Home cookery

Cod or haddock are suitable for this dish. The fish must be free from skin and bone, well seasoned with cayenne pepper and salt, and placed in a well buttered pie-dish. Over it should be placed a sauce made in the following manner : — Stew the bones and trimmings of the fish in one pint of water till reduced to half a pint. Work three-quarters of an ounce of flour into one ounce of butter, pour on the fish stock, put it into a saucepan and stir over the fire till thickened. Season well. Pour this, or part of it, over the fish, put on a rich crust made of puff paste, or of good flaky paste. The K crust must be of moderate thickness. The pie should be baked for about half an hour in a moderate oven. The sauce may be flavoured v^ith anchovy, or, if liked, chopped parsley may be added. Beefsteak Pie. Beefsteak 2 lbs. Salt 2 teaspoonfuls. Pepper i teaspoonful. Water. Pastry. If possible, always use the best steak for pies. Cut it in thin strips. Mix the seasoning on a plate, dip each piece of meat into it. Roll up each piece and pack them in a deep pie-dish, which must be quite filled, and the meat rather raised in the middle. Add cold water or stock till the dish is nearly full. Roll out the paste to the required size, and let it be at least a third of an inch in thickness. Cut off a strip the width of the edge of the dish. Wet the edge with cold water and lay the paste on it, then wet it again, and firmly but lightly press on the cover. Make a hole in the centre. Ornament the edges, using a knife or spoon. Put the pie into a hot oven till the paste has risen, then put it into a rather cooler part till the meat is thoroughly cooked. The pie should be baked at least two hours. When baked, fill up with stock. The pie may be varied by the addition of mushrooms, oysters, or tomatoes ; it may be eaten hot or cold. Before the pie is baked, it may be brushed over with egg, which improves its appearance. Beefsteak and Potato Pie. Beefsteak lbs. Potatoes to fill dish. Onions i or 2. Salt 2 teaspoonfuls. Pepper i teaspoonful. Pastry. Cold water. This is a cheap and excellent pie, which should always be eaten hot. The potatoes and onions are sliced, the meat is cut into pieces about two inches square and three-quarters of an inch thick, and is rolled in the seasoning. Put a layer of meat at the bottom of a pie-dish, then a layer of potatoes and onions, and so on till the dish is full. Add cold water to make gravy. Cover with a crust, as in the preceding recipes. Bake at least two hours. Veal Pie. Veal 4 lbs. Ham or bacon 4 oz. Hard-boiled eggs 2. Forcemeat. Pepper ... teaspoonful. Salt I ,, Water. Paste. Prepare forcemeat in the following manner : — Bread crumbs 2 level tablespoonfuls. Suet (shred) i Parsley (chopped) ... ^ Thyme ^ teaspoonful. Grated lemon rind ... a little. Pepper and salt ... to taste. Egg or milk to bind. Mix all together. Cut the veal into slices, season, and in each slice place a small piece of ham and of forcemeat ; roll and pack in the dish, and put among the veal slices of hardboiled eggs. Many fill the dish with cold water, or stock made from the veal bones. Cover with a crust, brush over with egg, and bake in the same manner as beefsteak pie. Rabbit Pie