Plain cookery recipes

Mutton or pork can be substituted for veal. Fried Fillets of Beef. One and a quarter pounds fillet of beef. Two ounces butter for frying the fillets. One half-ounce maitre d’hotel butter. One half-pint brown or tomato sauce. Meat glaze. Make the maitre d’hotel butter and the sauce. Cut the fillet in slices about one inch thick, then divide into neat rounds. Remove all skin and fat, and trim the fillets neatly. Make the butter hot in a frying-pan ; put in the fillets ; fry quickly until brown on one side ; turn the fillets over, and brown quickly on the other side ; then reduce the heat, and cook about seven minutes in all. Fillets of beef should be slightly underdone. When sufficiently cooked brush each fillet with a little liquid meat glaze. Dish in a circle on a small border of mashed potatoes (for border, see Mutton Cutlets, page 49). Place a pat of maitre d’hotel butter on each fillet, put some seasonable vegetable in the centre of the dish, and pour either brown or tomato sauce round the fillets. (For maitre d’hotel butter, see Grilled Steak, page 47.) Beefsteak and Kidney Pie* One pound stewing steak. One sheep-kidney. One teaspoonful flour. Half a teaspoonful salt. Quarter teaspoonful pepper. One hard-boiled egg. About half a gill stock or water. Rough puff pastry. Make the rough puff pastry (see page 82). Mix the flour, salt, and pepper on a plate. Wipe the steak with a wet cloth. Wash and skin the kidney, split it open, and remove the core. Cut the steak in thin slices, dip into the seasoned flour; put a piece of kidney on each slice of steak, and a small piece of fat, if liked, and roll up the steak. Half fill a pie-dish with the rolls of steak and kidney; put in the stock, and the hard-boiled egg cut in slices ; put the rest of the rolls of steak on the top. Roll out the pastry to about one-third of an inch in thickness, rather larger than the pie-dish to be covered. Cut off a strip round three sides of the pastry. Wet the edges of the dish and place the strip round. Wet the edge again and place the remaining piece of pastry over the pie. Trim off the rough edges of the pastry and decorate. Cut a hole in the middle of the pie to allow the steam to escape whilst baking. Brush the pastry with beaten egg. Roll out the trimmings and cut some leaves ; brush them with egg. Place these leaves round the hole in the middle of the pie. Place the pie in a hot oven until the pastry is nicely brown ; then reduce the heat, and cook the meat thoroughly. The pie will take from one and a half to two hours to cook. When cooked, fill up, through the hole in the middle, with a little hot, well-seasoned stock. Garnish with parsley, and serve. Veal and Ham Pie* One pound fillet of veal. Quarter a pound ham or bacon. Half a teaspoonful salt. Quarter a teaspoonful pepper. One hard-boiled egg. One teaspoonful chopped parsley. Pinch of herbs. Grated lemon rind. About half a gill stock. Rough puff pastry.