qualities of particular constitutions, or of the food that is best
adapted in particular instances; yet it is certain, that health is
dependent on regimen and diet, more than on any other cause. There are
things so decidedly injurious, and so well known to be so, as to require
no admonition; the instincts of nature will teach us to refrain; and
generally speaking, the best rule for our practice is to observe by
experience, what it is that hurts or does us good, and what our stomachs
are best able to digest. We must at the same time keep our judgment
unbiassed, and not suffer it to become a pander to the appetite; or the
stomach and the health will be betrayed to the mere indulgence of
sensuality. The gratification of our taste in the abundant supplies of
nature, converted by art to the purposes of wholesome food, is perfectly
compatible with the necessary maintenance of health; it is only the
indiscriminate or inordinate indulgence of our appetites, regardless of
the consequences, that is the proper object of censure. Many of the
diseases to which we are subject might be traced to this source; yet we
are generally so little aware of it, that we impute them to the state of
the weather, to infection, or any other imaginary cause, rather than the
true one. The weather has very little serious effect upon a person in
health, unless exposed to it in some unusual manner that suddenly checks
perspiration, or some of the ordinary evacuations. Infection, though of
formidable import, is almost divested of its power over those whose
temperance in food and diet keeps the blood and juices pure. The closest
attendance upon an infected person has often been found perfectly
consistent with personal safety under such circumstances. Even diseases,
said to be hereditary, may with great probability be assigned to errors
in domestic life, of which the children partake, and fall into the same
disorders as their parents, and remote progenitors. But even if this be
not exactly so, an originally indifferent constitution may certainly be
much amended by proper management. Amongst a variety of causes producing
ill health, there can be no doubt but bad air, want of cleanliness, want
of exercise, excessive fatigue, and mental uneasiness, must have an
unfavourable influence; yet none of these have so immediate an effect as
the food we eat, which if not wholesome and nutricious, tends directly
to contaminate the system. We derive the renewal of our blood and
juices, which are constantly exhausting, from the substances converted
into food. As our food therefore is proper or improper, too much or too
little, so will our blood and juices be good or bad, overcharged or
deficient, and our state of health accordingly good or diseased. It is
not only necessary however, that our aliment should be plain and
wholesome; it is requisite also that it should contain active
principles; such as salts, oils, and spirits, which have the property of
stimulating the solids, quickening the circulation, and make the fluids
thinner; thus rendering them more suited to undergo the necessary
secretions of the body. The art of preserving health, and of prolonging
life, consists therefore in the use of a moderate quantity of such diet
as shall neither encrease the salts and oils so as to produce disease,
nor to diminish them so as to suffer the solids to become relaxed.
Eating too little is hurtful, as well as eating too much. Neither excess
nor hunger, nor any thing else that passes the bounds of nature, can be
good for man. Temperance and moderation in eating and drinking, are
nature's great preservatives. 'The throat has destroyed more than the
sword.' Some people are apt to think, the more plentifully they eat and
drink, the better they thrive, and the stronger they grow. But this is
not the case: a little, well digested, will render the body more
vigorous than when it is glutted with superfluity, most of which is
turned to excrementitious, not alimentary, fluid, and must soon be
evacuated, or sickness will follow. It is said of the highly celebrated
Dr. Boerhaaeve, that having long promised to a friend the secret of
preserving health and long life, his friend became impatient to obtain
the secret, when he perceived that the physician was dying. To his
repeated solicitations, the doctor as frequently replied, 'Do not eat
too much--do not eat too much;' and left this advice as his last legacy
to his valued friend. By loading the stomach, digestion is impeded; for
the natural juice of the stomach, which is the great medium of
digestion, has not then room to exert itself. The stomach therefore
nauseates its contents, and is troubled with eructations; the spirits
are oppressed, obstructions ensue, and disease is the consequence.
Besides, when thus overfilled, the stomach presses on the diaphragm,
prevents the proper play of the lungs, and occasions difficulty and
uneasiness in breathing. Hence arise various bad symptoms and effects,
throughout the whole of the animal economy; prostrating the strength,
impairing the senses, hastening old age, and shortening life. Though
these unhappy consequences may not be immediately perceived, yet they
are the certain attendants of intemperance; and it has been generally
observed in great eaters, that though from custom, a state of youth, and
a strong constitution, they suffer no present inconvenience, but have
digested their food, and sustained the surfeit; yet if they have not
been unexpectedly cut off, they have found the symptoms of old age come
on early in life, attended with pains and innumerable disorders. If
health is to be regarded, we must ever make it a rule not to eat to
satiety or fulness, but desist while the stomach feels quite easy. Thus
we shall be refreshed, light, and cheerful; not dull, heavy, or
indisposed. Should we ever be tempted to eat too much at one time, we
should eat the less at another: abstinence is the best remedy for
repletion. If our dinner has been larger than usual, let our supper be
less, or rather, quite omitted. With regard to the times of eating, they
must to a certain degree be conformed to family convenience, but ought
to be quite independent of the caprice of fashion, instead of being as
they are, governed by it. This, and a want of punctuality to the dinner
hour, are the cause of more real harm to the constitution than
thoughtless people of fashion, and their more thoughtless imitators, are
apt to imagine. When a dinner is dressed, nothing can prevent its being
injured by standing. It may be kept hot, and this imposes on those who
think no farther upon the subject; but the very means made use of for
this purpose, only help to spoil it the more. If things boiled are kept
in the water after they are done enough, they become sodden, vapid, and
heavy. The invention of hot closets for keeping other things hot, dry
away the juices, and make them strong and rancid. From such dinners,
indigestions will ensue, frequent head-aches, nervousness, and many
other uneasy sensations, which finally bring on maladies of a more
serious nature. The great points to be guarded against, respecting the
times of eating, are either eating too soon after a former meal, or
fasting too long. The stomach should always have time to empty itself,
before it is filled again. Some stomachs digest their contents sooner
than others, and if long empty it may destroy the appetite, and greatly
disturb both the head and animal spirits; because from the great
profusion of nerves spread over the stomach, there is an immediate
sympathy between that and the head. Hence the head is sure to be
affected by whatever disorders the stomach, whether from any particular
aliment that disagrees with it, or being over filled, or too long empty.
Hence also, too frequently, arise apoplexy, or paralytic affections,
especially in aged people. Such as feel a gnawing in the stomach, as it
is called, should not wait till the stated time of the next meal, but
take a small quantity of food, light, and easy of digestion, that the
stomach may have something to work on. Children, with craving appetites,
do and may eat often, allowing only a proper interval to empty the
stomach. Young persons in health, who use much exercise, may eat three
times a day. But such as are in years, such as are weak, as do no work,
or lead a sedentary life, eating twice in the day is quite sufficient:
or if in the present habits of society it is found to be difficult to
arrange for two meals only, let them take three very moderate ones. Weak
and aged persons may eat often, but then it should be very little at a
time. The diseases to which we are liable often require substances of
more active principles than what are found in common aliment, and hence
the need of medicine, in order to, produce sudden alterations. But where
such alterations are not immediately necessary, the same effect may be
produced with much greater safety, by a proper attention to diet only.
Abstinence is in short, one of the best remedies to which we can
resort; and if employed in time, will entirely cure many disorders, and
check the violence of such as cannot be entirely carried off by it. In
all cases where there is any inflammation, and in stomach complaints, it
is particularly necessary, and may be safely continued till the symptoms
of disease disappear. Where the digestion is habitually weak, a day of
abstinence once a week will always be beneficial. The quality of our
food is a subject of greater difficulty than the quantity. Moderation is
an invariably safe guide in the latter case; but though always
favourable to prevent ill effects from any error in quality, it will not
always be effectual. To a person in good health, with a strong stomach,
and whose constant beverage is water, or some weak liquor, the niceties
in food and cooking are less material, than to persons with naturally
weak stomachs, or to those in sickness, or for children. But all persons
who would to a certainty preserve their health and faculties, and live
out the natural term of life, should use plain food, as all high
seasonings and compound mixtures, have an injurious effect, sooner or
later, on the strongest constitutions. If a few instances can be shewn
to the contrary, these, like other anomalies in nature, cannot
constitute an exception to a well established fact. A prevailing error
in the diet of this country is a too great use of animal food. The
disease called the sea scurvy, often occurs from this cause, in every
large town in England; and it is probable that the frequency and
fatality of putrid and scarlet fevers may justly be attributed to it
also. The prejudices of this country are very strong in favour of animal
food, but the evidence of facts is equally strong against its absolute
necessity. Instances of this are seen in the natives of Hindostan, who
live upon rice, and who by way of opprobrium call the inhabitants of
this country 'flesh eaters;' in the poor of Ireland, who live upon
potatoes, and in the poor of Scotland, who live upon oatmeal. After all,
the medium is in all probability the best; neither animal nor vegetable
diet exclusively, but a reasonable proportion of both. Persons of
indifferent health should be particularly cautious in their diet, and
those labouring under any particular malady should carefully conform to
the regimen prescribed for them by their medical advisers.--Our beverage
is another very important article, in reference to health. It is
essential to moisten and convey more solid food into the stomach, and
from thence to the respective parts of the system. Also to allay thirst,
to dilute the blood, that it may circulate through the minutest vessels,
and to dissolve and carry off by watery secretions the superfluous salts
taken in with the food. No liquid is so effectual for this purpose as
pure water; with the exception only of a few cases. No other liquid
circulates so well, or mixes so immediately with our fluids. Other
liquids are impregnated with particles which act strongly upon the
solids or fluids, or both; but water being simple, operates only by
diluting, moistening, and cooling, which are the great uses of drink
pointed out to us by nature. Hence it is evident that water in general
is the best and most wholesome drink; but as some constitutions require
something to warm and stimulate the stomach, fermented liquors may be
proper, if taken in moderation. It is necessary however, that beer, ale,
cider, and wine, be taken in a sound state and of proper age, or they
will be highly detrimental. Spirituous liquors, taken too freely, or in
a raw state, are attended with direful effects, and are the destruction
of thousands. From the degree of heat they have undergone in
distillation, they acquire a corrosive and burning quality, which makes
them dangerous to the constitution. They contract the fibres and smaller
vessels, especially where they are tenderest, as in the brain, and thus
destroy the intellectual faculties. They injure the coat of the stomach,
and so expose the nerves and relax the fibres, till the whole stomach
becomes at last soft and flabby. Hence ensues loss of appetite,
indigestion, and diseases that generally terminate in premature death.
Light wines of a moderate strength, and matured by age, are more
wholesome than strong, rich, and heavy wines, and pass off the stomach
with less difficulty. Red port is strong and astringent, but white port
and Spanish wines are stimulating and attenuating. French wines are
lighter, and not so strong as the Portuguese and Spanish wines, which
renders them wholesomer for thin and dry constitutions. Rhenish and
Moselle wines are the most wholesome of any, where acidity is not
hurtful. Home made wines are prejudicial to all constitutions, being
very windy and heady. The notion that liquors of any kind assist
digestion, is quite erroneous, as wine and all other strong liquors are
as hard to digest as strong solid food. Those who drink only water or
small beer at their meals, are able to eat and digest almost double the
quantity of what they could, if they drank strong liquors. When the
stomach is uneasy from too much food, or such as is indigestible, strong
liquors produce a deceitful glow in the stomach, which induces a belief
of their having the beneficial effect of assisting digestion. The
fallacy of this conclusion is sufficiently apparent from the state in
which cherries are found, after they have been steeped in brandy:
instead of becoming more tender, they are rendered as tough as leather.
Similar effects are produced on food in the stomach, as well as out of
it. Strong liquors are plainly improper at meals, as by their heat and
activity they hurry the food undigested into the habit, and so lay the
foundation for various distempers, such as the gout, rheumatism,
apoplexy, and palsy.
RENNET. This article, so necessary in making of cheese, is prepared as
follows. Take out the stomach of a calf as soon as killed, and scour it
inside and out with salt, after it is cleared of the curd always found
in it. Let it drain a few hours, then sow it up with two good handfuls
of salt in it, or stretch it on a stick well salted, and hang it up to
dry.--Another way. Clean the maw as above, and let it drain a day. Then
put into two quarts of fresh spring-water a handful of hawthorn tops, a
handful of sweet briar, a handful of rose leaves, a stick of cinnamon,
forty cloves, four blades of mace, a sprig of knotted marjoram, and two
large spoonfuls of salt. Let them boil gently till the liquor is reduced
to three pints, and strain it off; when only milk warm, pour it on the
maw. Slice a lemon into it, let it stand two days, strain it again, and
bottle it for use. It will keep good at least for twelve months, and has
a very fine flavour. Sweet aromatic herbs may also be added. The liquor
must be pretty salt, but not made into brine: a little of it will turn
the milk. Salt the maw again for a week or two, and dry it stretched on
cross sticks, and it will be nearly as strong as before. The rennet when
dried must be kept in a cool place.
RESENTMENT. This is a dangerous passion, and often fatal to health.
Anger disorders the whole frame, hurries on the circulation of the
blood, occasions fevers and other acute disorders, and sometimes ends in
sudden death. Resentment also preys upon the mind, and occasions the
most obstinate disorders, which gradually waste the constitution. Those
who value health therefore, will guard against indulging this malignant
propensity, and endeavour to preserve a happy degree of tranquillity.
RHEUMATISM. In this complaint the diet should be nourishing, with a
little generous wine; costiveness must be carefully avoided. The painful
part should be kept warm with flannel, should be frequently rubbed,
occasionally electrified, and supplied with the volatile liniment.
Blisters, cataplasms of mustard or horseradish, may be applied with
advantage. If these be not effectual, take a pint of the spirits of
turpentine, and add half an ounce of camphor. Let it stand till the
camphor is dissolved, then rub it on the part affected night and
morning, and it will seldom fail to afford effectual relief. This
mixture is also very proper for sprains and bruises, and should be kept
for family use. But several of our own domestic plants as above may be
used with advantage in the rheumatism. One of the best is the white
_mustard_. A table-spoonful of the seed of this plant may be taken twice
or thrice a day, in a glass of water or small wine. The water trefoil is
likewise of great use in this complaint. It may be infused in wine or
ale, or drunk in the form of tea. The ground-ivy, camomile, and several
other bitters, are also beneficial, and may be used in the same manner.
No benefit, however, is to be expected from these, unless they be taken
for a considerable time. Cold bathing, especially in salt water, often
cures the rheumatism. It is also advisable to take exercise, and wear
flannel next the skin. Issues are likewise very proper, especially in
chronic cases. If the pain affects the shoulders, an issue may be made
in the arm; but if it affects the loins, it should be put into the leg
or thigh. Such as are subject to frequent attacks of the rheumatism
ought to make choice of a dry, warm situation, to avoid the night air,
wet clothes, and wet feet, as much as possible. Their clothing should be
warm, and they should wear flannel next their skin, and make frequent
use of the flesh brush. One of the best articles of dress, not only for
the prevention of rheumatism, but for powerful co-operation in its cure,
is fleecy hosiery. In low marshy situations, the introduction of that
manufacture has prevented more rheumatisms, colds, and agues, than all
the medicines ever used there. Such of the inhabitants of marshy
counties as are in easy circumstances, could not, perhaps, direct their
charity and humanity to a better object than to the supplying their poor
neighbours with so cheap and simple a preservative.
RHUBARB. By proper attention in the growth and preparation of this root,
it may be obtained here nearly in equal goodness to the foreign. The
plants are all increased by seeds, which should be sown in autumn soon
after they are ripe, where the plants are designed to remain, as their
roots being large and fleshy when they are removed, they do not recover
it soon; nor do the roots of such removed plants ever grow so large and
fair as those which remain where they were sown. When the plants appear
in the spring, the ground should be well hoed over, to cut up the weeds;
and where they are too close, some should be cut up, leaving them at the
first hoeing six or eight inches asunder; but at the second they may be
separated to a foot and a half distance, and more. When any weeds
appear, the ground should be scuffled over with a Dutch hoe in dry
weather; but after the plants cover the ground with their broad leaves,
they keep down the weeds without any farther trouble. The ground should
be cleaned in autumn when the leaves decay, and in the spring, before
the plants begin to put up their new leaves, be dug well between them.
In the second year, many of the strongest plants will produce flowers
and seeds, and in the third year most of them. It is advised, that the
seeds be carefully gathered when ripe, and not permitted to scatter,
lest they grow and injure the old plants. The roots continue many years
without decaying, and the old roots of the true rhubarb are much
preferable to the young ones. The roots may be generally taken up after
four years, but if they remain longer it is so much the better. These
plants delight in a rich soil, which is not too dry nor over moist: and
where there is depth in such land for their roots to run down, they
attain a great size, both in the leaves and roots.
RHUBARB PIE. Peel the stalks of the plant, cut them about an inch long,
put them into a dish with moist sugar, a little water and lemon peel.
Put on the crust, and bake it in a moderate oven.
RHUBARB PUDDING. Put four dozen clean sticks of rhubarb into a stewpan,
with the peel of a lemon, a bit of cinnamon, two cloves, and as much
moist sugar as will sweeten it. Set it over the fire, and reduce it to a
marmalade. Pass it through a hair sieve, then add the peel of a lemon,
half a nutmeg grated, a quarter of a pound of good butter, the yolks of
four eggs, and one white, and mix all well together. Line a pie dish
with good puff paste, put in the mixture, and bake it half an hour. This
will make a good spring pudding.
RHUBARB SAUCE. To make a mock gooseberry-sauce for mackarel, reduce
three dozen sticks of rhubarb to a marmalade, and sweeten it with moist
sugar. Pass it through a hair sieve, and serve it up in a boat.--Mock
gooseberry-fool is made of rhubarb marmalade, prepared as for a pudding.
Add a pint of good thick cream, serve it up in glasses, or in a deep
dish. If wanted in a shape, dissolve two ounces of isinglass in a little
water, strain it through a tammis, and when nearly cold put it to the
cream. Pour it into a jelly mould, and when set, turn it out into a
dish, and serve it up plain.
RHUBARB SHERBET. Boil six or eight sticks of clean rhubarb in a quart of
water, ten minutes. Strain the liquor through a tammis into a jug, with
the peel of a lemon cut very thin, and two table-spoonfuls of clarified
sugar. Let it stand five or six hours, and it will be fit to drink.
RHUBARB SOUP. There are various ways of dressing garden rhubarb, which
serves as an excellent substitute for spring fruit. Peel and well wash
four dozen sticks of rhubarb, blanch it in water three or four minutes,
drain it on a sieve, and put it into a stewpan with two sliced onions, a
carrot, an ounce of lean ham, and a good bit of butter. Let it stew
gently over a slow fire till tender, then put in two quarts of rich
soup, to which add two or three ounces of bread crumbs, and boil it
about fifteen minutes. Skim off all the fat, season with salt and
cayenne, pass it through a tammis, and serve it up with fried bread.
RHUBARB TART. Cut the stalks in lengths of four or five inches, and take
off the thin skin. Lay them in a dish, pour on a thin syrup of sugar and
water, cover them with another dish, and let it simmer very slowly for
an hour on a hot hearth; or put the rhubarb into a block-tin saucepan,
and simmer it over the fire. When cold, make it into a tart; the baking
of the crust will be sufficient, if the rhubarb be quite tender.
RIBS OF BEEF. The following is an excellent way of dressing this rich
and valuable joint. Hang up three ribs three or four days, take out the
bones from the whole length, sprinkle it with salt, roll the meat tight,
and roast it. If done with spices, and baked as hunter's beef, it is
excellent, and nothing can look nicer.
RICE BROTH. Put a quarter of a pound of whole rice into a gallon of
water. Let it simmer till it is quite soft, then put in a knuckle of
veal, or the scrag end of a leg of mutton, with two or three pounds of
gravy beef. Stew this very gently for two hours, then put in turnips,
carrots, celery, leeks, or any other vegetables. Continue to stew
slowly, and when the whole is sufficiently done, season it with salt,
and serve it up.
RICE CAKE. Mix ten ounces of ground rice, three ounces of flour, and
eight ounces of pounded sugar. Sift the composition by degrees into
eight yolks and six whites of eggs, and the peel of a lemon shred so
fine that it is quite mashed. Mix the whole well in a tin stewpan with a
whisk, over a very slow fire. Put it immediately into the oven in the
same, and bake it forty minutes.--Another. Beat twelve yolks and six
whites of eggs, with the peels of two lemons grated. Mix one pound of
rice flour, eight ounces of fine flour, and a pound of sugar pounded and
sifted. Beat it well with the eggs by degrees, for an hour, with a
wooden spoon. Butter a pan well, and put it in at the oven mouth. A
gentle oven will bake it in an hour and a half.
RICE CAUDLE. When the water boils, pour into it some grated rice, with a
little cold water. When of a proper consistence, add sugar, lemon peel,
cinnamon, and a spoonful of brandy, and boil all smooth.--Another way.
Soak in water some fine rice for an hour, strain it, and put two
spoonfuls of the rice into a pint and a quarter of milk. Simmer till it
will pulp through a sieve, then put the pulp and milk into the saucepan,
with a bruised clove, and a bit of lump sugar. Simmer all together ten
minutes; if too thick, add a spoonful or two of milk, and serve with
thin toast.
RICE CHEESECAKES. Boil four ounces of ground rice in milk, with a blade
of cinnamon: put it into a pot, and let it stand till the next day. Mash
it fine with half a pound of butter; add to it four eggs, half a pint of
cream, a grated nutmeg, a glass of brandy, and a little sugar. Or the
butter may be stirred and melted in the rice while it is hot, and left
in the pot till the next day.
RICE CUSTARD. Boil three pints of new milk with a little cinnamon, lemon
peel, and sugar. Mix the yolks of two eggs well beaten, with a large
spoonful of rice flour, smothered in a cup of cold milk. Take a basin of
the boiling milk, mix it with the cold that has the rice in it, and add
it to the remainder of the boiling milk, stirring it one way till it
begins to thicken. Pour it into a pan, stir it till it is cool, and add
a spoonful of brandy or orange water. This is a good imitation of cream
custard, and considerably cheaper.
RICE EDGING. After soaking and picking some fine Carolina rice, boil it
in salt and water, until sufficiently tender, but not to mash. Drain,
and put it round the inner edge of the dish, to the height of two
inches. Smooth it with the back of a spoon, wash it over with the yolk
of an egg, and put it into the oven for three or four minutes. This
forms an agreeable edging for currie or fricassee, with the meat served
in the middle.
RICE FLUMMERY. Boil with a pint of new milk, a bit of lemon peel and
cinnamon. Mix with a little cold milk as much rice flour as will make
the whole of a good consistence, add a little sugar, and a spoonful of
peach water, or a bitter almond beaten. Boil it, but do not let it burn;
pour it into a shape or pint basin, taking out the spice. When cold,
turn the flummery into a dish, and serve with cream, milk, or custard
round. Or put a tea-cupful of cream into half a pint of new milk, a
glass of white wine, half a lemon squeezed, and sugar.
RICE MILK. Boil half a pound of rice in a quart of water, with a bit of
cinnamon, till the water is wasted. Add three pints of milk, an egg
beaten up with a spoonful of flour, and stir it till it boils. Then pour
it out, sweeten it, and put in currants and nutmeg.
RICE PANCAKES. Boil half a pound of rice to a jelly in a small quantity
of water; when cold, mix it with a pint of cream, eight eggs, a little
salt and nutmeg. Stir in eight ounces of butter just warmed, and add
flour sufficient to thicken the batter. Fry in as little lard or
dripping as possible.
RICE PASTE. To make a rice paste for sweets, boil a quarter of a pound
of ground rice in the smallest quantity of water. Strain from it all the
moisture possible, beat it in a mortar with half an ounce of butter, and
one egg well beaten. It will make an excellent paste for tarts, and
other sweet dishes.--To make a rich paste for relishing things, clean
some rice, and put it into a saucepan. Add a little milk and water, or
milk only, and an onion, and simmer it over the fire till it swells. Put
some seasoned chops into a dish, and cover it with the rice. The
addition of an egg will make the rice bind the better. Rabbits
fricasseed, and covered with rice paste, are very good.
RICE PUDDING. If for family use, swell the rice with a very little milk
over the fire. Then add more milk, an egg, some sugar, allspice, and
lemon peel; and bake it in a deep dish. Or put into a deep pan half a
pound of rice washed and picked, two ounces of butter, four ounces of
sugar, a little pounded allspice, and two quarts of milk. Less butter
will do, or some suet: bake the pudding in a slow oven. Another. Boil a
quarter of a pound of rice in a quart of milk, with a stick of cinnamon,
till it is thick; stir it often, that it does not burn; pour it into a
pan, stir in a quarter of a pound of butter, and grate half a nutmeg;
add sugar to your taste, and a small tea-cup of rose-water; stir all
together till cold; beat up eight eggs, (leave out half the whites) stir
all well together, lay a thin puff paste at the bottom of the dish, and
nip the edge; then pour in the pudding and bake it.--Another. To make a
plain rice pudding, put half a pound of rice well picked, into three
quarts of milk; add half a pound of sugar, a small nutmeg grated, and
half a pound of butter; butter the dish with part, and break the rest
into the milk and rice; stir all well together, pour it into a dish, and
bake it.--Another. To make a boiled rice pudding, take a quarter of a
pound of rice well picked and washed, tie it in a cloth, leaving room
for it to swell; boil it for an hour; take it up and stir in a quarter
of a pound of butter, some nutmeg and sugar; tie it up again very tight,
and boil it an hour more. When you send it to table, pour butter and
sugar over it.--Another. To make a ground rice pudding. To a pint of
milk put four ounces of ground rice; boil it for some time, keeping it
stirring, lest it should burn; pour it into a pan, and stir in a quarter
of a pound of butter; then beat up six eggs, leaving out half the
whites, a little lemon peel finely shred, a little nutmeg grated, a
quarter of a pound of sugar, a gill of cream, a little rose-water, and
as much salt as you can take up between your thumb and finger; mix all
well together, make a puff paste, lay it round the rim of the dish, and
bake it.--Lay citron or orange cut very thin, on the top, and strew a
few currants on.--Another. To make rice pudding with fruit. Swell half a
pound of rice with a very little milk over the fire, and then mix with
it any kind of fruit; such as currants, scalded gooseberries, pared and
quartered apples, raisins, or black currants. Put an egg into the
pudding to bind it, boil it well, and serve it up with sugar.
RICE SAUCE. Steep a quarter of a pound of rice in a pint of milk, with
an onion, a dozen pepper corns or allspice, and a little mace. When the
rice is quite tender, take out the spice, and rub the rice through a
sieve into a clean stewpan: if too thick, put a little milk or cream to
it. This makes a very delicate white sauce; and at elegant tables, is
frequently used instead of bread sauce.
RICE SOUFFLE. Blanch some Carolina rice, strain and boil it in milk,
with lemon peel and a bit of cinnamon. Let it boil till the rice is dry;
then cool it, and raise a rim three inches high round the dish, having
egged the dish where it is put, to make it stick. Then egg the rice all
over. Fill the dish half way up with a marmalade of apples; have ready
the whites of four eggs beaten to a fine froth, and put them over the
marmalade. Sift fine sugar over, and set it in the oven, which should be
warm enough to give it a beautiful colour.
RICE SOUP. Boil a pound of rice with a little cinnamon, in two quarts of
water. Take out the cinnamon, add a little sugar and nutmeg, and let it
stand to cool. Then beat up the yolks of three eggs in a little white
wine, and mix it with the rice. Set it on a slow fire, stir it well,
and take it up as soon as it has boiled to a proper thickness.
RICH GIBLET SOUP. Take four pounds of gravy beef, two pounds of scrag of
mutton, two pounds of scrag of veal; stew them well down together in a
sufficient quantity of water for a strong broth, let it stand till it is
quite cold, then skim the fat clean off. Take two pair of giblets well
scalded and cleaned, put them into your broth, and let them simmer till
they are stewed tender; then take out your giblets, and run the soup
through a fine sieve to catch the small bones; then take an ounce of
butter and put it into a stew-pan, mixing a proper quantity of flour,
which make of a fine light brown. Take a small handful of chives, the
same of parsley, a very little penny-royal, and a very little sweet
marjoram; chop all these herbs together excessive small, put your soup
over a slow fire, put in your giblets, butter and flour, and small
herbs; then take a pint of Madeira wine, some cayenne pepper, and salt
to your palate. Let them all simmer together, till the herbs are tender,
and the soup is finished. Send it to the table with the giblets in it.
Let the livers be stewed in a saucepan by themselves, and put in when
you dish.
RICH GRAVY. Cut lean beef into small slices, according to the quantity
wanted; slice some onions thin, and flour them both. Fry them of a light
pale brown, but do not suffer them on any account to get black. Put them
into a stewpan, pour boiling water on the browning in the fryingpan,
boil it up, and pour it on the meat. Add a bunch of parsley, thyme, and
savoury, a small piece of marjoram, the same of taragon, some mace,
berries of allspice, whole black pepper, a clove or two, and a bit of
ham, or gammon of bacon. Simmer till the juice of the meat is
extracted, and skim it the moment it boils. If for a hare, or stewed
fish, anchovy should be added.
RICH GRAVY SOUP. Take a pound of lean beef, two pounds of veal, and a
pound of mutton cut in pieces; put them into a pot, with six quarts of
water, a large faggot of sweet herbs, an onion stuck with cloves, some
whole pepper, a little mace, and the upper crust of bread toasted brown.
Put in an ox palate well cleaned and blanched whole; set it over a slow
fire, and let it stew till half is wasted; strain it off, and put it
into a clean saucepan. Take off the ox palate, shred small, some cock's
combs blanched, an ounce of morels cut in pieces, four large heads of
celery well washed, and cut small, with the heart of four or five
savoys, about as big as a turkey's egg, put in whole; cover it close,
and let it stew softly for an hour and a half. If it want any more
seasoning, add it; cut some French bread toasts thin, and crisp them
before the fire. When your soup is ready, lay your bread in the dish,
and put in your soup.
RICH HOME-MADE WINE.--Take new cider from the press, mix it with as much
honey as will support an egg, boil it gently fifteen minutes, but not in
an iron, brass, or copper pot. Skim it well, and tun it when cool, but
the cask must not be quite full. Bottle it in the following March, and
it will be fit to drink in six weeks, but it will be less sweet if kept
longer in the cask. This will make a rich and strong wine, suitable for
culinary purposes, where milk or sweet wine is to be employed. Honey,
besides its other valuable uses, is a fine ingredient to assist and
render palatable, new or harsh cider.
RICH PLUM PUDDING. To make a small, but very rich plum pudding, shred
fine three quarters of a pound of suet, and half a pound of stoned
raisins, chopped a little. Add three spoonfuls of flour, as much moist
sugar, a little salt and nutmeg, the yolks of three, and the whites of
two eggs. Let it boil four hours in a basin or tin mould, well buttered.
When the pudding is served up, pour over it some melted butter, with
white wine and sugar.--For a larger pudding of the same description,
shred three pounds of suet; add a pound and a half of raisins stoned and
chopped, a pound and a half of currants, three pounds of good flour,
sixteen eggs, and a quart of milk. Boil it in a cloth seven hours.
RICH RICE PUDDING. Boil half a pound of rice in water, till it is quite
tender, adding a little salt. Drain it dry, mix it with four eggs, a
quarter of a pint of cream, and two ounces of fresh butter melted in the
cream. Add four ounces of beef suet or marrow, or veal suet taken from
the fillet, finely shred; three quarters of a pound of currants, two
spoonfuls of brandy, a spoonful of peach water or ratifia, nutmeg, and
grated lemon peel. When well mixed, put a paste round the edge, fill the
dish, and bake it in a moderate oven. Slices of candied orange, lemon,
and citron, may be added.