Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks Part 46

[Ill.u.s.tration]

_Stewed._--Take four snipes and pound the livers, hearts, and lungs well with about the same amount of fat salt pork; then add to them about a teaspoonful of parsley chopped fine, and the yolk of an egg; divide the mixture in four parts and put each part in a bird, which you sew and truss as directed. Line the bottom of a stewpan with slices of salt pork and lay the snipe on them; set on a slow fire for ten minutes, add about half a pint of white wine, same of broth; simmer till done, dish the birds, strain the gravy on them, sprinkle a few drops of lemon-juice over the whole, and serve warm. Snipes are served in several ways, as described for bobolinks and other small birds.

_Salmis._--A salmis is made with tame ducks and any kind of game birds.

Birds may be roasted or baked to make a _salmis_, but most generally it is made with cold birds, that is, what is left from the previous day's dinner. It is certainly the best way to make use of cold birds. The proportions of the different seasonings are according to the proportion of meat. We give below the proportions for a whole bird; it will be easy to augment or reduce. Put two ounces of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan and set it on the fire; as soon as melted stir into it a tablespoonful of flour; when turning rather yellow add one pint of broth, same of claret wine, a bunch of seasonings composed of four or five sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf and a clove, also salt, pepper, and a clove of garlic; boil gently about thirty-five minutes. Strain the sauce into a saucepan.

Cut the bird or part of bird in pieces, the same as they are generally carved; put them in the pan with the sauce; place the saucepan in a _bain-marie_ till the meat is warm, add some lemon-juice, and serve.

While the meat is warming, cut some stale bread in _croutons_, fry them with a little b.u.t.ter.

_To serve._--A _salmis_ is served in two ways: first, the _croutons_ are placed on the dish, a piece of meat is put on each, and then the sauce is poured all over; second, dish the meat and sauce, place the _croutons_ all around the dish, with a piece of lemon or bitter orange between each _crouton_. When the _croutons_ are served under the pieces of meat, you must have as many as there are pieces; when served around the dish, have enough of them, and of slices of lemon, to surround the dish. The _croutons_ and slices of lemon are always placed around the meat and on the border of the dish. The lemon or orange is first split in two lengthwise, then cut in eight, twelve, or sixteen slices, always commencing to cut on the inside and finis.h.i.+ng by the rind. Chop fine the bones, heart, and liver of the bird, and put them in the saucepan at the same time with the broth. Truffles or mushrooms sliced may be added to the sauce, if liked, but only when strained.

_Another._--Carve the bird or part of it, and serve cold with the following sauce; pound the liver of the bird and put it in a saucer; add to it a little vinegar, salt, pepper, and stir and mix the whole; then add about three times as much oil as vinegar, mix again, then lemon-juice, stir, and serve. It may be made without vinegar at all, using lemon-juice instead of vinegar to mix at first.

OPOSSUM, OTTER, RACc.o.o.n, SKUNK, FOX, WOODCHUCK, AND OTHER LIKE ANIMALS.

We cannot say that we have had much experience in cooking the above animals, but they are all eaten by many persons, in different parts of this and other countries. We have tasted of all or them except the racc.o.o.n, and we must say that we found them palatable. It is well known that when our soldiers retook possession of s.h.i.+p Island, they found plenty of racc.o.o.ns on it, and ate all they could catch. One day we happened to meet a sub-officer, who was there at the time, and inquired of him about it. He said he had never eaten any racc.o.o.ns before, and did not know that they were eatable; but now he could eat them as readily as rabbit, as they were quite as good.

The best time to eat any of the animals enumerated above is from Christmas to the 15th of February.

_How to prepare them._--As soon as the animal is killed skin it, take the inside out, save the liver and heart, and wash well with lukewarm water and a little salt, inside and out; then wipe dry with a towel, put inside a few leaves of sage, bay-leaves, mint, and thyme, and sew it up.

Hang it outside in a place sheltered from the sun, such as the northern side of a building; leave it thus five or six days, then take off, and cook.

_How to skin a Skunk._--We were hunting one day in New Jersey, northwest of Paterson, with a friend and two farmers living there, when one of them shot a skunk. We asked him how much he could get for the skin. He said it was not worth while to take it to town, but that he would eat the animal, as it was very good.

We thought at first that he was joking; but putting his gun and game-bag to the ground, he looked at us earnestly, and said, "Gentlemen, you seem to doubt; I will show you how it is done." We soon saw that we had been mistaken.

We made a fire, took hold of the skunk by the head with one hand, and with a stick in the other held the skunk over the fire. He burnt off nearly all the hair, taking care to avoid burning the skin, commencing at the hind legs; then with his hunting-knife he carefully cut off the bag containing the fetid matter, and skinned and cleaned it.

We then examined the skunk, and although it had not been washed, we could not find any part of it with a bad smell, and if we had not seen the whole operation we certainly would not have thought that it was a skunk, the very name of which is repulsive.

The following week we dined with the farmer, ate some of that identical skunk, and found it very good.

_How to cook the above-named Animals._--Take out the leaves of sage, etc., which you put in the animal before exposing it to the weather.

Pound well the liver and heart with about the same quant.i.ty of bacon, then mix that with two or three teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley, a pinch of grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper; stuff the animal with that mixture, and also with six small onions fried in b.u.t.ter, and a bunch of seasoning composed of four sprigs of parsley, three of thyme, two cloves, two cloves of garlic, and two bay-leaves, and sew it up again. b.u.t.ter it well all over, place it on a spit before a very quick fire; put three or four sage-leaves in the dripping-pan, and baste often with the drippings. Serve it when cooked with the gravy, throwing away the sage-leaves.

It may also be served with a _Mayonnaise_, _ravigote_, or _Tartar_ sauce.

_Squirrel._--A squirrel is prepared as a rabbit in every particular.

VENISON.

If young, the hoof is not much opened, and the fat is thick and clear; when old, the hoofs are wide open. To know if it is fresh enough, run a knife or a skewer through the leg or through the shoulder, and if it does not smell bad and stale, it is good. It is not as delicate when fresh as when it has been killed for five or six days. If fresh when you buy it, keep it from three to eight days before cooking it.

_To improve._--Put the piece of venison in a crockery vessel. For about six pounds put a pint of vinegar in a saucepan with two bay-leaves, two cloves, two cloves of garlic, one onion sliced, two stalks of thyme, four of parsley, and twelve pepper-corns; set it on the fire, give one boil, and turn over the piece of venison. Turn the piece of meat over occasionally for one or two days, and then cook it.

_Another way._--Lard the piece of venison and put it in a crockery vessel; spread all over two or three onions and a clove or two of garlic (both sliced), half a gill of sweet-oil, same of claret wine, a pinch of allspice, four cloves, and two sprigs of thyme; baste twice a day for two or three days, and then cook.

_To bake._--Put the venison in a baking-pan with the seasonings in which it has improved; spread some b.u.t.ter on it, and bake in a rather quick oven; baste now and then, and turn over if necessary. When baked, serve with a _ravigote_ sauce, to which you have added the gravy from the pan in which it has been baked. Serve it also with a cranberry, _piquante_, _Robert_, or _Tartar_ sauce, or with currant-jelly.

_In Civet._--Shoulder, neck, and breast-pieces are cut and prepared in civet, in the same way as a civet of rabbit.

It may also be kept three or four days and warmed in a _bain-marie_; it improves it as much as that of rabbit.

_With Mushrooms._--Any piece of venison, baked or roasted, may be served with a garniture of mushrooms.

_Cutlets, broiled._--The cutlets are much better when improved as directed. The seasonings are spread all over. They are then wrapped up in b.u.t.tered paper and broiled on a quick fire. They may also be larded with salt pork, and then broiled with or without being enveloped in paper. When broiled and dished, serve them warm with a _maitre d'hotel_ or _ravigote_ sauce.

_Sautees._--Put six cutlets in a stewpan, larded or not, with salt, pepper, eight small onions, two carrots, four sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, two cloves, a bay-leaf, a gill of broth, and same of water; set it on a good fire and boil gently till cooked. Dish the cutlets so that every small end or bone rests on the larger end of another, and serve with the sauce strained on them. If more sauce is desired, add to it any of the following: cranberry, _piquante_, _ravigote_, _Robert_, or _Tartar_.

_Haunch, roasted._--After being improved, if liked, remove the thin skin around it and lard it with salt pork; it may be roasted without larding, but it is certainly an improvement, the meat being naturally dry. Place it on the spit before a brisk fire and near it; baste with melted b.u.t.ter first, and then with the drippings till done. If it is larded, it will require less b.u.t.ter. As soon as a kind of crust forms around the meat, remove it a little from the fire by degrees. Ascertain with a skewer or small knife when done. Venison is generally served rather underdone, when roasted or baked.

To make the dish more sightly, the skin and hair of the lower part of the leg, together with the hoof, are left untouched. To prevent them from burning while it is roasting, envelop these parts with a wet towel, which you cover with several sheets of b.u.t.tered or oiled paper. It may be necessary to dip the towel in water two or three times during the process of roasting. When roasted, serve with any of the following sauces: cranberry, _piquante_, _poivrade_, _ravigote_, _Robert_, or _Tartar_; also with currant-jelly. If served with the gravy only, add water-cress and lemon-juice or vinegar.

_Baked._--Prepare it as directed for roasting; then place it in a bakepan with a little cold water, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan; sprinkle salt and pepper all over, spread some b.u.t.ter on the upper side and put in a quick oven. Turn over and baste now and then till done. If the water is absorbed, add more. When baked, serve with the same sauces as if roasted, and also with currant-jelly and water-cress.

_Saddle._--Roast or bake the saddle, and serve it as directed for a haunch, with the same sauces, and also with water-cress and currant-jelly.

_Shoulder._--Cut the shoulder in fillets and lard them slightly. Put in a stewpan four ounces of b.u.t.ter and set it on a brisk fire; when hot, lay the fillets in, and when of a golden color add the seasonings in which you have improved the saddle, or the same ones if you have not done it; then subdue the fire, wet with a little warm broth, simmer till cooked, dish the fillets, strain the sauce on them, and serve. It may also be dressed entire, with the bones off; but it is more generally done in fillets. It is boned like a shoulder of mutton, and roasted or baked, and served like a haunch, with the same sauces and with currant-jelly or water-cress.

_Stewed._--Cut the meat in square pieces, about two inches in size. Have in a stewpan, and on a good fire, a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of a duck's egg; when melted, sprinkle in, little by little, a tablespoonful of flour, stirring the while with a wooden spoon; when getting rather thick, add two ounces of bacon cut in dice, also half a pint of claret wine, same of warm water, salt, pepper, a pinch of allspice, two shallots chopped fine, or two green onions, four or five mushrooms, two cloves of garlic, and six onions; then lay the meat on the whole, and boil gently till cooked. Dish the meat, boil the sauce till of a brownish color, skim off the fat if there is too much of it, take out the cloves of garlic, turn the sauce on the meat, and serve hot.

_With Truffles or Mushrooms._--Any part of venison, baked or roasted, may be served with a garniture of mushrooms, or one of truffles.

_Cold._--When you have some left for the next day, warm it before serving it, if from a stew; but if from a roasted haunch, cut in slices and serve cold with a _vinaigrette_.

SNAILS.

A good many are now imported from Europe.

_How to clean and prepare._--Throw them in boiling water, in which you have put some wood-ashes; leave them in till they have thrown their cover wide open, which will take about fifteen minutes; then take them off, pull them out of the sh.e.l.l by means of a fork, place them in lukewarm water, and leave two hours; next, rub them in your hands, and then soak in cold water; rub them again in your hands in cold water, two or three times, changing the water each time, so as to take away most of their sliminess. Wash the sh.e.l.ls in lukewarm water with a scrubbing-brush, and drain them when clean.

_Broiled._--Knead together and make a paste of a sufficient quant.i.ty of b.u.t.ter, parsley chopped fine, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg; say about two ounces of b.u.t.ter, a tablespoonful of parsley, a saltspoonful of salt, a pinch of pepper, and the same of nutmeg (for two dozen). Put a piece of the above paste, the size of a kidney bean, in each sh.e.l.l, then the snails, and at the top again the same quant.i.ty of paste; lay them one by one close together, in a crockery or cast-iron kettle, the mouth of the snails up, and not one upon another; cover the kettle well; set it on a moderate fire, or in a moderately heated oven, and leave thus till cooked, which is easily seen by the parsley beginning to turn black, or as if fried. Lay them on a dish in the same order, and if there is any gravy in the kettle, put a part of it in each sh.e.l.l, and serve hot.

In eating them, be careful after having taken off the snail and eaten it, to turn down the sh.e.l.l, for there is some juice in the bottom of it which is delicious; the best way is to drink it as if from the bottom of a gla.s.s.

They can be broiled on a gridiron, but they are not as good as in a kettle; some of the juice is lost, and also the flavor.

_Stewed._--Put in a stewpan four ounces of b.u.t.ter for fifty snails, and set it on a good fire; when melted, sprinkle in it a teaspoonful of flour, stirring a while; then add a teaspoonful of parsley chopped fine, two sprigs of thyme, a bay-leaf, a pint of white wine, and then the snails, which you have previously put back into their sh.e.l.ls; cover the whole with warm broth, boil gently till the sauce is reduced and the snails are cooked, and serve them mouth upward, and filled with the sauce.

VEGETABLES.