Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

Neck of Mutton. — For roasting a Neck of Mutton allow an hour to an hour and a half (this applies to the best end of the neck). If the neck is to be boiled saw off the chine-bone (that is the bone fitting on to the back), saw the ends of the row of bones to four inches long, and turn the flap under. Do not take off the skin till the joint is boiled, as this will keep the fat white. Allow an hour and half for boiling the neck. In England Caper Sauce is always served with Boiled Mutton and with nothing else, N just as Yorkshire Pudding is never seen without Roast Beef. Capers are the huds of the Caper tree of Southern Europe, and are only to be had in a preserved state. They have a sharp flavour, agreeable to some persons. For Caper Sauce make some melted butter, using instead of warm water the liquor in which the mutton has been boiled. Allow a tablespoonful of capers to half a pint of melted butter, squeeze a lemon into it, instead of following the usual practice of using the vinegar from the bottle of capers, stir well, and serve in a sauce-boat. Some people like the capers to be chopped instead of being whole. They should be added to the melted butter just before serving. Neck op Breast of Mutton. — ( Family Recipe.) — Let the meat simmer as gently as possible till nearly done, allowing fully two hours for five pounds’ weight. Twenty minutes before serving cover the joint thickly with breadcrumbs and minced thyme, parsley, and a few chives, mixed with the yolk of an egg. Put the joint into the Dutch oven before the fire, and let it brown.. Pour good gravy round, not over, the meat. In this way the Mutton will not have any taste of grease. Shoulder Of Mutton. — (. Family Recipe.) — Bone the shoulder and tie it up tight with a little parsley and chopped herbs inside it. Let it simmer gently for at least five hours, with its bone broken in half, all its trimmings, and very little water or broth. Serve with Soubise sauce if the Mutton is to be eaten hot. If eaten cold it will not want any sauce. In all Mutton which is boiled the greatest care must be taken to avoid greasiness. Nothing is more repulsive than greasy boiled Mutton. Princess Charlotte used to say that she only hated two things, first Boiled Mutton, and then Grandmamma (that is to say, the stern old Queen Charlotte). The same caution applies to a Haricot, which, carelessly made, is as distasteful as it is excellent when properly cooked. Hashed Mutton, generally despised, is excellent when properly prepared. For this make a good sauce with plenty of vegetables, and stock. Let it get cold. Then, when the hash is wanted, warm up the meat and the sauce together in the bain- I marie. It is fatal to throw cold meat into hot sauce, as it is sure to be hard, owing to the contraction of the fibre of the meat by the sudden heat. This is the cause of the general dislike to what has been called “ that uneatable horror, Hash.” MUTTON CHOPS