The Modern Housewife or, Menagere Part 22

455. _Pigs' Feet._--Procure six pigs' feet nicely salted, which boil in water, to which you have added a few vegetables, until well done, cut each one in halves, take out the long bone, have some sausage-meat as in the last, and a pig's caul, which cut into pieces each large enough to fold half a foot, well surrounded with sausage-meat, when well wrapped up broil slowly half an hour over a moderate fire, and serve. Or, when the pig's feet are well boiled, egg over, and throw them into some grated crust of bread, with which you have mixed a little parsley, broil a nice color and serve with a little plain gravy. This is called a la Ste. Menehould.

456. _Pig's Kidneys._--Cut them open lengthwise, season well with pepper and salt, egg over with a paste-brush, dip into bread-crumbs, with which you have mixed some chopped parsley and eschalot, run a skewer through to keep them open, and broil for about a quarter of an hour over a good fire; when done place them upon a dish, have ready an ounce of b.u.t.ter, with which you have mixed the juice of a lemon, a little pepper and salt, and a teaspoonful of French or common mustard, place a piece upon each of the kidneys, place in the oven for one minute, and serve. Pig's kidneys may also be sauted as directed for ox kidneys.

457. _Hashed Pork._--Put two spoonfuls of chopped onions into a stewpan with a winegla.s.sful of vinegar, two cloves, a blade of mace, and a bay-leaf, reduce to half, take out the spice and bay-leaf, add half a pint of broth or water, cut some pork previously cooked into thin small slices, season well upon a dish with pepper and salt, shake a good teaspoonful of flour over, mix all together, and put into the stewpan; let simmer gently ten minutes, pour out upon your dish, and serve with slices of gherkins in it; a little mustard may be added if approved of, or a little piccalilly with the vinegar is excellent.

The remains of salt pork, though very palatable cold, if required hot may be cut into large thin slices, and placed in a b.u.t.tered saute- or frying-pan, with a little broth, or merely fried in the b.u.t.ter, and served with a puree of winter peas, made by boiling half a pint of peas until tender (tied up in a cloth); when done put them into a stewpan with two ounces of b.u.t.ter; season with pepper and salt, add a gill of milk or cream, pour into the dish, and dress the pork over.

It may also be cut into thin slices and put into a soup plate, and pour some catsup or Harvey sauce over it, and let it remain for half an hour; b.u.t.ter the inside of a pudding basin, and lay some of the remains of peas pudding round it, and then place in the pork, cover it with some of the pudding, place it in a saucepan with a little water to get hot for about half an hour, and then turn it out and serve. Should you not have quite pork enough, you may make it up with a little sausage-meat, or any other kind of meat.

458. _Fritadella (twenty receipts in one)._--Put half a pound of crumb of bread to soak in a pint of cold water, take the same quant.i.ty of any kind of roast or boiled meat, with a little fat, chop it up like sausage meat, then put your bread in a clean cloth, press it to extract all the water, put into a stewpan two ounces of b.u.t.ter, a tablespoonful of chopped onions, fry for two minutes, then add the bread, stir with a wooden spoon until rather dry, then add the meat, season with a teaspoonful of salt, half the same of pepper, a little grated nutmeg, the same of lemon peel, stir continually until very hot; then add two eggs, one at a time, well mix together, and pour on a dish to get cold.

Then take a piece as big as a small egg, and roll it to the same shape, flatten it a little, egg and bread-crumb over, keeping the shape, do all of it the same way, then put into a saute-pan a quarter of a pound of lard, or clean fat, or oil; when hot, but not too much so, put in the pieces, and saute a very nice yellow color, and serve very hot, plain, on a napkin, or on a border of mashed potatoes, with any sauce or garniture you fancy. These can be made with the remains of any kind of meat, poultry, game, fish, and even vegetables; hard eggs or cold mashed potatoes may be introduced in small quant.i.ties, and may be fried instead of sauted, in which case put about two pounds of fat in the frying-pan, and if care is used it will do several times. This is an entirely new and very economical and palatable dish, and fit for all seasons, and if once tried would be often repeated; the only expense attending it is the purchase of a small wire sieve for the bread-crumbs. The reason I call it twenty receipts in one is, that all kinds of food may be used for it, even shrimps, oysters, and lobsters.

459. _Ramifolle._--These are a little more expensive than the fritadella, and worthy the table of a crowned head. The flesh of fowls instead of lamb or veal, with the addition of one or two fat livers cut in dice. Proceed as in the former receipt, using the crumb of French rolls, and one or two truffles chopped fine: then make some pancake batter, and saute two pancakes about one eighth of an inch thick, cover one with the meat, &c., and lay the other over, and put by until cold; when so cut them to any shape you like, but if like cutlets add the small bone of fowl or pigeon, or the stalk of a sprig of parsley, egg and bread-crumb them, and saute them in oil or lard of a nice yellow color, and dish them like cutlets, with any of the sauces or garnitures described for mutton cutlets; or if plain, with fried parsley. They may be made of any kind of meat, fish, or poultry. I have latterly had them sent up to table when we have had a few friends, and they have been very much liked; and, on inquiring the name, I baptized them Ramifolle, without any particular meaning, which name having pleased as much as the dish, therefore let them be called Ramifolles.

They may be made a plainer way with various meats or liver, and spread over one pancake, which roll over, and when cold cut it into three equal lengths, egg, bread-crumb, and saute as above.

460. _Prussian Cutlets._--Take a piece of veal, say one pound, from any part of the calf, as long as you extract the nerve, with a little fat, chop it up, but not too fine, add to it two teaspoonfuls of chopped eschalot, one of salt, half a one of pepper, little grated nutmeg, chop it a little more, and make it into pieces of the size of two walnuts, which give the shape of a cutlet; egg and bread-crumb each, keeping the shape; insert a small bone at the small end, saute in fat, oil, lard, or b.u.t.ter, give it ten minutes on a slow fire till a nice brown color, dish and serve, with demi-glaze sauce, in which you have put a spoonful of Harvey's, and serve with any brown or white sauce or stewed vegetables you like. Any kind of meat may be used.

461. _Cutlets a la Victime, or Victimized Cutlets._--Here, _ma belle amie_, is a terrific t.i.tle for a receipt but do not fear it, as the time of the Inquisition is past, and you are not likely to become one in partaking of it. I do not recommend it to you on the score of economy, as it is the tip-top of extravagance; but forward it as a curiosity, and also in case similar circ.u.mstances should happen which caused its invention, which, you must know, was done by a culinary artist of Louis XVIII. of France, at the palace of the Tuileries, and first partaken of by this intellectual monarch and gourmet, who, at the end of his stormy reign, through a serious illness, was completely paralyzed, and, at the same time, the functionary organs of digestion were much out of order; being also a man of great corpulence, and a great admirer of the festive board, much food was required to satisfy his royal appet.i.te; and the difficulty which his physicians experienced was to supply his want of food in the smallest compa.s.s. The head-cook, on being consulted, begged a few hours' reflection before he could give an answer to so important a question, as nothing but mutton entirely deprived of fat was to compose his Majesty's meal. After profound study by the chief and his satellites, a voice was heard from the larder, which was a considerable distance from the kitchen, crying, "I have found it, I have found it." It was a young man of the name of Alphonse Pottier, who, in saying so, made his appearance in the kitchen with three beautiful mutton cutlets, tastefully trimmed and tied together; he then, with a small skewer, fastened them to a spit, and placed them, to the astonishment of all present, close to the bars of the grate: two of the cutlets soon got brown (observe, not a word was to be said until the trial was made), from brown they soon turned black: every one gazed at each other in astonishment whilst Pottier, with quite a composed countenance, terminated his scientific experiment, took them off the spit, drew the skewer out, cut the string, threw the two burnt cutlets away, and merely served the middle one, which seems to have received all the nutriment of the other two; it was served and greatly approved of by the physicians, as well as by the gourmet potentate, who in consequence of two being sacrificed for one, named it 'Cutlet a la Victime,' and often afterwards used to partake of them when in the enjoyment of health.

Cut three cutlets from the neck of mutton, about half an inch thick, trim one very nicely, free from fat, leave the other two as cut off, put the trimmed one between the two, flatten them together, so that the fat of the outside ones meet over the middle one; tie them together thus, and broil over a very strong fire for ten minutes; remove it from the fire, cut the string, and dish up the middle one only on a very hot dish, with a little salt sprinkled over it. If wanted roasted, proceed as above.

462. _Roast and Braised Chicken, for Entrees._--Have a chicken trussed for boiling; put it on a spit, envelop it as for turkey (No. 358), roast half the time or little less, depending on the fire and the size of the chicken; when done, remove it from the spit, and take off the envelope, and serve with any of the following garniture:--jardiniere, green peas, oysters, cuc.u.mbers, Jerusalem artichokes, white mushroom sauce, ragout of quenelles, juice of tarragon (No. 363), Dutch sauce, with a few heads of cauliflower well boiled, and cut small.

463. _Braised Chicken._--If not convenient to roast, put a little bacon in a stewpan, then a chicken, a large onion, half a carrot, half a head of celery, two bay-leaves, two cloves, one peppercorn, one and a half tablespoonfuls of salt, a little pepper, a bouquet garni, and a quart of water, let simmer till tender; dish up, after having well drained it, take the string off, pour any of the above sauces over or under them; when the chicken is done, you can make, with the addition of a little more water, a very good puree, and even sauces, and by adding some tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of beef, veal, lamb, or mutton, it will make a first-rate clear broth, after being clarified giving it a proper color.

464. _Chicken plain boiled._--Put two quarts of water into a stewpan, on the fire, or two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and a tablespoonful of salt and a few vegetables; when boiling, rub the breast of the chicken with half a lemon, and put it in to simmer from a quarter of an hour to twenty minutes; if a large fowl, increase the quant.i.ty of water, and boil longer; sauce over with parsley and b.u.t.ter, or celery sauce, or any of the above: use the broth.

The remains of any of the above, or of turkey, capon, guinea-fowl, or other poultry, may be dressed as hash, by cutting them into neat pieces; put them into a stewpan, put to it half a tablespoonful of salt, one of flour, half a one of chopped onions, ditto of parsley, a bay-leaf, half a pint of water, a few drops of coloring; set to simmer for twenty minutes, and serve; the addition of a few mushrooms is excellent.

465. _Poultry en Capilotade._--Put with the pieces of fowl a tablespoonful of oil, and one gla.s.s of sherry, into a pan, and proceed as above; when ready to serve, chop a few gherkins, and put in.

466. _Indian Hash Fowl._--Make a pint of sauce (p. 70), warm, put into it your pieces of fowl, and serve with rice plain-boiled.

467. _Fried Fowl._--When you have cut the pieces as before, put them into a basin with a little salt, pepper, a spoonful of oil, and two of vinegar, and a little chopped eschalot, stir them well in it, and let remain for half an hour, have ready a quant.i.ty of batter, and take a fork and dip each piece one after the other into it, and then let it drop into the frying-pan, in which is sufficient hot fat to cover them; fry a nice color, and serve in a pyramid, with fried parsley over, or any sauce you like under.

468. _Blanquette of Fowl._--Put half a pint of white sauce in a stewpan, with six tablespoonfuls of broth or milk, let it boil, having cut up about a pound of the remains of any kind of poultry, put it in the sauce, warm it, and add two spoonfuls of liaison to it; season with a little salt, pepper, the juice of half a lemon, stir it, and serve. Do not let it boil, or it will curdle, and be unsightly and unpalatable; a little cooked ham or tongue are good in it, also oysters, and served with bread sippets round. A little chopped parsley sprinkled over it makes it look very inviting.

469. _Minced Fowl._--Cut the remains into small dice, with a little ham or tongue, add thick white sauce, season mildly; it can be served with poached eggs over.

470. _Saute of Fowl._--See the article Saute, which is applicable to all kinds of poultry; if the fowl be old, it should be previously stewed.

471. _Broiled Fowl, with Sauce._--Have a fowl ready plucked and drawn, open the back from one end to the other with a sharp knife, having previously cut the feet off at the second joint, make an incision in the skin, and pa.s.s the bone through to fix it internally; lay the fowl on the table, breast down, beat it as flat as possible with a chopper, take out the breast-bone, and also the rough part of the interior of the back, especially if a large or old fowl; after you have it in a nice shape, season all over with a teaspoonful of salt and half one of pepper, put it on a gridiron, over a slow fire, turning it every five minutes until done; if a young one, twenty-five minutes ought to do it well; but by trying with the finger on the thick part, it will easily be known by even an inexperienced hand, if firm under the finger, it is done, or by pressing the wing, and if tender, it is also done; put on dish, and pour over a brown mushroom sauce, or the following: put two spoonfuls of Chili vinegar, two of Harvey's sauce, two of catsup, one of chopped eschalot, ten of plain melted b.u.t.ter, put in a stewpan and boil for twenty minutes; skim and serve under or over.

472. _Another way._--When the fowl is ready for broiling, put four tablespoonfuls of oil or fat, or one ounce of b.u.t.ter, into a saute-pan, lay in the fowl, and saute it gently until a nice yellow color, and then broil as above; or egg and bread-crumb it over, melting a little b.u.t.ter, and drop a little now and then when on the fire, and with care it will be gold color; serve with either sharp, mushroom, tomato, or poivrade sauce on.

473. _A la Tartare._--By making about half a pint of the above sauce, and ornament an oval dish by placing on the border cut gherkins, beet-root, olives, place the sauce on it, and lay the fowl very hot over it; thus the fowl is hot and the sauce cold, but together very good.

474. _Croquettes of Fowl._--Take the lean of the remains of a fowl from a previous dinner, and chop it up in small pieces, then put into a stewpan a teaspoonful of chopped eschalots with half an ounce of b.u.t.ter, pa.s.s them for about three minutes over the fire, add a teaspoonful of flour, mix well, then add the fowl, and a gill of white sauce, or more if not sufficiently moist; season with pepper, salt, and sugar; then stir in the yolks of two eggs very quickly, stir it a little longer on the fire, and turn it out on a dish to cool; when cold, take twelve pieces, each of the size of a walnut, roll them out an inch and a half in length, and bread-crumb thrice over; fry a good color, dress them on a napkin, or a border of mashed potatoes. Every kind of remains of game, meat, poultry, and fish, may be made the same way: if no sauce, add a little more flour, and use milk or broth.

475. _Frica.s.see of Fowl._--Divide a fowl into eight pieces, wash it well, put the pieces into a stewpan, and cover with boiling water, season with a teaspoonful of salt, a little pepper, a good bouquet of parsley, four cloves, and a blade of mace, let it boil twenty minutes, pa.s.s the stock through a sieve into a basin; take out the pieces of fowl, trim nicely, then put into another stewpan two ounces of b.u.t.ter, with which mix a good spoonful of flour, moisten with stock, put in the pieces of fowl, stir occasionally until boiling, skim well, add twenty b.u.t.ton onions, let simmer until the onions are tender, when add a gill of cream, with which you have mixed the yolks of two eggs, stir in quickly over the fire, but do not let it boil; take out the pieces, dress in pyramid upon the dish, and serve.

If you require to warm up the remainder of the above, put it into a basin, which stand in a stewpan in which you have placed a little water, put the cover over, and let it boil gently, by which means the contents of the basin will get warm without turning the sauce; when hot, dish up and serve. The same plan ought to be adopted to warm up any remains of dishes in which a liaison has been introduced; it prevents its turning, which is unavoidable in any other way.

476. _Fowl Saute._--Pluck and draw a fowl, cut it into pieces, seven or eight, as you like, that is, the two French wings, the two legs, the breast in one or two pieces, and the back in two; trim nicely, put into a saute-pan two ounces of b.u.t.ter, put it on the fire; when hot, lay in your pieces, add a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, saute gently, turn over; when of a nice gold color and tender, pour the fat of the pan, add a gla.s.s of sherry and ten spoonfuls of brown sauce, boil ten minutes longer but very slowly, and serve in pyramid; sauce over.

This done in oil, with the addition of twenty mushrooms and a little garlic, is the celebrated dish of _poulet a la Marengo_.

477. _The Same, a plainer way._--When prepared and cooked as above, instead of the sauce, which may not be handy, add a spoonful of flour, which dredge over till it is well mixed, then add half a pint of boiling water, a few drops of coloring or some mushroom-catsup, two teaspoonfuls of salt and a half of pepper, add a bouquet of parsley, let it simmer for twenty minutes, skim, taste if your sauce is well seasoned, dish your fowl, reduce your sauce until adhering to the back of the spoon, add the juice of half a lemon, and serve. A few mushrooms or English truffles may be added to it, which is a great improvement; the color of the sauce ought to be brownish; take out the bouquet which you have previously squeezed.

478. _Saute of Fowl with Vegetables._--Proceed exactly as above, only omitting the wine, add to the sauce fifty heads of young green scallions, or some small pieces of carrot and turnip, or a pint of green peas, or cuc.u.mbers cut in nice pieces, stew till tender, add a spoonful of powdered sugar, dish the fowl, skim the sauce, take out the parsley; when your sauce is thickish and of a nice color, pour over the fowl, and serve very hot.

479. _Blanquettes of Turkey._--Cut off the flesh from the remainder of a roast or boiled turkey into as large slices as possible, then break up the bones, which put into a stewpan, with a little lean bacon and an onion, and a small bouquet of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf, just cover them with water, and boil gently for three quarters of an hour, skim, and pa.s.s the stock through a cloth, and with it make a little white sauce as directed, then put the meat into another stewpan, lightly seasoned with a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg; just cover it with some of the sauce, and warm it gradually, not, however, permitting it to boil; when very hot, stir in three tablespoonfuls of cream, with which you have mixed the yolk of an egg, and when beginning to thicken, dress it upon a dish with toasted or fried sippets of bread around, cuc.u.mbers cut and dressed as directed p. 67, and added to the blanquette are a very great improvement, as are likewise b.u.t.ton mushrooms or a few slices of cooked ham or tongue.

For a blanquette of fowl proceed precisely the same.

480. _Boudins of Fowl or Turkey._--Cut up the remains of a turkey or fowls into very small dice, with a quarter of a pound of lean cooked ham to each pound of meat, make a stock with the bones as directed in the last; put a teaspoonful of chopped eschalots into a stewpan, with a piece of b.u.t.ter of the size of a walnut, which stir over the fire until the eschalots become a little yellowish, when stir in a good tablespoonful of flour, add the meat and about a pint of the stock, let boil gently a few minutes, season with a little pepper, salt, and sugar, stir the yolks of two eggs in quickly, and pour it out upon a dish until cold, when divide it into pieces of the size of eggs, which rub into long pieces of the shape and size of flat sausages, which egg and bread-crumb twice over, and fry of a nice brown color in hot fat or dripping, drain upon a cloth, and serve very hot.

481. _Turban of Croquettes a l'Epigramme._--Croquettes are made from the same preparation as the last, but made up into small pieces, two inches in length and the thickness of your finger; egg, bread-crumb, and fry the same, dress in a circle upon a border of mashed potatoes, and serve with some blanquette of turkey or fowl in the centre.

482. _Hashed Goose._--Put a spoonful of chopped onions into a stewpan with an ounce of b.u.t.ter, which fry over the fire until becoming rather browned, then stir a tablespoonful of flour, put in the remains of a goose, cut into neat pieces, and well seasoned with pepper and salt; add a pint of stock, let the whole simmer about ten minutes, and it is ready to serve. A little apple sauce may be served separately in a boat, or a couple of apples sliced, a few leaves of bruised dried sage may be stewed with the hash.