Handbook of practical cookery

Minced Chicken with Potato Wall. — Three-quarter pound of cold chicken, two ounces of butter, one half ounce of flour, one table-spoonful of Worcestershire sauce, one half gill of second stock, six drops of caramel, one pound of potatoes, one table-spoonful of cream, one egg, one half teaspoonful of salt, one half salt-spoonful of pepper. Begin with chopping the cold chicken very fine, melt then in a sauce-pan one ounce of the butter, and when this is hot put into it the cold chicken and brown thoroughly ; add to this the flour and the stock, stirring all until it boils, when it must be seasoned with the pepper and salt, and the Worcestershire sauce and caramel thrown in ; then covering the sauce-pan, draw it aside from the fire, that it may keep an even heat but not cook. The potatoes must now be boiled and rubbed through a •wire sieve while hot, and when so floured return them to the sauce-pan, add the cream, the remainder of the butter and the egg, and stir all well over the fire until the butter is melted and the egg dry. Arrange the potato mixture then in a circle upon a hot platter, leaving a round hole in the centre, smooth it with a knife, and place in the centre the minced chicken and serve. NOTE. — If it is desired, the potato wall may be browned before the chicken is put in ; but if this is done at all, it must be done in a very hot oven, otherwise the potato will dry out and become tough and heavy. Cold Meat Shape. — One pound of cold meat, two ounces of macaroni, one tea-cupful of bread crumbs, one ounce of butter, one egg, one table-spoonful of stock, one tea-spoonful of salt, one half salt-spoonful of pepper. Chop the cold meat very finely, put it into a basin when done, and season with the pepper and salt. Wash the macaroni well in cold water, and boil it for half an hour. Drain it then thoroughly, and cut into inch lengths, when it must be mixed together with the chopped meat and bread crumbs, and separating the butter into small pieces, mix that in also. Bind all now together with the egg and the stock, and when thoroughly mixed together, pack the mixture into a well-greased basin or bowl, and steam the contents for one hour. NOTES. — The macaroni must be put on the fire in cold water and boiled rapidly. By steaming it is meant that the bowl or basin, covered with a piece of kitchen-paper, should be placed in a sauce-pan within which is sufficient water to reach half-way up its sides, and allowed thus to cook in its own steam. Any kind of cold meat except pork can be used for this preparation. Savoury Hash. — Three quarters of a pound of cold meat, one Spanish onion, one ounce of butter, one ounce of flour, one tea-spoonful of salt, one half salt-spoonful of pepper, one dessert-spoonful of catchup, one dessert-spoonful of Harvey's sauce, one half pint of second stock, one carrot, one turnip. Clean and chop fine both the carrot and turnip, when they must be put to boil in a small sauce-pan with boiling water until tender, which will take about twenty minutes. While these are cooking, melt the butter in a separate sauce-pan, COLD CHICKEN. 75