Wholesome cookery

Choose a white one ; it must not be broken or cut, lard it with long fillets of larding bacon ; sprinkle it with 1 dessert-spoonful of chopped chives, or rub it with garlic, cover it with some slices of larding bacon ; roast it before the fire ; skim the gravy carefully. Squeeze in a little lemon-juice and serve over the liver, or it can be served with tomato, Robert piquante or gherkin sauce. N.B. — Livers vary much in weight ; it is therefore necessary to specify about the size required. 507. — Sheep's Heads. 2 heads ; remove the brains and tongue from the heads, clean them thoroughly by soaking them in warm water until they are quite free from blood, then soak them in cold water for a short time. Now put the heads and tongues in 3 quarts of cold water, let it come to a boil, and then skim thoroughly ; next put in 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 1 onion, 3 peppercorns, and about 1 tablespoonful of salt. Simmer gently for 2½ hours ; take out the heads and tongues, and strain the stock. Cut the vegetables into small pieces; put them back on the fire with the stock; add teacupful of barley ; let all simmer together for 1^ hour, when the broth ought to be finished. Save some of the stock after it has been strained ; boil the brains in it for 5 minutes. Remove the bones from the head, and cut the meat into pieces, all of about the same size ; skin the tongue and cut it into lengths ; cut the brains in halves ; toss the brains for a few minutes in some butter until they are slightly brown. Next arrange all the pieces of head, tongue, and brains, on a baking-dish ; now pour the stock in which you boiled the brains into the frying-pan where you tossed the brains ; boil it up for a minute or two, pour it over the baking-dish, and bake for about 20 minutes. N.B. — This dish can be improved and varied by adding a few mushrooms, or sliced tomatoes, chopped herbs, placing some raspings and small lumps of butter, and baking all together. N.B. — A very profitable way of using sheep’s heads is to have 3. Use the broth as before ; use the meat off the 3 heads in the way already mentioned ; keep the tongues, and serve them according to 258 or 259, or with tomato or piquante sauce. And dress the brains separately in any of the ways mentioned (251 to 254). In this way 3 sheep’s heads will give you 4 different dishes. 508. — Chicken and Chestnuts. Have a plump chicken ; 4 ounces of fresh breast of pork ; cut in small squares. Put 8 ounces of butter in a saucepan ; toss the chicken and pork in the butter. When they are coloured light brown, remove them, and thicken the butter with 2 tablespoonfuLs of flour ; put the chicken and pork back in the saucepan ; pepper and salt to taste ; add 4 ounces of forcemeat balls, and simmer for 1 hour ; then add 20 to 30 roasted and peeled chestnuts, and simmer for another half-hour. The quantity of butter is for a small chicken. 509. — Stewed Chicken Livers. Melt 1 ounce of dripping or butter in a stewpan ; add a little chopped onion, chopped parsley ; stew for a few minutes, stirring all the time ; put in 6 livers ; dredge over 1 teaspoonful of flour, 1 wine-glassful of gravy or stock, 1 wine-glassful of mushroom ketchup, 1 wine-glassful of red wine ; stew very gently for an hour with the lid on. Serve with fried sippets. 510. — Chicken Livers and Mushrooms.