Book of Household Management — 010 - Recipes. Chapter 6. Part 3.

166. INGREDIENTS.

--4 lbs.

of shin of beef, 3 carrots, 2 turnips, a large sprig of thyme, 2 onions, 1 head of celery, salt and pepper to taste, 4 quarts water.

_Mode_.

--Take the beef, cut off all the meat from the bone, in nice square pieces, and boil the bone for 4 hours.

Strain the liquor, let it cool, and take off the fat; then put the pieces of meat in the cold liquor; cut small the carrots, turnips, and celery; chop the onions, add them with the thyme and seasoning, and simmer till the meat is tender.

If not brown enough, colour it with browning.

_Time_.

--6 hours.

_Average cost_, 5d.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Sufficient_ for 10 persons.

THYME.

--This sweet herb was known to the Romans, who made use of it in culinary preparations, as well as in aromatic liqueurs.

There are two species of it growing wild in Britain, but the garden thyme is a native of the south of Europe, and is more delicate in its perfume than the others.

Its young leaves give an agreeable flavour to soups and sauces; they are also used in stuffings.

CALF'S-HEAD SOUP.

167. INGREDIENTS.

--1/2 a calf's head, 1 onion stuck with cloves, a very small bunch of sweet herbs, 2 blades of mace, salt and white pepper to taste, 6 oz.

of rice-flour, 3 tablespoonfuls of ketchup, 3 quarts of white stock, No. 107, or pot-liquor, or water.

_Mode_.

--Rub the head with salt, soak it for 6 hours, and clean it thoroughly; put it in the stewpan, and cover it with the stock, or pot-liquor, or water, adding the onion and sweet herbs.

When well skimmed and boiled for 1-1/2 hour, take out the head, and skim and strain the soup.

Mix the rice-flour with the ketchup, thicken the soup with it, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Now cut up the head into pieces about two inches long, and simmer them in the soup till the meat and fat are quite tender.

Season with white pepper and mace finely pounded, and serve very hot.

When the calf's head is taken out of the soup, cover it up, or it will discolour.

_Time_.

--2-1/2 hours.

_Average cost_,1s.

9d.

per quart, with stock No. 107. _Seasonable_ from May to October.

_Sufficient_ for 10 persons.

_Note_.

--Force-meat balls can be added, and the soup may be flavoured with a little lemon-juice, or a glass of sherry or Madeira.

The bones from the head may be stewed down again, with a few fresh vegetables, and it will make a very good common stock.

GIBLET SOUP.

168. INGREDIENTS.

--3 sets of goose or duck giblets, 2 lbs.

of shin of beef, a few bones, 1 ox-tail, 2 mutton-shanks, 2 large onions, 2 carrots, 1 large faggot of herbs, salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 pint of cream, 1 oz.

of butter mixed with a dessert-spoonful of flour, 3 quarts of water.

_Mode_.

--Scald the giblets, cut the gizzards in 8 pieces, and put them in a stewpan with the beef, bones, ox-tail, mutton-shanks, onions, herbs, pepper, and salt; add the 3 quarts of water, and simmer till the giblets are tender, taking care to skim well.

When the giblets are done, take them out, put them in your tureen, strain the soup through a sieve, add the cream and butter, mixed with a dessert-spoonful of flour, boil it up a few minutes, and pour it over the giblets.

It can be flavoured with port wine and a little mushroom ketchup, instead of cream.

Add salt to taste.

_Time_.

--3 hours.

_Average cost_,9d.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Sufficient_ for 10 persons.

GRAVY SOUP.

169. INGREDIENTS.

--6 lbs.

of shin of beef, a knuckle of veal weighing 5 lbs.

, a few pieces or trimmings, 2 slices of nicely-flavoured lean, ham;

1/4 lb.

of butter, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 turnip, nearly a head of celery, 1 blade of mace, 6 cloves, a hunch of savoury herb with endive, seasoning of salt and pepper to taste, 3 lumps of sugar, 5 quarts of boiling soft water.

It can be flavoured with ketchup, Leamington sauce (_see_ SAUCES), Harvey's sauce, and a little soy.

_Mode_.

--Slightly brown the meat and ham in the butter, but do not let them burn.

When this is done, pour to it the water, and as the scum rises, take it off; when no more appears, add all the other ingredients, and let the soup simmer slowly by the fire for 6 hours without stirring it any more from the bottom; take it off, and let it settle; skim off all the fat you can, and pass it through a tammy.

When perfectly cold, you can remove all the fat, and leave the sediment untouched, which serves very nicely for thick gravies, hashes, &c. _Time_.

--7 hours.

_Average cost_, 1s.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Sufficient_ for 14 persons.

ENDIVE.

--This plant belongs to the acetarious tribe of vegetables, and is supposed to have originally come from China and Japan.

It was known to the ancients; but was not introduced to England till about the middle of the 16th century.

It is consumed in large quantities by the French, and in London,--in the neighbourhood of which it is grown in abundance;--it is greatly used as a winter salad, as well as in soups and stews.

HARE SOUP.

I.

170. INGREDIENTS.

--A hare fresh-killed, 1 lb.

of lean gravy-beef, a slice of ham, 1 carrot, 2 onions, a faggot of savoury herbs, 1/4 oz.

of whole black pepper, a little browned flour, 1/4 pint of port wine, the crumb of two French rolls, salt and cayenne to taste, 3 quarts of water.

_Mode_.

--Skin and paunch the hare, saving the liver and as much blood as possible.

Cut it in pieces, and put it in a stewpan with all the ingredients, and simmer gently for 8 hours.

This soup should be made the day before it is wanted.

Strain through a sieve, put the best parts of the hare in the soup, and serve.

OR,

II.

Proceed as above; but, instead of putting the joints of the hare in the soup, pick the meat from the bones, pound it in a mortar, and add it, with the crumb of two French rolls, to the soup.

Rub all through a sieve; heat slowly, but do not let it boil.

Send it to table immediately.

_Time_.

-8 hours.

_Average cost_, 1s.

9d.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ from September to February.

_Sufficient_ for 10 persons.

[Illustration: HARE.

] THE COMMON HARE.

--This little animal is found throughout Europe, and, indeed, in most of the northern parts of the world; and as it is destitute of natural weapons of defence, Providence has endowed it with an extraordinary amount of the passion of fear.

As if to awaken the vigilance of this passion, too, He has furnished it with long and tubular ears, in order that it may catch the remotest sounds; and with full, prominent eyes, which enable it to see, at one and the same time, both before and behind it.

The hare feeds in the evenings, and sleeps, in its form, during the day; and, as it generally lies on the ground, its feet, both below and above, are protected with a thick covering of hair.

Its flesh, though esteemed by the Romans, was forbidden by the Druids and by the earlier Britons.

It is now, though very dark and dry, and devoid of fat, much esteemed by Europeans, on account of the peculiarity of its flavour.

In purchasing this animal, it ought to be remembered that both hares and rabbits, when old, have their claws rugged and blunt, their haunches thick, and their ears dry and tough.

The ears of a young hare easily tear, and it has a narrow cleft in the lip;

whilst its claws are both smooth and sharp.

HESSIAN SOUP.

171. INGREDIENTS.

--Half an ox's head, 1 pint of split peas, 3 carrots, 6 turnips, 6 potatoes, 6 onions, 1 head of celery, 1 bunch of savoury herbs, pepper and salt to taste, 2 blades of mace, a little allspice, 4 cloves, the crumb of a French roll, 6 quarts of water.

_Mode_.

--Clean the head, rub it with salt and water, and soak it for 5 hours in warm water.

Simmer it in the water till tender, put it into a pan and let it cool; skim off all the fat; take out the head, and add the vegetables cut up small, and the peas which have been previously soaked; simmer them without the meat, till they are done enough to pulp through a sieve.

Add the seasoning, with pieces of the meat cut up; give one boil, and serve.

_Time_.

--4 hours.

_Average cost_, 6d.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ in winter.

_Sufficient_ for 16 persons.

_Note_.

--An excellent hash or _ragoût_ can be made by cutting up the nicest parts of the head, thickening and seasoning more highly a little of the soup, and adding a glass of port wine and 2 tablespoonfuls of ketchup.

MOCK TURTLE.

I.

172. INGREDIENTS.

--1/2 a calf's head, 1/4 lb.

of butter, 1/4 lb.

of lean ham, 2 tablespoonfuls of minced parsley, a little minced lemon thyme, sweet marjoram, basil, 2 onions, a few chopped mushrooms (when obtainable), 2 shallots, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1/4 bottle of Madeira or sherry, force-meat balls, cayenne, salt and mace to taste, the juice of 1 lemon and 1 Seville orange, 1 dessert-spoonful of pounded sugar, 3 quarts of best stock, No. 104. _Mode_.

--Scald the head with the skin on, remove the brain, tie the head up in a cloth, and let it boil for 1 hour.

Then take the meat from the bones, cut it into small square pieces, and throw them into cold water.

Now take the meat, put it into a stewpan, and cover with stock; let it boil gently for an hour, or rather more, if not quite tender, and set it on one side.

Melt the butter in another stewpan, and add the ham, cut small, with the herbs, parsley, onions, shallots, mushrooms, and nearly a pint of stock; let these simmer slowly for 2 hours, and then dredge in as much flour as will dry up the butter.

Fill up with the remainder of the stock, add the wine, let it stew gently for 10 minutes, rub it through a tammy, and put it to the calf's head; season with cayenne, and, if required, a little salt; add the juice of the orange and lemon;

and when liked, 1/4 teaspoonful of pounded mace, and the sugar.

Put in the force-meat balls, simmer 5 minutes, and serve very hot.

_Time_.

--4-1/2 hours.

_Average cost_, 3s.

6d.

per quart, or 2s.

6d.

without wine or force-meat balls.

_Seasonable_ in winter.

_Sufficient_ for 10 persons.

_Note_.

--The bones of the head should be well stewed in the liquor it was first boiled in, and will make good white stock, flavoured with vegetables, etc. II.

(_More Economical_.

) 173. INGREDIENTS.

--A knuckle of veal weighing 5 or 6 lbs.

, 2 cow-heels, 2 large onions stuck with cloves, 1 bunch of sweet herbs, 3 blades of mace, salt to taste, 12 peppercorns, 1 glass of sherry, 24 force-meat balls, a little lemon-juice, 4 quarts of water.

_Mode_.

--Put all the ingredients, except the force-meat balls and lemon-juice, in an earthen jar, and stew for 6 hours.

Do not open it till cold.

When wanted for use, skim off all the fat, and strain carefully; place it on the fire, cut up the meat into inch-and-a-half squares, put it, with the force-meat balls and lemon-juice, into the soup, and serve.

It can be flavoured with a tablespoonful of anchovy, or Harvey's sauce.

_Time_.

--6 hours.

_Average cost_,1s.

4d.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ in winter.

_Sufficient_ for 10 persons.

THE CALF--The flesh of this animal is called veal, and when young, that is, under two months old, yields a large quantity of soluble extract, and is, therefore, much employed for soups and broths.

The Essex farmers have obtained a celebrity for fattening calves better than any others in England, where they are plentifully supplied with milk, a thing impossible to be done in the immediate neighbourhood of London.

MARJORAM.

--There are several species of this plant; but that which is preferred for cookery is a native of Portugal, and is called sweet or knotted marjoram.

When its leaves are dried, they have an agreeable aromatic flavour; and hence are used for soups, stuffings, &c. BASIL.

--This is a native of the East Indies, and is highly aromatic, having a perfume greatly resembling that of cloves.

It is not much employed in English cookery, but is a favourite with French cooks, by whom its leaves are used in soups and salads.

MULLAGATAWNY SOUP.

174. INGREDIENTS.

--2 tablespoonfuls of curry powder, 6 onions, 1 clove of garlic, 1 oz.

of pounded almonds, a little lemon-pickle, or mango-juice, to taste; 1 fowl or rabbit, 4 slices of lean bacon; 2 quarts of medium stock, or, if wanted very good, best stock.

_Mode_.

-=Slice and fry the onions of a nice colour; line the stewpan with the bacon; cut up the rabbit or fowl into small joints, and slightly brown them; put in the fried onions, the garlic, and stock, and simmer gently till the meat is tender; skim very carefully, and when the meat is done, rub the curry powder to a smooth batter; add it to the soup with the almonds, which must be first pounded with a little of the stock.

Put in seasoning and lemon-pickle or mango-juice to taste, and serve boiled rice with it.

_Time_.

--2 hours.

_Average cost_, 1s.

6d.

per quart, with stock No. 105. _Seasonable_ in winter.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

_Note_.

--This soup can also be made with breast of veal, or calf's head.

Vegetable Mullagatawny is made with veal stock, by boiling and pulping chopped vegetable marrow, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes, and seasoning with curry powder and cayenne.

Nice pieces of meat, good curry powder, and strong stock, are necessary to make this soup good.

[Illustration: CORIANDER.

] CORIANDER.

--This plant, which largely enters into the composition of curry powder with turmeric, originally comes from the East; but it has long been cultivated in England, especially in Essex, where it is reared for the use of confectioners and druggists.

In private gardens, it is cultivated for the sake of its tender leaves, which are highly aromatic, and are employed in soups and salads.

Its seeds are used in large quantities for the purposes of distillation.

A GOOD MUTTON SOUP.

175. INGREDIENTS.

--A neck of mutton about 5 or 6 lbs.

, 3 carrots, 3 turnips, 2 onions, a large bunch of sweet herbs, including parsley; salt and pepper to taste; a little sherry, if liked; 3 quarts of water.

_Mode_.

--Lay the ingredients in a covered pan before the fire, and let them remain there the whole day, stirring occasionally.

The next day put the whole into a stewpan, and place it on a brisk fire.

When it commences to boil, take the pan off the fire, and put it on one side to simmer until the meat is done.

When ready for use, take out the meat, dish it up with carrots and turnips, and send it to table; strain the soup, let it cool, skim off all the fat, season and thicken it with a tablespoonful, or rather more, of arrowroot; flavour with a little sherry, simmer for 5 minutes, and serve.

_Time_.

--15 hours.

_Average cost_, including the meat, 1s.

3d.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

THE SHEEP.

--This animal formed the principal riches of the patriarchs, in the days of old, and, no doubt, multiplied, until its species were spread over the greater part of Western Asia;

but at what period it was introduced to Britain is not known.

It is now found in almost every part of the globe, although, as a domestic animal, it depends almost entirely upon man for its support.

Its value, however, amply repays him for whatever care and kindness he may bestow upon it; for, like the ox, there is scarcely a part of it that he cannot convert to some useful purpose.

The fleece, which serves it for a covering, is appropriated by man, to serve the same end to himself, whilst its skin is also applied to various purposes in civilized life.

Its entrails are used as strings for musical instruments, and its bones are calcined, and employed as tests in the trade of the refiner.

Its milk, being thicker than that of the cow, yields a greater quantity of butter and cheese, and its flesh is among the most wholesome and nutritive that can be eaten.

Thomson has beautifully described the appearance of the sheep, when bound to undergo the operation of being shorn of its wool.

"Behold, where bound, and of its robe bereft By needy man, that all-depending lord, How meek, how patient, the mild creature lies!

What softness in his melancholy face, What dumb complaining innocence appears!"

OX-CHEEK SOUP.

176. INGREDIENTS.

--An ox-cheek, 2 oz.

of butter, 3 or 4 slices of lean ham or bacon, 1 parsnip, 3 carrots, 2 onions, 3 heads of celery, 3 blades of mace, 4 cloves, a faggot of savoury herbs, 1 bay-leaf, a teaspoonful of salt, half that of pepper, 1 head of celery, browning, the crust of a French roll, 6 quarts of water.

_Mode_.

--Lay the ham in the bottom of the stewpan, with the butter;

break the bones of the cheek, wash it clean, and put it on the ham.

Cut the vegetables small, add them to the other ingredients, and set the whole over a slow fire for 1/4 of an hour.

Now put in the water, and simmer gently till it is reduced to 4 quarts; take out the fleshy part of the cheek, and strain the soup into a clean stewpan; thicken with flour, put in a head of sliced celery, and simmer till the celery is tender.

If not a good colour, use a little browning.

Cut the meat into small square pieces, pour the soup over, and serve with the crust of a French roll in the tureen.

A glass of sherry much improves this soup.

_Time_.

--3 to 4 hours.

_Average cost_, 8d.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ in winter.

_Sufficient_ for 12 persons.

THE OX.

--Of the quadrupedal animals, the flesh of those that feed upon herbs is the most wholesome and nutritious for human food.

In the early ages, the ox was used as a religious sacrifice, and, in the eyes of the Egyptians was deemed so sacred as to be worthy of exaltation to represent Taurus, one of the twelve signs of the zodiac.

To this day, the Hindoos venerate the cow, whose flesh is forbidden to be eaten, and whose fat, supposed to have been employed to grease the cartridges of the Indian army, was one of the proximate causes of the great Sepoy rebellion of 1857. There are no animals of greater use to man than the tribe to which the ox belongs.

There is hardly a part of them that does not enter into some of the arts and purposes of civilized life.

Of their horns are made combs, knife-handles, boxes, spoons, and drinking-cups.

They are also made into transparent plates for lanterns; an invention ascribed, in England, to King Alfred.

Glue is made from their gristles, cartilages, and portions of their hides.

Their bones often form a substitute for ivory; their skins, when calves, are manufactured into vellum; their blood is the basis of Prussian blue; their sinews furnish fine and strong threads, used by saddlers; their hair enters into various manufactures; their tallow is made into candles; their flesh is eaten, and the utility of the milk and cream of the cow is well known.

OX-TAIL SOUP.

177. INGREDIENTS.

--2 ox-tails, 2 slices of ham, 1 oz.

of butter, 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 3 onions, 1 leek, 1 head of celery, 1 bunch of savoury herbs, 1 bay-leaf, 12 whole peppercorns, 4 cloves, a tablespoonful of salt, 2 tablespoonfuls of ketchup, 1/2 glass of port wine, 3 quarts of water.

_Mode_.

--Cut up the tails, separating them at the joints; wash them, and put them in a stewpan, with the butter.

Cut the vegetables in slices, and add them, with the peppercorns and herbs.

Put in 1/2 pint of water, and stir it over a sharp fire till the juices are drawn.

Fill up the stewpan with the water, and, when boiling, add the salt.

Skim well, and simmer very gently for 4 hours, or until the tails are tender.

Take them out, skim and strain the soup, thicken with flour, and flavour with the ketchup and port wine.

Put back the tails, simmer for 5 minutes, and serve.

_Time_.

--4-1/2 hours.

_Average cost_, 1s.

3d.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ in winter.

_Sufficient_ for 10 persons.

PARTRIDGE SOUP.

178. INGREDIENTS.

--2 partridges, 3 slices of lean ham, 2 shred onions, 1 head of celery, 1 large carrot, and 1 turnip cut into any fanciful shapes, 1 small lump of sugar, 2 oz.

of butter, salt and pepper to taste, 2 quarts of stock No. 105, or common, No. 106. _Mode_.

--Cut the partridges into pieces, and braise them in the butter and ham until quite tender; then take out the legs, wings, and breast, and set them by.

Keep the backs and other trimmings in the braise, and add the onions and celery; any remains of cold game can be put in, and 3 pints of stock.

Simmer slowly for 1 hour, strain it, and skim the fat off as clean as possible; put in the pieces that were taken out, give it one boil, and skim again to have it quite clear, and add the sugar and seasoning.

Now simmer the cut carrot and turnip in 1 pint of stock; when quite tender, put them to the partridges, and serve.

_Time_.

--2 hours.

_Average cost_, 2s.

or 1s.

6d.

per quart.

_Seasonable_ from September to February.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

_Note_.

--The meat of the partridges may be pounded with the crumb of a French roll, and worked with the soup through a sieve.

Serve with stewed celery cut in slices, and put in the tureen.

THE PARTRIDGE.

--This is a timorous bird, being easily taken.

It became known to the Greeks and Romans, whose tables it helped to furnish with food.

Formerly, the Red was scarce in Italy, but its place was supplied by the White, which, at considerable expense, was frequently procured from the Alps.

The Athenians trained this bird for fighting, and Severus used to lighten the cares of royalty by witnessing the spirit of its combats.

The Greeks esteemed its leg most highly, and rejected the other portions as unfashionable to be eaten.

The Romans, however, ventured a little further, and ate the breast, whilst we consider the bird as wholly palatable.

It is an inhabitant of all the temperate countries of Europe, but, on account of the geniality of the climate, it abounds most in the Ukraine.