_Made Dishes of Beef._--The remainder of any cooked joints of beef may be advantageously and economically dressed in the following ways:
381. _Hashed Beef._--Cut the beef into small thin slices, which lay upon a plate, and to every pound of beef add half a tablespoonful of flour, a little chopped onion or eschalot, two salt-spoonfuls of salt, and a half one of pepper, mix the whole well together, and put it into a saucepan, with half a pint of water, stir it over the fire until upon the point of boiling, when set it at the corner of the fire to simmer for ten minutes; it is then ready to serve. A great improvement to the appearance of hash may be effected by adding a few spoonfuls of brown gravy (No. 177), or a teaspoonful of coloring (No. 178), which might always be kept in a bottle. The flavor of any kind of hash may be varied, by adding a few sprigs of parsley, or thyme, or a couple of bay-leaves, or a little tarragon, or a few spoonfuls of catsup, Soyer"s, Harvey"s, Soho, or Reading sauce.
382. _Miroton of Beef._--Peel and cut into thin slices two large onions, put them in a stewpan or saucepan, with two ounces of salt b.u.t.ter, place it over a slow fire, keeping the onions stirred round with a wooden spoon until rather brown, but not burnt in the least, then add a teaspoonful of flour, which mix well in, and moisten with half a pint of water or broth if handy, season with three saltspoonfuls of salt, two of sugar, and one of pepper if water has been used, but if broth, diminish the quant.i.ty of salt, add a little coloring (No. 178), to improve its appearance; put in the beef, which you have previously cut into small thin slices, as free from fat as possible, let it remain a few minutes upon the fire to simmer, and serve upon a hot dish. To vary the flavor, a tablespoonful of vinegar might be added, or half a gla.s.s of sherry.
The above proportions are sufficient for one pound and a half of solid meat, and of course could be increased or diminished, if more or less meat.
383. _Another way._--Prepare the meat precisely as in the last, and when done put it into a pie-dish, sprinkle bread-crumbs lightly over, enough to cover the meat, upon which lay a small piece of b.u.t.ter, put the dish in the oven for half an hour, or before the fire, with a screen behind it, turning the dish round occasionally. By grating the crust of bread you would obtain some brown bread-crumbs, which would do equally as well as bread rubbed through a sieve.
Should you have any cold from the first receipt, it may be served as here directed; but being cold, would require to be longer in the oven to become well hot through.
384. _Another way._--If any left from a previous dinner, put it in a dish, placing the meat in the centre, rather higher, cover over with some delicate mashed potatoes, about two inches in thickness, to form a dome, rub some egg over with a paste-brush, and sprinkle crumbs of bread (either grated or otherwise) upon the top, and set in the oven until well browned, when serve.
385. _A quicker way._--Cook a few slices of lean bacon in a frying-pan, but not too much, lay some of them in the bottom of the pie-dish, over which lay slices of beef cut thin, which season with a little pepper, salt, chopped parsley, and chopped eschalots (if not objectionable), sprinkle over a little flour, proceeding thus until the dish is pretty full, when pour over half a gill of broth or water, to which you have added a little coloring, No. 178, (more seasoning would be required if water was used), set the dish in the oven (having previously covered the meat over with mashed potatoes) for about an hour. By adding half the above quant.i.ty of liquor, the meat might be covered with a thin suet crust and served as a pie, as also might any of the former receipts, in which also a bay-leaf, chopped parsley, or even chopped gherkins, might be served, being a great improvement.
386. _Beef Palates._--Although this is an article very seldom used in small families, they are very much to be commended; they may be dressed in various ways, and are not expensive, about four would be sufficient for a dish. Put them into a large stewpan of lukewarm water, where let them remain four or five hours to disgorge, after which pour off the water, cover again with fresh water, and place the stewpan upon the fire until the palates become hard, when take out one, which dip into cold water, sc.r.a.pe it with a knife, and if the skin comes off easily, take out the remainder, but if not, let them remain a short time longer, sc.r.a.pe them until you have got off all the skin, and nothing but the white half transparent substance remains. Then make a white stock as directed (No. 130), in which boil them three or four hours until very tender, which try with the point of a knife, then take them up, lay them flat upon a dish, covered with a little of the stock, and place another dish of the same size over, to keep them flat, let remain until cold, when they are ready to serve in either of the following ways:--
387. _Beef Palates a la Bretonne._--Peel and cut two large onions into slices, which put into a stewpan, with an ounce of b.u.t.ter, stirring them over the fire until lightly fried, when add a teaspoonful of flour, which mix well in, and a gill of broth, season with a little pepper, salt, and sugar, add a few drops of brown gravy or browning (No. 179), and a spoonful of mustard; boil the whole, keeping it stirred until forming a thickish pulp, when cut the palates into square pieces, and put into it; when well hot through they are ready to serve; also make a curry sauce, as No. 151; cut your palate and warm in it, serve with rice separate, and it is delicious.
388. _Beef Palates a la Poulette._--Make a little white sauce as directed, No. 130; after having prepared the palates, cut them into square pieces, and put them into a stewpan, just covered with some of the white sauce, season with a little white pepper, salt, sugar, chopped parsley, and the juice of half a lemon; let them simmer about five minutes, when pour in a liaison of one yolk of an egg, mixed with two tablespoonfuls of cream or milk, stir it in rather quickly, and not afterwards permitting it to boil, then turn it upon your dish, place sippets of toasted bread round, and serve: chopped parsley and a little lemon may be added.
389. _Beef Palates a la Maitre d"Hotel._--Cut up the palates as in the last, and put them into a stewpan, just covered with melted b.u.t.ter, to which add a gill of milk, let simmer very gently about ten minutes, stirring it round occasionally; have ready two ounces of well-seasoned maitre d"hotel b.u.t.ter, which put into the stewpan, shaking it round until the b.u.t.ter is melted and well mixed, when serve as in the last.
390. _Ox-tails a la Jardiniere._--Cut and cook two ox-tails as directed for soup, but just before they are done, skim well, and take out the pieces of tails, which put upon a dish, then in another stewpan put two ounces of b.u.t.ter, to which, when melted, add three ounces of flour, stirring it over the fire until forming a brownish roux (thickening), then mix by degrees two quarts of the stock the tails were boiled in, and boil altogether ten minutes, then put in the tails, with one carrot and two turnips (cut into small dice, or any other shape, with a vegetable cutter), and about thirty b.u.t.ton onions; let the whole simmer very gently upon the corner of the fire, keeping it well skimmed, until the vegetables are tender, and the sauce sufficiently thick to adhere to the back of the spoon, when dress the meat upon a dish, reduce the sauce, which pour over, and serve.
391. _Ox-tails au Gratin._--Cook two ox-tails as before, and when cold, dry them upon a cloth, season with pepper and salt, have a couple of eggs well beaten upon a plate, into which dip each piece singly, afterwards throwing them into a dish of bread-crumbs, to cover every part, then beat them lightly with a knife, and again egg and bread-crumb them, broil them upon a gridiron, or place them in a very hot oven until of a brownish color, when serve with any sauce you may fancy, or with a little plain gravy.
392. _Ox-tails, Sauce piquante._--Cook the tails as before, and when done dress them upon your dish pyramidically, then make about a pint of sharp sauce, No. 135, but omitting half the quant.i.ty of vinegar, and reducing it until rather thick; season rather highly, add three or four gherkins chopped very fine, pour the sauce over, and serve.
393. _Ox Heart._--This dish, although not very _recherche_, is a good family one, and remarkable for its cheapness. Put it into lukewarm water one hour to disgorge, then wipe it well with a cloth, and stuff the interior with a highly-seasoned veal stuffing, tie it up in paper, and pa.s.s a small spit through the sides, set it before a good fire for about two hours to roast, keeping it well basted; when done, take off the paper, and serve with any sharp sauce, or a little plain gravy. Two hours would be sufficient to roast a large heart; but if smaller, of course less time in proportion would be required. I have also stuffed a heart with sage and onion, and even ventured the apple sauce: both succeeded admirably.
I remember, when in business, upon one occasion, having a few friends pop in unexpectedly about luncheon-time upon a Sat.u.r.day (which is a day I always contrived to keep my larder as short as possible), and having nothing but a heart as a meal to give them, I immediately gave orders to the cook to cut it into slices half an inch thick, dip each piece in flour, and afterwards egg and bread-crumb them, then to put four spoonfuls of oil in the frying-pan, lay part of the pieces in, and saute of a nice color, then to keep them hot in a dish and saute the remainder; and when all done, to pour off part of the oil, put a teaspoonful of flour in the pan, mixing it with the remaining oil and gravy, then pouring in a gill of water, season with a little pepper and salt, four spoonfuls of the vinegar from piccalilly, and a little of the pickle finely chopped; boil the whole a minute, pour over the heart, and serve very hot. It pleased very much, and I have since had some with a little plain gravy, and broiled bacon: in both instances it was very good.
394. _Potato Sandwiches._--Saute the slices of beef as directed for bubble and squeak, cover one side of each piece with mashed potatoes a quarter of an inch in thickness, egg and bread-crumb over, then proceed the same with the other sides, fry in hot fat of a light brown color, as you would a sole, and serve. Any kind of fresh meat may be used in the same way.
395. _Bubble and Squeak._--I am certain you must know, as well as myself, of our hereditary dish called bubble and squeak; but, like the preparation of other things, there is a good way and a bad; and, as you prefer the former to the latter, proceed as follows:--Boil a few greens, or a savoy cabbage (which has been previously well-washed), in plain water until tender, which then drain until quite dry in a colander or sieve, put it upon a trencher, and chop it rather fine with a knife, then for a pound of salt beef you have in slices, put nearly a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter into a frying-pan, in which saute the beef gently but not too dry; when done, keep it hot, put the cabbage in the frying-pan, season with a little salt and pepper, and when hot through, dress it upon a dish, lay the beef over and serve. Endive or large cabbage-lettuces may be used instead of cabbage, but care must be taken to drain off all the water.
396. _Stewed Beef or Rump Steak._--Have a steak weighing two pounds, and an inch and a half in thickness, then put two ounces of b.u.t.ter at the bottom of a stewpan, when melted lay in the steak, with a quarter of a pound of lean bacon cut into very small square pieces, place the stewpan over the fire, turning the steak over occasionally until a little browned, when lay it out upon a dish, then add a tablespoonful of flour to the b.u.t.ter in the stewpan, which continue stirring over the fire until forming a brownish roux, then again lay in the steak, add a pint of water, with a gla.s.s of sherry if handy, and a little pepper, salt, and a couple of bay-leaves, let simmer slowly for one hour, when skim off all the fat, and add twenty b.u.t.ton onions, let it again simmer until the onions are very tender, as likewise the steak, which dress upon a dish, take the onions and bacon out with a colander-spoon, and lay them upon the steak, pour the sauce round and serve. This slow process must not alarm you.
397. _Ox Brains_ are prepared exactly as directed for calf"s brains, but being larger, require much longer to disgorge, as also a proportionate time longer to cook; when done, in addition to the sauce ordered for calf"s brains, they may be served with strips of bacon broiled and dressed in a border round, sauce over with highly-seasoned melted b.u.t.ter and parsley sauce. You must observe, that all such kind of dishes being of themselves naturally tasteless, require to be highly seasoned: any sharp sauce is good with it.
398. _Beef a-la-Mode._--Procure a small piece of rump, sirloin, or ribs of beef, about twelve pounds in weight, take away all the bone, and lard the meat through with ten long pieces of fat bacon, then put it into a long earthen pan, with a calf"s foot, four onions, two carrots, cut in slices if large, a bunch of parsley, two bay-leaves, two sprigs of thyme, two cloves stuck into one of the onions, half a teaspoonful of pepper, one of salt, four wine-gla.s.ses of sherry, four ditto of water, and a pound of streaky bacon cut in squares, place the cover over the pan with a piece of common flour and water paste round the edges to keep it perfectly air-tight, and place it in a moderate oven four hours, when take out of the pan, and dress upon a dish with the vegetables and bacon round, skim and pa.s.s the gravy through a hair sieve, which pour over and serve. But the above is best eaten cold, when it should not be taken from the pan, or the pan opened until nearly so.
A long brown earthen pan for the above purposes may be obtained at any china warehouse, but should you not be able to procure one, a stewpan must supply its place.
399. _Another method._--Have ready six pounds of rump of beef, cut into pieces two inches square, each of which lard through with two or three strips of bacon; have also two pounds of streaky bacon, which clear from the rind and cut into squares half the size of the beef, put the whole into an earthen pan, with two calf"s feet (cut up small), half a pint of sherry, two bay-leaves, a sprig of thyme, a bunch of parsley, four onions, with a clove stuck in each, a blade of mace, and half a pint of water, cover the pan as in the last, and put it in a moderate oven for three hours; when done, do not remove the lid until three parts cold, then take out the meat, lay some of the beef at the bottom of the stewpan (not too large), then a little bacon, then more beef, and so on alternately, press them lightly together, pa.s.s the gravy through a hair sieve over, and leave it until quite cold and set, when dip the stewpan into hot water, and turn it out upon a dish to serve. The calf"s feet may be made hot in a little of the stock, to which add two pats of b.u.t.ter, with which you have mixed a teaspoonful of flour, season with a little chopped parsley and half a spoonful of vinegar, and serve as an entree. The above is excellent either hot or cold.
400. _Fillet of Beef._--Procure a piece of fillet of beef weighing about two or three pounds, which may be obtained at any butcher"s, being cut from underneath the rump; trim off part of the fat, so as to round the fillet, which cut into slices the thickness of your finger, beat them lightly with a chopper, and cut the thin skin which covers the top of the fillet, to prevent their curling up whilst broiling; place them upon a gridiron over a sharp fire, seasoning with a little salt and pepper, and turning three or four times to preserve the gravy: about six or seven minutes will be sufficient to cook them. Three or four slices would be sufficient for a corner dish; but if for a princ.i.p.al dish, of course more would be required. Fillet of beef dressed as above may be rubbed over with maitre d"hotel or anchovy b.u.t.ter, and served very hot.
401. _Fillet of Beef saute._--After having cut the fillet in slices as in the last, put two ounces of b.u.t.ter into a clean frying-pan, which set upon the fire, and when melted, lay in the meat, seasoned with a saltspoonful of salt and half that quant.i.ty of pepper to each piece; turn them over three or four times whilst cooking, and, when done, dress upon your dish, with either of the b.u.t.ters mentioned in the last spread over.
402. _Another method._--When the fillets are dished up, put a tablespoonful of chopped onions into the pan they were cooked in, which cook for about a minute, but not letting them burn, then pour off part of the fat, if too much, and add two teaspoonfuls of flour; stir with a wooden spoon until becoming brownish, then add nearly a pint of water, a tablespoonful of vinegar, and a few drops of browning; let it boil a few minutes, seasoning with a little pepper, salt, and sugar; when of the consistency of thick sauce, pour over the fillets and serve. A few chopped pickles of any description (but not too hot) might be introduced, but then half the quant.i.ty of vinegar would be sufficient. A spoonful of Harvey"s sauce may be added, and a little glaze improves it.
Mutton, lamb, or pork-chops, or veal-cutlets may be dressed in a similar manner.
403. _Minced Beef._--Cut a pound and a half of lean cooked beef into very small dice, which put upon a plate; in a stewpan put a good teaspoonful of finely-chopped onions, with a piece of b.u.t.ter of the size of a walnut, which stir over the fire until the onions become lightly browned, when stir in half a tablespoonful of flour, with which mix by degrees half a pint of broth (or water) to which you have added a few drops of browning and a teaspoonful of vinegar; let it boil five minutes, stirring it the whole time; then throw in the meat, season rather highly with a little pepper and salt, and, when hot, pour it into a deep dish, and serve with sippets of toasted bread round, or poached eggs on it.
404. _Croquettes of Beef._--Proceed precisely as in the last, but omitting the vinegar; when done, stir in two yolks of eggs quickly, stir another minute over the fire, then pour it upon a dish until cold; have a couple of eggs well beaten upon a plate, also some bread-crumbs in a separate dish, then divide the preparation into about a dozen pieces, which roll up into round b.a.l.l.s, or any other shape, and throw them into the bread-crumbs, move them over until well covered, then roll them into the egg, then the bread-crumbs again, from which take them gently, patting the surface lightly with a knife, put them into very hot lard or fat to fry of a yellowish-brown color, being careful not to break them whilst frying; when done drain them upon a cloth, and serve either upon a napkin or with fried parsley.
405. _A Family French Salad for the Summer._--I can a.s.sure you that, when in France during the hot weather, I used to enjoy the following salads immensely, having them usually twice a week for my dinner; they are not only wholesome, but cheap and quickly done. Cut up a pound of cold beef into thin slices, which put into a salad-bowl with about half a pound of white fresh lettuce, cut into pieces similar to the beef, season over with a good teaspoonful of salt, half that quant.i.ty of pepper, two spoonfuls of vinegar, and four of good salad oil, stir all together lightly with a fork and spoon, and when well mixed it is ready to serve.
For a change, cabbage-lettuce may be used, or, if in season, a little endive (well washed), or a little celery, or a few gherkins; also, to vary the seasoning, a little chopped tarragon and chervil, chopped eschalots, or a little sc.r.a.ped garlic, if approved of, but all in proportion, and used with moderation. White haricot beans are also excellent with it.
406. _Potatoes and Meat Salad._--Proceed as in the last, but omitting the lettuce; if any cold potatoes remain from a previous dinner, peel and cut them in halves if small, but in quarters if large, and then into pieces the size of a shilling but four times the thickness; put them into a salad-bowl with the meat, seasoning as before, but using more oil and vinegar, and adding a teaspoonful of chopped parsley. A small quant.i.ty of any description of pickles might be added to this salad, as also some anchovies or olives. The remains of any fowls, turkey, cold veal, lamb, or even mutton, may be mixed in salads, but, according to our habits, many persons would fancy they were not nutritious; of that I can a.s.sure them to the contrary.[7]
407. _Ox-Kidneys._--Cut a nice fresh ox-kidney into slices, each being about the size of a half-crown piece, but double the thickness (avoiding the white part, or root, which is tough and indigestible), then put a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter into a stewpan upon the fire, and when very hot but not black, put in the pieces of kidney, stirring them round with a wooden spoon three minutes over a brisk fire; then add, for each pound weight of kidney, half a tablespoonful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, half the quant.i.ty of pepper, and a little sugar, moisten with a gill of water and half a gla.s.s of sherry, add a little browning if handy, and let simmer gently for five minutes, stirring them round occasionally; if too thick, add a few drops more of water, the same should be sufficiently thick to adhere to the back of the spoon, pour them out upon your dish, and serve very hot. Broth might be used instead of water if convenient, but then the seasoning should be a little diminished, a little chopped eschalot, parsley, or a few mushrooms, would be an improvement.
By cutting an ox-kidney lengthwise in three slices, it might be broiled or sauted; if for gentlemen, season rather highly, but if ladies are to be the partakers, season more moderately; a little gravy may be served with it, to which you have added a little catsup; the root of the kidney must not be cut away in this case, although not eatable. Ox-kidneys are also an excellent addition to beef-steak puddings and pies.
408. _Ox-Feet or Cow-Heels_ are very nutritious, especially when well boiled; they may be served in either of the methods directed for tripe, or with a plain parsley-and-b.u.t.ter sauce, to which, for a change, the juice of a lemon or a drop of vinegar may be added. Should any be left from the first day"s dinner, it may be served a la Lyonnaise, as directed for cold tripe.