Common-sense Cookery.
touch it. But why let it go so far ? Why not pot it ?
Potted ham is easily made, will keep a long time, and
is always useful. Now, to pot ham, take a pound of
the lean to half a pound of the fat, or less — in fact, a
pound of lean to a quarter of fat does even better for
potting — mince it very fine, or, better still, run it
through a sausage-machine, ’and add to, say the pound
and a half, a small tea-spoonful of pounded mace, about
a quarter of a good-sized nutmeg, grated, of course,
and about a salt-spoonful of cayenne pepper. Less
mace may be used, or a little pounded allspice added
instead ; one dried bay-leaf powdered✪ Potted Ham may be added
also.
Mix all this up thoroughly, and press it down in the
dish or pot in which it will be served. Bake it in the
oven for about twenty-five minutes, taking care the top
does not brown, and then press it down very hard — a
weight is a good thing to use for the purpose — and
cover the top with some fresh lard, which must be
first melted, and then poured on the top. Ham
potted this way will keep good for months. Fresh
clarified butter may be used, but lard is best, especially
in summer.
One very common form of extravagance, which is
essentially the extravagance of ignorance, is giving the
cook orders for certain dishes without ascertaining
whether the materials are in season or not. I recollect
Little Extravagancies. 39
hearing, some time ago, of a married couple living in
London, who, liking a little fish every day for dinner,
made a contract with the fishmonger to send each day,
about six o’clock, what fish suited him best ; I believe
they paid regularly 6d. a day. It is on such principles
that tables-d’hote can be given so cheaply at hotels.
The manager of the hotel goes to market and buys —
especially in fish- — -what happens to be plentiful. Good
wholesome fish may be bought in Billingsgate Market
sometimes at a penny a pound.
Let me now endeavour to tell you how to make
mock-turtle soup out of pig’s head, instead of calf’s
head. Now, calves’ heads vary immensely in price ;
when half a head can be got for 2s. 6d. or 3s., it is a
fairly economical dish ; but when calves’ heads, as
happens sometimes about Christmas, owing to the
extraordinary demand for them, run up to a guinea
each, of course the dish would be extravagant to a
degree. I don’t know what the price of pigs’ heads is
in the country, but in London they can generally be
bought for 6d. a pound. To make mock-turtle soup
from, say half a head, first scald it thoroughly, then
put it on to boil gently in some stock made from bones.
The drawback to the soup is that it has a tendency to
taste greasy, consequently the point to be always borne
in mind is to thoroughly get rid of the fat. After the
pig’s head has boiled for about an hour and a hall", take
40
Common-sense Cookery.
✪ Mock-Turtle Soup
Page 13 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Common-sense Cookery.
touch it. But why let it go so far ? Why not pot it ? Potted ham is easily made, will keep a long time, and is always useful. Now, to pot ham, take a pound of the lean to half a pound of the fat, or less — in fact, a pound of lean to a quarter of fat does even better for potting — mince it very fine, or, better still, run it through a sausage-machine, ’and add to, say the pound and a half, a small tea-spoonful of pounded mace, about a quarter of a good-sized nutmeg, grated, of course, and about a salt-spoonful of cayenne pepper. Less mace may be used, or a little pounded allspice added instead ; one dried bay-leaf powdered may be added also.
Mix all this up thoroughly, and press it down in the dish or pot in which it will be served. Bake it in the oven for about twenty-five minutes, taking care the top does not brown, and then press it down very hard — a weight is a good thing to use for the purpose — and cover the top with some fresh lard, which must be first melted, and then poured on the top. Ham potted this way will keep good for months. Fresh clarified butter may be used, but lard is best, especially in summer.
One very common form of extravagance, which is essentially the extravagance of ignorance, is giving the cook orders for certain dishes without ascertaining whether the materials are in season or not. I recollect
Little Extravagancies. 39
hearing, some time ago, of a married couple living in London, who, liking a little fish every day for dinner, made a contract with the fishmonger to send each day, about six o’clock, what fish suited him best ; I believe they paid regularly 6d. a day. It is on such principles that tables-d’hote can be given so cheaply at hotels. The manager of the hotel goes to market and buys — especially in fish- — -what happens to be plentiful. Good wholesome fish may be bought in Billingsgate Market sometimes at a penny a pound.
Let me now endeavour to tell you how to make mock-turtle soup out of pig’s head, instead of calf’s head. Now, calves’ heads vary immensely in price ; when half a head can be got for 2s. 6d. or 3s., it is a fairly economical dish ; but when calves’ heads, as happens sometimes about Christmas, owing to the extraordinary demand for them, run up to a guinea each, of course the dish would be extravagant to a degree. I don’t know what the price of pigs’ heads is in the country, but in London they can generally be bought for 6d. a pound. To make mock-turtle soup from, say half a head, first scald it thoroughly, then put it on to boil gently in some stock made from bones. The drawback to the soup is that it has a tendency to taste greasy, consequently the point to be always borne in mind is to thoroughly get rid of the fat. After the pig’s head has boiled for about an hour and a hall", take
Common-sense Cookery.
Records on this page
Potted HamMock-Turtle Soup