The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House Part 10

In the Management of c.o.c.kles for pickling, or for eating any other way, let the Sh.e.l.ls be very well wash'd, and then lay the c.o.c.kles in a Pan of Salt and Water for two or three days, to scour themselves from the Sand that is in them at their first taking; but observe to s.h.i.+ft the Salt and Water every day. The largest c.o.c.kles that I have observ'd on the _English_ Coasts are those found about _Torbay,_ which are sometimes brought to _Exeter_ Market; the Fish is as large as a good Oyster, and the Sh.e.l.ls of some are above two Inches and a half Diameter. Mussels and c.o.c.kles may likewise be stew'd and grill'd in Scallop Sh.e.l.ls, as directed for Oysters. The Mussels after they are well pick'd are flower'd and fryed in some places, and eaten with b.u.t.ter and Mustard, and the _French_ make rich Soups of them.

As this is a Season when we have plenty of Quinces, I shall insert the following Receipt for making Wine of them, which is very pleasant.

To make Quince Wine. From Mrs. _E. B._

Gather your Quinces when they are dry, and wipe them very clean with a coa.r.s.e Cloth, then grate them with a coa.r.s.e Grater or a Rasp, as near the Core as you can; but grate in none of the Core, nor the hard part about it: then strain your grated Quinces into an earthen Pot, and to each Gallon of Liquor put two Pounds of fine Loaf-Sugar, and stir it till your Sugar is dissolved; then cover it close, and let it stand twenty four hours, by which time it will be fit enough to bottle, taking care in the bottling of it that none of the Settlement go into the Bottles. This will keep good about a Year; observe that your Quinces must be very ripe when you gather them for this use.

Rabbits still continue in Season this Month, and besides the common way of dressing them, they may be larded, and drest in the following manner; which I had from a Gentleman in _Suffolk._ Make a Farce for them, like that mentioned for the Belly of a Hare in the preceding Month, and order its Management and Sauce as for a Hare. A young Rabbit, or Hare, is known by the tenderness of the Jaw-Bones, which will easily break by pressing with the Finger and Thumb.

Woodc.o.c.ks are now in Season, and it is to be advertised of them, that they are to be only pull'd of their Feathers, and not drawn like other Fowls, but the Guts left in them; when they are roasted, they must be serv'd upon Toasts of Bread, upon which the Guts are spread and eaten, when they are brought to Table. The inward of this Bird eats like Marrow; this is generally eaten with Juice of Orange, a little Salt and Pepper, without other Sauce. The Legs of this Bird are esteem'd the most, and are therefore presented to the greatest Strangers at Table; but the Wings and Breast of a Partridge are the princ.i.p.al parts of that Fowl, for the Legs are full of Strings, like the Legs of Turkeys and Pheasants.

The Snipe is of the same nature with the Woodc.o.c.k, and is ordered in every respect like it. These may be larded with Bacon upon the Breast, or else strew'd with Salt and Crumbs of Bread, while they are roasting. Besides the Sauce used for Woodc.o.c.ks and Snipes, the aforesaid _Suffolk_ Gentleman has the following which is Gravey with a little minced Anchovy, a Rocambole, some Lemon-Juice, and a little White-wine boiled together; and when it is strain'd, pour it in a Saucer, and serve it with the Fowls.

These Birds are in plenty among the woody parts of _England,_ from _September_ till the end of _March,_ and then they all leave us at one time, except only such as have been lamed by the Sportsmen, and disabled for Flight; and then they will breed in _England,_ as there are Instances enough. About _Tunbridge,_ it is frequent to find them in Summer; and I have known the same in _Leicesters.h.i.+re._ I think if one could take Woodc.o.c.ks here in Hay-Nets, as they do in _France,_ and pinion them or disable a Wing, and then turn them loose again, we might raise a Breed of them that would stay with us; but I have experienced that they will not feed if they are confined in Cages or Aviaries, for they must have liberty to run in search of their Food, which they find for the most part in moist places, near Springs; for I have often taken both the Woodc.o.c.k and the Snipe with such Snares as are made for Larks, by laying them in the Night on the Bank of Rivulets, or watery Trenches near Woods.

NOVEMBER.

Pheasants are still in season, and are now chiefly roasted, for they are not so frequently boiled, till about _April,_ and then only the Hens when they are full of Eggs; but that, I think, is too destroying a way. The boiled Pheasants are generally dressed with Oyster-Sauce, or Egg-Sauce, but the roasted are either larded on the Breast with fine Bacon Fat, or else roasted and strew'd with Crumbs of Bread: these, says the _Suffolk_ Gentleman, who sent me the foregoing Method of ordering the Woodc.o.c.k and Snipe, should be served with the same Sauces that are used for Partridges.

The Sauces in his Directions are within a trifle the same as those I have already set down in _September_ for Partridges or Quails, so that I shall not repeat them here.

The Truffle, which I have treated of at large as to its manner of Growth and Season of Maturity, in my _Gentleman and Farmer's Monthly Director,_ affords such Variety of agreeable Dishes, that I have taken care to send to a curious Gentleman abroad for the Receipt how to dress it: They are very plenty in our Woods in _England,_ as I understand by several who have found them this Summer by my Directions, and I believe will be much more so, since several curious Gentlemen have followed my Advice in propagating them. It is now, as well as in the two preceding Months, that we may find them of a fine Flavour; but they being something more in perfection in this Month than in the others, I think it the properest to give the Methods of ordering them for the Table in this place: The first manner is to broil them.

To broil Truffles.

The Truffle being brought in fresh, wash it well, and cut off the rough Coat on the outside: some of these will be as large as one's Fist, and they are the best for this purpose; but let them be of any size, as soon as the Coat is off, cut them through a little more than half-way, and put Pepper and Salt into the opening, and close it again; then wrap up each Truffle in wet Paper close, and broil them over a gentle Fire of Wood-Embers till you judge they are enough, which will be as soon as they are very hot quite through; let them be turn'd as occasion requires, that they may be all equally done, and then serve them to the Table in a folded Napkin. This is a very good way of eating them, but the other I have more frequently eaten.

To Stew Truffles in Wine.

The Truffles must be peel'd from the rough Coat on the outside, and well-wash'd; then cut your Truffles into Slices, and stew them in White wine, or Claret, which you please, with Salt, Pepper, and a Bay-leaf; or in the lieu of that, some _Jamaica_ Pepper, and serve them. White-wine for this use is generally preferred.

To Stew Truffles after another manner.

Gather Truffles, peel them and wash them, and then cut them in Slices, after which fry them a little in a Stew-pan, with either b.u.t.ter or Hog's-Lard, and a little Wheat-Flower; then take them out and drain them, and put them again in a Stew-pan with Gravey, a bunch of Sweet-Herbs, some Salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg grated; and when they have stewed a little in this, strain the Liquor, and dish them for the Table, garnished with Slices of Lemmon. Besides this way, they may be used in the same manner as Fowls are stewed or frica.s.seed, with brown or white Sauces, after they have been soften'd a little by boiling.

While I am speaking of the Truffle, I may well enough mention the Receipts for the management of the Morille. Altho' the Morille grows in _April_, which is the only time when it may be gather'd fresh, yet one may dress the dry'd ones now, by first softening them in warm Water and Salt for three or four Minutes; but, as observ'd before, they are best fresh gather'd. And again, I chuse to put the Receipts for their Management in this place, because they are so near a-kin to the Truffle. In the first place, I shall speak of drying them, which I have done in _England,_ after the following manner: Gather, and wash them, and when they are well drain'd, then lay them in a Dish, and dry them by degrees in a gentle Oven; and when they are throughly dry, keep them in a dry place, and in a cover'd earthen glazed Pot; but when they are fresh, order them according to the following Receipts. And I am the more ready to give these to the Publick, because all such who know the nicest way of eating, may nor be disappointed in their Travels thro' _England,_ and denied at the Inns such things as perhaps are as agreeable in that way, as any in the Country. Particularly I remember at _Newberry,_ or _Spinhamland,_ in the publick Road to _Bath,_ I was at the most publick and noted Inn in that Road, and had got some very good Mushrooms, and the People there were of opinion that they were poisonous, or else did not know how to dress them, and by no means they would send them to the Table. I say, if such mistakes can be made in a place where so many People of fas.h.i.+on travel continually, it is not likely that Morilles or Truffles will be received with more favour than my Mushrooms; and I believe that some of the greatest Niceties of our Country may ever remain unknown, without a Work of this nature, which I have pick'd up inch by inch, _viz._ in my Travels. And besides, considering the strange disagreeable Compositions which one meets with in some of our Travels, as Sugar with a pickled Trout, and many more as ridiculous; I think this little Piece of Work not unworthy my Time. Again, there are many Families in _England_ which have plenty about them, and do not know what to do with it; and therefore I think this the more necessary. But to come to my point, the Morille may be dress'd when it is either fresh or blanch'd in warm Water, according to the following Receipts, which I had from _France._

To make a Ragout of Morilles.

The Morilles being fresh gather'd, take off the Roots, and wash them in many Waters, for the Wrinkles in their Tops harbour a great deal of Dirt and Sand; then slit them lengthways, and fry them a little in a Stew-pan, with b.u.t.ter or Hogs-Lard, letting either be very hot when you put in the Morilles; then let them drain, and put them in a fresh Stew-pan with Gravey, in which shred some Parsley and Cherville very small, with a young Onion, some Salt, and a little Nutmeg: let these stew gently, and send them to the Table garnish'd with slices of Lemmon, or they may be sent to the Table in Cream, as we have already mentioned concerning other things in the same manner.

To fry the Morilles.

Prepare your Morilles as directed in the former Receipt, and boil them in a little Gravey gently; when they begin to be tender, take them out of the Liquor, and flower them very well, then fry them in Hog's-Lard: when they are thus prepared, make a Sauce for them of the Liquor or Gravey the Morilles were stew'd in, season'd with Salt, Nutmeg and a little Juice of Lemmon.

The following Directions I had from a Gentleman in _Suffolk._ The Turkey is now in good Season, and may be either boiled or roasted; when it is boiled, it is most commonly served with Oyster-Sauce, and when it is designed for roasting, it may be larded with fine Fat of Bacon on the Breast, or else well strew'd with Crumbs of Bread, having first made a Farce to fill the Hollow of the Neck, where the Crop lay; this Farce may be made of grated Bread, Spice, Salt, b.u.t.ter'd Eggs, and some sweet Herbs powder'd, the whole well mix'd and bound with the Yolk of a raw Egg; or the Liver of a Fowl may be boiled and chop'd small and put into it. The Receipt as I receiv'd it directs Beef-Suet chop'd small instead of b.u.t.ter'd Eggs; but Mr. _John Hughs,_ a noted Cook in _London,_ tells me that Suet should be avoided in these Farces, because it is apt to cool too soon, and offend the Roof of the Mouth, and therefore directs b.u.t.ter'd Eggs in their stead. As for the Sauce for the roasted Turkey, it must be made with Gravey, a Bunch of sweet Herbs, some Lemmon-peel, a Shallot or two, and some whole Pepper and All-spice boiled together and strained.

Concerning the Lark, which is now in Season, the abovemention'd Gentleman gives the following Directions: Let the Larks be pick'd only and not gutted, truss the Legs, with a Leaf of red Sage to every Lark between the Joints of the Legs; then with a Feather, dip'd in the Yolk of an Egg beaten, wash the Body of every Lark, and cover it well with Crumbs of Bread; after which, cut some thin Slices of fat Bacon, about three Inches long, and an Inch broad, and lay the Larks in a row, side to side, with a piece of this Bacon between every two Larks; then have small Spits about ten Inches long, and pa.s.s the Spits thro' the Sides of the Larks and the Bacon, so that you have half a dozen Larks upon each Spit, observing to have a piece of Bacon on both the outsides of the half dozen Larks; baste these well while they are roasting, and for the Sauce for them, fry some grated Bread crisp in b.u.t.ter, and set them to drain before the Fire, that they may harden; serve these under the Larks when you send them to Table, and garnish with Slices of Lemmon. Some have their Lark-Spits made of Silver, and serve their Larks upon the Spits to the Table, by which means they keep hot the longer: you may eat them with Juice of Lemmon with the fry'd Crumbs, but some like such Gravey-Sauce with them as is directed for the roasted Turkey. Tho' the Guts are left in the Larks, yet they are not to be eaten.

In my Travels I observed a kind of Soup, which was very frequently used abroad, and quickly ready, that was very taking to most Travellers who delighted in savoury Dishes, which the People abroad call Soup _a l'Yvrogne_. It is made as follows.

Take half a score Onions, peel them, and cut them in small Pieces into a Stewpan, and fry them brown with b.u.t.ter, and a little Pepper and Salt; and when they are enough, pour such a quant.i.ty of Water upon them as you think proper to make a Soup of them; then let these boil together, and thicken it with as many Eggs as are neccessary, keeping it stirring to prevent the Eggs from Curdling. Some add to this a large Gla.s.s of White-wine, which I think makes it better tasted than 'tis without it: this is served with a _French_ Role in the middle. At the same time I met with the following Receipt for Beef _A-la-mode,_ which is as good as any I have eaten.

To make Beef _A-la-mode._

Take a fleshy piece of Beef, without Fat, and beat it well with a Rolling pin, then lard it with pretty large pieces of Bacon-Fat, and if you please put over the Fire a little to fry till the outside is brown, and then put it to stew in a deep Stew-pan, or glaz'd Earthen-Vessel, with Salt, Pepper, Bay-Leaves or _Jamaica_ Pepper, some Lemmon-Peel, half a dozen large Mushrooms, two Gloves of Garlick, or four or five Cloves of Shallot, half a Pint of Wine, and a Pint of Water; cover it close, and let it stew gently till it is tender: when it is enough, fry some Flower in Hogs-Lard, and add to it, with some Lemmon-Juice, or a little Verjuice. This is very good hot, but is for the most part eaten cold, cut in Slices of about half an Inch thick.

DECEMBER.

Now is the princ.i.p.al Season for killing of Hogs, as well for Pork as for Bacon, and likewise for Brawn. I have already in my other Works given Directions for making of pickled Pork and Bacon; so that I shall say little of it in this place, but give the Receipts for ordering some particular parts of Hogs. The following Receipt I received from _France,_ concerning the preparing of the Jole of a wild Boar, and have had it try'd in _England_ with the Head of a common Hog; and I find little difference, especially if the Hog has been fed with Acorns.

To dress a Hog's Head, in imitation of the Jole of a wild Boar.

Take a Hog's Head and burn it well all over upon a clear Fire, till all the Hair is burnt to the Skin; then take a piece of Brick, and rub the Head all over as hard as possible, to grind off the Stumps of the Bristles, and finish the whole with your Knife, and then clean the Head very well; when this is done, you must take out all the Bones, opening the Head in the under Part, and beginning with the under Jaw-Bones and the Muzzle; then cleave the Head, leaving only the Skin over the Skull to hold it together: take out the Tongue and the Brains. When thus you have taken away all the Bones, stab the Flesh with the Point of your Knife in many places on the inside, without wounding the Skin, and put Salt into every Incision, then join the Head together, and tie it well together with Packthread, and then wrapping it up in a Napkin, put it in a Kettle, with a large Quant.i.ty of Water, a large Bunch of all kinds of sweet Herbs, a little Coriander and Anise-Seeds, two or three Bay Leaves, some Cloves, and two or three Nutmegs cut in pieces, and some Salt, if you think there is any wanting; add likewise two or three large Onions and a Sprig or two of Rosemary. When this has boiled half enough, pour in a Bottle of Wine, and let it boil three or four Hours longer till 'tis tender; for it will not be so under seven or eight Hours boiling, if the Hog be large; and if it is a Boar's Head, that has been put up for Brawn, it will take more time to boil. Being boiled enough, let it cool in the Liquor, and then take it out and untie it, and lay it in a Dish to be carry'd cold to the Table, either whole or in Slices. If you will, you may salt it three or four days before you boil it.

To make Sausages, from Lady _M._

Take the Flesh of a Leg of Pork, and mince it small, and to every Pound of the Flesh minced, mince about a quarter of a Pound of the hard Fat of the Hog; then beat some _Jamaica_ Pepper very fine, and mix with it some Pepper and Salt, with a little Sweet-Marjoram powder'd, and some Leaves of red Sage minced very small; mix all these very well, and if you fill them into Guts, either of Hogs or Sheep, beat two or three Yolks of Eggs and mix with them, taking care not to fill the Guts too full, lest they burst when you broil or fry them: but if you design them to be eaten without putting them in Guts, then put no Eggs to them, but beat the Flesh and the Fat in a Stone Mortar, and work the Spice and Herbs well into it with your hands, so that it be well mix'd, and keep it in a Ma.s.s to use at your pleasure, breaking off Pieces, and rolling them in your hands, and then flowering them well before you fry them. If you use them in Guts, take special care that the Guts are well clean'd, and lie some time in a little warm White-wine and Spice before you use them; if any Herb happens to be disagreeable in this Mixture, it may be left out, or others added at pleasure.

The following Receipt to make Sausages of Fish for Fast-Days, I had at _Bruxelles_, which I have experienced to be very good.

To make Sausages of Fish.

Take the Flesh of Eels, or of Tench, and to either of these put some of the Flesh of fresh Cod, or of Pike or Jack, chop these well together with Parsley, and a few small Onions; season these with a little Salt, Pepper, Cloves in Powder, a little grated Nutmeg, and, if you will, a little powder'd Ginger, with some Thyme, Sweet-Marjoram, a little Bay-Leaf, all dry'd and powder'd; and mix all these well together with a little b.u.t.ter.

Then beat the Bones of the Fish in a Mortar, pouring in among them while they are beating, a Gla.s.s or two of Claret, which must afterwards be poured upon the above Mixture; then take the Guts of a Calf well wash'd and clear'd of the Fat, for in that condition I find there is no scruple to use them abroad: being well discharged of the Fat, fill these Skins with your Mixture of Fish, _&c._ tying them at both ends, and lay them for twenty four Hours in a Pickle of Wine and Salt, and taking them out from thence, hang them in a Chimney where they may be well smoak'd with a Wood-Fire, or burning Saw-dust for twenty-four hours, or longer if you please, provided you have allow'd Salt and Spices enough. When you would use them, boil them gently in White-wine, with a Bunch of Sweet Herbs; or in Water, with one third part White-wine, and Sweet-Herbs. These are served cold at the Table, and eat very well.