HERBS, DRIED. — Dried herbs of all
kinds can now be obtained in bottles.
In large families, or where there is a
good deal of cooking, it is generally best
to have the herbs separate. The follow-
ing herbs I would recommend to be
always kept in the house : — Marjoram,
basil, lemon' thyme, mint, tarragon,
parsley, and savoury. For small house-
holds the most convenient form of keep-
ing dried herbs is to have a bottle of
what is known as mixed sweet herbs.
These mixed herbs generally consist of
marjoram, basil, parsley, and a little
lemon thyme. They are used for vari-
ous purposes, the most common being
that of making what is known as veal-
stuffing, and for flavouring mock turtle
and turtle soup. A very good veal-stuffing
can be made as follows : — Chop up a
quarter of a pound of suet, a couple of
ounces of lean ham, and a good brim-
ming teaspoonful of parsley, add a
dessert-spoonful of mixed sweet herbs,
and a very slight quantity of cayenne
pepper and nutmeg, as well as say five
ounces of bread-crumbs and a couple
of eggs. In addition to this many cooks
add a small quantity of lemon-peel.
Various directions will be found in
cookery-books for the addition of lemon-
peel to veal-stuffing. These directions
vary considerably from the quantity I
have named — from the rind of half a
lemon down to some thin strips of
lemon-peel, which is of course a matter
of taste, but I would warn cooks against
adding too much lemon. There is no
doubt that the general mistake made is
in putting in too much rather than too
little lemon - peel. When chopped,
lemon-peel is used as a flavour for force-
meat. I dare say many persons can re-
call how, after dining off a joint of veal
with stuffing, or roast turkey, or boiled
turkey with veal - stuffing, for many
hours after their dinner they have still
tasted the stuffing ; indeed, in somecascs,
I have known persons who complained
of tasting the stuffing on the following
day. When this is the case it is obvious
that something is not as it should be.
I think the fault will be found in the
fact that too much lemon has been
added to the stuffing. When persons
are sensitive as to the flavour of lemon,
it is best to make the stuffing without
lemon-peel, and the lemon-peel, when it
is used, must be chopped very fine.
Cooks, when they chop suet, know the
advantage of having a little flour, which
prevents the suet from sticking to the
knife. In chopping lemon-peel for
making stuffing it is desirable to add a
little salt, which will enable the cook to
chop it fine with much greater facility,
or the peel can be grated on a grater.
It is also best when making veal-stuffing
to mince or chop the lemon-peel by
itself, and not to let it take its chance
of being chopped with the other ingre-
dients. I may here add thafy when
lemon-peel is chopped for the purpose
of making sweets, some powdered sugar
can be used instead of salt to facilitate
the chopping. In giving this receipt
for making veal-stuffing I have men-
tioned a dessert-spoonful of mixed sweet
herbs✪ Veal Stuffing. Probably were the herbs quite
fresh bottled this would be rather ex-
cessive, but practically cooks will find
that as the herbs are kept longer they
must allow rather more. When these
mixed herbs are used for that very use-
ful purpose of flavouring mock -turtle or
real turtle soup, it is very important that
the cook should put in enough, and at
the same time not too much.
Page 108 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
HERBS, DRIED. — Dried herbs of all kinds can now be obtained in bottles. In large families, or where there is a good deal of cooking, it is generally best to have the herbs separate. The following herbs I would recommend to be always kept in the house : — Marjoram, basil, lemon' thyme, mint, tarragon, parsley, and savoury. For small households the most convenient form of keeping dried herbs is to have a bottle of what is known as mixed sweet herbs. These mixed herbs generally consist of marjoram, basil, parsley, and a little lemon thyme. They are used for various purposes, the most common being that of making what is known as vealstuffing, and for flavouring mock turtle and turtle soup. A very good veal-stuffing can be made as follows : — Chop up a quarter of a pound of suet, a couple of ounces of lean ham, and a good brimming teaspoonful of parsley, add a dessert-spoonful of mixed sweet herbs, and a very slight quantity of cayenne pepper and nutmeg, as well as say five ounces of bread-crumbs and a couple of eggs. In addition to this many cooks add a small quantity of lemon-peel. Various directions will be found in cookery-books for the addition of lemonpeel to veal-stuffing. These directions vary considerably from the quantity I have named — from the rind of half a lemon down to some thin strips of lemon-peel, which is of course a matter of taste, but I would warn cooks against adding too much lemon. There is no doubt that the general mistake made is in putting in too much rather than too
little lemon - peel. When chopped, lemon-peel is used as a flavour for forcemeat. I dare say many persons can recall how, after dining off a joint of veal with stuffing, or roast turkey, or boiled turkey with veal - stuffing, for many hours after their dinner they have still tasted the stuffing ; indeed, in somecascs, I have known persons who complained of tasting the stuffing on the following day. When this is the case it is obvious that something is not as it should be. I think the fault will be found in the fact that too much lemon has been added to the stuffing. When persons are sensitive as to the flavour of lemon, it is best to make the stuffing without lemon-peel, and the lemon-peel, when it is used, must be chopped very fine. Cooks, when they chop suet, know the advantage of having a little flour, which prevents the suet from sticking to the knife. In chopping lemon-peel for making stuffing it is desirable to add a little salt, which will enable the cook to chop it fine with much greater facility, or the peel can be grated on a grater. It is also best when making veal-stuffing to mince or chop the lemon-peel by itself, and not to let it take its chance of being chopped with the other ingredients. I may here add that when lemon-peel is chopped for the purpose of making sweets, some powdered sugar can be used instead of salt to facilitate the chopping. In giving this receipt for making veal-stuffing I have mentioned a dessert-spoonful of mixed sweet herbs. Probably were the herbs quite fresh bottled this would be rather excessive, but practically cooks will find that as the herbs are kept longer they must allow rather more. When these mixed herbs are used for that very useful purpose of flavouring mock -turtle or real turtle soup, it is very important that the cook should put in enough, and at the same time not too much.
Records on this page
Veal Stuffing