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THE PHILADELPHIA HOUSEWIFE,
Or,
Family Receipt Book.
by
AUNT MARY.
[Illustration]
Philadelphia:
J. B. Lippincott & Co.
1855.
Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1855,
By J. P. Lippincott & Co.,
In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court, in and for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
PREFACE.
As the health of a family depends more upon the quality of their
food than upon any other cause whatever, it is a public benefaction
to give good advice upon this subject. That this advice may be most
widely beneficial, it should have reference to the material and the
preparation of food; and in both these respects, regard should be had
to economy. The rich, who are able to provide the most choice and
expensive articles of diet, frequently fail in having them prepared
for the table in an agreeable and healthful manner; and the poor, and
even those in moderate circumstances, are not only not generally well
informed as to healthful and nutritious articles of food, which may be
purchased at moderate expense, but when procured, they more generally
err in the healthful preparation of them, mistaking high seasoning and
rich mixtures for delicious and wholesome food. It is to aid the family
in procuring and preparing their food according to their means, and
with a view to elegance, taste, and health, that the authoress of this
book has been induced to publish these receipts and the accompanying
advice and reflections. She does this at the solicitation of many heads
of families, and with the confidence of knowledge founded on long
personal experience. This is the only source of reliable knowledge on
the subject of procuring and preparing healthful food, in good taste,
and with elegance and economy.
But proper materials may be obtained for food, and the cook may
understand how to prepare them; yet she will fail if she does not have
the kitchen furnished with proper articles for culinary purposes. Each
of these articles should be kept in its proper place, and scrupulously
clean, while every thing should be done with exactness, and at the
proper time.
The authoress has the greatest confidence that the circulation of this
book will promote elegance and comfort in wealthy families, and economy
and health in families of moderate means.
THE
FAMILY RECEIPT BOOK.
TO PREPARE AND TO SELECT BEEF, MUTTON, LAMB, VEAL, AND BACON.
White meats, such as veal, mutton, and lamb, should be washed as
quickly as possible, or the juices of the meat will be extracted by
the water. Fresh beef should never be washed, but well scraped with a
clean knife twice over; any soiled parts which cannot be scraped must
be cut off. If the bones are soiled, saw off the part with the meat
saw. Salted meat should be well washed in three or four waters, and
soaked at least fifteen minutes in cold water, before putting it down
to boil. The pot should be filled with cold water, and boil slowly till
done, according to the size of the meat, or allow a quarter of an hour
for every pound of the meat; quick boiling will make the meat hard and
insipid. Be careful that it does not stop boiling, or the meat will be
injured; remove the scum frequently. People are not generally aware of
the injurious effects from eating the flesh of diseased animals. It
has been my practice to choose beef from the whiteness of the fat, and
always object to it if a dark shade of yellow; let the fat be clear
and thick, and the beef smooth and close; if otherwise, it is old. The
flesh of a young ox should be a good red, and have a smooth and open
grain, and feel tender. Pork may be judged by the thinness of the skin,
and by pinching the lean; if young, it will break. When clammy, it is
not fit for use. Fresh pork will be always cool and smooth. The fat of
mutton should be white and firm, and the lean a good colour. If the
vein in the neck of lamb has a greenish cast, it is stale: it should be
of a bluish hue.
BACON.--The lean should be of a good colour, and tender, and firm on
the bone, the fat should be firm and of a red tinge, and the rind thin.
Try a ham by putting a sharp knife in under the bone. If the smell
is agreeable, the ham is good; if otherwise, and the knife soiled,
reject it. Veal,--The whitest is the most juicy, having been made so
by frequent bleeding: the flesh of a bull calf is firmest, but of a
darker colour. Old and diseased meat will shrink very much in cooking.
Hams and tongues, if they are old and hard, should be put to soak in
warm water the night before they are boiled. A large ham will take from
four to six hours to boil, and a tongue will take nearly as long. They
should be kept constantly boiling, and well skimmed: put them down in
plenty of cold water. Fish should always be boiled in hot water with a
little salt in it: let them boil slowly.
Wild fowls do not require as much cooking as tame. They should be done
before a brisk fire, and be constantly basted. Wild ducks will cook
sufficiently in a quarter of an hour; pheasants in twenty minutes. A
large turkey will take from two hours and a half to three hours. Hen
turkeys are the best for boiling. The time will depend on the size: if
a large one, it will take two hours and a half, and should be boiled
in a cloth. All meats when roasting should be put some distance from
the fire, and brought gradually nearer; the more they are turned and
basted, the more juicy they will be. Vegetables should be freshly
gathered; they are much sweeter and more healthy, if cooked as soon as
taken out of the ground. When potatoes are to be fried, throw them in
water with plenty of ice in it after slicing. This will make them crisp.
BEEF SOUP, THIN.
Wash and scrape well a shin of beef, put it down early in the morning
in plenty of cold water, with a piece of veal, and a small piece of
lean ham; let it boil slowly one hour, and skim it well; then add two
carrots, washed, scraped, and cut fine, six potatoes, four onions, and
one turnip; some horse-radish cut in small pieces; season with black
and cayenne pepper, and salt to your taste: about half an hour before
it is done, put in a bunch of sweet herbs, parsley, and a little
celery cut in small pieces. You can either strain it or send it to
table with the vegetables in it.
ANOTHER BEEF SOUP.
Boil a shin of beef the day before it is wanted. The next day put on
your stock, after removing the fat from the top of it; then put in
a tea-cup of barley, wash and cut up two carrots, three onions, one
turnip, three tomatoes, put in parsley and the usual pot herbs, twenty
minutes before it is done; season with cayenne and black pepper and
salt to your taste.
VEAL SOUP.
Put into the soup kettle a small piece of ham; wash and cut up four
onions; put them into the pot with the ham, and six quarts of water;
let it boil slowly an hour and a half, then put in a shin of veal;
let it boil an hour and a half longer; then take out the ham; skim
off the grease as it rises; beat up in a gill of good cream, two
table-spoonsful of flour, and the yolks of two eggs very light; and
then add the soup; season with parsley, pepper, and salt, and serve up.
MUTTON BROTH.
Scrape and wash clean a breast of mutton; put it down in the soup
kettle to boil with five quarts of water, put in a small cup of barley,
or two tablespoonsful of rice; let it boil slowly three hours and
thirty minutes; skim it well; add carrots, a turnip, an onion, and a
little parsley cut up; let it boil forty minutes longer; season with
pepper and salt; serve hot. The carrots should be grated.
CHICKEN BROTH.
Chicken broth may be made in the same way. Some persons prefer rice,
but rice is used in so many ways, that barley is more uncommon as
well as more nutritious. Noodles or vermicelli can be substituted, if
preferred.
CHICKEN SOUP.
Put a pair of chickens in the soup kettle, with five quarts of water,
one large carrot grated, and let it boil; skim off the grease as it
rises: after it has boiled three hours take out the chickens, and
strain the liquor through a sieve; put it in the kettle again; add the
vermicelli after it has boiled an hour, an onion chopped small, some
pepper and salt, a few blades of mace, a little parsley cut fine. If
you like, just before it is served up, add a small bunch of thyme.
OYSTER SOUP.
Strain the liquor from a hundred oysters into the soup kettle; add
a quart of milk, a little mace, cloves, pepper and salt, with a
little rolled cracker; boil 20 minutes; then put in the oysters; stir
frequently: fifteen minutes after the oysters are in, serve it up.
MOCK TURTLE SOUP.
Clean very well a calf’s head, take out the eyes, cut off the nose; let
it soak for ten minutes; then put it down with five quarts of water,
a small piece of ham, four onions, and some salt; let these boil till
tender, or till the meat will leave the bones; then strain it; add
cloves, nutmeg, parsley, and thyme; let it stew slowly for an hour; add
a small piece of butter rubbed in flour, some wine and mushroom catsup.
You can then put the meat in or send the soup to table without it, as
preferred.
CALF’S HEAD SOUP.
Prepare as above. Then put down the head and liver in six quarts of
water; let them boil till tender; take them up; cut the meat in small
pieces; be careful to take out all the bones; then put the meat into
the liquor with three onions, some cloves, mace, and nutmeg, pepper,
black and cayenne, and salt; set this on the fire; let it simmer gently
an hour: just before taking it up, add a little butter rubbed in flour,
and some wine.
OX-TAIL SOUP.
Wash and joint two ox-tails; pour over them in a soup kettle five
quarts of water; when it comes to a boil skim it, and add some salt,
three onions, two carrots cut fine, three turnips, four potatoes, a
large bunch of pot herbs, some cayenne pepper, and a little rice flour;
boil slowly for three hours, but do not put in the vegetables till
after it has been boiling two hours: half an hour before you take it
up, add a little celery cut up fine.
MULLAGATAWNY SOUP.
This soup is always made of the same materials, only varying in
quantity. Brown in some butter six or eight onions; fry some pieces of
rabbits and chicken; lay it upon the onions; have ready some stock,
boiling hot; let it simmer gently for an hour and a quarter; then
strain it through a sieve; add two quarts more of stock, and let it
stew; mix with it three tea-spoonsful of currie powder, and two of
brown flour with a little cold water; let it boil slowly for half an
hour. If preferred, the juice of a lemon may be strained into it.
OCHRA SOUP.
Wash well a dozen and a half young ochras; slice them thin, three
onions chopped fine; pour on these five quarts of water early in the
morning with pepper and salt; let this stew slowly two hours; then
put in a piece of veal and a piece of lean bacon, with seven or eight
tomatoes, skinned and sliced; boil it till it is thick; serve hot to
table.
CATFISH SOUP.
Take one large catfish, clean it well, cut off the head; then cut the
fish in half; put it in a pot with two onions, and a bunch of parsley
cut up fine, and some pepper and salt; put in a quart of water, and
stew slowly till the fish is tender; then add a pint of milk and a
quart of water; let this all simmer for half an hour; roll a piece of
butter in a little flour: in twenty minutes after the butter and flour
go in, it will be sufficiently done.
DRIED PEA SOUP.
Wash a quart of dried peas well; put them in four quarts of water to
soak over night; early in the morning place it over the fire in your
soup kettle; when it has boiled three hours, put in a small piece of
salt pork; add some salt, pepper, and two chopped onions; after it
has boiled some time take out the pork; mash the peas, and strain the
liquor through a sieve into a kettle; put the pork in again; skim off
the fat; let it boil one hour; serve up hot with toast.
GREEN PEA SOUP.
Shell a quart of green peas; wash them, and put them down to boil with
three quarts of water and a little salt; when it has boiled slowly
an hour and a half, season with pepper and a little butter rolled in
flour: boiling a few of the pods with the peas is an improvement.
BEAN SOUP.
Wash the beans and soak them over night; in the morning throw off the
water, and put down the beans with five quarts of water and a small
piece of salt pork; let it boil till the beans are perfectly soft; then
take out the pork and either strain the soup, or send it to table with
the beans in, as preferred.
CLAM SOUP.
Wash the shells of a peck of clams carefully; put them to boil in two
quarts of cold water; when the shells have opened, take off the liquor;
return it to the soup kettle; take the clams out of the shells, put
them in the pot with the seasoning; a little salt and pepper; rub in
a small piece of butter, a dessert spoonful of flour; stir constantly
till boiling hot; add some parsley chopped fine, and a pint of milk.
FISH.
Fresh fish are easily told by the redness of their gills. If the gills
are white or the flesh is not hard to the touch, reject them. They are
not fresh. Fish should be sent to table as soon as cooked. Broiled fish
should be sprinkled with salt before broiling. When boiled, should have
salt in the water.
TO BAKE A SHAD.
Shad should be fat. Clean it well, take out the inside and the gills.
Score and salt the fish, make a dressing of bread, butter, pepper,
salt, parsley, thyme and sweet marjoram; fill the fish with this; tie
it up and put it in a pan with some water: dredge the fish with flour,
let it cook slowly, baste it often; when nearly done, add some mushroom
catsup to the gravy; season to your taste with pepper and salt. Take it
up very carefully: bake half an hour.
TO BROIL A SHAD.
Cut it down the back, sprinkle it with pepper and salt, grease your
gridiron well, and put it down on the flesh side first. Let it be well
done. Send hot to table.
FRESH COD BOILED.
Clean and wash it well; put it down to boil in the fish kettle. It
will cook in half an hour; take it up carefully, garnish the dish with
hard-boiled egg, and serve with egg sauce. All boiled fish should have
salt in the water, or the fish will be insipid.
TO BOIL HALIBUT.
Sprinkle it with salt, tie it up in a cloth, put it in the kettle in
boiling water; let it boil slowly till done, which will depend upon the
size, allowing eight minutes to a pound.
TO FRY HALIBUT.
Cut it into small pieces, season it with pepper and salt, dip it in the
yolk of egg, then into rolled cracker: fry in hot lard, and serve it up.
TURBOT.
Turbot is one of the most delicious fish we have, when properly
prepared and served. It must be washed with the greatest care, and cut
down the middle of the back, on the dark side of the fish. Have your
kettle perfectly clean; put your fish into boiling water, enough to
cover it, with two table spoonsful of salt; let it boil slowly, skim it
frequently. It will cook sufficiently in twenty minutes: drain and dish
it; serve up hot with butter and egg sauce, or any other preferred.
TROUT.
Trout should be fried as perch.
TO BOIL STURGEON.
Sturgeon may be boiled as rock fish, and served up with the same
sauces. It is very good with spiced vinegar poured over when cold.
TO PICKLE FRESH HERRING.
First scale and clean them well, cut off the heads, put salt, pepper
and cloves in the vinegar; boil it, and when cold, pour over the fish
in a stone jar; set the jar on a warm stove for half a day; then put
them in a cold place.
TO BOIL SHEEP’S HEAD.
Sheep’s head is one of the most delicate fish, and should be boiled as
rock fish; to be eaten with egg sauce, walnut catsup, or harvey sauce.
SEA BASS.
Sea bass are good either fried or boiled.
HADDOCK.
Haddock must be well cleaned and emptied of its contents; take out the
gills and wash them inside and out with particular care; lay them in
warm water a little salted; drop in a small piece of saltpetre; skim
the water frequently, and let them simmer from ten to fifteen minutes:
serve hot with egg and other sauces to your taste.
TO DRESS A SALT COD.
Put your fish in water over night to soak; add a little vinegar to the
water; wash it well: it should not boil, but simmer slowly for half an
hour, or till tender: to be eaten with egg sauce and mashed potatoes:
when cold, mix with mashed potatoes: dip them in egg, and fry them in
hot lard.
TO PICKLE SALT SALMON.
Put it to soak over night; in the morning clean the scales and put it
down to boil for ten minutes; take it up, and put it in a stone crock;
boil some vinegar with a little mace, whole pepper and allspice; pour
over the fish, and when perfectly cold, cover and set it away: this
will keep for a length of time, and is a nice relish for tea.
TO BOIL FRESH SALMON.
Tie it up in a cloth and put it in the kettle with boiling water; let
it boil slowly, allowing ten minutes to each pound; sprinkle it with
salt before putting it in the cloth; to be eaten with egg sauce and
walnut catsup, or with fish sauce.
TO BOIL FRESH MACKEREL.
Sprinkle it with salt after cleaning: tie it in a cloth, and boil as
other fish. It will boil sufficiently well in twenty-five minutes;
serve with egg sauce.
TO BOIL ROCK FISH.
Clean and wash it well, tie it up in a cloth, boil it in water and
salt; let it boil gently according to the size: one weighing six pounds
will cook in half an hour. Garnish the dish with hard-boiled egg; to be
eaten with egg sauce.
TO FRY ROCK FISH.
To fry rock fish, dip them in Indian meal and fry in hot lard; score
them and season with pepper and salt before you fry them.
TO FRY PERCH.
Clean them well, and sprinkle with pepper and salt, and fry in lard;
scoring them and dipping them in Indian meal before frying.
TO FRY SMELTS.
These little fish must be drawn at the gills, as they must not be
opened: they are a very delicate fish: season them with salt; beat
up the yolk of egg very light, dip them in the egg; then in grated
cracker; fry in hot lard; serve hot.
LOBSTERS AND CRABS.
After washing them, put them alive in a pot of boiling water. Lobsters
will boil in forty minutes, or longer, if they are very large. Crabs
thirty minutes. Dress them with the yolk of hard-boiled eggs, oil,
pepper, salt, and mustard.
TO STEW CLAMS.
Take equal quantities of the liquor and new milk; stew it, and when
it comes to a boil, stir in the clams; season with pepper, salt and
parsley.
TO FRY CLAMS.
Strain them; then make a batter of the yolks of two eggs, two
table-spoonsful of flour, and a little milk; put them in and fry in hot
lard.
TO STEW CRABS.
Put them into a pot of boiling water for ten minutes; then take out
the meat and put it down with the juice that runs out, and very little
water, pepper, salt, and butter; a few minutes will cook them.
LOBSTER STEWED.
Proceed as for crabs. Cut them into small pieces; then stew for a few
minutes; season with cayenne pepper, salt and butter.
OYSTERS BROILED.
Take them from the shell and broil on an oyster iron; season with a
little pepper, salt, and butter; serve them hot.
TO ROAST OYSTERS IN THE SHELL.
Wash off the shells and place them on a large oyster gridiron; put it
over the coals; turn them once: ten minutes will cook them.
TO PICKLE OYSTERS.
Put the oysters on in the juice, and boil them plump; then take the
oysters out; add half as much vinegar as juice, a little mace, and
some grains of pepper, to your taste; boil this slowly; pour over the
oysters, and they are done.
TO STEW OYSTERS.
Take a hundred oysters; put them in a stew pan, with boiling water
enough to cover them; stir them till they are plump; then take them out
with a strainer; add half as much juice as there is water in the pot,
with some mace, whole grains of pepper, and salt, half pint of cream,
and piece of butter; two crackers rolled very fine, which sprinkle in;
then put in the oysters, and keep stirring for a few minutes, when they
will be done.
OYSTER PIE.
Make a puff paste; put some around the sides of a deep dish. Have a
hundred good oysters; take each oyster out of the liquor with a wooden
spoon or fork; mash as fine as possible the yolks of two hard-boiled
eggs. Put in a layer of oysters, over which strew a little of the egg
with some mace and whole grains of pepper; then another layer of
oysters with the egg, and spice as above, and so fill up the dish till
the oysters are all in; strew a little butter on the top: then place
precisely in the centre of the pie a small egg cup, so as to prevent
the top paste touching the liquor; strain the liquor, and put in
according to your judgment; cut a cross in the centre of the paste, and
open it to let the steam escape; let it bake slowly. If you find the
paste getting too brown, put a sheet of white paper over the top. If
the oysters are fresh, add some salt.
OYSTER FRITTERS.
Make a batter in the usual way; have your lard boiling hot; drop in a
spoonful of batter with an oyster in it, and let them brown; turn them
once, so that each side may brown.
SCOLLOPED OYSTERS.
Put well buttered toasted bread around the sides of a deep dish; put in
the oysters; season with salt, pepper, mace, and butter; strain into it
a little of the liquor; strew bread crumbs over it, and bake in a quick
oven.
TERRAPINS.
Wash them very well; then put them into a pot of boiling water; let
them stay till you can easily take off the toe nails and the skin; take
off the bottom shell; be careful in taking out the sand bag and the
gall; (the gall is in the liver) cut the terrapins up; save all the
juice which runs out in cutting; take out the eggs; put the terrapins
down to stew; season with cayenne pepper, salt; roll a piece of butter
in flour and mix in; add some wine, and drop in the eggs just before
taking them up. The quantity of wine and butter depends very much upon
the taste of the cook; but a quarter of a pound to two terrapins will
be sufficient; and half a pint of wine to four or five terrapins.
TO FRY TRIPE.
Have some lard boiling hot; cut your tripe in pieces three inches
square; dip them in butter and fry.
TO PREPARE A RENNET.
A rennet is the stomach of the calf. As soon as the calf is killed,
take it; wash it very quickly, and cover it with salt; let it lie three
or four days; then stretch it on sticks; hang it up to dry: when dry,
put it in a bag, and set it in a dry place to keep.
TO MAKE SMEARCASE OR COTTAGE CHEESE.
Keep thick milk near the fire till the whey has risen; pour it in a
muslin bag, and hang it in the shade for twelve hours; then take it out
and dress it with pepper, salt, and cream.
Sauces.
MELTED BUTTER.
Have half a pint of water boiling hot; roll a lump of butter the size
of an egg into three teaspoonsful of flour; when you have the butter
perfectly smooth remove the water from the fire, and stir your butter
in till every particle is dissolved. If this is carefully done, the
sauce will be perfectly smooth; then boil ten minutes.
EGG SAUCE.
Boil two or three eggs hard, cut them up fine, and put them in the
drawn butter as above.
CAPER AND NASTURTIAN SAUCE.
Caper and nasturtian sauce is made in the same way, always remembering
to cut the nasturtians in half: pickled cucumbers may be used in the
same manner, cut up small.
OYSTER SAUCE.
Oyster sauce is made in the same manner, only putting the flour and
butter into the oyster juice instead of water; either cut the oysters
in half or send to table whole; season with mace and whole pepper.
ONION SAUCE.
Take small white onions; put them down to stew with a little water and
salt; when nearly done, which will be in twenty minutes, drain off the
water; then add milk or cream; let them simmer gently; rub a little
flour and butter on a plate, and stir in.
MINT SAUCE.
Wash well a bunch of mint; chop it up fine; put it in your sauce dish
with a little vinegar and sugar; to be eaten with lamb.
CELERY SAUCE.
The celery must be washed, cut up and boiled till it is tender; have
some milk boiling hot, roll very smoothly a little butter and flour,
stir till the butter is all melted, then put in the celery; send hot to
table.
LOBSTER SAUCE.
Put on to boil a pint of water with a little mace, black peppers whole,
and some mustard seed; let it boil until the water is sharp; then
strain off the water and put it on to boil with salt and some butter
rubbed in flour; cut up some lobster, and dress it with this sauce.
MUSHROOM SAUCE.
Pick and wash some mushrooms; cut them up in a stew pan with pepper,
salt and a little water and mace; let them stew twenty or thirty
minutes; rub in very little flour and butter.
WINE SAUCE.
Beat up a piece of butter, then add the yolks of three eggs, and some
sugar, wine and brandy; put this on the fire, stirring it all the time;
as soon as it is boiling hot, take it off: this sauce is for puddings.
ANOTHER WINE SAUCE.
The quantity of the ingredients depends on the quantity of the article
you make. Have equal quantities of wine and water, and a little brandy
boiling hot, into which put some butter and sugar well beaten; season
with nutmeg, and as soon as boiling hot take from the fire, and send to
table.
CREAM SAUCE.
Sweeten to your taste some good sweet cream; season with nutmeg or rose
water; this is good sauce for apple dumplings.
PEPPER SAUCE.
Take twenty-five peppers cut very fine, one root of horse-radish
grated, two tablespoonsful of salt and a tablespoonful of mustard seed,
a tablespoonful of cloves, the same of allspice, a little mace; boil
the spices in the vinegar, and pour over the peppers, mixing all well
together; put in bottles or jars, and cork it.
CELERY VINEGAR.
Bruise a pint of celery seed; after putting it into your bottles,
fill them with strong cider vinegar; set it away for a month, not
forgetting to shake it every day: it will then be fit for use.
GRAVY FOR ROAST TURKEY AND CHICKENS.
Boil the liver and gizzard with a little salt; when done, chop them up
fine; mix with the water they were boiled in, some of the drippings
in the bottom of the oven, a very little brown flour, then add the
giblets: season to your taste.
VEAL GRAVY.
Take some of the drippings in the bottom of your oven, to which add
some boiling water; put it on to boil, season with pepper, salt, and a
little brown sugar and flour; send hot to table.
VENISON SAUCE.
Take equal quantities of claret and currant jelly, and some brown
sugar; put it down and let it stew till thick; send hot to table; this
sauce is very good for venison or roast leg of mutton.
APPLE DUMPLING SAUCE ANOTHER WAY.
Beat loaf sugar and butter to a cream as light as possible, and stir
slowly into it one wine glass of brandy. An excellent cold sauce for
apple dumplings or fritters.
APPLE SAUCE.
Pare a quarter of a peck of ripe green pippins; cut them in quarters
and core them; then put them in a pipkin or earthen pitcher, with a
little water to stew slowly; shake the pipkin or pitcher frequently;
do not put a spoon in; it might break them when nearly done: put in a
little loaf sugar; shake them several times; when done, pour them into
a dish without breaking: serve up cold or hot.
CRANBERRY SAUCE.
Wash and pick four quarts of cranberries; put them in a bell-metal
kettle with one quart of water to stew slowly: when half done, add two
pounds of brown sugar: every berry must be broken with a spoon before
it comes off the fire: stir frequently. Another way would be to add
more sugar and strain it through a fine cullender, and set it away in
forms to cool: this we would call cranberry jelly.
TO STEW DRIED FRUIT.
Dried fruit should be well washed in three or four different waters,
and put to soak over night in the water in which you intend stewing
them; to four quarts of fruit, put water enough to cover them, so that
none need be added while cooking: season and sweeten to your taste.
Some persons like dried orange peel in peaches.
TO ROAST BEEF.
Scrape till clean the fat, the lean, and the bones of the beef. If any
soil remain on the bones, saw it off with a beef saw. It can be more
thoroughly cleaned in this way than in any other. It spoils beef to
wash it. Spit it and put it in a tin kitchen before the fire, with a
half pint of water in the bottom of the kitchen; do not set it close to
the fire at first, but bring it gradually nearer; turn, and baste it
every few minutes. It should be cooked slowly. When nearly done, season
with black and cayenne pepper and salt. The habit of dredging beef with
flour is a very bad one. Flour is no improvement to beef. Ten pounds of
beef will roast, before a good fire, in two hours. For the gravy, pour
off the grease, add a little water, pepper and salt; send to table in a
gravy boat. This receipt will answer for any part of the beef that is
fit to roast. Garnish with horse-radish, grated. All roasts should be
well skewered to the spit.
BEEF STEAKS.
The sirloin is the best. Cut the steak half an inch thick; put it on
a gridiron over clear coals; turn it very often; when half done, put
it on a dish and squeeze as much of the juice out as possible; put it
back; season with pepper and salt. When done, place it in the dish with
the juice; add a spoonful of water, and if you prefer, a small piece of
butter: send to the table immediately.
TO STEW BEEF.
Cut all the meat from cold roast beef; put the bones down with some
water, pepper, salt, onions, carrots and potatoes, all cut up: a little
brown stock will improve it: let it stew till all of the vegetables
are done; then take out the bones, cut your meat in small pieces, rub
a piece of butter in flour and stir in: put the meat in till it is hot
through; then dish it.
BEEF A LA MODE.
Chop fine some parsley, thyme and onions; add some grated bread,
nutmeg, cloves, pepper and salt, with the yolks of three eggs beaten;
take out the bone and fill the space with these ingredients well mixed;
make holes in the lean part and stuff it; bind it firmly with tape; put
it into an iron pot, sufficiently large to hold it, cover it with water
and let it stew slowly for three hours. Make a gravy of the liquor it
was stewed in with a half pint of red wine and mushroom catsup; rub a
little butter in flour, and let it simmer five minutes; then take it up.
A BRISKET OF BEEF BAKED.
Take a brisket, say ten pounds; make a dressing of ham, parsley,
oysters, seasoned with pounded cloves, pepper, salt and nutmeg, and the
yolk of two eggs well beaten; make holes in the beef and stuff it; put
it in a pan with a little water and half a pint of wine; bake it three
hours; send hot to table. Garnish with sliced lemons.
BEEF STEAK PIE.
Stew some tender pieces of beef, cut it up in small pieces, season with
pepper and salt; have some good paste in a deep dish, into which put
the pieces of beef with some gravy; put on a cover and bake.
TO BOIL CORN BEEF.
Wash it well, and soak it thirty or forty minutes; put it down to boil
in plenty of cold water: let it boil slowly, and skim often.
A BEEF’S HEART.
Cut the heart open; let it soak in cold water for a few moments, then
take out the ventricles; put it down to boil; when nearly done, take it
up: make a dressing of small pieces of ham, pepper, salt, parsley, and
some beef chopped fine; make incisions with a knife; stuff and bake it;
pour a pint of the water in which it was boiled in the pan for gravy,
and thicken it with browned flour and butter.
DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF VEAL.
The fore quarter, the rack, and breast, are best boiled. The fillet or
leg is very good stuffed and baked. The loin should be roasted. The
knuckle is proper for soup, also the neck and shoulder.
TO ROAST A LOIN OF VEAL.
Wash it well, and put it in a tin kitchen some distance from the fire;
when it is hot through, place it nearer to the fire; baste it well;
when nearly done, dredge it with flour; add pepper and salt; the time
it takes to cook will depend on the size of the loin; put half a pint
of water in the tin kitchen when you set it to the fire; garnish the
dish with sliced lemons.
VEAL CUTLETS.
Cut the cutlets half an inch thick; have some cracker rolled with
pepper, salt, and nutmeg; dip your cutlets in the yolk of egg well
beaten; then in grated cracker; fry in hot lard slowly till done, then
take them up: make the gravy by pouring a pint of cream with some
chopped parsley in the pan in which it has been cooked; season with
grated nutmeg: garnish your dish with curled parsley.
BAKED FILLET OF VEAL.
Take the leg or fillet of veal; wash it well; cut off the shank and
trim it, so that it will sit nicely in the pan; make a stuffing of
bread crumbs, pepper, salt, parsley and nutmeg, some butter and the
yolks of eggs; stuff the fillet and bake it: put a little water in the
pan, and some mushroom catsup in the gravy.
TO STEW VEAL.
Cut your veal in small pieces; slice three onions; fry them in butter;
then put the veal down with a little water, pepper, salt, nutmeg and
parsley; rub some butter in flour; put in the gravy with lemon juice or
catsup.
MOCK TURTLE OR CALF’S HEAD.
Clean the head well; let it soak for a few minutes in cold water; take
out the lower jaw, the nose and the eyes: then put it down to boil;
skim it well, and when the bones will fall from the meat, cut the meat
in small pieces; take out carefully all the small bones; have some
onions chopped fine, nutmeg, mace, cloves, pepper, salt, bread crumbs,
butter and egg, all well mixed together; put these nicely arranged in
a pan with some of the gravy; put egg and butter on the top; bake it
twenty minutes in an oven; when done, take it up; season the gravy with
red wine and mushroom catsup.
TO STEW CALF’S FEET.
Have your feet nicely cleaned and cut in two; boil them till tender;
take out the large bones; put them down to stew with some of the liquor
they were boiled in, pepper, salt and parsley chopped fine; rub a
dessert spoonful of butter in two of flour, and stir in. Garnish your
dish with curled parsley.
SWEET-BREADS.
Sweet-breads must always be parboiled. Have a dressing of bread crumbs,
pepper, salt, parsley and butter; stuff the sweet breads and roast; or
fry them like oysters, cutting them into small pieces.
SWEET-BREAD AND OYSTER PIE.
Stew the sweet-breads till tender; have a dish lined with a good paste;
cut the sweet-bread up in small pieces; put some in the paste with some
oysters, pepper, salt, butter and the yolks of eggs boiled hard and
mashed fine; then another layer of sweet bread and oysters till your
dish is full; put on a top paste and bake; cut a cross in the middle,
and turn it back to let the steam escape: send hot to table. Have a
small egg-cup in the centre of the pie, to keep the upper crust from
touching the liquor.
TO ROAST A LOIN OF MUTTON.
Wash it well, and put it down in the tin kitchen, with a little water
and salt in the bottom of the kitchen; baste and turn it well; a loin
will cook in an hour and a half: send hot to table, to be eaten with
currant jelly.
TO ROAST A LEG OF MUTTON.
Wash it well; take off the flank; make incisions an inch apart in it
with a sharp knife; stuff it with some onions boiled for five minutes,
and some sage leaves, both chopped fine, with black and cayenne pepper
and salt, and bread crumbs; moisten the crumbs with a little melted
butter; turn and baste it frequently.
TO STEW LAMB WITH PEAS.
Cut the lamb in pieces the size of a chop; put them down to stew with a
little water, pepper, salt and mace; add some young peas; let this cook
slowly till done: add some butter before you take it from the fire.
STEAKS OF MUTTON.
Have your slices a quarter of an inch thick; dip them in boiling lard,
then into grated bread seasoned with pepper and salt, and broil on a
gridiron, first rubbing off the bars with lard, that none may drip or
cause a smell. These are also very good dressed like veal cutlets.
MUTTON CHOPS.
Take off some of the fat and broil quickly, turning them often; when
done, season with pepper and salt, but no butter.
TO BOIL A BREAST OF MUTTON.
Crack the joints; boil slowly; put a little salt in the water; when
done, dish and pour drawn butter, with parsley chopped fine over it.
TO SALT A LEG OF MUTTON.
Rub the leg well with salt; let it remain two or three days; then chip
it fine, and fry in butter like chipped beef.
TO DRESS MUTTON LIKE VENISON.
Rub a leg of mutton well with allspice and black pepper pounded fine;
let it remain four or five days, when it will be fit to cook: wash off
the spices before you put it down to roast; put into the gravy some
wine and currant jelly.
MUTTON CHOPS LIKE VENISON.
Sprinkle your chops with pepper, salt and mustard; have ready some
boiling lard; put your chops in and fry a light brown; make a gravy and
season it with wine and currant jelly; pour the gravy over the chops,
and send hot to the table.
TO STEW MUTTON WITH MUSHROOMS.
Cut some mutton about two inches square; stew it with some mushrooms;
add a little water, pepper, salt, and a small piece of butter rolled in
flour; send hot to the table.
TO STEW MUTTON.
Cut up in small pieces two carrots, one turnip, four potatoes, and
three tomatoes; put them down to stew with a little water, pepper and
salt: when they are nearly done cut up some mutton, and add to the
stew, with some fried onions; let it simmer for a few minutes: serve up
hot.
TO BOIL A LEG OF MUTTON.
Scrape and wash well a leg of mutton; put it on the fire in cold water
and a little salt; when done, (which will be in an hour and a half or
two hours according to the size,) serve with drawn butter and capers,
or pickled cucumbers cut up in small pieces.
TO STEW MUTTON LIKE VENISON.
Take some pieces of tender mutton; put it down to stew with two whole
onions, some cloves, pepper and salt; when half done, add some red
wine, currant jelly and mushroom catsup.
KIDNEYS.
Kidneys must be well washed; boil for ten minutes; take them from the
fire; cut them up; season with pepper, salt, and dredge well with
flour; have some boiling lard; put them in, stirring them often; when
done, make a gravy; add some wine, and pour over the kidneys.
ROLOGEE.
Take the thin piece which comes on the leg or loin of veal; wrap up in
it cloves and mace, pepper and salt; roll it up and tie it tight in a
cloth; boil it well; then put it under a press; when cold, cut it in
thin slices for tea.
FONDUS.
Put in a stew pan a quart of water and a piece of butter; stir in flour
to make a batter; beat it well all the time it is on the fire; have
some grated cheese with five eggs, beat all well; drop with a spoon on
buttered tins and bake.
LIVER.
Liver should not be washed: cut in thin slices, and fried in hot lard.
TO ROAST A PIG.
Let your pig be cleaned very well; boil the liver; chop it up with
onion, sage, bread crumbs, pepper, salt and parsley; moisten with a
little butter; stuff the pig well with it, sew it up, spit it and put
it in a tin kitchen before the fire to roast. Put some salt and water
in the tin kitchen, with which baste the pig well; as soon as the skin
gets hard, baste it well with lard; turn it, but do not baste it with
the water again. A pig will take from two to three hours to cook; pour
off the fat from the gravy; season with pepper and salt; add a little
water, if necessary, and browned flour.
TO ROAST PORK.
Let the piece you intend cooking lie two hours in salt and water; then
cut the skin in squares, set it before the fire with salt water and
finely powdered sage in the bottom of the kitchen, baste, and turn it
often.
TO FRY PIG’S FEET.
Have your feet well cleaned; let them lie over night in salt and water;
then put them on to boil: when they are tender, take out the large
bones; dredge them in flour seasoned with pepper and salt, and fry in
hot lard. Another way to cook pig’s feet is to boil them, and dress
like terrapins.
A PIG’S HEAD.
Clean the head well, cut off the ears and nose, take out the eyes; put
it down to boil with the liver; when done, take it up, put the head
in a dripping pan with some of the liquor; the liver chopped up fine,
seasoned with onions, pepper, salt and parsley; spread some yolk of egg
over the head, upon which sprinkle bread crumbs: bake half an hour; add
some catsup to the gravy. Send hot to the table.
TO MAKE SCRAPPLE.
Some of the pieces that will not do for any other purpose will make
scrapple. Boil them in plenty of water, season with pepper and salt,
take out all the bones, and strain the liquor; put the liquor back in
the pot and thicken with Indian meal; stir it till done; turn it into
bowls to cool; cut in slices and fry. Send hot to the table.
TO CURE BEEF.
Rub the pieces well with saltpetre, salt, and brown sugar; let it
lie two days in a tub; make a pickle and pour over it: it will be
sufficiently cured in eight days. When wanted for summer use, let it
remain in brine between three or four weeks; then hang it up to dry;
smoke very little.
TO SOUSE PIG’S FEET.
Clean well the feet, and let them lie in salt and water over night,
then boil till tender; take out the large bones, cut them down the
middle; dip them in flour and fry in hot lard, or, pick out all the
bones; season with pepper and salt, and if liked, some vinegar; heat
them for a few moments when required.
TO CURE BEEF’S TONGUES.
Rub each tongue well with brown sugar and saltpetre; have ready an
earthen crock or wooden vessel; put into it a layer of salt, then a
tongue, then a layer of salt, and so on till they are all in; after
they have been in three days, remove them and put the tongues which
were in the bottom of the vessel on top: they will make their own
pickle.
TO BOIL HAM.
If a ham is old and hard, it should soak over night; if not, wash it
well, and put it down in plenty of cold water: the water should be well
skimmed while boiling.
TO BOIL A STUFFED HAM.
Make incisions in the ham with a knife; have ready some mint chopped
fine, with which fill them; then boil for five or six hours; trim, but
do not skin it.
TO BAKE A BOILED HAM.
First, boil till done; then skin and trim it; spread the yolk of egg
over, then sprinkle with finely rolled cracker, and put in the oven
for a few minutes; or, you may boil, skin it, and ornament with black
pepper: a ham will keep much better, and will retain the juice, if the
skin is not taken off.
TO CURE HAMS AND SHOULDERS.
Cut up your hogs, take out the chine from the neck to the tail, cut the
hams, shoulders, and middlings; have some finely powdered saltpetre;
rub a tablespoonful in each ham for some minutes, then rub it well with
salt and brown sugar; let them lie on a board some distance apart for
three days, to draw off the blood; have a molasses barrel; sprinkle the
bottom with salt and put in your hams with the skins down; sprinkle
with salt, and so on till you have the barrel full; make a strong
pickle that will bear an egg; pour over them, cover, and let them
remain in pickle for five weeks, then hang them up with the hock down
to preserve the juice. The shoulders will not require to be in pickle
so long; it is not necessary to put saltpetre on the middlings; the
jowls will be ready to hang up in two weeks, shoulders and middlings in
four: they should be smoked but three times a week till done; if smoked
too much, they will be hard. Before the weather gets warm, take them
down and rub well with hickory ashes.
TO BOIL AND FREEZE CHINE.
After the chines have been in pickle a week or ten days, boil them and
let them freeze. They are considered a great delicacy.
TO MAKE SAUSAGE MEAT.
Take the tender pieces of pork, lean and fat, one third fat and two
thirds lean, season with salt and pepper, and those that are for
immediate use are improved by putting in some sage finely pulverized,
but if kept too long, it will have a musty taste. If sausage meat is
put in to skins, laid for ten days in pickle, then hung up and smoked a
little, they will keep all summer. Those that are not put into skins,
should be put into stone crocks, and have lard run over the top to
exclude the air.
HOG’S HEAD CHEESE.
Wash the heads well, take off the ears and nose, and remove the eyes;
boil them till tender, and all the bones come out; then take it up,
carefully taking out all the bones; cut up the meat very fine: then
season with pepper and salt; put this back again into the pot with the
liquor; let it simmer slowly for half an hour, pour into bowls, and set
it away to cool; cut in slices for the table.
TO ROAST A GOOSE.
Wash the goose well; make a stuffing of two thirds onions and one
third sage leaves, pepper, salt and butter; fill the goose, and put it
down to roast in the tin kitchen with some salt and water; baste it
frequently. A large goose will take an hour and a half to cook: make
a gravy with the giblets hashed; season with pepper and salt. Some
persons prefer the dressing made of potatoes. Ducks are done in the
same way, but will cook in half an hour: to be eaten with cranberry
sauce.
TO ROAST A TURKEY.
Wash and clean the turkey well; make a dressing of bread, butter,
pepper and salt; fill your turkey; have some boiling water in the
bottom of the tin kitchen: when half done, sprinkle with pepper and
salt, baste and turn it often, make a gravy with the giblets hashed;
season with pepper and salt; stir a little brown flour in the gravy;
send it to table in a gravy boat. A large turkey will take three hours
to roast.
TO BOIL A TURKEY.
Wash your turkey well, and let it lie a few minutes in salt and water;
put it on in cold water with a little rice; skim it and let it boil
slowly, but constantly, till done; make a filling of bread, butter,
pepper, salt, and some whole oysters, and a few slices of lemon. It is
better to put the turkey in a cloth. A large turkey will boil in two
hours; to be eaten with oyster or celery sauce.
TO ROAST CHICKENS.
Make a dressing, as for turkey; set them some distance from the fire
at first, but move them gradually closer: they will roast in an hour:
baste them well; make a gravy of the giblets, some of the drippings
in the bottom of the kitchen, and some of the water the giblets were
boiled in: season with pepper and salt.
TO FRY CHICKENS.
Wash them well and cut them up; wipe them dry. Have ready some rolled
crackers seasoned with pepper, salt and parsley; first dip the pieces
in the yolk of an egg, then in the cracker; have ready some boiling
lard; put in and fry a light-brown; make a gravy with cream, parsley,
nutmeg, pepper and salt.
TO STEW CHICKENS.
Put the chickens down with a little water, pepper, salt and a little
mace: when half done, add some cream, butter, rolled in flour, and
parsley cut up. Dish the chickens and pour the gravy over them.
TO BROIL CHICKENS.
Wash the chickens well, cut them down the back, and broil on a gridiron
over hot coals: when nearly done, season with pepper and salt, and when
done, baste them with butter.
TO BAKE CHICKENS.
Prepare, as for boiling; put them in a bake pan with water, pepper
and salt; baste them well: when nearly done, baste them with butter
and dredge with flour; make a gravy of the giblets, and add to the
drippings.
CHICKEN PIE.
Wash the chickens; cut them up and stew them with a little water, salt
and mace; when done, make a paste; put it round the sides of the dish;
then put in the chickens; season to your taste, with pepper, salt and
hard-boiled egg, some butter rolled in flour; pour in some of the
liquor, and put on the top paste; cut a hole in the centre, and turn
back the paste to let the steam escape; place a small cup in the middle
of the pie.
TO BOIL CHICKENS.
Make a filling of bread, butter, pepper and salt; put your chickens in
a cloth, and boil them till done, which will be in an hour; make egg
sauce, which pour over the chickens; garnish the dish with parsley;
send some celery sauce in the gravy boat to the table.
TO STEW DUCKS.
Put the ducks down to stew with a little stock and some onions, pepper
and salt; let them simmer gently till they are done, adding a little
cream and butter; make a dressing of sage and onions, with which fill
the ducks: set them in the oven to brown.
TO COOK CHICKENS WITH CURRY.
Cut up the chickens, wash them clean, put them in a stew pan with a
little water and salt; keep them covered closely till they are done;
brown some onions in butter, then put in the chickens with a little
pepper and curry powder; let the chickens brown in the butter; when
brown, put in the liquor, and let all stew for five minutes.
TO COOK CHICKENS IN BATTER.
Make a batter; cut up the chickens; stew them with a little pepper,
salt and parsley: when nearly done, take it up; put it in a buttered
dish; pour the batter round, and bake.
Game.
TO FRY RABBITS.
Skin the rabbit; cut it up and wash it; dip it in flour seasoned with
pepper and salt; cut up some onions, and fry.
TO STEW RABBITS.
Skin it; cut it up, as for frying; put it down with a little water,
pepper, salt and a little butter rolled in flour.
WILD DUCKS.
When the ducks are picked, wash them as little as possible: roast
twenty minutes. Some persons make a filling of bread, butter, pepper
and salt; but the proper way is to cook them without filling; baste
them very often and turn rapidly; put a little water in the bottom of
the oven.
TO ROAST WOODCOCK OR SNIPE.
Pick them very carefully, but do not draw them; they will cook
sufficiently in ten or fifteen minutes; have some toast on a dish, upon
which put the birds.
TO ROAST PHEASANTS.
Roast them before a brisk fire, turning and basting all the time with a
little butter; have some water in the bottom of the roaster: after they
have cooked five minutes, add some salt.
PARTRIDGES.