The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c

ANCHOVIES IN VINEGAR. — Anchovies, after being pickled in brine, are sometimes preserved in vinegar. This imparts to the anchovies a slightly acid taste — very slight, but perceptible. For appetisers, anchovy sandwich, anchovies on toast, salads, and mayonnaise salads, anchovies in vinegar are perhaps preferable to those in brine. This is, however, purely a matter of taste. By those who possess the German love for acids, anchovies in vinegar would of course be preferred. In making anchovy butter lor sauces or Scotch woodcock, anchovies preserved in brine are the best. ANCHOVY PASTE.— Anchovy paste is one of the cheapest and perhaps the most useful forms of the various preparations of anchovies, and is the cheapest preserved food in existence. It is so useful for a variety of purposes and a little goes such a long way. Indeed, few persons are aware to what a variety of purposes anchovy paste can be turned. I will take an everyday case, and appeal to housekeepers. Suppose the common case that your husband takes with him every day to his business a packet of sandwiches for lunch. Suppose, too, he takes occasionally that very nice sandwich known as egg sandwich. Suppose, again, that you wish you could get him to take a little more nourishment than he now does ; you know it would be better for him. Act as follows: Buy a sixpenny pot of anchovy paste. Cut him just double the quantity of egg sandwiches that you usually do. When you have cut the bread-and-butter, then with a silver knife, or, better still, an ivory paper-knife, just smear over a very, very little of the anchovy paste over the hutter. Don't overdo it or it will be too salt. Make the surface a light pink. Don't add any salt at all. Shake a little white or black pepper over the paste. Put on the pieces of egg as usual, and cut up the sandwiches. I will undertake to say that this addition of the anchovy paste will be sufficient to cause the double quantity of sandwiches to be eaten with a relish. ' Try the receipt and see. Anchovy paste is also used for making Scotch woodcock. There are various ways of making Scotch woodcock, but the base of all alike is an anchovy toast. Make a thick piece of toast of a piece of bread cut off a quartern loaf the whole round. Cut off the crust, toast the bread a nice brown on both sides, and then butter it thoroughly, and spread a layer of anchovy paste over the toast. Cover this over with some freshly-whipped cream. This is the best of all Scotch woodcocks. The difficulty often occurs that cream cannot be obtained. In this case a very good substitute is to place on the anchovy toast a very light omelet. In making the omelet for this purpose the whites should be whisked separate from the yolks. In fact, the omelet should be something between an ordinary omelet and an omelet souffle. Anchovy paste assists in making one of the most delicious little entrees or appetisers known. Cut some round pieces of bread, and fry them a bright golden-brown colour in some lard, and drain it. Smear over the bread with a thin coating of anchovy paste. Lay on the top of that a piece of hot fried bacon-fat, cut if possible as thin as a five-pound note. Place on the top of the bacon-fat a roast oyster, and pour the liquor of the oyster over the whole, so that it can be soaked up by the fried bread.