Rump of Beef.
This is a very strong dish, and should be dressed as simply as fashion will at all admit of. Roast it till nearly half done, then put it into a very deep stewpan with three quarts (choppins) water, some spiceries, vegetables, sweet herbs, and a few onions; cover very close, and let it stew on a regular slow fire two hours and a half or more, according to its size. When ready, dish and cover it close, skim the fat from the gravy, thicken it with truffles and morels (or a little butter and flour, or rice), boil it all together and pour it over the rump. If you wish it highly seasoned add port wine, ketchup, vinegar, and spiceries to your taste, boil it up and pour over the meat; garnish with force meat balls.
A Fillet of Veal
Is done in like manner, and the flap is filled with a stuffing; garnish according to fancy.
Breast of Veal.
Stew it in a quart (choppin) of stock, with a little parsley, chives, pepper and salt, till very tender; dish the veal and pour the gravy over. Or, while the veal is stewing, add a glass of sherry, some sweet herbs, a spoonful of mushroom powder, or a few mushrooms, with spiceries to your taste; dish the veal, strain the gravy and pour over it, garnish with stars of bacon ham, and slices of lemon.
Neck or Knuckle of Veal,
Is done in the same manner.
Neat’s Tongue.
Lay it in salt and water two hours, wash it well and boil it till the skin will peel off; skin, and then return it to its own liquor, with a large spoonful of mixed spices tied in a thin muslin bag; if the liquor is too much wasted fill it up with some good stock, a glass of white wine, a bunch of sweet herbs, or a carrot and turnip. When the tongue is quite tender dish and cover it close, strain the sauce, and, if you chuse, thicken it with a little flour and butter, add salt to your taste; pour it over the tongue and serve it.
Scots Collop.
Cut the beef in small slices, dust them with flour and pepper; brown a bit of butter in a saucepan, add a little boiling water, put in the beef and give it a gentle brown on both sides, also put in six middling sized onions. Observe that the beef does not stick to the pan, add a little more water and shut it close; let it stew till strong and rich, lift the collops and pour the gravy over; lay the onions round in the dish; or, if the collop is preferred high seasoned, stew mixed spices with it; strain the gravy, and add ketchup before it is dished.
Fowls.
Truss the fowl as for boiling with a good spoonful of pepper and salt in its belly, put it in a pot or stewpan with a pint of stock, or boiling water, and two onions; ten minutes before it is ready throw in a handful of chopt parsley and chives, dish the fowl and pour the a gravy over.
Or,
Add, to the fowl and gravy, a quantity of mixed spices in a bag, a sprig of thyme, some celery and mushrooms; dish, and cover the fowl, strain, (and if you chuse thicken the sauce), let it boil a short time, pour it over the fowl in the dish and serve it hot. Or, you may brown a bit of butter, give the fowl a few turns in it till coloured a little, then add the stock or water, &c.
Pigeons.
Make a rich stuffing with spices, sweet herbs, crumbs of bread, and an egg; stuff and close them at top and bottom, and stew them as above directed for fowls. Or, half roast and then stew them ten minutes in a very rich gravy.
Partridges
Are done much in the same way; only, being very dry birds, require a piece of butter and pepper put into their bellies, and to be well larded on the outsides; prepare a high seasoned gravy and stew them twenty-five minutes; garnish with artichoke bottoms boiled and quartered.
Ox Palates.
Boil them till the hard skin will peel easily off; if you wish them kept white, boil in equal parts of milk and water, skin and cut them in pieces an inch in breadth; prepare a rich well seasoned veal stock, simmer the palates in it till very tender, add salt, Cayenne pepper, wine, mushroom powder, and a little cream if you chuse; but the palates will be good without them; serve them hot.
Or,
If you have no wish to keep them white, have a beef stock, or brown gravy, prepared for them; a few young mushrooms stewed in the gravy is a great improvement, and may be served in the dish or not as you please.
Veal Cutlet.
First make a pint or more of rich gravy, either of fowl or beef, pretty highly seasoned with what spiceries suits your taste, and a clove or two of garlic, or a few small onions; cut the slices of veal from the neck or loin, beat them well, but not to disfigure them; have a bit of fine butter made a delicate brown, dip the slices into a pancake-batter and fry them a good colour; strain and add the gravy with a handful of minced parsley. See that no part of the veal sticks to the bottom of the pan; shut it up, let it stew ten minutes, add a little mushroom ketchup or powder, and stir all gently immediately before you dish.
Kidney Collops.
Take a piece of good veal or mutton, a teaspoonful of whole black and Jamaica pepper, boil it till the meat is gone to rags, then strain it through a hair sieve; have the kidneys nicely washed and skinned; they may be either cut in rings or chopped small; put them to the liquor over a slow fire, with a few small onions, or a head of garlic; stew till it is rich and good, and the kidneys tender; some put in a stalk of lemon thyme, and an anchovy or two, which are taken out before the collop is dished; if you are fond of spiceries a little Cayenne pepper may be added and a large spoonful of mushroom ketchup, before serving.
Minced Collops.
Take a piece of good fat beef and mince it very fine; be sure the meat is fresh. Take a small piece of veal with some white pepper and allspice, a few shalots or small onions, boil all together till the gravy is rich, strain it through a sieve, put two gills into a stew pan, when it boils put in the beef; continue all the time chopping with a sharp spoon to prevent its adhering together in lumps. If the collop is not made of fat meat it will never be good, as suet added to lean beef has not the same effect; you may make it thinner by adding more stock as you incline; before it is taken off add a spoonful of ketchup.
Fish.
Carp, Tench, and Soles.
Scale and clean the fish, wash the inside of the breast with vinegar, hang them up by the tails an hour to drip, wipe them dry, flour and fry them a pretty light brown in fresh dripping; have a stewpan ready with a sauce made with wine and water, Cayenne, cloves, onions, a few anchovies, a spoonful mushroom powder, a little salt and lemon juice; lay the fish in the dish they are to be served in, strain the sauce, and if it requires, thicken with a little butter and flour, make it boil and pour over the fish; garnish with fried bread, the roe, horseraddish and lemon; or according to fancy.
Pike and Cod
Dressed in the same way eat well.
Lampreys and Eels.
Skin, clean, and dry the fish well, put them in a stewpan with a rich gravy, mixed spiceries, and a bit of lemon peel; stew till tender, take out the fish, keep them hot while you strain the sauce, add a glass of wine and thicken with the yolk of an egg, pour it boiling hot over the fish and serve them.
Soles, Plaice, and Flounders.
Fin, gut, and lay the fish an hour in salt and water, drip and dry them well, half fry them in fresh lard, or butter; take them out and make a rich sauce for them; stew them gently in it fifteen minutes, dish and serve them with anchovy or oyster sauce.
Oysters.
Open and make them perfectly clean, prepare a sauce for them with their liquor, a bit of butter, a little flour, a good grate of nutmeg, some white pepper, a piece of lemon peel, or grate, with any other seasoning you please; when this sauce is rich to your taste, put in your fish and stew them very gently a few minutes.
Hashing and Mincing.
Meat that is underdone answers best for this purpose, and is occasionally used for side, corner, or supper dishes; minced meats are almost all dressed after the same manner; it is cut in thin small slices, or minced very fine, and half fried in fresh butter; it is then put to a good savoury stock, or well seasoned gravy, and stewed till all is rich and good, add sauces and spiceries according to taste. The following example will suffice.
Mutton to Imitate Venison.
Cut it in thin steaks, take out all the bone and skinny parts and draw a good gravy from them; to two gills of this add a glass of red wine, some lemon peel and a little juice, a bit of butter with the flour, a spoonful of ketchup, into which stew the mutton till tender; cold roast beef, mutton, or veal, may be done the same way.
Turkies, Veal, Fowls, or Rabbits.
Mince into small pieces either of the above that have been dressed, brown a piece of fresh butter with a little flour, some shalots or onion, pepper and salt; put in the minced meat and give all a shake over a slow fire a few minutes; prepare a pint (mutchkin) of good veal stock, with sauces and seasoning to your palate, strain and put it to the mince meat; stew all gently fifteen minutes, add ketchup and serve it; garnish with very small slices of bacon ham.
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