The Book of Household Management Part 113

_Average cost_, with one fowl, 3s. 6d.

_Sufficient_ for a moderate-sized dish.

_Seasonable_ from April to September.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BLACK SPANISH.]

BLACK SPANISH.--The real Spanish fowl is recognized by its uniformly black colour burnished with tints of green; its peculiar white face, and the large development of its comb and wattle. The hens are excellent layers, and their eggs are of a very large size. They are, however, bad nurses; consequently, their eggs should be laid in the nest of other varieties to be hatched. "In purchasing Spanish," says an authority, "blue legs, the entire absence of white or coloured feathers in the plumage, and a large, white face, with a very large high comb, which should be erect in the c.o.c.k, though pendent in the hens, should be insisted on." The flesh of this fowl is esteemed; but, from the smallness of its body when compared with that of the Dorking, it is not placed on an equality with it for the table.

Otherwise, however, they are profitable birds, and their handsome carriage, and striking contrast of colour in the comb, face, and plumage, are a high recommendation to them as kept fowls. For a town fowl, they are perhaps better adapted than any other variety.

FOWL PILLAU, based on M. Soyer's Recipe (an Indian Dish).

963. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of rice, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, a fowl, 2 quarts of stock or good broth, 40 cardamum-seeds, 1/2 oz. of coriander-seed, 1/4 oz. of cloves, 1/4 oz. of allspice, 1/4 oz. of mace, 1/4 oz. of cinnamon, 1/2 oz. of peppercorns, 4 onions, 6 thin slices of bacon, 2 hard-boiled eggs.

_Mode_.--Well wash 1 lb. of the best Patna rice, put it into a frying-pan with the b.u.t.ter, which keep moving over a slow fire until the rice is lightly browned. Truss the fowl as for boiling, put it into a stewpan with the stock or broth; pound the spices and seeds thoroughly in a mortar, tie them in a piece of muslin, and put them in with the fowl. Let it boil slowly until it is nearly done; then add the rice, which should stew until quite tender and almost dry; cut the onions into slices, sprinkle them with flour, and fry, without breaking them, of a nice brown colour. Have ready the slices of bacon curled and grilled, and the eggs boiled hard. Lay the fowl in the form of a pyramid upon a dish, smother with the rice, garnish with the bacon, fried onions, and the hard-boiled eggs cut into quarters, and serve very hot. Before taking the rice out, remove the spices.

_Time_.--1/2 hour to stew the fowl without the rice; 1/2 hour with it.

_Average cost_, 4s. 3d. _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SULTANS.]

THE SERAI TA-OOK, OR FOWLS OF THE SULTAN.--This fowl is the size of our English Polands, and is the latest species introduced to England. They have a white and flowing plumage, a full-sized, compact Poland tuft on the head, are m.u.f.fed, have a full flowing tail, short legs well feathered, and five toes upon each foot.

Their comb consists merely of two little points, and their wattles are very small: their colour is that of a pure white. In January, 1854, they arrived in this country from Constantinople; and they take their name from _sarai_, the Turkish word for sultan's palace, and _ta-ook_, the Turkish for fowl. They are thus called the "fowls of the sultan," a name which has the twofold advantage of being the nearest to be found to that by which they have been known in their own country, and of designating the country whence they come. Their habits are described as being generally brisk and happy-tempered, but not so easily kept in as Cochin-Chinas. They are excellent layers; but they are non-sitters and small eaters: their eggs are large and white. Brahmas or Cochins will clear the crop of a gra.s.s-run long before they will, and, with scattered food, they soon satisfy themselves and walk away.

POULET AUX CRESSONS.

964. INGREDIENTS.--A fowl, a large bunch of water-cresses, 3 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, 1/4 pint of gravy.

_Mode_.--Truss and roast a fowl by recipe No. 952, taking care that it is nicely frothed and brown. Wash and dry the water-cresses, pick them nicely, and arrange them in a flat layer on a dish. Sprinkle over a little salt and the above proportion of vinegar; place over these the fowl, and pour over it the gravy. A little gravy should be served in a tureen. When not liked, the vinegar may be omitted.

_Time_.--From 1/2 to 1 hour, according to size.

_Average cost_, in full season, 2s. 6d. each.

_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

ROAST FOWL, Stuffed.

965. INGREDIENTS.--A large fowl, forcemeat No. 417, a little flour.

_Mode_.--Select a large plump fowl, fill the breast with forcemeat, made by recipe No. 417, truss it firmly, the same as for a plain roast fowl, dredge it with flour, and put it down to a bright fire. Roast it for nearly or quite an hour, should it be very large; remove the skewers, and serve with a good brown gravy and a tureen of bread sauce.

_Time_.--Large fowl, nearly or quite 1 hour.

_Average cost_, in full season, 2s. 6d. each.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ all the year, but scarce in early spring.

_Note_.--Sausage-meat stuffing may be subst.i.tuted for the above: this is now a very general mode of serving fowl.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PENCILLED HAMBURG.]

PENCILLED HAMBURG.--This variety of the Hamburg fowl is of two colours, golden and silver, and is very minutely marked. The hens of both should have the body clearly pencilled across with several bars of black, and the hackle in both, s.e.xes should be perfectly free from dark marks. The c.o.c.ks do not exhibit the pencillings, but are white or brown in the golden or silver birds respectively. Their form is compact, and their att.i.tudes graceful and sprightly. The hens do not sit, but lay extremely well; hence one of their common names, that of Dutch every-day layers. They are also known in different parts of the country, as Chitteprats, Creoles, or Corals, Bolton bays and grays, and, in some parts of Yorkshire, by the wrong name of Corsican fowls.

They are imported in large numbers from Holland, but those bred in this country are greatly superior in size.

GIBLET PIE.

966. INGREDIENTS.--A set of duck or goose giblets, 1 lb. of rump-steak, 1 onion, 1/2 teaspoonful of whole black pepper, a bunch of savoury herbs, plain crust.

_Mode_.--Clean, and put the giblets into a stewpan with an onion, whole pepper, and a bunch of savoury herbs; add rather more than a pint of water, and simmer gently for about 1-1/2 hour. Take them out, let them cool, and cut them into pieces; line the bottom of a pie-dish with a few pieces of rump-steak; add a layer of giblets and a few more pieces of steak; season with pepper and salt, and pour in the gravy (which should be strained), that the giblets were stewed in; cover with a plain crust, and bake for rather more than 1-1/2 hour in a brisk oven. Cover a piece of paper over the pie, to prevent the crust taking too much colour.

_Time_.--1-1/2 hour to stew the giblets, about 1 hour to bake the pie.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the giblets, 1s. 4d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

THE BRENT GOOSE.--This is the smallest and most numerous species of the geese which visit the British islands. It makes its appearance in winter, and ranges over the whole of the coasts and estuaries frequented by other migrant geese. Mr. Selby states that a very large body of these birds annually resort to the extensive sandy and muddy flats which lie between the mainland and Holy Island, on the Northumbrian coast, and which are covered by every flow of the tide. This part of the coast appears to have been a favourite resort of these birds from time immemorial, where they have always received the name of Ware geese, no doubt from their continually feeding on marine vegetables. Their flesh is very agreeable.

HASHED GOOSE.

967. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold roast goose, 2 onions, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1 pint of boiling water, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, pepper and salt to taste, 1 tablespoonful of port wine, 2 tablespoonfuls of mushroom ketchup.

_Mode_.--Cut up the goose into pieces of the size required; the inferior joints, tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, &c., put into a stewpan to make the gravy; slice and fry the onions in the b.u.t.ter of a very pale brown; add these to the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, and pour over about a pint of boiling water; stew these gently for 3/4 hour, then skim and strain the liquor. Thicken it with flour, and flavour with port wine and ketchup, in the above proportion; add a seasoning of pepper and salt, and put in the pieces of goose; let these get thoroughly hot through, but do not allow them to boil, and serve with sippets of toasted bread.

_Time_.--Altogether, rather more than 1 hour.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the cold goose, 4d.

_Seasonable_ from September to March.

THE WILD GOOSE.--This bird is sometimes called the "Gray-lag"

and is the original of the domestic goose. It is, according to Pennant, the only species which the Britons could take young, and familiarize. "The Gray-lag," says Mr. Gould, "is known to Persia, and we believe it is generally dispersed over Asia Minor." It is the bird that saved the Capitol by its vigilance, and by the Romans was cherished accordingly.

ROAST GOOSE.

968. INGREDIENTS.--Goose, 4 large onions, 10 sage-leaves, 1/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 1-1/2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper to taste, 1 egg.

_Choosing and Trussing_.--Select a goose with a clean white skin, plump breast, and yellow feet: if these latter are red, the bird is old.

Should the weather permit, let it hang for a few days: by so doing, the flavour will be very much improved. Pluck, singe, draw, and carefully wash and wipe the goose; cut off the neck close to the back, leaving the skin long enough to turn over; cut off the feet at the first joint, and separate the pinions at the first joint. Beat the breast-bone flat with a rolling-pin, put a skewer through the under part of each wing, and having drawn up the legs closely, put a skewer into the middle of each, and pa.s.s the same quite through the body. Insert another skewer into the small of the leg, bring it close down to the side bone, run it through, and do the same to the other side. Now cut off the end of the vent, and make a hole in the skin sufficiently large for the pa.s.sage of the rump, in order to keep in the seasoning.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ROAST GOOSE.]