The Book of Household Management Part 59

_Mode_.--Grate the bread very fine, and be careful that no large lumps remain; put it into a basin with the suet, which must be very finely minced, or, when b.u.t.ter is used, that must be cut up into small pieces.

Add the herbs, also chopped as small as possible, and seasoning; mix all these well together, until the ingredients are thoroughly mingled. Open and beard the oysters, chop them, but not too small, and add them to the other ingredients. Beat up the eggs, and, with the hand, work altogether, until it is smoothly mixed. The turkey should not be stuffed too full: if there should be too much forcemeat, roll it into b.a.l.l.s, fry them, and use them as a garnish.

_Sufficient_ for 1 turkey.

OYSTER KETCHUP.

490. INGREDIENTS.--Sufficient oysters to fill a pint measure, 1 pint of sherry, 3 oz. of salt, 1 drachm of cayenne, 2 drachms of pounded mace.

_Mode_.--Procure the oysters very fresh, and open sufficient to fill a pint measure; save the liquor, and scald the oysters in it with the sherry; strain the oysters, and put them in a mortar with the salt, cayenne, and mace; pound the whole until reduced to a pulp, then add it to the liquor in which they were scalded; boil it again five minutes, and skim well; rub the whole through a sieve, and, when cold, bottle and cork closely. The corks should be sealed.

_Seasonable_ from September to April.

_Note_.--Cider may be subst.i.tuted for the sherry.

PICKLED OYSTERS.

491. INGREDIENTS.--100 oysters; to each 1/2 pint of vinegar, 1 blade of pounded mace, 1 strip of lemon-peel, 12 black peppercorns.

_Mode_.--Get the oysters in good condition, open them, place them in a saucepan, and let them simmer in their own liquor for about 10 minutes, very gently; then take them out, one by one, and place them in a jar, and cover them, when cold, with a pickle made as follows:--Measure the oyster-liquor; add to it the same quant.i.ty of vinegar, with mace, lemon-peel, and pepper in the above proportion, and boil it for 5 minutes; when cold, pour over the oysters, and tie them down very closely, as contact with the air spoils them.

_Seasonable_ from September to April.

_Note_.--Put this pickle away in small jars; because directly one is opened, its contents should immediately be eaten, as they soon spoil.

The pickle should not be kept more than 2 or 3 months.

OYSTER SAUCE, to serve with Fish, Boiled Poultry, &c.

492. INGREDIENTS.--3 dozen oysters, 1/2 pint of melted b.u.t.ter, made with milk, No. 380.

_Mode_.--Open the oysters carefully, and save their liquor; strain it into a clean saucepan (a lined one is best), put in the oysters, and let them just come to the boiling-point, when they should look plump. Take them off the fire immediately, and put the whole into a basin. Strain the liquor from them, mix with it sufficient milk to make 1/2 pint altogether, and follow the directions of No. 380. When the melted b.u.t.ter is ready and very smooth, put in the oysters, which should be previously bearded, if you wish the sauce to be really nice. Set it by the side of the fire to get thoroughly hot, _but do not allow it to boil_, or the oysters will immediately harden. Using cream instead of milk makes this sauce extremely delicious. When liked, add a seasoning of cayenne, or anchovy sauce; but, as we have before stated, a plain sauce _should_ be plain, and not be overpowered by highly-flavoured essences; therefore we recommend that the above directions be implicitly followed, and no seasoning added.

_Average cost_ for this quant.i.ty, 2s.

_Sufficient_ for 6 persons. Never allow fewer than 6 oysters to 1 person, unless the party is very large.

_Seasonable_ from September to April.

A more economical sauce may be made by using a smaller quant.i.ty of oysters, and not bearding them before they are added to the sauce: this may answer the purpose, but we cannot undertake to recommend it as a mode of making this delicious adjunct to fish, &c.

PARSLEY AND b.u.t.tER, to serve with Calf's Head. Boiled Fowls, &c.

493. INGREDIENTS.--2 tablespoonfuls of minced parsley, 1/2 pint of melted b.u.t.ter, No. 376.

_Mode_.--Put into a saucepan a small quant.i.ty of water, slightly salted, and when it boils, throw in a good bunch of parsley which has been previously washed and tied together in a bunch; let it boil for 5 minutes, drain it, mince the leaves very fine, and put the above quant.i.ty in a tureen; pour over it 1/2 pint of smoothly-made melted b.u.t.ter; stir once, that the ingredients may be thoroughly mixed, and serve.

_Time_.--5 minutes to boil the parsley. _Average cost_, 4d.

_Sufficient_ for 1 large fowl; allow rather more for a pair.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--Sometimes, in the middle of winter, parsley-leaves are not to be had, when the following will be found an excellent subst.i.tute:--Tie up a little parsley-seed in a small piece of muslin, and boil it for 10 minutes in a small quant.i.ty of water; use this water to make the melted b.u.t.ter with, and throw into it a little boiled spinach, minced rather fine, which will have an appearance similar to that of parsley.

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

PARSLEY.--If there be nothing new under the sun, there are, at any rate, different uses found for the same thing; for this pretty aromatic herb was used in ancient times, as we learn from mythological narrative, to adorn the head of a hero, no less than Hercules; and now--was ever fall so great?--we moderns use it in connection with the head of--a calf. According to Homer's "Iliad," warriors fed their chariot-steeds on parsley; and Pliny acquaints us with the fact that, as a symbol of mourning, it was admitted to furnish the funeral tables of the Romans. Egypt, some say, first produced this herb; thence it was introduced, by some unknown voyager, into Sardinia, where the Carthaginians found it, and made it known to the inhabitants of Ma.r.s.eilles.

(See No. 123.)

FRIED PARSLEY, for Garnishing.

494. INGREDIENTS.--Parsley, hot lard or clarified dripping.

_Mode_.--Gather some young parsley; wash, pick, and dry it thoroughly in a cloth; put it into the wire basket of which we have given an engraving, and hold it in boiling lard or dripping for a minute or two.

Directly it is done, lift out the basket, and let it stand before the fire, that the parsley may become thoroughly crisp; and the quicker it is fried the better. Should the kitchen not be furnished with the above article, throw the parsley into the frying-pan, and when crisp, lift it out with a slice, dry it before the fire, and when thoroughly crisp, it will be ready for use.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WIRE BASKET.]

WIRE BASKET.--For this recipe, a wire basket, as shown in the annexed engraving, will be found very useful. It is very light and handy, and may be used for other similar purposes besides that described above.

PARSLEY JUICE, for Colouring various Dishes.

495. Procure some nice young parsley; wash it and dry it thoroughly in a cloth; pound the leaves in a mortar till all the juice is extracted, and put the juice in a teacup or small jar; place this in a saucepan of boiling water, and warm it on the _bain marie_ principle just long enough to take off its rawness; let it drain, and it will be ready for colouring.

TO PRESERVE PARSLEY THROUGH THE WINTER.

496. Use freshly-gathered parsley for keeping, and wash it perfectly free from grit and dirt; put it into boiling water which has been slightly salted and well skimmed, and then let it boil for 2 or 3 minutes; take it out, let it drain, and lay it on a sieve in front of the fire, when it should be dried as expeditiously as possible. Store it away in a very dry place in bottles, and when wanted for use, pour over it a little warm water, and let it stand for about 5 minutes.

_Seasonable_.--This may be done at any time between June and October.

AN EXCELLENT PICKLE.

497. INGREDIENTS.--Equal quant.i.ties of medium-sized onions, cuc.u.mbers, and sauce-apples; 1-1/2 teaspoonful of salt, 3/4 teaspoonful of cayenne, 1 winegla.s.sful of soy, 1 winegla.s.sful of sherry; vinegar.

_Mode_.--Slice sufficient cuc.u.mbers, onions, and apples to fill a pint stone jar, taking care to cut the slices very thin; arrange them in alternate layers, shaking in as you proceed salt and cayenne in the above proportion; pour in the soy and wine, and fill up with vinegar. It will be fit for use the day it is made.

_Seasonable_ in August and September.

[This recipe was forwarded to the editress of this work by a subscriber to the "Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine." Mrs. Beeton, not having tested it, cannot vouch for its excellence; but the contributor spoke very highly in its favour.]

SOY.--This is a sauce frequently made use of for fish, and comes from j.a.pan, where it is prepared from the seeds of a plant called _Dolichos Soja_. The Chinese also manufacture it; but that made by the j.a.panese is said to be the best. All sorts of statements have been made respecting the very general adulteration of this article in England, and we fear that many of them are too true. When genuine, it is of an agreeable flavour, thick, and of a clear brown colour.

PICKLED RED CABBAGE.