Let your veal be juicy and not too fat. Take out all the bone, and put
with the fat and refuse bits, such as skin or gristle, in a saucepan,
with a large teacupful of cold water to make gravy. Instead of chopping
the veal, cut in thin, even slices. Line a pudding-dish with a good
paste and put a layer of veal in the bottom; then one of hard-boiled
eggs sliced, each piece buttered and peppered before it is laid upon
the veal; cover these with sliced ham or thin strips of salt pork.
Squeeze a few drops of lemon-juice upon the ham. Then another layer of
veal, and so on until you are ready for the gravy. This should have
been stewing for half an hour or so, with the addition of pepper and a
bunch of aromatic herbs. Strain through a thin cloth and pour over the
pie. Cover with crust and bake two hours.
_Or,_
Butter a large bowl very thickly, and line with sliced hard-boiled
eggs. Then put in, in perpendicular layers, a lining of veal cut in
thin slices, and seasoned with pepper. Next, one of sliced ham, each
slice peppered and sprinkled with lemon-juice, more veal and more ham,
until the dish is packed to the brim. Cover with a thick paste made of
flour and hot water, just stiff enough to handle with ease. Press this
closely to the outside of the bowl, which should not be at all greasy.
Let it overlap the rim about half an inch. Some cooks substitute a
cloth well floured, but it does not keep in the essence of the meats
as well as the paste. Set the bowl in a pot of hot water, not so deep
that it will bubble over the top. It is better that it should not touch
the paste rim. Boil steadily—not hard—for at least three hours. Remove
the paste the next day, when bowl and contents are perfectly cold,
and turn out the pie into a large plate or flat dish. Cut in circular
slices—thin as a wafer—beginning at the top, keeping your carver
horizontal, and you have a delicious relish for the supper-table, or
side-dish for dinner. Set in a cool place, and in winter it will keep
several days.
This is the “weal and hammer pie” endorsed by Mr. Wegg as a good thing
“for mellering the organ,” and is a great favorite in England. It is
a good plan to butter the eggs as well as the dish, as much of the
success of the pie depends upon the manner in which it is turned out.
Also, upon the close packing of the sliced meat. The salt ham prevents
the need of other salt.