The Indian Cookery Book by - (good fiction books to read txt) 📕

of the meat that is left from any one of the above dishes.

It is cut into small bits, and heated up with a little of the liquor

in which the cheek was boiled, seasoned with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and

a little vinegar, then put into a mould, and turned out when required

for use. It is used for supper or luncheon, and is eaten with mustard

and vinegar.

 

165.—Breasts of Mutton a la Ste. Menoult

 

Stew them with carrots, onions, and spices in gravy, and when done

drain them and take out the bones; flatten the meat between two

dishes, and when cold cut it into the form of cutlets or hearts; brush

them with the beaten yolk of an egg; roll them in grated bread, then

in clarified butter, and again in the grated bread. Bake them in an

oven till of a fine brown colour, and serve them with an Italian or

any other sauce.

 

166.—To Cure Mutton Ham

 

Cut a hind quarter of good mutton into the shape of a ham; pound one

ounce of saltpetre, with one pound of coarse salt and a quarter of a

pound of brown sugar; rub the ham well with this mixture, taking care

to stuff the hole of the shank well with salt and sugar, and let it

lie a fortnight, rubbing it well with the pickle every two or three

days; then take it out and press it with a weight for one day; smoke

it with sawdust for ten or fifteen days, or hang it to dry in the

kitchen. If the ham is to be boiled soon after it has been smoked,

soak it one hour; and if it has been smoked any length of time, it

will require to be soaked several hours. Put it on in cold water and

boil it gently for two hours. It is eaten cold at breakfast, luncheon,

or supper. A mutton ham is sometimes cured with the above quantity of

salt and sugar, with the addition of half an ounce of pepper, a

quarter of an ounce of cloves, and one nutmeg.

 

167.—Meat or Birds in Jelly

 

Clean the meat or the bird or birds; fully roast, bake, or stew in the

usual way.

 

Place the meat in the mould, or if birds, arrange them with their

breasts downwards; fill the mould quite full with the jelly, recipe

No. 329; set it to cool till the next day; then turn it on a dish,

breasts upwards. Garnish the dish with curled parsley, and some of the

jelly cut fine, and sprinkled about.

 

If the jelly be clear, it will form a handsome side-dish for dinner or

supper.

 

168.—Pigeons in Savoury Jelly

 

Bone six pigeons; remove the heads and feet, stuff with sausagemeat,

and roast; lay the pigeons in a mould with the breasts down; fill up

the mould with jelly, recipe No. 329; and when cold, turn out. Garnish

with parsley, and some of the jelly cut fine, and sprinkled round the

dish.

VEGETABLES

All vegetables should be boiled quickly, and, with the exception of

spinach, in an open vessel, skimming them carefully.

 

Herbs of all sorts should be gathered when in flower, and on a dry

day, and, being well cleaned from dust and dirt, tied up in small

bunches and dried before the fire. They may then be kept in paper bags

labelled; or rubbed to a powder, sifted, and put into bottles and

labelled.

 

169.—To Boil Potatoes

 

Wash and pare them, throwing them into cold water as they are pared;

put them into a saucepan, cover them with cold water, and throw in a

little salt; cover the saucepan closely, and let them boil quickly for

half an hour; pour off the water immediately, and set the pan by the

side of the fire to dry the potatoes.

 

170.—Another Way

 

Wash them very clean, put them on in cold water, cover the saucepan,

and let them boil quickly; as soon as the water boils pour it off, and

cover them with cold water; add a little salt, and when the water

boils pour it off instantly, when the potatoes will be sufficiently

done; dry them, and take off the skins before serving.

 

171.—To Broil Boiled Potatoes

 

After boiling potatoes not quite sufficiently to send to table, put

them on a gridiron over a clear fire, and turn them frequently till

they are of a nice brown colour all over; serve them hot; take care

they do not become too hard, as that spoils the flavour.

 

172.—To Brown Potatoes under Meat while Roasting

 

After being boiled, lay them on a dish, and place it in the

dripping-pan; baste them now and then with a little of the meat

dripping, and when one side is browned turn the other; they should all

be of an equal colour.

 

173.—Potato Ribbons

 

Wash four or five large potatoes, scrape them, and cut them into thin

strips round and round, keeping as nearly to one width as possible;

throw them into cold water as they are cut, and then fry them of a

light brown, in very hot or boiling beef dripping; strew over them a

little salt and pepper, and before serving, drain them upon a dish

turned up before the fire.

 

174.—To Boil Turnips

 

Wash, pare, and throw them into cold water; put them on in boiling

water with a little salt, and boil them from two hours to two and a

half; drain them in a colander, put them into a saucepan, and, mixing

in a bit of butter, with a beater mash them very smoothly; add half a

pint of milk, mix it well with the turnips, and make them quite hot

before serving. If they are to be served plain, dish them as soon as

the water is drained off.

 

175.—To Dress Young Turnips

 

Wash, peel, and boil them till tender in water with a little salt;

serve them with melted butter poured over them. Or,

 

They may be stewed in a pint of milk thickened with a bit of butter

rolled in flour, and seasoned with salt and pepper, and served with

the sauce.

 

176.—To Boil Spinach

 

Pick it very carefully, and wash it thoroughly two or three times in

plenty of cold water; then put it on in boiling water with a little

salt; let it boil nearly twenty minutes; put it into a colander, hold

it under the water-cock, and let the water run on it for a minute; put

it into a saucepan, beat it perfectly smooth with a beater or wooden

spoon, add a bit of butter and three tablespoonfuls of cream, mix it

well together, and make it hot before serving. When dished, it is

scored in squares with the back of a knife.

 

177.—Another Way

 

After being nicely picked and well washed, put it into a saucepan,

with no more water than adheres to it; add a little salt; cover the

pan closely, and boil it till tender, frequently shaking it; beat it

quite smooth, adding butter and cream, and make it quite hot. Spinach

may be served with poached eggs, or fried sausages laid on it.

 

When the spinach is bitter, it is preferable to boil it in water.

 

178.—To Boil Cauliflowers

 

Trim them neatly, and let them lie an hour or two in cold water; then

rinse them in fresh cold water, and put them with a very little salt

into boiling water; boil them twenty minutes, or half an hour if very

large. They may be boiled in milk and water, and require to be skimmed

with particular attention.

 

179.—To Boil French Beans

 

Cut off the stalk and string them; if not very young, cut them in

four, or into very thin slices; put them into water as they are done,

and put them on in boiling water, with a little salt, and let them

boil for half an hour. If they are old they will require a longer time

to boil. Melted butter in a sauce-tureen is served with them.

 

180.—To Boil Asparagus

 

Wash them well, scrape, and tie them up in small bundles; cut them all

even at the bottom, and as they are done put them into cold water; put

them on in boiling water, with a little salt, and let them boil twenty

or twenty-five minutes; take them up, lay them upon a slice of toasted

bread cut in four, and the crusts pared off, with the tops meeting in

the middle of the dish, and cut off the strings.

 

181.—Asparagus a la Francais

 

Boil it, and chop small the heads and tender parts of the stalks,

together with a boiled onion; add a little salt and pepper, and the

beaten yolk of an egg; heat it up. Serve it on sippets of toasted

bread, and pour over it a little melted batter.

 

182.—To Boil Brocoli

 

Wash it, cut off all the outside leaves and stalks, throw it into cold

water as it is trimmed, put it on in boiling water with a little salt,

and boil it for twenty-five minutes or half an hour. It is sometimes

served upon bits of toasted bread, and a little melted butter poured

round it.

 

183.—To Boil Artichokes

 

Cut off the stalks close to the bottom, wash them well, and let them

lie for some hours in cold water; put them on in boiling water with a

little salt in it, cover the pan closely, and boil them an hour and a

half. If they are old, and have not been freshly gathered, they will

take a longer time to boil. Melted butter is served with them in a

sauce-tureen.

 

184.—To Boil Young Green Cabbages

 

Wash and clean them well, put them on in boiling water with a little

salt in it, and let them boil quickly from three-quarters to nearly an

hour. Serve with melted butter.

 

185.—To Stew Cucumbers

 

Pare eight or ten large cucumbers, and cut them into thick slices;

flour them well, and fry them in butter; then put them into a saucepan

with a teacupful of gravy; season it highly with cayenne, salt,

mushroom catsup, and a little port wine. Let them stew for an hour,

and serve them hot.

 

186.—Another Way

 

Pare the cucumbers, and let them lie in vinegar and water with a

little salt in it; drain them, and put them into a saucepan with a

pint of gravy, a slice of lean ham, an onion stuck with one or two

cloves, and a bunch of parsley and thyme; let them stew, closely

covered, till tender. Take out the cucumbers, strain and thicken the

gravy with a piece of butter rolled in flour, boil it up, and pour it

over the cucumbers.

 

187.—To Stew Mushrooms

 

Clean them as for pickling, and, after washing them, put them into a

saucepan, with an anchovy, two cloves, some nutmeg sliced, mace, whole

pepper, and salt; let them stew in their own liquor till tender.

 

In this way they will keep for some time, and when required to be

dressed, pick out the spice, and to a dishful put two large

tablespoonfuls of white wine; add part of their own liquor, and let

them just boil; then stir in a bit of butter dredged with flour, and

two tablespoonfuls of cream.

 

188.—Another Way

 

For a good-sized dishful, take a pint of white stock; season it with

salt, pepper, and a little lemon pickle; thicken it with a bit of

butter rolled in flour; cleanse and peel the mushrooms, sprinkle them

with a very little salt, boil them for three or four minutes, put them

into the gravy