_Ingredients._—About 2 lbs. of the chump end of the loin of mutton,
weighed after being boned; pepper and salt to taste, suet crust made
with milk, in the proportion of 6 oz. of suet to each pound of flour;
a very small quantity of minced onion (this may be omitted when the
flavour is not liked). _Mode._—Cut the meat into rather thin slices,
and season them with pepper and salt; line the pudding-dish with crust;
lay in the meat, and nearly, but do not quite, fill it up with water;
when the flavour is liked, add a small quantity of minced onion; cover
with crust, and proceed in the same manner as directed in recipe for
rump steak and kidney pudding. _Time._—About 3 hours. _Average cost_,
1_s._ 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 6 persons. _Seasonable_ all the year, but
more suitable in winter.
MUTTON, Roast Saddle of.
_Ingredients._—Saddle of mutton; a little salt. _Mode._—To insure
this joint being tender, let it hang for ten days or a fortnight, if
the weather permits. Cut off the tail and flaps, and trim away every
part that has not indisputable pretensions to be eaten, and have the
skin taken off and skewered on again. Put it down to a bright, clear
fire, and, when the joint has been cooking for an hour, remove the
skin and dredge it with flour. It should not be placed too near the
fire, as the fat should not be in the slightest degree burnt, but kept
constantly basted, both before and after the skin is removed. Sprinkle
some salt over the joint; make a little gravy in the dripping-pan;
pour it over the meat, which send to table with a tureen of made gravy
and red-currant jelly. _Time._—A saddle of mutton weighing 10 lbs., 2½
hours; 14 lbs., 3¼ hours. When liked underdone, allow rather less time.
_Average cost_, 10_d._ per lb. _Sufficient._—A moderate-sized saddle of
10 lbs. for 7 or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ all the year; not so good when
lamb is in full season.
[Illustration: SADDLE OF MUTTON.]
MUTTON, Roast Shoulder of.
_Ingredients._—Shoulder of mutton; a little salt. _Mode._—Put the joint
down to a bright, clear fire; flour it well, and keep continually
basting. About ¼ hour before serving, draw it near the fire, that the
outside may acquire a nice brown colour, but not sufficiently near to
blacken the fat. Sprinkle a little fine salt over the meat, empty the
dripping-pan of its contents, pour in a little boiling water slightly
salted, and strain this over the joint. Onion sauce, or stewed Spanish
onions, are usually sent to table with this dish, and sometimes baked
potatoes. _Time._—A shoulder of mutton weighing 6 or 7 lbs., 1½
hour. _Average cost_, 8_d._ per lb. _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
[Illustration: SHOULDER OF MUTTON.]
_Note._—Shoulder of mutton may be dressed in a variety of ways; boiled,
and served with onion sauce; boned, and stuffed with a good veal
forcemeat; or baked, with sliced potatoes in the dripping-pan.
MUTTON SOUP, Good.
_Ingredients._—A neck of mutton about 5 or 6 lbs., 3 carrots, 3
turnips, 2 onions, a large bunch of sweet herbs, including parsley;
salt and pepper to taste; a little sherry, if liked; 3 quarts of water.
_Mode._—Lay the ingredients in a covered pan before the fire, and let
them remain there the whole day, stirring occasionally. The next day
put the whole into a stewpan, and place it on a brisk fire. When it
commences to boil, take the pan off the fire, and put it on one side to
simmer until the meat is done. When ready for use, take out the meat,
dish it up with carrots and turnips, and send it to table; strain the
soup, let it cool, skim off all the fat, season and thicken it with
a tablespoonful, or rather more, of arrowroot; flavour with a little
sherry, simmer for 5 minutes, and serve. _Time._—15 hours. _Average
cost_, including the meat, 1_s._ 3_d._ per quart. _Seasonable_ at any
time. _Sufficient_ for 8 persons.
NASTURTIUMS, Pickled (a very good Substitute for Capers).
_Ingredients._—To each pint of vinegar, 1 oz. of salt, 6 peppercorns,
nasturtiums. _Mode._—Gather the nasturtium pods on a dry day, and
wipe them clean with a cloth; put them in a dry glass bottle, with
vinegar, salt, and pepper, in the above proportion. If you cannot find
enough ripe to fill a bottle, cork up what you have got until you
have some more fit; they may be added from day to day. Bung up the
bottles, and seal or rosin the tops. They will be fit for use in 10 or
12 months; and the best way is to make them one season for the next.
_Seasonable._—Look for nasturtium-pods from the end of July to the end
of August.
NECTARINES, Preserved.
_Ingredients._—To every lb. of sugar allow ¼ pint of water; nectarines.
_Mode._—Divide the nectarines in two, take out the stones, and make a
strong syrup with sugar and water in the above proportion. Put in the
nectarines, and boil them until they have thoroughly imbibed the sugar.
Keep the fruit as whole as possible, and turn it carefully into a pan.
The next day boil it again for a few minutes, take out the nectarines,
put them into jars, boil the syrup quickly for five minutes, pour it
over the fruit, and, when cold, cover the preserve down. The syrup and
preserve must be carefully skimmed, or it will not be clear. _Time._—10
minutes to boil the sugar and water; 20 minutes to boil the fruit the
first time, 10 minutes the second time; 5 minutes to boil the syrup.
_Seasonable_ in August and September, but cheapest in September.
NECTAR, Welsh.
_Ingredients._—1 lb. of raisins, 3 lemons, 2 lbs. of loaf sugar, 2
gallons of boiling water. _Mode._—Cut the peel of the lemons very thin,
pour upon it the boiling water, and, when cool, add the strained juice
of the lemons, the sugar, and the raisins, stoned and chopped very
fine. Let it stand 4 or 5 days, stirring it every day; then strain it
through a jelly-bag, and bottle it for present use. _Time._—4 or 5
days. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 9_d._ _Sufficient_ to make 2 gallons.
NEGUS, to make.
_Ingredients._—To every pint of port wine allow 1 quart of boiling
water, ¼ lb. of sugar, 1 lemon, grated nutmeg to taste. _Mode._—As this
beverage is more usually drunk at children’s parties than at any other,
the wine need not be very old or expensive for the purpose, a new
fruity wine answering very well for it. Put the wine into a jug, rub
some lumps of sugar (equal to ¼ lb.) on the lemon-rind until all the
yellow part of the skin is absorbed, then squeeze the juice, and strain
it. Add the sugar and lemon-juice to the port-wine, with the grated
nutmeg; pour over it the boiling water, cover the jug, and, when the
beverage has cooled a little, it will be fit for use. Negus may also
be made of sherry, or any other sweet white wine, but is more usually
made of port than of any other beverage. _Sufficient._—Allow 1 pint of
wine, with the other ingredients in proportion, for a party of 9 or 10
children.