The Modern Housewife or, Menagere Part 23

483. _Stewed Duck with Peas._--Truss a duck with the legs turned inside, which put into a stewpan with two ounces of b.u.t.ter and a quarter of a pound of streaked bacon, cut into small dice, set the stewpan over a moderate fire, occasionally stirring its contents until it becomes lightly browned, then add a good teaspoonful of flour, and when well mixed, a pint of stock or water, stir occasionally until boiling, when add twenty b.u.t.ton onions and a bunch of parsley with a bay-leaf; let the whole simmer a quarter of an hour, keeping it well skimmed, then add a quart of young peas, and simmer half an hour longer, or until the peas are quite tender, when take out the duck, draw out the string, and dress it upon your dish; remove the parsley and bay-leaf, season the peas and sauce with a little pepper, salt, and sugar, pour over the duck and serve.

484. _Stewed Duck with Turnips._--Proceed as in the last, but, instead of peas, use about forty pieces of good turnips, cut into moderately-sized squares, and previously fried, of a yellowish color, in a little lard or b.u.t.ter, dress the duck upon your dish, season the turnips and sauce with a little salt, pepper and sugar, and reduce it until thickish, not however to break the turnips; sauce over, and serve.

The remains of ducks left from a previous dinner may be hashed as directed for goose, but the sage and apple should in all cases be omitted; for variety, should peas be in season, a pint freshly boiled may be mixed with the hash at the time of serving.

485. _Fowl Saute in Oil._--Cut a fowl into eight pieces, that is, the two wings, two legs, two pieces of the breast, and two of the back, which put into a stewpan, with three tablespoonfuls of salad-oil, over a moderate fire, shaking the stewpan round occasionally, until the pieces of fowl are rather browned, when mix in a tablespoonful of flour, which moisten with a pint of stock or water, let it simmer at the corner of the fire twenty minutes, skimming off the oil as it rises to the surface; add a few blanched mushrooms in slices, season with a little salt, pepper, sugar, and a piece of sc.r.a.ped garlic the size of a pea; take out the fowl, which pile upon your dish, laying the worst pieces at the bottom; reduce the sauce over the fire, keeping it stirred until sufficiently thick to adhere to the back of the spoon, when pour over the fowl and serve. Use brown sauce, if handy.

486. _Frica.s.see of Rabbit._--Cut a nice young rabbit into neat joints, and put them into lukewarm water to disgorge for half an hour, when drain and put them into a stewpan, with a large onion cut into slices, two cloves, a blade of mace, a little parsley, one bay-leaf, and a quarter of a pound of streaky bacon cut into small dice; cover the whole with water, and let it simmer twenty minutes, keeping it well skimmed; then pa.s.s the stock through a sieve into a basin, take out the pieces of rabbit with the bacon, then in another stewpan have two ounces of b.u.t.ter, with which mix a good tablespoonful of flour, moisten with the stock, and stir over the fire until boiling; then trim neatly the pieces of rabbit, which, with the bacon and twenty b.u.t.ton onions, put into the sauce; let the whole simmer until the onions are tender, skimming off all the fat as it rises to the surface; then pour in a gill of cream, with which you have mixed the yolks of two eggs, leave it a moment upon the fire to thicken (but not to boil), take out the rabbit, which pile upon your dish, sauce over and serve.

487. _Gibelotte of Rabbit._--Cut up a young rabbit into neat joints, as likewise a quarter of a pound of streaky bacon in small dice, put the bacon into a stewpan, with two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and when a little fried, put in the pieces of rabbit, which saute of a light brown color, moving them round occasionally with a wooden spoon; then add a good tablespoonful of flour, working it well in, moisten with a pint of water, season with a little pepper and salt, and when beginning to simmer, skim off all the fat, and add thirty b.u.t.ton onions, a few blanched mushrooms, and a little brown gravy or coloring; let simmer a quarter of an hour longer, when take out the rabbit, which dress upon your dish; reduce the sauce until it adheres to the back of the spoon, when pour it over the rabbit and serve.

488. _Compote of Pigeons._--Put a quarter of a pound of lean bacon cut into small dice into a stewpan, with half an ounce of b.u.t.ter, and fry a few seconds over the fire, then have three pigeons trussed, with their legs turned inside, which place in the stewpan breast downwards, setting them over the fire until of a light brown color, moving them round occasionally; add a tablespoonful of flour, which work well in with a wooden spoon, until becoming browned, when moisten with a pint of water, add a good bunch of parsley, with a bay-leaf, and about thirty b.u.t.ton onions, season with a little pepper and salt, let the whole simmer three quarters of an hour, keeping it well skimmed, then dress the pigeons upon a dish with the bacon and onions round, reduce the sauce to a proper consistency, take out the parsley and bay-leaf, sauce over and serve.

489. _Stewed Pigeon with Peas._--Cook the pigeons precisely as described in the last, but omitting the onions and bay-leaf, and adding a quart of fresh green peas; when done, dress the pigeons in a dish, pour the sauce and peas over and serve.

490. _Hot Lamb Pie (raised)._--To make this an oval, a tin or copper pie mould would be required, which you would choose of a size most generally useful. b.u.t.ter the interior of the mould, which stand upon a baking-sheet, then make the following paste: put a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter and the same of chopped suet into a stewpan, with half a pint of water, and let the whole boil together one minute, when strain it through a sieve into a basin containing two pounds of flour, mixing it first with a spoon, and when cool enough with the hand, until forming a smooth paste; when partly cold roll it out into a sheet half an inch in thickness, with which line the mould, pressing the paste evenly at all parts; have ready cut sufficient small lamb chops from the loin, neatly cut away the bones, and lay them round the interior of the pie alternately with slices of raw potatoes (a quarter of an inch in thickness), season rather highly as you proceed, with pepper, salt, chopped onions, and parsley; make a neat cover with the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of the paste, and bake it rather better than two hours in a moderate oven; when done lift the cover, pour out as much of the fat as possible, add a little gravy and serve.

491. _Other various Pies._--Hot raised pies may also be made with mutton by following the above directions. They are also very good made with fillet of beef cut into thin slices of the size of the lamb chops, or of rump steak, by laying a piece at the bottom, seasoning and filling alternately with potatoes and the meat; veal and ham pies are also excellent, but the potatoes in them had better be omitted, the veal however, seasoned and dipped in flour. Pies may also be made with veal sweetbreads and ham, but then about three parts of a pint of white sauce should be poured in after the pie is baked. Fowls or rabbits may likewise be cut into joints, and put into a stewpan, with a piece of b.u.t.ter, previously well seasoning them with pepper, salt, and chopped eschalots; cover the stewpan close, and leave it twenty minutes over a slow fire, when add a pint of white sauce, and simmer ten minutes longer, when cold build them up in the interior of the pie, which cover and bake an hour in a warm oven. Pies of the above description can of course be made of any size, either large enough for a family meal, or very small and round, for a corner dish for a dinner party; most people who are in the habit of making them, keep two different-sized moulds for the purpose.

492. _Rump Steak Pie._--Procure two pounds of rumpsteaks, which cut into thinnish slices, and season well with pepper and salt, dip each piece into flour, and lay them in a small pie-dish, finis.h.i.+ng the top in the form of a dome; add a winegla.s.sful of water, then have ready half a pound of half-puff paste, cut off a small piece, which roll into a band, and lay round the edge of the dish, having previously wetted it with a paste-brush, dipped in water, then roll out the remainder of the paste to about the size of the dish, damp the band of paste upon the dish, and lay the other piece over, make a hole with a knife at the top, press the edges evenly down with your thumbs, trim the pie round with a knife, egg over the top with a paste-brush, and ornament it with the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of the paste, according to fancy: bake it rather better than an hour in a moderate oven, and serve either hot or cold.

493. _Veal and Ham Pie._--Cut about a pound and a half of veal into thin slices, as also a quarter of a pound of cooked ham; season the veal rather highly with white pepper and salt, with which cover the bottom of the dish, then lay over a few slices of ham, then the remainder of the veal, finis.h.i.+ng with the remainder of the ham, add a winegla.s.sful of water, and cover and bake as directed for the beefsteak pie: a bay will be an improvement.

494. _Mutton pie._--Procure the chumps of three loins of mutton, from which cut the meat in moderately thin slices, put a layer at the bottom of the dish, which season well with chopped parsley, eschalots, pepper, and salt; then put a layer of slices of raw potatoes, and again a layer of mutton, seasoning as before, proceeding thus to the top, which form in a dome, finis.h.i.+ng with mutton, cover with paste, and bake as directed for rumpsteak pie.

495. _Another method._--Cut six chops from a loin of mutton, from which trim as much of the fat as possible: season them well with salt and pepper, and lay them round in your pie-dish, the thick part uppermost, put two onions, in slices, in the centre, over which lay four middling-sized potatoes, each cut in halves, pour in a winegla.s.sful of water, cover with paste, and bake as the last.

496. _Lamb Pie._--Cut a small neck of lamb into chops, which must not be too fat, season them lightly with pepper and salt, and lay them in your pie-dish, with a few new potatoes in slices, pour in a little water, then cover and bake as directed for rumpsteak pie.

497. _Chicken Pie._--Cut up a nice plump chicken into joints, which lay upon a dish, and season lightly with chopped parsley, white pepper, and salt, then lay the back, cut into three pieces, at the bottom of a pie-dish, with the two legs on either side; have half a pound of cooked ham or bacon in slices, a layer of which cover over, then lay in the two wings, and over them the breast, cut into two pieces, which, with the remainder of the ham or bacon, form into a dome in the middle, pour half a pint of white sauce over, if handy, or a little broth or water, cover with paste, and bake as directed for the last. If no white sauce, dip each piece lightly in flour.

498. _Rabbit Pie._--Cut a nice rabbit into joints, splitting the head in halves, and lay them in lukewarm water half an hour, to disgorge, then dry them upon a cloth, season well with pepper, salt, chopped eschalots, parsley, two bay-leaves, and a spoonful of flour; have also three quarters of a pound of uncooked streaked bacon, cut into square pieces the size of walnuts, build up the pieces of rabbit and bacon together, in a pie-dish, commencing with the worst pieces, and forming a dome; pour in a little water, cover with paste, and bake as directed for rumpsteak pie.

499. _Pigeon Pie._--Line the bottom of a pie-dish with a pound of rumpsteak, cut into slices not too thin, seasoned with a little salt, pepper, and cayenne, and dipped into flour; have ready picked and drawn a couple of pigeons, cut off the feet, turn the legs in, fold up the pinions of the wings, and lay them breast to breast upon the meat, have the yolks of four hard-boiled eggs, which put at the sides, sprinkle a little pepper and salt over the pigeons, lay a bay-leaf upon the top, pour in a little water, cover with paste, stick the feet in the top, and bake as directed for the last.

500. _Partridge Pie._--Line the bottom of a pie-dish with slices of veal, cut moderately thick, and rather lightly seasoned with white pepper and salt; have ready picked, drawn, and trussed a couple of young partridges, pour one gla.s.s of sherry over the veal, and lay in the partridges breast to breast, laying a piece of fat bacon over each, cover with paste, sticking the feet of the partridges in the top of the pie, and bake as before.

501. _Grouse Pie._--Roast, very underdone, a couple of nice plump grouse; when cold, cut into joints, being the two wings, two legs, and the b.r.e.a.s.t.s into two pieces each, season them lightly, and lay them in a pie-dish, building them to form a dome, then break up the back-bone and other tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, which put into a stewpan, with a gla.s.s of sherry, a bay-leaf, an onion in slices, a few sprigs of parsley, three or four whole allspice, set the stewpan over the fire a few minutes until the wine boils, when add half a pint of brown sauce, and half a pint of broth, stir it over a fire until again reduced to half a pint, when strain it through a sieve, over the grouse; when quite cold cover with paste, as directed for rumpsteak pie, and bake in a warm oven; about half an hour would be sufficient, as the paste requires to be laid on thinner, the contents of the pie having been previously cooked.

Pies may be made from the remains of any poultry or game, in the same manner as here described; only, if poultry, use white sauce instead of brown, and omit the wine. If no sauce, roll each piece in flour, and make only the gravy, which place in it.

The remains of any joint of meat may likewise be served in a pie, by cutting the meat in slices, well seasoning, laying them in a pie-dish, and pouring half a pint of sharp sauce over; or use broth, or even water highly seasoned.

502. _Sea Pie._--Put into a stewpan two pounds of beefsteak, season it with pepper and salt, a small bit of celery chopped up, or a pinch of ground celery seed, a pinch of pounded basil, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, a small onion cut in slices; put on this six larks trussed for roasting, then make a piece of paste with suet, about one inch thick, and round like the stewpan; put half a pint of water or Hock in the stewpan, and cover the larks with the paste, pressing it against the sides of the stewpan; simmer for one hour, and serve, by putting a knife round the sides of the stewpan to detach the paste, and turn it over on a dish.

503. _Eel Pie._--Skin and cleanse three good-sized eels, which cut into pieces about two inches in length, put a good-sized bunch of parsley, thyme, and three bay-leaves, all tied together, into a stewpan, with an onion, into which you have stuck six cloves, a gla.s.s of port wine, and a pint of broth, lay in the pieces of eels, and set them upon the fire to simmer for ten minutes, when take them out, laying them upon a cloth to drain, skim off all the fat from the stock the eels were cooked in, to which add rather more than half a pint of brown sauce, let the whole boil until reduced to three parts of a pint, when dress the pieces of eels up in a pie-dish, strain the sauce over through a sieve, and when cold, cover with paste as directed for rumpsteak pie, and bake about an hour in a moderate oven, serve it hot. If for a small pie, they may be used raw, and season accordingly, after having rolled each piece in flour.

504. _Beefsteak Pudding._--Put a pound of flour upon a dresser, with which mix half a pound of beef suet, very finely chopped, make a hole in the middle, into which put a teaspoonful of salt, and sufficient water to form a rather stiffish paste, mix it well together, using a little more flour to dry it and prevent its sticking; then lightly b.u.t.ter the interior of a round-bottomed pudding-basin, roll out two thirds of the paste to half an inch in thickness, with which line the basin; have ready cut into slices, about the size of the palm of the hand and a quarter of an inch in thickness, two pounds of rumpsteak, with a little of the fat included, lay them upon a dish; season with two teaspoonfuls of salt, and one of black pepper, sprinkle a little flour over, move them about a little until each piece is well covered with flour and seasoning; then lay them within the paste, also putting in whatever seasoning may remain upon the dish, pour a gill of water over, moistening the edges of the paste; then roll out the remainder of the paste to form a lid, which place over, pressing it down with the thumb, then tie the basin in a pudding-cloth, and put it into a saucepan containing about a gallon of boiling water, and keep continually boiling for nearly two hours, adding a little more water occasionally, to keep up the quant.i.ty; then take it up, untie the cloth, run a sharp-pointed knife into the pudding, and if the meat feels tender, it is done (if not, it will require more boiling), turn it over upon your dish, lift the basin carefully from it, and serve, without opening the pudding to add gravy, as many persons do, for a pudding made as above will be full of gravy when cut at table.

505. _Mutton Pudding._--Line a pudding-basin with paste, as directed in the last; then have ready cut into slices the meat from two loin-chumps of mutton, which lay upon a dish, and season with a teaspoonful of chopped onions, the same of chopped parsley, rather more than half that quant.i.ty of black pepper, and salt in proportion; then put a layer of meat into the pudding, then a layer of raw potatoes cut into slices, proceeding thus until you have filled it up, but finis.h.i.+ng with meat, cover it up as in the last, likewise tie it in a napkin, and boil, but rather better than two hours would be sufficient; serve as before directed.

506. _Lamb Pudding._--If convenient, procure the entire ribs of lamb, sawing off the breast almost close to the lean part of the neck; the breast may be cooked as directed (No. 334); cut the neck into rather thin cutlets, which season lightly with white pepper, salt, and a little chopped parsley and onions: you have previously lined a pudding-basin with paste as before, fill it with the meat thus prepared, intermixing a few new potatoes cut in slices, finish the pudding, boil, and serve as before directed.

507. _Veal Pudding._--Cut two pounds of veal from any part of the leg into slices, about the size of the palm of the hand and a quarter of an inch in thickness, put two ounces of b.u.t.ter into a frying-pan, and when melted lay in the veal, and a few slices of streaked bacon, season the whole with pepper and a little salt, add one bay-leaf, and a few sprigs of thyme; place the pan over a slow fire, saute the veal gently for a quarter of an hour; then take it from the fire, and leave it in the pan until cold, then have a pudding-basin lined with paste as before, lay in the veal and bacon, pouring the gravy over, cover, and boil as before, but an hour would be sufficient.

508. _Pork Pudding._--Line a pudding-basin with paste as before, and spread three quarters of a pound of sausage-meat of an equal thickness over the interior, have a pound and a half of lean pork, from the leg if possible, cut into square pieces of the size of walnuts, which season rather highly with pepper, salt, a teaspoonful of chopped eschalots, and half that quant.i.ty of dried sage; put the meat into the centre of the pudding, cover over with a quarter of a pound more sausage-meat, over which put on the cover of paste, tie it in a cloth, and boil two hours and a half, as directed for beefsteak pudding.

509. _Kidney Pudding._--Procure one ox or eight mutton kidneys, which cut into slices the thickness of half-a-crown piece; lay them upon a dish, seasoning well with black pepper and salt, and shaking one ounce of flour over, mix all well together, to absorb the flour and seasoning; then have a pudding-basin, lined as directed for beefsteak pudding, finish, boil, and serve as there directed.

A pudding made with one pound of steak and a beef kidney is also very excellent, as is likewise a beefsteak pudding with two dozen of oysters (previously blanched and bearded) added.

510. _Rabbit Pudding._--Cut a rabbit up in joints (splitting the head in halves), and lay them in a basin of lukewarm water an hour, to disgorge; line a pudding-basin with paste as directed for rumpsteak pudding, dry the pieces of rabbit upon a cloth, and lay them in the pudding with half a pound of streaked bacon, cut into square pieces, and seasoning rather highly with chopped eschalots, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley; cover, tie it in a cloth, boil it two hours, and serve as before directed.

511. _Suet Pudding._--Put a pound of sifted flour in a basin, with half a pound of beef suet finely chopped, add two eggs, with a pinch of salt, and a quarter of a pint of water, beat well together with a wooden spoon, making a rather thick batter, flour a pudding-cloth, which lay in a small, round-bottomed basin, pour in the mixture, tie the cloth tightly, and put the pudding in to boil, with a joint of salt beef, if you have one, to serve the pudding with, or if not, in boiling water; an hour and a quarter would be sufficient to cook it; when done, untie the cloth, turn the pudding over upon your dish, and serve very hot.

512. _Yorks.h.i.+re Pudding._--Put six tablespoonfuls of flour into a basin, with six eggs, a pinch of salt, and a quarter of a pint of milk, mix well together with a wooden spoon, adding the remaining three quarters of a pint of milk by degrees; you have previously set a shallow tin dish under a piece of roasting beef before the fire; an hour before serving pour in the batter, leaving it under the meat until quite set and rather browned upon the top, when turn the pudding over upon the dish you intend serving it upon, and again place it before the fire until the other side is browned, when it is ready to serve with the meat.

This pudding is also very excellent baked under a small piece of beef of about five or six pounds. It is also frequently baked beneath a shoulder of mutton; also baked in an oven separate (with a few spoonfuls of gravy added), if the fire is not large enough.