The Pytchley book of refined cookery and bills of fare

Cut two woodpigeons in half and fry with one onion sliced, two carrots sliced, one blade of celery in two ounces of butter until nicely browned. Put the whole in a stewpan with two quarts of Stock (No. 2), a dessert- spoonful of sugar, ditto of salt, and let the whole stew for half an hour ; take out the woodpigeons, remove all the skin, and take all the meat from the bones, and put the bones back into the stock and let it stew until the vegetables are quite soft, then strain through a fine colander ; pound the vegetables and the meat of the woodpigeon in a mortar, and then rub the whole through a wire and hair sieve ; let the soup cool and remove all grease ; warm it and incorporate it with the puree of meat and vegetables until the substance of thick cream, add the juice of a lemon and serve with fried croutons. PUREE OF VEGETABLE MARROW. No. 1 13. Pare, quarter, and cut out the pithy inside and seeds of three good-sized young vegetable marrows, put them in a stewpan with two ounces of butter and one onion sliced ; fry for five minutes and add a quart of White Stock (No. 3) or milk, a table-spoonful of salt and white sugar ; let the vegetables simmer until quite tender, drain and rub through a tammy cloth or hair sieve, incor- porate with the stock or milk in which they have been simmered and add one pint of good cream, flavour to taste, and serve with fried croutons. CHAPTER IV. FISH. BEFORE commencing the Receipts for various kinds of fish, I wish to remind my readers that the greatest care is necessary in the boiling, frying, and baking of all kinds of fish. I will endeavour to point out so far as it is possible how this may be accomplished, but no hard and fast rule can be laid down either for boiling, frying, or baking, the size and thickness of the fish varying so much in the first, the heat of the lard and oven and size of the fish in the two latter, that a great deal must depend on the attention and observation of the cook. GENERAL RULES FOR BOILING FISH. That four ounces of salt should be as a general rule put into each gallon of water, but eight ounces for salmon and six for shell fish. That all fish should be put into boiling water and well covered with it, and after having boiled up put on the side and simmered only ; the cook can judge when it is done by the meat being soft at the bone. The bones must never be removed from fish when it is to be boiled. When turbot, brill, or sole are filleted, the bones should be left in. GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR FRYING. That all fish must be well dried before it is egged and crumbed or covered with flour. 140 THE PYTCHLEY COOKERY BOOK. That lard or butter sufficient to cover whatever is to be cooked, should be put in the pan, and that it should be free from all impurities. That the fire should be clear and bright, so that the temperature may be regular ; for this reason, gas stoves such as are manufactured by Wm. Sugg & Co., of Charing Cross, are much better than coal, as the heat can be much more easily regulated. That the lard or butter should be 345 0 Fahrenheit for ordinary frying, and 400° for whitebait and things which require great heat.