The "Queen" cookery books: Pickles and Preserves

skinning the flead and then slicing it into the flour, using from ^lb. to fib. of flead to lib of flour ; the mixture is then made into a dough as for pastry, with salt and a little water, then beaten with a rolling-pin, rolled out, cut into round cakes and baked in a sharp oven. These cakes can be served plain (they rise beautifully, and are very flakey) or dusted with sugar and a few washed and dried currants. The rest of the fat is rendered down for lard, which is never so good as when home-made. Lard, to melt. — Strip off the skm from the inside fat of a fresh-killed pig, slice it down very thinly into a new or well scalded jar, set either in the bainmarie, or in a pan three parts full of boiling water, and let it all simmer till thoroughly dissolved ; now strain it into small stone jars, or a deep bowl, and leave it till cold, when you tie it over with some of the skin taken from the lard, or well washed and dried bladder. The last drainings of the fat should be kept separate as it will not be so good as the first. If flead is to be kept, rub it well with fine salt directly it is taken from the pig, and leave it in this for two days, then drain well, and lay it in strong brine, changing this occasionally. When to be used lay this fat into cold fresh water for two or three hours, then wipe it perfectly diy, and it can be used as if fresh. The process of curing requires great care and attention; as said before, the best times are either when the pork is just killed, or when it has been hung long enough to become tender. This hanging must in great measure depend on the weather (it must be remembered that nothing can be cured satisfactorily in hot, or even warm weather ; abroad, pork is a forbidden food after May, until winter returns) ; from three days to a week is the usual time in winter, while if it is absolutely necessary to care in warmer times, one to two days is the outside limit of what can be allowed, and then the meat must be hung in a cool, dark place. A point that cannot be too strongly impressed on those responsible for curing meat, is the absolute necessity of removing all blood, and any pipes or kernels left in the meat ; these if left in, are pretty certain to cause trouble by spoiling the meat. The next thing to consider is the salting trough ; unglazed stoneware is excellent for small tilings, such as tongues, &c., but is too heavy and unwieldy where large joints such as flitches, &c., are concerned. About as nice a thing as any is a wooden trough, which any local cooper would make. This should be about 2ft. deep, and rather wider at the bottom than at the top, say 16in. or 18in. at the top, and 20in. to 22in. at the bottom, inside measure in both cases. This trough should preferably stand on a frame of some kind, and have a hole at the bottom to facilitate the removal of the extra pickle, or the washing out of the trough. The necessity for the strictest cleanliness must be insisted on, and the trough should be thoroughly scrubbed and scoured after use, and even before use again, if by any chance it has been left out of use for some time. All pickling utensils should be thoroughly scrubbed and scalded out after use, be left to dry in the air, and be stored in a very dry, well ventilated