tins) ; when thus well soaked, scrub the ham well, and
trim it, scraping off all discolorations. Now, place it in
your ham-kettle, and cover it with cold water (for a
festival a bottle of Madeira or Marsala should be poured
in with the water) and let it come gently to the boil,
removing all scum that may rise. When quite clear,
throw in three carrots, a head of celery cut up (leaves
and all), three Bombay onions, a bag containing a clove
of garlic, a dozen whole peppers, and some pieces of lime
peel, with bunches of parsley✪ Boiled Ham, thyme, and marjoram : boil
on till the vegetables are done, and then let the kettle
simmer gently for four or five hours. When done, let
it remain till nearly cold, then lift the ham from the
water, and detach the outer skin (it will roll off easily)
and dredge some fine crust raspings, or some pounded
baked crumbs over it.
An ancient Indian custom may still be met with, where
civilization has not yet penetrated, of sticking an army of
cloves into the skin of a ham. Fine your cook a rupee for
this desecration and it will not occur again. The ham
should either be dredged over as I have described, or, if
wanted for a ball supper, wedding breakfast, luncheon
party, or grand picnic, it should be glazed, a recipe for
which process will be found elsewhere.
Old cookery books give you the funniest nostrums con-
cerning the cookery of a ham. Wisps of hay, juniper
berries, coriander seed, ale, and even leather shavings, are
laid down as flavouring adjuncts. Saltpetre is advised to
add to the redness, and in England you find local prejudices
in favour of the addition of different wines : in one county
elder-wine, in another cowslip-wine, and so on. The end
of all things, after all, is to get a really well-cured ham, if
you secure tliat, and cook it as I have described, you will
not require any leather shavings, but remember that on
BOILING AND STEAMING. 119
important occasions a bottle of Madeira or Marsala crowns
your best efforts with supreme success.
Some of the best modern writers on cookery urge us
to give up the salting of beef for boiling. " Such a prac-
tice," says one of them, "cannot be too strongly condemn-
ed ; for whilst it impairs the wholesomeness of the meat,
and makes it less digestible, it considerably diminishes
the nutritive properties of it, and, boil it as you will, a
piece of salt-beef is never so tender as a piece of fresh
beef." We, Anglo-Indians, can scarcely bring ourselves to
accept this advice in its entirety ; our hump being in itself
specinlite worthy of admiration in any land. Neither will
Englishmen ever be prevailed upon to deny themselves
those delicious slices of cold boiled salted silverside, with
which they are wont to regale themselves at breakfast,
and at luncheon at home. Nevertheless, small pieces of
beef, boiled fresh with vegetables are very acceptable. I
do not, for instance, think that an ordinary Indian brisket
is worth salting ; it generally comes to table hard, and
dry, not having sufficient depth of flesh. Boiled fresh,
with the allowance of vegetables I have mentioned, this
joint will be found nice enough, and if laid upon a bed of
previously boiled maccaroni, and smothered in bright
tomato sauce, you might indeed go further and fare worse.
I fully agree with the old rhyme : —
Page 67 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1885. 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
tins) ; when thus well soaked, scrub the ham well, and trim it, scraping off all discolorations. Now, place it in your ham-kettle, and cover it with cold water (for a festival a bottle of Madeira or Marsala should be poured in with the water) and let it come gently to the boil, removing all scum that may rise. When quite clear, throw in three carrots, a head of celery cut up (leaves and all), three Bombay onions, a bag containing a clove of garlic, a dozen whole peppers, and some pieces of lime peel, with bunches of parsley, thyme, and marjoram : boil on till the vegetables are done, and then let the kettle simmer gently for four or five hours. When done, let it remain till nearly cold, then lift the ham from the water, and detach the outer skin (it will roll off easily) and dredge some fine crust raspings, or some pounded baked crumbs over it.
An ancient Indian custom may still be met with, where civilization has not yet penetrated, of sticking an army of cloves into the skin of a ham. Fine your cook a rupee for this desecration and it will not occur again. The ham should either be dredged over as I have described, or, if wanted for a ball supper, wedding breakfast, luncheon party, or grand picnic, it should be glazed, a recipe for which process will be found elsewhere.
Old cookery books give you the funniest nostrums concerning the cookery of a ham. Wisps of hay, juniper berries, coriander seed, ale, and even leather shavings, are laid down as flavouring adjuncts. Saltpetre is advised to add to the redness, and in England you find local prejudices in favour of the addition of different wines : in one county elder-wine, in another cowslip-wine, and so on. The end of all things, after all, is to get a really well-cured ham, if you secure that, and cook it as I have described, you will not require any leather shavings, but remember that on
important occasions a bottle of Madeira or Marsala crowns your best efforts with supreme success.
Some of the best modern writers on cookery urge us to give up the salting of beef for boiling. " Such a practice," says one of them, "cannot be too strongly condemned ; for whilst it impairs the wholesomeness of the meat, and makes it less digestible, it considerably diminishes the nutritive properties of it, and, boil it as you will, a piece of salt-beef is never so tender as a piece of fresh beef." We, Anglo-Indians, can scarcely bring ourselves to accept this advice in its entirety ; our hump being in itself specialité worthy of admiration in any land. Neither will Englishmen ever be prevailed upon to deny themselves those delicious slices of cold boiled salted silverside, with which they are wont to regale themselves at breakfast, and at luncheon at home. Nevertheless, small pieces of beef, boiled fresh with vegetables are very acceptable. I do not, for instance, think that an ordinary Indian brisket is worth salting ; it generally comes to table hard, and dry, not having sufficient depth of flesh. Boiled fresh, with the allowance of vegetables I have mentioned, this joint will be found nice enough, and if laid upon a bed of previously boiled maccaroni, and smothered in bright tomato sauce, you might indeed go further and fare worse. I fully agree with the old rhyme : —
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Boiled Ham