290. _Stewed Rump of Beef._--This is a very excellent and useful joint to be continually kept in a country-house, where you may be some distance from a butcher"s, as, when hung up in a cool larder, it keeps good for a considerable time, and you never feel at a loss should some friends call unawares: after a third of it has been removed for steaks, pies, or puddings, the remainder makes an excellent joint, roasted or braised like the ribs, or stewed as follows:
Cut it away from the bone, cut about twenty long pieces of fat bacon, which run through the flesh in a slanting direction; then chop up the bone, place it at the bottom of a large stewpan, with six cloves, three onions, one carrot, a turnip, and a head of celery; then lay in the rump (previously tying it up with string), which just cover with water, add a tablespoonful of salt and two burnt onions (if handy), place upon the fire, and, when boiling, stand it at the corner; let it simmer nearly four hours, keeping it skimmed; when done, pa.s.s part of the stock it was cooked in (keeping the beef hot in the remainder) through a hair sieve into a basin; in another stewpan have ready a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, melt it over the fire, add six ounces of flour, mix well together, stirring over the fire until becoming a little brownish; take off, and when nearly cold add two quarts of the stock, stir it over the fire until it boils; then have four carrots, four turnips (cut into small pieces with cutters), and forty b.u.t.ton onions peeled, put them into the sauce, when again boiling draw it to the corner, where let simmer until tender, keeping it skimmed; add a little powdered sugar and a bunch of parsley: if it should become too thick, add a little more of the stock; dress the beef upon a dish, sauce round and serve. Brown sauce may be used, and the gravy will make excellent soup.
291. _Salt Round of Beef._--This magnificent joint is, in general, too large for small families, but occasionally it may be used; the following is, therefore, the best method of cooking it: having folded the fat round it, and fastened it with skewers, tie round it, not too tight, some wide tape and a thin cloth, place it in a large stock-pot with plenty of cold water, set it upon a good fire, and when beginning to boil, draw it to the corner, where let it simmer until done; five hours will be enough for a large one of thirty to thirty-five pounds; when done, remove the cloth and tape, and dish it up, previously cutting a slice two inches thick from the top, pouring a pint of the hot liquor over it when serving. To serve it cold, M. Soyer, in his "Regenerator,"
thus describes it:
"After receiving the above useful lesson, and being desirous of improving my profession in all its branches, I remembered that, amongst the number of joints boiled to serve cold for large civic, agricultural, or benevolent anniversary dinners, the round of beef was the most prominent, and having seen it standing in dishes to get cold, with the dish filled with the gravy that runs from it, particularly if a little over-done, caused me to hit upon the following expedient to prevent the meat losing so much of its succulence.
"Fill two large tubs with cold water, into which throw a few pounds of rough ice, and when the round is done, throw it, cloth and all, into one of the tubs of ice-water; let remain one minute, when take out and put it into the other tub; fill the first tub again with water, and continue the above process for about twenty minutes; then set it upon a dish, leaving the cloth on until the next day, or until quite cold; when opened, the fat will be as white as possible, besides having saved the whole of the gravy. If no ice, spring water will answer the same purpose, but will require to be more frequently changed; the same mode would be equally successful with the aitch-bone."
292. _Half-Round of Beef (Silver-side)_ should be put into cold water, and let it come to a boil; simmer for two hours and a half, and serve the same as a round.
293. _Aitch-bone of Beef_ (or, as I think it ought to be called, _Edge-bone_).--This is a very nice joint for a small family, but not so economical as is generally supposed; it should be pickled carefully, and cooked in the same way as the round; one weighing ten pounds will take two hours and a half; it should be trimmed on the top, and served with some of the liquor under it. It is very good when fresh and braised like the ribs.
294. _Salt Brisket of Beef._--This is by no means an economical joint, as it loses considerably in cooking; it requires a long time to boil; should it be required as a large cold joint, the following is the best plan: procure a nice brisket with as little fat as possible, detach the whole of the bones from it, make a pickle (see Receipt), place it in it, previously rubbing it well with two cloves of garlic, leave it in the pickle from seven to nine days, rubbing and turning it every day; when ready to cook, cut it into two parts (one about two inches longer than the other), tie them together, and afterwards in a clean cloth, simmer it for about six or seven hours in a large stock-pot full of water; when done, take it out and let it drain, have ready a large dish-cover, place it upon a trivet, remove the cloth and string from the meat, and place it in the cover; have ready a piece of board to fit inside the cover, place it on the meat with a half-hundred weight on the top, and let it remain in a cold place until the next day, when take it out, trim it, garnish it nicely, and serve. This will keep good a considerable time, and is excellent for breakfast or luncheon; besides, it always keeps a "piece de resistance" in the larder in case of accidents. It is also, when fresh, very excellent stewed like the rump of beef, or plain salted.
295. _Hamburgh Beef._--The ribs are the best; they should be put to soak in soft water for twelve hours, and then put into cold water and boiled gradually; a piece of three ribs will take three hours; if intended to be served hot, the outside should be cut off, and the joint nicely trimmed and served up with the following garniture round it: take four handfuls of brown kale, well washed, put a saucepan on the fire, with a gallon of water, and let it well boil; then add two tablespoonfuls of salt and half a saltspoonful of carbonate of soda, put the kale in, let it boil for ten minutes, drain it and squeeze all the water from it, put it on a chopping-board and chop it fine, then put it into a stewpan, with two ounces of b.u.t.ter, half a teaspoonful of pepper, one teaspoonful of salt, a little nutmeg, half a teaspoonful of sugar, and twenty roasted chestnuts cut in half, put it on the fire and keep stirring it for five minutes: if too dry, add a little milk or gravy, and place it on the side of the fire until wanted.
296. _To boil a pickled Ox Tongue._--Put the tongue into a large stewpan containing two gallons of cold water, which set upon the fire until boiling, when draw it to the corner to simmer for three hours, if a tongue weighing about six pounds; but the better way to ascertain when done, is to try it with a trussing-needle, or the p.r.o.ngs of a fork, in the thickest part; if tender it is done, but if hard it must boil rather longer. A dried tongue should be soaked twenty-four hours previously to boiling; when done, skin it and trim the root, &c., and use where directed.
297. _To cook a fresh Ox Tongue._--Put a tongue in lukewarm water for twelve hours to disgorge, then trim the root and sc.r.a.pe the tongue quite clean; have ready twenty pieces of fat bacon two inches long and half an inch square, which introduce with a larding pin into the most fleshy part in a slanting direction; then rub the tongue all over with salt, and run a long iron skewer through it, which tie upon, surround the tongue with vegetables, the same as directed for turkeys roasted and braised, and roast for two hours before a good fire; twenty minutes before it is done take away the paper and vegetables, to give a nice brown color; when done trim a little, to keep it steady in the dish, and garnish with any kind of stewed vegetables, or cut it in halves lengthwise to form a heart, and sauce over with piquante, tomatos, or any other sharp sauces found in their series. If no convenience for roasting, put into a stewpan a piece of leg of beef (cut small) weighing two pounds, with two onions, one carrot, two blades of mace, a little thyme and bay-leaf, and a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, saute the whole twenty minutes, keeping it stirred over a moderate fire, then put in the tongue (previously prepared) and two ounces of salt, cover with water, and let boil gently four hours, skim and serve. The stock would be excellent for soup or brown sauce of any kind. The remains could be served in either of the methods directed for the remainder of pickled tongue.
298. _Rump Steak broiled._--Procure a steak cut nice and even, of about half an inch in thickness (if well cut it will not require beating), which lay upon a gridiron over a sharp fire; have a good teaspoonful of salt, and half that quant.i.ty of pepper mixed together upon a plate, half of which sprinkle upon the side of the steak uppermost, after it has been upon the fire a couple of minutes, when turn, and sprinkle the remainder of the seasoning upon the other side; it will take about ten minutes to cook it to perfection, turning it occasionally, and serve upon a very hot dish, with a little sc.r.a.ped horseradish round. If properly done, it ought to be full of gravy, but a great deal depends upon the fire, which, if bad, causes the gravy to ooze from the meat and lie upon the top, which you lose in turning the steak over. A rump steak may also be served broiled as above, with a little maitre d"hotel, or anchovy b.u.t.ter, rubbed, over as soon as done, and potatoes cut the size of half crown or shilling pieces, and fried crisp in hot fat; dress round. Or a steak may be served, with a few water-cresses, well washed, and dried upon a plate sprinkled with a little pepper, salt, and vinegar, and garnished round; a little oil might also be added.
Veal of about two to three months old is the best; the flesh ought to be white, approaching to pink, and the fat firm; it is cut up the same as mutton, except that, in the hind-quarter, the loin is cut straight, leaving the aitch-bone on it, which may be either dressed on the loin or separate. The fore-quarter consists of the shoulder, neck, and breast. The hind-quarter, the knuckle, leg, fillet, and the loin. The head and pluck consists of the heart, liver, nut, skirts, melt, and the heart, throat, and sweetbread.
The bull-calf is the best, the flesh is firmer grained or redder, and the fat more curdled than the cow-calf, which latter is in general preferred, being more delicate and better adapted for made dishes, as having the udder. Nothing can be worse than veal if not fresh; it should never hang more than two days in summer and four in winter. To be in full perfection, the kidneys ought to be covered with fat, and the veins in the shoulder bright red or blue.
It is best from May to September, although it may be had good all the year. The head, when fresh, should have the eyes plump and lively; if stale, they are sunk and wrinkled.
299. _Fillet of Veal._--Choose it of the best quality. Procure a leg, saw off the knuckle, take out the bone in the centre of the fillet, and fill up the cavity with some stuffing made as directed (see Receipt), fold the udder and flap round, which fix with three skewers; place half a sheet of b.u.t.tered foolscap paper top and bottom, which tie over and over with plenty of string, run a spit through, fixing the fillet with a holdfast; set down to roast, placing it rather close to the fire ten minutes, rub well over with b.u.t.ter, then place it at least two feet and a half from the fire, to roast very slowly, giving it a fine gold color; a fillet weighing sixteen pounds would require three hours roasting, when done take it up, detach all the string and paper, trim the top and set it upon your dish; have a pint of melted b.u.t.ter in a stewpan upon the fire, to which, when boiling, add four spoonfuls of Harvey sauce, and two of mushroom catsup, mix well, and pour round the fillet; have also boiled nicely an ox-tongue, which skin and trim, dress upon a dish surrounded with greens or cabbage nicely boiled, and serve as an accompaniment to the fillet.
300. _Loin of Veal._--One with plenty of fat and a good kidney, from which the chump and the rib-bone at the other end has been removed; fasten the flap over the kidney with a skewer, run a spit through lengthwise, commencing at the thick end, and fixing it with a holdfast, cover it with b.u.t.tered paper; one of fourteen pounds will take about two hours and a half to roast. Serve with melted b.u.t.ter poured over.
301. _Chump of Veal_ can be either roasted or boiled; one about four pounds will take one hour to roast, and one hour and a quarter to boil; roasted, serve like the loin: boiled, serve with either sauces, Nos.
122, 154, 160.
302. _Breast of Veal plain roasted._--Paper the joint, and roast for about one hour, and serve with gravy and melted b.u.t.ter; it may be roasted with the sweetbread skewered to it. By taking the tendons off, stew them for entrees.
303. _Shoulder of Veal._--One weighing fourteen pounds will take about two hours and a half to three hours to roast or braise; if roasted, the same sauce as for the loin (No. 300), and braise (No. 310).
304. _Neck of Veal._--Procure about eight pounds of a nice white neck of veal, containing six or seven chops; saw off under part of the chine-bone, so as to give it a nice square appearance, lard it thus: take about twelve pieces of fat bacon, two inches long and a quarter of an inch square, put the larding-needle through the flesh of the veal about one inch and a half, then put one third of the length of the piece of bacon in it, pull the needle out, and it will leave the bacon in the meat, showing a quarter of an inch of the bacon outside. Then braise as ribs of beef. Two hours will suffice.
305. _Neck of Veal with Peas._--Proceed as in the former receipt, with the exception of leaving out the vegetables, and adding, half an hour previous to the meat being done, one quart of peas, twelve b.u.t.ton onions, and a little more sugar; remove the fat, and serve as before.
306. _Neck of Veal with Haricots._--Proceed as before, subst.i.tuting the haricots for the peas, which must have been boiled in plenty of water for three or four hours previously. (See Receipt for Haricots.)
307. _Neck of Veal with New Potatoes._--As before, using new potatoes in place of the peas. Any other vegetable, as French beans, broad beans, &c. may be served with it in the same way.
308. _Necks of Veal_ can be larded or plain roasted, or braised in plain gravy as before, and served with either sauces, Nos. 150, 135, 137, 165.
309. _Knuckle of Veal_ is a very favorite dish of mine: I procure two of them, which I saw into three pieces each, and put into a stewpan, with a piece of streaked bacon two pounds in weight, four onions, a carrot, two turnips, and six peppercorns, place over the fire, and when boiling add a little salt, skim well, and place at the corner to simmer gently for two hours, take up, dress them in your dish surrounded with the vegetables and bacon, and serve with parsley and b.u.t.ter over; very good soup may be made from the stock it was boiled in if required, or if not, into glaze, which put by until wanted.
310. _Loin of Veal braised._--This joint generally weighs from twelve to fourteen pounds when off a good calf; have the rib-bones carefully divided with a saw so as not to hurt the fillet, prepare the braising-pan, and proceed as in receipt (No. 289); with the addition of one pint more water, but take care not to cover the meat, which might happen if your stewpan was small, which otherwise be boiling instead of braising; it will take about three hours: be careful about the fat, as this joint produces a great deal; taste the sauce before serving, in case more seasoning is required, which might be the case, depending on the nature of the veal. A good cook should taste all sauces before serving.
311. _Breast of Veal stuffed and stewed._--Take about eight pounds of the breast of veal, put your knife about half an inch under the skin, and open it about three parts of its width all the way down, then prepare some veal stuffing, and lay it in the opening you have made about one inch in thickness, sew it up, and proceed as receipt for shoulder.
Should half the size of either the above dishes be required, use but half the vegetables in proportion, and stew half an hour less.
The _Chump_, _Small Shoulder_, or pieces of the fillet may be dressed in the same way, but must be larded, like the neck.
All the above joints may be stewed in the same way, with less vegetables, and served with sauces (Nos. 131, 135); the gravy in which they are stewed will always be useful in the kitchen, or may be reduced and served with the joint.
312. _Shoulder of Veal stuffed and stewed._--This is a very awkward joint to carve to advantage, and equally so to cook; by the following plan, it goes further than any other way.
Take the joint and lay it with the skin-side downwards, with a sharp thin knife carefully detach the meat from the blade-bone, then hold the shoulder edgewise and detach the meat from the other side of the bone, being careful not to make a hole in the skin; then cut the bone from the knuckle and take it out; you may at first be rather awkward about it, but after once or twice trying, it will become easy; you may also take out the other bone, but I prefer it in, as it keeps the shape better: then lard the lean part like the neck in (No. 304); mix some salt and a little mixed spice together, with which rub the meat from whence the bone has been cut, stuff with veal stuffing, or sausage-meat, or suet pudding; braise, garnish, and serve as (No. 289). This being the toughest part of the veal, it should be tried before taking up, to see if it is properly done, by thrusting a larding-needle in it; if it goes in easily it is done. This joint is excellent cold, and should be carved in thin slices crosswise.
313. _Calf"s Head._--Choose one thick and fat, but not too large; soak for ten minutes in lukewarm water, then well powder with rosin, have plenty of scalding water ready, dip in the head, holding it by the ear, sc.r.a.pe the hair off with the back of a knife, which will come off easily if properly sc.r.a.ped, without scratching the cheek; when perfectly clean, take the eyes out, saw it in two lengthwise through the skull, without spoiling the brain, which take carefully out, and put to disgorge for a few hours in lukewarm water; pull the tongue out, break the jawbone, and remove the part which contains the teeth, put the head into plenty of water to disgorge for one hour; make the following stock, and boil for about two hours and a half, and it will be ready to serve.
The stock is made by putting into a braising-pan two carrots, three onions, a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, six cloves, a bouquet of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves, set it on the fire for about twenty minutes, keep stirring it round, then add a pint of water, and when warm mix a quarter of a pound of flour, add a gallon of water, one lemon in slices, and a quarter of a pound of salt, then lay the head in; take care it is well covered, or the part exposed will turn dark: simmer gently till tender.
LETTER No. XII