of this insect which breed in flour and other eatables, and do
considerable injury. The most effectual method of expelling them is to
place a few nutmegs in the sack or bin containing the flour, the odour
of which is insupportable to mites; and they will quickly be removed,
without the meal acquiring any unpleasant flavour. Thick branches of the
lilac, or the elder tree, peeled and put into the flour, will have the
same effect. Quantities of the largest sized ants, scattered about
cheese-rooms and granaries, would presently devour all the mites,
without doing any injury.
MIXED WINE. Take an equal quantity of white, red, and black currants,
cherries, and raspberries; mash them, and press the juice through a
strainer. Boil three pounds of moist sugar in three quarts of water, and
skim it clean. When cold, mix a quart of juice with it, and put it into
a barrel that will just hold it. Put in the bung, and after it has stood
a week, close it up, and let it stand three or four months. When the
wine is put into the barrel, add a little brandy to it.
MOCK BRAWN. Boil two pair of neat's feet quite tender, and pick all the
flesh off the bone. Boil the belly piece of a porker nearly enough, and
bone it. Roll the meat of the feet up in the pork, tie it up in a cloth
with tape round it, and boil it till it becomes very tender. Hang it up
in the cloth till it is quite cold, put it into some souse, and keep it
for use.
MOCK TURTLE. Divide a calf's head with the skin on, and clean it well.
Half boil it, take all the meat off in square pieces, break the bones of
the head, and boil them in some veal and beef broth, to add to the
richness. Fry some shalot in butter, and dredge in flower enough to
thicken the gravy; stir this into the browning, and give it one or two
boils. Skim it carefully, and then put in the head; add a pint of
Madeira, and simmer till the meat is quite tender. About ten minutes
before serving, put in some basil, tarragon, chives, parsley, cayenne
pepper, and salt; also two spoonfuls of mushroom ketchup, and one of
soy. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into the tureen, and pour the soup
upon it. Serve with forcemeat balls, and small eggs.--A cheaper way.
Prepare half a calf's head as above, but without the skin. When the meat
is cut off, break the bones, and put them into a saucepan with some
gravy made of beef and veal bones, and seasoned with fried onions,
herbs, mace, and pepper. Have ready prepared two or three ox-palates
boiled so tender as to blanch, and cut into small pieces; to which a cow
heel, likewise cut into pieces, is a great improvement. Brown some
butter, flour, and onion, and pour the gravy to it; then add the meats
as above, and stew them together. Add half a pint of sherry, an anchovy,
two spoonfuls of walnut ketchup, the same of mushroom ketchup, and some
chopped herbs as before. The same sauce as before.--Another way. Put
into a pan a knuckle of veal, two fine cow heels, two onions, a few
cloves, peppercorns, berries of allspice, mace, and sweet herbs. Cover
them with water, tie a thick paper over the pan, and set it in an oven
for three hours. When cold, take off the fat very nicely, cut the meat
and feet into bits an inch and a half square, remove the bones and
coarse parts, and then put the rest on to warm, with a large spoonful of
walnut and one of mushroom ketchup, half a pint of sherry or Madeira, a
little mushroom powder, and the jelly of the meat. If it want any more
seasoning, add some when hot, and serve with hard eggs, forcemeat balls,
a squeeze of lemon, and a spoonful of soy. This is a very easy way of
making an excellent dish of mock turtle.--Another. Stew a pound and a
half of scrag of mutton, with three pints of water till reduced to a
quart. Set on the broth, with a calf's foot and a cow heel; cover the
stewpan tight, and let it simmer till the meat can be separated from the
bones in proper pieces. Set it on again with the broth, adding a
quarter of a pint of sherry or Madeira, a large onion, half a
tea-spoonful of cayenne, a bit of lemon peel, two anchovies, some sweet
herbs, eighteen oysters chopped fine, a tea-spoonful of salt, a little
nutmeg, and the liquor of the oysters. Cover it close, and simmer it
three quarters, of an hour. Serve with forcemeat balls, and hard eggs in
the tureen.--An excellent and very cheap mock turtle may be made of two
or three cow heels, baked with two pounds and a half of gravy beef,
herbs, and other ingredients as above.
MOLES. As these little animals live entirely on worms and insects, of
which they consume incalculable numbers, they may be considered as
harmless, and even useful, rather than otherwise; and it has been
observed in fields and gardens where the moles had been caught, that
they afterwards abounded with vermin and insects. But when the moles
become too numerous, they are hurtful to vegetation, and require to be
destroyed. Besides the common method of setting traps in their
subterraneous passages, many might be dug out of the earth by carefully
watching their situation and motions before the rising of the sun, and
striking in a spade behind them to cut off their retreat. The smell of
garlic is so offensive to them, that if a few heads of that plant were
thrust into their runs, it would expel them from the place.
MOONSHINE PUDDING. Put into a baking dish a layer of very thin bread and
butter, strewed over with currants and sweetmeats, and so on till the
dish is full. Mix together a pint and a half of cream, the yolks of six
eggs, half a grated nutmeg, and some sugar. Pour the mixture on the top
of the pudding, and bake it three quarters of an hour.
MOOR FOWL. To dress moor fowl with red cabbage, truss the game as for
boiling. Set them on the fire with a little soup, and let them stew for
half an hour. Cut a red cabbage into quarters, add it to the moor fowl,
season with salt and white pepper, and a little piece of butter rolled
in flour. A glass of port may be added, if approved. Lift out the
cabbage, and place it neatly in the dish, with the moor fowl on it. Pour
the sauce over them, and garnish with small slices of fried bacon.
MORELLA CHERRIES. When the fruit is quite ripe, take off the stalks,
prick them with a pin, and allow a pound and a half of lump sugar to
every pound of cherries. Reduce part of the sugar to powder, and strew
it over them. Next day dissolve the remainder in half a pint of currant
juice, set it over a slow fire, put in the cherries with the sugar, and
give them a gentle boil. Take out the cherries carefully, boil the syrup
till it is thick, pour it upon the cherries, and tie them down.--Any
other kind of fruit may be treated in the same way, only using such kind
of juice to boil in the syrup as is most suitable to the fruit to be
preserved. It is proper to put apple jelly over jam or preserved fruit,
or to sift sugar over the tops of the jars; and when cold, cover them
with brandy paper. If the air be admitted, they will not keep.
MORELLA WINE. Cleanse from the stalks sixty pounds of morella cherries,
and bruise them as to break the stones. Press out the juice, mix it with
six gallons of sherry wine, and four gallons of warm water. Powder
separately an ounce of nutmeg, cinnamon, and mace, and hang them
separately in small bags, in the cask containing the liquor. Bung it
down; and in a few weeks it will become a deliciously flavoured wine.
MORELS. In their green state they have a very rich, high flavour, and
are delicious additions to some dishes, or sent up as a stew by
themselves, when they are fresh and fine. When dried they are of very
little use, and serve only to soak up good gravy, from which they take
more flavour than they give.
MOSS. To destroy moss on trees, remove it with a hard brush early in the
spring of the year, and wash the trees afterwards with urine or soap
suds, and plaster them with cow dung. When a sort of white down appears
on apple trees, clear off the red stain underneath it, and anoint the
infected parts with a mixture of train oil and Scotch snuff, which will
effectually cure the disease.
MOTHS. One of the most speedy remedies for their complete extirpation,
is the smell of turpentine, whether it be by sprinkling it on woollen
stuffs, or placing sheets of paper moistened with it between pieces of
cloth. It is remarkable that moths are never known to infest wool
unwashed, or in its natural state, but always abandon the place where
such raw material is kept. Those persons therefore to whom the smell of
turpentine is offensive, may avail themselves of this circumstance, and
place layers of undressed wool between pieces of cloth, or put small
quantities in the corners of shelves and drawers containing drapery of
that description. This, or shavings of the cedar, small slips of Russia
leather, or bits of camphor, laid in boxes or drawers where furs or
woollen clothes are kept, will effectually preserve them from the
ravages of the moth and other insects.
MUFFINS. Stir together a pint of yeast with a pint and half of warm milk
and water, and a little salt. Strain it into a quarter of a peck of fine
flour, knead it well, and set it an hour to rise. Pull it into small
pieces, roll it into balls with the hand, and keep them covered up
warm. Then spread them into muffins, lay them on tins, and bake them;
and as the bottoms begin to change colour, turn them on the other side.
A better sort may be made by adding two eggs, and two ounces of butter
melted in half a pint of milk. Muffins should not be cut, but pulled
open.
MULBERRY SYRUP. Put the mulberries into a kettle of water, and simmer
them over the fire till the juice runs from them. Squeeze out the juice,
and add twice the weight of sugar. Set it over a slow fire, skim it
clean, and simmer it till the sugar is quite dissolved.
MULBERRY WINE. Gather mulberries on a dry day, when they are just
changed from redness to a shining black. Spread them thinly on a fine
cloth, or on a floor or table, for twenty-four hours, and then press
them. Boil a gallon of water with each gallon of juice, putting to every
gallon of water an ounce of cinnamon bark, and six ounces of sugarcandy
finely powdered. Skim and strain the water when it is taken off and
settled, and put it to the mulberry juice. Now add to every gallon of
the mixture, a pint of white or Rhenish wine. Let the whole stand in a
cask to ferment, for five or six days. When settled draw it off into
bottles, and keep it cool.
MULLED ALE. Boil a pint of good sound ale with a little grated nutmeg
and sugar, beat up three eggs, and mix them with a little cold ale. Then
pour the hot ale to it, and return it several times to prevent its
curdling. Warm and stir it till it is thickened, add a piece of butter
or a glass of brandy, and serve it up with dry toast.
MULLED WINE. Boil some spice in a little water till the flavour is
gained, then add an equal quantity of port, with sugar and nutmeg. Boil
all together, and serve with toast.--Another way. Boil a blade of
cinnamon and some grated nutmeg a few minutes, in a large tea-cupful of
water. Pour to it a pint of port wine, add a little sugar, beat it up,
and it will be ready. Good home-made wine may be substituted instead of
port.
MUMBLED HARE. Boil the hare, but not too much; take off the flesh, and
shred it very fine. Add a little salt, nutmeg, lemon peel, and the juice
of a lemon. Put it into a stewpan with a dozen eggs, and a pound of
butter, and keep it stirring.
MUSCLE PLUM CHEESE. Weigh six pounds of the fruit, bake it in a stone
jar, remove the stones, and put in the kernels after they are broken and
picked. Pour half the juice on two pounds and a half of Lisbon sugar;
when melted and simmered a few minutes, skim it, and add the fruit. Keep
it doing very gently till the juice is much reduced, but take care to
stir it constantly, to prevent its burning. Pour it into small moulds,
pattipans, or saucers. The remaining juice may serve to colour creams,
or be added to a pie.
MUSHROOMS. Before these are prepared for eating, great care must be
taken to ascertain that they are genuine, as death in many instances has
been occasioned by using a poisonous kind of fungus, resembling
mushrooms. The eatable mushrooms first appear very small, of a round
form, and on a little stalk. They grow very fast, and both the stalk and
the upper part are white. As the size increases, the under part
gradually opens, and shows a kind of fringed fur, of a very fine salmon
colour; which continues more or less till the mushroom has gained some
size, and then it turns to a dark brown. These marks should be attended
to, and likewise whether the skin can be easily parted from the edges
and middle. Those that have a white or yellow fur should be carefully
avoided, though many of them have a similar smell, but not so strong and
fragrant, as the genuine mushroom. Great numbers of these may be
produced, by strewing on an old hotbed the broken pieces of mushrooms;
or if the water in which they have been washed be poured on the bed, it
will nearly answer the same purpose.
MUSHROOMS DRIED. Wipe them clean, take out the brown part of the large
ones, and peel off the skin. Lay them on paper to dry in a cool oven,
and keep them in paper bags in a dry place. When used, simmer them in
the gravy, and they will swell to nearly their former size. Or before
they are made into powder, it is a good way to simmer them in their own
liquor till it dry up into them, shaking the pan all the time, and
afterwards drying them on tin plates. Spice may be added or not. Tie the
mushrooms down close in a bottle, and keep it in a dry place.
MUSHROOM KETCHUP. Take the largest broad mushrooms, break them into an
earthen pan, strew salt over, and stir them occasionally for three days.
Then let them stand twelve days, till there is a thick scum over. Strain
and boil the liquor with Jamaica and black peppers, mace, ginger, a
clove or two, and some mustard seed. When cold, bottle it, and tie a
bladder over the cork. In three months boil it again with fresh spice,
and it will then keep a twelvemonth.--Another way. Fill a stewpan with
large flap mushrooms, that are not worm-eaten, and the skins and fringe
of such as have been pickled. Throw a handful of salt among them, and
set them by a slow fire. They will produce a great deal of liquor, which
must be strained; then add four ounces of shalots, two cloves of garlic,
a good deal of whole pepper, ginger, mace, cloves, and a few bay
leaves. Boil and skim it well, and when cold, cork it up close. In two
months boil it up again with a little fresh spice, and a stick of
horseradish. It will then keep a year, which mushroom ketchup rarely
does, if not boiled a second time.
MUSHROOM POWDER. Wash half a peck of large mushrooms while quite fresh,
and free them from grit and dirt with flannel. Scrape out the black part
clean, and do not use any that are worm-eaten. Put them into a stewpan
over the fire without any water, with two large onions, some cloves, a
quarter of an ounce of mace, and two spoonfuls of white pepper, all in
powder. Simmer and shake them till all the liquor be dried up, but be
careful they do not burn. Lay them on tins or sieves in a slow oven till
they are dry enough to beat to powder; then put the powder into small
bottles, corked, and tied closely, and kept in a dry place. A
tea-spoonful of this powder will give a very fine flavour to any soup or
gravy, or any sauce; and it is to be added just before serving, and one
boil given to it after it is put in.
MUSHROOM SAUCE. Melt some butter with flour, in a little milk or cream.
Put in some mushrooms, a little salt and nutmeg, and boil it up together
in a saucepan. Or put the mushrooms into melted butter, with veal gravy,
salt, and nutmeg.
MUSLIN PATTERNS. In order to copy muslin patterns, the drawing is to be
placed on a sheet of white paper, and the outline pricked through with a
pin. The white sheet may then be laid on a second clear one, and a
muslin bag of powdered charcoal sifted or rubbed over it. The pierced
paper being removed, a perfect copy may be traced on the other; and in
this way, patterns may be multiplied very expeditiously.
MUSTARD. Mix by degrees, the best Durham flour of mustard with boiling
water, rubbing it perfectly smooth, till it comes to a proper thickness.
Add a little salt, keep it in a small jar close covered, and put only as
much into the glass as will be used soon. The glass should be wiped
daily round the edges. If for immediate use, mix the mustard with new
milk by degrees, till it is quite smooth, and a little raw cream. It is
much softer this way, does not taste bitter, and will keep well. A
tea-spoonful of sugar, to half a pint of mustard, is a great
improvement, and tends much to soften it. Patent mustard is nearly as
cheap as any other, and is generally preferred.
MUSTY FLOUR. When flour has acquired a musty smell and taste, from
dampness and other causes, it may be recovered by the simple use of
magnesia, allowing thirty grains of the carbonate to one pound of flour.
It is to be leavened and baked in the usual way of making bread. The
loaves will be found to rise well in the oven, to be more light and
spongy, and also whiter than bread in the common way. It will likewise
have an excellent taste, and will keep well. The use of magnesia in
bread making is well worthy of attention, for if it improves musty
flour, and renders it palatable, it would much more improve bread in
general, and be the interest of families to adopt it. The use of
magnesia in bread, independent of its improving qualities, is as much
superior to that of alum as one substance can be to another.
MUTTON. In cutting up mutton, in order to its being dressed, attention
should be paid to the different joints. The pipe that runs along the
bone of the inside of a chine must be removed, and if the meat is to be
kept some time, the part close round the tail should be rubbed with
salt, after first cutting out the kernel. A leg is apt to be first
tainted in the fat on the thick part, where the kernel is lodged, and
this therefore should be removed, or the meat cannot be expected to keep
well. The chine and rib bones should be wiped every day, and the bloody
part of the neck be cut off to preserve it. The brisket changes first in
the breast; and if it is to be kept, it is best to rub it with a little
salt, should the weather be hot. Every kernel should be taken out of all
sorts of meat as soon as it is brought in, and then wiped dry. For
roasting, it should hang as long as it will keep, the hind quarter
especially, but not so long as to taint; for whatever may be authorised
by the prevailing fashion, putrid juices certainly ought not to be taken
into the stomach. Great care should be taken to preserve by paper the
fat of what is roasted. Mutton for boiling will not look of a good
colour, if it has hung long.--In purchasing this meat, choose it by the
fineness of the grain, the goodness of its colour, and see that the fat
be firm and white. It is not the better for being young: if it be wether
mutton, of a good breed and well fed, it is best for age. The flesh of
ewe mutton is paler, and the texture finer. Ram mutton is very strong
flavoured, the flesh is of a deep red, and the fat is spongy: wether
mutton is the best.
MUTTON BROTH. Soak a neck of mutton in water for an hour, cut off the
scrag, and put it into a stewpot, with two quarts of water. As soon as
it boils, skim it well, and simmer it an hour and a half. Cut the best
end of the mutton into pieces, two bones in each, and take off some of
the fat. Prepare four or five carrots, as many turnips, and three
onions, all sliced, but not cut small. Put them soon enough to get quite
tender, and add four large spoonfuls of Scotch barley, first wetted
with cold water. Twenty minutes before serving, put in some chopped
parsley, add a little salt, and send up all together. This is a Scotch
dish, and esteemed very excellent in the winter.
MUTTON CHOPS. Cut them from the loin or neck, broil them on a clear
fire, and turn them often, or the fat dropping into the fire will smoke
them. When done, put them into a warm dish, rub them with butter, slice
a shalot in a spoonful of boiling water, with a little salt and ketchup,
and pour it over the chops. The ketchup may be omitted, and plain butter
used instead.
MUTTON CHOPS IN DISGUISE. Prepare a seasoning of chopped parsley and
thyme, grated bread, pepper and salt. Smear the chops over with egg,
strew the seasoning on them, and roll each in buttered paper. Close the
ends, put them in a Dutch oven or fryingpan, and let them broil slowly.
When done, send them to table in the paper, with gravy in a boat.
MUTTON COLLOPS. From a loin of mutton that has been well kept, cut some
thin collops nearest to the leg. Take out the sinews, season the collops
with salt, pepper, and mace; and strew over them shred parsley, thyme,
and two or three shalots. Fry them in butter till half done; add half a
pint of gravy, a little lemon juice, and a piece of butter rubbed in
flour. Simmer them together very gently for five minutes, and let the
collops be served up immediately, or they will become hard.
MUTTON CUTLETS. To do them in the Portuguese way, half fry the chops
with sliced shalot or onion, chopped parsley, and two bay leaves. Season
with pepper and salt; then lay a forcemeat on a piece of white paper,
put the chop on it, and twist the paper up, leaving a hole for the end
of the bones to go through. Broil the cutlets on a gentle fire, serve
them with a little gravy, or with sauce Robart.
MUTTON HAM. Choose a fine-grained leg of wether mutton, of twelve or
fourteen pounds weight; cut it ham shape, and let it hang two days. Then
put into a stewpan half a pound of bay salt, the same of common salt,
two ounces of saltpetre, and half a pound of coarse sugar, all in
powder. Mix, and make it quite hot; then rub it well into the ham. Let
it be turned in the liquor every day; at the end of four days add two
ounces more of common salt; in twelve days take it out, dry it, and hang
it up a week in wood smoke. It is to be used in slices, with stewed
cabbage, mashed potatoes, or eggs.
MUTTON HASHED. Cut thin slices of dressed mutton, fat and lean, and
flour them. Boil the bones with a little onion, season the meat, and
warm it up with the gravy, but it should not boil. Instead of onion, a
clove, a spoonful of currant jelly, and a glass of port wine, will make
it taste like venison.
MUTTON KEBOBBED. Take all the fat out of a loin of mutton, and that on
the outside also if too fat, and remove the skin. Joint it at every
bone, mix a small nutmeg grated with a little salt and pepper, crumbs of
bread, and herbs. Dip the steaks into the yolks of three eggs, and
sprinkle the above mixture all over them. Then place the steaks together
as they were before they were cut asunder, tie and fasten them on a
small spit. Roast them before a quick fire; set a dish under, and baste
them with a good piece of butter, and the liquor that comes from the
meat, but throw some more of the above seasoning over. When done enough,
lay the meat in a dish. Prepare an additional half pint of good gravy,
put into it two spoonfuls of ketchup, and rub down a tea-spoonful of
flour with it. Give it a boil, skim off all the fat, and pour it over
the mutton. Be careful to keep the meat hot, till the gravy is quite
ready.
MUTTON PIE. Cut steaks from a loin or neck of mutton that has hung some
time; beat them, and remove some of the fat. Season with salt, pepper,
and a little onion. Put a little water at the bottom of the dish, and a
little paste on the edge; then cover it with a tolerably thick paste. Or
raise small pies, breaking each bone in two to shorten it; cover it
over, and pinch the edges together. When the pies come from the oven,
pour into each a spoonful of good mutton gravy.
MUTTON PUDDING. Season some chops with salt and pepper, and a taste of
onion. Place a layer of meat at the bottom of the dish, pour over them a
batter of potatoes boiled and pressed through a cullender, and mixed
with an egg and milk. Put in the rest of the chops, and the batter, and
bake it. Batter made of flour eats very well, but requires more egg, and
is not so good as potatoe. Another way is to cut slices off a leg that
has been underdone, and put them into a bason lined with a fine suet
crust. Season with pepper and salt, and finely shred onion or shalot.