The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House Part 13

The smallest dwarf crooked Sugar-Pea, that you recommend, is of the same quality, but rather better, for all these Uses, being somewhat sweeter than the former, and the Pod fuller of Pulp.

C. B.

To make _Verjuice_ of Grapes, unripe, or of Crab-Apples; from _J. S._ Esq.

Take Grapes full grown, just before they begin to ripen, and bruise them, without the trouble of picking them from the Bunches; then put them in a Bag, made of Horse-Hair, and press them till the Juice is discharged; put this Liquor into a Stone Jar, leaving it uncover'd for some Days, then close it and keep it for use. This Verjuice is much richer than that of the Crab-Apple, and has a much greater influence in the way of Callico-Printing; but is harder to come at, few People being willing to gather their Grapes unripe; but where there is a large Quant.i.ty, it is well worth while. _N.B._ It will do well, if the Liquor is put into common Casks, but is nicer to the Palate if it is kept in glazed Jars of about eight or nine Gallons, and the Berries might then be pick'd from the Stalks. Keep this in a good Vault, and it will remain good for three or four Years as Verjuice; but a little more time will make it lose its Sourness, and it will become like Wine.

The Verjuice of Crab-Apples should be made of the wild Crab, which produces Thorns on its Branches, and brings a small round Apple, such as are common to be planted for Fences. I am the more particular in this, because some Apples, which are call'd Wildings, are supposed to have a sharp juice, but such will soften by keeping a Year or two. Take the Crabs, I speak of, in _October_, and grind them in a Mill, such as they use for making Cyder; then press the Liquor, and put it into Vessels like the former. Besides the agreeable Taste this has, as an _Agresta_ at the Table, it is good for the Callico Printers.

A dry Travelling Powder, for Sauce, or Pocket-Sauce. From _Mynheer Vanderport_ of _Antwerp._

Take pickled Mango, and let it dry three or four Days in the Room; then reduce it to Powder by means of a Grater. Take of this Powder six Ounces, to which add three Ounces of Mushrooms, dry'd in a gentle Oven, and reduced to Powder, by beating in a Mortar; add to this, a Dram of Mace powder'd, half as much Cloves powder'd; or in their room, a large Nutmeg grated, and a Dram of black Pepper, beat fine: mix these Ingredients well together, and sift them through an open HairSieve: and half a Tea spoonful, or less, of the Powder will relish any Sauce you have a mind to make, though it be a quart or more, putting it into the Sauce, when it is warm. To this, one may add about nine Grains of sweet Basil, dry'd and powder'd; or of Summer sweet Marjoram powder'd. If we use this Sauce for Fish, it is extremely good, adding only a little Anchovy Liquor and white Wine.

To preserve _Grapes_ all the Winter.

Take an Earthen Jar, well glaz'd, that will hold about six Gallons, or more; then dry some Oats, a little, in the Sun, upon Leads if you can, so that they have lost some part of their Moisture; lay them then two Inches thick, at the bottom of the Jar, and upon them, your Bunches of Grapes, gathered full ripe and dry; and if in any Bunch there is a rotted Grape, cut it off, and see that your Bunches are quite clean in their Berries; and besides, that all the Parts you have cut the Grapes from, are quite dry.

Lay these on the Oats, and upon them put two Inches thick of Oats, dry'd as before; and on them again, a Layer of Grapes, and so the Oats upon them, continuing this Practice till the Vessel is full. Then take a Cork, well soak'd in Oil, and stop it close in the Jar, and seal it up with Pitch, Bees-Wax, and a little Rosin, melted together, and keep it in a cool Place; but to bury it three Foot under ground, is better.

A Collar of _Mutton_ roasted. From _St. Edmund's-Bury_ in _Suffolk._

Take a Coast of Mutton, which is the Neck and Breast together, skin it in the whole Piece; then parboil it, and prepare a Mixture of Crumbs of Bread; Lemon-Peel grated, a little Pepper, Salt, Nutmeg, or sweet Marjoram powder'd, which answers the End of most Spices, or else a little dry'd sweet Basil, which we call _Bush-Basil_, in the Gardens. To this, add the Yolks of six hard Eggs, beat in a Mortar, with six Ounces of b.u.t.ter; mix this with the other Ingredients; then take the inside of the Mutton, and cover it with this Mixture, and roll it up as close as can be, and secure it in the Roll; so that it may be close for the Spit. It must be spitted through the Middle length-ways, and basted with b.u.t.ter, salting it every now and then, and the Gratings of Crusts of Bred should be sprinkled upon it, with the seasoning above. Just before it is enough, when it is taken off the Spit, serve it with strong Gravey and Lemon or Orange Juice, and garnish with Lemon or Orange sliced; or when Oysters are in season, add fry'd Oysters: _viz._

To fry _Oysters_ for a Plate, or the Garnish of the foregoing Dish.

Make a Batter of Eggs and Flower, Crumbs of Bread, and a little Mace, beaten fine. Stew some large Oysters in their own Liquor gently, and wipe them dry, and flower them: dip them, after this, in the Batter, and fry them in very hot b.u.t.ter, or Lard, or Seam of an Hog; and they will be incrustated, or cover'd, with a sort of Paste, which will be very agreeable, either for a Plate, or to garnish a Dish. If we have them alone, serve them with some of the Liquor, a little b.u.t.ter, some White Wine, boiling first some Spices in the Liquor.

Of a _Sturgeon,_ how it ought to be cured, for cold Meat, or dressed hot for the Table.

The Sturgeon is a Fish commonly found in the Northern Seas; but now and then, we find them in our great Rivers; the _Thames_, the _Severn_ and the _Tyne_. This Fish is of a very large size; even sometimes to measure eighteen Foot in length. They are in great esteem when they are fresh taken, to be cut in Pieces, of eight or ten Pounds, and roasted or baked; besides, to be pickled and preserv'd for cold Treats: And moreover, the Caviar, which is esteem'd a Dainty, is the Sp.a.w.n of this Fish.

To Cure, or Pickle, _Sturgeon;_ from _Hamborough._

Take a Sturgeon, gut it and clean it very well, within side, with Salt and Water; and in the same manner clean the Outside, wiping both very dry with coa.r.s.e Cloths, without taking any of the great Scales from it: then take off the Head, the Fins and Tail; and if there is any Sp.a.w.n in it, save it to be cured for Caviar. When this is done, cut your Fish into small Pieces, of about four Pounds each, and take out the Bones, as clean as possible, and lay them in Salt and Water for twenty-four Hours; then dry them well with coa.r.s.e Cloths; and such Pieces as want to be rolled up, tie them close with Ba.s.s-strings, that is, the strings of Bark which compose the Ba.s.s Mats, such as the Gardeners use: for that being flat, like Tape, will keep the Fish close in the boiling, which would otherwise break, if it was tied with Pack-Thread. Strew some Salt over the Pieces, and let them lie three Days; then provide a piece of Wicker, made flat, aid wide as the Copper or Cauldron you will boil your Fish in, with two or three Strings, fasten'd to the Edges, the Ends of which should hang over the Edges of the Copper. The Pans we generally boil our Fish in, are shallow and very broad; then make the following Pickle, _viz._ one Gallon of Vinegar to four Gallons of Water, and to that quant.i.ty put four Pounds of Salt. When this boils, put in your Fish; and when it is boil'd enough, take it out, and lay it in single Pieces, upon Hurdles, to drain, or upon such Boards as will not give any extraordinary Taste to the Fish. Some will boil in this Pickle a quarter of a Pound of whole black Pepper.

When your Fish is quite cold, lay it in clean Tubs, which are call'd Kits, and cover it with the Liquor it was boil'd in, and close it up, to be kept for Use.

If at any time you perceive the Liquor to grow mouldy, or begin to mother, pa.s.s it through a Sieve; add some fresh Vinegar to it, and boil it: and when it is quite cold, wash your Fish in some of it, and lay your Pieces a-fresh in the Tub, covering them with Liquor as before, and it will keep good several Months. This is generally eaten with Oil and Vinegar.

To prepare the _Caviar,_ or _Sp.a.w.n,_ of the _Sturgeon._

Wash it well in Vinegar and Water, and then lay it in Salt and Water two or three Days; then boil it in fresh Water and Salt; and when it is cold, put it up for Use. This is eaten upon Toasts of white Bread with a little Oil.

To Roast a piece of fresh _Sturgeon;_ from Mr. _Ralph t.i.tchbourn,_ Cook.

Take a piece of fresh Sturgeon, of about eight or ten Pounds; let it lie in Water and Salt, six or eight Hours, with its great Scales on: then fasten it on the Spit, and baste it well with b.u.t.ter for a quarter of an Hour; and after that, drudge it with grated Bread, Flour, some Nutmeg, a little Mace powder'd, Pepper and Salt, and some sweet Herbs dry'd and powder'd, continuing basting and drudging of it till it is enough. Then serve it up with the following Sauce, _viz._ one Pint of thin Gravey and Oyster Liquor, with some Horse-Radish, Lemon-Peel, a bunch of sweet Herbs, some whole Pepper, and a few Blades of Mace, with a whole Onion, an Anchovy, a spoonfull or two of liquid Katchep, or some Liquor of pickled Walnuts, with half a Pint of White Wine: strain it off, and put in as much b.u.t.ter as will thicken it. To this put Oysters parboil'd, Shrimps or Prawns pickt, or the inside of a Crab, which will make the same Sauce very rich; then garnish with fry'd Oysters, Lemon sliced, b.u.t.ter'd Crabs and fry'd Bread, cut in handsome Figures, and pickled Mushrooms. _N.B._ If you have no Katchep, you may use Mushroom Gravey, mention'd in the first Part of your Treatise, or some of the travelling Sauce in the same Book, or else a small Tea spoonful of the dry Pocket-Sauce.

To Roast a Collar, or Fillet, of _Sturgeon;_ from the same.

Take a piece of fresh Sturgeon; take out the Bones, and cut the fleshy Part into Lengths, about seven or eight Inches; then provide some Shrimps, chopt small with Oysters; some Crumbs of Bread, and such seasoning of Spice as you like, with a little Lemon-Peel grated. When this is done, b.u.t.ter one side of your Fish, and strew some of your Mixture upon it; then begin to roll it up, as close as possible, and when the first Piece is rolled up, then roll upon that another, prepared as before, and bind it round with a narrow Fillet, leaving as much of the Fish apparent as may be. But you must remark, that the Roll should not be above four Inches and a half thick; for, else one Part would be done enough before the Inside was hardly warm'd: therefore, I have sometimes parboil'd the inside Roll before I began to roll it.

When it is at the Fire, baste it well with b.u.t.ter, and drudge it with sifted Raspings of Bread. Serve it with the same Sauce as directed for the former.

A Piece of fresh _Sturgeon_ boiled; from the same.

When your Sturgeon is clean, prepare as much Liquor to boil it in, as will cover it; that is, take a Pint of Vinegar to about two Quarts of Water, a stick of Horse-Radish, two or three bits of Lemon-Peel, some whole Pepper, a Bay-leaf or two, and a small handful of Salt; boil your Fish in this, till it is enough, and serve it with the following Sauce.

Melt a pound of b.u.t.ter; then add some Anchovy Liquor; Oyster Liquor; some White Wine; some Katchep boil'd together with whole Pepper and Mace strain'd; put to this the Body of a Crab, and serve it with a little Lemon-Juice. You may likewise put in some Shrimps, the Tails of Lobsters, cut to Pieces, stew'd Oysters, or Cray-fish cut into small Bits: garnish with pickled Mushrooms and roasted or fry'd Oysters, Lemon sliced, and Horse-Radish sc.r.a.ped.

To make a _Sturgeon-_Pye; from the same.

Put to a quartern of Flour, two Pounds of b.u.t.ter, and rub a third Part in; then make it into a Paste with Water, and roll the rest in at three times; then roll out your Bottom, and when it is in the Dish, lay some b.u.t.ter, in pieces, upon it; and strew on that, a little Pepper and Salt. Then cut your Sturgeon in Slices cross-ways, about three quarters of an Inch thick, seasoning them with Pepper, Salt, Nutmeg and Lemon-Peel grated, till your Pye is full, and on the Top lay on Pieces of b.u.t.ter; then close it, and put in, just before it goes to the Oven, some White Wine and Water; and when it is bak'd, serve it: garnish it with sliced Lemon, or Orange.

To b.u.t.ter _Crabs,_ from the same, for Garnish for the foregoing Dishes, or to be served by themselves.

Take middle-siz'd Sea-Crabs; break the Claws, and pick them; then take out the Body, free from all the Films and boney Parts; mix these together with some Pepper and Salt, to your mind; and when you have heated some White Wine over the Fire, put your Mixture into it, and stir it well together, and keep it warm in a gentle Oven, till you want it for Use: and just before you use it, pour into your Mixture a little melted b.u.t.ter, and stir it well in; then clean your Sh.e.l.ls, as well as possible, in hot Water, and put in your Mixture, and serve it to the Table hot. Or this Mixture may be serv'd on a Plate, upon Sippets, with Slices of Lemon or Orange. You should fry the Sippets.

The Manner of Pickling and Drying of _Sheeps_ Tongues, or _Hogs_ Tongues, which they call _Stags_ Tongues; from a celebrated Pract.i.tioner of forty Years standing in _London._

The Sheeps Tongues, which are commonly bought in the _London_ Markets, are the best, if they are the Tongues of Wethers, fed in low Lands; being the largest, as they are taken from the largest sort of Sheep: but the Tongues of all Sorts of Sheep are good enough to be worth Pickling. But there is this Difference in the Value, that one large Tongue, well cured, will sell for three Pence, while the smallest Sort, cured in the same manner, will only sell for Three Half-pence, or a Penny. These Tongues are bought in Quant.i.ties of the Carca.s.s Butchers, about _Whitechappel_, and other Butchers about Town, who kill from One hundred to Six hundred Sheep in a Day, each Butcher; and they know very well how to cut out the Tongues, with all their Parts to advantage: but they are afterwards trimm'd, when we receive them, into a more regular Shape; by those who cure them. When we are about this Work, there is one thing necessary to be observ'd, especially in hot Weather, but always it is best to be done; which is, cut the fleshy Part of the Bottom of the Tongue length-ways, and you will find, towards the Root, an Artery, which as soon as 'tis cut will bleed, and joining to that is a kind of Sweet-bread; take these out, as clean as you can, without disfiguring the Tongue; otherwise the Tongues will have an ungrateful Smell, and putrify: so, that if you deal by Wholesale, they will be return'd upon your hands, or be a trouble to the Family where they are made. Wash these well, after tr.i.m.m.i.n.g, in Salt and Water, and then salt them with common Salt, well dry'd, in an Iron Kettle; one pound to half an Ounce of Salt-Petre, or Nitre, powder'd and well mix'd. Rub them well with the Mixture, and lay them close together in a Tub, or glaz'd earthen Vessel; and, after a few Days, when they are salt enough, take them from the Pickle, and when they are a little dry, tie them by the Tips, half a dozen together; and hang them up in a Chimney, where Deal Saw-Dust is burnt, till they are smoked enough, to be cured for boiling; then boil them in their Bunches, and let them dry for Sale. But to come a quicker Way to cure these Tongues, in the Pickle, as we do generally, is to make a Brine or Pickle in the following manner; that is, take a quant.i.ty of Water, and make a Pickle of it with common Salt, boil'd till it will bear an Egg; and then put in to every Pound of Salt, half an Ounce of Nitre, or Salt-Petre; and when the Pickle is cold, throw in your Tongues: which is the quickest Way. But for drying of them, the Smoking-Closets will do perfectly well, only we have not always those Conveniencies.