The English Housekeeper: Or, Manual of Domestic Management. Anne Cobbett

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.)

      Tongue.

      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.

      Tripe.

      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.

      Cow-Heel.

      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.

CHAPTER VIII.

       Table of Contents

      ROASTING.

      For roasting, meat should be kept longer than for boiling, or it will not, though ever so good, eat well. The proper length of time depends upon the state of the weather, and the age of the animal when killed, for young meat bears keeping less time than old meat. Two days of hot weather will do as much to render meat fit for the spit, as a week of cold weather.

      Next after the state of the meat, the thing of most consequence is preparing the fire, which ought to be made up (of the size required by the length and breadth of the joint) half an hour before the meat is put down. It should not at first be exposed to a fierce fire. Let there be a backing of wetted cinders or small coals: this tends to throw the heat in front; lay large coals on the top, smaller ones between the bars, give the fire time to draw, and it will be clear. Before you put down the meat, stir the fire, clear it at the bottom, and see that it be free from smoke in front.

      Some cooks make a practice of washing meat, with salt and water, then wiping it dry, before it is roasted. Where there is mustiness, or slimy appearance, it should be wiped off with a wet cloth, otherwise much washing is neither necessary nor beneficial. See that it be properly jointed; if there be too much fat, cut it off (it is better for puddings, in the shape of suet, than dripping); cover the meat with kitchen paper, tied on with twine, and not fastened by pins; see also, that the spit be bright and clean, and take care to run it through the meat, in the right place, at once, for the more the meat is perforated, the greater chance will be given for the escape of the gravy. Great nicety is required in spitting, that the joint may be accurately balanced. In the absence of spits and smoke-jacks, a bottle-jack, or a stout nail with a strong string or skein of worsted, will dangle a joint, and if the fire be made proportionably high to the length of the joint, there is no better mode of roasting. A strong skewer must be run in, at each end of the joint, in order to turn it.

      The larger the joint the greater distance it should, at first, be from the fire, that the outside may not be shrivelled up before the middle is warmed. A quarter of an hour to a pound of meat, is the rule for roasting, and it admits of the same exceptions as in the case of boiling, with this addition, that fat meat takes longer than lean meat, as do pork and veal longer than any other kind. Fillets and legs, on account of their solidness, longer than loins and breasts. Much depends upon the situation of the fire-place, and whether the joint be exposed to draughts of cold air, or whether it be preserved from them, and the fire assisted, by a meat screen. Where there is none, a contrivance must be resorted to, by way of substitute, such as small wooden horses, or chairs, with cloths hung over them; these will keep off the cold, but a meat screen, lined with tin, keeps in the heat, and acts as a reflector.—Twice, or if the roast be large, oftener, remove the pan, pour off the dripping (it ought to be strained), draw the spit to a distance, and stir the fire, bring forward the hot coals, and put fresh at the back. Be careful that cinders do not reach the dripping-pan, for the smoke which they cause to rise from the fat, gives a disagreeable flavour to the meat, besides the injury to the dripping. (See Dripping.)—When the meat is nearly done, the steams will draw towards the fire; take the paper off, and move the joint nearer to the fire, particularly the ends, if they want more cooking; sprinkle salt lightly over the roast; then pour off all the remaining dripping, dredge flour very lightly over the joint, and baste with a very little fresh butter, which will not injure the gravy in the pan, but give a delicate froth to the meat. To the gravy now flowing from the meat, the best addition is a teacupful of boiling water. (See Gravies.)

      With a clear strong fire (and meat cannot be well roasted without a strong fire), time allowed for gradual cooking, a cook may ensure for her roasts that fine pale brown colour, to produce which is esteemed one of the greatest proofs of a cook's skill.