The Belgian Cookbook Part 19

Hake, which is not one of the most delicate fish, can be made excellent if stewed in the following sauce: A quart of milk to which you have added a dessertspoonful of any of the good English sauces; thicken it with a k.n.o.b of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour, which stir in till all is smooth.

When it boils take off the fire, and put in your pieces of hake, set it back by the side of the fire to keep very hot, without boiling, for twenty-five minutes. Meanwhile mash some potatoes, and put it as a puree round a dish, pour the fish in the center, sprinkle on it chopped parsley. The liquor ought to be much reduced.

VERY NICE SKATE

Take skate, or indeed any fish that rolls up easily, make into fillets, dry them well, and sprinkle on each fillet, pepper, salt, a dust of mixed spice, and chopped parsley. Roll each fillet up tightly, and pack them tightly into a dish, so that they will not become loose. Take vinegar and beer in equal quant.i.ties, or, if you do not like to use beer, you must add to the vinegar some whole black pepper, and a good sprinkle of dried and mixed herbs with salt. Pour over the fish, tie a piece of b.u.t.tered paper over the top, and bake for an hour and a quarter (for a medium pie dish) in a moderate oven.

TO KEEP SPRATS

A large quant.i.ty of these may be bought cheaply and kept for some weeks by this method. Put on to warm equal quant.i.ties of vinegar and water, what you think sufficient to cover your sprats, allowing for wastage; and stir in for every quart of liquor a small saltspoonful of mixed spice, four bay leaves, a shallot minced, a small bunch of bruised thyme, the thin rind of a half lemon, salt and pepper; if you can use tarragon vinegar so much the better. Clean the sprats, remove tails and heads, and lay them in a deep dish. Take your liquor and pour it over the fish, tie a large paper over all, and let them bake in a cool oven for two or three hours; or cook them in a double saucepan; in any case do them very slowly. Put aside to cool, and take out the fish to use as required. They will keep good four weeks.

TO KEEP MACKEREL FOR A WEEK

It sometimes happens that you can get a great quant.i.ty of this fish, very fresh, cheaply, and wish to use it later on.

Pickle it thus: Boil a pint of vinegar with six peppercorns, four cloves, four bay leaves, a sc.r.a.p of mace, a saltspoonful of salt, and the same of made mustard. When this is boiled up put it to cool. Lay your mackerel prepared ready for eating, and sprinkle on each piece some salt, and minced thyme. It may be an hour before using.

Then fry the fish, lifting each piece carefully into the hot fat. When fried lay the fish in a deep dish, and pour on each piece your vinegar liquor till all is covered.

Cover over with paper such as you use for jam pots, well tied down. You can afterwards heat the fish as you require.

A BROWN DISH OF FISH

Take your fish, which should be herring or mackerel, relieve it of the bones, skin and fins, which you must put to boil for three quarters of an hour in water, with pepper and salt. After that time strain off the liquor, and add to it enough browning to color it well.

Then brown quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter and knead into it two tablespoonfuls of flour, add it, when well mixed, to your liquor, with salt and pepper, a piece of lemon peel, and a dust of mixed spice. Bring all this to the boil and drop in your fish. (Cut in neat fillets.) Let them simmer for twenty minutes, and if too dry pour in some darkly colored gravy. Just before you wish to serve add a good wine gla.s.s of claret, or of Burgundy, take out the lemon peel, and pour all on a hot dish. If you do not wish to put wine, the flavor of the sauce is very excellent if you stir into it a dessertspoonful of mushroom ketchup, or a teaspoonful of soy. This brown fish is nice to follow a white soup.

BAKED HADDOCKS

Take all the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of two good sized haddocks, cover them with milk and water, and put them to simmer. Add chopped parsley, a chopped shallot, pepper and salt.

Cut each fish in half across, and lay them in the bottom of a pie dish, sprinkle breadcrumbs, pats of b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt, between and on each piece. Fill up the dish with water or milk, adding the simmered and strained liquor from the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs.

Bake gently for an hour, and when brown on top add more breadcrumbs, and pats of b.u.t.ter.

FILLETED SOLES AU FROMAGE

Boil the filleted soles in water. Make a sauce with b.u.t.ter. One spoonful of flour--milk, pepper and salt, powdered cheese (Cheddar). Boil it, adding some washed and chopped mushrooms and a little cream. Put the filets on a dish and pour them over the sauce. Leave it about a quarter of an hour in the oven, so that it becomes slightly browned.

[_Mdlle. Spreakers._]

FILLETED FISH, WITH WHITE SAUCE AND TOMATOES

Brown two onions in b.u.t.ter, and add a spray of parsley, half a pound of tomatoes and a claret gla.s.sful of white wine. Let this simmer for half an hour, and then pa.s.s it through the tammy. Then fry half a pound of mushrooms, and add them and their liquor to the sauce, thickening it, if necessary, with a little cornflour. A great improvement is a little liebig. Place your fish in the oven, and cook it gently in b.u.t.ter, with pepper and salt. When it is done, serve it with the sauce poured over it.

[_Madame Vandervalle._]

THE MILLER'S COD

(Cabillaud meunier)

Cut your cod in slices, and roll them in flour. Put them to fry in a good piece of b.u.t.ter, adding chopped parsley, pepper and salt, and the juice of one lemon. This is very good, if served in the dish that it is cooked in.

DUTCH HERRINGS

(A cold dish)

Take some Dutch, or some salted herrings, and remove the skin, backbones, etc. Lay the fish in milk for at least twenty-four hours to get the salt out. Make a mayonnaise sauce, adding to it the roe from the herrings, in small pieces; wipe and drain the fish, and pour over them the sauce.

REMAINS OF COD

I

Take your fish, and remove all bones and skin. Put some b.u.t.ter to brown in a saucepan, and when it is colored, add the cod, sprinkling in pepper and salt and a good thickening of grated breadcrumbs. Let this all heat gently by the fire and turn it into paper cases, with chopped parsley on the top.

II

The above recipe can be followed for making fish rissoles, but, after having mixed it well, let it grow cold. Then form into b.a.l.l.s, roll them in breadcrumbs, and throw them into boiling fat.