The finest grained beef is the best, the flesh is
of a fine red, and the fat a light cream color, but
not yellow; the fat, too, is solid and firm. The
lean of mutton should be of a red color, and the
fat white. The lean of veal should be of a light
color and the fat white. The skin of pork should
be of a light color, and if young it is tender. The
fat should appear firm. A tender goose is known
by taking hold of the wing and raising it; if the
skin tears easily, the goose is tender, or if you can
readily insert the head of a pin into the flesh, it is
young. The same remarks will hold good with
regard to ducks. Young chickens may be known
by pressing the lower end of the breast bone; if it
yields readily to the pressure they are not old, for
in all animals the bones are cartilaginous when
young. The breast should be broad and plump in
all kinds of poultry, the feet pliable, and the toes
easily broken when bent back.
45. The nicest piece for roasting is the rib.
Two ribs of fine beef is a piece large enough for
a family of eight or ten. The lean of beef should
always appear of a bright red before it is cooked,
and the fat of a very light cream color.
Season the beef with salt, and place it in a roaster
before a clear bright fire. Do not set it too close
at first. As to the time of roasting, that must be
left to the judgment of the cook and the taste of
those who are to eat it. If it is preferred quite
rare an hour and a half or two hours will cook two
large ribs sufficiently, but if it is to be better done,
it must be cooked a proportionably longer time.
Whilst the beef is roasting, baste it frequently with
its own gravy. When nearly done, dredge flour
lightly over it so as to brown it. When the meat
is taken out, skim off the fat on the top of the
gravy, and pour the remainder in a pan, add a little
flour, with salt to the taste, and some water, give
it one boil, and serve it in a small tureen or gravy
boat.
In cold weather the plates should be warmed
just before the dinner is served. Or, a small chafing
dish placed under each plate.
46. A round of beef is the best for this purpose.
With a sharp knife cut incisions in the meat about
an inch apart, and within one inch of the opposite
side, season it with pepper and salt according to
the size of the piece of meat.
Make a dressing of butter, onion, and bread
crumbs, in the proportion of a pint of crumbs, one
small onion finely chopped, and an ounce of butter,
with pepper and salt to the taste, fill the incisions
with the dressing, put the meat in a pot, with about
a pint of water, and cover it tightly. Let it simmer
six or eight hours.
Some stick in a few cloves, and those who are
fond of spice add allspice. When the meat is done,
dish it up and thicken the gravy with a little flour.
Let it boil once, and serve it. This is excellent
when cold.
47. Scrape some fine sirloin steaks, wipe them
with a clean cloth, heat the bars of your gridiron,
grease them, and put your steaks over clear coals.
Turn them frequently by placing a dish over them,
and then quickly turn them, holding the dish in one
hand and the gridiron in the other. In this manner
you will preserve the gravy. When done, season
them with pepper and salt; baste them well
with butter, and add two table spoonsful of water,
with a little salt. Send them to the table hot.
48. Season your steaks with salt and pepper,
and fry them in hot lard. When done, dish them,
add a little flour to the fat they were fried in, pour
in a little water, and season with pepper and salt to
the taste; give the gravy one boil and pour it over.
49. Take one dozen large onions, boil them in
very little water until they are tender.
Pound and wash a beef steak, season it with
pepper and salt, put it in a pan with some hot beef
dripping, and fry it till it is done. Take it out,
put it on a dish, where it will keep hot. Then,
when the onions are soft, drain and mash them in
the pan with the steak gravy, and add pepper and
salt to the taste. Put it on the fire and as soon as
it is hot, pour it over the steak and serve it.
50. Rub salt on a nice piece of beef, put it on
bars, which should fit your dripping pan, set it in
the oven, with a gill of water in the pan, and when
it is half done, make the pudding in the following
manner:
Beat four eggs very light; the yelks in a pan,
the whites in a broad dish. When the yelks are
thick stir in a pint of milk, and as much flour as
will make a batter, but not a thick one. Then stir
in the whites which must be whisked very dry; do
not heat the batter after the white is in; lastly stir
in a tea spoonful of dissolved carbonate of ammonia.
Take out the meat, skim all the fat off the
gravy, pour in the batter and replace the meat;
put all into the oven again, and cook it till the
pudding is done. You should make batter enough
to cover your dripping pan about half an inch deep.
When the meat is dished, cut the pudding in squares,
and place it round the dish, the brown side up.
51. Cut up two pounds of beef, and add to it
a pint of sliced tomatoes. The tomatoes must be
peeled. Put the meat in a stew-pan and season it
well with pepper and salt, then add your tomatoes
and an ounce of butter rolled in flour. Cover it
closely, and let it simmer till the beef is tender. It
does not require any water as the tomatoes are sufficiently
juicy.
If the gravy should not be thick enough, add a
little flour mixed with cold water.
52. Cut up one pound of beef in small pieces
about an inch square, pare and slice six onions;
put a layer of the meat and a layer of onions in a
stew-pan, with salt and pepper and a little flour
alternately till all is in, and add half a tea cupful
of water; cover it closely and set it on a slow fire
to stew; when about half done, if the gravy seems
too thin, add one ounce of butter rolled in flour;
but if it should be thick enough, add the butter
without the flour.
When tomatoes are in season two tomatoes may
be cut in small pieces and stewed with the meat.
Cold beef may be cooked in the same manner.
53. Cut some tender beef in small pieces, and season
it with pepper and salt, slice some onions and add
to it, with water enough in the stew-pan to make
a gravy; let it stew slowly till the beef is thoroughly
done, then add some pieces of butter rolled in
flour to make a rich gravy.
Cold beef may be done in the same way, only the
onions must be stewed first and the meat added.
If the water should stew away too much put in a
little more.
54. Clear the kidney of all the fat, cut it in two,
and with a sharp knife cut out the fibre which runs
through the middle of it. Lay it in a sauce-pan
with a very little water and a little salt, cover it
close and let it stew till it is perfectly tender, then
take it up and cut it in small pieces, season it with
pepper, and more salt if requisite, and return it to
the stew-pan; let it stew till there are about two
spoonsful of gravy remaining in the stew-pan, then
add a piece of butter and a little flour. Let it boil
once and serve it.
55. Clean all the fat off the kidney, cut it open
and take out the fibre which runs through it; put
it in a stew-pan with a very little water and some
salt, and cook it till it is tender; then season it
with pepper and more salt if required, flour it and
fry it in hot lard, add a little flour and water to
make the gravy.
Or, you may broil instead of frying it, after it has
been parboiled.
56. One hundred pounds of beef,
Six pounds of coarse salt,
Two ounces and a half of saltpetre,
One pound and a half of sugar,
Four gallons of water.
Mix the above ingredients together and pour
over the meat. Cover the tub closely.
57. Take out all the veins. Sprinkle with
salt and let it lay for half an hour; wash off all
the salt and soak it half an hour in cold water,
drain it and then put it in the pickle as directed
above.
58. Put on the meat in cold water; allow one
quart of water to every pound of meat. The
slower it boils the better it will be. For every
pound of meat let it boil fifteen minutes; thus, a
piece of beef weighing twelve pounds should boil
three hours. If the beef is to be eaten cold—as
soon as it is taken out of the pot immerse it in cold
water for a short time, in order to retain the
juices.
Tongues are boiled in the same manner.
59. See boiled corned beef, Article 58.
60. Scrape and wash it very clean—put it in a
pot with a tea spoonful of salt to every quart of
water, and let it boil till the top of each piece begins
to look clear—it requires a great deal of boiling
and must be exceedingly soft.
When cold cut it in pieces, season and fry it in
egg and bread crumbs like oysters. Or, it may be
fried without the egg and crumbs, and the gravy
thickened with a little flour, and flavored with
catsup or vinegar. Serve it hot.
61. Season a breast of veal with pepper and
salt; skewer the sweet-bread firmly in its place,
flour the meat and roast it slowly before a moderate
fire for about four hours—it should be of a fine
brown but not dry; baste it with butter. When
done put the gravy in a stew-pan, add a piece of
butter rolled in browned flour, and if there should
not be quite enough gravy add a little more water,
with pepper and salt to the taste. The gravy
should be brown.
62. Take the best end of a neck of veal, cut it
in pieces, season it with pepper and salt, and stew
it in just enough water to cover it. When it is
nearly done make a rich gravy with some butter
rolled in flour, added to the water it was stewed in.
Line the sides of a deep pie dish with paste,
put in the meat and pour in the gravy, roll out a
sheet of paste and cover the top; cut an opening in
the centre of the top, about three inches long, and
another to cross it at right angles; turn back the
four corners and ornament with bars of paste
twisted and laid over. Set it in the oven, and when
the crust is done send it to the table in the dish it
was baked in.
63. Cut up some veal, the best part of the neck
is preferable to any other, wash and season it with
pepper and salt; line the sides of your pot with
paste, put in the veal with some pieces of paste
rolled out and cut in squares, cut up some pieces
of butter rolled in flour and add to it, pour in as
much water as will cover it, and lay a sheet of
paste on the top, leaving an opening in the centre;
put the lid on the pot and put it over a moderate
fire, let it cook slowly till the meat is done; place
the soft crust on a dish, then put the meat over it,
and on the top lay the hard crust, with the brown
side up. Serve the gravy in a boat.
To have the crust of a pot pie brown, set the pot
on a few coals before the fire, and turn it frequently.
64. Cut deep incisions in the meat about an
inch apart, and season it with pepper and salt.
Make your dressing with a four cent baker's loaf,
two small onions finely chopped, and an ounce of
butter, with pepper and salt to the taste; fill the
incisions with this dressing, put the veal in a pot
with three gills of water and cover it tightly. Let
it cook slowly two hours at least. Some prefer a
little sweet marjoram or thyme, finely powdered,
added to the dressing. Take out the veal when it
is done, and thicken the gravy with a little flour.
65. Make incisions all around the bone as
closely as possible, so as not to touch each other.
Make a dressing of bread crumbs, an onion finely
chopped, a little sweet marjoram, pepper and salt
to the taste, with enough butter to cause the bread
crumbs to adhere together; fill these incisions with
the dressing, season the meat with pepper and salt,
and skewer the strip of fat around it. Pour in
enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, put
in the rack and place the meat on it; as the gravy
stews away add a little more water, put it in a cool
oven and let it cook three or four hours. When
done, make the gravy with some flour rolled in
butter, and add pepper and salt to the taste.
66. Boil a knuckle of veal in just enough water
to cover it, with a little salt. When the veal is
tender pour off the water it was boiled in and save
it. Cut the veal in small pieces and put it in a
pan with the water it was boiled in. Add to this
two hard boiled eggs, chopped very fine, a table
spoonful of allspice in grains, (which should be
crushed but not broken fine) a quarter of a pound
of butter, a little mace and pepper, and salt to the
taste. Stir two table spoonsful of flour smoothly
in a little water, and pour into it. Set it over the
fire, let it boil for two or three minutes, pour in
two glasses of wine, and serve it hot.
67. Cut a slice of the cutlet in small pieces,
season it with pepper, salt, and, if you prefer it,
a little grated lemon peel and nutmeg. Pour in as
much water as will nearly cover it, let it cook slowly
till about half done, then make a rich gravy with
some pieces of butter rolled in flour, and add to
the water it was stewed in.
63. Cut the veal in thin slices, pound and wash
it, then dry it in a clean cloth. Beat some egg,
and have ready some bread crumbs, or grated
cracker. Season the meat with salt, pepper, and a
little mace, dip each slice in the egg, then in the
crumbs, and fry them in hot lard. They should be
brown on both sides.
69. Cut some veal in thin slices, season it and
fry it of a nice brown. Have ready some tomatoes
which have been stewed very dry; pass them through
a sieve to take out the seeds. Then put them into
the pan in which the meat has been fried and add
butter enough to make a rich gravy. Pour them
hot over the veal and serve it.
Beef is excellent cooked in the same way.
70. Cut the meat in thin slices, pound and wash
them. Season with pepper and salt, and fry them
in hot lard, of a nice brown, on both sides. When
the meat is done stir a little flour into the fat and
pour in some water; set the pan over the fire, let
it boil once, then pour it over the veal, and send it
to the table.
71. Take some of the thick part of a cold loin
of veal, cut it in small pieces, and pour over as
much hot spiced vinegar as will cover it.
To half a pint of vinegar put a tea spoonful of
allspice, a very little mace, salt and cayenne pepper
to the taste.
72. Parboil them in salt and water; when done,
take them up and dry them in a cloth. With a
sharp knife, cut them in half, season them with
pepper and salt, and flour them, fry them in hot
lard, of a light brown. Or they may be fried as
oysters, with egg and bread crumbs, or grated
crackers.
73. Put them on in very little water with some
salt, when they have cooked slowly for half an
hour, take them out. Cut them in small pieces,
and return them to the liquor they were boiled in.
Make a rich gravy of butter rolled in flour, and
pepper and salt to the taste. Mace and nutmeg
may be added if preferred.
74. Wash and dry them, and rub them with
dry flour and a little salt, then put them in a stew-pan,
with water sufficient to keep them from burning.
When they are tender, put them in a dish
and pour over a rich drawn butter.
75. Boil them as directed for fried calves' feet
in the following receipt, and save the liquor they
were boiled in. When cold, cut them in pieces, and
put them in a jar; take equal portions of the liquor
they were boiled in, and good sharp vinegar; to
every pint of this mixture add a tea spoonful of
allspice crushed, two or three blades of mace, and
salt and cayenne pepper to the taste. Heat the
vinegar, liquor, and spices together, and pour it
hot over the feet.
This makes a good dish for tea or breakfast.
76. Boil them in very little water, with some
salt. There should be no more water than barely
sufficient to cook them. When they are tender,
cut them in half, and place them on a dish to get
cold. Save the liquor they were boiled in. When
they are to be fried season them with pepper and
salt, dredge flour over them and fry them in hot
lard or butter.
They should be of a handsome brown on both
sides when done. Put some of the liquor they were
boiled in, in the pan, and make a rich gravy with
some pieces of butter rolled in flour. Pour this
over the fried feet, and send them to the table.
77. Cut the liver in thin slices and lay them in
salt and water for several hours, to draw out all
the blood. Then season them with pepper and salt,
and fry them in hot lard. When they are done,
thicken the gravy with a little flour, and add a
little water. Let it boil once, pour it over the liver,
and serve it.
It should be fried slowly, or it will be brown on
the outside before it is done through. Some prefer
the liver fried without any gravy made for it. In
that case, lay the slices on the dish and serve.
It may be broiled and buttered.
78. Wash them and put them on to boil in
water enough to cover them, with a little salt.
When they are quite tender, drain them, put them
on a dish, and pour over them a rich drawn butter.
79. Cut deep incisions round the bone and in
the flesh; make a dressing of bread crumbs, salt,
pepper, sweet marjoram, or summer savory, and as
much butter as will make the crumbs adhere together.
Fill all the incisions with the dressing,
season the meat with salt and pepper, put it on the
spit and roast it before a clear fire; when nearly
done dredge flour over and baste it with the gravy.
Skim the fat off the gravy, and add a little flour,
mixed with water; let it boil once, and serve it in
a gravy boat.
80. Trim off all the loose fat, cut off the shank,
wash and wipe it dry; dredge it with flour and tie
it in a clean cloth; put it in boiling water enough
to cover it. The water should be salted in the
proportion of two tea spoonsful of salt to a quart of
water. Let it boil from two to three hours according
to its size. Serve it with drawn butter or rich
parsley sauce, which ever may be preferred, and
vegetables of any kind which may be in season.
81. This is a French dish. Peel some onions,
cut them in slices, and put them in your stew-pan;
cut off the ends of the chops, pound them, and lay
them in with the onions and some pepper and salt.
Put in as much water as will cook them; let them
stew slowly till they are tender, then add a piece
of butter rolled in flour to thicken the gravy.
82. Hang a leg of mutton and let it freeze.
Then cut from it slices about a quarter of an inch
thick, cook them at the table in a chafing dish with
butter and currant jelly, and salt and pepper to the
taste.
83. Trim your mutton chops, take off the loose
fat, and heat your gridiron; grease the bars, put on
the chops over clear coals, turn them frequently,
and when done put them in a dish, butter them
well and season with pepper and salt.
They may be served with slices of lemon.
84. Wash the chops, wipe them dry, grease the
bars of your gridiron, and broil them over hot
coals. When they are done lay them on a dish
and season them with pepper and salt, and baste
them with butter; peel and slice lemons, lay a slice
on each chop and send them to the table.
This is the French method of serving them.
85. Take a nice middle piece of young pork,
separate the joints and crack the bones across the
middle, but do not break the skin, score it parallel
with the ribs, wash it, put it on the spit, with a
little water in the bottom of the roaster, and to five
pounds of pork rub in well two tea spoonsful and
a half of salt, two tea spoonsful of sage and one of
cayenne pepper. Put no flour on it nor baste it
while cooking, as it softens the skin and makes it
tough. Pour the gravy into a pan, skim off a part
of the fat, stir in a little flour mixed with cold
water, add some water and let it boil once, then
serve it in a gravy tureen. If it should not be sufficiently
seasoned, add a little more pepper or salt,
as it may require.
Apple sauce is always served with roast pork.
86. Prepare the pig by cutting off the feet,
scraping and cleansing the head and ears, cutting
out the tongue and eyes, and cleaning the throat.
Wash it perfectly clean and wipe it dry. Make a
dressing of bread crumbs, some onions finely chopped,
with salt, pepper, and sweet marjoram to the
taste, also butter enough to make the crumbs adhere
together. Any spice may be added, and the
grating of a lemon, but many prefer the dressing
without spice.
Rub the pig thoroughly inside with salt, cayenne
pepper, and powdered sage, then fill it with the
dressing and sew it up. Rub the outside with salt,
cayenne pepper and sage, put it on the spit and
place it before a clear, but not too hot a fire.
Have a piece of clean sponge tied on a stick, dip it
in melted butter, and as the skin dries moisten it.
A common sized pig takes from three to four hours
to roast. An excellent filling may be made of potatoes
boiled and mashed instead of the bread. If
potatoes are used the dressing will require more
butter.
Roast pig is always served with haslet sauce.
For directions for making it see under the head of
Sauces. Apple sauce is also thought to be an indispensable
accompaniment to roast pig.
87. Make deep incisions in the meat parallel to
the bone; trim it so as to leave the skin longer
than the flesh; then boil some potatoes, when they
are done mash them with a piece of butter, cayenne
pepper, salt, and an onion finely chopped and a little
rubbed sage. With this dressing fill the incisions,
draw the skin down and skewer it over to keep the
dressing from falling out; season the outside of the
meat with salt, cayenne pepper, and rubbed sage;
roast it slowly; when it is done pour the gravy in a
pan, skim off the fat, and add a little flour mixed
with water; let it boil once. Serve it with apple
or cranberry sauce. Some prefer a dressing made
of bread crumbs instead of potatoes.
88. Cut the steaks in thin slices, season them
with cayenne pepper, salt, and rubbed sage. They
may be broiled and buttered, or fried in hot lard,
with a gravy thickened with a little flour and
poured over them.
89. Mix salt and sugar together, in the proportion
of a table spoonful of salt to one tea spoonful of
sugar; with this mixture rub your meat all over
well, let it stand three days, and turn it every day.
Have boiling water enough to cover it, put in the
meat, and if the water should boil away put more
in; when it is tender, serve it with tomatoes, cabbage,
turnips, or any vegetables in season.
90. Crack the ribs across, separate the joints,
wash it and season it with cayenne pepper, salt, and
rubbed sage; put it on the spit and cook it slowly
till it is done. This is served without gravy.
Or, it may be prepared in the same manner and
broiled on the gridiron.
91. After they have been well scalded and
cleaned, wash them, and put them on to boil in a
sufficiency of water to cover them, with two tea
spoonsful of salt to a quart of water. Let them
boil till the bones are all loose and the flesh nearly
ready to fall to pieces. Take them out and lay
them on a dish to get cold, and save the liquor they
were boiled in; mix equal portions of the liquor and
good sharp vinegar, with whole allspice, a few
cloves, pepper and salt to the taste. Heat the
vinegar and spice, and pour it over them. They may
be sent to the table cold, or they may be heated
with a portion of the vinegar.
The feet may be boiled as for the souse, and
when cold, cut in half, dredged with flour, and fried
brown.
92. This is generally made of the head, feet,
and any pieces which may be left after having made
sausage meat.
Scrape and wash well all the pieces designed for
the scrapple, put them in a pot with just as much
water as will cover them. Add a little salt, and
let them boil slowly till the flesh is perfectly soft,
and the bones loose. Take all the meat out of the
pot, pick out the bones, cut it up fine, and return
it to the liquor in the pot. Season it with pepper,
salt, and rubbed sage, to the taste. Set the pot
over the fire, and just before it begins to boil, stir
in gradually as much Indian meal as will make it
as thick as thick mush. Let it boil a few minutes,
take it off, and pour it in pans. When cold, cut it
in slices, flour it, and fry it in hot lard, or sausage
fat.
Some prefer buckwheat meal; this is added in
the same manner as the Indian. Indian meal is preferable,
as it is not so solid as buckwheat.
Sweet marjoram may be added with the sage, if
preferred.
93. Clean a pig's head nicely, wash it well, and
boil it in very little water, with some salt. Let it
boil until the bones fall from the flesh. Then take
it up, pick out all the bones, and with a wooden
spoon mash it up well, and return it to the water
it was boiled in. Add red and black pepper, rubbed
sage and sweet marjoram to the taste. Boil
the whole down till it is quite thick and nearly dry;
then pour it in pans or forms, smooth it over the
top with the back of a spoon, and stand it away to
get cold. Cut it in slices and send it to the table.
Some prefer spice in hogs-head cheese; in that
case, add a small quantity of ground cloves and
mace.
94. Wash and scrape your ham; if it is not
very salt it need not be soaked; if old and dry, let
it soak twelve hours in lukewarm water, which
should be changed several times. Put it in a large
vessel filled with cold water. Let it simmer, but
be careful not to let it boil, as it hardens and
toughens the meat. Allow twenty minutes to cook
each pound of meat.
When it is done, take it out of the water, strip
off the skin, and serve it. Twist scalloped letter
paper round the shank, or ornament it with sprigs
of green parsley neatly twisted round it. If it is
not to be eaten whilst hot, as soon as it is taken
from the pot, set it away to get cold, then skin it,
by which means you preserve all the juices of the
meat. It may be garnished as above, or, if you
choose, you may glaze it; the receipt for which
see under its proper head.
95. Beat the yelks of two eggs very light, cover
your ham all over with the beaten egg, then sift
over some grated cracker, and set the ham in the
oven to brown the glazing.
96. Twenty-five pounds of pork,
Half a pint of salt,
One gill of rubbed sage,
Half a gill of black pepper,
One table spoonful of cayenne pepper.
97. Put your venison on a spit before a clear,
steady fire, cover it with some thick paper to keep
it from burning, and place it at a sufficient distance
from the fire, that it may not brown too soon. The
paper may be fastened on by sticking through it
two or three large darning needles. Turn the spit
frequently, and baste the meat with butter. Venison
is very unpalatable if too much cooked; about
two hours will be sufficient. It should never be
roasted unless it is fat. A gravy may be made of
the trimmings of the haunch stewed in very little
water, to which add the drippings from the meat,
season with pepper and salt, and thicken with butter
rolled in flour.
Some baste with melted butter and wine mixed
together. Serve with currant jelly.
98. Cut your venison in slices, pound it, and
having heated your gridiron, grease the bars and
place the meat on it. Broil the venison very quickly
over clear coals, and as soon as it is done put it on
a dish, season with pepper and salt and plenty of
butter. Send it to the table immediately. Serve
it with currant jelly. The plates should be warm.
99. Cut your venison in rather thin slices, pound
them, lay them on a dish, and send them to the
table.
Have a chafing-dish on the table, lay some of
the slices of venison in the pan of the chafing-dish,
throw on a little salt, but not so much as for other
meat, a lump of butter, and some currant jelly, put
the cover on the dish, let it remain a minute or two,
take off the cover, turn the slices of meat, place it
on again, and in two or three minutes more the
venison will be sufficiently cooked. Each person
at the table adds pepper to suit the taste. Some
prefer venison cooked without currant jelly.
100. Cut off the head, open and wash it clean,
and fill it with a dressing made of bread crumbs,
some onions finely chopped, pepper, salt, a little
powdered mace, and as much butter as will cause
the crumbs to adhere together; sew the rabbit up
after the dressing is in, put it on a spit before the
fire, and baste it with butter, whilst it is roasting.
Or it may be put in a pan with a little water, and
baked.
Make a gravy of a gill of water, an ounce of
butter, an onion finely chopped, pepper, salt and
mace to the taste.
Wine may be added, if preferred.
101. Cut a rabbit in pieces, wash it, and season
it with salt and pepper. Nearly cover it with cold
water, and stew it till it is tender, then add three
ounces of butter rolled in flour. If it should not
be seasoned sufficiently, add more pepper, as rabbits
require more seasoning than many other kinds
of meat.
Make a paste, butter your pie dish, and line the
sides. Place the pieces of rabbit in the dish, and
add just enough of the gravy to keep it from burning,
then cover it with a lid of paste, leave an
opening on the top, which may be ornamented with
strips of paste, and bake it. It should be served
in the dish it is baked in. Keep the remainder of
the gravy hot, but do not let it boil or simmer,
serve it in a gravy boat, or fill the pie with the
gravy just before it is sent to the table.
102. Cut a rabbit in small pieces, season it
highly with salt and pepper. Make a paste, line the
sides of a pot with the crust, then put in the rabbit,
with three ounces of butter cut up and rolled
in flour. Roll out some of the dough, cut it in
pieces about three inches square, and lay it in with
the pieces of rabbit; pour in as much water as will
cover it, roll out a sheet of paste and place on the
top, leaving an opening in the centre. Cover the
pot with the lid, and let it cook slowly till the rabbit
is done.
If when your pie is nearly done, the gravy should
not be thick enough, add a few more pieces of butter
rolled in flour.
When the pie is done put the top or soft crust at
the bottom of the dish, lay the rabbit on it, then
place the brown crust on the top with the brown
side up. Serve the gravy in a gravy boat.
103. Cut a rabbit in pieces, wash it, and put it
in a stew-pan with salt, pepper, a little mace, and
a quarter of a tea spoonful of ground allspice; put
in water enough to keep it from sticking to the
pan; cover it closely and let it stew very slowly.
When about half done add a quarter of a pound of
butter, cut in pieces, and rolled in flour, and half a
pint of claret wine. If the meat should not be seasoned
enough, add more salt, pepper or spice.
Rabbit requires a great deal of seasoning, especially
pepper.
Serve it hot. This dish is much esteemed by
many Americans.
104. Cut your rabbit in pieces, wash it and put
it in a stew-pan with three gills of water, season it
with salt, and very highly with pepper, a little
mace, and powdered cloves; let it stew very slowly,
and when nearly done add three ounces of butter
rolled in flour. If you wish a brown fricassee the
flour should be browned before it is rolled with the
butter; if it is to be a white fricassee, after you stir
in the flour and butter add a gill of cream.
105. Clean a rabbit, cut off the head, wash it
well, and skewer it as if for roasting. Put it in a
stew-pan with half a pint of water, some pepper,
salt, mace, and cloves, and let it simmer very
slowly; keep the stew-pan covered in order to retain
the steam. When half done add a quarter of
a pound of butter rolled in flour. If the water
should stew away too much a little more may be
added. Peel some onions and boil them till they
are tender, drain and chop them fine, season with
salt, pepper and butter to the taste. When the
rabbit is done place it upon the dish it is to be served
in, then put the onions into the gravy and give them
one boil, pour them over the rabbit and serve hot.
106. Pick the pigeons, draw and wash them; dry
them on a clean napkin, rub them inside and outside
with pepper and salt; fill them with a dressing
of bread crumbs, pepper, salt, butter, and a little
onion finely minced; skewer them, or if you choose,
tie them round with tape; put them on the spit and
baste them frequently with butter. About twenty
minutes will cook them.
107. Cut the pigeons down the back, clean
them, cut them in four pieces, and wash and wipe
them dry. Put them in a stew-pan, and for each
pair of pigeons roll an ounce of butter in a little
flour, add some pepper and salt, and water enough
just to cover them; stew them till they are tender.
If the gravy should not be thick enough add a little
more flour.
Pigeons are prepared in the same way for pies.
108. Young pigeons or squabs are the nicest
for broiling. Cut them down the back, clean them
nicely, wash them and dry them on a clean napkin.
Have ready a bed of clear coals, heat your gridiron,
grease the bars to prevent the pigeons from
sticking, and place them over the fire; turn them
frequently, and be careful not to let the legs and
wings burn. When they are done put them on a
dish, season them with pepper and salt, and baste
them well with butter on both sides.
109. This is made in the same manner as
chicken pie.
110. Pick the birds, and cut and clean them
like chickens. Make a force meat of cold veal,
finely chopped with a little grated ham, some powdered
nutmeg and mace, and a very small portion
of cloves; season the birds inside with pepper and
salt, fill them with the dressing, rub them on the
outside with pepper and salt, tie the legs down with
a piece of thread, which must be cut off when the
birds are dished. Place them in the stew-pan with
a piece of butter on each and a little flour; put a
little water in the bottom of the stew-pan to keep
them from burning, and cover them close; when
they are tender take them out, cut off the threads,
and if the gravy should not be thick enough, add
some butter rolled in flour. Pour the gravy over
them and serve them hot.
111. Pick and singe them, and with a pair of
scissors cut them down the back; or they may be
drawn in the same way as chickens. Wash them
and dry them on a clean cloth; season with pepper
and salt, place a layer of birds at the bottom of
your stew-pan, dredge a little flour over them, and
add some lumps of butter; then put in another
layer of the birds, and so on till all are in. Pour
over them just enough water to keep them from
burning, cover the stew-pan and let the birds cook
slowly. When they are done take them up, and
if the gravy is not thick enough, add a little butter
rolled in flour, let it boil once and pour it over the
birds.
112. Pick your birds, and with a pair of scissors
cut and draw them as chickens. Wash them
clean and wipe them dry; make a dressing of bread
crumbs, pepper, salt and butter enough to make
the crumbs adhere together; chopped onion may
be added, with a small quantity of any kind of
sweet herb, finely powdered. Fill the birds with
this dressing, sew them up, put them on a spit, and
baste them with butter whilst they are roasting.
113. Cut your birds in half, wash them and
wipe them dry; season with pepper and salt. Line
the sides of your pie dish with paste, then place in
a layer of reed birds; over these dredge a little
flour and put some lumps of butter; then put in
another layer of birds, and flour, and butter, till
all are in. Put in enough water to make the gravy,
cover with a lid of paste, and bake in a moderate
oven. Leave an opening in the centre of the top
crust to let the steam escape.
114. Pick them, cut them down the back with
a pair of scissors, wash them and dry them in a
cloth, season with salt and pepper, dip each one
first into some yolk of egg well beaten, then into
bread crumbs or grated cracker, and fry them in
hot lard and butter mixed in equal portions.
The white of the egg should not be used, as the
bread or cracker crumbs will not adhere to the
flesh so well.
They may be dressed as above, and fried in the
hot lard and butter, without the egg and crumbs.
115. Draw your turkey and prepare it for roasting
in the same manner as chickens. Make a
dressing of bread crumbs, some onions finely
minced, pepper, salt, and a little sweet marjoram,
with enough butter to make the crumbs adhere together;
rub the inside of the turkey with pepper
and salt, fill it with this dressing, season the outside
with salt and pepper, truss it firmly, put it on
the spit, dredge some flour over it, and place it before
the fire; baste it with butter while it is cooking.
Clean the giblets, boil them in very little
water, with some salt. When the turkey is done
take it up, pour the liquor the giblets were boiled
in, into the gravy which fell from it, chop up the
liver and put it in with some butter rolled in flour
to thicken the gravy, and more pepper and salt.
Serve it hot, with the gravy in a small tureen. A
very good dressing may be made of potatoes boiled
and finely mashed with onion, pepper and salt, and
plenty of butter. Some fill the crop with bread
and the inside with potatoes.
116. Draw your turkey, wash it clean, season it
with salt, but no pepper. Make a force-meat of some
cold veal finely minced, a little grated ham, pepper
and salt to the taste; add also a little grated nutmeg
and powdered mace. Fill the crop of the
turkey with this force-meat, tie or skewer it well.
Dredge flour over it, and wrap it in a napkin. Put
it in a large pot with plenty of water which has
been salted. Let it boil for about two hours, which
will cook it sufficiently, unless it be a very large one.
Take it out of the napkin, place it on a large
dish, garnish the edges of the dish with double
parsley, and serve with a rich oyster sauce in a
tureen.
117. Clean your ducks nicely, wash them and
wipe them dry. Rub them inside with pepper and
salt, and fill them with a dressing made of crumbs
of bread, two or three onions finely minced, some
pepper, salt, and butter enough to make the crumbs
adhere. Some use beaten egg in the dressing, but
it makes it tough and heavy. After having filled
the ducks truss them and put them on the spit;
baste them with butter whilst they are roasting.
Wash the livers, first cut out the gall; with a
sharp knife open the gizzards by cutting an incision
round them, but not so deep as to cut the
inner skin; then with your fingers tear them open.
Pour boiling water on the feet and skin them; cut
off the toes, and crack the leg in half, wash all these,
and stew them in very little water, with pepper
and salt. When the ducks are done, add the liquor
the giblets were boiled in to the gravy, which has
dropped from them, and thicken it with a little
butter rolled in flour. Serve the liver on the dish
with the ducks.
118. Prepare the ducks as directed above, and
for the filling, mince two onions finely, add some
pepper, salt, and a table spoonful of powdered sage,
with an ounce of butter and some beaten egg.
Rub the inside of the ducks with pepper and salt,
put in the dressing, truss them, and put them on
the spit. For the gravy, proceed as directed above.
119. Clean your goose, wash it, and wipe it
dry, then season it with pepper and salt both inside
and out. Make a dressing of bread crumbs,
pepper, salt, butter, a little sweet marjoram, and
some onions finely minced. Fill the goose with
this dressing, truss it firmly, and put it on the spit.
Whilst it is roasting, baste it with butter, and be
careful not to let it burn.
Clean the giblets, put them on in a stew-pan, with
very little water, some salt and pepper, and boil them.
Add the liquor they were boiled in to the gravy
which dripped from the goose. Thicken it with some
butter rolled in flour, let it boil a few minutes; add
more pepper and salt, if necessary. Pour this
gravy in the boat, and serve it with the goose.
Some prefer a little sage added to the dressing in
place of the sweet marjoram.
A very good dressing for roast goose is to substitute
potatoes boiled and finely mashed instead
of the bread crumbs, then add the pepper, salt,
onions, and sweet marjoram as before.
120. Wash and clean your giblets, put them in
a stew-pan, season with pepper, salt, and a little
butter rolled in flour, cover them with water, stew
them till they are very tender. Line the sides of
your pie dish with paste, put in the giblets, and if
the gravy is not quite thick enough add a little
more butter rolled in flour. Let it boil once, pour
in the gravy, put on the top crust, leaving an
opening in the centre of it in the form of a square;
ornament this with leaves of the paste. Set the
pie in the oven, and when the crust is done take
it out.
121. Clean your chickens, wash them and wipe
them dry; season them inside with pepper and salt,
make a dressing of bread crumbs, some minced
onion, pepper, salt, and as much butter as will hold
the crumbs together. Fill your chickens with this
dressing, skewer them well and season them on the
outside with salt and pepper; put them on the spit,
dredge a little flour over, and baste them with butter
whilst they are roasting.
Boil the gizzards and livers in very little water,
take out the liver, chop it up fine, and add it to the
water it was boiled in, with a little salt; stir into
this all the gravy which dripped from the chickens,
and thicken it with some butter rolled in flour.
Partridges are roasted in the same way.
122. Cut your chickens in pieces, wash them,
and put them in a stew-pan with salt and pepper,
and water enough to nearly cover them. To each
one, rub one ounce of butter in flour, and add it to
the gravy when the chickens are done; let it boil a
few minutes. Make a rich paste, line the sides of
your pie dish, put in the chickens and half the
gravy, cover the pie with the paste; leave an opening
in the centre, and ornament the top with paste
cut in flowers, or bars twisted and laid across the
centre. When the crust is done take out the pie,
pour in the remainder of the gravy, and send it to
the table in the dish it is baked in. If all the gravy
is put in at once it will be apt to boil over the top
and disfigure the lid of the pie.
Partridge pies are made in the same manner.
123. Cut your chickens in pieces, wash them
and dry them in a clean napkin; season with salt
and pepper. Line the sides of the pot with paste,
put in the pieces of chicken, and between every
layer of chicken put a piece of butter rolled in flour,
with squares of the paste if you choose; pour in
enough cold water to cover it, and put on a lid of
the paste; leave an opening in the centre of the top
crust; cover the pot, place it in front of the fire
with a few coals under it. Turn the pot frequently
that the crust may be evenly browned all around.
When it is done, if the gravy should not be thick
enough, add a little more flour mixed with butter.
Dish it by putting the top crust on the sides of the
dish, lay the chicken in the centre, and place the
brown crust on the top. Serve the gravy in a
sauce boat.
124. Split them down the back, wash them
nicely and wipe them dry. Heat your gridiron,
grease the bars, and put your chickens over clear
coals. Broil them nicely, be careful not to burn the
legs and wings. When done season them with
pepper, salt, and a large piece of butter. Send
them to the table hot.
Partridges, pheasants and pigeons are broiled in
the same way.
125. Wash your chickens, cut them in pieces, season
them with pepper and salt. Have in a pan some
hot butter and lard mixed; dust some flour over
each piece, and fry them slowly till of a bright
brown on both sides; take them up, put a little
water in the pan, add some butter rolled in flour to
thicken the gravy, and more pepper and salt if required.
Young spring chickens are only suitable
for frying.
126. Clean and wash your chickens, put them
in a pot with boiling water enough to cover them;
if the water should boil away add more, as the
skin will be discolored if not covered with water.
Put enough salt in the water to season the chickens
sufficiently when they are done; tie some tape
around them to keep them in their proper shape;
when they are tender take them up and serve them
with rich egg sauce.
Boiled chickens are frequently stuffed with bread
crumbs, seasoned with pepper, salt, a little onion,
finely chopped, and some butter; fill the chickens
with this dressing, truss them and tie tape around
them to preserve their shape. But it is preferable
to boil chickens without the filling, as it soaks the
water and becomes very insipid.
127. One pair of large chickens,
Two tea spoonsful of salt,
One tea spoonful of pepper,
Eight tea spoonsful of flour,
One pint of water.
Cut up the chickens, separate the thighs from
the lower part of the leg, cut the breast in six
parts, cut the wings in two parts, and the back in
four pieces, put them into a stew-pan with the pepper,
salt and flour, stir all well together, and then
add the water. Let them stew till perfectly tender.
If the gravy should not be thick enough add
a little flour mixed with water. Fat chickens require
no butter, but early fall chickens would need
a quarter of a pound to make a rich gravy.
128. Cut your chicken in pieces, wash it and wipe
it dry; it must be young, an old one would not be
tender when cooked in this manner; season it with
pepper and salt. Put in your pan some lard or
beef dripping, let it get hot, dredge some flour over
your chicken and fry it of a handsome brown, turn
each piece so as to have both sides done alike.
Take the pieces out, put them on a dish, put a little
water in the pan with the gravy, and a piece of
butter rolled in brown flour to thicken it. Let it
boil once and pour it over the chicken.
129. Cut up a chicken in pieces, wash it, and
season with pepper and salt, put it in a stew-pan
with a little water, and let it stew till nearly done;
then add a tea cupful of cream and some butter
rolled in flour to thicken the gravy. If not sufficiently
seasoned, add more pepper or salt as may
be required. If the chicken is fat very little butter
is necessary. Mace or nutmeg may be added if
you like spice.
130. A pair of large fowls,
Four table spoonsful of mixed mustard, or
eight of French mustard—the French is preferable,
Half a pint of vinegar,
Half a pint of sweet oil,
The yelks of ten hard boiled eggs,
One tea spoonful of cayenne pepper,
One tea spoonful of salt,
Six large heads of celery.
Boil the fowls in water which has been salted,
and stand them away to cool. Take off the skin,
cut the meat in small pieces about a quarter of an
inch square, then cut the white part of the celery
in very small pieces, put it in a colander, place the
colander in a pan of cold water in order to keep
the celery crisp.
Boil the eggs till the yelks are hard, which will
take twenty minutes; mash the yelks with the oil
until they are smooth, then add the vinegar, mustard,
pepper and salt.
About fifteen minutes before the chicken salad is
to be sent to the table, drain the celery, mix it
thoroughly with the chicken, and then pour the
dressing over it. Stir it well.
Cold veal or turkey is very good dressed in this way.
This receipt may be relied on as being particularly
nice. No. 2 is not quite so rich.
131. One pair of chickens,
Eight eggs,
Half a pint of oil,
One gill of vinegar,
Mustard, pepper, and salt to the taste,
Six heads of celery.
Boil the chickens in water with a little salt
When cold cut the meat in small pieces about a
quarter of an inch square; cut the celery in small
pieces and lay it in water; boil the eggs twenty
minutes, take out the yelks, mash them fine with
the oil, add the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.
Drain the celery, mix it with the chicken, and stir
the mixture of egg, vinegar, oil, &c., well through
the chicken and celery.