The "Queen" cookery books: Pickles and Preserves

As regards the skins, these are usually procured ready prepared from the butcher, but it is advisable even then to rinse them very thoroughly at home. Then, again, skins put up in tins may be procured from first-class Italian warehousemen, and are also supplied by some of the makers of mincing machines. These tinned skins require thorough soaking — or they may give an over strong salt taste to the sausage meat — they should then be fixed to the tap, and the water allowed to run freely through them. If, however, the skins must be prepared at home, wash and scrape them thoroughly, using strong salt and water for this purpose, and let them soak for some days in salted water ; then repeat the scraping and washing, and lastly run the water from the tap through them until they are perfectly fresh and sweet, without the slightest odour about them. They are filled by slipping one end over the filler-spout of the mincer, and tieing it firmly into position. Then force in the farce, being careful not to overfill the skins — or they will burst — and give the skin a twist at convenient lengths, fastening these by looping them through each other, giving a tight twist each time. The ordinary method of making sausages is given above, but this recipe is varied in almost every household. For instance, three parts of lean to two parts fat pork, seasoned with finely crushed salt, freshly ground black pepper, and, when liked, a dessertspoonful of very finely minced sage ; or take, say, a pound each of good veal (free from skin, gristle, &c.), lean pork, and fat pork; mince this very finely, and strew over it loz. salt, f oz. pepper, a small nutmeg grated, and a small teaspoonful of pounded mace ; or, add to either of the previous recipes from one-third to one-half the bulk of the meat in freshly grated white bread crumbs, seasoning these with white pepper, salt, and spice if liked, or using the French “Quatre epices ” mixture. Oxford Sausages. — These are made of lean veal and pork, and very finely minced or shred suet, or fat, as preferred, allowing fib. freshly grated bread crumbs to each lib. of meat. These are seasoned with pepper, salt, powdered herbs (a teaspoonful of mixed herbs to each pound of meat), grated lemon peel, and a finely minced anchovy, as you please. These seasonings may be varied to taste. Truffled Sausages. — Mince fairly fine lib. 4oz. of fat and fib. of lean pork, seasoning this with foz. of salt, and three or four good pinches of the quatre epices ; for this quantity stir in 6oz. sliced truffles. and mix it to a paste with about a gill of new milk or single cream. Saucisse an Vin. — Prepare a farce as for the truffled sausage, only moistening it with champagne, Madeira, or any good Rhine wine as you please. A variation of this is made by mincing two parts lean to one of fat pork, and seasoning this with a pinch of saltpetre, pepper, salt, and a fairly strong flavouring of aromatics, such as juniper berries, marjoram, thyme, coriander, &c. Work these ingredients well together, moistening them with half a pint of light white wine, or best white wine vinegar ; fill, and tie in the usual way, then hang them up for five days in a cool, dry place ; even in summer these sausages require keeping forty-eight hours before eating them.