Gherkins. Choose them rather small, wash them clean, put them into a strong brine for three hours, pour off the liquor, and put the gherkins into the jars m which they are to be pickled with alternate sprink- lings of the following ingredients well mixed together: Capsicums, coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns, mace, some eschalots, two or three crushed bay-leaves, and a handful of tarragon. Boil the necessary quantity of vinegar to cover all the gherkins✪ Gherkins in each jar, skim it carefully, and when cold fill the jars. After two days, pour off the vinegar again, boil it a second time, and pour it over the gherkins whilst it is still hot. When quite cold, tie up jars and store them. There is also a good deal to be done with various kinds of meats ; and beef is the easiest to treat and also the one which lasts longest. Spiced IiecJ . — Use the round, buy it fresh and rub in full two ounces of pounded saltpetre; lay the meat in a large pan or wooden tub that will just hold it, and let it stand for two days in a cool place. When you take it out, have ready two pounds of kitchen salt made very hot, and rub it well into the meat, letting the surplus fall into the pan ; add to the liquor in which the meat has soaked and the salt fallen, a quarter of a pound of coarse brown sugar; stir well, put the beef in, and let it lie for about three weeks ; turn it over 117 PICKLING AND PRESERVING. once in three days, keeping it pressed down by a slight weight so as to be well covered by the brine all the time. Before cooking it, tie the meat into a nice even shape, skewer it if necessary, and boil, bake, or braise it in a suitable fireproof utensil, which must not be over large for the joint. Just cover it with water, add two dozen small onions, two or three heads of celery well trimmed, a large faggot of parsley, chervil, mace, and any desirable herbs, a quarter of a nutmeg, the rind of a lemon, and two pounds or more of beef suet, cut very fine ; weight the lid down, so that it may not rise when the water boils. The cooking should be done very slowly, or the meat will be tough ; from six to eight hours will not be found too long ; leave the meat in its liquor till it is quite cold, then dish it up, garnish with parsley, beetroot, etc. This will keep for weeks in cold weather, and is useful for supper, breakfast, etc. The next recipe gives excellent salt spiced beef✪ Spiced Beef : Make a pickling mixture with good white vinegar, in which kitchen salt, saltpetre, bay-leaves, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, one lai'ge onion, and a root of garlic should have been allowed to infuse for at least twenty-four hours. Soak the meat in this liquor, and leave it for three weeks in a cold place, turning the joint over from time to time, so that all parts become equally well saturated. Have ready some large bladders, which must previously have been well cleanse 1 in cold water, then in warm water mixed with vinegar and salt; these may then be 118 COOKERY.

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Gherkins. Choose them rather small, wash them clean, put them into a strong brine for three hours, pour off the liquor, and put the gherkins into the jars in which they are to be pickled with alternate sprinklings of the following ingredients well mixed together: Capsicums, coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns, mace, some eschalots, two or three crushed bay-leaves, and a handful of tarragon. Boil the necessary quantity of vinegar to cover all the gherkins in each jar, skim it carefully, and when cold fill the jars. After two days, pour off the vinegar again, boil it a second time, and pour it over the gherkins whilst it is still hot. When quite cold, tie up jars and store them. There is also a good deal to be done with various kinds of meats ; and beef is the easiest to treat and also the one which lasts longest. Spiced Beef . — Use the round, buy it fresh and rub in full two ounces of pounded saltpetre; lay the meat in a large pan or wooden tub that will just hold it, and let it stand for two days in a cool place. When you take it out, have ready two pounds of kitchen salt made very hot, and rub it well into the meat, letting the surplus fall into the pan ; add to the liquor in which the meat has soaked and the salt fallen, a quarter of a pound of coarse brown sugar; stir well, put the beef in, and let it lie for about three weeks ; turn it over once in three days, keeping it pressed down by a slight weight so as to be well covered by the brine all the time. Before cooking it, tie the meat into a nice even shape, skewer it if necessary, and boil, bake, or braise it in a suitable fireproof utensil, which must not be over large for the joint. Just cover it with water, add two dozen small onions, two or three heads of celery well trimmed, a large faggot of parsley, chervil, mace, and any desirable herbs, a quarter of a nutmeg, the rind of a lemon, and two pounds or more of beef suet, cut very fine ; weight the lid down, so that it may not rise when the water boils. The cooking should be done very slowly, or the meat will be tough ; from six to eight hours will not be found too long ; leave the meat in its liquor till it is quite cold, then dish it up, garnish with parsley, beetroot, etc. This will keep for weeks in cold weather, and is useful for supper, breakfast, etc. The next recipe gives excellent salt spiced beef : Make a pickling mixture with good white vinegar, in which kitchen salt, saltpetre, bay-leaves, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, one large onion, and a root of garlic should have been allowed to infuse for at least twenty-four hours. Soak the meat in this liquor, and leave it for three weeks in a cold place, turning the joint over from time to time, so that all parts become equally well saturated. Have ready some large bladders, which must previously have been well cleansed in cold water, then in warm water mixed with vinegar and salt; these may then be

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