Mutton Venison is a compromise, and may
be recommended as such. We live in an age
of compromise, so why not bring it into our
cookery ? Make an extra strong decoction
of bouillon from any good meat-juice, three
tablespoons in quantity, mince into it an
onion, and put in the pan with a tablespoonful
of Worcester sauce, three drops of Tabasco,
a glass of claret, a dessert-spoon of red-
currant jelly (or guava or blackberry jelly),
pepper and salt. When very hot put in
96 THE CHAFING DISH
about a pound of slices of cold cooked leg of
mutton✪ Mutton Venison, lean, cut into strips. Let it simmer
for twenty minutes. It is not a bit like
venison, but distinctly good nevertheless.
Plump and Wallop.
"Wha'llhireme? Wha'll hire me? Wha'll hire me ?
Three plumps and a wallop for ae bawbee."
This advertisement, it is alleged, was
addressed to the good people of Kirkmahoe,
who were so poor that they could not afford
to put any meat into their broth. A cobbler
invested all his money in buying four sheep
shanks, and when a neighbour wanted to
make mutton broth, for the payment of one
halfpenny the cobbler would " plump " one
of the sheep shanks into the boiling water
and give it a " wallop," or whisk round. He
then wrapped it in a cabbage leaf and took it
home. This was called a "gustin bone,"
and was supposed to give a rich "gust" to
the broth.
FLESH AND FOWL 97
Potatoes and Point.
A Boer recipe of much the same descrip-
tion was known in early Transvaal days (long
before the War) as "Potatoes and Point."
The poor " Bijwoner " family was served all
'round with potatoes, and a red herring was
hung up in the middle of the room. The
elders were allowed to rub their potatoes on
the herring, but the youngsters might only
point theirs towards the delicacy at the end
of a fork. The mere proximity of the
highly-flavoured herring was supposed to
give the potato a flavour.
Lots of quite worthy folk gorge themselves
periodically and keep their children on the
border-line of starvation. A certain exag-
geratedly selfish family man of my acquain-
tance, who for economic reasons lived some-
where in the wilds of West Kensington,
made it his unholy practice to dine once a
month with a couple of boon companions of
the same sex at the Carlton or Prince's, and at
the conclusion of a remarkable dinner was wont
to blurt out : " By George, I wish I could
afford to bring the wife and children here ! "
98 THE CHAFING DISH
Scouse.
Permit me now to suggest a trial of that
very old and famous dish, Scouse. It is pre-
pared in the following fashion : Get one
pound of lean, dairy-fed pork, cooked and
cold. Cut it into half-inch squares ; sprinkle
them with flour, salt, Paprika, and dip them
lightly in French mustard. Put in the
Chafing Dish three chopped onions, half a
teaspoon of sugar, one wine-glass of vinegar,
three cloves, a blade of mace and a bayleaf.
Cover up and let it simmer, not boil, while
the quantity of liquid is reduced by one half.
Add the pork with half a pint of bouillon✪ Scouse,
and simmer for another ten minutes.
Young pork, like young veal, is always
excellent, but it can be too young. A sucking
pig with lacklustre eye and a lemon in its
jaws is pathetic and none too appetising.
Veal, in England at any rate, is often tasteless
and somewhat dull. Not so very long ago,
in Ireland, they used to kill newborn calves,
bake them in an oven with potatoes, and call
the dish " Staegering Bob."
FLESH AND FOWL 99
Kabobs. ✪ Kabobs
Page 27 · 3 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1904. 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
Mutton Venison is a compromise, and may be recommended as such. We live in an age of compromise, so why not bring it into our cookery ? Make an extra strong decoction of bouillon from any good meat-juice, three tablespoons in quantity, mince into it an onion, and put in the pan with a tablespoonful of Worcester sauce, three drops of Tabasco, a glass of claret, a dessert-spoon of redcurrant jelly (or guava or blackberry jelly), pepper and salt. When very hot put in
about a pound of slices of cold cooked leg of mutton, lean, cut into strips. Let it simmer for twenty minutes. It is not a bit like venison, but distinctly good nevertheless.
Plump and Wallop.
"Wha'll hire me? Wha'll hire me? Wha'll hire me? Three plumps and a wallop for ae bawbee."
This advertisement, it is alleged, was addressed to the good people of Kirkmahoe, who were so poor that they could not afford to put any meat into their broth. A cobbler invested all his money in buying four sheep shanks, and when a neighbour wanted to make mutton broth, for the payment of one halfpenny the cobbler would " plump " one of the sheep shanks into the boiling water and give it a " wallop," or whisk round. He then wrapped it in a cabbage leaf and took it home. This was called a "gustin bone," and was supposed to give a rich "gust" to the broth.
Potatoes and Point.
A Boer recipe of much the same description was known in early Transvaal days (long before the War) as "Potatoes and Point." The poor " Bijwoner " family was served all 'round with potatoes, and a red herring was hung up in the middle of the room. The elders were allowed to rub their potatoes on the herring, but the youngsters might only point theirs towards the delicacy at the end of a fork. The mere proximity of the highly-flavoured herring was supposed to give the potato a flavour.
Lots of quite worthy folk gorge themselves periodically and keep their children on the border-line of starvation. A certain exaggeratedly selfish family man of my acquaintance, who for economic reasons lived somewhere in the wilds of West Kensington, made it his unholy practice to dine once a month with a couple of boon companions of the same sex at the Carlton or Prince's, and at the conclusion of a remarkable dinner was wont to blurt out : " By George, I wish I could afford to bring the wife and children here ! "
Scouse.
Permit me now to suggest a trial of that very old and famous dish, Scouse. It is prepared in the following fashion : Get one pound of lean, dairy-fed pork, cooked and cold. Cut it into half-inch squares ; sprinkle them with flour, salt, Paprika, and dip them lightly in French mustard. Put in the Chafing Dish three chopped onions, half a teaspoon of sugar, one wine-glass of vinegar, three cloves, a blade of mace and a bayleaf. Cover up and let it simmer, not boil, while the quantity of liquid is reduced by one half. Add the pork with half a pint of bouillon, and simmer for another ten minutes.
Young pork, like young veal, is always excellent, but it can be too young. A sucking pig with lacklustre eye and a lemon in its jaws is pathetic and none too appetising. Veal, in England at any rate, is often tasteless and somewhat dull. Not so very long ago, in Ireland, they used to kill newborn calves, bake them in an oven with potatoes, and call the dish " Staegering Bob."
Kabobs.
Records on this page
Mutton VenisonScouseKabobs