The Cook's Oracle; and Housekeeper's Manual Part 71

MR. GAY'S _Receipt to stew a Knuckle of Veal._--(No. 524.)

Take a knuckle of veal; You may buy it or steal; In a few pieces cut it, In a stewing-pan put it; Salt, pepper, and mace, Must season this knuckle, Then, what's joined to a place[323-*]

With other herbs muckle; That which kill'd King Will,[324-*]

And what never stands still[324-+]

Some sprigs of that bed,[324-++]

Where children are bred.

Which much you will mend, if Both spinach and endive, And lettuce and beet, With marigold meet.

Put no water at all, For it maketh things small, Which lest it should happen, A close cover clap on; Put this pot of Wood's metal[324---]

In a boiling hot kettle; And there let it be, (Mark the doctrine I teach,) About, let me see, Thrice as long as you preach.[324- ]

So skimming the fat off, Say grace with your hat off, O! then with what rapture Will it fill Dean and Chapter!

_Slices of Ham or Bacon._--(No. 526.)

Ham, or bacon, may be fried, or broiled on a gridiron over a clear fire, or toasted with a fork: take care to slice it of the same thickness in every part.

If you wish it curled, cut it in slices about two inches long (if longer, the outside will be done too much before the inside is done enough); roll it up, and put a little wooden skewer through it: put it in a cheese-toaster, or Dutch oven, for eight or ten minutes, turning it as it gets crisp.

This is considered the handsomest way of dressing bacon; but we like it best uncurled, because it is crisper, and more equally done.

_Obs._--Slices of ham or bacon should not be more than half a quarter of an inch thick, and will eat much more mellow if soaked in hot water for a quarter of an hour, and then dried in a cloth before they are broiled, &c.

_Relishing Rashers of Bacon._--(No. 527.)

If you have any cold bacon, you may make a very nice dish of it by cutting it into slices about a quarter of an inch thick; grate some crust of bread, as directed for ham (see No. 14), and powder them well with it on both sides; lay the rashers in a cheese-toaster, they will be browned on one side in about three minutes, turn them and do the other.

_Obs._--These are a delicious accompaniment to poached or fried Eggs: the bacon having been boiled[325-*] first, is tender and mellow. They are an excellent garnish round veal cutlets, or sweet-breads, or calf's-head hash, or green pease, or beans, &c.

_Hashed Venison._--(No. 528.)

If you have enough of its own gravy left, it is preferable to any to warm it up in: if not, take some of the mutton gravy (No. 347), or the bones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of the joint (after you have cut off all the handsome slices you can to make the hash); put these into some water, and stew them gently for an hour; then put some b.u.t.ter into a stew-pan; when melted, put to it as much flour as will dry up the b.u.t.ter, and stir it well together; add to it by degrees the gravy you have been making of the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, and some red currant jelly; give it a boil up; skim it; strain it through a sieve, and it is ready to receive the venison: put it in, and let it just get warm: if you let it boil, it will make the meat hard.

_Hashed Hare._--(No. 529.)

Cut up the hare into pieces fit to help at table, and divide the joints of the legs and shoulders, and set them by ready.

Put the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs and gravy you have left, with half a pint of water (there should be a pint of liquor), and a table-spoonful of currant jelly, into a clean stew-pan, and let it boil gently for a quarter of an hour: then strain it through a sieve into a basin, and pour it back into the stew-pan; now flour the hare, put it into the gravy, and let it simmer very gently till the hare is warm (about twenty minutes); cut the stuffing into slices, and put it into the hash to get warm, about five minutes before you serve it; divide the head, and lay one half on each side the dish.

For hare soup, see No. 241, mock hare, No. 66.*

_Jugged Hare._--(No. 529*.)

Wash it very nicely; cut it up into pieces proper to help at table, and put them into a jugging-pot, or into a stone jar,[325-+] just sufficiently large to hold it well; put in some sweet herbs, a roll or two of rind of a lemon, or a Seville orange, and a fine large onion with five cloves stuck in it,--and if you wish to preserve the flavour of the hare, a quarter of a pint of water; if you are for a _ragout_, a quarter of a pint of claret, or port wine, and the juice of a Seville orange, or lemon: tie the jar down closely with a bladder, so that no steam can escape; put a little hay in the bottom of the saucepan, in which place the jar, and pour in water till it reaches within four inches of the top of the jar; let the water boil for about three hours, according to the age and size of the hare (take care it is not over-done, which is the general fault in all made dishes, especially this), keeping it boiling all the time, and fill up the pot as it boils away. When quite tender, strain off the gravy clear from fat; thicken it with flour, and give it a boil up: lay the hare in a soup-dish, and pour the gravy to it.

_Obs._--You may make a pudding the same as for roast hare (see No. 397), and boil it in a cloth; and when you dish up your hare, cut it in slices, or make forcemeat b.a.l.l.s of it, for garnish.

For sauce, No. 346. _Or_,

A much easier and quicker, and more certain way of proceeding, is the following:

Prepare the hare the same as for jugging; put it into a stew-pan with a few sweet herbs, half a dozen cloves, the same of allspice and black pepper, two large onions, and a roll of lemon-peel: cover it with water; when it boils, skim it clean, and let it simmer gently till tender (about two hours); then take it up with a slice, and set it by the fire to keep hot while you thicken the gravy; take three ounces of b.u.t.ter, and some flour; rub together; put in the gravy; stir it well, and let it boil about ten minutes; strain it through a sieve over the hare, and it is ready.

_Dressed Ducks, or Geese hashed._--(No. 530.)

Cut an onion into small dice; put it into a stew-pan with a bit of b.u.t.ter; fry it, but do not let it get any colour; put as much boiling water into the stew-pan as will make sauce for the hash; thicken it with a little flour; cut up the duck, and put it into the sauce to warm; do not let it boil; season it with pepper and salt, and catchup.

N.B. The legs of geese, &c. broiled, and laid on a bed of apple sauce, are sent up for luncheon or supper. _Or_,

Divide the duck into joints; lay it by ready; put the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs and stuffing into a stew-pan, with a pint and a half of broth or water; let it boil half an hour, and then rub it through a sieve; put half an ounce of b.u.t.ter into a stew-pan; as it melts, mix a table-spoonful of flour with it; stir it over the fire a few minutes, then mix the gravy with it by degrees; as soon as it boils, take off the sc.u.m, and strain through a sieve into a stew-pan; put in the duck, and let it stew very gently for ten or fifteen minutes, if the duck is rather under-roasted: if there is any fat, skim it off: line the dish you serve it up in with sippets of bread either fried or toasted.

_Ragouts of Poultry, Game, Pigeons, Rabbits, &c._--(No. 530*.)

Half roast it, then stew it whole, or divide it into joints and pieces proper to help at table, and put it into a stew-pan, with a pint and a half of broth, or as much water, with any tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs or parings of meat you have, one large onion with cloves stuck in it, twelve berries of allspice, the same of black pepper, and a roll of lemon-peel; when it boils, skim it very clean; let it simmer very gently for about an hour and a quarter, if a duck or fowl--longer if a larger bird; then strain off the liquor, and leave the ducks by the fire to keep hot; skim the fat off; put into a clean stew-pan two ounces of b.u.t.ter; when it is hot stir in as much flour as will make it of a stiff paste; add the liquor by degrees; let it boil up; put in a gla.s.s of port wine, and a little lemon-juice, and simmer it ten minutes; put the ducks, &c. into the dish, and strain the sauce through a fine sieve over them.

Garnish with sippets of toasted, or fried bread, No. 319.

_Obs._--If the poultry is only half roasted, and stewed only till just nicely tender, this will be an acceptable _bonne bouche_ to those who are fond of made dishes. The flavour may be varied by adding catchup, curry powder, or any of the flavoured vinegars.

This is an easily prepared side dish, especially when you have a large dinner to dress; and coming to table ready carved saves a deal of time and trouble; it is therefore an excellent way of serving poultry, &c.

for a large party. _Or_,

Roast or boil the poultry in the usual way; then cut it up, and pour over it a sufficient quant.i.ty of No. 305, or No. 329, or No. 364, or No.

2.

_Stewed Giblets._--(No. 531.)

Clean two sets of giblets (see receipt for giblet soup, No. 244); put them into a saucepan, just cover them with cold water, and set them on the fire; when they boil, take off the sc.u.m, and put in an onion, three cloves, or two blades of mace, a few berries of black pepper, the same of allspice, and half a tea-spoonful of salt; cover the stew-pan close, and let it simmer very gently till the giblets are quite tender: this will take from one hour and a half to two and a half, according to the age of the giblets; the pinions will be done first, and must then be taken out, and put in again to warm when the gizzards are done: watch them that they do not get too much done: take them out and thicken the sauce with flour and b.u.t.ter; let it boil half an hour, or till there is just enough to eat with the giblets, and then strain it through a tamis into a clean stew-pan; cut the giblets into mouthfuls; put them into the sauce with the juice of half a lemon, a table-spoonful of mushroom catchup; pour the whole into a soup-dish, with sippets of bread at the bottom.

_Obs._--Ox-tails prepared in the same way are excellent eating.

_Hashed Poultry, Game, or Rabbit._--(No. 533.)

Cut them into joints, put the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs into a stew-pan with a quart of the broth they were boiled in, and a large onion cut in four; let it boil half an hour; strain it through a sieve: then put two table-spoonfuls of flour in a basin, and mix it well by degrees with the hot broth; set it on the fire to boil up, then strain it through a fine sieve: wash out the stew-pan, lay the poultry in it, and pour the gravy on it (through a sieve); set it by the side of the fire to simmer very gently (it must not boil) for fifteen minutes; five minutes before you serve it up, cut the stuffing in slices, and put it in to warm, then take it out, and lay it round the edge of the dish, and put the poultry in the middle; carefully skim the fat off the gravy, then shake it round well in the stew-pan, and pour it to the hash.

N.B. You may garnish the dish with bread sippets lightly toasted.

_Pulled Turkey, Fowl, or Chicken._--(No. 534.)

Skin a cold chicken, fowl, or turkey; take off the fillets from the b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and put them into a stew-pan with the rest of the white meat and wings, side-bones, and merry-thought, with a pint of broth, a large blade of mace pounded, an eschalot minced fine, the juice of half a lemon, and a roll of the peel, some salt, and a few grains of Cayenne; thicken it with flour and b.u.t.ter, and let it simmer for two or three minutes, till the meat is warm. In the mean time score the legs and rump, powder them with pepper and salt, broil them nicely brown, and lay them on, or round your pulled chicken.