HASHING AND MINCING.
SECT. I.
BUTCHER’S MEAT.
Calf’s Head.
AS a whole calf’s head is rather too large for the consumption of most families at one time, and as we mean to confine our receipts within such compass as may with equal convenience and pleasure suit all, so we shall here give directions for only hashing one-half, observing that should there be occasion for doing the whole, it is only doubling the ingredients here given for a part.
Wash the head as clean as possible, and then boil it a quarter of an hour. When cold, cut the meat, as also the tongue, into thin broad slices, and put them into a stewing-pan, with a quart of good gravy. When it has stewed three quarters of an hour, put in an anchovy, a little beaten mace, chyan pepper, two spoonsful of lemon-pickle, the same quantity of walnut catsup, half an ounce of truffles and morels, a slice or two of lemon, some sweet herbs, and a glass of white wine. Mix a quarter of a pound of batter with some flour, and put it in a few minutes before the meat is done. In the mean time put the brains into hot water, and beat them fine in a basin; then add two eggs, a spoonful of flour, a bit of lemon-peel shred fine, and a little parsley, thyme, and sage chopped small. Beat them all well together, and strew in a little pepper and salt; then drop them in little cakes into a pan with boiling lard; fry them of a light brown, and lay them on a sieve to drain. Take your hash out of your pan with a fish slice, and lay it in your dish. Strain your gravy over it, and lay upon it a few mushrooms, forcemeat balls, the yolks of two eggs boiled hard, and the brain cakes. Garnish with sliced lemon and pickles. If the company is so large that there should be a necessity for dressing the whole head, in order to make a pleasing variety, do the other half thus: When it is parboiled, hack it cross and cross with a knife, and grate some nutmeg all over it. Take the yolks of two eggs, a little salt and pepper, a few sweet-herbs, some crumbs of bread, and a little lemon-peel chopped very fine. Strew this over the head, and then put it into a deep dish before a good fire. Baste it with butter, and keep the dish turning till all parts are equally brown. Then take it up, and lay it on your hash. Blanch the half of the tongue, and lay it on a soup plate; boil the brains with a little sage and parsley, chop them fine, and mix them with some melted butter, and a spoonful of cream, make it quite hot, then pour it over the tongue, and serve it up with the head. The mode of doing this half is usually termed grilling.
FIRST cut your veal into thin slices, and then into small bits. Put it into a saucepan with half a pint of gravy, a little pepper and salt, a slice of lemon, a good piece of butter rolled in flour, a tea-spoonful of lemon-pickle, and a large spoonful of cream.—Keep shaking it over the fire till it boils, have sippets of bread ready in the dish, and then pour the whole over them. Garnish with sliced lemon.
Mutton Hashed.
CUT your meat into small pieces, as thin as possible; then boil the bones with an onion, a few sweet herbs, a blade of mace, a very little whole pepper, a little salt, and a piece of crust toasted very crisp. Let it boil till there is just enough for sauce; then strain it, and put it into a saucepan, with a piece of butter rolled in flour; then put in the meat, and when it is very hot it is enough. Season with pepper and salt. Have ready some thin bread toasted brown and cut three-corner ways, lay them in the dish, and pour over the hash. Garnish with pickles and horse-radish.
SECT. II.
HASHING POULTRY and GAME.
Turkeys.
CUT the flesh into pieces, and take off all the skin, otherwise it will give the gravy a greasy disagreeable taste. Put it into a stew-pan with a pint of gravy, a tea-spoonful of lemon-pickle, a slice of the end of a lemon, and a little beaten mace. Let it boil about six or seven minutes, and then put it into your dish. Thicken your gravy with flour and butter, mix the yolks of two eggs with a spoonful of thick cream, put it into your gravy, and shake it over the fire till it is quite hot, but do not let it boil; then strain it, and pour it over your turkey. Lay sippets round, serve it up, and garnish with lemon and parsley.
CUT the remains of a roasted turkey into pieces, and put them into a stew-pan with a glass of white wine, chopped parsley, shalots, mushrooms, truffles, salt, and pepper, and about half a pint of broth. Let it boil half an hour, which will be sufficient to do it; then add a pounded anchovy and a squeeze of lemon. Scum the fat clear from the sauce, then pour the whole into your dish over sippets made of toasted bread cut thin. Garnish with sliced lemon.
Fowls.
CUT up your fowl as for eating, then put it into a stew-pan with half a pint of gravy, a tea-spoonful of lemon-pickle, a little catsup and a slice of lemon. Thicken it with flour and butter; and just before you dish it up, put in a spoonful of good cream. Lay sippets in the dish, and pour the hash over them.
Chickens.
CUT a cold chicken into pieces, and if you have no gravy, make a little with the long bones, onion, spice, &c. Flour the chicken, and put into the gravy, with white pepper, salt, nutmeg, and grated lemon. When it boils, stir in an egg, and mix it with a little cream. As soon as it is thoroughly hot, squeeze in a little lemon-juice, then put the whole into a dish, strew over it some crumbs of bread, brown them with a salamander, and then serve it up hot to table.
Partridges or Woodcocks.
HAVING cut it up in the usual manner as when first brought to the table, work the entrails very fine with the back of a spoon, put in a spoonful of red wine, the same of water, and half a spoonful of vinegar; cut an onion in slices, and put it into rings; roll a little butter in flour, put them all into your pan, and shake it over the fire till it boils; then put in your bird, and when it is thoroughly hot, lay it in your dish, with sippets round it. Strain the sauce over the bird, and lay the onions in rings. This will make a delicate dish for two people either for dinner or supper; and where there is a large company is an ornamental addition to other articles provided.
Wild Ducks.
CUT up your duck in the usual manner, then put it into a pan, with a spoonful of good gravy, the same of red wine, and an onion sliced exceeding thin. When it has boiled two or three minutes, lay the duck in the dish, and pour the gravy over it. You may add a tea-spoonful of caper liquor, or a little browning.
Hares.
CUT your hare into small pieces, and if you have any of the pudding left, rub it small, and put to it a gill of red wine, the same quantity of water, half an anchovy chopped fine, an onion stuck with four cloves, and a quarter of a pound of butter rolled in flour. Put these all together into a saucepan, and set it over a slow fire, shaking it at times that the whole may be equally heated. When it is thoroughly hot (for you must not let any kind of hash boil, as it will harden the meat) take out the onion, lay sippets in and round the dish, pour in your hash, and serve it hot to table.
Hare Jugged.
AFTER you have cut your hare into small pieces, lard them here and there with very thin slips of bacon; season them with a little pepper and salt, and put them into an earthen jug, with a blade or two of mace, an onion stuck with cloves, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Cover the jug close, that the steam may be retained; set it in a pot of boiling water, and about three hours will do it. Then turn it out of the jug into the dish, take out the onion and sweet herbs, and send it hot to table. With respect to the larding, it may be used or omitted, at your own discretion. Garnish with sliced lemon.
CUT your venison into very thin slices, and put it into a stewing-pan, with a large glass of red wine, a spoonful of catsup, the same of browning, an onion stuck with clones, and half an anchovy chopped fine. When it boils, put in your venison, and let it remain till it is thoroughly heated. Then pour the whole together into a soup dish, with sippets underneath. Garnish with red cabbage or current-jelly.