fish.
Water souchet of flounders, soles, and slips may also be served to invalids, by proceeding the same as above.
Meat, Game, and Poultry, of every kind, for invalids, ought to be served as free from fat as possible.
118. A Mutton Chop.—Choose one from a lean loin of mutton, or if one in the house rather fat cut the greater part of it off; your chop should be about six ounces in weight, and cut off an equal thickness; lay it upon a table, and beat it lightly with the flat part of your chopper, then lay it upon a gridiron, over a good clear fire; season with a little salt, if allowed, and turn it four or five times whilst broiling; it will require about eight minutes over a good fire, but of course longer over an indifferent one; if by pressing it with a knife it feels firm, it is done; serve upon a very hot plate, for if partly cold, the least fat would immediately set, and be very unpleasant, especially to a person unwell.
119. Plain Mutton Cutlet, from the Neck.—An invalid will frequently be tired of a mutton chop; and for my own part I must say a cutlet is far superior in flavor, and has a much neater appearance; cut off a rib from the neck, of the same thickness as a mutton chop; cut away the skin upon each side of the bone, to the chine, which chop off; trim away the greater part of the fat, cut a piece at the end of the bone, which scrape off, leaving about half an inch of the bone bare; then beat it lightly with the flat of the chopper; season; broil and serve very hot, as in the last.
120. Stewed Chop or Cutlet.—Put it into a stewpan or small saucepan, with a pint of water, and a little salt and sugar; let it stew as gently as possible from an hour and a half to two hours, skim off all the scum and fat, and the patient may partake of both chop and broth; if seasoning is allowed, put a teaspoonful of pearl-barley, with a little celery, leek, and turnip, cut up very small, into the stewpan with the water, when you first put the chop on, and proceed as before; serve the broth in a soup basin, with the chop in it; should the meat happen to be tough, let it stew rather longer; the broth should be reduced to about half a pint.
121. Beef, Rump Steak.—The tenderest part of the rump should be selected, about half a pound, not cut too thick, and very even; place it upon your gridiron over a moderate fire, turning it frequently; when done, sprinkle a little salt over; ten minutes would cook it thoroughly, but if wanted underdone, as in many cases where the patient only sucks the gravy, less time must be allowed.
122. Stewed Beef.—Put the same quantity of beef as in the last into a saucepan, with a quart of water, which place over the fire, and when beginning to boil, well skim, then add a little celery, turnip, and carrot, the whole weighing about an ounce, and cut very small, let stew gently about three hours, by which time the broth will be reduced to one quarter; skim all the fat off carefully; serve the meat upon a plate, and the broth in a basin.
123. Lamb Chops or Cutlets.—Proceed as just described for mutton, but being more delicate, they will require but little more than half the time to cook.
124. Lambs’ Feet are very nutritious; purchase them ready cleaned; lay them ten minutes in boiling water, by doing which you will be able to draw out the leg-bone with facility; then put them in a stewpan (two would be sufficient), and pour over a pint of water with which you have mixed smoothly a tablespoonful of flour, and half a teaspoonful of salt; place them upon the fire, stirring frequently until boiling, when add a small onion, with a celery, parsley, and parsnip; boil gently for two hours, and when done, serve plain upon a plate, or with a little melted butter and parsley poured over. By using a little white broth from any meat instead of water, you make a delicious soft soup, which may be partaken of freely.
Calves’ feet are dressed in the same manner, but using a double proportion of everything, and stewing them double the time; they are served precisely the same.
Poultry for Invalids.
125. Roast Chicken.—Procure a nice plump chicken, which draw and truss, and cut the sinews; pass the spit through under the skewer as usual, and set it down before a clear fire; after being there five minutes, have ready a pat of butter, in the bowl of a wooden spoon, with which rub the chicken all over; if the fire is too fierce, put it back a short distance, that it may roast of a yellowish-brown color; when a light smoke arises from the chicken, which will be in about twenty minutes from the time it was put down, it is done; but to be quite sure whether a bird is done, the better way is to press it lightly, with your finger and thumb; should it feel quite set, it is sufficiently cooked.
126. Boiled Chicken.—Put a quart of water to boil in a saucepan, with a saltspoonful of salt, and two ounces of butter; when boiling, lay in the chicken, which keep gently simmering for twenty minutes, when it will be done.
By adding a few vegetables of each description to the water, and straining it when you take out the chicken, you have a very excellent broth either for the sick or healthy, especially after skimming off the fat you add a little vermicelli, which must be boiled in it five minutes.
As it is very improbable that a sick person would eat the whole of a chicken at once, I have annexed a few receipts, by which a chicken would suffice for four meals.
First, put a tablespoonful of rice in a stewpan, with half a pint of light broth; let it boil gently until the rice is in pulp, then put in the wing or leg of the previously-cooked chicken, which let remain to warm about five minutes; should the rice be too dry, add a little more broth; serve the fowl and rice together upon a hot plate. Secondly, if wanted plain, set it in a stewpan, with a few spoonfuls of stock, and let it warm gently. Thirdly, it may be folded in a sheet of paper lightly oiled, and warmed very gently upon a gridiron. Or fourthly, plain broiled upon a gridiron, and served with a little light gravy.
127. Partridge.—Proceed in every manner to roast as just directed for the chicken; a young one would require about ten minutes, or an old one fifteen, but then the breast only ought to be eaten; whatever remains may be served in either of the ways directed for chickens.
128. Pigeons may be roasted the same as partridges, but would not require so long. A pigeon may also be stewed as follows:—Put half a pint of mutton-broth into a stewpan, with a pigeon trussed as for boiling, let it stew gently twenty minutes, if young; both the pigeon and broth ought to be partaken of. Pigeons may also be broiled, by cutting them open from the bottom of the breast to the joint of the wings, but not separating them; rub over with a little butter, broil twenty minutes over a moderate fire, and serve with a little gravy.
129. Pulled Fowl.—With the remainder of a roast or boiled fowl or chicken you may make a very light dish, by pulling off all the flesh with a fork, and putting it into a stewpan, then in another stewpan place all the bones (previously broken small with a chopper), with a little parsley, salt, sugar, and half a pint of water; let it boil gently until the water has reduced to a gill, then strain it over the flesh of the chicken in the other stewpan, which place over the fire until quite hot, and serve; should it be too thin, a small piece of butter and flour rubbed together may be added, and boiled a minute. Old or young fowls may be used, as it is not always convenient to get a young fowl, especially in the country, where everything must be turned to account and properly used: you would proceed with an old fowl the same as for a chicken, but stewing it three times as much, and adding more water in proportion; it would be here impossible to name the exact time required, as the fluctuation is so great, but by feeling the thigh of the fowl with the finger and thumb, you may ascertain, for if done sufficiently it will feel tender to the touch, and leave the bone with ease.
CULINARY CORRESPONDENCE.
LETTER
