_Time_.--1-1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 10d. per lb.
_Sufficient_ for 3 persons.
_Seasonable_,--gra.s.s lamb, from Easter to Michaelmas.
THE LAMB AS A SACRIFICE.--The number of lambs consumed in sacrifices by the Hebrews must have been very considerable. Two lambs "of the first year" were appointed to be sacrificed daily for the morning and evening sacrifice; and a lamb served as a subst.i.tute for the first-born of unclean animals, such as the a.s.s, which could not be accepted as an offering to the Lord.
Every year, also, on the anniversary of the deliverance of the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, every family was ordered to sacrifice a lamb or kid, and to sprinkle some of its blood upon the door-posts, in commemoration of the judgment of G.o.d upon the Egyptians. It was to be eaten roasted, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, in haste, with the loins girded, the shoes on the feet, and the staff in the hand; and whatever remained until the morning was to be burnt. The sheep was also used in the numerous special, individual, and national sacrifices ordered by the Jewish law. On extraordinary occasions, vast quant.i.ties of sheep were sacrificed at once; thus Solomon, on the completion of the temple, offered "sheep and oxen that could not be told nor numbered for mult.i.tude."
STEWED BREAST OF LAMB.
745. INGREDIENTS.--1 breast of lamb, pepper and salt to taste, sufficient stock, No. 105, to cover it, 1 gla.s.s of sherry, thickening of b.u.t.ter and flour.
_Mode_.--Skin the lamb, cut it into pieces, and season them with pepper and salt; lay these in a stewpan, pour in sufficient stock or gravy to cover them, and stew very gently until tender, which will be in about 1-1/2 hour. Just before serving, thicken the sauce with a little b.u.t.ter and flour; add the sherry, give one boil, and pour it over the meat.
Green peas, or stewed mushrooms, may be strewed over the meat, and will be found a very great improvement.
_Time_.--1-1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 10d. per lb.
_Sufficient_ for 3 persons.
_Seasonable_,--gra.s.s lamb, from Easter to Michaelmas.
LAMB CHOPS.
746. INGREDIENTS.--Loin of lamb, pepper and salt to taste.
_Mode_.--Trim off the flap from a fine loin of lamb, aid cut it into chops about 3/4 inch in thickness. Have ready a bright clear fire; lay the chops on a gridiron, and broil them of a nice pale brown, turning them when required. Season them with pepper and salt; serve very hot and quickly, and garnish with crisped parsley, or place them on mashed potatoes. Asparagus, spinach, or peas are the favourite accompaniments to lamb chops.
_Time_.--About 8 or 10 minutes. _Average cost_, 1s. per lb.
_Sufficient_.--Allow 2 chops to each person.
_Seasonable_ from Easter to Michaelmas.
LAMB CUTLETS AND SPINACH (an Entree).
747. INGREDIENTS.--8 cutlets, egg and bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, a little clarified b.u.t.ter.
_Mode_.--Cut the cutlets from a neck of lamb, and shape them by cutting off the thick part of the chine-bone. Trim off most of the fat and all the skin, and sc.r.a.pe the top part of the bones quite clean. Brush the cutlets over with egg, sprinkle them with bread crumbs, and season with pepper and salt. Now dip them into clarified b.u.t.ter, sprinkle over a few more bread crumbs, and fry them over a sharp fire, turning them when required. Lay them before the fire to drain, and arrange them on a dish with spinach in the centre, which should be previously well boiled, drained, chopped, and seasoned.
_Time_.--About 7 or 8 minutes. _Average cost_, 10d. per lb.
_Sufficient_ for 4 persons.
_Seasonable_ from Easter to Michaelmas.
_Note_.--Peas, asparagus, or French beans, may be subst.i.tuted for the spinach; or lamb cutlets may be served with stewed cuc.u.mbers, Soubise sauce, &c. &c.
LAMB"S FRY.
748. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of lamb"s fry, 3 pints of water, egg and bread crumbs, 1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
_Mode_.--Boil the fry for 1/4 hour in the above proportion of water, take it out and dry it in a cloth; grate some bread down finely, mix with it a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and a high seasoning of pepper and salt. Brush the fry lightly over with the yolk of an egg, sprinkle over the bread crumbs, and fry for 5 minutes. Serve very hot on a napkin in a dish, and garnish with plenty of crisped parsley.
_Time_.-1 hour to simmer the fry, 5 minutes to fry it.
_Average cost_, 10d. per lb.
_Sufficient_ for 2 or 3 persons.
_Seasonable_ from Easter to Michaelmas.
HASHED LAMB AND BROILED BLADE-BONE.
749. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of a cold shoulder of lamb, pepper and salt to taste, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, about 1/2 pint of stock or gravy, 1 tablespoonful of shalot vinegar, 3 or 4 pickled gherkins.
_Mode_.--Take the blade-bone from the shoulder, and cut the meat into collops as neatly as possible. Season the bone with pepper and salt, pour a little oiled b.u.t.ter over it, and place it in the oven to warm through. Put the stock into a stewpan, add the ketchup and shalot vinegar, and lay in the pieces of lamb. Let these heat gradually through, but do not allow them to boil. Take the blade-bone out of the oven, and place it on a gridiron over a sharp fire to brown. Slice the gherkins, put them into the hash, and dish it with the blade-bone in the centre. It may be garnished with croutons or sippets of toasted bread.
_Time_.--Altogether 1/2 hour. _Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 4d.
_Seasonable_,--house lamb, from Christmas to March; gra.s.s lamb, from Easter to Michaelmas.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FORE-QUARTER OF LAMB.]
ROAST FORE-QUARTER OF LAMB.
750. INGREDIENTS.--Lamb, a little salt.
_Mode_.--To obtain the flavour of lamb in perfection, it should not be long kept; time to cool is all that it requires; and though the meat may be somewhat thready, the juices and flavour will be infinitely superior to that of lamb that has been killed 2 or 3 days. Make up the fire in good time, that it may be clear and brisk when the joint is put down.
Place it at a sufficient distance to prevent the fat from burning, and baste it constantly till the moment of serving. Lamb should be very _thoroughly_ done without being dried up, and not the slightest appearance of red gravy should be visible, as in roast mutton: this rule is applicable to all young white meats. Serve with a little gravy made in the dripping-pan, the same as for other roasts, and send to table with it a tureen of mint sauce, No. 469, and a fresh salad. A cut lemon, a small piece of fresh b.u.t.ter, and a little cayenne, should also be placed on the table, so that when the carver separates the shoulder from the ribs, they may be ready for his use; if, however, he should not be very expert, we would recommend that the cook should divide these joints nicely before coming to table.
_Time_.--Fore-quarter of lamb weighing 10 lbs., 1-3/4 to 2 hours.
_Average cost_, 10d. to 1s. per lb. _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons.
_Seasonable_,--gra.s.s lamb, from Easter to Michaelmas.
BOILED LEG OF LAMB A LA BECHAMEL.
751. INGREDIENTS.--Leg of lamb, Bechamel sauce, No. 367.
_Mode_.--Do not choose a very large joint, but one weighing about 5 lbs.
Have ready a saucepan of boiling water, into which plunge the lamb, and when it boils up again, draw it to the side of the fire, and let the water cool a little. Then stew very gently for about 1-1/4 hour, reckoning from the time that the water begins to simmer. Make some Bechamel by recipe No. 367, dish the lamb, pour the sauce over it, and garnish with tufts of boiled cauliflower or carrots. When liked, melted b.u.t.ter may be subst.i.tuted for the Bechamel: this is a more simple method, but not nearly so nice. Send to table with it some of the sauce in a tureen, and boiled cauliflowers or spinach, with whichever vegetable the dish is garnished.
_Time_.--1-1/4 hour after the water simmers.