Cookery

out the head, and put it into cold water again. Put into a large pot some flour, and a teacupful of vinegar, and to this add enough cold water to cover the head ; add plenty of salt, some peppercorns, a bouquet, a hay-leaf, and some onions studded with cloves, stir, and let it boil. Put in the head cut in pieces, with a few carrots and a large tablespoonful of beef dripping, and let it boil for about two hours. When the meat is done it will feel quite soft under pressure of the finger ; it can then be served with oil and vinegar, or with a rémoulade, or it can be heated with a sauce poulette , or white sauce, or finally be cut into small pieces, rolled in egg and breadcrumbs and fried, to be served with a sprinkling of fines lierbes, and with or without a sauce tartare. The tongue of the animal may advantageously be boiled in salted water with onions, a bouquet, etc. ; when tender, split it open lengthwise without actually cutting it in two. Serve very hot with a sauce piquante, which should be poured over the tongue while quite boiling. Another part not appreciated by all, but very much sought after by those who do happen to like it, is the brain ; it is also a useful dish for invalids, as it is extremely light and nourishing withal. Here again great care must be bestowed on the preliminary operation ; soak the brains in cold water to clean them thoroughly, and carefully remove all the skin ; some tiny clots or veins will still adhere, and these must be entirely cleaned away by soaking in lukewarm water. The handling must be gentle, or the brains will look “ messy ” and shapeless. Rinse repeatedly, taking fresh water every time, and parboil them in salted water with the usual accessories for about half an hour. The brains can then be taken out and served fried with a sauce beurre noir, or rolled in egg and breadcrumbs and made into fritters. Ox and sheep’s brains can be treated in the same way, but calves’ brains are the most delicate of the three. Veal is also excellent for curry. CHAPTER XI. PORK. This is really too exhaustive a subject to be treated properly in a short space, for, more than any other, this animal provides a very large supply for larder and storeroom. No other gives us such a variety of provisions, and for those living in the country especially its value is wonderful. Nor is there any more interesting and profitable item in small farming ; what with the fresh meat, the quantity of different sausages to be produced, the smoked material which lasts such a long time, etc., it is almost impossible to appreciate the value of the pig too highly. However, sad though it may be to condense the matter, it must be done, and I will endeavour in as short a space as possible to be of use to my readers. The best parts to be eaten fresh as joints are the loin and the leg, and for these there is no better treatment than the roasting process ; always trying to avoid the general error which lies in under-cooking the meat. Pork does not bear being underdone ; it then becomes heavy and unwholesome, therefore it ought to be cooked very slowly, evenly, and for a longer period than any other meat. Apple sauce, PORK.