The Modern Housewife or, Menagere Part 24

513. _Toad in a Hole._--Make a batter as directed for the Yorks.h.i.+re pudding, but with the addition of a spoonful more flour and six ounces of chopped beef suet; b.u.t.ter a rather deep baking-dish, into which pour the batter, lay a solid piece of lean gravy beef, about three pounds, in the centre, and bake it an hour and a half in a hot oven.

Another method is to cut up about three pounds of rump-steaks into about six pieces, and putting them in the batter at various distances apart, but the former method is most common.

Any remains of cooked beef, veal, mutton, pork, roasted or boiled, salt or fresh, or game and fowl, cut in pieces, and seasoned to taste, may be used in this dish, by adding it to the batter when in the dish.

514. _Pease Pudding._--Tie a pint of split peas in a cloth, leaving them room to swell, but not more; put them into a stewpan of cold water, where let them boil nearly half an hour until tender, but not at all watery (which they would not be if allowed only sufficient room to swell, and no more); then turn them out of the cloth, rub them through a hair sieve into a basin, after which add a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, season with a little white pepper and salt, and mix all well together, with three yolks and one whole egg; lightly flour a pudding-cloth, which lay in a small round-bottomed basin, pour in the mixture, tie up the cloth, and put the pudding to boil for an hour in a saucepan of boiling water; when done, turn it from the cloth upon a dish, and serve with any joint of boiled pork.

515. _Fowl Pillau._--Put one pound of the best Patna rice into a frying-pan with two ounces of b.u.t.ter, which keep moving over a slow fire, until the rice is lightly browned; then have ready a fowl trussed as for boiling, which put into a stewpan, with five pints of good broth, pound in a mortar about forty cardamom seeds with the husks, half an ounce of coriander seeds, and sufficient cloves, allspice, mace, cinnamon, and peppercorns, to make two ounces in the aggregate, which tie up tightly in a cloth, and put into the stewpan with the fowl, let it boil slowly until the fowl is nearly done; then add the rice, which let stew until quite tender and almost dry; have ready four onions, which cut into slices the thickness of half-crown pieces, sprinkle over with flour, and fry, without breaking them, of a nice brown color, have also six thin slices of bacon, curled and grilled, and two eggs boiled hard; then lay the fowl upon your dish, which cover over with the rice, forming a pyramid, garnish with the bacon, fried onions, and the hard-boiled eggs cut into quarters, and serve very hot.

The bag of spice must be preserved, as it will answer the same purpose half a dozen times.

Fowl pillaus are frequently served with two ounces of Malaga raisins, which are added at the same time and stewed with the rice.

516. _Mutton Pillau._--Trim a neck of mutton, by sawing off the tips of the ribs and taking away the chine-bone; then lay it in a stewpan, with a bag of spice as in the last, and cover with three quarts of stock, let it simmer very gently two hours; then take out the mutton, which keep hot upon a dish, skim off all the fat from the stock it was boiled in, to which add a pound of Patna rice, which stew until tender and very dry: then lay it over the mutton, garnish with fried onions, and hard-boiled eggs, as in the last, and serve very hot.

517. _Chicken Curry._--Cut up a chicken into ten pieces, that is, two wings, two pieces of the breast, two of the back, and each leg divided into two pieces at the joints; then cut up a middling-sized onion into very small dice, which put into a stewpan, with an ounce of b.u.t.ter and a very small piece of garlic, stir them over the fire until sauted well; then add two teaspoonfuls of curry powder and one of curry paste, which well mix in; then add half a pint of good broth, let it boil up; then lay in the pieces of chicken, cover it over, and put to stew very gently for half an hour, stirring it round occasionally, if getting too dry add a little more broth (or water); when done, the flesh should part easily from the bones, and the sauce should adhere rather thickly; season with the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of salt, and serve, with plain boiled rice, upon a separate dish.

Ducklings can be cooked in the same way.

518. _Chicken Curry with Paste._--Cut a chicken up as described in the last, which put into a stewpan, with two ounces of clarified b.u.t.ter, put it over the fire, stirring occasionally until the pieces of the chicken are lightly browned; then pour off the b.u.t.ter and fat from the chicken, add three teaspoonfuls of curry paste and a pint of good broth, mix all well together, place the stewpan again upon the fire, stewing its contents slowly for about twenty minutes, when serve, as directed in the last.

519. _Rabbit Curry._--Cut up a rabbit into smallish pieces, splitting the head in halves, cut up two large onions and one apple into very small dice, which fry in a stewpan with two ounces of b.u.t.ter; when nicely browned, add a good tablespoonful of curry powder, a teaspoonful of curry paste, half one of flour, and a pint of stock, mix well together, then put in the rabbit, with half a pound of streaked bacon, cut into square pieces the size of filberts, let the whole stew very gently upon a very slow fire (or put the stewpan closely covered down into a warm oven) three quarters of an hour; when done, which you may ascertain by trying with the point of a knife if the flesh will leave the bone easily, pour off as much of the fat as possible, and turn it out upon your dish; serve with rice separately.

The curry sauce should be sufficiently thick to envelop each piece of the rabbit.

520. _Veal Curry._--Cut up about two pounds of lean veal into small square pieces, half the size of walnuts, then put a large onion cut into small dice in a stewpan, with a clove of garlic and one apple cut into slices, and one ounce of b.u.t.ter; keep them stirred over a moderate fire until lightly browned, when stir in a good tablespoonful of mild curry powder, half one of flour, mix well, then add a pint of water, let it just boil up, put in the veal, which stir round two or three times, to mix with the curry, and put the stewpan over a slow fire, or in a warm oven for an hour and a half; when done (which you may ascertain by pressing a piece between the finger and thumb, if done it would be quite tender and separate), add the juice of a lemon and a little salt, stir the whole round three or four times very gently, to mix, and turn it out upon your dish, serve with rice separately.

Should you require a veal curry made in less time, the better plan would be to saute the veal in b.u.t.ter previously, then putting it with its own gravy to the curry, and boiling the whole gently a quarter of an hour.

To make a veal curry with curry paste, saute the veal in b.u.t.ter; when becoming slightly browned, add a good tablespoonful of the paste, with half a pint of water, leave it to stew about half an hour, when it will be ready to serve.

Beef, mutton, lamb, and pork curries are made precisely the same as directed for veal curries.

521. _Breast of Veal Curry._--Procure a piece of breast of veal about three pounds in weight, with the bones and tendons attached, which chop into about twenty square pieces, and put into a stewpan, with two quarts of water, and a bunch of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves; let it simmer three hours at the corner of the fire, skimming off all the fat, then take out the meat and strain the broth into a basin; in another stewpan have a middling-sized onion (cut into small dice), with an ounce of b.u.t.ter, saute them rather brown, then add a good tablespoonful of curry powder, mix well, and pour in the broth, then add the meat, which let stew in the curry one hour longer, until the meat is very tender, and the sauce becomes rather thick; pour off as much fat as possible, season with a little salt and the juice of a lemon, which stir in very gently, take the meat out as whole as possible, dress them upon your dish, pour the sauce over and serve; rice separately.

522. _Breast of Mutton Curry._--Cut up a breast of mutton, bones and all, into pieces about two inches in length and one in width, which put into a stewpan with two quarts of water, to simmer for about two hours, when proceed precisely as directed in the last.

523. _Breast of Lamb Curry_ is made very similar to the preceding, and is considered a great treat to those who are fond of curries. Curry paste may be used to advantage, either by itself, or mixed equally with the powder. There being a great quant.i.ty of fat in the breast, great care should be taken to remove it from the curry every available opportunity.

524. _Lamb's Head Curry._--Procure a lamb's head, which split in halves, break the bones at the nostrils, and put into lukewarm water an hour to disgorge, previously taking out the brains, which likewise disgorge in the water, then put the head into a stewpan well covered with water, let it boil two hours, when take it out, separate the bones from the flesh, which cut into small pieces. In another stewpan have a middling-sized onion cut into small dice, which set upon the fire, adding two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and saute them a light brown color, when add a tablespoonful of curry powder, and half that quant.i.ty of curry paste, mix well together, then put in the pieces of head with half a pint of broth, and stew gently for half an hour. Whilst the curry is stewing, take the brains from the water, and put them into a stewpan of boiling water, let simmer five minutes, after which chop very fine, and put them into a basin, with a good handful of bread-crumbs, a little white pepper, salt, and chopped parsley, mix well together with an egg, and form it into six little round b.a.l.l.s, which egg and bread-crumb twice over, and fry in a little hot lard, of a very light brown color, then dress the curry upon a dish, lay the brain croquets round, and serve with rice separately.

525. _Calf's Head Curry_ is usually made with the remains left from a previous dinner; if about two pounds of meat remaining upon the bone, cut it whilst cold into thin slices, then cut two onions and two apples into small dice, which put into a stewpan, with an ounce of b.u.t.ter and half a clove of garlic cut in slices, stir with a wooden spoon over the fire until sauted nice and brown, when add a tablespoonful of curry powder, half one of flour, mix well, then pour in a pint of broth, add a little salt, and boil twenty minutes, keeping it well stirred; then put in the calf's head, and let it remain upon the fire until quite hot through; add the juice of half a lemon, which stir in very gently, without breaking the meat, dress it upon a dish, and serve with rice separately. Curry sauce may be pa.s.sed through a sieve previously to putting the head in.

526. _Calf's Feet Curry._--After boiling a set of feet for calf's feet jelly, the feet may be served in curry as follows: separate the meat from the bones whilst the feet are warm; when cold, cut them into small square pieces, and proceed exactly as in the last; or use curry sauce.

527. _Calf's Tail Curry._--Cut up calves' tails into joints, which put into a stewpan, with a small piece of lean ham and a bunch of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf; cover them with three pints of cold water, and let simmer about two hours, until tender, keeping them well skimmed; when done, strain the stock through a hair sieve into a basin, and put the tails upon a plate; then proceed as directed for calf's head curry, but using the stock from the tails, and reducing the curry until rather thickish before adding the tails.

528. _Ox Tail Curry_ is made precisely as in the last, but one tail would be sufficient, and it would require double the time to stew; or use curry sauce.

529. _Tripe Curry._--Cut two large onions into very small dice, which put into a stewpan, with two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and stir over the fire until brown, when well mix in a tablespoonful of curry powder and half that quant.i.ty of paste; add a pint of broth, and two pounds of double tripe cut into strips; let the whole stew very slowly one hour, keeping it well skimmed, when dress it upon a dish, and serve with rice separately.

530. _Lobster Curry._--Procure a large boiled lobster, break the sh.e.l.l, and take out the flesh in as large pieces as possible, cutting the tail into about six pieces, and the claws of a proportionate size; then cut two onions into small slices, which put into a stewpan, with an ounce of b.u.t.ter, fry them of a light yellow color, then mix in a good tablespoonful of mild curry paste (or half powder and half paste), and add a pint of good broth, then boil it up over the fire until becoming a little thickish, when put in the lobster, stir the whole round, then cover the stewpan closely, and put it into a moderate oven half an hour, by which time the curry would be of a proper consistency, and the lobster very delicately tender, add the juice of half a lemon, and serve with rice separately. If no oven it may be very gradually stewed over a slow fire, in which case it might want moistening occasionally.

531. _Crab Curry._--Prepare the onions and curry precisely as in the last, but adding the flesh of a crab (broken small) instead of a lobster; let it stew over the fire about twenty minutes, add the juice of half a lemon, and serve as before.

532. _Oyster Curry._--Blanch and beard six dozen of oysters, leaving the oysters in their own liquor; then cut two middling-sized onions into small dice, and saute it in a stewpan, with an ounce of b.u.t.ter; when done, mix in two teaspoonfuls of curry powder and one of curry paste, then add the oysters with their liquor, and keep stirring over the fire until the oysters become enveloped in a thick sauce, when turn them out upon your dish, and serve with rice separately.

533. _Prawn Curry._--Procure sufficient prawns to weigh about a pound; when picked, put half of a small onion chopped very fine into a stewpan, with half an ounce of b.u.t.ter, stir them over the fire until becoming rather yellowish; then add two teaspoonfuls of mild but rather piquant curry paste, mixing the whole gradually with half a pint of good broth; then put in the prawns, and stew gently about a quarter of an hour, when they will be ready to serve; rice separate.

If no curry paste, powder may be used, but the paste is far preferable.

Shrimps may also be curried in the same way, but they are in general so very salt.

534. _Salmon Curry._--Have two slices of salmon, weighing about a pound each, which cut into pieces of the size of walnuts, cut up two middling-sized onions, which put into a stewpan, with an ounce of b.u.t.ter and a clove of garlic cut in thin slices, stir over the fire until becoming rather yellowish; then add a tablespoonful of curry powder and half that quant.i.ty of curry paste, mix all well together with a pint of good broth, put in the salmon, which stew about half an hour, pour off as much of the oil as possible; if too dry, moisten with a little more broth, mixing it gently, and serve as before.

Salmon curry may also be made with the remains left from a previous dinner, in which case reduce the curry sauce until rather thick before putting in the salmon, which only requires to be made hot in it.

The remains of a turbot might also be curried in the same way, and also any kind of fish.

535. _Fillet of Sole Curry._--Fillet two nice soles, and cut each fillet into five pieces (slantwise); then in a stewpan have a small onion chopped fine and fried, to which add a tablespoonful of curry paste, or an equal quant.i.ty of paste and powder; when well mixed, put in the fillets of soles, with just sufficient broth to cover them; let it boil rather fast for ten minutes, when the sauce will become sufficiently thick to envelop the fish, season with the juice of half a lemon, and serve with rice separately.

Fillets of haddocks or whitings are curried precisely the same.

536. _Skate Curry._--Plain boil about two pounds of skate with a piece of the liver, which put upon a dish without a napkin, previously well draining off the water; whilst the fish is boiling, cut two onions in slices, which put into a stewpan, with an ounce of b.u.t.ter, and fry of a lightish brown color; then mix in a tablespoonful of curry powder with a teaspoonful of flour, and a pint of good broth, set it upon the fire, keeping it stirred, and when boiling, put in a good-sized apple cut into slices, let boil until it is reduced to about half, when rub it through a tammy or hair sieve, pour it again into a stewpan, and when hot, pour over the fish, and serve with rice separately.