slaughtered in the country. Corn, or any kind of grain-fed, or, more
especially, milk-fed pork, as every one knows, who is not of the Hebrew
faith, which entirely ignores this--when properly prepared,
well-flavored, oleaginous production--and is fond of pork, from the
succulent sucking pig, the toothsome and fresh spare-rib, unrivalled as
a broil, to the broiled or boiled ham, and side-meat bacon of the
full-grown porker, is vastly superior to the meat of the slop and
garbage-fed animal raised and slaughtered in the city--more especially
as the butchering of hogs in San Francisco is at this time entirely
monopolized by the Chinese population, who seem to have a warm side, in
fact a most devoted affection, for the hog, surpassing even that of the
bog-trotters of the "Ould Sod" for the traditional pet-pig that "ates,
drinks and slapes wid the ould man, the ould woman, and the childer."
Charles Lamb's account of the discovery of the delights of roast pig,
and invention of that luxury by the Chinaman whose bamboo hut was burned
down, in raking his pig, semi-cremated from the ashes, burned his
fingers--which, naturally clapping into his mouth to ease the
pain--which was changed to delight, causing John's torture-smitten
visage to assume in an instant a broad grin of satisfaction at the
discovery--is undoubtedly correct, or at least the love for the pork
exhibited by the "Heathen Chinee" cannot reasonably be accounted for in
any other way. In order, then, to get the best article of
pork--wholesome, toothsome, and, what is most important of all, entirely
free from any form of disease or taint, great care should be taken to
make selections from the small lots fed and slaughtered in the country,
and brought into the city most generally in the fall season, and which
are to be procured at the stall or shop of any reputable and reliable
dealer. Select a carcass of one hundred, or less, pounds, with flesh
hard and white, and thin skin. For salting, cut in pieces six by eight
inches, and, after having rubbed thoroughly in salt--neither too fine
nor too coarse--take a half-barrel, sprinkle the bottom well with salt,
and lay the pieces of pork in tightly; then add salt, and follow with
another layer of pork, until the whole is packed, with salt sprinkled on
top. Set in a cool place, and, after three or four days, make a brine of
boiling water with salt--which, when cool, should be sufficiently strong
to float an egg--stir in a half pound of brown sugar, pour over the meat
sufficient to cover, and place on top a stone heavy enough to keep the
pork weighted down.
Home-Made Lard.
Home-made lard is undoubtedly the best as well as cheapest. If leaf is
not to be had, take 10 lbs of solid white pork, as fat as possible,
which is quite as good, if not better; cut in pieces uniformly the size
of your finger, and put in a vessel with a thick bottom--one of iron is
preferable--and adding 1 pint of water, put on the range; keep tightly
covered until the water has evaporated in steam, when leave off the
cover, letting it cook slowly, until the scraps turn a light brown, when
take off, and while still quite warm, strain through a colander,
pressing the scraps hard with a potato-masher; pour the liquid into cans
and set away. The next day it will be found snow-white, solid and of a
fine and equal consistence; and for cooking purposes, quite as good as
fresh churned butter in making biscuits, any kind of pastry, or frying
eggs.
[In frying lard keep a careful watch and see that it does not scorch.]
New Jersey Sausage.
Take the very best pork you can get--one-third fat and two-thirds
lean--and chop on a block with a kitchen cleaver. When half chopped,
season with black pepper, salt and sage, rubbed through a sieve, and
then finish the chopping; but do not cut the meat too fine, as in that
case the juice of the meat will be lost. Make the mixture up into
patties, and fry on a common pan, placed in the oven of the stove,
taking care not to cook them hard. Veal is a good substitute for the
lean pork in making these sausages, which are much better if made one
day before cooking.
Pot-Pie.
The following I have found the best manner of making any kind of
pot-pie. White meat, such as chicken, quail or nice veal, is decidedly
the best for the purpose. Stew the meat until tender, in considerable
liquid as when you put into the paste much of that will be absorbed. In
making the paste take 1 quart of flour and 2 tablespoonfuls of baking
powder, rubbed well into the flour, 1/4 pound butter or sweet lard, and
a little salt; mix with milk or water into a soft dough; roll 1/2 an
inch thick; cut to size, and lay in a steamer for 15 minutes to make
light, then put in and around the stew; cooking slowly for ten minutes.
Curried Crab.
Put into a saucepan 1/4 pound butter with a little flour; cook together
and stir till cool; then add a gill of cream, a little cayenne pepper,
salt, and a dessert-spoonful of East India Curry Powder. Mix well
together, and add 1 pound boiled crab meat, chopped fine; stir well
together--make very hot and serve. The addition of a glass of white wine
adds to the flavor of this curry.
To Toast Bread.
Cut bread in slices 1/2 an inch thick; first taking a thin crust from
top, bottom and sides, or shave the loaf before cutting--otherwise the
crust will scorch before the soft part is sufficiently toasted.
Cream Toast.
To make a delicious cream toast, mix well a teaspoonful of corn-starch
with a little cold milk, and put in a stewpan with a piece of butter the
size of an egg. Pour in hot milk, and stir two minutes, adding a little
salt--a little sugar is also an improvement--and pour over the toast
while hot.
Fritters.
Four eggs, well beaten; 1 quart of milk; 1 quart of flour; 2
teaspoonfuls baking powder; one tablespoonful sugar, and a little salt.
Cook in best lard, and serve with hard or liquid sauce, highly flavored
with California brandy or white wine.
Hash.
It is a mistaken idea (labored under by many), that hash can be made of
waste material, that would otherwise be thrown away. This is a most
excellent and palatable dish if properly prepared. Take the shank, or
other parts of good beef you may have at hand, and boil, with as little
water as possible, until quite tender, and let stand until quite cold.
Then take of potatoes, that have been peeled before boiling, one-third
the amount of the meat used, and chop moderately fine, adding plenty of
pepper and salt, to taste. Next, chop two or three onions fine, and stew
them in some of the liquid in which the meat was boiled, dredging in a
little flour, and when thoroughly done, put in the hash, and chop and
mix thoroughly. If you think the mass requires moistening add a little
of the fat and juice. Put the whole in a pan, and bake in a quick oven
until slightly browned at top and bottom.
Should you have good corned-beef--not too salt--it is very nice made in
this manner. Use the marrow from the bones in making hash.
Hashed Potatoes with Eggs.
Chop fine 8 or 10 cold boiled potatoes; heat a pan (cast-iron is
preferable,) quite hot; put in butter the size of an egg, and as soon as
melted add the potatoes; salt and pepper; slightly stirring frequently,
and, when heated thoroughly, stir in four well-beaten eggs. Serve on a
hot dish.
Baked Macaroni.
Break the macaroni rather short; wash and put in salted water; boil
about twenty minutes. Drain off the water, replace it with a cup of good
milk and 1 tablespoonful of best butter, and as soon as boiling hot put
in a baking-dish. If you like cheese, grate over it the best California
article--old cheese should never be used--and bake to a light brown.
For stewed macaroni omit the baking and the cheese, if you like.
Drawn-Butter.
To make drawn-butter, take two tablespoonfuls of flour; good butter, the
size of an egg; a little milk, and make to a smooth paste. Then work in
slowly one-half pint of water, until the flour is cooked. Season to
taste. The foregoing will be found a good basis for nearly all hot
sauces, for fish, beet, and other vegetables, as well as for puddings.
Spiced Currants.
Two boxes of currants, washed and stemmed; 3 pounds sugar, 1
tablespoonful allspice, 1 tablespoonful of cloves, 1 tablespoonful
cinnamon; boil half-an-hour.
The Best Method of Canning Fruits.
There are various modes of canning fruits, almost every housekeeper
having a method of her own. For the benefit of those who are at loss in
this particular, we give the following mode--which we fully endorse as
the best within our knowledge--made use of by Mrs. George W. Ladd, of
Bradford, Massachusetts, whose fruits, prepared in this way, have
repeatedly taken the first premium at the Agricultural Fair, held in the
Old Bay State. This lady certainly deserves the thanks of all interested
in this important matter, for her liberality in giving the public the
benefit of her knowledge and experience in this line, as detailed in the
following, published in the _New York Graphic_ of August 15, 1883:
"As the season of ripe fruit advances, I prepare such quantities of
syrup as I think I may need, in this way: Three pounds of granulated
sugar to one gallon of water and boil twenty minutes; this I put in
glass jars, when cool, and set away for future use. Peaches, quinces,
pears, apples, plums, pine apples, rhubarb, crab apples, and, in fact,
all fruits of this kind, I peel, quarter and place in a dish of cold
water (to prevent discoloration), until I have prepared enough to fill a
jar: I then pack them solid as possible in a jar, and then fill the jar
with the syrup previously prepared. I then place a wire stand in the
bottom of my preserving kettle, on which to place the jar, then fill the
kettle with cold water until the jar is two-thirds covered; leave the
jar open, but cover the kettle and boil until the fruit is sufficiently
soft; have ready a little boiling syrup, if needed, to fill the jar full
to overflowing. Then place the rubber band around the neck of the jar
and screw the cover on as tightly as possible; then in from three to
five minutes give the cover another turn, in order to be sure it is air
tight, and you will have no mortal trouble with it. I use Mason's jars
with metallic porcelain covers."
Preparing Quinces for Canning or Preserving.
Quinces for canning or preserving should be kept in a dry place for
thirty days after taking from the trees, in order to give them richness
and flavor. Peel and cut to the proper size, carefully saving skins and
cores. Put the last named in a porcelain kettle and boil until quite
tender, when strain through a cotton-bag; afterwards put the juice back
in the kettle, and add sugar as directed in the directions for canning
fruit. Boil slowly for half-an-hour, taking off the scum as it rises,
then set away to cool, and can the fruit as directed in the receipt for
canning.
Clayton's Monmouth Sauce.
In making this delightful ketchup, take 25 pounds of fresh, or two 8 lb.
cans of tomatoes, and slice, not too thin, adding five medium sized
onions cut fine. Put these, with plenty of salt, in a porcelain kettle;
adding, with a handful of hot green peppers, or a less quantity, if
dried, 1 ounce of white ginger, chopped fine, 1 ounce of horse-radish,
and 1/2 ounce each of ground cloves and allspice, and 1 lemon, with
seeds removed and cut small. After letting these boil for three hours,
work through a sieve and return to the kettle along with a pint of wine
vinegar, 2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 2 of good mustard, a teacupful of
Challenge or Worcestershire Sauce, and let boil for 2 or 3 minutes, and
set off. To prevent fermentation, stir in a teacupful of high-proof
California brandy. If too thick, when cold reduce with vinegar.
To Prepare Mustard for the Table.
Take 1/2 pound best mustard and enough wine vinegar, mixed with 1/3
boiling water, 1 large teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of sugar,
juice of half a lemon, and mix to a thin batter, and put in a common
glass jar and keep stopped tight. If pure mustard is used, treated in
this way, it will keep good for months.
[If you desire the best article of mustard, I think E. R. Durkee & Co's
is the best I have ever used, although Colman's ranks equally high, if
you can get the genuine unadulterated article, which can be had by
procuring Crosse & Blackwell's London brand, for which Messrs. Richards
and Harrison are the San Francisco agents.]
Mint Sauce.
Into a teacupful of hot vinegar, in which has been dissolved sufficient
sugar to make slightly sweet, add a handful of mint chopped quite fine.
Serve hot.
Eggs Ought Never be Poached.
Poached eggs are always tasteless, and also unhealthy, owing to the
albumen going into the water into which they are dropped, giving it a
white and milky appearance--taking away a portion of the richness which
should remain in the egg, rendering it indigestible, and of course,
unwholesome.
Sunnyside Roast.
Select a good, tender piece either of beef or mutton--veal and pork can
also be nicely roasted in the same way--place in your iron saucepan or
pot one tablespoonful of good lard or half as much butter, and an onion,
cut fine; let your onion fry to a light brown, and put in your meat,
first having washed, dried and salted it. Put the cover on and let stand
until it is pretty well browned; then add water, unless in danger of
burning. Add only enough water, from time to time, to keep it from
burning; turn it frequently so that it may brown on all sides. When
tender, it will come forth brown and juicy. Just before serving, see
that there is enough water for gravy; if there is not, you can take out
the meat and add enough, but not too much, hot water, and then pour it
over the meat.
Clayton's Spanish Omelette.
Chop into dice 1/4 pound of breakfast bacon, a small tomato, 4
mushrooms, mince very fine a small onion; add pepper to taste, put in a
frying pan and cook slowly until the lean is done; take off and put in a
warm place to keep hot. This is sufficient for 6 eggs.
Plain Omelette.
Beat the yolks and white of 8 eggs separately until light, then beat
together; add a little salt and 1 tablespoonful cream. Have in the pan a
piece of butter, and when boiling hot pour in the omelette and shake
until it begins to stiffen; then let it brown. Fold double and serve
hot.
Clam Fritters.
Sift into an earthen dish 3 spoonfuls flour and 1/2 teaspoonful baking
powder; add to this a little of the clam juice, 1/2 a cup of cream and 2
eggs, well beaten. Mince a pint of clams and mix with the batter. Put 2
or 3 spoonfuls of lard into a frying-pan, and when boiling, drop in the
batter, by spoonfuls, to fry; after frying a minute, take from the pan,
drain and serve.
Fried Tripe.
If the tripe is boiled tender, cut in pieces 2 inches square, season
with salt and pepper and dip in a batter made of eggs, milk and flour,
and fry in sweet lard, or drippings from roast or corned beef.
Ringed Potatoes.
Peel large potatoes, cut them round and round as you would pare an
apple; fry in the best lard until a light brown; sprinkle with salt and
serve hot.
New Potatoes Boiled.
Wash and rub new potatoes with a coarse towel, drop in boiling water,
and boil until done, taking care that they are not over boiled. Have
ready, in a saucepan, some milk or cream with butter, a little chopped
parsley, pepper and salt; drain the potatoes, add them to the cream with
a teaspoonful of corn-starch, soaked in a little milk; let it come to a
simmer, and serve at once.
Fried Tomatoes.
Take large smooth tomatoes, cut them in slices 1/2 an inch thick, dip in
bread crumbs or cracker dust and fry a light brown, in half lard and
half butter.
Squash and Corn.--Spanish Style.
Take 3 small summer squashes and 3 ears of corn; chop the squashes and
cut the corn from the cobs. Put into a saucepan a spoonful of lard or
butter, and when very hot an onion; fry a little; add the corn and
squash, 1 tomato and 1 green pepper, cut small, and salt to taste. Cover
closely and stir frequently to prevent scorching.
Pickles.
To make mixed pickles, cut small cucumbers crosswise in about 4 pieces;
onions, if not very small, in 2, and peppers, if the ordinary size, in 4
pieces. Should you have green tomatoes, cut them small. Use a less
amount of onions and peppers than cucumbers; mix all together with a few
bay leaves. Next, take a tub or keg, and, having covered the bottom with
fine salt, put on a layer of pickles, adding alternate layers of each,
leaving that of salt on top. Cover with a cotton cloth, and lay on a
stone or wooden weight. Let them remain three days; then take out, rinse
in cold water, but do not soak, and put them in a basket or sack to
drain for twelve hours. Have ready plenty of California wine vinegar,
made hot, but not boiling, adding the following--cloves, allspice,
green ginger, and whole mustard seed, with 1 coffee-cup sugar. When the
vinegar is at scalding heat pour over the pickles and cover.
Nice Picklette.
Take 4 nice cabbages, chopped fine; 1 quart onions, chopped fine; 2
quarts--or sufficient to cover the mixture--best wine vinegar, adding
two tablespoonfuls each of ground mustard, black pepper, cinnamon,
celery salt, 1 of mace, and 1 coffee-cup sugar. Pack the cabbages and
onions in alternate layers, with a little fine salt between, and let
stand until next day; then scald the vinegar with the spices and sugar,
and pour over the cabbages and onions. Repeat this the next day; and on
the third, heat the whole scalding hot, let it cool, and put in jars,
when it is fit for use at once.
Pickled Tripe.
Pickled tripe is very nice--and that sold by John Bayle, in the
California Market, which is cleaned by steam process, and is quite
tender and unsalted is a superior article. To prepare for pickling, cut
in pieces about four inches square, say five or six pounds. Put into a
kettle; cover with boiling water, adding a handful of salt; let stand
fifteen minutes; take out and drain, keeping warm. Mix one-fourth water
with the best wine vinegar--to which add cloves, allspice and mace, with
1 teacupful sugar; heat, and pour over the tripe, and set away to cool.
Tripe prepared in this way is the best for broiling or frying.
To Cook Grouse or Prairie Chicken.
The best way I have found for cooking this delicious game bird is,
first, after cleaning, to cut off the wings and legs, as, with the
back, these parts are of little account; next, split the birds in the
centre, taking out the breast-bone, and you have two heavy pieces; if
the bird is large, divide again; do not wash, but wipe with a damp
cloth. Season with pepper and salt, and broil with butter quite rare;
then lay in a porcelain-lined pan, with butter and currant or grape
jelly, adding a little cayenne pepper, and a small quantity of port or
white wine.
[Venison steak may be cooked in the same manner.]
Brains and Sweet-Breads.
When properly prepared the brains of calves and sheep form a very
inviting dish. Lay fresh brains in cold, salted water for fifteen
minutes; then put them in boiling water, and parboil for ten minutes.
After cleaning off the outer membrane--for frying--split them, and
season with salt and pepper, and run them through egg, beaten with a
little milk; roll them in cracker-dust, and fry to a light brown in
equal parts of sweet lard and butter.
For stewed brains, cut half the size for frying and put in a stewpan,
with a lump of butter, pepper and salt, a little water or soup-stock,
and one-half an onion, chopped fine and stewed tender. Add this, and
cook slowly for a few minutes, when put in two or three spoonfuls of
milk or cream, and a little white wine or juice of lemon.
[Sweet-breads may be cooked in the same manner.]
Stewed Spare-Ribs of Pork.
Cut the ribs in pieces of a finger's length and the width of two
fingers. Put in the kettle with two onions, salt and pepper, and cover
with cold water. Let them stew slowly for two hours, and then put in 3
potatoes, 2 purple-top turnips, which have been peeled and cut, and left
in cold water at least two hours; also add two tomatoes. This stew must
have plenty of gravy, which can be made by working a little flour and
butter with a few spoonfuls of rich milk, cooking five minutes.
[An Irish stew may be made in the foregoing manner by substituting ribs
of mutton.]
Broiled Oysters.
In order to broil oysters properly, take those of the largest size,
drain, and dry in a cloth, and lay carefully on a nice wire gridiron
that will hold them tight; sprinkle slightly with salt and pepper, and
put them over a good clear fire for a short time, and turn, taking care
not to broil too much; serve with the best butter on a hot dish.
Pumpkin or Squash Custard.
Take enough pumpkin or squash to make 1 quart when cooked; and after it
is boiled or steamed, rub through a sieve, and work in 3 eggs well
beaten, with rich milk sufficient to make the proper consistence, adding
sugar to taste; season with ginger and allspice, and bake in cups or
dishes to a nice brown. May be eaten hot, but is better cold.
Fig Pudding.
Take 1 pint grated bread crumbs, 1 cup suet, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs
and 1/2 pound of fresh figs. Wash the figs in warm water, and dry in a
cloth; chop the suet and figs together, and add the other ingredients,
also 1 nutmeg, grated. Put in a mould or floured bag, and boil 3 hours.
Serve with hard sauce.
Fried Apples.
Take 6 good cooking apples, cut in slices 1/4 of an inch thick; have a
pan of fresh hot lard ready, drop the slices in and fry brown; sprinkle
a little sugar over them and serve hot.
Clayton's Oyster Stew.
In my long experience I have found that the best way to stew oysters,
is, after having saved all the juice of the oysters, to put it in a stew
pan with a little boiling water, and a good lump of butter worked in a
little flour, adding pepper and salt. Let these boil for two minutes, or
long enough to cook the flour; then put in the oysters, and the moment
the stew boils up again add a little sweet cream or country milk, and
when it boils the stew is cooked and should be set away from a hot fire.
Cooked in this way, good oysters will never be tough and tasteless as is
too often the case.
Boiled Celery.
Cut the white stalks of celery the length of asparagus, boil in as
little salted water as possible until quite tender. The root, cut in
slices, is equally good. Dress with drawn butter made with the water in
which the celery was boiled. This vegetable is said to be a sedative and
antidote to nervous debility.
Selecting Meats.
For a roast of beef, select from the ribs nearest the point of the
shoulder-blade, running backward. For steaks, choose that with the
diamond bone on either side. For chops of mutton or lamb, select the
rib. For roasting, choose the loin or saddle; and for boiling, the leg
of mutton--but not of lamb, the latter being best roasted. For
corned-beef, select parts commonly known as the navel and plate pieces,
and next best to these, the brisket and rounds.
Rebecca Jackson's Rice Pudding.
Take 1 quart of rich milk; 3/4 of a coffee-cup of rice, well washed, and
a lump of butter the size of an egg, and 1 nutmeg. This pudding must be
made quite sweet, and without eggs. Bake three hours in a moderate oven,
stirring occasionally the first hour. Bake until the top is a dark
brown. To be eaten cold.
[This pudding--which was a common dish in the last century--was
generally baked on Saturday for Sunday's dessert.]
Bread-and-Butter Pudding.
To 1 quart of milk, add 3 or 4 eggs, well beaten, with sugar enough to
make rather sweet, and season with nutmeg or cinnamon. Put in a
baking-pan and cover with slices of nice bread, buttered on both sides.
Bake until the bread is nicely browned, taking care, however, not to
bake too much, which would make it watery. Good either hot or cold.
Codfish Cakes.
Pick boiled codfish in small bits, adding equal quantities of mashed
potato and fish, with two eggs, well beaten, seasoning with black
pepper, and roll in a little flour, the shape of a small cake. Fry in
sweet lard, or nice drippings, to a nice brown, but not hard.
Pickled Grapes.
Remove from ripe grapes all imperfect and broken berries; line an
earthen jar with grape leaves and fill with grapes. To 2 quarts vinegar
add 1 pint white sugar, 1/2 ounce ground cinnamon, and 1/4 ounce cloves.
Let vinegar and spices boil five minutes; then add the sugar, and, when
moderately cool, pour over the grapes.
Forced Tomatoes.