saw off the knuckle, take out the bone in the centre of the fillet, and
fill up the cavity with some stuffing made as directed (see Receipt),
fold the udder and flap round, which fix with three skewers; place half
a sheet of buttered foolscap paper top and bottom, which tie over and
over with plenty of string, run a spit through, fixing the fillet with a
holdfast; set down to roast, placing it rather close to the fire ten
minutes, rub well over with butter, then place it at least two feet and
a half from the fire, to roast very slowly, giving it a fine gold color;
a fillet weighing sixteen pounds would require three hours roasting,
when done take it up, detach all the string and paper, trim the top and
set it upon your dish; have a pint of melted butter in a stewpan upon
the fire, to which, when boiling, add four spoonfuls of Harvey sauce,
and two of mushroom catsup, mix well, and pour round the fillet; have
also boiled nicely an ox-tongue, which skin and trim, dress upon a dish
surrounded with greens or cabbage nicely boiled, and serve as an
accompaniment to the fillet.
300. _Loin of Veal._--One with plenty of fat and a good kidney, from
which the chump and the rib-bone at the other end has been removed;
fasten the flap over the kidney with a skewer, run a spit through
lengthwise, commencing at the thick end, and fixing it with a holdfast,
cover it with buttered paper; one of fourteen pounds will take about two
hours and a half to roast. Serve with melted butter poured over.
301. _Chump of Veal_ can be either roasted or boiled; one about four
pounds will take one hour to roast, and one hour and a quarter to boil;
roasted, serve like the loin: boiled, serve with either sauces, Nos.
122, 154, 160.
302. _Breast of Veal plain roasted._--Paper the joint, and roast for
about one hour, and serve with gravy and melted butter; it may be
roasted with the sweetbread skewered to it. By taking the tendons off,
stew them for entrées.
303. _Shoulder of Veal._--One weighing fourteen pounds will take about
two hours and a half to three hours to roast or braise; if roasted, the
same sauce as for the loin (No. 300), and braise (No. 310).
304. _Neck of Veal._--Procure about eight pounds of a nice white neck of
veal, containing six or seven chops; saw off under part of the
chine-bone, so as to give it a nice square appearance, lard it thus:
take about twelve pieces of fat bacon, two inches long and a quarter of
an inch square, put the larding-needle through the flesh of the veal
about one inch and a half, then put one third of the length of the piece
of bacon in it, pull the needle out, and it will leave the bacon in the
meat, showing a quarter of an inch of the bacon outside. Then braise as
ribs of beef. Two hours will suffice.
305. _Neck of Veal with Peas._--Proceed as in the former receipt, with
the exception of leaving out the vegetables, and adding, half an hour
previous to the meat being done, one quart of peas, twelve button
onions, and a little more sugar; remove the fat, and serve as before.
306. _Neck of Veal with Haricots._--Proceed as before, substituting the
haricots for the peas, which must have been boiled in plenty of water
for three or four hours previously. (See Receipt for Haricots.)
307. _Neck of Veal with New Potatoes._--As before, using new potatoes in
place of the peas. Any other vegetable, as French beans, broad beans,
&c. may be served with it in the same way.
308. _Necks of Veal_ can be larded or plain roasted, or braised in
plain gravy as before, and served with either sauces, Nos. 150, 135,
137, 165.
309. _Knuckle of Veal_ is a very favorite dish of mine: I procure two of
them, which I saw into three pieces each, and put into a stewpan, with a
piece of streaked bacon two pounds in weight, four onions, a carrot, two
turnips, and six peppercorns, place over the fire, and when boiling add
a little salt, skim well, and place at the corner to simmer gently for
two hours, take up, dress them in your dish surrounded with the
vegetables and bacon, and serve with parsley and butter over; very good
soup may be made from the stock it was boiled in if required, or if not,
into glaze, which put by until wanted.
310. _Loin of Veal braised._--This joint generally weighs from twelve to
fourteen pounds when off a good calf; have the rib-bones carefully
divided with a saw so as not to hurt the fillet, prepare the
braising-pan, and proceed as in receipt (No. 289); with the addition of
one pint more water, but take care not to cover the meat, which might
happen if your stewpan was small, which otherwise be boiling instead of
braising; it will take about three hours: be careful about the fat, as
this joint produces a great deal; taste the sauce before serving, in
case more seasoning is required, which might be the case, depending on
the nature of the veal. A good cook should taste all sauces before
serving.
311. _Breast of Veal stuffed and stewed._--Take about eight pounds of
the breast of veal, put your knife about half an inch under the skin,
and open it about three parts of its width all the way down, then
prepare some veal stuffing, and lay it in the opening you have made
about one inch in thickness, sew it up, and proceed as receipt for
shoulder.
Should half the size of either the above dishes be required, use but
half the vegetables in proportion, and stew half an hour less.
The _Chump_, _Small Shoulder_, or pieces of the fillet may be dressed in
the same way, but must be larded, like the neck.
All the above joints may be stewed in the same way, with less
vegetables, and served with sauces (Nos. 131, 135); the gravy in which
they are stewed will always be useful in the kitchen, or may be reduced
and served with the joint.
312. _Shoulder of Veal stuffed and stewed._--This is a very awkward
joint to carve to advantage, and equally so to cook; by the
following plan, it goes further than any other way.
Take the joint and lay it with the skin-side downwards, with a sharp
thin knife carefully detach the meat from the blade-bone, then hold the
shoulder edgewise and detach the meat from the other side of the bone,
being careful not to make a hole in the skin; then cut the bone from the
knuckle and take it out; you may at first be rather awkward about it,
but after once or twice trying, it will become easy; you may also take
out the other bone, but I prefer it in, as it keeps the shape better:
then lard the lean part like the neck in (No. 304); mix some salt and a
little mixed spice together, with which rub the meat from whence the
bone has been cut, stuff with veal stuffing, or sausage-meat, or suet
pudding; braise, garnish, and serve as (No. 289). This being the
toughest part of the veal, it should be tried before taking up, to see
if it is properly done, by thrusting a larding-needle in it; if it goes
in easily it is done. This joint is excellent cold, and should be carved
in thin slices crosswise.
313. _Calf's Head._--Choose one thick and fat, but not too large; soak
for ten minutes in lukewarm water, then well powder with rosin, have
plenty of scalding water ready, dip in the head, holding it by the ear,
scrape the hair off with the back of a knife, which will come off easily
if properly scraped, without scratching the cheek; when perfectly clean,
take the eyes out, saw it in two lengthwise through the skull, without
spoiling the brain, which take carefully out, and put to disgorge for a
few hours in lukewarm water; pull the tongue out, break the jawbone, and
remove the part which contains the teeth, put the head into plenty of
water to disgorge for one hour; make the following stock, and boil for
about two hours and a half, and it will be ready to serve.
The stock is made by putting into a braising-pan two carrots, three
onions, a quarter of a pound of butter, six cloves, a bouquet of
parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves, set it on the fire for about twenty
minutes, keep stirring it round, then add a pint of water, and when warm
mix a quarter of a pound of flour, add a gallon of water, one lemon in
slices, and a quarter of a pound of salt, then lay the head in; take
care it is well covered, or the part exposed will turn dark: simmer
gently till tender.
LETTER No. XII
MY DEAR ELOISE,--Do not make any mistakes in the way you describe
the above receipts, which might be made very ridiculous if wrongly
explained. For example: I once had an old French Cookery Book in my
hand, which had the 15th edition stamped on its old brown leather
cheek, in which a receipt of "Tête de Veau à la poulette," that is,
a calf's head, with white sauce, in which small onions and
mushrooms are introduced, reads as follows--but, before describing
it, allow me five minutes to indulge in a hearty laugh at the
absurd manner in which it is explained: it reads thus: "First
choose your head as thick and fat as you can, then plunge it in two
gallons of water, which must be nearly boiling in a pan on the
fire; let your head remain about ten minutes, then take it out by
the ears, and, after remaining a short time, scrape your hair off
with the back of a knife without injuring your cheek, and pull your
eyes out; break your jawbone and saw your head in two without
smashing your brains, which take out carefully; set it in cold
water, to get clean and white; then pull out your tongue, scrape
and dry it, having previously boiled it with your head, which,
after two hours' ebullition, will feel as soft as possible, when
see that your head is in the centre of the dish; your tongue
divided in two and placed on each side of it: sharp sauce,
according to No.-- is allowed to be served with either head or
tongue." I assure you, dear, although I do not profess to be a
first-rate scholar in that fashionable language--French, that I
believe this to be as near as possible the true translation of the
original. Then follows calves' feet, which is nearly as absurd as
the former: "Pied de Veau an naturel," Calves Feet, the natural
way.--"Choose your fine feet in the rough state, and, as with your
head, place a pan of water on the fire; when hot, but not too much
so, put your feet in the water for about ten minutes, try if you
can easily clean them as your head with a knife, if not, add a
spoonful of salt in the water, and let them remain a few minutes
longer; then scrape like your head; when well cleaned wipe them
dry, and they are ready for dressing, which may be done in almost
twenty different ways. (See the series 'How to cook Pigs' Feet.')
When your feet are tender, set them on a dish, take out the big
bone, surround them with sausage-meat; wrap them up in caul, and
form a heart with them; then place your feet on a gridiron, let
them gently broil, and, when done, eat them for breakfast or
luncheon." (After which a gentle walk might give you an appetite
for dinner.)
_Calf's Head_ (No. 313) may be dressed thus:--Half of the head will make
a good dish for a remove; lay it in the dish very hot, having previously
drained it well; have ready about a pint of Hollandaise or cream sauce,
No. 280, pour it over and serve.
It may be surrounded with a dozen new potatoes, if in season, or some
quenelles, or quarters of hard-boiled eggs; a little chopped parsley
thrown on the head when the sauce is over it, makes it look very
inviting. It can also be served "à la poulette," by putting a pint of
white sauce in a stewpan; you have peeled and cooked about fifty button
onions in white broth, to which you have added a little sugar and
butter, and a few mushrooms; add the broth, onions, and sauce together,
and when on the point of boiling, add a liaison of two yolks of eggs and
the juice of a lemon; stir it well round; it ought to be the thickness
of cream sauce; pour over the head and serve.
It can also be egged and bread-crumbed, and placed in the cream for
twenty minutes to get a nice brown color, and may be served with sauces,
Nos. 150, 165.
MUTTON.--The sheep, when killed, is generally divided into two, by
cutting across about two ribs below the shoulder; these are called
the fore and hind-quarters: the former contains the head, neck,
breast, and shoulder; the latter, the leg and loin; or the two
loins together, the saddle or chine; or the leg and four ribs of
the loin, the haunch. The entrails are called the pluck, which are
the liver, lights, heart, sweetbread, and melt. When cut up, the
kernel at the tail should be removed, and that in the fat in the
thick part of the leg, and the pipe that runs along the bone of the
chine. The flavor depends on the breed and pasture; that is best
which has a dark-colored flesh, of a fine grain, well-mixed with
fat, which must be firm and white. Wether mutton is the best; the
meat of ewe mutton is of a paler color, and the fat yellow and
spongy. To keep a loin, saddle, or haunch, the kidney-fat should be
removed, and the place rubbed with a little salt. Mutton should
never be cooked unless it has hung forty-eight hours after it is
killed; and it can be kept for twenty-one days, and sometimes
longer in a severe winter.
314. _Haunch of Mutton._--Saw or break three inches from the
knuckle-bone, remove all skin from the loin, put it on a spit,
commencing at the knuckle, and bringing it out at the flap, avoiding the
fillet of the loin; then cover it with three sheets of buttered paper,
place it about eighteen inches from the fire, if a large one it will
take two hours and a half; half an hour before being done, remove the
paper, baste it with a little butter, and dredge it slightly; when done,
dish it up with a frill round the knuckle, and pour a pint of hot gravy
over. In summer time, French beans should be served with it, but always
mashed potatoes.
315. _Saddle of Mutton._--The same rule in regard to choice appiles to
this as to the haunch. Take off the skin, run a lark-spit through the
spinal marrow-bone, which affix to a larger one with a holdfast at one
end and string at the other; then tie the skin over the back, and place
it down to roast; it will not take so long a time to roast in proportion
as another joint, one about ten pounds will take about one hour and
twenty minutes; remove the paper ten minutes before taking it from the
fire, dredge to give it a nice color, and make gravy as for beef, No.
287, or serve with gravy, No. 177.
316. _Saddle of Mutton, à la Polonaise._--This is my economical dish,
_par excellence_, and very much it is liked every time I use it. Take
the remains of a saddle of mutton, of the previous day, cut out all the
meat close to the bone, leaving about one inch wide on the outside, cut
it with a portion of the fat into small dice; then put a spoonful of
chopped onions in a stewpan, with a little butter; fry one minute, add
the meat, with a tablespoonful of flour, season rather high with salt,
pepper, and a little grated nutmeg; stir round, and moisten with a gill
or a little more of broth, add a bay-leaf, put it on the stove for ten
minutes, add two yolks of eggs, stir till rather thick, make about two
pounds of mashed potatoes firm enough to roll, put the saddle-bone in
the middle of the dish, and with the potatoes form an edging round the
saddle, so as to give the shape of one, leaving the middle empty, fill
it with your mince meat, which ought to be enough to do so; if you
should not have enough with the remains of the saddle, the remains of
any other joint of mutton may be used; egg all over, sprinkle
bread-crumbs around, put in rather a hot oven, to get a nice yellow
color, poach six eggs, and place on the top, and serve brown gravy
round; white or brown sauce, if handy, is an improvement. You may easily
fancy the economy of this well-looking and good dish; the remains of a
leg, shoulder, loin, neck of mutton and lamb may be dressed the same
way, keeping their shape of course.
317. _Roast Leg of Mutton._--Choose the same as the haunch. One about
eight pounds weight will take about one hour and a half to roast: run
the spit in at the knuckle, and bring it out at the thigh-bone; roast it
some little distance from the fire at first, bringing it nearer as it
gets done; baste it with a little butter whilst roasting, or cover it
with a sheet of well-buttered paper, which remove just before it is
quite cooked. The leg of doe mutton is the best for roasting; should it
be ewe, and intended for roasting, I proceed thus two or three days
before I want it. I make a small incision close to the knuckle, pushing
a wooden skewer close down to the leg-bone as far as it will go; I then
take one tablespoonful of port wine, if none handy I use catsup, and a
teaspoonful of either treacle, apple or currant jelly, and mix them
together; I then remove the skewer, and run the mixture in it, closing
the hole with two cloves of garlic. This joint I prefer to dangle,
rather than put on the spit.
318. _Boiled Leg of Mutton._--This I prefer of the Southdown breed, and
ewe is equally as good as doe. Cut the end of the knuckle from the leg,
put it into an oval pan, in which there is sufficient water to cover it,
throw in about one ounce of salt, place it upon a sharp fire until it is
on the point of boiling, then remove to the side, and in five minutes
remove the scum, and then let it simmer gently; if the turnips are to be
boiled with it, peel and slice them, and put them into the pan half an
hour before the mutton is done; it must be again put on the fire for a
few minutes, as the turnips have stopped the boiling; dress it upon a
dish with the turnips round it, or mash separate, and with caper or
gherkin sauce: the broth may be reduced for soup.
319. _Leg of Mutton à la Bretonne._--Choose one about six pounds weight,
peel four cloves of garlic, make an incision with the point of a knife
in four different parts around the knuckle, and place the garlic in it,
hang it up for a day or two, and then roast it for one hour and a half.
At the same time you have procured a quart of small dry French haricots,
which after well washing put into a saucepan with half a gallon of
water, add about half an ounce of salt, the same of butter, set them on
the side of the fire to simmer for about three hours or till tender,
when pour the liquor off into a basin, and keep the haricots hot; peel
and cut two large onions into thin slices, put some of the fat of the
dripping-pan into a frying-pan, put in the onions, and fry a light
brown, add them to the haricots with the fat and gravy the mutton has
produced in roasting, season with salt and pepper, toss them a little,
and serve very hot on a large dish, put the leg on it, with a frill of
paper on the knuckle. In case the leg is very fat do not add all of it
to the haricots. This if well carved is an excellent dish for eight or
nine persons; it is a dish very much esteemed in France, and is
considered cheap food from the nourishment afforded by the haricots,
which can be purchased at sixpence per quart.
Shoulder and loin may be dressed in the same way.
320. _Shoulder of Mutton_ is best if well hung; the spit should be run
in at the flap and brought out at the knuckle; this should not be basted
in roasting, but merely rubbed with a little butter; it is served
occasionally with sauces, No. 158. This is sometimes boiled with onion
sauce; or, as it is called, smothered in onions. It is also good by
having the bone extracted, and its place filled with veal stuffing, and
then put it on a trivet, in a baking-dish, with sliced potatoes under,
and baked more or less in proportion to its size; one of six pounds will
take one hour and a half--or as follows:
Put a small shoulder of mutton in a deep sauté-pan or baking-dish,
season with a little pepper and salt, cover over with thin slices of fat
bacon, then put in ten potatoes peeled and quartered, and the same
quantity of apples, with half a pint of water, place in a moderate oven
and bake for two hours, dress upon your dish, with the potatoes and
apples round, skim all the fat from the gravy, which pour over and
serve; it requires a little oil or butter over before baking.
321. _Shoulder of Mutton, Provincial Fashion._--Roast a fine shoulder of
mutton; whilst roasting mince ten large onions very fine, put them into
a stewpan, with two tablespoonfuls of salad-oil, pass them ten minutes
over a good fire, keeping it stirred, then add a tablespoonful of flour,
stir well in, and a pint of milk, season with a little pepper, salt, and
sugar; when the onions are quite tender and the sauce rather thick, stir
in the yolks of two eggs and take it off the fire; when the shoulder is
done, spread the onions over the top, egg over, cover with bread-crumbs,
put in the oven ten minutes, and salamander a light brown color, dress
upon your dish, put the gravy from it in your stewpan, with a pat of
butter, with which you have mixed a little flour, boil up, add a little
scraped garlic, pour round the shoulder, which serve. The shoulder may
also be dressed in the housewife's method, as directed for the leg. A
little browning may be added.
322. _Loin of Mutton._--Take off the skin, separate the joints with a
chopper; if a large size, cut the chine-bone with a saw, so as to allow
it to be carved in smaller pieces, run a lark-spit from one extremity to
the other, and affix it to a larger spit, and roast it like the haunch.
A loin weighing six pounds will take one hour to roast.
323. _Leg of Mutton stewed with Vegetables._--Have a good leg, beat it a
little with a rolling-pin, make an incision in the knuckle, in which put
two cloves of garlic, then put it into a stewpan, with a pound of lean
bacon cut in eight pieces, set over a moderate fire half an hour, moving
it now and then until becoming a light brown color, season with pepper
and salt, add twenty pieces of carrots of the same size as the bacon,
fifteen middling-sized onions, and when done add two bay-leaves, two
cloves, and two quarts of water, replace it upon a moderate fire, moving
round occasionally, stew nearly three hours, dress upon your dish with
the carrots and onions dressed tastefully around, take off as much of
the fat from the gravy as possible, take out the bay-leaves and pour the
garniture round the mutton, which serve very hot. It can be braised like
No. 289. A few drops of browning may be required.
324. _Neck of Mutton._--This is a very _recherché_ dish, if off a
good-sized sheep, and well hung; it must be nicely trimmed, sawing the
bones at the tips of the ribs, which detach from the meat, folding the
flap over; saw off the chine-bone, and carefully detach the remainder of
the bone from the fillet; detach the skin from the upper part, fix the
flap under with a couple of skewers, run a flat lark-spit from end to
end, fix it to a larger one, cover it with buttered paper, and roast
like the haunch; if of five pounds, nearly three-quarters of an hour to
one hour. It should be served very hot, the plates and dish the same,
and not one minute before it is wanted: serve gravy under.
325. _Boiled Neck of Mutton._--Take one with little fat upon it, divide
the chops, taking care not to cut the fillet, put it into a pan with
cold water sufficient to cover it, place in it one ounce of salt, one
onion, and a small bunch of parsley, boil it gently; when done, dish it
up, and serve it with either parsley and butter made from the liquor in
which it was boiled, caper or onion sauce, mashed turnips separate.
Proceed as under receipt with the broth.
326. _Sheep's Head._--Though this may be seen in every part of London
inhabited by the working classes, and may be procured ready-cooked, I
prefer always to prepare it at home, and very good it is. I choose a
fine one, as fat as possible, and put it into a gallon of water to
disgorge for two hours; wash it well, saw it in two from the top, take
out the brain, cut away part of the uncovered part of the skull, and
also the ends of the jaws, wash it well, put it into the stewpan, with
two onions, one carrot, two turnips cut in slices, a little celery, four
cloves, a bouquet of four sprigs of thyme, a bay-leaf, one ounce of
salt, a quarter of an ounce of pepper, three quarts of water, set on the
fire; when near boiling, add half a teacupful of pearl or Scotch barley;
let it simmer for three hours, or till tender, which try with a fork;
take out vegetables, cut in dice, remove bouquet, skim off the fat, and
pour all into tureen. Or, lay the head on a dish, and serve with either
onion sauce over, parsley and butter, or any sharp sauce; or egg and
bread-crumb it over, put it in an oven for half an hour till getting a
nice yellow color, and serve with sharp sauce under. Or, with the brain,
thus: having boiled it for ten minutes in a little vinegar, salt, and
water, cut it in pieces, warm it in parsley and butter, season it a
little, and put it under the head and serve.
327. _Sheep's Head and Liver._--Boil half a sheep's liver for thirty
minutes in a quart of water, cut it into small dice, put two ounces of
butter in the stewpan, and set it on the fire, then add a tablespoonful
of chopped onions, cook it a few minutes, add the liver, season with
salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, a spoonful of flour, half-pint of broth,
stir when boiling, simmer for a few minutes, lay on dish, and put the
head over just as it is out of the broth, or bread-crumb it, and put it
in the oven.