The English Housekeeper/Chapter 15

by Anne Cobbett

Chapter XV.

Stuffing and Forcemeat.

With regard to the flavouring ingredients to be used in making these, no precise instructions can be given, because what is disagreeable to one palate is indispensable to another one, therefore, practice alone will teach a cook how to succeed in the art of forcemeat making; and so many flavouring condiments may be used that she may vary her forcemeats to almost any variety of dishes, taking care that no one flavour predominates, but the whole be so blended that the proper zest be given without too much poignancy. Some choose the flavour of onions, thyme, and other herbs, to be strong, while others dislike even a very little of either. Onion is milder for being parboiled in two waters, and some think the flavour of eschalot preferable.—Suet is indispensable; but if it cannot be obtained, beef marrow, or good fresh butter, are the best substitutes.—Bread-crumbs are better soaked in milk, than grated dry; in the former case their quantity must be judged by bulk, not by weight: the bread should be stale. The French use Panada, and prepare it thus: Soak slices of bread in hot milk, when moist press out the milk from the bread, and beat the latter up, with a little rich broth or white sauce, and a lump of butter. Stir till somewhat dry, add the yolks of 2 eggs, and pound the whole well together. Sweetbreads make delicate forcemeat flavoured with tongue.

Stuffing and forcemeat require to be well pounded in a mortar, and thoroughly mixed: it ought to be firm enough to cut with a knife, but not heavy.

The following flavouring ingredients may all be used.

• Ham.
• Tongue.
• Eggs, boiled hard.
• Anchovy.
• Oysters.
• Pickled ditto.
• Lobsters.
• Mushrooms.
• Truffles.
• Morells.
• Salt.
• White pepper.
• Jamaica pepper.
• Nutmeg.
• Mace.
• Mushroom powder.
• Cayenne.
• Cloves.
• Curry powder.
• Onion.
• Parsley.
• Tarragon.
• Savory.
• Knotted marjoram.
• Thyme and lemon thyme.
• Basil.
• Sage.
• Lemon peel.
• Chervil.
• Garlic.
• Eschalot.

The French preparation, called Godiveau.

Scrape 1 lb. of fillet of veal, mince 1½ lb. beef suet, chop scalded parsley, young onions and mushrooms, enough to season the meat, add pepper, salt, allspice, and mace; pound the whole well, mixing in 3 raw eggs at different times, with a little water.

Another, called Gratin.

½ lb. fillet of veal (if for fowl the livers parboiled), veal udder skinned and parboiled, and panada, equal parts of each; pepper, salt, cayenne, and fine herbs; with 3 eggs.

Forcemeat for Veal, Turkey, Fowls, or Rabbits.

Scrape fine 2 oz. of lean undressed veal, the same of ham, beef or veal suet, and bread-crumbs; add parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg or mace; pound well, and add the yolk of an egg to bind it. Add, if you like, a little onion, parboiled and chopped; sweet herbs, according to taste. For boiled turkey, the soft parts of 12 oysters, or an anchovy may be added.—Room should be given for stuffing to swell.

Plain stuffing for Veal, Poultry, or Fish.

Chop ½ lb. of beef or veal suet, mix it with 4 oz. bread-crumbs, chopped parsley, thyme, marjoram, a bay leaf, salt and pepper, and 3 eggs.

Stuffing for Goose or Duck.

Mix together 4 oz. bread-crumbs, 2 oz. onion, parboiled, ½ oz. sage leaves, pepper and salt.—Or: the liver, some bread-crumbs, butter the size of a walnut, a sage leaf or two, a sprig of lemon thyme, pepper and salt.

For Hare.

About 2 oz. beef suet, 1 drachm of parsley leaves, the same of marjoram, lemon thyme, lemon peel, ½ a drachm of eschalot, and nutmeg, pepper, and salt; (an anchovy, and cayenne if you choose), mix with an egg; it must be a stiff stuffing; add the liver, parboiled and minced.

Forcemeat Balls for Made Dishes.

Pound a piece of veal with an equal quantity of udder, or a third part the quantity of butter; moisten bread-crumbs with milk; (or soak a piece of bread in warm milk), then mix in a little chopped parsley and eschalot, pound it together to a smooth paste; rub through a sieve, and when cold mix it with the veal and udder, and the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs; season with salt, pepper, curry powder or cayenne, add the raw yolks of two eggs, and mix well together in a mortar. This does for small balls to fry, or to boil in soup.

Egg Balls.

Boil four eggs ten minutes and put them into cold water; when quite cold, pound the yolks in a mortar with a raw yolk, a tea-spoonful of flour, chopped parsley, salt, black pepper and cayenne; roll into small balls, and boil them two minutes.

Curry Balls.

Panada, hard-boiled yolk of egg, and fresh butter, pounded well, and seasoned with curry powder. Boil two minutes.

Stuffing for a Pike.

Grated bread-crumbs, herbs to taste, 2 oz. beef suet, salt, pepper, mace, ½ pint of cream and the yolks of 4 eggs; mix well, and stir over the fire till it thickens.

Fish Forcemeats, for Fish Soup, Stews, or Pies.

Put about 2 oz. of either turbot, sole, lobster, shrimps or oysters, free from skin, into a mortar with 2 oz. fresh butter, 1 oz. bread-crumbs, the yolks of 2 eggs boiled hard, a little eschalot, grated lemon peel, and parsley, minced fine; season with salt and cayenne. Break in the yolk and white of one egg, mix well, and add an anchovy pounded.—Another: beat the meat and the soft parts of a middling sized lobster, ½ an anchovy, a large piece of boiled celery, the yolk of a hard egg, a little cayenne, mace, salt, white pepper, 2 table-spoonsful of crumbs or panada, 1 of oyster liquor, 1 of mushroom catsup, 2 oz. warmed butter, and 2 eggs well beaten: make into balls, and fry of a fine brown.