Practical household cookery

Take two carp of three or four pounds each ; scald them to enable the scales to be removed more efficiently ; draw through the gills, and clean thoroughly. Place them in a sauté-pan with half a bottle of Burgundy, a gill of brown sauce, the same quantity of good stock, four shallots, two cloves, a blade of mace, a little thyme, one bay -leaf, a few trimmings of mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste. Set this to stew gently on the fire for about twenty minutes; then take the fish out carefully and dish them up ; pass the liquor through a fine-pointed strainer into a small saucepan; boil it; draw it on the side of the stove; if not of its proper consistency as a sauce, skim it and reduce it by boiling again ; then pour it over the carp and serve. 405. CARP A LA PERIGUEUX. Prepare two or more carp as in No. 494 ; stew them in white wine with salt and pepper for twenty minutes, and then drain and dish up. Meanwhile prepare some perigueux butter (No 167); add to it a gill of good stock or brown sauce, a pat of anchovy butter, and the juice of a lemon. Stir this well together on the fire, and pour it over the fish before sending to the table. 496. FRIED CARP. For this mode small fish should be used. Clean, scale, draw, and wipe six carp; split down the liack and open flat ; season with salt and pepper, dip them in flour, and fry to a nice colour; dish them up, garnish round with fried parsley, and serve with quarters of lemon. 497. CARP STEWED, ENGLISH FASHION. For dressing carp in this way, see the directions for stewing eel, English style (No. 466). 498. CARP A LA SICILIENNE. Prepare two or three nice carp in the usual way ; put them in a kettle with enough " Court Bouillon " (No. 392) to boil for ten or twelve minutes ; put the kettle aside in a cool place, and when the liquor is quite cold draw out the fish ; remove the liquor in order to enable the kettle to be cleaned ; after which, replace the fish in it with the " Court Bouillon ; " set this to warm gently, without boiling, for twenty minutes ; then drain and dish up the fish ; pour some Sicilian sauce (No. 211) over, and serve. 499. TENCH. This fish, being somewhat similar to the carp, may be dressed in the various modes in which that flsh is prepared. Both kinds make excellent matelotte, and it is not unusual to prepare such a dish with carp, tench, and eel, all mixed and stewed together. Remarks on Barbel. The barbel may be considered to be a water-pig, as its habits and mode of living in the water are very much like those of a pig on land. It cannot be classed as good food, as its eggs are said to be poisonous and to produce the same symptoms as belladonna. 500. BARBEL BROILED. MAITRE D H6T£L BUTTER. Cleanse, scale, and wipe the inside of two barbel very carefully ; score them three or four times on each side ; steep for half an hour in .four tablespoon fuls of olive oil ; season with salt and pepper ; and twenty minutes before serving broil them on a moderate fire for eight or ten minutes each side ; dish up on a hot dish, and serve with some maitre d'hotel butter (No. 226) in the usual way. Barbel can also be fried as well as baked, and served with either Sharp or Bavigote sauce. CHAPTER IX. REMARKS ON BEEP. There is a prevailing idea in England that beef should be eaten either grilled or roasted ; this is a great mistake, as there are many cuts and different parts, as described at the beginning of this work, which could not with credit to the cook be prepared in those ways, I will therefore give the different modes I consider best suited for each part. 601. ROUND OF BEEF BOILED ENGLISH FASHION.