The handy dictionary of cookery

kidney and cut it into small pieces ; put on to a plate a tablespoonful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper ; mix them together ; toss each piece of steak and kidney into it ; roll up the pieces of steak with the kidney and a small piece of fat in each roll ; place them on an end in a pie-dish. Peel an onion ; put it into a basin with half a teaspoonful of salt and a small piece of washingsoda the size of a pea ; fill the basin with boiling water ; cover the top with a plate ; allow it to stand ten minutes. This draws out the green indigestible part from the onion which often renders it so disagreeable; cut up the onion very finely, sprinkle some over the steak — also a little flour, pepper and salt ; pour in some stock or water nearly to the top of the steak ; wet round the edges of the dish ; line them with a strip of rough puff pastry ; cover the top, taking care not to stretch it ; make a hole in the middle to allow the steam to escape ; cut it evenly round the edges with a sharp knife ; bake it for the first fifteen minutes in a hot part of the oven, then remove it to a cooler part to bake one hour and a half. Note. — The pie should be ornamented with a rose or leaves in the centre, and brushed over with a beaten egg. Beef-Tea. Take one pound of lean newly-killed beef; remove all skin and fat ; shred it finely across the grain ; pour over it one pint of cold water, add a grain of salt ; allow it to stand twenty minutes ; put it into a jar, place the jar in a pan of cold water ; bring it slowly to the boil ; keep the water boiling all round the jar four hours, stirring the beef-tea frequently from the side with a fork ; so that the juices may be drawn out from the centre ; strain it ; allow it to get cold ;. remove every particle of fat, and warm up only just as much as is needed each time for use, as beef tea spoils when kept warm. Beef-Tea, Quickly Made. Take a quarter of a pound of newly killed juicy beef ; shred it across the grain ; put it into a pan with a quarter of a pint of cold water and a grain of salt ; allow it to stand ten minutes, then take two forks and stir it well over the fire until it turns white ; do not allow it to boil, as beef-tea boiled is beef-tea spoiled. Note. — Salt should not be put into beef-tea in severe cases of illness without first consulting a doctor. Beef-Tea, Raw. Shred finely two ounces of lean beef ; put it into a jar ; pour over it four tablespoonfuls of cold water ; allow it to stand fifteen minutes ; strain it in a red glass, and serve. This should never be given without a doctor’s orders, and should be freshly made always just before serving, as it soon becomes putrid. Raw beef-tea is sometimes given during teething, dysentery, and typhoid fevers. Beetroot, Boiled. Cleanse it very carefully so as not to break the skin ; it should be slightly washed, so as to remove the dirt without piercing the skin. It is very important to remember this point, or the skin, if broken, will spoil the colour of the beet, and it will be sickly looking instead of a bright clear colour; put it in plenty of boiling water ; boil it till soft ; remove the skin ; cut into slices and serve either with melted butter or cold in vinegar, flavoured with mace and peppercorns ; these may be boiled in the vinegar and poured over the beet when cold. Belvoir Buns.