The accomplisht cook Part 67

_To bake Sturgeon in Joles and Rands dry in Earthen Pans, and being baked and cold, pickled and barreld up, to serve hot or cold._

Take a sturgeon fresh and new, part him down from head to tail, and cut it into rands and joles, cast it into fair water and salt, wash off the slime and blood, and put it into broad earthen pans, being first stuffed with penniroyal, or other sweet herbs; stick it with cloves and rosemary, and bake it in pans dry, (or a little white-wine to save the pans from breaking) then take white or claret wine and make a pickle, half as much wine vinegar, some whole pepper, large mace, slic't nutmegs, and six or seven handfuls of salt; being baked and cold, pack and barrel it up close, and fill it up with this pickle raw, head it up close, and when you serve it, serve it with some of the liquor and slic't lemon.

_To bake Sturgeon Pies to eat cold._

Take a fresh jole of sturgeon, scale it, and wash off the slime, wipe it dry, and lard it with a good salt eel, seasoned with nutmeg, and pepper, cut the lard as big as your finger, and being well larded, season the jole or rand with the foresaid spices and salt, lay it in a square pie in fine or course paste, and put some whole cloves on it, some slic't nutmeg, slic't ginger, and good store of b.u.t.ter, close it up, and bake it, being baked fill it up with clarified b.u.t.ter.

_To bake Sturgeon otherways with Salmon._

Take a rand of sturgeon, cut it into large thick slices, & 2 rands of fresh salmon in thick slices as broad as the sturgeon, season it with the same seasoning as the former, with spices and b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it; being baked, fill it up with clarified b.u.t.ter.

Make your sturgeon pyes or pasties according to these forms.

_To make a Sturgeon Pye to eat cold otherways._

Take a rand of sturgeon, flay it and wipe it with a dry cloth, and not wash it, cut it into large slices; then have carps, tenches, or a good large eel flayed and boned, your tenches and carps scaled, boned, and wiped dry, season your sturgeon and the other fishes with pepper, nutmeg, and salt, put b.u.t.ter in the bottom of the pie, and lay a lay of sturgeon, and on that a lay of carps, then a lay of sturgeon, and a lay of eels, next a lay of sturgeon, and a lay of tench, and a lay of sturgeon above that; lay on it some slic't ginger, slic't nutmeg, and some whole cloves, put on b.u.t.ter, close it up, and bake it, being baked liquor it with clarified b.u.t.ter. Or bake it in pots as you do venison, and it will keep long.

_Otherways._

Take a rand of sturgeon, flay it, and mince it very fine, season it with pepper, cloves, mace, and salt; then have a good fresh fat eel or 2 flayed and boned, cut it into lard as big as your finger, and lay some in the bottom of the pye, some b.u.t.ter on it, and some of the minced meat or sturgeon, and so lard and meat till you have filled the pye, lay over all some slices of sturgeon, sliced nutmeg, sliced ginger, and b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, being baked fill it up with clarified b.u.t.ter. If to eat hot, give it but half the seasoning, and make your pyes according to these forms.

_To bake sturgeon Pies to be eaten hot._

Flay off the scales and skin of a rand, cut it in pieces as big as a walnut, & season it lightly with pepper, nutmeg, and salt; lay b.u.t.ter in the bottom of the pye, put in the sturgeon, and put to it a good big onion or two whole, some large mace, whole cloves, slic't ginger, some large oysters, slic't lemon, gooseberries, grapes, or barberries, and b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, being bak'd, fill it up with beaten b.u.t.ter, beaten with white-wine or claret, and juyce or slices of lemon or orange.

To this pye in Winter, you may use prunes, raisins, or currans, and liquor it with b.u.t.ter, verjuyce, and sugar, and in Summer, pease boil'd and put in the pye, being baked, and leave out fruit.

_Otherways._

Cut a rand of sturgeon into pieces as big as a hens egg, cleanse it, and season them with pepper, salt, ginger, and nutmeg, then make a pye and lay some b.u.t.ter in the bottom of it, then the pieces of sturgeon, and two or three bay-leaves, some large mace, three or four whole cloves, some blanched chesnuts, gooseberries, grapes, or barberries, and b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, and being baked, liquor it with beaten b.u.t.ter, and the blood of the sturgeon boil'd together with a little claret-wine.

_To bake Sturgeon Pyes in dice work to be eaten hot._

Take a pound of sturgeon, a pound of a fresh fat eel, a pound of carp, a pound of turbut, a pound of mullet, scaled, cleans'd, and bon'd, a tench, and a lobster, cut all the fishes into the form of dice, and mingle with them a quart of prawns, season them all together with pepper, nutmeg & salt, mingle some c.o.c.kles among them, boil'd artichocks, fresh salmon, and asparagus all cut into dice-work. Then make pyes according to these forms, lay b.u.t.ter in the bottom of them, then the meat being well mingled together, next lay on some gooseberries, grapes, or barberries, slic't oranges or lemons, and put b.u.t.ter on it, with yolks of hard eggs and pistaches, close it up and bake it, and being baked liquor it with good sweet b.u.t.ter, white-wine, or juyce of oranges.

_To make minced Pyes of Sturgeon._

Flay a rand of it, and mince it with a good fresh water eel, being flay'd and bon'd, then mince some sweet herbs with an onion, season it with cloves, mace, pepper, nutmeg and salt, mingle amongst it some grapes, gooseberries, or barberries, and fill the pye, having first put some b.u.t.ter in the bottom of it, lay on the meat, and more b.u.t.ter on the top, close it up, bake it, and serve it up hot.

_Otherways._

Mince a rand of fresh sturgeon, or the fattest part of it very small, then mince a little spinage, violet leaves, strawberry leaves, sorrel, parsley, sage, savory, marjoram, and time, mingle them with the meat, some grated manchet, currans, nutmeg, salt, cinamon, cream, eggs, sugar, and b.u.t.ter, fill the pye, close it up, and bake it, being baked ice it.

_Minced Pyes of Sturgeon otherways._

Flay a rand of sturgeon, and lard it with a good fat salt eel, roast it in pieces, and save the gravy, being roasted mince it small, but save some to cut into dice-work, also some of the eels in the same form, mingle it amongst the rest with some beaten pepper, salt, nutmeg, some gooseberries, grapes, or barberries, put b.u.t.ter in the bottom of the pye, close it up and bake it, being baked liquor it with gravy, juyce of orange, nutmeg, and b.u.t.ter.

Sometimes add to it currans, sweet herbs, and saffron, and liquor it with verjuyce, sugar, b.u.t.ter, and yolks of eggs.

_To make Chewits of Sturgeon, according to these Forms._

Mince a rand of sturgeon the fattest part, and season it with pepper, salt, nutmeg, cinamon, ginger, caraway-seed, rose-water, b.u.t.ter, sugar, and orange peel minced, mingle all together with some slic't dates, and currans, and fill your pyes.

_To make a Lumber Pye of Sturgeon._

Mince a rand of sturgeon with some of the fattest of the belly, or a good fat fresh eel, being minced, season it with pepper, nutmeg, salt, cinamon, ginger, caraways, slic't dates, four or eight raw eggs, and the yolks of six hard eggs in quarters, mingle all together, and make them into b.a.l.l.s or rolls, fill the pye, and lay on them some slic't dates, large mace, slic't lemon, grapes, gooseberries, or barberries, and b.u.t.ter, close it up, and bake it, being bak'd liquor it with b.u.t.ter, white-wine, and sugar.

Or only add some grated bread, some of the meat cut into dice-work, & some rose-water, bak'd in all points as the former, being baked cut up the cover, and stick it with b.a.l.l.s, with fryed sage-leaves in batter; liquor it as aforesaid, and lay on it a cut cover, sc.r.a.pe on sugar.

_To make an Olive Pye of Sturgeon in the Italian fashion._

Make slices of sturgeon, hack them, and lard them with salt salmon, or salt eel, then make a composition of some of the sturgeon cut into dice-work, some fresh eel, dry'd cherries, prunes taken from the stones, grapes, some mushrooms & oysters; season the foresaid things all together in a dish or tray, with some pepper, nutmeg, and salt, roul them in the slices of the hacked sturgeon with the larded side outmost, lay them in the pye with the b.u.t.ter under them; being filled lay on it some oysters, blanched chesnuts, mushrooms, c.o.c.kles, pine-apple-seeds, grapes, gooseberries, and more b.u.t.ter, close it up, bake it, and then liquor it with b.u.t.ter, verjuyce, and sugar, serve it up hot.

_To bake Sturgeon to be eaten hot with divers farcings or stuffings._

Take a rand and cut it into small pieces as big as a walnut, mince it with fresh eel, some sweet herbs, a few green onions, pennyroyal, grated bread, nutmeg, pepper, and salt, currans, gooseberries, and eggs; mingle all together, and make it into b.a.l.l.s, fill the pye with the whole meat and the b.a.l.l.s, and lay on them some large mace, barberries, chesnuts, yolks of hard eggs, and b.u.t.ter; fill the pye, and bake it, being baked, liquor it with b.u.t.ter and grape-verjuyce.

Or mince some sturgeon, grated parmisan, or good Holland cheese, mince the sturgeon, and fresh eel together, being fine minced put some currans to it, nutmeg, pepper, and cloves beaten, some sweet herbs minced small, some salt, saffron, and raw yolks of eggs.

_Other stuffings or Puddings._

Grated bread, nutmeg, pepper, sweet herbs minced very fine, four or five yolks of hard eggs minced very small, two or three raw eggs, cream, currans, grapes, barberries and sugar, mix them all together, and lay them on the Sturgeon in the pye, close it up and bake it, and liquor it with b.u.t.ter, white-wine, sugar, the yolk of an egg, and then ice it.

_To make an Olio of Sturgeon with other Fishes._

Take some sturgeon and mince it with a fresh eel, put to it some sweet herbs minc't small, some grated bread, yolks of eggs, salt, nutmeg, pepper, some gooseberries, grapes or barberries, and make it into little b.a.l.l.s or rolls. Then have fresh fish scal'd, washed, dryed, and parted into equal pieces, season them with pepper, nutmeg, salt, and set them by; then make ready sh.e.l.l-fish, and season them as the other fishes lightly with the same spices. Then make ready roots, as potatoes, skirrets, artichocks and chesnuts, boil them, cleanse them, and season them with the former spices.

Next have yolks of hard eggs, large mace, barberries, grapes, or gooseberries, and b.u.t.ter, make your pye, and put b.u.t.ter in the bottom of it, mix them all together, and fill the pye, then put in two or three bay-leaves, and a few whole cloves, mix the minced b.a.l.l.s among the other meat and roots; then lay on the top some large mace, potatoes, barberries, grapes, or gooseberries, chesnuts, pistaches and b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, fill it up with beaten b.u.t.ter, beaten with the juyce of oranges, dish and cut up the cover, and put all over it slic't lemons, and sometimes to the lear the yolk of an egg or two.

_To make minced Herring Pies._

Take salt herrings being watered, crush them between your hands, and you shall loose the fish from the skin, take off the skin whole, and lay them in a dish; then have a pound of almond paste ready, mince the herrings, and stamp them with the almond paste, two of the milts or rows, five or six dates, some grated manchet, sugar, sack, rose-water, and saffron, make the composition somewhat stiff, and fill the skins, put b.u.t.ter in the bottom of your pye, lay on the herring, and on them dates, gooseberries, currans, barberries, and b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, being baked liquor it with b.u.t.ter, verjuyce, and sugar.

Make minced pyes of any meat, as you may see in page 232, in the dishes of minced pyes you may use those forms for any kind of minced pies, either of flesh, fish, or fowl, which I have particularized in some places of my Book.