FoodNet

The spirit of cookery

1895

Page 138 · 1 recipe record on this page

Presented as published in 1895. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
As regards the value of fowls’ giblets for soups and pies, much misapprehension prevails ; they are worth very little, and take a great deal of trouble and time to cook ; they are also laborious to eat. Then, gizzards are always hard, and of no particular flavour, if not disagreeable. Most frequently, however, gizzards form no part of fowls’ giblets, but are wasted, like the liver, by being trussed up with a skewer outside the fowl, and shrivelled or burnt in the. roasting. For soup, boil the giblets in broth, and pick the edible parts * Ex Kitchiner, ‘ Oracle,’ p. 55. 208 THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY off the bones, and, having minced them, put them back into the broth. Ox-clicck Sotip is an elongated ragout. Deer’s-heacl Soup is the same. Only the heads of young deer are suitable for it. It may be useful where deer are plentiful ; then it is sometimes prepared cV la chasseitr. Calfs-head or Mock-turtle Soup is an imitation of turtle soup ; but as calf’s-head soup it can well hold its place, without comparison with an expensive luxury. But it is sometimes made a mockery of even mock-turtle by having distributed in it the flaps of skin of calf’s feet, and even pig’s feet. Its French name is properly ptotacje de tete de veau ‘ en torhie. ’ * The preparation resolves itself into boiling the calf’s head, and cutting it up suitably ; into preparing the soup, and uniting both in the turOen. Care must be taken not to let this soup become a mockery of good taste in cook- ing. A culinary authoress advises the addition to the calf’s head of a pig’s snout and ears, an ox-palate, and a smoked tongue ; small sausages, minced sweetbread, veal quenelles, chopped hard-boiled eggs, oysters, half a bottle of Madeira wine, and two tablespoonfuls of English soyCalf's-head or Mock-turtle Soup. We believe this recipe to be a literary brag, one of those coarse attempts to acquire by writing a false appearance of magniflcence — as has been well said by Dumas, a recipe which is not likely ever to be put in practice anywhere. A variation is Clear Calf’s-head or Mock-turtle Soup. Sheep's-head Soup is a laborious preparation of which sheep's head forms only a small part, and sheep's pluck another. On account of this pluck in its composition it has also been called heroic soup. But it would be but poor fare for man if it were not improved by adventitious ingredients. On the whole, it is not a very practical pre- paration. Welsh or Puj’s-head Soup is to be made of a pig’s head * The nuine- pota;je fausse tortue is modern bad French. OX- 'TAIL SOUP 209 after the cheeks have been removed for other purposes. It requires much boiling, and the addition of forcemeat balls or egg balls to make it nutritious, and spices and vegetables to give it flavour.