Put the larded fillet into a braising-pan or stew-pan; put in trimmings
of pork, onions (with some cloves stuck in), carrots, a little celery
(all cut in thick slices), and a bunch of parsley. Salt the meat
slightly. Pour in stock and white wine, so that it may reach to half the
height of the beef. If a braising-pan is used, cover the meat with a
well-buttered paper, as in that case live coals are put on top of the
pan. If you use a stew-pan, simply cover it as tight as possible. Let it
simmer, replenishing it, when necessary, with more boiling stock. It
will require an hour or an hour and a half to cook. When done, drain it:
a professional cook would glaze it. Put it into the oven a moment to dry
the larding. Pass the cooking-stock through a sieve; skim off the fat;
add some tomato sauce; let it boil until it is reduced to the degree
requisite. Serve the fillet whole, or carved in slices ready to serve.
Generally only the middle part of the fillet is used, as the whole
fillet is quite large--weighing from eight to ten pounds.
TO TRIM WITH VEGETABLES (_à la Jardinière_).
Every kind of vegetable is used, such as potatoes, carrots, turnips,
beets, small onions, cauliflower-blossoms, asparagus-heads, French
beans, pease, etc. The larger vegetables are cut into little fancy
shapes with a vegetable-cutter or a fluted knife, or with a little plain
knife, into little balls, olives, squares, diamonds, or into any form to
suit the taste. Each kind of vegetable should be boiled separately in
salted water or stock. The vegetables are piled into little groups,
each pile being of one kind of vegetable.
[Illustration]