The practical cookbook

Boiled meat. A leg or shoulder of mutton is generally used for boiling, other methods of cooking being more suitable for the other fresh meats. Wipe meat with a damp cloth and trim off superfluous fat. Plunge into boiling water and boil for 10 min. Then draw back on the stove and cook gently till done. Allow 10 min, per lb. if desired rare, 15 min. if well done. Serve with Drawn-butter sauce (p. 29) to which \ c. capers have been added. Save the water for broth or stock and skim when cold. Sautéed meat. This method is commonly called frying, but since no fat is used except that which "tries out" from the meat, " sautéing " is a more correct term. Ham, sliced, is generally used. Allow a slice of ham weighing from i to i| lb. for four people. It should be cut from ^ to i in. thick. Cover with warm water and let stand i s min. Drain and wipe dry. Put into a hot frying-pan, brown quickly on both sides, then draw back on the stove and cook slowly for 1 5 min. Chops may be cooked by this method. Comed and smoked meats. Beef, ox tongue, and pork (smoked shoulder and ham) are usually selected for preserving by these methods. The fibers of the meat are toughened by curing, so it is necessary to allow a much longer time for cooking them {30 to 40 min. per lb.). Smoked meats should be soaked overnight before cooking, and both corned and smoked meats should be put over the fire in cold water and heated gradually. The water should then be allowed to boil v^ gently till the meat is tender, Comed t>eef may be served hot or may be pressed into a pan, weighted, and chilled so that it can be turned out of the mold. Sometimes the superfluous fat is removed and the meat chopped before pressing. This makes a more delicate dish. Comed shoulder is served hot or cold. Ox tongue, whether corned or smoked, should be trimmed and skinned after cooking, and served cold. Smoked shoulder or ham should be skinned, sprinkled with bread crumbs, stuck with whole cloves, and baked until brown {30 to 4 5 min.). It may then be served hot, with a brown sauce to which J glass of currant jelly has been added, or served cold, without sauce. Meat Soups Source. See Meat, Food Value. Slightly valuable as a source of protein. Cost. Variable, Meat Water Onion Vinegar Celery Barley Rica Pepper Salt Price Soup stock . ^Ib. tic. _ _ lO itb. Lamb broth . 2 lb. — — — + C- — 1 tb. Scotch broth Jib. iqt. Uc. _ ♦ c. _ Itb. White stock . 61b. _ 1 tb. Oxtail soup . 2qt. ' - - _Z1_ - itb. General Directions. Meat should be cleaned and all dark portions rejected. Use cold water and start the soup. Where vegetables are required, a mixture of carrots, turnips, and celery is desirable {about half as much celery as of either of the others). Some salt may be added while meat is cooking. Pepper, and more salt if needed, should be added when soup is served. Save all meat from soup stock for made dishes.