The Pattern cook-book

them on a napkin. Heat the frying-pan very hot. Place half a cupful of flour on a plate, and, dipping each piece of meat in it, fry until crisp. Drain off all but two tablespoonfuls of the fat and stir two table-spoonfuls of flour into that remaining in the pan. Cook for two minutes, stirring well ; then draw the pan back on the range, and slowly add a pint of milk. When the gravy is smooth and well mixed together, cook only a minute, and add pepper, and salt also if needed. Turn the gravy over the meat, and serve. This is the most delicious way of preparing salt pork and makes a very satisfactory breakfast dish. SOUSE, OR pigs' feet. Clean the feet carefully, and pour over them hot water sufficient to cover. Boil slowly until the meat will separate from the bones ; then take them up carefully on a skimmer, and place them in a stone jar, taking out the largest bones. Set the water aside in a cool place to be used later. Allow a quart of strong vinegar to four good-sized feet and uppers (which are always sold with the feet). Place the vinegar on the fire, adding Four bay-leaves. One table-spoonful of whole cloves. One table-spoonful of broken cinnamon. One-quarter of a tea-cupful of salt. Two tea-spoonfuls of pepper. One-half an onion, cut in eighths. One blade of mace. Steep all these slowly in the vinegar for forty-five minutes, being careful that the vinegar does not boil rapidly at any time. Remove from the water in which the feet were boiled all the fat, which by this time will have formed in a cake on the top, and save it for cooking purposes. Place a quart of the water in the vinegar, unless the latter is not very strong, in which case less water must be added, so that the vinegar will not become too much diluted. Strain the liquid through a sieve to remove the spice, etc., and pour it over the meat in the jar, helping it through the meat with a knife and fork, until the whole is thoroughly mixed together. Set the jar in a cold place for two days, when the souse will be ready for use. This preparation is particularly nice for a home luncheon or tea and should be a thick, jelly-like mass when properly prepared. pigs' feet, fried. Split the feet through the middle lengthwise, and boil them until tender, but not so much that the meat will separate from the bones. After draining well, dip each piece in beaten ^^g and then in rolled crackercrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper, and fry in a hot frying-pan, using plenty of fat. Drain each piece thoroughly so there will not be a drop of fat on the serving dish when sent to table. head-cheese. This is generally made of the head, ears and tongue, but the head alone may be used, if desired. Clean the meat very carefully, this part of the work being most particular and not to be hurried. Boil the meat and bones in salted water until the former is very tender. Skim out the head, place it in a colander to drain, and remove all