The Virginia Housewife by Mary Randolph
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Mary Randolph >> The Virginia Housewife
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* * * * *
TO BARBECUE SHOTE.[1]
This is the name given in the southern states to a fat young hog, which,
when the head and feet are taken off, and it is cut into four quarters,
will weigh six pounds per quarter. Take a fore-quarter, make several
incisions between the ribs, and stuff it with rich forcemeat; put it in
a pan with a pint of water, two cloves of garlic, pepper, salt, two
gills of red wine, and two of mushroom catsup, bake it, and thicken the
gravy with batter and brown flour; it must be jointed, and the ribs cut
across before it is cooked; or it cannot be carved well; lay it in the
dish with the ribs uppermost; if it be not sufficiently brown, add a
little burnt sugar to the gravy, garnish with balls.
* * * * *
TO ROAST A FORE-QUARTER OF SHOTE.
Joint it for the convenience of carving, roast it before a brisk fire;
when done, take the skin off, dredge and froth it, put a little melted
butter with some caper vinegar over it, or serve it with mint sauce.
* * * * *
TO MAKE SHOTE CUTLETS.
Take the skin from the hind-quarter, and cut it in pieces, prepare them
in the way directed for veal cutlets, make a little nice gravy with the
skin and the scraps of meat left, thicken it with butter and brown
flour, and season it in any way you like.
* * * * *
TO CORN SHOTE.
Rub a hind-quarter with saltpetre and common salt, let it lie ten days,
then boil it, and put either carrots or parsnips under it.
* * * * *
SHOTE'S HEAD.
Take out the brains, and boil the head till quite tender, cut the heart
and liver from the harslet, and boil the feet with the head; cut all the
meat from the head in small pieces, mince the tongue and chop the brains
small, take some of the water the head was boiled in, season it with
onion, parsley and thyme, all chopped fine, add any kind of
catsup--thicken it with butter and brown flour, stew the whole in it
fifteen minutes, and put it in the dish: have the heart roasted to put
in the middle, lay the broiled liver around, and garnish it with green
pickle.
* * * * *
LEG OF PORK WITH PEASE PUDDING.
Boil a small leg of pork that has been sufficiently salted, score the
top and serve it up; the pudding must be in a separate dish; get small
delicate pease, wash them well, and tie them in a cloth, allowing a
little room for swelling, boil them with the pork, then mash and season
them, tie them up again and finish boiling it; take care not to break
the pudding in turning it out.
* * * * *
STEWED CHINE.
Take the neck chine, rub it well with salt, lay it in a pan, put it in a
pint of water, and fill it up with sweet potatos nicely washed, but not
peeled, cover it close and bake it till done; serve it up with the
potatos, put a little of the gravy in the dish.
* * * * *
TO TOAST A HAM.
Boil it well, take off the skin, and cover the top thickly with bread
crumbs, put it in an oven to brown, and serve it up.
* * * * *
TO STUFF A HAM.
Take a well smoked ham, wash it very clean, make incisions all over the
top two inches deep, stuff them quite full with parsley chopped small
and some pepper, boil the ham sufficiently; do not take off the skin. It
must be eaten cold.
* * * * *
SOUSED FEET IN RAGOUT.
Split the feet in two, dredge them with flour and fry them a nice brown;
have some well seasoned gravy thickened with brown flour and butter;
stew the feet in it a few minutes.
* * * * *
TO MAKE SAUSAGES.
Take the tender pieces of fresh pork, chop them exceedingly fine--chop
some of the leaf fat, and put them together in the proportion of three
pounds of pork to one of fat, season it very high with pepper and salt,
add a small quantity of dried sage rubbed to a powder, have the skins
nicely prepared, fill them and hang them in a dry place. Sausages are
excellent made into cakes and fried, but will not keep so well as in
skins.
* * * * *
TO MAKE BLACK PUDDINGS.
Catch the blood as it runs from the hog, stir it continually till cold
to prevent its coagulating; when cold thicken it with boiled rice or
oatmeal, add leaf fat chopped small, pepper, salt, and any herbs that
are liked, fill the skins and smoke them two or three days; they must be
boiled before they are hung up, and prick them with a fork to keep them
from bursting.
* * * * *
A SEA PIE.
Lay at the bottom of a small Dutch oven some slices of boiled pork or
salt beef, then potatos and onions cut in slices, salt, pepper, thyme
and parsley shred fine, some crackers soaked, and a layer of fowls cut
up, or slices of veal; cover them with a paste not too rich, put another
layer of each article, and cover them with paste until the oven is full;
put a little butter between each layer, pour in water till it reaches
the top crust, to which you must add wine, catsup of any kind you
please, and some pounded cloves; let it stew until there is just gravy
enough left; serve it in a deep dish and pour the gravy on.
* * * * *
TO MAKE PASTE FOR THE PIE.
Pour half a pound of butter or dripping, boiling hot, into a quart of
flour, add as much water as will make it a paste, work it and roll it
well before you use it. It is quite a savoury paste.
* * * * *
BOLOGNA SAUSAGES.
Take one pound of bacon--fat and lean, one ditto veal, do., pork, do.,
suet, chop all fine, season highly: fill the skins, prick and boil them
an hour, and hang them to dry--grated bread or boiled rice may be added:
clean the skins with salt and vinegar.
* * * * *
FISH.
TO CURE HERRINGS.
The best method for preserving herrings, and which may be followed with
ease, for a small family, is to take the brine left of your winter stock
for beef, to the fishing place, and when the seine is hauled, to pick
out the largest herrings, and throw them alive into the brine; let them
remain twenty-four hours, take them out and lay them on sloping planks,
that the brine may drain off; have a tight barrel, put some coarse alum
salt at the bottom, then put in a layer of herrings--take care not to
bruise them; sprinkle over it alum salt and some saltpetre, then fish,
salt, and saltpetre, till the barrel is full; keep a board over it.
Should they not make brine enough to cover them in a few weeks, you must
add some, for they will be rusty if not kept under brine. The proper
time to salt them is when they are quite fat: the scales will adhere
closely to a lean herring, but will be loose on a fat one--the former is
not fit to be eaten. Do not be sparing of salt when you put them up.
When they are to be used, take a few out of brine, soak them an hour or
two, scale them nicely, pull off the gills, and the only entrail they
have will come with them; wash them clean and hang them up to dry. When
to be broiled, take half a sheet of white paper, rub it over with
butter, put the herring in, double the edges securely, and broil without
burning it. The brine the herrings drink before they die, has a
wonderful effect in preserving their juices: when one or two years old,
they are equal to anchovies.
* * * * *
TO BAKE STURGEON.
Get a piece of sturgeon with the skin on, the piece next to the tail,
scrape it well, cut out the gristle, and boil it about twenty minutes to
take out the oil; take it up, pull off the large scales, and when cold,
stuff it with forcemeat, made of bread crumbs, butter, chopped parsley,
pepper and salt, put it in a Dutch oven just large enough to hold it,
with a pint and a half of water, a gill of red wine, one of mushroom
catsup, some salt and pepper, stew it gently till the gravy is reduced
to the quantity necessary to pour over it; take up your sturgeon
carefully, thicken the gravy with a spoonful of butter rubbed into a
large one of brown flour;--see that it is perfectly smooth when you put
it in the dish.
* * * * *
TO MAKE STURGEON CUTLETS.
The tail piece is the best; skin it and cut off the gristle, cut it into
slices about half an inch thick, sprinkle over them pepper and salt,
dredge them with flour, and fry them a nice light brown; have ready a
pint of good gravy, seasoned with catsup, wine, and a little pounded
cloves, and thickened with brown flour and butter; when the cutlets are
cold, put them into the gravy and stew them a few minutes; garnish the
dish with nice forcemeat balls and parsley fried crisp.
* * * * *
STURGEON STEAKS.
Cut them as for the cutlets, dredge them, and fry them nicely; dish them
quickly lest they get cold; pour over melted butter with chopped
parsley, and garnish with fried parsley.
* * * * *
TO BOIL STURGEON.
Leave the skin on, which must be nicely scraped, take out the gristle,
rub it with salt, and let it lie an hour, then put it on in cold water
with some salt and a few cloves of garlic; it must be dredged with flour
before it is put into the water, skim it carefully, and when dished,
pour over it melted butter with chopped parsley, a large spoonful of
mushroom catsup, one of lemon pickle, and one of pepper vinegar; send
some of it to table in a sauce boat;--the sturgeon being a dry fish,
rich sauce is necessary.
* * * * *
TO BAKE A SHAD.
The shad is a very indifferent fish unless it be large and fat; when you
get a good one, prepare it nicely, put some forcemeat inside, and lay it
at full length in a pan with a pint of water, a gill of red wine, one of
mushroom catsup, a little pepper, vinegar, salt, a few cloves of garlic,
and six cloves: stew it gently till the gravy is sufficiently reduced;
there should always be a fish-slice with holes to lay the fish on, for
the convenience of dishing without breaking it; when the fish is taken
up, slip it carefully into the dish; thicken the gravy with butter and
brown flour, and pour over it.
* * * * *
TO BOIL A SHAD.
Get a nice fat shad, fresh from the water, that the skin may not crack
in boiling, put it in cold water on a slice, in a kettle of proper
length, with a wine glass of pale vinegar, salt, a little garlic, and a
bundle of parsley; when it is done, drain all the water from the fish,
lay it in the dish, and garnish with scraped horse-radish; have a sauce
boat of nice melted butter, to mix with the different catsups, as taste
shall direct.
* * * * *
TO ROAST A SHAD.
Fill the cavity with good forcemeat, sew it up, and tie it on a board of
proper size, cover it with bread crumbs, with some salt and pepper, set
it before the fire to roast; when done on one side, turn it, tie it
again, and when sufficiently done, pull out the thread, and serve it up
with butter and parsley poured over it.
* * * * *
TO BROIL A SHAD.
Separate one side from the back-bone, so that it will lie open without
being split in two; wash it clean, dry it with a cloth, sprinkle some
salt and pepper on it, and let it stand till you are ready to broil it;
have the gridiron hot and well greased, broil it nicely, and pour over
it melted butter.
* * * * *
TO BOIL ROCK FISH.
The best part of the rock is the head and shoulders--clean it nicely,
put it into the fish kettle with cold water and salt, boil it gently and
skim it well; when done, drain off the water, lay it in the dish, and
garnish with scraped horse-radish; have two boats of tatter nicely
melted with chopped parsley, or for a change, you may have anchovy
butter; the roe and liver should be fried and served in separate dishes.
If any of the rock be left, it will make a delicious dish next
day;--pick it in small pieces, put it in a stew pan with a gill of
water, a good lump of butter, some salt, a large spoonful of lemon
pickle, and one of pepper vinegar--shake it over the fire till perfectly
hot, and serve it up. It is almost equal to stewed crab.
* * * * *
TO FRY PERCH.
Clean the fish nicely, but do not take out the roes, dry them on a
cloth, sprinkle some salt, and dredge them with flour, lay them
separately on a board; when one side is dry, turn them, sprinkle salt
and dredge the other side; be sure the lard boils when you put the fish
in, and fry them with great care; they should be a yellowish brown when
done. Send melted butter or anchovy sauce in a boat.
* * * * *
TO PICKLE OYSTERS.
Select the largest oysters, drain off their liquor, and wash them in
clean water; pick out the pieces of shells that may be left, put them in
a stew pan with water proportioned to the number of oysters, some salt,
blades of mace, and whole black pepper; stew them a few minutes, then
put them in a pot, and when cold, add as much pale vinegar as will give
the liquor an agreeable acid.
* * * * *
TO MAKE A CURRY OF CATFISH.
Take the white channel catfish, cut off their heads, skin and clean
them, cut them in pieces four inches long, put as many as will be
sufficient for a dish into a stew pan with a quart of water, two onions,
and chopped parsley; let them stew gently till the water is reduced to
half a pint, take the fish out and lay them on a dish, cover them to
keep them hot, rub a spoonful of butter into one of flour, add a large
tea-spoonful of curry powder, thicken the gravy with it, shake it over
the fire a few minutes, and pour it over the fish; be careful to have
the gravy smooth.
* * * * *
TO DRESS A COD'S HEAD AND SHOULDERS.
Take out the gills and the blood from the bone, wash the head very
clean, rub over it a little salt, then lay it on your fish plate; throw
in the water a good handful of salt, with a glass of vinegar, then put
in the fish, and let it boil gently half an hour; if it is a large one,
three quarters; take it up very carefully, strip the skin nicely off,
set it before a brisk fire, dredge it all over with flour, and baste it
well with butter; when the froth begins to rise, throw over it some very
fine white bread crumbs; you must keep basting it all the time to make
it froth well; when it is a fine light brown, dish it up, and garnish it
with a lemon cut in slices, scraped horse-radish, barberries, a few
small fish fried and laid around it, or fried oysters--cut the roe and
liver in slices, and lay over it a little of the lobster out of the
sauce in lumps, and then serve it up.
* * * * *
TO MAKE SAUCE FOR THE COD'S HEAD.
Take a lobster, if it be alive, stick a skewer in the rent of the tail,
(to keep the water out,) throw a handful of salt in the water; when it
boils, put in the lobster, and boil it half an hour; if it has spawn on
it, pick them off, and pound them exceedingly fine in a marble mortar,
and put them into half a pound of good melted butter, then take the meat
out of the lobster, pull it in bits, and put it in your butter, with a
meat spoonful of lemon pickle, and the same of walnut catsup, a slice of
lemon, one or two slices of horse-radish, a little beaten mace, salt and
cayenne to your taste; boil them one minute, then take out the
horse-radish and lemon, and serve it up in your sauce boat.
N.B. If you cannot get lobsters, you may make shrimp, cockle, or muscle
sauce, the same way; if there can be no shell fish got, you then may add
two anchovies cut small, a spoonful of walnut liquor, a large onion
stuck with cloves--strain and put it in the sauce boat.
* * * * *
TO DRESS A SALT COD.
Steep your salt fish in water all night, with a glass of vinegar; it
will take out the salt, and make it taste like fresh fish; the next day
boil it; when it is enough take off the skin, pull it in fleaks into
your dish, then pour egg sauce over it, or parsnips boiled and beat
fine, with butter and cream; send it to the table on a water plate, for
it will soon grow cold.
* * * * *
MATELOTE OF ANY KIND OF FIRM FISH.
Cut the fish in pieces six inches long, put it in a pot with onion,
parsley, thyme, mushrooms, a little spice, pepper and salt--add red wine
and water enough for gravy, set it on a quick fire and reduce it
one-third, thicken with a spoonful of butter and two of flour; put it in
a dish with bits of bread fried in butter, and pour the gravy over it.
* * * * *
CHOWDER, A SEA DISH.
Take any kind of firm fish, cut it in pieces six inches long, sprinkle
salt and pepper over each piece, cover the bottom of a small Dutch oven
with slices of salt pork about half boiled, lay in the fish, strewing a
little chopped onion between; cover with crackers that have been soaked
soft in milk, pour over it two gills of white wine, and two of water;
put on the top of the oven, and stew it gently about an hour; take it
out carefully, and lay it in a deep dish; thicken the gravy with a
little flour and a spoonful of butter, add some chopped parsley, boil it
a few minutes, and pour it over the fish--serve it up hot.
* * * * *
TO PICKLE STURGEON.
The best sturgeons are the small ones, about four feet long without the
head, and the best part is the one near the tail. After the sturgeon is
split through the back bone, take a piece with the skin on, which is
essential to its appearance and goodness, cut off the gristle, scrape
the skin well, wash it, and salt it--let it lie twenty-four hours, wipe
off the salt, roll it, and tie it around with twine, put it on in a good
deal of cold water, let it boil till you can run a straw easily into the
skin, take it up, pull off the large scales, and when cold, put it in a
pot, and cover it with one part vinegar, and two of salt and water; keep
it closely stopped, and when served, garnish with green fennel.
* * * * *
TO CAVEACH FISH.
Cut the fish in pieces the thickness of your hand, wash it and dry it in
a cloth, sprinkle on some pepper and salt, dredge it with flour, and fry
it a nice brown; when it gets cold, put it in a pot with a little
chopped onion between the layers, take as much vinegar and water as will
cover it, mix with it some oil, pounded mace, and whole black pepper,
pour it on, and stop the pot closely. This is a very convenient article,
as it makes an excellent and ready addition to a dinner or supper. When
served up, it should be garnished with green fennel, or parsley.
* * * * *
TO DRESS COD FISH.
Boil the fish tender, pick it from the bones, take an equal quantity of
Irish potatos, or parsnips boiled and chopped, and the same of onions
well boiled; add a sufficiency of melted butter, some grated nutmeg,
pepper, and salt, with a little brandy or wine; rub them in a mortar
till well mixed; if too stiff, liquify it with cream or thickened milk,
put paste in the bottom of a dish, pour in the fish, and bake it. For
change, it may be baked in the form of patties.
* * * * *
COD FISH PIE.
Soak the fish, boil it and take off the skin, pick the meat from the
bones, and mince it very fine; take double the quantity of your fish, of
stale bread grated; pour over it as much new milk, boiling hot, as will
wet it completely, add minced parsley, nutmeg, pepper, and made mustard,
with as much melted butter as will make it sufficiently rich; the
quantity must be determined by that of the other ingredients--beat these
together very well, add the minced fish, mix it all, cover the bottom of
the dish with good paste, pour the fish in, put on a lid and bake it.
* * * * *
TO DRESS ANY KIND OF SALTED FISH.
Take the quantity necessary for the dish, wash them, and lay them in
fresh water for a night; then put them on the tin plate with holes, and
place it in the fish kettle--sprinkle over it pounded cloves and pepper,
with four cloves of garlic; put in a bundle of sweet herbs and parsley,
a large spoonful of tarragon, and two of common vinegar, with a pint of
wine; roll one quarter of a pound of butter in two spoonsful of flour,
cut it in small pieces, and put it over the fish--cover it closely, and
simmer it over a slow fire half an hour; take the fish out carefully,
and lay it in the dish, set it over hot water, and cover it till the
gravy has boiled a little longer--take out the garlic and herbs, pour it
over the fish, and serve it up. It is very good when eaten cold with
salad, garnished with parsley.
* * * * *
TO FRICASSEE COD SOUNDS AND TONGUES.
Soak them all night in fresh water, take off the skins, cut them in two
pieces, and boil them in milk and water till quite tender, drain them in
a colander, and season with nutmeg, pepper, and a little salt--take as
much new milk as will make sauce for it, roll a good lump of butter in
flour, melt it in the milk, put the fish in, set it over the fire, and
stir it till thick enough, and serve it up.
* * * * *
AN EXCELLENT WAY TO DRESS FISH.
Dredge the fish well with flour, sprinkle salt and pepper on them, and
fry them a nice brown; set them by to get cold; put a quarter of a pound
of butter in a frying pan; when it boils, fry tomatos with the skins
taken off, parsley nicely picked, and a very little chopped onion; when
done, add as much water as will make sauce for the fish--season it with
pepper, salt, and pounded cloves; add some wine and mushroom catsup, put
the fish in, and when thoroughly heated, serve it up.
* * * * *
FISH A-LA-DAUB.
Boil as many large white perch as will be sufficient for the dish; do
not take off their heads, and be careful not to break their skins; when
cold, place them in the dish, and cover them with savoury jelly broken.
A nice piece of rock-fish is excellent done in the same way.
* * * * *
FISH IN JELLY.
Fill a deep glass dish half full of jelly--have as many small
fish-moulds as will lie conveniently in it fill them with blanc mange;
when they are cold, and the jelly set, lay them on it, as if going in
different directions; put in a little more jelly, and let it get cold,
to keep the fish in their places--then fill the dish so as to cover
them. The jelly should be made of hog's feet, very light coloured, and
perfectly transparent.
* * * * *
TO MAKE EGG SAUCE FOR A SALT COD.
Boil four eggs hard, first half chop the white, then put in the yelks,
and chop them both together, but not very small; put them into half a
pound of good melted butter, and let it boil up--then pour it on the
fish.
* * * * *
TO DRESS COD SOUNDS.
Steep your sounds as you do the salt cod, and boil them in a large
quantity of milk and water; when they are very tender and white, take
them up, and drain the water out and skin them; then pour the egg sauce
boiling hot over them, and serve them up.
* * * * *
TO STEW CARP.
Gut and scale your fish, wash and dry them well with a clean cloth,
dredge them with flour, fry them in lard until they are a light brown,
and then put them in a stew pan with half a pint of water, and half a
pint of red wine, a meat spoonful of lemon pickle, the same of walnut
catsup, a little mushroom powder and cayenne to your taste, a large
onion stuck with cloves, and a slick of horse-radish; cover your pan
close up to keep in the steam; let them stew gently over a stove fire,
till the gravy is reduced to just enough to cover your fish in the dish;
then take the fish out, and put them on the dish you intend for the
table, set the gravy on the fire, and thicken it with flour, and a large
lump of butter; boil it a little, and strain it over your fish; garnish
them with pickled mushrooms and scraped horse-radish, and send them to
the table.
* * * * *
TO BOIL EELS.
Clean the eels, and cut off their heads, dry them, and turn them round
on your fish plate, boil them in salt and water, and make parsley sauce
for them.
* * * * *
TO PITCHCOCK EELS.
Skin and wash your eels, then dry them with a cloth, sprinkle them with
pepper, salt, and a little dried sage, turn them backward and forward,
and skewer them; rub a gridiron with beef suet, broil them a nice brown,
put them on a dish with good melted butter, and lay around fried
parsley.
* * * * *
TO BROIL EELS.
When you have skinned and cleansed your eels as before, rub them with
the yelk of an egg, strew over them bread crumbs, chopped parsley, sage,
pepper, and salt; baste them well with butter, and set them in a
dripping pan; serve them up with parsley and butter for sauce.
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