The English Housekeeper/Chapter 7
There is no branch of cookery which requires more nicety than plain boiling, though, from its simplicity, some cooks think it does not. They think that to put a piece of meat into water, and to make that boil for a given length of time, is all that is needful; but it is not so. To boil a leg of mutton, or a fowl, properly, requires as much care as to compound a made dish. Meat which is poor and tough cannot be made tender and fine flavoured by boiling; but that which was, to all appearance, very fine meat before it was put into the pot, has often been taken out really good for nothing. And many a Butcher and Poulterer have been blamed, when the fault was not theirs.
Meat should be put into cold water, enough to keep it well covered. The longer in reason it is coming to a boil, the better, as a gradual heating produces tenderness, and causes a separation from the meat of the grosser particles, which rise in the shape of scum to the surface, and which should be carefully taken off. The finest leg of mutton must be disgusting, if garnished with flakes of black scum. Care should be taken to watch the first moment of the scum's appearing in order to remove it, and then, by throwing in a little salt, the remainder will be caused to rise; and if the fast boiling of the water render the scumming difficult, pour in a very little cold water. The practice of boiling meat, such as poultry, veal, and lamb, in floured cloths, to keep it white, must have been the invention of lazy cooks, if not of tasteless and extravagant housewives; for the meat is rendered less juicy, and the liquor in which it has been boiled, so good for broth or gravy, must be lost.
When the pot has been well scummed, and no more scum to be seen, set in such a situation on, or by, the fire, that it may continue to boil gently and regularly, for the time required; and see that it do not stop boiling altogether at one time, and then be hurried to a wallop at another time, for this dries up the juices, hardens the meat, and tears it. A kettle of boiling water should be at hand, in order to replenish the pot, as the quantity diminishes, taking heed not to exceed the original quantity, namely, enough to cover the meat, for the less water, the better the broth will be.
Salted meat, if very salt, and all smoked meat, should be washed, and in some cases, soaked before it is boiled. If too little salted, it must not be either washed or scraped, and may be put on to boil in water a little heated, because a slow process would help to freshen it.
No positive rule can be given for the time required to boil meat, any more than to roast, for much depends on its freshness, and a piece of solid meat requires a longer time to boil than a joint of equal weight but of less thickness. Salted and smoked meat require longer boiling than fresh meat, veal longer than beef, mutton, or lamb; and pork, though ever so little salted, still longer than veal. A leg of mutton which has hung long will boil in less time than one which is quite or nearly fresh; but then the former ought not to be boiled at all, but roasted, for the fire takes away mustiness, and all the impurities with which the boiling water would only tend still more to impregnate the meat. A quarter of an hour, and a quart of water, to every pound of meat, is the rule of boiling, but practice must teach this, as well as many other important parts of culinary science. By a little care and attention, a cook will soon gain sufficient experience to preserve her from the risk of sending a joint to table too little, or too much done.
When meat is sufficiently boiled, take it up directly; and if it have to wait, stand it over the pot it was cooked in, to keep it hot; remaining in the water will sodden it.
The next thing for consideration, after that of cooking the meat properly, is the turning to account the liquor in which it is boiled. This, be the meat what it may, is good as a foundation for Soups or Gravies unless it be the liquor of ham or bacon, and that can only be used in small quantities, to flavour. The liquor of pork makes good pease soup. When such liquor is not wanted for the family, it may always, at a trifling expense, be converted into wholesome and nourishing food for the poor. (See cookery for the poor.)
If too large a joint to dress whole, for a small family, or where cold meat is not liked, it may be cut into two or even three pieces, taking care to give to each piece a due portion of fat; skewer it up tightly, of a good shape, then bind it with strong coarse tape, or strips of linen. The vessel roomy, the beef placed on a fish drainer (as should all large joints), and care taken to keep it covered with water. Three hours for a piece of 12 lbs. About three hours and a half to 16 lbs., and so on, in proportion. Put in carrots and turnips two hours after the meat. See that there be no scum left on, before you send it to table. Garnish with sliced carrots, and serve mashed turnips or greens, in a separate dish. Also dumplings, if approved.
The whole round, if 30 lbs. weight, will require to boil five hours. But remember, that the boiling should be only steady simmering. Place the vessel over the fire, that the water may come to a boil; then draw it to the side, and never let it cease to simmer. Have a kettle of boiling water by the side, to fill up with.
One of 20 lbs. weight will require to boil three hours and a half. One of 10 lbs. weight will be done in two hours. The soft fat is best hot, the hard fat cold.
This being a long, awkward joint, may be cut in two; it requires longer boiling than the edge bone; five hours not too much for a large piece. (See Beef to Press.)
For Bouilli and other ways of cooking beef, see the Index.
This joint should be kept from two days to a week. Cut out the pipe, and carefully wipe the meat to clear it of all mustiness. Chop but a very small piece off the shank. Boil carrots and turnips with it if you like, but the former will not improve the colour; and do not put them in before the pot has been carefully scummed. A leg of 9 lbs. will take three hours slow boiling. Garnish with slices of carrot, or a rim of mashed turnip. Serve caper sauce in a boat. Walnut also is good, in place of capers. If chickens or a fowl be wanted for the same dinner, they may boil in the same vessel with the mutton, but not with vegetables. The broth will be better for this addition. If broth be wanted the same day, put into the water, as soon as it has been scummed, some barley or rice, and after it has boiled one hour and a half, lift out the mutton and place it by the fire, covered to keep warm; take the lid off the pot, and let it boil quickly till the liquor be reduced to the quantity you desire; put in turnips and carrots, in small pieces, a head of celery, and a little parsley; return the mutton, and boil it slowly half an hour.—A leg of mutton, if too large to cook at once, may be divided into two; roast the fillet and boil the shank. Or: you may take cutlets off the large end two days running, and then dress the shank.—Tongue is good with boiled mutton.
Should be very much trimmed of its fat, and, if from 3 to 5 lbs. weight, boil slowly two hours; it will likewise make very good broth, as the leg. Garnish and serve in the same way.—Some do not cut off any of the fat, until after it is cooked, then pare it off, and put it by: this, shred finely, makes light pudding crust.
A delicate dish, if nicely boiled, served with parsley and butter, and garnished with sprigs of cauliflower, brocoli, or spinach. A dish of the latter should be served with it. (See in the Index.) If small, the loin may be cut into steaks, fried, and placed round the leg, lightly garnished with crisped parsley; or they may be placed round mashed potatoes, in another dish. A leg of 5 lbs. should simmer gently two hours, counting from the time it is first put on, in cold water.
Wash it well in several waters, and soak it in warm water for a quarter of an hour, but first take the brains out, and having well washed, let them soak in cold water with a little salt for an hour. Half the head (without the skin), will require gentle boiling two hours; with the skin, another hour. Put it on in cold water. Boil 8 or 10 sage leaves, and the same quantity in bulk of parsley, half an hour, then drain, chop very fine, and spread them on a plate. Scald and peel the skin off the brains, put them into a saucepan with plenty of cold water: when it boils, carefully scum it, and let it boil gently fifteen minutes; chop the brains, but not very fine, and put them into a small saucepan with the parsley and sage, also 2 table-spoonsful of thin melted butter, a little salt, and, if you like, cayenne and lemon juice. Take the tongue out of the head, trim off the roots, skin and place it in the middle of a dish, the brains round it. Pour parsley and butter over the head, garnish with broiled rashers of bacon. Serve ham, bacon, or pork, and greens. Save a quart of the liquor to make sauce for the hash (which see). A very good sauce for this, eaten in France, is as follows: 2 table-spoonsful of chopped eschalots, 1 of parsley, 1 of tarragon and chervil, 1 of salt, a little pepper, 6 table-spoonsful of salad oil, 1 of vinegar: mix well together and serve cold.
In some parts of England a boiled fillet is considered a delicacy. It should not be large. Stuff it the same as for roasting (which see), or with the forcemeat directed for boiled turkey. Serve white sauce, and garnish with slices of lemon and barberries.—The neck is good boiled, and eaten with parsley and butter.
This must be exceedingly well done. Wash and scrape a leg, and let it lie in cold water a quarter of an hour to whiten; put it on to boil in cold water; do not let it boil fast, because the knuckle will be broken to pieces, before the thick part of the meat is done. Be careful to take off all the scum, and let a leg of 7 lbs. weight simmer three hours. If to eat cold, do not cut it in the middle, because that will allow too much gravy to be lost, but cut from the knuckle, and it will eat more tender. Peas pudding with leg of pork, also parsnips, carrots, turnips or greens, and mashed potatoes.
Put a thin slice of bacon at the bottom of a stew-pan, with a little broth or thin melted butter, a blade of mace, a few peppercorns, and a sprig of thyme; in this boil the feet, the heart, liver and lights, till tender; the three latter will be done first; take them out and mince them fine: put this mince and the feet into another saucepan with some good gravy thickened with butter rolled in flour, season with pepper, salt, and a small quantity of walnut and mushroom catsup; let it simmer five minutes. While this is cooking prepare some sippets of toasted bread, lay them round a dish, pour the mince and sauce into the middle, and having split the feet, lay them lightly on the top.—A little cream may be added. (See to fry.)
Be careful in picking, that the skin be not broken. Some cooks wash poultry, but if wiping will be sufficient, it is best not washed. Chickens and fowls will keep two or three days, except in very hot weather. A fowl put on in cold water, should simmer by the side of the fire, from twenty-five minutes to half an hour. Some cooks boil a little fresh suet sliced, and also slices of lemon peel, with fowl. Some boil them in milk and water. The water must be well scummed.
Boiled Fowls with white sauce, or mushroom, oyster, celery, liver, or lemon sauce, or parsley and butter. A pretty remove of fish or soup, is, a small tongue in the centre, a boiled chicken on each side, and small heads of brocoli, with a few asparagus and French beans to fill the spaces. Serve any of the above sauces.—Always ham, bacon or tongue, and some sort of green vegetable, with fowl and turkey; chine with the latter. Garnish with slices of lemon.
Choose fine fat ones. Some persons salt them slightly, for two days, others boil them without. Smother them with onions, or serve onion sauce.
Let it hang four days, and take care not to blacken it in singeing. It is usual to fill the crop of a turkey with forcemeat (see forcemeats), or with a stuffing of bread-crumbs, suet shred fine, a little parsley, thyme, and lemon peel, chopped fine, nutmeg, pepper, and salt, the whole mixed together by an egg. In America it is the practice to stuff turkeys with oysters chopped and mixed with bread-crumbs. About 4 would be sufficient. A large turkey, with the crop filled, requires two hours slow boiling; not filled, half an hour less; and a small hen turkey an hour. Serve with oyster or celery sauce, and either chine, bacon or tongue. The forcemeat may be enriched by grated tongue or ham, chopped veal, an anchovy and a little bit of eschalot. (See to hash, also grill.)
A full-sized one will boil in half an hour; an old one above an hour. Some use milk and water. Serve with onion sauce poured over; or a sauce made of melted butter, and the livers, previously boiled, and minced small, with a little parsley. Lay slices of lemon round the dish. Ham or Bacon.
Should be well washed and scraped, and old bacon soaked in cold water. After coming slowly to a boil, let a piece of 4 lbs. simmer by the fire two hours, if young and fresh cured, less time. Some cooks put fat bacon into hot water, and lean into cold. Take off the rind and set it before the fire to dry up the oozing fat. Strew bread-raspings over.
The main thing to be attended to is the previous soaking, and the requisite time must be left to the discretion of the cook, for, whereas one night would be sufficient for a small and tender ham, if very old and dry, less than four days and four nights will scarcely be enough. The water should be changed every day, and the night before it is boiled, scrape well, pour warm water over it, and trim off all the rusty, ill-looking, bits, then lay it in the water again. Scum the pot, and let the ham simmer from three to five hours, according to its weight. When done, take the skin off gently, and after covering the ham with bread-raspings, set it before the fire, to crisp it. Twist writing paper round the shank, and garnish with greens, or little heaps of bread-raspings. The liquor, if well scummed at first, may be strained or put by, and if you boil fowls or veal on the following day, you may put the two liquors together, boil them rapidly down; add pepper, mace, eschalot, and a faggot of herbs, and you will have a highly relishing gravy. Some persons contend that the practice of boiling a ham until half cooked, and then finishing by baking it, improves the flavour. (See to bake meat.)
If you buy it salted, learn how long it has been in pickle, for according to that it must soak. If old and hard, twenty-four hours will not be too much. Have plenty of water, and let it be a full hour in coming to a boil; then simmer gently for three hours; longer if very large. The root is an excellent ingredient for peas soup.
Cut in cutlets, or not, as you choose, and simmer it in milk and water till quite tender. Peel and boil a dozen button onions, put the tripe in a deep dish with some of the sauce, and the onions on the top; or you may boil it in plain water. Mustard sauce is good.—As all persons would not choose onions, you may serve onion sauce as directed for rabbits (which see). Serve rashers of bacon, if approved.
When well boiled, cut into nice pieces, egg, bread crumb, and fry them of a light brown, and serve with fried onions or any piquant sauce. Is very good only boiled, and served with parsley and butter.