FoodNet

Our viands

1893

Page 145

Presented as published in 1893. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Savoury Dish. — 3 kidneys, 7 or more mushrooms, 3 eggs, 2 rashers of bacon, potatoes. Skin the kidneys, sprinkle them with seed onions, stew the mushrooms, boil the eggs hard. When ready place them each in the dish, the kidneys in the centre, and between each a piece of the bacon, the mushrooms round the kidneys. Peel the potatoes, and between each put a slice of egg. Pour some gravy with the liquor from the mushrooms over the kidneys, warm in the oven, and serve hot. Scotch Woodcock. — Take 2 slices of toasted bread J-inch thick, butter on both sides; 4 or 5 anchovies, washed, scraped, RECIPES, OLD AND NEW 287 and chopped fine, put them between the toast. The yolks of 2 eggs beaten up and \ pint of cream, which put over the fire to thicken, but not boil; pour it over the toast, which must be kept hot and sent to table quickly. Welsh Cheese. — The inside of a roll to be soaked in boiled milk. Add £ Ib. of grated cheese (Cheddar best), the yolks of 2 eggs, the whites to be beaten separately and added just before putting in the oven. Bake twenty minutes in a tin dish in a quick oven. Babotie (a Cape Dish). — Take a leg of mutton and mince it very fine, add to the bones and sinews a pint of water, and let it simmer slowly for half an hour, then soak a thick slice of white bread in the hot broth, and when cool mix it with the meat, to which add 6 eggs well beaten; take 2 large white onions, chop them very fine with 3 or 4 slices of garlic and some salt, fry them in butter until nice and brown, then stir in a tablespoonful of good Indian curry powder. Mix the whole well together, put into a pie-dish or cups, putting a lemon leaf and a small lump of butter into each mug ; then put in the meat mixture, and rub over the top an egg beaten up with a little milk, then cover the top with some lemon leaves, and let it bake for an hour. 3 eggs will do, and dripping may be substituted for butter. Serve with rice. To Cure Hams. — i Ib. of bay salt, J Ib. of common salt, 2 oz. saltpetre, i oz. black pepper ground ; mix and pound these together. Rub the hams with it and let them lie four days, then put ij Ib. of treacle over them, turning them every day for three weeks for a small ham, or a month if large ; then soak twenty-four hours in cold water and hang up to dry. 288 OUR VIANDS This is sufficient for hams of 20 Ibs. weight, and they will be fit to cook at any time without further soaking, unless kept for a year, when they should be soaked a day. I regret that I cannot give any French or Italian recipes for the cooking of frogs and snails. In England snails are considered best soaked in salt and water and then cooked, being pulled out with a pin like periwinkles, and eaten with pepper and vinegar. The Romans preferred them grilled ; but for the cure of consumption they should be boiled in milk. I have found one curious old English recipe, which I subjoin, for —