Take off the h.o.r.n.y parts of feet by dipping in hot water and pressing against them with a knife. Singe off hair, let soak in cold water for 24 hours, then pour on boiling water, sc.r.a.pe thoroughly, let stand in salt and water a few hours; before boiling wrap each foot in a clean white bandage, cord securely to keep skin from bursting, which causes the gelatine to escape in the water. Boil four hours. Leave in bandage until cold. If you wish to pickle them, put in a jar, add some of the boiling liquor, add enough vinegar to make a pleasant sour, add a few whole peppers. Very nice cold. If you want it hot, put some of the pickle and feet in frying pan. When boiling, thicken with flour and serve hot.--[Nina Gorton.
See that the feet are perfectly clean, the toes chopped off and every particle cleanly sc.r.a.ped, washed and wiped. Boil for three hours continually, or until every particle falls apart, drain from liquid, pick out all the bones, chop slightly, return to the liquid, add 1/2 cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, pepper, salt and a dash of nutmeg. (Do not have too much liquid.) Boil up once more and turn all out into a mold, press lightly, and cut cold.--[H. M. Gee.
Thoroughly clean the pig"s feet and knock off the h.o.r.n.y part with a hatchet. Pour boiling water over them twice and pour it off, then put them on to cook in plenty of water. Do not salt the water. Boil until very tender, then take out the feet, pack in a jar, sprinkle each layer with salt, whole pepper and whole cloves, and cover with equal portions of vinegar and the broth in which the feet were boiled. Put a plate over the top with a weight to keep the souse under the vinegar. If there remains any portion of the broth, strain it and let stand until cold, remove the fat and clarify the broth with a beaten white of egg. It will be then ready for blancmange or lemon jelly and is very delicate.
_Sc.r.a.pple._
Take hog"s tongue, heart, liver, all bones and refuse tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs (some use ears, snout and lights, I do not), soak all b.l.o.o.d.y pieces and wash them carefully, use also all clean skins, trimmed from lard. Put into a kettle and cover with water, boil until tender and bones drop loose, then cut in sausage cutter while hot, strain liquor in which it was boiled, and thicken with good corn mush meal, boil it well, stirring carefully to prevent scorching. This mush must be well cooked and quite stiff, so that a stick will stand in it. When no raw taste is left, stir in the chopped meat and season to taste with salt, pepper and herb, sage or sweet marjoram, or anything preferred. When the meat is thoroughly mixed all through the mush, and seasoning is satisfactory, dip out into pans of convenient size, to cool. Better lift off fire and stir carefully lest it scorch. When cold, serve in slices like cheese, or fry like mush (crisp both sides) for breakfast, serving it with nice tomato catsup. It tastes very much like fried oysters. Some prefer half buckwheat meal and half corn. To keep it, do not let it freeze, and if not covered with grease melt some lard and pour over, or it will mold. This ought to be sweet and good for a month or more in winter, but will crumble and fry soft if it freezes.--[Mrs. R. E. Griffith.
_Head Cheese._
Have the head split down the face, remove the skin, ears, eyes and brains, and cut off the snout; wash thoroughly and soak all day in cold salted water; change the water and soak over night, then put on to cook in cold water to cover. Skim carefully and when done so the bones will slip out, remove to a hot pan, take out every bone and bit of gristle, and chop the meat with a sharp knife as quickly as possible, to keep the fat from settling in it. For 6 lbs. meat allow 2 tablespoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, a little cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon clove and 2 tablespoons sage. Stir the meat and seasoning well together and put into a perforated mold or tie in a coa.r.s.e cloth, put a heavy weight on it and let it stand till cold and firm. The broth in which the meat was cooked may be used for pea soup, and the fat, if clarified, may be used for lard.--[R. W.
Cut the head up in suitable pieces to fit the receptacle you wish to boil it in, first cutting off all pieces that are not to be used. If too fat, cut off that, too, and put with the lard to be rendered. Take out the brains and lay them in a dish of cold water, then put the head on to boil till tender. Be sure to skim well. When it begins to boil, cook till the meat is ready to drop off the bones, then take up, remove all bones or gristle and grind or chop, not too fine; put in salt, pepper and cloves to taste, also sage if liked, mix all well together, heat it all together, and pour in a cloth, which is laid in a crock, tie it up tight and put on a weight, to press it. Next day remove the cloth and the head cheese is ready for the table. Skim the fat off the liquor the head was boiled in and set aside for future use. Heat the liquor to a boil and stir in nicely sifted corn meal. After salting, take up in crock and let it get cold, then cut off in slices and fry a nice brown. Nice for breakfast.--[Mrs. A.
Joseph.
_Pig"s Head._
English Brawn: Cut off the hearty cheek or jowl, and try it out for shortening. Saw the pig"s head up in small pieces, carefully removing the brains, snoot, eyes, jawbones or portions of teeth sockets. (It is surprising with saw and a keen, sharp-pointed knife how much of the unpleasant pieces of a pig"s head can be removed before it is consigned to the salt bath.) Soak all night in salt and water, drain in the morning and set over the fire to boil in slightly salted water. Place the tongue in whole also. When the flesh leaves the bone, take out and strip all into a wooden chopping bowl, reserving the tongue whole. Skin the tongue while warm. Chop the head pieces fine, add pepper, salt, powdered sage to suit taste. Pack all in a deep, narrow mold and press the tongue whole into the middle of the ma.s.s. Weight down and set away all night to cool. Keep this always in a cold place until all is used, and, as usual, use a sharp knife to slice.--[Aunt Ban.
_To Keep Hams and Shoulders._
We pack them for a few days with a sprinkle of dry salt, then lift and wipe dry (both barrel and meat), repack and cover with brine, which may be prepared thus: To 16 gals. brine (enough to carry an egg) placed in a kettle to boil add 1/4 lb. saltpeter, 3 pts. syrup mola.s.ses and a large shovel of hickory ashes tied in a clean saltbag or cloth; boil, skim and cool.--[Mrs. R. E. Griffith.
To prepare smoked ham for summer use: Slice the ham and cut off the rind.
Fill a spider nearly full, putting the fat pieces on top. Place in the oven and bake. When partly cooked, pack the slices of hot ham closely in a stone jar and pour the meat juice and fat over the top. Every time that any of the meat is taken out, a little of the lard should be heated and poured back into the jar to keep the meat fresh and good. Be very careful each time to completely cover the meat with lard.--[Marion Chandler.