt eel, pepper, and nutmeg, then make a pudding of some minced eel, roach, or dace, some sweet herbs, grated bread, cloves, mace, nutmeg, pepper, salt, yolks of eggs, pistaches, chesnuts, and the milt of the carp parboil'd and cut into dice-work, as also some fresh eel, and mingle it amongst the pudding or fa.r.s.e.

_Sauces for Roast Carp._

1. Gravy and oyster liquor, beat it up thick with sweet b.u.t.ter, claret wine, nutmeg, slices of orange, and some capers, and give it a warm or two.

2. Beaten b.u.t.ter with slices of orange, and lemon, or the juyce of them only.

3. b.u.t.ter, claret-wine, grated nutmeg, selt, slices of orange, a little wine-vinegar and the gravy.

4. A little white-wine, gravy of the carp, an anchove or two dissolved in it, some grated nutmeg, and a little grated manchet, beat them up thick with some sweet b.u.t.ter, and the yolk of an egg or two, dish the carp, and pour the sauce on it.

_To make a Carp Pye a most excellent way._

Take carp, scale it and sc.r.a.pe off the slime, wipe it with a dry clean cloth, and split it down the back, then cut it in quarters or six pieces, three of each, and take out the milt or sp.a.w.n, as also the gall; season it with nutmeg, pepper, salt, and beaten ginger, lay some b.u.t.ter in the pye bottom, then the carp upon it, and upon the carp two or three bay-leaves, four or five blades of large mace, four or five whole cloves, some blanched chesnuts, slices of orange, and some sweet b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, being baked liquor it with beaten b.u.t.ter, the blood of the carp, and a little claret wine.

For variety, in place of chesnuts, use pine apple-seeds, or bottoms of artichocks, gooseberries, grapes, or barberries. Sometimes bake great oysters with the carp, and a great onion or two; sometimes sweet herbs chopped, or sparagus boiled.

Or bake it in a dish as you do the pye.

To make paste for the pie, take two quarts and a pint of fine flour, four or five yolks of raw eggs, and half a pound of sweet b.u.t.ter, boil the b.u.t.ter till it be melted, and make the paste with it.

_Paste for a Florentine of Carps made in a dish or patty-pan._

Take a pottle of fine flour, three quarters of a pound of b.u.t.ter, and six yolks of eggs, and work up the b.u.t.ter, eggs, and flour, dry them, then put to it as much fair spring water cold as will make it up into paste.

_To bake a Carp otherways to be eaten hot._

Take a carp, scale it alive, and sc.r.a.pe off the slime, draw it, and take away the gall and guts, scotch it, and season it with nutmeg, pepper, and salt lightly, lay it into the pye, and put the milt into the belly, then lay on slic't dates in halves, large mace, orange, or slic't lemon, gooseberries, grapes, or barberries, raisins of the sun, and b.u.t.ter; close it up and bake it, being almost baked liquor it with verjuyce, b.u.t.ter, sugar, claret or white-wine, and ice it.

Sometimes make a pudding in the carps belly, make it of grated bread, pepper, nutmegs, yolks of eggs, sweet herbs, currans, sugar, gooseberries, grapes, or barberries, orangado, dates, capers, pistaches, raisins, and some minced fresh eel.

Or bake it in a dish or patty pan in cold b.u.t.ter paste.

_To bake a Carp with Oysters._

Scale a carp, sc.r.a.pe off the slime, and bone it; then cut it into large dice-work, as also the milt being parboil'd; then have some great oysters, parboil'd, mingle them with the bits of carp, and season them together with beaten pepper, salt, nutmeg, cloves, mace, grapes, gooseberries, or barberries, blanched chesnuts, and pistaches, season them lightly, then put in the bottom of the pie a good big onion or two whole, fill the pye, and lay upon it some large mace and b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, being baked liquor it with white wine, and sweet b.u.t.ter, or beaten b.u.t.ter only.

_To make minced Pies of Carps and Eels._

Take a carp being cleansed, bone it, and also a good fat fresh water eel, mince them together, and season them with pepper, nutmeg, cinamon, ginger, and salt, put to them some currans, caraway-seed, minced orange-peel, and the yolks of six or seven hard eggs minced also, slic't dates, and sugar; then lay some b.u.t.ter in the bottom of the pyes, and fill them, close them up, bake them, and ice them.

_To bake a Carp minced with an Eel in the French Fashion, called Peti Petes._

Take a carp, scale it, and sc.r.a.pe off the slime, then roast it with a flayed eel, and being rosted draw them from the fire, and let them cool, then cut them into little pieces like great dice, one half of them, & the other half minced small and seasoned with nutmeg, pepper, salt, gooseberries, barberries, or grapes, and some bottoms of artichocks boil'd and cut as the carp: season all the foresaid materials and mingle all together, then put some b.u.t.ter in the bottom of the pye, lay on the meat and b.u.t.ter on the top, close it up, and bake it, being baked liquor it with gravy, and the juyce of oranges, b.u.t.ter, and grated nutmeg.

Sometimes liquor it with verjuyce and the yolks of eggs strained, sugar, and b.u.t.ter.

Or with currans, white wine, and b.u.t.ter boil'd together, some sweet herbs chopped small, and saffron.

_To bake a Carp according to these Forms to be eaten hot._

Take a carp, scale it, and sc.r.a.pe off the slime, bone it and cut it into dice-work, the milt being parboil'd, cut it into the same form, then have some great oysters parboild and cut into the same form also; put to it some grapes, goosberries, or barberries, the bottoms of artichocks boil the yolks of hard egs in quarters, boild, sparagus cut an inch long, and some pistaches, season all the foresaid things together with pepper, nutmegs, and salt, fill the pyes, close them up, and bake them, being baked, liquor them with b.u.t.ter, white-wine, and some blood of the carp, boil them together, or beaten b.u.t.ter, with juyce of oranges.

_To bake a Carp with Eels to be eaten cold._