hours. To 1 pint of this stock add nearly ½ pint wine and a little
brandy, the rind and juice of a lemon, 3 oz. lump sugar, the white
and the shell of one egg well beaten, and a small quantity of
saffron, which improves the colour. Let all the ingredients boil,
then let the stock stand in the saucepan a few minutes to settle,
before straining it through a jelly bag till quite clear.
(_b_) Ditto.--To 4 calves’ feet, well cleaned and broken, pour 4 qts.
of water, and let them stew until the stock is reduced to rather less
than 2 qts. Put the stock in a brass pan, and when quite firm and
cold clear it from all fat. Add to it a bottle of good sherry (or
1 pint brandy and 1 pint sherry) ¾ lb. white sugar, the juice of 6
lemons, and the whites and shells of 8 eggs, well beaten. Heat this
over a clear fire, but do not stir it; just as it boils throw in ¾
oz. isinglass. When it has boiled 16 minutes take it off the fire
and let it stand 3 minutes to cool. Put the rinds of 3 lemons, pared
thin, into the jelly bag before the fire, and pour the jelly through.
Once or twice put through the bag will render the jelly quite clear.
The jelly should be put in wet china moulds.
Pie.--Put into a saucepan on the fire as many calves’ feet as you
think you shall have occasion for, and water sufficient to cover
them, with 2 or 3 blades of mace, and boil them till they are tender;
then take out the feet, and strain off the liquor; lay a thin sheet
of puff paste at the bottom and round the edge of a deep dish; then
pick the flesh off the bones, and lay half of it in, strew ½ lb.
currants clean washed and picked, and ½ lb. raisins stoned, overlay
on the rest of the meat; skim the liquor, and sweeten as much of it
as will nearly fill the pie with ½ pint of white wine, and pour it
into the dish. Put on a lid of good puff paste, ornament the top, and
bake it 1½ hour.
Pudding.--Take 1 lb. flesh of calves’ feet finely shred, ½ lb. suet
shred as small, a nutmeg grated, some candied orange peel minced,
some salt and some currants, a little grated bread, and 7 eggs,
leaving out the whites of 3; mix all well together, tie up in a
floured cloth, and boil 3 hours. The sauce is white wine, sugar, and
butter melted.
Calf’s Head (_a_) Boiled.--Take a calf’s head, divested of hair by
the butcher, let it be split in two lengthwise, and lay it in cold
water to soak for 6-8 hours. On taking it out of the water, remove
the tongue and brains, bone the head carefully, and cut it up in
comely square pieces, making, say, 3 or 4 out of each half; lay the
pieces in a saucepan full of cold water on the fire, and as it comes
to the boil remove the scum. When it has boiled 20 minutes, lift
up the pieces and lay them in cold water, to remain for an hour or
two. Mix in a large saucepan on the fire ½ lb. cooking butter, or
clarified beef suet or dripping, with 4 heaped tablespoonfuls flour,
fill up with sufficient boiling water to well cover up the pieces
of head, add 2 onions stuck with 6 cloves, a good-sized bunch of
sweet herbs, and parsley, whole pepper and salt _quant. suf._, and
the juice and thin rind of 2 or 3 lemons; stir well, and when the
whole boils fast put in the pieces of head tied up in a thin cloth,
as well as the tongue, skinned. Let the whole boil slowly for 2-3
hours. Drain the pieces of head, arrange them tastefully on a napkin
in a dish, and serve hot or cold, with any of the following sauces
in a boat: caper, parsley, piquante, poivrade, ravigote, remoulade,
tarragon, tartare, tomato, &c.
(_b_) Fritters.--Cut into small round slices, lay them in a pie dish,
strew over them some chopped chives, tarragon, and parsley, the juice
of ½ lemon, and 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar. After remaining in this
pickle for 2-3 hours--not forgetting to turn them occasionally, so
that both sides may obtain the flavouring--take them out, drain them
well from the moisture, dip in batter, and fry a light golden colour
in enough boiling fat to well cover them. They must be served very
hot, piled high in a dish on a napkin.
(_c_) Hashed.--Cut the remnants of a boiled head into uniform pieces
the size of half an apple. Melt in a saucepan 1-2 oz. butter,
according to the quantity of meat to be hashed; amalgamate with it
1-2 tablespoonfuls flour, then stir in ½ pint, more or less, white
stock. Stir well, then add a few button mushrooms, white pepper
and salt to taste, and let the sauce boil for 10 minutes. Put the
saucepan by the side of the fire, and lay the pieces of calf’s head
in it; let them get hot slowly, but not boil. Just before serving
stir in off the fire the yolks of 2 eggs, beaten up with the juice of
a lemon, and strained; also a small quantity of either tarragon or
parsley very finely minced.
(_d_) Pie.--Stew a knuckle of veal till fit for eating, with 2
onions, a few isinglass shavings, a bunch of herbs, a little mace,
and a few white peppercorns in 3 pints water; keep the broth from the
pie. Half boil the head, and cut it in square pieces; put a layer of
ham at the bottom of your dish, then some head, first fat, then lean,
with forcemeat balls and hard eggs cut in halves, and so on till the
dish be full, but be careful not to place the pieces too close, or
there will be no space for the jelly. The meat must be well seasoned,
then put a little gravy and a little water in, and cover with rather
a thick crust; bake in a slow oven, and when done put in as much
gravy as it will possibly hold, and when perfectly cold turn it out.
The different colours and clear jelly have a very pretty appearance.
Liver.--Cut up into slices ½ lb. calf’s liver and the same quantity
of fat bacon; put first a layer of bacon at the bottom of a pie dish,
then one of liver, sprinkle with pepper and salt, add 1 medium-sized
onion and 1 apple, both cut up; cover down, and let it stew gently in
the oven for about 1¼ hours. No water is required, as the liver makes
sufficient gravy.
Croquettes.--Take some cold veal, remove carefully all fat and
outside parts, and mince it finely; melt a piece of butter in a
saucepan, add a little flour, stir; then add a small quantity of
stock and the minced meat, with some parsley, finely chopped; season
with pepper, salt, and a little powdered spices; stir well, and as
soon as the mixture is quite hot remove it from the fire. Beat up
and strain into a basin the yolks of 1 or 2 eggs with the juice of
half or of a whole lemon, according to the quantity of mince; put
2-3 tablespoonfuls mince into the basin; mix them well with the egg
and lemon; then add the whole to the rest of the mince; mix well,
and turn it out on a dish. When cold, fashion it in breadcrumbs to
the shape of corks, taking care to make them all of a uniform size;
then roll them in egg, and again in breadcrumbs. Let them dry a short
time; then fry in plenty of hot lard, and serve with fried parsley.
Curried.--Take a 2 qt. saucepan, put into it 2 tablespoonfuls fresh
butter, place on the fire, and, when the butter is melted, throw
in a middle-sized onion, sliced, and fry it until of a light brown
colour. Add 1 tablespoonful curry powder, and 1 teaspoonful salt.
Let the curry powder get well mixed with the butter and onions, then
add a coffee-cupful of gravy; keep stirring, so that all may be well
cooked; then put in the meat cut into small squares, each about the
size of a small walnut, and with the most pour in ½ pint good gravy.
Keep over a brisk fire for 5 minutes, stirring all the time; then
cover up and leave it to stew gently till the meat be quite tender.
If necessary, add a little more gravy while thus stewing, unless a
dry curry be preferred. Serve hot, with rice in a separate dish. It
will be an improvement to fry the pieces of meat in butter before
putting them in the curry sauce.
Cutlets.--(_a_) Prepare some thin cutlets, trim them neatly, season
with salt and pepper. Take some fat bacon, and some of the trimmings
of the cutlets, chop them up very finely, add breadcrumbs, sweet
herbs, a little shallot, all finely minced; beat them up with an
egg, and cover the cutlets over with the forcemeat; then egg and
breadcrumb them and fry to a golden brown colour. Serve with rich
brown gravy round them, and garnish them with half-quarters of lemon.
(_b_) Remove every bit of skin, vein, or sinew from the veal, and
chop it fine; well salt, pepper, and a little minced parsley, shape
like cutlets (use an egg to bind them, if needed), and if you have
them use the bones; egg and breadcrumb them twice, and fry in boiling
butter; serve with sorrel, spinach, or tomatoes.
Fritters.--For these the remains of cold veal should be cut in small
neat pieces; dip each in batter and fry a light brown; in serving
pile them high on a dish, pouring over them a good brown sauce, well
thickened with tomatoes when in season, or, if not, the gravy must
itself be thick and strongly flavoured with tomato sauce. Fritters
of cold calves’ head or feet both make a nice savoury dish; for the
former, cut the pieces of calves’ head into round slices, laying
them in a pie dish, and sprinkling over them chopped parsley,
tarragon, and chives; squeeze over them the juice of a lemon, and add
2 tablespoonfuls vinegar. After remaining in this mixture for 2-3
hours, turning them over from time to time, take them out, drain them
well from the moisture, dip each piece into batter, and fry them a
nice light golden colour, in plenty of hot fat. Serve very hot, and
piled high, on a napkin. Fritters from calves’ feet may be made when
the feet are being used for making jelly. When the meat is about half
cooked, take off some of the best portion of it, returning the bones
to the stock for jelly; let it simmer on a dish to get cold; when
cold cut it into long or cutlet-shaped pieces, dip them in batter,
and fry them a light colour; they must be well drained from the fat
and piled high in the centre of the dish, pouring round them the
following sauce, which should be ready prepared, and they must be
sent to table very hot. For the sauce, take ½ pint stock, add to it
1 tablespoonful Mogul sauce, 2 of tarragon vinegar, a lump of sugar,
a little salt, and enough browning to make it a good colour; thicken
it with corn flour, and boil the sauce well, so that the flour may be
well cooked before using.
Hashed.--Take some remnants of roast or braised veal, trim off all
browned parts, and mince it very fine. Fry a shallot chopped small
in plenty of butter; when it is a light straw colour add a large
pinch of flour and a little stock; then the minced meat, with chopped
parsley, pepper, salt, and nutmeg to taste; mix well; add more stock
if necessary, and let the mince gradually get hot by the side of the
fire. When quite hot stir into it off the fire a yolk of egg and the
juice of a lemon strained and beaten up together. Serve with sippets
of bread fried in butter round it, and 3 or 4 poached eggs on the top.
Minced.--(_a_) Remove all outside pieces, gristle, and fat from any
cold veal, roast or boiled. Mince it finely either with a knife or
mincing machine; season with pepper and salt, chopped lemon peel,
and a blade of mace. Put it in a stewpan with sufficient white
stock to moisten it well, and let it simmer gently until quite hot,
but not boiling. Remove the mace, add sufficient cream to make it
quite white, stir it over the fire, and serve in a dish with a
border of mashed haricot beans, potatoes, or spinach. Poached eggs
may be served on the top, or tiny rolls of bacon may be arranged
symmetrically, either with or without the eggs.
(_b_) Take some remnants of roast or braised veal, trim off all brown
parts, and mince it very finely. Fry a chopped shallot in plenty of
butter; when it is a light straw colour, add a large pinch of flour
and a little stock; then the minced meat, with chopped parsley,
pepper, salt, and nutmeg to taste; mix well; add more stock if
necessary, and let the mince gradually get hot by the side of the
fire. When quite hot stir into it, off the fire, the yolk of egg and
the juice of a lemon strained and beaten up together. Serve with
sippets of bread fried in butter round it, and 3-4 poached eggs on
the top.
Patties.--Prepare some patties; take some cold veal, trim off all
browned parts, gristle, and fat, and mince it very finely with a
little fat bacon; add a little cayenne, salt, mace, and the grated
rind of half a lemon; mix well, and moisten with some white stock;
simmer by the side of the fire till quite hot, then stir in (off the
fire) the yolk of an egg and a little strained lemon juice. Fill the
patties with the meat, put on the covers, and serve hot.
Pie.--(_a_) Cut the veal into square pieces, and put a layer of them
at the bottom of a pie dish. Sprinkle over them a portion of minced
savoury herbs, a little spice, lemon peel finely chopped, and some
yolk of egg hard boiled, then a layer of ham cut thin. Proceed in
this manner until the pie dish is full. Lay a puff paste on the
edge of the dish, and pour in ½ pint water; then cover with crust,
ornament with leaves, brush over with the yolk of an egg, and bake in
a well-heated oven for 1-1½ hour--longer if the pie be very large.
When you take it from the oven, pour in at the top, by means of a
funnel, ½ pint strong gravy. This should be made sufficiently good
that when cold it may be cut in a firm jelly. This pie may be very
much enriched by the addition of mushrooms, oysters, or sweetbreads.
(_b_) Cut steaks from a neck or breast of veal, season well, slice
2 sweetbreads, lay a puff paste rim round the dish; then put in the
meat, sweetbreads, some yolks of hard-boiled eggs, and some oysters
when in season, on the top; lay on the whole some very thin slices of
ham, and fill up the dish with water; cover with puff paste; bake,
and when taken out of the oven pour in at the top a few spoonfuls of
good veal gravy, and some cream to fill up; but first boil it up with
a teaspoonful of flour.
(_c_) And Ham Pie.--Cut some thin slices off the leg or neck of veal,
free them from skin and gristle, lard them well, and season with salt
and pepper. Have some eggs boiled hard and some thin slices of ham.
Make some forcemeat balls with fat bacon, the trimmings of the veal,
chopped onions, parsley, and sweet herbs, grated lemon peel, salt,
cayenne, and pounded mace. Pound all in a mortar, and bind with one
or two eggs. Line a pie dish with good paste, and fill it with layers
(not too close)--first one of ham, then one of veal--of forcemeat
balls, of the eggs (cut in halves), and so on; a few mushrooms may
be added; put in some gravy; lastly a layer of thin bacon; and cover
all with tolerably thick crust, glaze. Bake for about 4 hours in a
moderate oven. Make a hole in the top, and pour in some good savoury
jelly, made with ox or calf’s foot, knuckle of veal, and trimming of
bacon and ham, well flavoured with onions, more herbs and lemon peel,
cleared with the whites of egg.
(_d_) Ditto.--Take 2 lb. veal cutlets, ½ lb. boiled ham, 2 doz.
oysters, ½ lb. fresh-made sausages, 2 tablespoonfuls savoury minced
herbs, ¼ teaspoonful grated nutmeg, a little mace, pepper and salt
to taste, with a strip of lemon peel finely minced, 2 hard-boiled
eggs, and ½ pint water; cut the veal into square pieces, put a layer
of them at the bottom of a pie-dish. Sprinkle over this a little
of the herbs, spice, seasoning, and lemon peel. Cut the eggs into
slices, put some of the slices and about 8 oysters with part of
the sausages, cut into 3, then a layer of the ham in thin slices.
Proceed thus until the dish is full, arranging it so that the ham is
at the top. Put puff paste on the edge of the dish, then pour in ½
pint cold water. Cover it with crust, and ornament with leaves, cut
from the remaining paste; brush over with yolk of egg, and bake in a
well-heated oven for 1-1½ hour. When removed from the oven, pour in
at the top, through a funnel, ½ pint rich gravy, so that when cold it
will form a jelly. Mushrooms may be added to this pie.
Quenelles.--Remove the skin from 1 lb. veal cutlet, and cut it into
small pieces. Put into a stewpan 1 gill water, a pinch of salt, and
a small piece of butter; when boiling stir in as much flour as will
form a paste; when it is smooth put it away to get cold, then take
half the quantity of butter that you have of veal, and half the
quantity of paste you have of butter; put the paste into a mortar,
pound it well, then add the butter, pound it, then add the veal;
pound well for 10 minutes, add one whole egg, 3 yolks of egg, salt,
pepper, a little grated nutmeg; work well together, pass through
a wire sieve, stir in ½ gill cream, shape the quenelles with 2
tablespoons, place them in a well-buttered sauté pan, leaving a clear
space on one side; put a good pinch of salt in that space, pour in
sufficient boiling water to cover the quenelles, and leave them to
poach for 10 minutes; then drain them carefully on a cloth, arrange
on a dish, and serve with rich gravy or any sauce you like. (Jane
Burtenshaw.)
Roast.--Take 4-6 lb. best end of neck of veal, trim it neatly, and
joint the cutlets. Put it to roast at a very moderate fire, and baste
it plentifully every 10 minutes, first with butter and then with its
own gravy. It will take 1½-2 hours. During the last ¼ hour bring the
joint nearer to the fire, and sprinkle it plentifully with salt.
Serve with the gravy over, carefully strained and freed from fat, and
with the juice of a lemon and a small piece of fresh butter added to
it.
Rolled.--Neck of veal, best end, 5 lb.; bacon, a few rashers;
parsley, minced, 1 tablespoonful; breadcrumbs, 4-5 oz.; 1 good-sized
onion, ¼ nutmeg, 3 cloves, 1 blade of mace, 1 egg, 1 oz. butter,
a little glaze, pepper and salt, and little lemon thyme. Get the
butcher to bone the veal; lay this on the table, the skin to the
table. Split or cut nearly through the thick part of the veal,
and turn the upper half over on the thin part, to make it all one
thickness. Cut a few thin slices off it, about 5-6 oz., flatten the
veal with a chopper or rolling pin, and prepare the forcemeat. Chop
very fine the parsley, thyme, a very small bit of onion, and about 1
oz. of the lean of the bacon. Chop all these ingredients separately,
and then all together. Next, with a sharp knife scrape the pieces of
veal free from skin and fibre, also scrape about 2 oz. of the fat
of the bacon; chop this and the veal together very fine, and pound
in a mortar, adding to it the other ingredients, with butter, the
nutmeg grated, and a little salt and pepper, and the breadcrumbs,
and the egg to bind it. Mix well together, then take this forcemeat
out of the mortar, and spread it on the veal; over this lay 2 or 3
rashers of bacon out of the back. Roll the veal up tight, sew it up
with a needle and thread, and bind round with a piece of tape; place
the meat in a stewpan just the size to hold it, and pour into it
sufficient water or stock to nearly, but not quite, cover it, put
round it any pieces of bacon or trimmings of the veal that may be
left, the stalks of the parsley and thyme, the onion and cloves, a
little celery, and a couple of bay leaves if you have them. Set the
stewpan on the fire, and let the meat stew gently about 2 hours. When
done take it from the fire, and let it remain in the stewpan till
nearly cold, then take it up on one dish, lay another on it, with
some heavy weights on it to press the meat. In the evening remove
the top dish and weights, take off the tape, cut and draw out the
threads, melt a little glaze, and glaze over the veal, and it will
be ready to serve. It will cut and eat well, and the stock will make
soup or aspic.
Scallops.--Let the meat be cut into very thin slices and then
chopped, but not too finely; put it into a stewpan with a little
white sauce, or, if here is none ready made, in another saucepan,
thicken a little stock with flour, and add a tablespoonful of cream
or good milk (if milk, a little bit of butter must be added); season
with salt and pepper, and a very little nutmeg; let this boil,
stirring constantly, until thick enough; add this sauce to the
meat, and let it remain simmering, stirring it the while, for a few
minutes; fill scallop shells with this, cover with fresh breadcrumbs,
sprinkle them over with oiled butter, and put them in the oven until
they are a light brown colour.
Shape.--Take 1½ lb. veal and stew gently with an onion, a stick of
celery, carrot, bunch of herbs tied in muslin, pepper and salt, in
water sufficient to cover it. It will take about 1¾ hours to cook,
and should not be overdone, or it will lose flavour. While the meat
is cooking take a mould, and set 2 cut hard-boiled eggs, some pieces
of olive, and diamonds of beetroot, in aspic jelly, allowing about an
inch of ornamental jelly to stand until firm. Mince the cooked veal,
carefully excluding all fat, mix 1 pint liquid jelly with the veal,
ornament with 2 hard-boiled eggs, olive, and beetroot round the sides
of the mould, and when the mince is nearly cold place it carefully
on the set jelly. Decorate with parsley and rings of finely sliced
tongue. If aspic is not at hand, strain 1 pint of the stock from the
stewing, dissolve ½ oz. Nelson’s gelatine in ½ tumbler cold water,
boil it up, mix it with the mince; add 1 glass sherry and a squeeze
of lemon, pour into a mould arranged with hard-boiled egg and a nice
savoury shape will be obtained, though it will not look so well as
with clear aspic. If the liquor is not wanted, it does for a white
stock.
Stewed Breast (Blanquette).--(_a_) Put a breast of veal, after being
blanched, into a stewpan, with a bunch of herbs, onions, cloves,
pepper, salt, a blade of mace, some lemon peel, a good piece of
butter (about 2-3 oz.). Let it simmer gently, then add a pint of
veal broth, or hot water; when almost tender take it out, put it in
a dish, get out the long bones, and strain the liquor to the veal
again. If liked, add some fresh mushrooms, or some oysters blanched
in their own liquor. Thicken it when done with a little flour,
butter, some very thick cream, and the yolks of 2 eggs; stir it well
together. It must not boil, but simmer, for fear the sauce should
curdle. Squeeze some lemon juice just as you serve it, and stir it
well. Garnish the dish with sliced lemon or fried oysters.
(_b_) Take 3-4 lb. breast of veal, cut it up into pieces 2 in. long,
and put them into a saucepan with 2 carrots, an onion, and a head of
celery cut into small pieces; add parsley, thyme, bay leaves, cloves,
pepper and salt to taste, and sufficient stock or water to cover the
meat. Simmer about an hour, or until quite tender. Take out the piece
of veal and strain the gravy through a colander. Melt in a saucepan 1
oz. butter, and add 1 oz. flour; mix well, and put in as much liquor
from the veal, well freed from fat, as will make sufficient sauce;
let it get quite hot, then stir in, off the fire, the yolks of two
eggs beaten up with a little lemon juice and strained. Put in the
piece of veal, when quite hot add a little chopped parsley and a few
mushrooms, and serve.
Suet Pudding (baked or boiled).--Chop ½ lb. veal suet, put it into 1
qt. rich milk, set it upon the fire, and when pretty hot pour it upon
8 oz. bread crumbs and sugar to your taste; add ½ lb. currants washed
and dried, and 3 well-beaten eggs; put it into a floured cloth or
buttered dish, and either boil or bake it an hour.
Sweetbread (Ris).--(_a_) Prepare the sweetbreads in the usual way for
cooking. Place them on the fire in a saucepan with a piece of butter,
sprinkle them with flour, stir and moisten with a little water, add
salt and pepper, and a bunch of parsley. Cook them gently, and just
before serving add some small onions and some mushrooms which have
been previously cooked. Thicken the gravy with the yolk of 2 eggs and
a little lemon juice, and serve hot.
(_b_) When well washed and cleared from skin, they may be larded with
delicate strips of very fresh bacon or not, according to taste. Boil
till nearly done, then put them into a thickly buttered deep dish
which will stand the oven (metal or earthenware), strewing the bottom
of the dish with thin slices of carrot and onion, add a ladlefull of
good broth, salt and pepper, and brown in the oven till of a dark
golden colour. Take out the sweetbreads, strain the juice, adding
some good veal stock and a few drops of lemon juice, and serve.