_Ingredients._—1 sheep’s head, sufficient water to cover it, 3 carrots,
3 turnips, 2 or 3 parsnips, 3 onions, a small bunch of parsley, 1
teaspoonful of pepper, 3 teaspoonfuls of salt, ¼ lb. of Scotch oatmeal.
_Mode._—Clean the head well, and let it soak in warm water for 2 hours,
to get rid of the blood; put it into a saucepan, with sufficient cold
water to cover it, and when it boils, add the vegetables, peeled and
sliced, and the remaining ingredients; before adding the oatmeal, mix
it to a smooth batter with a little of the liquor. Keep stirring till
it boils up; then shut the saucepan closely, and let it stew gently for
1½ or 2 hours. It may be thickened with rice or barley, but oatmeal
is preferable. _Time._—1½ to 2 hours. _Average cost_, 8_d._ each.
_Sufficient_ for 3 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
SHORTBREAD, Scotch.
_Ingredients._—2 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of butter, ¼ lb. of pounded loaf
sugar, ½ oz. of caraway seeds, 1 oz. of sweet almonds, a few strips of
candied orange-peel. _Mode._—Beat the butter to a cream, gradually
dredge in the flour, and add the sugar, caraway seeds, and sweet
almonds, which should be blanched and cut into small pieces. Work the
paste until it is quite smooth, and divide it into six pieces. Put each
cake on a separate piece of paper, roll the paste out square to the
thickness of about an inch, and pinch it upon all sides. Prick it well,
and ornament with one or two strips of candied orange-peel. Put the
cakes into a good oven, and bake them from 25 to 30 minutes. _Time._—25
to 30 minutes. _Average cost_, for this quantity, 2_s._ _Sufficient_ to
make 6 cakes. _Seasonable_ at any time.
[Illustration: SHORTBREAD.]
_Note._—Where the flavour of the caraway seeds is disliked, omit them,
and add rather a larger proportion of candied peel.
SHRIMP SAUCE, for Various Kinds of Fish.
_Ingredients._—1/3 pint of melted butter, ¼ pint of picked shrimps,
cayenne to taste. _Mode._—Make the melted butter very smoothly, shell
the shrimps (sufficient to make ¼ pint when picked), and put them into
the butter; season with cayenne, and let the sauce just simmer, but do
not allow it to boil. When liked, a teaspoonful of anchovy sauce may be
added. _Time._—1 minute to simmer. _Average cost_, 6_d._ _Sufficient_
for 3 or 4 persons.
SHRIMPS OR PRAWNS, to Boil.
_Ingredients._—¼ lb. salt to each gallon of water. _Mode._—Prawns
should be very red, and have no spawn under the tail; much depends
on their freshness and the way in which they are cooked. Throw them
into boiling water, salted as above, and keep them boiling for about
7 or 8 minutes. Shrimps should be done in the same way; but less time
must be allowed. It may easily be known when they are done by their
changing colour. Care should be taken that they are not over-boiled,
as they then become tasteless and indigestible. _Time._—Prawns, about
8 minutes; shrimps, about 5 minutes. _Average cost_, prawns, 2_s._ per
lb.; shrimps, 6_d._ per pint. _Seasonable_ all the year.
SHRIMPS OR PRAWNS, Buttered.
_Ingredients._—1 pint of picked prawns or shrimps, ¾ pint of stock,
thickening of butter and flour; salt, cayenne, and nutmeg to taste.
_Mode._—Pick the prawns or shrimps, and put them in a stewpan with the
stock; add a thickening of butter and flour; season, and simmer gently
for 3 minutes. Serve on a dish garnished with fried bread or toasted
sippets. Cream sauce may be substituted for the gravy. _Time._—3
minutes. _Average cost_ for this quantity, 1_s._ 4_d._
SHRIMPS, Potted.
_Ingredients._—1 pint of shelled shrimps, ¼ lb. of fresh butter, 1
blade of pounded mace, cayenne to taste; when liked, a little nutmeg.
_Mode._—Have ready a pint of picked shrimps, and put them, with the
other ingredients, into a stewpan; let them heat gradually in the
butter, but do not let it boil. Pour into small pots, and when cold,
cover with melted butter, and carefully exclude the air. _Time._—¼ hour
to soak in the butter. _Average cost_ for this quantity, 1_s._ 3_d._
SKATE, to choose.
This fish should be chosen for its firmness, breadth, and thickness,
and should have a creamy appearance. When crimped, it should not be
kept longer than a day or two, as all kinds of crimped fish soon become
sour. Thornback is often substituted for skate, but is very inferior in
quality to the true skate.
SKATE, Boiled.
_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of salt to each gallon of water. _Mode._—Cleanse
and skin the skate, lay it in a fish-kettle, with sufficient water to
cover it, salted in the above proportion. Let it simmer very gently
till done; then dish it on a hot napkin, and serve with shrimp,
lobster, or caper sauce. _Time._—According to size, from ½ to 1 hour.
_Average cost_, 4_d._ per lb. _Seasonable_ from August to April.
SKATE, Crimped.
_Ingredients._—½ lb. of salt to each gallon of water. _Mode._—Clean,
skin, and cut the fish into slices, which roll and tie round with
string. Have ready some water highly salted, put in the fish, and
boil till it is done. Drain well, remove the string, dish on a hot
napkin, and serve with the same sauces as above. Skate should never
be eaten out of season, as it is liable to produce diarrhœa and other
diseases. It may be dished without a napkin, and the sauce poured over.
_Time._—About 20 minutes. _Average cost_, 4_d._ per lb. _Seasonable_
from August to April.
SKATE, With Caper Sauce (à la Française).
_Ingredients._—2 or 3 slices of skate, ½ pint of vinegar, 2 oz. of
salt, ½ teaspoonful of pepper, 1 sliced onion, a small bunch of
parsley, 2 bay-leaves, 2 or 3 sprigs of thyme, sufficient water to
cover the fish. _Mode._—Put in a fish-kettle all the above ingredients,
and simmer the skate in them till tender. When it is done, skin it
neatly, and pour over it some of the liquor in which it has been
boiling. Drain it, put it on a hot dish, pour over it caper sauce, and
send some of the latter to table in a tureen. _Time._—½ hour. _Average
cost_, 4_d._ per lb. _Seasonable_ from August to April.
_Note._—Skate may also be served with onion sauce, or parsley and
butter.
SKATE, Small, Fried.
_Ingredients._—Skate, sufficient vinegar to cover them, salt and pepper
to taste, 1 sliced onion, a small bunch of parsley, the juice of ½
lemon, hot dripping. _Mode._—Cleanse the skate, lay them in a dish,
with sufficient vinegar to cover them; add the salt, pepper, onion,
parsley, and lemon-juice, and let the fish remain in this pickle for ½
hour. Then drain them well, flour them, and fry of a nice brown, in hot
dripping. They may be served either with or without sauce. Skate is not
good if dressed too fresh, unless it is crimped; it should, therefore,
be kept for a day, but not long enough to produce a disagreeable smell.
_Time._—10 minutes. _Average cost_, 4_d._ per lb. _Seasonable_ from
August to April.