_Ingredients._—6 potatoes, 4 turnips, or 2 if very large; 2 carrots,
2 onions; if obtainable, 2 mushrooms; 1 head of celery, 1 large slice
of bread, 1 small saltspoonful of salt, ¼ saltspoonful of ground
black pepper, 2 teaspoonfuls of Harvey’s sauce, 6 quarts of water.
_Mode._—Peel the vegetables, and cut them up into small pieces; toast
the bread rather brown, and put all into a stewpan with the water and
seasoning. Simmer gently for 3 hours, or until all is reduced to a
pulp, and pass it through a sieve in the same way as pea-soup, which it
should resemble in consistence; but it should be a dark brown colour.
Warm it up again when required; put in the Harvey’s sauce, and, if
necessary, add to the flavouring. _Time._—3 hours, or rather more.
_Average cost_, 1_d._ per quart. _Seasonable_ at any time. _Sufficient_
for 16 persons.
_Note._—This recipe was forwarded to the Editress by a lady in the
county of Durham, by whom it was strongly recommended.
VEGETABLES, Cut for Soups, &c.
The annexed engraving represents a cutter for shaping vegetables
for soups, ragoûts, stews, &c.; carrots and turnips being the usual
vegetables for which this utensil is used. Cut the vegetables into
slices about ¼ inch in thickness, stamp them out with the cutter, and
boil them for a few minutes in salt and water, until tender. Turnips
should be cut in rather thicker slices than carrots, on account of the
former boiling more quickly to a pulp than the latter.
[Illustration: VEGETABLE-CUTTER.]
VENISON, Hashed.
_Ingredients._—The remains of roast venison, its own or mutton gravy,
thickening of butter and flour. _Mode._—Cut the meat from the bones in
neat slices, and, if there is sufficient of its own gravy left, put
the meat into this, as it is preferable to any other. Should there not
be enough, put the bones and trimmings into a stewpan, with about a
pint of mutton gravy; let them stew gently for an hour, and strain the
gravy. Put a little flour and butter into the stewpan, keep stirring
until brown, then add the strained gravy, and give it a boil up;
skim and strain again, and, when a little cool, put in the slices of
venison. Place the stewpan by the side of the fire, and, when on the
point of simmering, serve: do not allow it to boil, or the meat will be
hard. Send red-currant jelly to table with it. _Time._—Altogether, 1½
hour. _Seasonable._—Buck venison, from June to Michaelmas; doe venison,
from November to the end of January.
_Note._—A small quantity of Harvey’s sauce, ketchup, or port wine, may
be added to enrich the gravy: these ingredients must, however, be used
very sparingly, or they will overpower the flavour of the venison.
VENISON, Roast Haunch of.
[Illustration: ROAST HAUNCH OF VENISON.]
_Ingredients._—Venison, coarse flour-and-water paste, a little flour.
_Mode._—Choose a haunch with clear, bright, and thick fat, and the
cleft of the hoof smooth and close; the greater quantity of fat there
is, the better quality will the meat be. As many people object to
venison when it has too much _haut goût_, ascertain how long it has
been kept, by running a sharp skewer into the meat close to the bone:
when this is withdrawn, its sweetness can be judged of. With care and
attention, it will keep good a fortnight, unless the weather is very
mild. Keep it perfectly dry by wiping it with clean cloths till not the
least damp remains, and sprinkle over powdered ginger or pepper, as
a preventive against the fly. When required for use, wash it in warm
water, and _dry_ it _well_ with a cloth; butter a sheet of white paper,
put it over the fat, lay a coarse paste, about ½ inch in thickness,
over this, and then a sheet or two of strong paper. Tie the whole
firmly on to the haunch with twine, and put the joint down to a strong
close fire; baste the venison immediately, to prevent the paper and
string from burning, and continue this operation, without intermission,
the whole of the time it is cooking. About 20 minutes before it is
done, carefully remove the paste and paper, dredge the joint with
flour, and baste well with _butter_ until it is nicely frothed, and
of a nice pale-brown colour; garnish the knuckle-bone with a frill of
white paper, and serve with a good, strong, but unflavoured gravy, in a
tureen, and currant jelly; or melt the jelly with a little port, wine,
and serve that also in a tureen. As the principal object in roasting
venison is to preserve the fat, the above is the best mode of doing so
where expense is not objected to; but, in ordinary cases, the paste may
be dispensed with, and a double paper placed over the roast instead: it
will not require so long cooking without the paste. Do not omit to send
very hot plates to table, as the venison fat so soon freezes: to be
thoroughly enjoyed by epicures, it should be eaten on hot-water plates.
The neck and shoulder may be roasted in the same manner. _Time._—A
large haunch of buck venison, with the paste, 4 to 5 hours; haunch
of doe venison, 3¼ to 3¾ hours. Allow less time without the paste.
_Average cost_, 1_s._ 4_d._ to 1_s._ 6_d._ per lb. _Sufficient_ for 18
persons. _Seasonable._—Buck venison in greatest perfection from June to
Michaelmas; doe venison from November to the end of January.
VENISON, to Carve Haunch of.
Here is a grand dish for a knight of the carving-knife to exercise his
skill upon, and, what will be pleasant for many to know, there is but
little difficulty in the performance. An incision being made completely
down to the bone, in the direction of the line 1 to 2, the gravy will
then be able easily to flow; when slices, not too thick, should be cut
along the haunch, as indicated by the line 4 to 3; that end of the
joint marked 3 having been turned towards the carver, so that he may
have a more complete command over the joint. Although some epicures
affect to believe that some parts of the haunch are superior to others,
yet we doubt if there is any difference between the slices cut above
and below the line. It should be borne in mind to serve each guest with
a portion of fat; and the most expeditious carver will be the best
carver, as, like mutton, venison soon begins to chill, when it loses
much of its charm.
[Illustration: HAUNCH OF VENISON.]
VENISON, Stewed.
_Ingredients._—A shoulder of venison, a few slices of mutton fat, 2
glasses of port wine, pepper and allspice to taste, 1½ pint of weak
stock or gravy, ½ teaspoonful of whole pepper, ½ teaspoonful of whole
allspice. _Mode._—Hang the venison till tender; take out the bone,
flatten the meat with a rolling-pin, and place over it a few slices
of mutton fat, which have been previously soaked for 2 or 3 hours in
port wine; sprinkle these with a little fine allspice and pepper,
roll the meat up, and bind and tie it securely. Put it into a stewpan
with the bone and the above proportion of weak stock or gravy, whole
allspice, black pepper, and port wine; cover the lid down closely, and
simmer, very gently, from 3½ to 4 hours. When quite tender, take off
the tape, and dish the meat; strain the gravy over it, and send it to
table with red currant jelly. Unless the joint is very fat, the above
is the best mode of cooking it. _Time._—3½ to 4 hours. _Average cost_,
1_s._ 4_d._ to 1_s._ 6_d._ per lb. _Sufficient_ for 10 or 12 persons.
_Seasonable._—Buck venison, from June to Michaelmas; doe venison, from
November to the end of January.