Page:Peterson Magazine 1869B.pdf/252

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OUR NEW COOK- BOOK .

233

A spare-rib of three-quarters of a pound requires ten chop untouched, the meat will gradually harden all the way through, driving the juices before it, and causing them to minutes over a " strong fire." A beef-steak of the same weight seven minutes. overflow into the fire from the upper-side. To counteract A mutton-cutlet, six minutes. this you must turn your chop over the instant the underA mutton kidney, spitted, four minutes. side begins to harden. As soon as what was at first the A veal-cutlet, nine minutes. upper-side is sufficiently hard, which generally happens with a good fire in a minute or so, it is turned once more, A mutton-chop, trimmed and bread-crumbled, requires ten minutes over a " slow fire." and so on until the operation is complete. In fact, a game of battledore and shuttlecock must be played with the chop; A mutton-chop, trimmed and bread-crumbled, requires the moment the juices have been driven into the middle of ten minutes over a " slow fire." He adds that it is a great mistake to spare fuel in boiling; the meat it must be turned, and the turning repeated continually, so that each side may be done alike. The length of much good meat is lost by being imperfectly cooked, so as time for cooking a chop properly must depend on the fierce- to economize a few handfuls of coals, and he is undoubtedly ness ofthe fire and the tastes ofthe individual. Ten minutes, right. In my opinion we can only deduce from all these and at least ten turnings may be taken as the shortest period experiments very useful information, but no rules. One when the fire is brisk, and when an underdone chop is pre- acquires from study and observation alone the art of taking ferred ; but there is no royal road to chop-cooking, and per- a gridiron from the fire at the exact moment that the cookfection in it can only be attained by practice and a fairing is finished. amount of intelligence. PICKLES AND CATCHUPS. After cooking your chop, " after catching your bird," the next thing is to eat it. Some persons load their plate with To Pickle Red Cabbage.-Choose,a medium-sized fresh, red vegetables of every kind in season ; and with pepper, mus- cabbage; take off the coarse onter leaves ; quarter it ; retard, sauce, and half a dozen other incongruities. But we move the stalk; cut the cabbage into slices of about the prefer, for ourselves, good bread and a mealy potato. Cut third of an inch in thickness ; place it in a bowl ; strew boldly into the middle of the chop, and soak your bread and among it two good handfuls of salt ; let the whole stand for potato in the delicious gravy that follows the knife, and you twenty-four hours, stirring it once or twice ; drain it as dry will realize that there are few things as good, and nothing as possible ; place it loosely in wide-mouthed jars, and fill better. Perhaps, if you wish perfection, you will use adash up with strong, raw vinegar, adding pepper-corns, capof mushroom catchup. sicums, pieces of ginger, or what other spice you may fancy. A final word of advice. If you want a new bonnet, cook This in a day or two will be of a splendid crimson color, and uch a chop for your husband, and after he has eaten it, ask eat deliciously crisp. Those cooks who prefer to boil their or the millinery. Our word for it, you will get the bonnet. vinegar and spices in an iron pot, and forthwith pour the pickle boiling hot upon the cabbage, may reasonably expect to find the latter limp, ill-flavored, and of a dismal purplish blue. The caution here given respecting the boiling the vinegar in an iron vessel is perfectly correct. For if OUR NEW COOK - BOOK . done, a small quantity ofthe metal will be dissolved by the Every receipt in this Cook-Book has been tested by a acid, and, although perfectly wholesome, alter materially the fine color which is so much esteemed in this pickle. practical housekeeper. To Pickle Mushrooms.-Throw the smallest mushrooms WE give this month a few more of Baron Brisse's fine you can find into spring-water, and rub them with a piece receipts. From the remains of roast poultry, especially turkey, a of flannel dipped in salt, throwing them back into the cold water as you do them: this makes them keep their color. great delicacy can be made. Hashed Turkey a la Creme.- Chop very fine the pieces of Put them into a sauce-pan, strew a handful of salt over them, meat, after having carefully removed the bones, and season cover them closely, and place them over the fire for four or them with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Chop equally fine five minutes until they are thoroughly hot, and the liquor some shallots, and parsley ; put over the fire, in a sauce-pan, is quite drawn out of them. Lay them to cool between two a lump of butter and some flour; stir, then moisten with clean cloths ; put them in glass bottles, filling up with the cream or milk, or, what is still better, half of either, with best distilled vinegar. It is very essential that the vinegar half broth, and the shallots and parsley ; season with salt, should be good, as, if too sharp, the mushrooms will be pepper, and nutmeg, and let it stew gently for at least softened by it, and they will neither keep so long nor look twenty minutes. When the sauce has good consistency, so white as they ought. Tomato Chow-Chow.-One peck of green tomatoes bruised, incorporate the hashed turkey, draw the sauce-pan to the corner of the range, and serve it hot, without letting it half a dozen onions, sliced, half a dozen chillies, if to be obboil. To send to the table, turn the hash out on a dish and tained ; sprinkle over them halfa pint of salt ; let it stand surround it with a border of fried bread and poached eggs. over night, then drain off the brine ; cover it with good Poached Eggs.-Put salted water, acidulated with a little vinegar ; let it cook in the oven one hour slowly, then drain vinegar, in a sauce-pan over a slow fire. When this water and pack in a jar ; take one pound of sugar, one tableboils, withdraw the sauce-pan to the other side of the range, spoonful each of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and pepper, one so that the ebullition shall not become too violent. Break half-cup of ground mustard, and vinegar enough to mix perfectly fresh eggs, one after another, above the sauce-pan, thin; boil together, when boiling pour over the pulp in the and let them fall cautiously into the boiling water. When jar, and cover tight. Then it is ready for use, and will keep they are sufficiently hard take them out gently with a skim- for mouths. To Pickle Nasturtiums.-Very frequently nasturtiums are mer, watching carefully lest they break; put them to drain merely thrown into seasoned vinegar; they should be on a plate and serve. When Jules Gouffe wrote his "Cook-Book" be made a gathered when it is sunshiny weather. Although this series of experiments, at the end of which he felt able to method answers tolerably well, it is preferable to put the declare that on a well-made fire, that is to say, composed of freshly-picked nasturtiums into a strong brine of salt-andlive coals extended on ashes for several inches beyond the water, and let them remain in this till they grow somewhat gridiron, the bed of the coals being an inch thick for a soft; then place them in a good deal of strong vinegar, and strong fire," and half an inch for a "slow fire :" they will keep for years.