720. INGREDIENTS.--About 1 lb. of underdone cold mutton, 2 lettuces, 1 pint of green peas, 5 or 6 green onions, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt to taste, 1/2 teacupful of water.
_Mode_.--Mince the mutton, and cut up the lettuces and onions in slices.
Put these in a stewpan, with all the ingredients except the peas, and let these simmer very gently for 3/4 hour, keeping them well stirred.
Boil the peas separately, mix these with the mutton, and serve very hot.
_Time_.--3/4 hour.
_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.
_Seasonable_ from the end of May to August.
IRISH STEW.
I.
721. INGREDIENTS.--3 lbs. of the loin or neck of mutton, 5 lbs. of potatoes, 5 large onions, pepper and salt to taste, rather more than 1 pint of water.
_Mode_.--Trim off some of the fat of the above quant.i.ty of loin or neck of mutton, and cut it into chops of a moderate thickness. Pare and halve the potatoes, and cut the onions into thick slices. Put a layer of potatoes at the bottom of a stewpan, then a layer of mutton and onions, and season with pepper and salt; proceed in this manner until the stewpan is full, taking care to have plenty of vegetables at the top.
Pour in the water, and let it stew very gently for 2-1/2 hours, keeping the lid of the stewpan closely shut the _whole_ time, and occasionally shaking it to prevent its burning.
_Time_.--2-1/2 hours.
_Average cost_, for this quant.i.ty, 2s. 8d.
_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.
_Seasonable_.--More suitable for a winter dish.
II.
722. INGREDIENTS.--2 or 3 lbs. of the breast of mutton, 1-1/2 pint of water, salt and pepper to taste, 4 lbs. of potatoes, 4 large onions.
_Mode_.--Put the mutton into a stewpan with the water and a little salt, and let it stew gently for an hour; cut the meat into small pieces, skim the fat from the gravy, and pare and slice the potatoes and onions. Put all the ingredients into the stewpan in layers, first a layer of vegetables, then one of meat, and sprinkle seasoning of pepper and salt between each layer; cover closely, and let the whole stew very gently for 1 hour of rather more, shaking it frequently to prevent its burning.
_Time_.--Rather more than 2 hours. _Average cost_, 1s, 6d.
_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.
_Seasonable_.--Suitable for a winter dish.
_Note_.--Irish stew may be prepared in the same manner as above, but baked in a jar instead of boiled. About 2 hours or rather more in a moderate oven will be sufficient time to bake it.
ITALIAN MUTTON CUTLETS.
723. INGREDIENTS.--About 3 lbs. of the neck of mutton, clarified b.u.t.ter, the yolk of 1 egg, 4 tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoonful of minced savoury herbs, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, 1 teaspoonful of minced shalot, 1 saltspoonful of finely-chopped lemon-peel; pepper, salt, and pounded mace to taste; flour, 1/2 pint of hot broth or water, 2 teaspoonfuls of Harvey"s sauce, 1 teaspoonful of soy, 2 teaspoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, 1 tablespoonful of port wine.
_Mode_.--Cut the mutton into nicely-shaped cutlets, flatten them, and trim off some of the fat, dip them in clarified b.u.t.ter, and then, into the beaten yolk of an egg. Mix well together bread crumbs, herbs, parsley, shalot, lemon-peel, and seasoning in the above proportion, and cover the cutlets with these ingredients. Melt some b.u.t.ter in a frying-pan, lay in the cutlets, and fry them a nice brown; take them, out, and keep them hot before the fire. Dredge some flour into the pan, and if there is not sufficient b.u.t.ter, add a little more; stir till it looks brown, then pour in the hot broth or water, and the remaining ingredients; give one boil, and pour round the cutlets. If the gravy should not be thick enough, add a little more flour. Mushrooms, when obtainable, are a great improvement to this dish, and when not in season, mushroom-powder may be subst.i.tuted for them.
_Time_.--10 minutes;--rather longer, should the cutlets be very thick.
_Average cost_, 2s. 9d.
_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
THE DOWNS.--The well-known substance chalk, which the chemist regards as a nearly pure carbonate of lime, and the microscopist as an aggregation of inconceivably minute sh.e.l.ls and corals, forms the sub-soil of the hilly districts of the south-east of England. The chalk-hills known as the South Downs start from the bold promontory of Beachy Head, traverse the county of Suss.e.x from east to west, and pa.s.s through Hampshire into Surrey. The North Downs extend from G.o.dalming, by G.o.dstone, into Kent, and terminate in the line of cliffs which stretches from Dover to Ramsgate. The Downs are clothed with short verdant turf; but the layer of soil which rests upon the chalk is too thin to support trees and shrubs. The hills have rounded summits, and their smooth, undulated outlines are unbroken save by the sepulchral monuments of the early inhabitants of the country. The coombes and furrows, which ramify and extend into deep valleys, appear like dried-up channels of streams and rivulets. From time immemorial, immense flocks of sheep have been reared on these downs. The herbage of these hills is remarkably nutritious; and whilst the natural healthiness of the climate, consequent on the dryness of the air and the moderate elevation of the land, is eminently favourable to rearing a superior race of sheep, the arable land in the immediate neighbourhood of the Downs affords the means of a supply of other food, when the natural produce of the hills fails. The mutton of the South-Down breed of sheep is highly valued for its delicate flavour, and the wool for its fineness; but the best specimens of this breed, when imported from England into the West Indies, become miserably lean in the course of a year or two, and their woolly fleece gives place to a covering of short, crisp, brownish hair.
BROILED KIDNEYS (a Breakfast or Supper Dish).
724. INGREDIENTS.--Sheep kidneys, pepper and salt to taste.
_Mode_.--Ascertain that the kidneys are fresh, and cut them open very evenly, lengthwise, down to the root, for should one half be thicker than the other, one would be underdone whilst the other would be dried, but do not separate them; skin them, and pa.s.s a skewer under the white part of each half to keep them flat, and broil over a nice clear fire, placing the inside downwards; turn them when done enough on one side, and cook them on the other. Remove the skewers, place the kidneys on a very hot dish, season with pepper and salt, and put a tiny piece of b.u.t.ter in the middle of each; serve very hot and quickly, and send very hot plates to table.
_Time_.--6 to 8 minutes.
_Average cost_, 1-1/2d. each.
_Sufficient_.--Allow 1 for each person.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
_Note_.--A prettier dish than the above may be made by serving the kidneys each on a piece of b.u.t.tered toast out in any fanciful shape. In this case a little lemon-juice will be found an improvement.
[Ill.u.s.tration: KIDNEYS.]
FRIED KIDNEYS.
725. INGREDIENTS.--Kidneys, b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt to taste.
_Mode_.--Cut the kidneys open without quite dividing them, remove the skin, and put a small piece of b.u.t.ter in the frying-pan. When the b.u.t.ter is melted, lay in the kidneys the flat side downwards, and fry them for 7 or 8 minutes, turning them when they are half-done. Serve on a piece of dry toast, season with pepper and salt, and put a small piece of b.u.t.ter in each kidney; pour the gravy from the pan over them, and serve very hot.
_Time_.--7 or 8 minutes.
_Average cost_, 1-1/2d. each.
_Sufficient_.--Allow 1 kidney to each person.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
ROAST HAUNCH OF MUTTON.
[Ill.u.s.tration: HAUNCH OF MUTTON.]
726. INGREDIENTS.--Haunch of mutton, a little salt, flour.