Meat

There still are Americans who seem to look on a two-pound slab of steak as a virility symbol, the red-blooded meal for the red-blooded male; but our ways are changing. Not only is cost an influence, but doctors and nutritionists are telling us that nobody needs all that animal protein. Moreover, the changing quality of available meats has changed our ways of cooking them. Our veal and lamb and pork are supposedly much improved—though at the expense of flavor in my opinion—and the beef we can buy is chemically fed, quickly fattened, and much too quickly aged. It’s really pretty bad. Still, I’ve had nights when I’ve felt very down and it was just natural to rake through my freezer for a steak. But once it’s broiled, I’m apt to liven it up with a seasoned butter. Or else I do a skillet steak, smothered with sautéed onions or mushrooms. If I’m planning ahead to have steak, I’m apt to turn it in a marinade for a couple of days, or press peppercorns, green or black, into the meat for a steak au poivre, or use rosemary needles—an old Flemish trick my friend Mary Meerson discovered when she was working on a great silent film about a Renaissance fair in Flanders, La Kermesse Hérdïque.

In turning to other cuisines for ways of preparing meat, we seem to be borrowing good counsel from them. Good meat belongs in our lives, but it does not play the tremendous role it once did. It’s less often the main dish by itself than a part of it—or, as in some of the South American recipes here, part of a one-dish meal. In Chinese and Japanese cooking, several meat-flavored dishes are often served together, yet the total amount of meat is very little; the small scraps are present as accents, overtones in a complex harmony of taste and texture. But, even when a fine cut of meat is the main point, it’s not the whole one. Servings nowadays are smaller, and their accompaniments are more unusual and more savory than they used to be. Nowadays when I roast a side of pork spareribs, I use no barbecue sauce, but just salt and pepper. I roast them on a rack until they’re quite well done, with a golden, crunchy crust. The dish is exciting and satisfying, because it brings forth the natural flavor of the pork.

I also love the rich flavor of calves’ feet and pigs’ feet, and the way their gelatinous juices stick to your lips. Oxtails and pigs’ tails have that quality too. And then there’s offal: sweetbreads, brains, liver, tongue—each uniquely delicate of texture, an invitation to imaginative cookery. Tripe I have always adored. One of the prizes here is an extraordinary dish of well-seasoned tripe with chicken gizzards—two chewy but different textures, white meat contrasted with black. It is delicious, and of course very economical: to me it is a perfect example of the modern approach to meat. Of course, the old-fashioned meat loaf was always, at its best, a study in shrewd combining and contrasting. I’ve never stopped experimenting with it, and have a new baking technique to suggest. Look in the Appetizers chapter for pâtés, which are meat loaf’s first cousin.

And do, if you haven’t already, acquire a taste for game, when you want a lusty flavor that beef no longer supplies. Wild boar is too scarce for me to give a recipe, but venison isn’t, I’m glad to say. I have given recipes for (fairly) elderly game and for tougher cuts, as well as young, well-hung deer.

MEAT

BEEF

Roast fillet of beef, shell

roast, eye of the rib

roast

Roast fillet of beef flambé

spiced roast fillet

fillet with truffle and chicken liver stuffing

Marinated fillet of beef

glazed fillet of beef

Elizabeth David’s stuffed fillet of beef

Tournedos bordelaise

tournedos with béarnaise sauce

tournedos Argentina

marinated tournedos

tournedos with onions

tournedos with sherry

Beef in red burgundy

Beef on a string

Instant beef bourguignon

Beef scallops bluegrass

beef stroganoff

Bollito misto

Beef birds

with ham and onion stuffing

Pot roast of beef

with Madeira and turnips

marinated

with tomatoes

Flemish

Mexican

anchovied

leftover with ratatouille

Daube Aixoise

daube provençale

daube provençale with tripe

daube niçoise

Braised short ribs of beef

with onions

with tomatoes

with chilies

Chili con carne

Beef and pork chili

with olives

with nuts

with beer

Basic sautéed hamburgers

au poivre

with onions

with cheese

with garlic and pine nuts

with eggplant

with onion and cream

with herbs

with chili

with red wine

flambé

Old-fashioned meat loaf

with ham

with beef liver

with minced clams

with olives

with hard-boiled eggs

chilied

LAMB

Roast rack of lamb

persillé

quo vadis

Crown roast of lamb

4 stuffing variations

Roast leg of lamb, provençal style

provençal no. 2

with shallots

Swedish

weeping

weeping with anchovies

mook venison

Spoon leg of lamb

Lamb on a string

Roast shoulder of lamb

with cream

with eggplant and tomato

Braised stuffed lamb breast

Lamb en daube

Navarin

Blanquette of lamb

blanquette of veal

Kadjemoula

Roast saddle of mutton

Lamb shanks with beans

with ratatouille

with onions and beer

VEAL

Roast veal with roquefort-butter stuffing

Veal with tuna sauce

with yogurt and mayonnaise

pork loin tonnato

Sicilian veal roll

with omelet stuffing

cold veal roll

Roulade of veal Ile-de-France

roulade with duxelles

Veal scallops with lemon

with lemon and Parmesan cheese

with sherry

with port

with Marsala

with white wine

with cognac

with herbs

with cream

with almonds

smitaine

Lafayette

piquant

Saltimbocca

veal scallops with mozzarella cheese

Veal birds with olive-anchovy stuffing

with ham

with turkey and pork

with tongue and horseradish

provençal

Oregon

“Minced” veal with cream

veal strips with onion and mushrooms

with mustard sauce

Sautéed veal chops with cream

with onion sauce

with hearts of palm

with mushrooms

Broiled veal chops

Paillard of veal

Roast breast of veal

Veal en daube

Braised veal shanks with tomatoes and sausages

Veal ragout

Ossi buchi

with prosciutto and black olives

PORK

Roast loin of pork

with garlic

flambé

with rosemary

marinated oriental style

marinated and glazed

orange-glazed

with green peppercorn butter

with coriander and fennel

prune-stuffed

prune-stuffed with potatoes and onions

Crown roast of pork

7 stuffing variations

Roast smoked loin of pork

Roast pork leg with Burgundian mustard

roast leg, Norman style

drunken pork

pork to taste like wild boar

Italian boned stuffed pork

Roast shoulder of pork

with apples and onions

Roast suckling pig with pistachio-rice stuffing

with aïoli

Pork chops, sautéed with onions

with mushrooms

Mexican style

charcutière

with sauerkraut

Stuffed pork chops

with onion and herbs

with pork and onion

Pork and sauerkraut goulash

pork and veal goulash

Baked spareribs with sauerkraut, apples, and potatoes

with onions

with dill

plain roasted spareribs

Pigs’ feet St. Menehould

pickled pigs’ feet

jellied pigs’ feet

jellied pigs’ feet and hocks

Head cheese

Roast spareribs with sautéed lentils

glazed spareribs

Cecilia Chiang’s red-cooked pork shoulder

Braised pigs’ hocks

pigs’ hocks with sauerkraut

marinated pigs’ hocks

Italian sausage

old-fashioned sausage

hot sausage

pork and veal sausage

Link sausages

Sausage cakes

Broiled sausage balls

Sausage en brioche

with mustard

HAM

Baked ham en croûte

Braised ham Chablisienne

ham braised in Madeira

Boiled ham and cabbage

Leftover ham

Broiled ham slice

glazed with honey and mustard

barbecued

glazed with maple syrup

with soy and mustard

Baked ham slice in red wine

in champagne

Floridian

arthoise

Fried ham slice with red-eye gravy

VENISON

Marinade for venison

Marinated roast leg of venison

Roast saddle of venison

Helmut Ripperberger’s roast loin of venison

Broiled venison steaks

with seasoned butter

sautéed

peppered

Venison kebabs

Venison pot roast

Venison hamburgers

flambé

herbed

with garlic and chives

Venison chili

OFFAL

Parboiled or poached brains

Sautéed brains

marinated

au beurre noir

Broiled brains

Fried brains

Sautéed liver with bacon

with onions

with shallots and Madeira

with avocado

with mustard sauce

deviled

Liver Venetian style

julienne

Roast whole liver

Kidneys “on the half shell”

flambé

with mushrooms

Lamb kidneys en brochette

and sweetbreads

and sweetbreads flambé

and mushrooms

and mushrooms, and bacon

with herb butter

broiled deviled

Kidney sauté flambé

deviled kidney sauté

Braised veal hearts

braised lamb hearts

Beef tongue with provençal tomato sauce

Philip Brown’s tongue with chicken liver sauce

with Madeira sauce

with spinach

tongue pot-au-feu

Lambs’ tongues poulette

lambs’ tongues with tomato sauce

lambs’ tongues vinaigrette

pickled lambs’ tongues

Tripes à la mode de Caen

with red wine

Tripe niçoise

Menudo

Tablier de sapeur

Cecilia Chiang’s tripe with gizzards

Sweetbreads Albert

Sweetbreads panné

with cream

with mustard

Broiled sweetbreads

milanese

herbed

Sweetbreads, kidneys, and sausages

Beef

Modern American beef is very tender, but too bland to suit me: a result partly of modern ranching practices, and partly of modern storage and marketing. “Normally,” says The Meat Board Meat Book, “it takes from six to ten days to move fresh meat from packer to kitchen.… The customer who prefers additional aging must be prepared to pay a premium price to a meat dealer who carries specially aged meat.”

Aging, which must be done under carefully controlled conditions of temperature and humidity, can’t be tried safely at home. It is worth it to me to deal with a butcher who hangs beef for 3 to 6 weeks. His prices are high, reflecting the cost to him, not only of storage space, but of the shrinkage that occurs, and of surface spoilage. Well-aged beef usually develops a thick green mold on the surface fat: perfectly harmless, since it’s easily trimmed off. The meat sometimes darkens slightly in color, which is harmless too. It develops a rich flavor, which some consider too gamy, and I consider exquisite.

It isn’t worthwhile for most butchers to age any but the finest cuts of the finest-quality beef. So, for most beef cookery, be inventive and imaginative with seasonings—even for expensive cuts—and with marinades for tenderizing as well. For a good broiled steak, you don’t have to buy sirloin or porterhouse. You can do remarkable things with lesser cuts, for example the rib eye, the rump, the chuck, the flank, the skirt, and the hanging tenderloin. True tenderloin, or fillet, steaks are better sautéed than grilled, in my opinion, and I feel the same way about hamburgers, as well as some other steaks.

Broiled steak got very thorough coverage in Theory & Practice, and I won’t repeat myself here. But I have worked out an easier formula than the general rule given there for timing a broiled steak according to its thickness, and based on that, its distance from the broiler. Further experiments have proved to me that the following even more general rule works for any steak. It lightly chars the meat on the outside, leaving a big, red, rare heart inside—for me, the ideal.

Per measured inch of thickness, 10 minutes’ broiling, 2 inches from the heat source, which must be preheated until red hot. If the steak is more than 4 inches thick, after a quick searing lower the broiling rack to mid-oven for the final cooking. (This rule is for gas or electric oven broiling only; charcoal is too variable in delivery of heat.)

Other than this, I have no recipes here for broiled beef. And only a third of my recipes involve expensive cuts. I have given the others special attention, and as a result you will find some surprises. Meat loaf, for instance: don’t bake it the old way in a loaf pan. Do it free-form, protected with fat, and you’ll get a better texture and a loaf that will slice perfectly for sandwiches the next day.

And speaking of the next day, party-givers who like to cook in advance should note that many of the braised or stewed dishes are actually better when made the day before, since this enables you to skim off all the fat, and since the flavors are deeper.

Roast Fillet of Beef, Shell Roast, Eye of the Rib Roast

Although expensive, these are good roasts for a dinner party, as they are boneless, very tender, cook quickly, carve easily, and have no waste. Unlike a prime rib roast, they lend themselves to a variety of presentations. The fillet, or tenderloin, weighs from 4 to 6 pounds and should be trimmed of all fat and membrane. Remove the fillet mignon, the tapering piece at the end of the fillet, which is too thin for roasting, and use it for recipes based on beef tenderloin slices or cubes, such as scallops or beef Stroganoff (see page 372) and beef shashlik (see Theory & Practice, page 124).

The shell roast is the top loin section boned out, with the tenderloin removed. It costs less than the fillet, can often be found on special at supermarkets, and may be prepared in any of the same ways. I like to roast the shell at 475°, allowing 11 to 12 minutes a pound (45 minutes for a 4-pound shell, 50 minutes for a 6-pound), then turn off the heat and let the roast rest in the turned-off oven for 10 minutes. The internal temperature should be the same as for a fillet—120° for very rare, 125° for rare.

The eye of the rib roast, which is the boned-out center of the rib roast with the less tender meat removed, weighs about 5 pounds. It can also be prepared like a fillet, but because it is a thicker piece of meat it needs a longer roasting time—50 minutes at 500°—to an internal temperature of 120° to 125°.

Roast Fillet of Beef Flambé

Makes 10 to 12 servings

5- to 6-pound fillet of beef, trimmed

Olive oil

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup cognac

GARNISH: Chopped parsley

Rub the fillet well with oil, salt, and pepper. Put on an oiled rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast in a 500° oven for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 120° to 125° (a fillet must always be rare). Brush frequently with oil during roasting, as a fillet has no fat of its own. Remove to a heatproof platter and flame with the warmed cognac. Let it rest for 5 minutes before carving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and carve in ½-inch-thick slices. Serve with sauce Béarnaise (see page 532), broiled tomatoes, and watercress or, if you prefer potatoes with your beef, Potatoes Anna (Theory & Practice, page 238).

Spiced Roast Fillet. Stud the fillet with slivers of garlic and rub meat with a mixture of ½ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoons chili powder, and 1 tablespoon ground cumin.

Fillet with Truffle and Chicken Liver Stuffing. Sauté 8 chicken livers in 3 tablespoons butter until firm, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and flame with 3 tablespoons cognac. Reserve pan juices. Make an opening the length of the fillet with a larding needle (or have the butcher do it when you buy the fillet) and stuff alternately with the chicken livers and 6 canned black truffles (reserve liquid from can). Rub meat well with butter, rosemary, salt, and pepper, and roast as in basic recipe, basting often with melted butter. Remove meat to a hot platter and flame with ⅓ cup cognac. Combine juices from roasting pan with chicken-liver pan juices, truffle juice, ½ cup Madeira, and 1½ cups brown sauce (see page 533). Simmer 2 or 3 minutes; correct seasoning. Garnish fillet with watercress, serve with sauce.

NOTE: If you can afford them, fresh truffles may be used. They will impart a heavenly bouquet and a delightful flavor to the beef. Consult your pocketbook!

Marinated Fillet of Beef

A teriyaki-marinated fillet is delicious either hot or tepid and ideal for a buffet party or a substantial cocktail buffet. Food accompaniments for a dinner would be rice mixed with toasted filberts and sautéed mushrooms, and sautéed snow peas.

Makes 10 servings

5-pound fillet of beef, trimmed

1 tablespoon peanut oil

TERIYAKI MARINADE

½ cup olive oil

½ cup Japanese or Chinese soy sauce

½ cup dry sherry or Madeira

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or well-washed preserved ginger, finely chopped)

1 tablespoon grated orange or tangerine rind

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Marinate the fillet in a mixture of the olive oil, soy, sherry or Madeira, ginger, orange or tangerine rind, and pepper for 8 to 12 hours, turning often. When ready to roast, remove from marinade and dry well.

Rub fillet with the tablespoon of peanut oil and place on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast at 500° for 10 minutes, then brush well with the marinade. Reduce heat to 400°, and roast another 10 minutes. Brush again with marinade, reduce heat to 350°, and roast a further 10 minutes, or until meat registers 120° on a meat thermometer. Remove to a hot platter and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before carving.

Glazed Fillet of Beef. Marinate the fillet as above. After removing meat from the marinade, combine 1 cup of the marinade with 1 cup honey, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, and 2 tablespoons turmeric. Brush the fillet with this glaze as it roasts.

Elizabeth David’s Stuffed Fillet of Beef

This stuffed fillet needs slightly longer cooking at a lower temperature to allow the meat to become permeated with the flavors of the stuffing. Serve with sauce Bordelaise (see page 533) and tiny buttered new potatoes.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

4 to 5 medium-size onions, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons oil

¼ pound thinly sliced ham, preferably Smithfield, cut in julienne strips

10 anchovy fillets, coarsely cut

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

16 to 18 soft black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon rosemary

¼ cup chopped parsley

2 eggs

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

5- to 6-pound fillet of beef, trimmed

2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter

Sauté the onion in the butter and oil until just limp. Add the ham, anchovies, garlic, olives, thyme, rosemary, and parsley, and mix well. Remove from heat, quickly stir in the eggs, return to heat, and stir until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon pepper and a very little salt, as the anchovies are salty.

Cut the fillet about ⅔ of the way down in thick slices, about an inch apart, and spoon the stuffing between the slices. Reshape and tie securely with string, or run a trussing needle threaded with string through the center of the fillet and tie. Brush well with melted butter, place on a rack in a roasting pan, and roast in a 350° oven for 40 to 50 minutes.

Tournedos Bordelaise

Tournedos are steaks cut from the fillet, 1 inch thick, then barded with fat and tied. These tender little morsels should be very rare and are best sautéed rather than broiled. Tournedos lend themselves to various preparations and rich or spicy sauces. They are considered excellent party fare.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons salad oil

2 tablespoons butter

4 tournedos, barded and tied

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

4 slices poached beef marrow (see page 533)

½ cup Bordelaise sauce (see page 533)

Heat the oil and butter in a skillet or sauté pan until sizzling but not smoking. Sauté the tournedos for 3 minutes on a side, then sprinkle them with salt and pepper, remove to a hot platter, and top each with a slice of marrow. Spoon the Bordelaise sauce over them and serve.

Tournedos with Béarnaise Sauce. Do not use marrow. Serve with Béarnaise sauce (see page 532).

Tournedos Argentina. Sauté tournedos and arrange on fried toast the same size as the steaks, top each with a slice of sautéed pineapple, surround with sauce diable (see page 533).

Marinated Tournedos. Marinate tournedos in teriyaki marinade (see page 366) for 30 minutes before sautéing.

Tournedos with Onions. Top each tournedo with a 1-inch-thick slice of onion that has been braised in butter and Madeira. Serve on fried toast.

Tournedos with Sherry. Serve tournedos on a platter surrounded by sautéed mushroom caps. Heat ½ cup dry sherry and pour over tournedos.

Beef in Red Burgundy

Boeuf bourguignon, or beef in red Burgundy, is probably one of the most universally favored of all braised beef dishes, but it is also one that is often ruined by poor cooking and overseasoning. The usual method is to cut the beef into cubes, and they invariably become boiled-tasting and stringy. A much more successful way is to cook the meat like a pot roast, in one piece, so that you can lard it, thus providing natural basting of fat as it cooks. For a short-cut version of this classic preparation, try the Instant Beef Bourguignon on page 370.

Makes 10 servings (or 6 with meat left over)

5-pound piece bottom round of beef

6 to 8 lardoons, soaked for 1 hour in cognac (see page 375)

Flour

10 tablespoons butter

12 mushrooms, trimmed

3 garlic cloves

2 leeks, trimmed and washed

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 cups beef broth

3 cups good red Burgundy

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried thyme or a sprig of fresh thyme

3 or 4 sprigs parsley

24 small white onions, peeled

1 teaspoon sugar

4 slices salt pork, ½ inch thick

Beurre manié (optional, see page 536)

¼ cup chopped parsley

Lard the beef as for pot roast (see page 375). Brown the larded meat on all sides under the broiler. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and turn so the flour browns lightly.

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large braising pan, add the mushrooms, garlic, and leeks, and sauté lightly. Remove and reserve the mushrooms. Add the beef to the pan, salt and pepper well, then add the broth, wine, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, put a piece of buttered wax paper on top of the meat, cover pan, and simmer for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, brown the onions in a skillet in 2 tablespoons butter, sprinkle with the sugar, and shake until lightly glazed. Set aside. Melt remaining butter in the skillet, cut the salt pork into small strips, and cook them in the butter until browned and slightly crisp. Remove and reserve salt pork and onions.

Test beef for tenderness. If it seems fairly tender, add onions and cook until just tender, about 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and let stand 15 minutes for fat to settle. Skim off excess fat, add mushrooms and salt pork to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer beef to a hot platter and arrange onions, mushrooms, and salt pork around it. If desired, thicken sauce with beurre manié. Taste and correct the seasoning. Spoon some of the sauce into the platter with the vegetables and sprinkle them with parsley. Serve with boiled potatoes.

NOTE: The beef is much better if made in advance, skimmed of all fat, and reheated the next day. In this case, prepare mushrooms, onions, and salt pork, and add to beef when reheated.

Beef on a String

(Beef à la Ficelle)

This most unusual way of cooking beef is quite different from boiled beef. Although it is simmered in stock, the end result is rare and deliciously tender. The ficelle of the name refers to the string by which the meat is suspended. Serve the same kinds of vegetables you would have with boiled beef—boiled potatoes, carrots, leeks, turnips—and a horseradish and sour cream sauce.

Makes 6 servings

2½-pound piece of eye-of-the-rib, strip sirloin, or fillet

3 pounds beef marrow bones

1 bay leaf

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons salt

Tie the beef securely with string, crosswise and lengthwise, leaving at each end a piece long enough to suspend the meat in the pan. Put in a deep pan or stock pot enough cold water to almost cover the meat; add the marrow bones and all the seasonings. This is for a broth in which the beef will cook. The meat should not be added until later. Bring the liquid to a boil, skim off the scum, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Then remove the bones and skim the fat off the top of the broth.

Suspend the meat in the broth (it should not touch the bottom of the pot) by tying the ends of the string to the handles of the pan. Bring the broth to a boil (the shock of heat seals the surface of the meat and keeps the juices in), then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot tightly with foil and the lid so no steam escapes, and simmer the meat for approximately 15 minutes a pound, about 35 minutes in all, testing the internal temperature by inserting a meat thermometer after 25 minutes. The temperature should be 125° to 135°, depending on how rare you like your beef. Remove the beef to a carving board, let it rest for 5 minutes, then remove the strings and carve crosswise with a very sharp knife into fairly thick slices, about ½ inch. Save the stock; strain and use for bouillon or as the base for vegetable soups.

Instant Beef Bourguignon

This quick version of the classic Beef Bourguignon, which you’ll find on page 368, is to my mind infinitely better, as the beef does not get dry from long cooking and it remains rare in the center. For this you must have very tender beef fillet or sirloin. Serve with boiled potatoes or steamed rice, a green salad, and French bread.

Makes 6 servings

2½ cups brown sauce (see page 533)

1½ cups red wine preferably Burgundy or Pinot Noir

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon thyme

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 slice of lemon

A small piece of orange rind

14 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 to 18 small white onions, peeled

2 teaspoons sugar

¼ cup chicken or beef broth

12 to 18 firm white mushroom caps

4 thick slices of salt pork, cut into small dice

2½ pounds beef fillet or very tender sirloin, cut in 1¼-inch cubes

GARNISH: 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Have your brown sauce in one pan. In another pan, bring the wine, bay leaf, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, lemon slice, and orange rind to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to 1 cup. Strain this into the brown sauce, bring to a boil, and simmer gently for 30 to 45 minutes. This is your sauce bourguignon. Taste, and correct the seasoning, then cover surface of sauce with buttered wax paper and set aside until ready to complete the dish.

While the sauce simmers, heat 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet, add the onions and sauté over medium-high heat, sprinkling with the sugar so they glaze and brown. Add the broth, cover, and steam until just crisply tender. In another skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter, add the mushrooms, and sauté over medium-high heat until lightly colored. Remove mushrooms, add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet, and sauté the salt pork until crisply browned. Remove, drain, combine with onions and mushrooms, and set aside, covered with foil.

About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve, heat 5 tablespoons butter in a heavy sauté pan. Add the beef cubes, a few at a time, and sauté over high heat until well seared and browned on all sides. Add brown sauce, let it just come to a boil, add the onions, mushrooms, and salt pork, and simmer until just heated through—not long enough to overcook the beef. This has to be a very fast operation. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Beef Scallops Bluegrass

Makes 4 servings

3 tablespoons oil (or a mixture of oil and butter)

12 slices beef tenderloin, ⅜ inch thick

Salt

4 tablestoons bourbon

3 tablespoons chopped green onion, or shallot

½ cup beef broth or red wine

Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

GARNISH: 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

In a heavy skillet, heat the oil, or oil and butter. When very hot, quickly sear the slices of beef tenderloin on both sides. Do this in batches, according to the size of your pan. The slices should not be crowded. As the scallops cook, salt them lightly. Put them all back in the skillet, heat the bourbon in a small pan, ignite, and pour flaming over the beef. Shake skillet until the flames die down, then remove beef to a hot serving dish and add to the skillet the green onion or shallot. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the beef broth or red wine, a dash each of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, and a few grinds of black pepper. Let the sauce boil up, then pour it over the beef, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with tiny new potatoes.

Beef Stroganoff. This differs from the above in that the sauce is an accompaniment, not part of the dish itself. A much more subtle approach. Sear the beef tenderloin slices. Do not flame with bourbon. Remove to a hot serving dish. Add the shallots or green onions to the pan and sauté. Mix in 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon Tabasco, ½ teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, and a few grinds of pepper. Blend thoroughly. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 to 1½ cups sour cream or yogurt. Return to heat and let sauce just heat through; it must not boil or it will curdle. Spoon the sauce over the beef and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with sautéed mushrooms (see page 154) and rounds of fried toast.

Bollito Misto

(Boiled Meats and Vegetables)

Bollito misto (mixed boil) is roughly the Italian equivalent of the French pot-au-feu, or the American boiled dinner on a larger scale. The true bollito misto encompasses several different meats, so it should always be planned for a large number of guests, twelve being ideal. The usual display might be chicken or capon, pork, veal, beef, tongue, and sausages, with vegetables and sauces. The choice is flexible, but there must be variety.

Makes 12 servings

4 pounds beef brisket

3 onions, peeled, 1 stuck with 2 cloves

3 carrots, scraped

3 or 4 leeks, well washed and trimmed

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tablespoon salt

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

2 veal tongues

4-pound roasting chicken or capon

1 or 2 Italian cotechino sausages

ACCOMPANYING VEGETABLES

12 medium-size potatoes, peeled

12 carrots, scraped

12 leeks, well washed and trimmed

12 small white onions, peeled

GREEN SAUCE

¾ cup olive oil

¼ cup wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Other chopped herbs, such as mint, thyme, rosemary, to taste

Finely chopped garlic to taste

Combine in a 10-quart pot the beef, flavoring vegetables, garlic, salt, bay leaf, pepper, thyme, and water to cover. Bring to a boil, skim off the scum, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1½ hours. Add the veal tongues and cook for another 1½ hours, adding more water if necessary to keep the meats covered. After 3 hours, add the chicken and sausages. Continue cooking until the meats and chicken are tender, about another hour. After 45 minutes, test to see if the chicken is cooked. If tender, remove it to a hot platter, cover with foil, and keep warm. Continue cooking the other meats until tender when pierced with the point of a knife—4 hours should be sufficient. Taste the broth and correct the seasoning.

While the bollito misto is cooking, boil the potatoes, carrots, leeks, and onions separately in salted water to cover, timing them so they are done at the same time.

Also, make the sauce. Combine the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and chopped herbs and garlic—the sauce should be really thick and green with fresh herbs.

When the meats and vegetables are cooked, arrange them on a large hot platter and have a carving board beside it. Carve meats and serve some of each, with a potato and other vegetables. Serve some of the rich broth in cups. Other accompaniments for a bollito misto are coarse salt, freshly grated horseradish or horseradish sauce, and mustard fruits (sold in cans or jars in Italian groceries or specialty shops).

Variation. You may use other meats in a bollito misto, such as pork loin or veal shoulder, boned and tied, instead of beef; a 6-pound turkey instead of the chicken; a fresh beef tongue in place of the veal tongues. Cooking times will vary according to the tenderness of the meats.

Beef Birds

Another variation on the braised beef theme, these little rolls of stuffed beef freeze well and can be kept on hand against one of those culinary emergencies people talk about more often than they really face. When freezing them, be sure they are completely covered by the sauce to prevent them from drying out. Any of the stuffings given for veal birds (see pages 409–410) can be used for beef birds. Good accompaniments are rice or orzo (rice-shaped pasta) and a green salad.

Makes 8 servings

8 slices round steak, cut 6 to 8 inches long and ½ inch thick

¾ pound ground pork (about 30 percent fat)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon dried sage

1¼ teaspoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 egg

6 to 8 paper-thin slices of barding pork (fatback)

5 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely sliced

1 carrot, finely sliced

¼ cup dry white wine

1½ cups beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 sprig parsley

1 bay leaf

Beurre manié (optional, see page 536)

Put the slices of round steak between sheets of wax paper and flatten with a meat pounder until they are half the original thickness. Trim each slice into a perfect square or rectangle. Cut the trimmings into thin strips and reserve.

Combine in a bowl the ground pork, garlic, salt, pepper, sage, and ¼ teaspoon of the thyme. Blend the mixture well, add the chopped parsley and egg and mix this stuffing well with your hands. Place 2 or 3 tablespoons of the stuffing on each piece of beef and roll it up. Wrap each roll in a piece of barding pork and tie at each end with fine string.

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet, add the sliced onion and carrot and the beef trimmings and sauté lightly. Add the beef rolls and sauté gently, covered, turning them once or twice, until lightly browned. Add the white wine and reduce quickly over high heat. Add the broth and tomato paste, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, add parsley sprig, bay leaf, and remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, or until the beef rolls are tender when tested with the point of a small sharp knife.

Remove strings and barding and transfer the rolls to a hot platter. Strain the sauce and skim off the fat. Reheat the sauce and, if desired, thicken with a little beurre manié. Taste, and correct the seasoning. Serve the rolls with the sauce.

Beef Birds with Ham and Onion Stuffing. Make the stuffing with ½ cup onion sautéed in butter, ½ pound ground leftover ham, 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and summer savory. Bind with 1 egg and mix in 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.

Pot Roast of Beef

The braised beef dish we know as pot roast, one of the most popular foods in this country, is far too often served overcooked and dry. This is mainly the result of using the wrong cuts of beef or from a lack of fat—either in the beef or in the cooking. The best choice for a pot roast is a piece of well-marbled beef rump or chuck. You may, if you wish, further lubricate it with cognac-soaked lardoons, small strips of fatback inserted with a larding needle. While not strictly necessary for well-marbled beef, this does add a very pleasant flavor and looks attractive when sliced. Surround the sliced pot roast with cooked noodles sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, and have a salad or braised celery as the vegetable.

Makes 10 servings (or 6 with leftover meat)

5-pound piece of beef rump or chuck

¼ pound fresh white pork fatback or lardoons cut in 6 or 8 strips

¼ cup cognac

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons dried basil

4 tablespoons butter (optional)

4 tablespoons oil (optional)

1 bay leaf

4 to 6 garlic cloves, crushed

2 leeks, trimmed and washed

2 carrots

1 large onion stuck with 2 cloves

1½ cups beef broth

1 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

The strips of fatback, known as lardoons, should be rather longer than the depth of the piece of beef and just wide enough to fit into the groove of a long, wooden-handled larding needle. Soak these lardoons in the cognac for 3 or 4 hours before larding the beef. Push the grooved blade of the needle through the meat, turning it to make a hole, withdraw, and insert a strip of fatback into the groove of the needle. Then insert the blade into the hole, pushing the top of the lardoon with your thumb so it stays inside the meat. Withdraw the needle, leaving the fat behind. Repeat this with all the lardoons, and trim off any overhanging ends level with the meat. Rub the meat well with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon basil.

You can either brown the meat in the butter and oil in a skillet or pan on top of the stove or put it on the broiler rack and pan under the broiler, about 7 to 8 inches from the heat, turning to brown on all sides. Browning under the broiler is preferable if you are watching calories.

Transfer the browned beef to a deep braising pan and pour over it the fat in which it browned, or the drippings from the broiler pan. Add the bay leaf, garlic, leeks, carrots, onion, remaining basil, and beef broth. Bring to a boil, cover the meat with a piece of oiled wax paper, cover pan, and reduce heat. Simmer on top of the stove or in a 325° oven for 1 hour. Then remove the cover and add the tomatoes. Cover and continue cooking until meat is just tender when tested with the point of a knife, 1½ to 2 hours. Do not make the common mistake of cooking the beef until it is grainy and coarse. The difference is slight but important.

Remove meat and keep warm on a hot platter. Skim excess fat from the sauce and strain it into a saucepan through a sieve, pushing through any bits of vegetable to make the sauce thicker. Add the tomato paste and lemon juice, taste, and correct the seasoning. Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer 3 to 4 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve sauce separately.

Pot Roast with Madeira and Turnips. Rub the larded beef with salt, pepper, and thyme. Brown in fat or under the broiler. Put beef in braising pan and flame with ¼ cup warm cognac. Add a clove-stuck onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery rib, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1½ cups beef broth, and 1 split pig’s foot. Cover as above and simmer for 1 hour, then add ¼ cup Madeira and continue to cook until tender. Meanwhile, cook 12 small white turnips in boiling water until just tender, drain, and keep hot. Remove pig’s foot from pan, take off meat and serve with the pot roast. Transfer beef to a hot platter. Skim and strain the sauce, and bring to a boil with ¼ cup Madeira. If you wish, thicken with beurre manié (see page 536). Add turnips and heat through. Surround the pot roast with the turnips and serve the sauce separately. Boiled or baked potatoes are a good accompaniment.

Marinated Pot Roast. Rub the larded beef with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Marinate for 8 hours in red wine to cover with 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 onion stuck with 2 cloves, and ¼ cup cognac, turning several times. Remove beef from marinade and brown on all sides in butter or beef fat in a large, heavy pan. Add marinade and 2 split pigs’ feet. Cover and simmer until tender. Remove meat and pigs’ feet. Skim fat from pan juices. Thicken, if desired, with beurre manié. Serve with baby carrots, steamed in butter, and boiled potatoes.

Pot Roast with Tomatoes. Put the browned beef in a pan with 1 veal knuckle, 2 cloves garlic, 1 clove-stuck onion, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, ¼ teaspoon Tabasco, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, and ½ cup red wine. Cover and simmer until almost tender, then add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and continue cooking until tender. Remove and discard veal knuckle. Skim fat from sauce before serving with meat and macaroni or noodles.

Flemish Pot Roast. Sauté 6 large onions, sliced, in 5 tablespoons butter until limp and golden. Season with salt and pepper. Put in a deep pan with the browned beef, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 1 pint beer. Cover and simmer until tender. Remove meat, adjust seasoning in sauce, and serve over the sliced beef. Serve with parsleyed potatoes.

Mexican Pot Roast. Stud the beef with slivers of garlic (do not lard). Sauté 4 sliced onions in rendered beef suet or beef fat, put in a braising pan with the browned beef, 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon cumin seed, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, 2 tablespoons chili powder, salt to taste, ¼ teaspoon Tabasco, 1 cup beef broth, and ½ cup tomato purée. Cover and simmer until tender, turning meat several times in sauce. If sauce becomes too reduced, add more broth or tomato purée. Serve the meat sliced, with the sauce, skimmed of all fat. Garnish with chopped coriander or Italian parsley, and serve with pinto beans and tortillas.

Anchovied Pot Roast. Stud the beef with garlic slivers and anchovy fillets (do not lard). Brown beef and put in a pan with 1 bay leaf, 1 rib celery, 3 carrots cut in small pieces, 1 tablespoon basil, 1½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and simmer until tender, turning once and adding a little water or tomato juice if liquid reduces too much. Add 1 cup soft black Greek or Italian olives for the last 15 minutes’ cooking time. Serve meat sliced, with the sauce, buttered macaroni, and a green salad.

Leftover Pot Roast with Ratatouille. A good way to recycle what’s left of the pot roast for tomorrow’s dinner. Arrange a layer of ratatouille (see page 190) in a casserole, cover with slices of cold pot roast, and another layer of ratatouille. Bake in a 350° oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until beef is thoroughly heated through. Sprinkle grated Gruyère cheese on top for the last 10 minutes’ baking time.

Daube Aixoise

The daubes, or wine-flavored stews, of Provence derive their matchless flavor from long, slow cooking, traditionally in a daubière, a round, covered earthenware pot, that stood all night over a charcoal fire or on a metal disk set into the fireplace. A heavy enameled cast-iron pot serves the same purpose of holding the heat. When I lived in Provence I encountered many different daubes from Aix, Avignon, Nice, Marseilles, mostly made with beef, sometimes lamb (see page 394), often with a pig’s or calf’s foot added for thickening. Sometimes the meat was left in one piece, sometimes it was cut up, but invariably it was marinated or cooked in wine, without browning. Macaronade, macaroni mixed with the luscious sauce, is the usual Provençal accompaniment to a daube, although other pastas or rice might also be used. Daube, like other braised beef dishes, improves in flavor if made a day ahead.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

⅓ cup olive oil

3 slices thick bacon, cut in small cubes

5 onions, peeled and quartered

3 carrots, scraped and cut in 3-inch pieces

5 cloves garlic

1 leek, well washed

Peel of ¼ orange

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme or rosemary (or ½ teaspoon each)

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 pounds boneless beef, shin or round, cut in large pieces

1 pig’s foot

Red wine to cover

Put the oil and bacon in the bottom of a large, heavy braising pan, preferably of enameled cast iron, and add the onions, carrots, garlic, leek, orange peel, cloves, bay leaf, thyme or rosemary, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Lay the beef pieces and pig’s foot on top and add enough red wine to cover. Cover tightly with the lid, bring to a simmer on the stove, and cook gently over the lowest possible heat or in a 275° oven, for 4 to 4½ hours. When the meat is tender, remove it to a hot platter, skim the fat from the sauce, and strain. Remove meat from pig’s foot and add it to the sauce. Pour this sauce over cooked macaroni and toss well. Serve with the beef.

Daube Provençale. Put beef cubes in a pottery or glass bowl with 1 bottle red wine, ½ cup wine vinegar, and about 12 grinds pepper. Marinate overnight. To cook, render 3 slices salt pork, cut in small dice, in a heavy braising pot until brown and crisp. Add 1 cup diced ham, 10 carrots, halved, 10 cloves garlic, 16 small white onions, 5 sliced leeks, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 pieces orange rind, the beef cubes, marinade, and 1 tablespoon salt. Cover, bring to a simmer, then transfer to a 275° oven and cook 4 hours, adding more wine or beef broth if necessary to cover the beef. Remove pot from oven and strain sauce. Reduce over fairly high heat to 3 cups, stir in 1 cup tomato purée, pour sauce over beef and return to oven to cook for 35 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve with macaroni or rice.

Daube Provençale with Tripe. Substitute 1½ pounds tripe, cut in squares, for 1 pound of the beef.

Daube Niçoise. Rub 3 pounds beef shin or chuck (in one piece) and 2 pig’s feet with coarse salt. Combine 6 cloves garlic; 1 sliced onion; a pinch each rosemary, thyme, and basil; 6 peppercorns; and 1 bottle red wine in a pan, bring to a boil, and cook 10 minutes. Cool slightly, pour over meat, and let stand 12 to 24 hours in refrigerator. Put meat and marinade in a heavy braising pan, bring slowly to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer very gently over lowest possible heat or in a 275° oven for 3½ hours, or until almost tender. Add 3 to 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped, and cook 45 minutes. Remove meat and slice thick. Skim excess fat from sauce; remove meat from pig’s feet and add to sauce. Replace sliced meat and cook 15 minutes; add 1 cup pitted soft black olives and ½ cup chopped parsley. Taste and correct seasoning.

Braised Short Ribs of Beef

Although short ribs have a lot of fat and bone, when braised their texture and flavor are quite delicious. Buy the leanest ribs you can and count on 1 pound per serving. As with other braised meats, they are best browned under the broiler, which draws out a lot of the fat. Served with noodles or potatoes, boiled or baked in their jackets, short ribs make a hearty and economical meal.

Makes 6 servings

6 pounds lean beef short ribs

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon crushed rosemary

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

2 medium-size onions, finely chopped

4 carrots, peeled and halved

1 cup beef stock (see page 530)

Arrange the short ribs on their sides on a broiler rack and pan, and sprinkle with half the herbs and garlic. Broil 6 inches from the heat until brown and crisp, turn, sprinkle with the remaining herbs and garlic and brown on the second side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a braising pan and sauté the chopped onion and the carrots. Drain the browned short ribs on paper towels, then add to the braising pan. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the drippings from the broiling pan over them and add the broth. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce the heat, and simmer on top of the stove, or braise in a 300° oven, until the meat is very tender. This will take about 2 hours, depending on the quality of the meat. Skim fat from the pan juices and serve the meat with the vegetables and the juices.

Braised Short Ribs with Onions. After sautéing the onion and carrot, add 12 small white onions, cover, and cook over low heat until barely tender, then add the ribs and cook as before.

Braised Short Ribs with Tomatoes. Add 2 cups drained Italian plum tomatoes instead of broth and season highly with basil. Cook as before. Add chopped parsley.

Braised Short Ribs with Chilies. Proceed as for Braised Short Ribs with Tomatoes but add 1 4-ounce can peeled green chilies and 1 jalapeño pepper, all finely chopped. Proceed as before and serve with polenta (see page 300).

Chili con Carne

A famous dish, Texan by adoption, that probably arouses more heated controversy about the proper style of preparation than anything I know. Some chop the beef into cubes, others grind it. Some like tomatoes, others abhor them. Almost everyone agrees that a true chili con carne is without beans, although it is perfectly all right to serve kidney beans with the chili.

Makes 6 servings

4 tablespoons beef fat

2 large onions, chopped

½ pound beef kidney fat (suet), finely chopped

3 pounds top round or rump, cut into small dice or ground

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons chili powder, or more to taste

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

Dash of Tabasco

2 quarts beef broth, or boiling water mixed with bouillon cubes

Melt beef fat in a large skillet and sauté onions for 5 minutes until translucent. Add beef kidney fat. Let this cook slowly until the suet is all rendered and the onion practically melted into the fat. Add beef, garlic, and salt. Let the meat brown well and blend with the fat and the onion. Add chili powder, cumin, and Tabasco. Cover with boiling beef stock (or boiling water mixed with bouillon cubes). Simmer over low flame, covered, for about 2½ hours, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning—add more salt or chili powder if necessary. Serve in bowls with chopped onion, chopped cilantro (fresh coriander), and refried beans.

Beef and Pork Chili

A completely different chili, not the Texas type but something more akin to the Mexican mole, which also contains bitter chocolate. It’s very rich and hearty and makes an excellent buffet dish. Black beans topped with sour cream are good with this.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1½-inch cubes

1½ pounds pork loin, cut into 1½-inch cubes

Flour

2 large onions, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 to 2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons chili powder, or more to taste

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup tomato purée (preferably homemade)

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups beef or chicken broth

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

½ ounce unsweetened chocolate

GARNISH: Chopped cilantro or Italian parsley

Dredge the meat lightly in flour. Sauté onion in butter and olive oil until golden. Add the chopped garlic and cook 3 or 4 minutes. Push the onion and garlic to one side of the pan and quickly sear the beef cubes. When browned, remove from the pan and brown the pork thoroughly. Return the beef to the pan and add salt, chili powder, oregano, cumin, tomato purée, wine, and broth. Cover and simmer, or cook in a 300° oven, for 1½ hours. Uncover and test the meat. If it is not tender, cook another 20 minutes, or until quite tender, then add the sesame seeds and unsweetened chocolate. Stir in well and simmer another 30 minutes. (The chocolate acts as a liaison that pulls the flavors together, and is a slight thickener.) Taste before serving and correct the salt and chili powder content. Garnish with cilantro or Italian parsley.

Chili with Olives. Add 18 pitted or chopped olives with the sesame seeds and chocolate.

Chili with Nuts. Add ¾ cup finely chopped toasted almonds or filberts and 3 to 4 chopped green chilies.

Chili with Beer. Substitute 1½ cups beer for the white wine. This gives a completely different flavor overtone.

Basic Sautéed Hamburgers

The all-American favorite, hamburger, is not to be scorned, provided the meat is good and properly cooked. Ground chuck and top round are the usual choices, but lately I have been experimenting with meat that has a minimum of fat and I find that flank steak, though expensive, is excellent for hamburger because of its delicate, tender texture. So is the similar and less costly skirt steak. If you have a food processor, you can grind the meat yourself to the degree of coarseness you prefer. I find that sautéing is a better cooking method than broiling. There is less chance the meat will dry out, and it is easy to make all kinds of little sauces for your hamburger with the pan juices. If you have a good fan system over your stove, you might use one of the ridged iron pans that sauté without fat—this method creates a lot of smoke but does an excellent job.

Makes 4 servings

2 pounds ground top round, top sirloin, or other beef with 20 to 25 percent fat

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons peanut oil, or 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter

Divide the meat in 4 and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently form into patties—round or oval, thick or fairly flat—according to choice. Heat the fat in a heavy skillet until hot but not smoking. Add the patties and cook over fairly high heat for about 4 minutes a side. Reduce heat and continue cooking until done as you like them, about 2 minutes a side for rare, longer for medium.

Hamburgers au Poivre. Season meat with salt only. Press coarsely crushed or ground black peppercorns into the surface and sauté. Rinse the pan with ⅓ cup cognac or ½ cup dry vermouth and pour over the patties.

Hamburgers with Onions. Steam 4 large sliced onions in 4 tablespoons butter or beef fat in a covered skillet until soft and lightly browned. Heap on top of the sautéed patties.

Hamburgers with Cheese. Mix the ground beef with 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar or Gruyère cheese or crumbled blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, and a dash or two of Tabasco. Form into patties and sauté.

Hamburgers with Garlic and Pine Nuts. Mix the beef with salt and pepper to taste, ½ cup pine nuts, and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves. Form into patties and sauté. Serve on slices of sautéed or broiled eggplant, and top with tomato slices.

Hamburgers with Eggplant. Serve the patties sandwich style between slices of lightly sautéed or broiled eggplant, topped with tomato sauce.

Hamburgers with Onion and Cream. Mix 3 tablespoons grated onion and 2 tablespoons heavy cream with the beef; add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté. Serve with sautéed potatoes and a tomato and onion salad.

Hamburgers with Herbs. Mix the beef with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon tarragon, and 3 tablespoons each chopped parsley and chopped chives. Sauté patties, remove from pan, and add 3 tablespoons butter and ½ cup dry white wine or vermouth. Bring to a boil, add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, and pour over patties.

Hamburgers with Chili. Form the seasoned beef into 6-ounce patties; sauté. Serve in split, toasted, and buttered buns. Cover patty with chili (made with ground meat) and chopped raw onions.

Hamburgers with Red Wine. Sauté patties. Remove to a platter. Pour into pan 1 cup red wine and stir to deglaze; reduce by rapid boiling, or thicken with beurre manié (see page 536). Pour sauce over meat.

Hamburgers Flambé. Sauté patties, remove to a heatproof platter, top with a dab of rosemary butter (see page 537), and flambe with ½ cup heated cognac.

NOTE: Any of these may be served on toasted buns, French bread, or English muffins, or in heated, split pita bread. Pickles, olives, French fries, or homemade potato chips go well.

Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf

To my mind the most delicious meat loaves are made with a combination of ground beef, veal, and pork. The veal adds a gelatinous quality and the pork richness and fat, which keep the meat loaf juicy. (If you have a food processor, you can grind the meats yourself.) This simple recipe can be varied to taste by using different seasonings and combinations of ingredients. It should not be baked in a loaf pan, incidentally. A meat loaf if molded and baked free form on a bed of bacon or salt pork sheds excess fat and makes a more firmly textured loaf, whereas, if baked in a loaf pan, it becomes much too moist and is sometimes not easily sliced. Hot meat loaf may be served with rice or mashed potatoes and a good homemade tomato sauce, brown sauce with mushrooms, or onion sauce. Cold meat loaf is good with a potato or rice salad (see pages 93–96), some pickles and relishes, or just a sharp horseradish sauce.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 pounds beef (top round, chuck, or rump), ground twice

1 pound pork shoulder, ground twice

1 pound veal shoulder, ground twice

1 large onion, grated

2 carrots, finely shredded

4 to 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon crushed rosemary

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon Tabasco

3 eggs, slightly beaten

¾ cup fresh bread crumbs soaked in ½ cup cream

12 strips bacon or salt pork

Combine the meats, grated onion and carrot, and seasonings and blend well. Mix in the eggs and soaked crumbs, combining thoroughly. Make a bed of bacon or salt pork strips in a shallow baking pan, reserving 4 or 5 for the top of the loaf. Form the meat mixture into a firm loaf with your hands and place it on the bed of bacon or salt pork. Put remaining strips across the top.

Bake in a 350° oven for 1½ to 2 hours, depending on how thick you have made the loaf, and baste several times with the pan juices. If you want to serve the meat loaf cold, wrap it tightly in foil and weight it as it cools, until firm. It will taste rather like a French country pâté.

Meat Loaf with Ham. Use 1 pound ham in place of the pork—or use ½ pound pork and ½ pound ham—and reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon.

Meat Loaf with Beef Liver. Use 1 pound ground beef or pork liver in place of 1 pound of beef. Baste with the pan juices and red wine.

Meat Loaf with Minced Clams. Add a 7-ounce can of minced clams to the basic mixture.

Meat Loaf with Olives. Combine the ground meats with 4 garlic cloves ground with 1 large onion, 1 cup whole stuffed olives, ½ cup tomato paste, 2 teaspoons basil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1½ teaspoons pepper, ½ cup chopped parsley, 3 eggs, and 1 cup bread crumbs soaked in red wine. Form and bake as before, basting with red wine and pan juices.

Meat Loaf with Hard-Boiled Eggs. When forming the loaf, put a line of 4 whole hard-boiled eggs in the middle.

Chilied Meat Loaf. Add 2 tablespoons chili powder and 4 finely chopped canned peeled green chilies to the meat mixture.

Lamb

People who think they don’t like lamb aren’t talking about the same delicious meat as I am. What they mean, it always turns out, is the traditional, terrible, tallowy-tasting haunch of dry, grayish, animal matter, trimmed all wrong, roasted for hours, and served up with the final insult of a sweet mint sauce or jelly.

With understanding comes appreciation. Nowadays, butchers usually trim off the fell and some of the fat, but you should go further. Trim the fat to an absolute minimum, leaving just a few streaks here and there for lubrication, and you’ll get rid of the tallowy taste and produce a good crusty exterior on your roast. Except for one classic French dish, the “spoon leg,” which is first roasted, then braised for hours to a melting softness, roast lamb is best enjoyed a bit underdone, nice and pink inside, especially the expensive cuts like leg and rack.

Speaking of roasting, I’ve included one recipe for mutton: the roast saddle, which is the glory of English cooking. Lamb becomes yearling when the animal reaches one year of age; after that it becomes mutton—the meat darker in color, richer in flavor, with more fat. It’s not always easy to get, and it is not usually cheaper than lamb.

Lamb chops are not discussed here, since Theory & Practice goes deeply into the subject. After the roasts, my recipes are for the less expensive cuts, best suited to stews. Since these are not so easy to trim as roasting cuts, I usually make the dish the day before, cool it overnight, then remove the congealed fat from the top before reheating and serving. If you don’t have time to do this, at least let the stew stand until the fat rises to the surface and skim off as much as possible, blotting up what is left with paper towels.

Roast Rack of Lamb

The rack of lamb has come into increasing favor in restaurants, and now people are beginning to appreciate its utter simplicity of preparation in their own homes. The rack consists of one side of the ribs. In young lamb, or baby lamb, when the ribs have been well trimmed, all excess fat removed, and the fat scraped from the bones (or, in the butcher’s term, “frenched”), the rack will consist of 6 to 7 delicate small chops, a perfect piece of meat for 2 people.

Ask the butcher to cut through the chine bone so that you can carve right through the chops without having to struggle with the bones. If you want to put little paper frills on the rib ends after the rack is cooked, protect the bone ends by twisting pieces of aluminum foil around each one before roasting. A rack of lamb should always be roasted at a high temperature and served rare.

Makes 2 to 3 servings

1 rack of lamb, 6 to 7 chops, trimmed of all but about ⅓ inch of fat, with the bones “frenched”

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1 teaspoon dried rosemary or thyme, crushed in a mortar

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450°. Rub the rack of lamb well with the garlic and rosemary or thyme. Twist pieces of aluminum foil around the bone ends.

Put the roast, fat side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast at 450° for 15 minutes, then turn it over so the bone side is down. Reduce the heat to 400° and roast 5 minutes more. Test the meat by pressing it lightly with your fingers, protecting them with paper towels. The meat should feel firmly springy to the touch. If it seems to need more cooking time, return to the oven for a further 5 to 7 minutes. It should take 20 to 27 minutes for rare lamb. The internal temperature, tested with a meat thermometer, should be 125° to 130°.

Remove the cooked meat to a carving board; substitute paper frills for the foil (if you like to gnaw the little bones, this prevents your fingers from getting greasy). Let it stand 3 minutes, then carve. There are two ways to carve rack of lamb. The more usual is to separate the chops by cutting between the bones and serving 2 or 3 chops to each person, according to appetite. The other way is to carve the meat in long, thin slices parallel to the bone. If you serve the rack that way, serve each person 1 or 2 of the tiny bones to gnaw on. A nice contrasting accompaniment to rack of lamb would be broiled tomatoes (providing you can get firm, ripe tomatoes; see page 183) or baked cherry tomatoes, and broiled or sautéed mushrooms (see page 154).

Rack of Lamb Persillé. While the lamb is roasting, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet until hot and foaming. Add 1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs and toss until lightly browned. Remove from heat and combine with ½ cup chopped parsley. After taking lamb from the oven, turn off oven and preheat broiler. Press crumb mixture firmly over the fleshy top of the lamb. Put the lamb, crumb side up, under the hot broiler, about 4 inches from the heat, just until crust is lightly browned.

Rack of Lamb Quo Vadis. Trim rack of lamb, wrap ends of bones with foil. Rub meat with butter, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Spread the bottom of a shallow roasting pan with 2 small carrots and 1 medium onion, all finely chopped. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter and lay lamb, fat side down, on vegetables. Roast at 500° for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 400°, turn lamb over, and add ½ cup lamb or chicken stock to pan. Roast 10 to 15 minutes, then press bread crumbs and parsley into the fat side of lamb, as in preceding variation, and put under a hot broiler until lightly browned. Transfer to a hot platter. Add another ½ cup lamb or chicken stock to pan, heat through, then purée the mixture in a blender or food processor, correct seasoning, and serve as a sauce with the lamb.

Crown Roast of Lamb

Makes 6 to 8 servings

A crown roast of lamb, 2 or 3 racks sewn together in a crown shape, makes a very attractive roast. Allow 2 chops per serving. Rub the roast well with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and tarragon, cover the rib ends with foil to prevent them from charring, and put a thick cushion of foil in the center to hold the shape.

Place the crown on a rack in a 325° oven, allowing 13 to 15 minutes per pound for pink lamb. Because of the shape of the crown roast, it is difficult to test the internal temperature with a meat thermometer, so one must use one’s judgment.

Remove roast from the oven, take the foil from the rib ends (replacing them with paper frills, if desired) and take the cushion of foil from the center. Fill the center with a combination of tiny green peas and tiny white onions, cooked together and well buttered. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Cut the roast into chops and serve with the filling, anchovy flavored hollandaise sauce or Béarnaise sauce (see page 532), and a salad of Bibb lettuce tossed with diced cooked beets or julienne slices of cooked beet.

Variations. Fill the center of the roast with any one of the following complementary mixtures:

Rice pilaf mixed with finely sliced, sautéed lamb kidneys.

A pilaf of cracked wheat blended with pine nuts.

Sautéed mushroom caps sprinkled with chopped tarragon, parsley, and chives.

A purée of chestnuts, with braised whole chestnuts as a garnish.

Roast Leg of Lamb, Provençal Style

Few roasts are as delicious as a properly cooked leg of lamb, which should be rare or pink, never medium or, perish the thought, well done. Overcooked lamb is about as palatable as a piece of chewed string. Lamb is another meat that lends itself to all kinds of flavor variations—with garlic in the forefront. In this Provençal version, anchovies supplement the garlic, adding an interesting salty accent. Traditional accompaniments are cooked white beans, blended with the pan juices and a bit of peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato, or ratatouille (see page 190).

If you have a well-insulated oven—preferably self-cleaning—you may roast the lamb at a high temperature (425° to 450°) until the meat reaches 125° to 130° on the meat thermometer. Or you may start the lamb at high temperature and reduce the heat to 350° after 25 minutes.

Makes 8 or more servings

5- to 6-pound leg of lamb

6 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in slivers

8 anchovy fillets, halved

1 to 2 tablespoons oil

Crumbled rosemary

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Remove the fell (papery tissue covering the fat) and most of the fat from the leg. Make incisions in the meat with a sharp paring knife and insert the garlic slivers and pieces of anchovy. Rub the meat with oil, rosemary, salt (sparingly, as the anchovies are salty) and pepper. Put on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast in a 350° oven for about 1½ hours, until the internal temperature registers 125° to 130° (for pink) on a meat thermometer. As legs vary in thickness, test after 1 hour to see how much more cooking time it will need, then recheck after 15 minutes. When the lamb is cooked, remove to a hot platter and allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Roast Leg of Lamb Provençal No. 2. Stud the leg with garlic, anchovies, and pistachio nuts. Rub with summer savory or thyme, salt, and pepper, and roast.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Shallots. Insert slivers of shallot instead of garlic. Rub with summer savory, salt, and pepper.

Swedish Leg of Lamb. Rub with salt, pepper, and thyme. Roast for ½ hour, then baste lamb with 1 breakfast cup hot coffee with cream and sugar. Baste occasionally with coffee until done. Skim fat from coffee-flavored pan juices, correct seasoning, and serve with the lamb.

Weeping Leg of Lamb. Stud lamb with slivers of garlic and rub with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Arrange layers of sliced potatoes in a heavily buttered baking dish that is slightly larger than the lamb, sprinkling the layers with salt and pepper and dotting them with butter. After the second layer of potatoes, put in a layer of thinly sliced onion. Pour in 1 cup beef stock (see page 530). Put the dish on the lower rack of the oven with the lamb on the rack directly above it, or arrange the lamb on the potatoes. Roast until lamb is done and potatoes tender and browned. If potatoes are done first, remove and keep warm, transferring lamb to a baking sheet. Reheat potatoes for 10 minutes in the oven while the lamb rests before being carved. If you wish, sprinkle potatoes with ½ cup grated Gruyère or Parmesan cheese and leave in oven until cheese melts.

Weeping Leg of Lamb with Anchovies. Stud with garlic and anchovies, and add 12 to 14 anchovy fillets to the potatoes. Omit salt from seasoning for lamb and potatoes.

Mock Venison. Stud lamb with garlic. Marinate in a deep bowl in a mixture of ½ cup olive oil, 2 cups red wine, 2 thickly sliced onions, 1 sliced carrot, 2 teaspoons thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 sprigs parsley, and ¼ teaspoon allspice. Leave in marinade at least 24 hours, turning frequently, then remove, dry, and roast in a 400° oven, basting every 20 minutes with the heated marinade, until the internal temperature is 130° to 135°. Remove meat to a hot platter. Add 1 cup marinade to the pan juices, bring to a boil, and boil until reduced by one-third. Strain, season, and serve with the lamb.

Spoon Leg of Lamb

One of the most famous of the lamb dishes in the French repertoire is gigot de sept heures, or boned leg of lamb slowly cooked for 7 hours until it is so soft and tender it can almost be served with a spoon—from which comes its Anglicized name, Spoon Leg of Lamb. This is one case where leg of lamb is not served rare—far from it.

Makes 6 servings

5- to 6-pound leg of lamb, boned and tied (ask for the bones and have them sawed into short pieces)

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

3 medium-size onions, each stuck with 2 cloves

3 carrots, split lengthwise

6 or 7 cloves garlic

½ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 sprig parsley

4 or 5 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 cup red wine

GARNISH: Chopped parsley

Rub the leg with salt and pepper and arrange on a rack in a roasting pan. Surround with the bones, onions, carrots, and 4 or 5 garlic cloves. Pour the oil over the bones and vegetables and roast the lamb in a 400° oven for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°, and roast 30 minutes more. Reduce the oven heat to 200°.

Transfer the lamb to a braising pan or casserole and add the remaining 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, the thyme, bay leaf, parsley, tomatoes, and the bones and vegetables from the roasting pan. Rinse the pan with red wine; pour over the lamb. Cover the pan tightly and cook in a 200° oven for 6 hours, by which time the meat should be meltingly tender. Transfer it to a hot platter and remove the strings. Discard bones and bay leaf, and skim excess fat from the pan juices. Remove cloves from the onions, and purée or blend all the vegetables. Combine with the pan juices; sprinkle the sauce with chopped parsley. Serve the meat with sauce and cooked white beans, seasoned with salt, pepper, a touch of garlic, and a little basil. Spoon some of the sauce over them before serving and sprinkle with parsley.

Lamb on a String

(Lamb à la Ficelle)

This is a variation on the classic Beef à la Ficelle (Beef on a String), made with a boned leg of lamb. (Unless you are very skilled at boning, ask the butcher to do it for you.) In this case, you need a rather spicier broth, to flavor the lamb and then to make the anchovy sauce that goes with it. Serve with boiled potatoes and zucchini sautéed with garlic.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

5-pound leg of lamb, boned and tied (use bones for the stock)

5 cloves garlic, peeled

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon dried tarragon

4 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper or more

3 dried red peppers

2 tablespoons salt

ANCHOVY SAUCE

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

12 anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped

12 black Italian or Greek olives, pitted and chopped

1 or 2 small fresh hot peppers, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

½ cup broth from the lamb

First, make a note of the boned weight of the lamb, to estimate cooking time. Cut 1 garlic clove into slivers, make deep incisions in the lamb with the point of a paring knife, and push in the garlic. Roll the lamb in a linen towel and tie it securely lengthwise and crosswise, leaving long pieces of string at both ends.

In a deep 8-quart pan, put enough water to cover the lamb, with the lamb bones, 4 crushed garlic cloves, and the seasonings. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 1 hour over medium heat. Remove cover and tie the ends of string to the handles of the pan, as for Beef à la Ficelle (see page 369). Bring the broth to a boil once more, then reduce the heat, and cook the lamb at a simmer, covered, allowing approximately 15 minutes per pound boned weight for rare lamb—which this must be. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer after 30 minutes, and if the temperature is near 135°, watch carefully to prevent overcooking.

When the lamb reaches 135°, remove it from the broth, take off the string and cloth and let it rest on a hot platter for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine all the ingredients and cook, stirring, over medium heat, until smooth and heated through. Correct the seasoning. It should be very hot and spicy, with a pronounced anchovy flavor. If it isn’t hot enough for your taste, add a dash of Tabasco.

Carve the meat in thickish slices and serve with the sauce. A gratin of potatoes (see page 169) is excellent, for it absorbs the delicious sauce.

Roast Shoulder of Lamb

Lamb shoulder is not as much appreciated in this country as it might be. In France, when the young lamb is in, you can find in the markets tiny shoulders which, when boned and tied securely and simply roasted, make a delicious dinner for two or three people. Here, where they may be bought boned and rolled—much heavier, to be sure—shoulders are treated with a certain neglect. In my opinion shoulder of young spring lamb is as thoroughly good and tender as the leg, but it must be young.

Serve with steamed new potatoes, the pan juices, and tiny new peas in butter sprinkled with finely minced shallots and parsley.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Shoulder of young lamb, boned, about 3 to 4 pounds after boning and trimming

2 to 3 cloves garlic, cut into thin slivers (optional)

3 teaspoons dried tarragon, crushed

½ pound unsalted butter

½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

GARNISH: Watercress

Trim the shoulder of lamb well of fat, roll it compactly, and tie it. If you wish, pierce the lamb with the tip of a knife and insert slivers of garlic, then rub with 1 teaspoon tarragon.

Put lamb on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast in a 425° oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and continue cooking for 40 to 50 minutes more. Melt the butter, combine with the wine or vermouth and remaining 2 teaspoons tarragon and baste lamb with this mixture every 12 to 15 minutes. When the internal temperature reaches 130° (test by inserting meat thermometer into the thickest part), sprinkle well with salt and pepper, transfer to a hot platter, and leave for 10 minutes in a warm place. Remove the strings that tie the roast, slice, and garnish with watercress.

Roast Lamb with Cream. After roasting the lamb, skim the excess fat from the pan juices and add 1 cup heavy cream, blend well, and cook down for a minute or two to reduce the sauce slightly. Serve the lamb with this sauce, braised lettuce, and potatoes Anna.

Roast Lamb with Eggplant and Tomato. After inserting garlic, rub the shoulder with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, then add to the pan 1 finely cut garlic clove, 2 cups diced eggplant, 2 thinly sliced medium-size onions, 2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato or tomato purée, and 1 cup red wine. Roast as before, basting with the liquid every 15 minutes. A few minutes before the roast is done, add 1 cup ripe olives to the pan. Remove the lamb to a hot platter and surround with the vegetable mixture, sprinkled lavishly with chopped parsley. Serve with a rice pilaf (see page 290), an endive salad, and crisp French bread or rolls to mop up the juices.

Braised Stuffed Lamb Breast

Breast of lamb is a cut that braises very well. Most recipes require a pocket to be cut in the breast for stuffing, but in this case the stuffing is put between two breasts, which are then tied together. Breast of lamb is economical if not too fatty. If the lamb seems very fatty, pre-roast it on a rack in a shallow roasting pan in a 400° oven for 20 minutes to render some of the fat. I buy the leanest I can find. Because of the many bones, allow 1 pound lamb breast per serving.

Makes 6 servings

2 three-pound lamb breasts, of identical size and shape

6 tablespoons butter

½ cup finely chopped shallots

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons dried tarragon

¾ cup dried currants, soaked until plump in Madeira to barely cover

5 cups fresh bread crumbs

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 onions, peeled and sliced

1 rib celery, sliced

2 cups red wine

Beurre manié (optional; see page 536)

When you buy the lamb breasts, have the end bones removed. You may either have the rib bones removed as well or leave them intact.

Prepare a stuffing for the breasts. Melt the butter in a skillet; add the shallots and garlic and sauté until just limp. Remove from the heat and mix in the tarragon, currants, bread crumbs, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix well together and add more melted butter if the stuffing seems too dry—it should not be sloppy, but have a moist yet firm quality.

Lay one breast flat and put the stuffing on it—don’t put stuffing too near the edges or it will ooze out during cooking. Put the other breast on top and tie them securely together with fine string both crosswise and lengthwise.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet large enough to hold the breasts, add the stuffed breasts and brown thoroughly on both sides over medium-high heat, being careful not to let them burn.

Arrange the carrot, onion, and celery in the bottom of a braising pan. Put the lamb on top and sprinkle well with salt. Pour in the red wine, cover, and cook in a 325° oven for 2 hours. Test the lamb for tenderness. If tender, remove to a hot platter and keep warm. Skim excess fat from the sauce in the pan and then strain sauce through a fine sieve. Thicken, if you wish, with beurre manié, taste, and correct the seasoning.

To serve, remove the strings from the breasts and cut the breasts into serving pieces, slicing down between the ribs so you serve 2 pieces of meat with stuffing in between. (If the ribs were removed, slice ¾ inch to 1 inch thick.) Spoon some of the sauce over each serving.

Lamb en Daube

This version of daube is one of the most famous dishes around the Rhône district of Avignon and Aries. Ideally, it should be made a day in advance and allowed to cool thoroughly. The fat may then be easily removed before the daube is reheated. Plain boiled potatoes with a sprinkling of parsley or mint seem to be the most successful accompaniment. A crisp, tart salad could follow it quite satisfactorily, and you might drink a Châteauneuf du Pape.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Leg of lamb, boned

1 onion stuck with 2 cloves

2 sprigs parsley

8 cloves garlic

Salt

Strips of larding pork, soaked in cognac and rolled in chopped parsley

2 onions, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

Red wine

6 large onions, coarsely chopped

1 pig’s foot, split in two

3 to 4 slices salt pork, diced

1 piece orange rind

Save the bones from the lamb and ask the butcher for a couple of more lamb bones. Place the bones in a pot with the onion stuck with cloves, 1 parsley sprig, and 2 garlic cloves. Add 2 quarts water and cook down to a good broth. Season with salt to taste. Strain and chill. Next day remove the fat from the top.

Cut the lamb in good-size pieces. Lard each piece with a portion of the larding pork. Combine the sliced onion and carrot, olive oil, thyme, bay leaf, remaining parsley, 3 crushed garlic cloves, and red wine almost to cover. Marinate the lamb for several hours or overnight in this marinade.

Make a bed of half the chopped onion in a deep casserole. Add half the pig’s foot, then half the marinated meat, the remaining onion, the salt pork, the remaining meat and the rest of the pig’s foot. Add the orange rind. Strain the marinade and add along with the seasonings, onion, carrot, and garlic from it, and the remaining 3 garlic cloves. Add enough of the lamb broth to cover. Put aluminum foil over the casserole, cover tightly with the lid and cook very slowly on top of the stove or in a 275° oven for 3½ to 4 hours. Remove the meat and pig’s foot, skim off excess fat from the sauce, and reduce it for a few minutes over high heat. Cut the meat from the pig’s foot and add it to the sauce. Arrange the lamb in a deep serving dish and pour the sauce over it.

Navarin

(French Lamb Ragout)

This is very different from the usual pedestrian American lamb stew, but economical because it uses the flavorful, cheaper bony cuts. I prefer to brown the meat under the broiler, rather than in butter, the customary way. Broiling draws out a lot of the fat and the ragout has a better flavor.

Makes 6 servings

4½ to 5 pounds lean shoulder or breast of lamb

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 cups beef broth (see page 530) or water

12 small white turnips, peeled and halved

12 small white onions, peeled

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sugar

2 garlic cloves

4 carrots, peeled and cut in strips

1 or 2 leeks, well washed and trimmed

12 small new potatoes, unpeeled

1 package frozen peas

Cut the meat in serving-size pieces. Put on the broiler rack and brown on all sides under a preheated broiler. As meat browns, remove it to a 6-quart braising pan or heatproof casserole, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and add enough broth or water to half cover the meat. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, brown the turnips and onions in the butter in a sauté pan, then turn the heat down and let them cook gently, shaking the pan from time to time so they cook evenly and sprinkling them with the sugar so they get a nice glaze.

Skim as much fat as possible from the liquid in which the meat was cooked, and then strain the liquid into a bowl through a sieve lined with a piece of linen toweling wrung out in cold water, which will trap any remaining fat and scum from the liquid. Return the strained broth to the pan or casserole containing the meat and add the turnips, onions, garlic, carrots, leeks, and potatoes. Add more broth, if there is not enough liquid to cook the vegetables. Cover and cook in a 350° oven for 1 hour. Add the frozen peas 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. The broth should have reduced in the oven. If you wish it thicker, strain off the broth and either thicken with beurre manié (see page 536) or reduce by rapid boiling to the desired consistency. Return to the pan and serve.

Blanquette of Lamb

Just about everyone knows blanquette of veal, the white stew thickened with béchamel sauce, cream, and egg yolks, but I prefer the less familiar version made with lamb, which has a gutsier flavor and texture. There have always been two methods of preparation for blanquettes—the straight poaching method and the one in which the meat is first seared and then simmered. I find the second method superior, and I like to brown the lamb under the broiler rather than in fat. When you have the lamb shoulder boned, ask for the bones to make stock. Rice or orzo (rice-shaped pasta) goes well with this blanquette.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

5- to 6-pound shoulder of lamb, boned and cut into 1½-inch pieces

(Note: Lamb shoulder has such great bone content, it’s not too much.)

1 to 1½ pounds lamb neck, boned and cut into smallish pieces

STOCK

Bones from the shoulder

1 veal knuckle plus bones from the lamb neck

1 onion stuck with 2 cloves

1 quart water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon rosemary

2 cloves garlic

THE STEW

1 teaspoon rosemary

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup Madeira

8 tablespoons butter

12 small white onions

1 teaspoon sugar

12 mushroom caps

Juice of 1 lemon

5 tablespoons flour

½ cup heavy cream

2 egg yolks

GARNISH: Chopped parsley

Put the lamb bones and veal knuckle and lamb neck on the rack of the broiler pan and brown under the broiler for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice, or roast in a 450° oven for 15 minutes. Put the browned bones in a large pot with the onion, 1 quart water, salt, rosemary, and garlic. Bring to a boil, skim off any scum, reduce heat, and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours. Strain the broth and discard the bones, onion, and garlic. Cool broth until the fat rises to the top and can be removed. Measure out 2 cups of the broth.

Arrange the lamb pieces on the broiling rack, sprinkle lightly with rosemary, salt, pepper, and chopped garlic. Brown under the broiler, turning the pieces once or twice, until nicely colored and slightly crispy at the edges. Remove to a large sauté pan, add the Madeira, and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and brown the onions on all sides, sprinkling them with the sugar so they caramelize a little. Add ½ cup of the cooled lamb broth, cover and simmer until tender. Add the mushroom caps and lemon juice for the last 5 minutes.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook until golden and frothy, stirring constantly, then mix in the 1½ cups lamb broth, and cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened. When the lamb is tender, pour off the liquid in the pan, add to the sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes. Correct the seasoning. Combine the cream with the beaten egg yolks, add some of the hot sauce, then stir into the remainder of the sauce, and cook gently until thickened; do not let it boil or the sauce will curdle.

Arrange the lamb on a serving dish with the onions and mushrooms and pour the sauce over everything. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Blanquette of Veal. Substitute boned veal shoulder for the lamb. Use the veal bones and veal knuckle for the broth. Sear veal under the broiler. Put in a pan with water to cover, 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 carrot, 1 onion stuck with 2 cloves. Simmer covered until tender but not stringy, about 1 to 1¼ hours. Omit the Madeira and use the veal broth for the sauce.

Kadjemoula

This North African dish of braised lamb and beef, with its typical blend of meat, spices, and dried fruits, is a wonderful buffet dish. Serve it with steamed rice or burghul (cracked wheat) and a lightly chilled young red wine or rosé wine.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1½-inch cubes

2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1½-inch cubes

½ cup flour

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 medium-size onions, peeled and sliced

4 carrots, peeled and quartered

2 medium-size turnips, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

⅔ cup dried apricots

⅔ cup dried pitted prunes

3 to 4 cups beef broth (see page 530)

GARNISH: Quince paste or quince preserves

Trim all fat from the lamb and beef cubes and flour them lightly. Heat the butter and oil in a braising pan. Add the meat cubes, a few at a time, and brown them quickly on all sides over fairly high heat. Remove as cooked. Put all the browned meat back in the pan and sprinkle it with the salt, cinnamon, ginger, and pepper. Then add the vegetables and dried fruits, pour in enough broth to cover the meat, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer; cover and simmer gently for 2 hours, or until tender. The vegetables and fruits should have blended into a thick sauce. Remove the stew to a hot platter and surround it with mounds of rice pilaf, couscous (see pages 290 and 298), or cracked wheat. Garnish the edges with slices of quince paste (available canned in specialty food shops) or with quince preserves.

Roast Saddle of Mutton

If you have a butcher who can order a well-aged saddle of mutton for you, it makes a roast appropriate for the most elegant of dinners. The fat should be trimmed to a minimum, the remainder nicely scored. Serve with a purée of potatoes and rutabagas (see page 186), Béarnaise sauce and a bowl of watercress, without dressing.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Saddle of mutton

Juice of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic, cut in half

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

12 to 16 lamb kidneys, split in half lengthwise, cleaned, and core removed (soak in milk for an hour for better flavor)

6 tablespoons melted butter

Béarnaise sauce (see page 532)

Rub both sides of the saddle with a little lemon juice, the garlic, and thyme. Put on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast in a 400° oven for 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part, but not touching the bone, registers 135° to 140°. Remove the saddle from the oven, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and let it stand in a warm place for 10 minutes.

While the saddle is resting, thread the kidneys on skewers, brush with melted butter, and broil 5 to 6 minutes, turning once.

Transfer saddle to a very hot platter. Garnish the roast with the broiled kidneys. Carve the saddle into long slices parallel to the backbone. Serve each person a long slice with a kidney and a spoonful of Béarnaise sauce.

When you have carved the first round, turn the saddle over and carve out the tenderloins. Serve each guest a small slice or two of tenderloin, with an additional dollop of Béarnaise.

Lamb Shanks with Beans

A part of the lamb that is often overlooked, the ends of the legs are wonderfully flavorful and take well to long, slow cooking. Combined with white beans they are excellent and economical eating. A salad of crisp greens tossed with grated carrot and chopped onion would go well with this substantial dish.

Makes 6 servings

2 cups Great Northern or pea beans

1 onion, stuck with 2 cloves

1 bay leaf

12 cloves garlic

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

6 meaty lamb shanks

2 teaspoons rosemary, crushed

5 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons oil

1 cup red wine

1½ cups water or beef broth (see page 530)

2 large onions, thinly sliced

6 thick slices bacon

½ cup fresh bread crumbs

Put the beans in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, boil 5 minutes, then remove pan from heat. Let the beans cool, covered, in the cooking water for 1 hour only—no longer or they will be too soft. Add more water to cover, if needed, plus the clove-stuck onion, bay leaf, 7 of the garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until just tender to the bite—do not overcook or the resulting dish will be mushy.

While the beans are cooking, cut 2 garlic cloves into slivers, make incisions in the lamb shanks and stuff the garlic into them. Rub shanks with 1½ teaspoons rosemary and 1 teaspoon salt. Heat 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons oil in a deep heavy skillet or sauté pan. Brown the lamb shanks on all sides, turning with tongs and sprinkling with salt and pepper as they cook. Add the remaining rosemary and the wine and water or broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

Sauté the sliced onions in the remaining 3 tablespoons oil until lightly browned. Cover and cook over low heat until soft.

Drain the beans, reserving the liquid. Put a layer of half the beans in an 8-quart braising pan or casserole and top with a layer of the onions and the remaining garlic cloves, finely chopped. Put the lamb shanks on top, add the remaining beans and the broth from the pan in which the shanks cooked. If there is not enough liquid (there should be enough to cover the shanks), add some of the reserved bean liquid. Lay the bacon slices on top and cook in a 350° oven for 1 hour, adding more of the bean liquid if the mixture cooks down too much and the beans seem dry. Melt the remaining butter, toss the bread crumbs in it, and sprinkle them over the top of the dish. Bake 20 minutes longer, or until crumbs are golden. Serve from the pan or casserole.

Lamb Shanks with Ratatouille. Brown the shanks in butter and oil, add 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon rosemary or thyme, and 2½ cups beef broth. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Arrange ratatouille (see page 190) in a casserole, put the shanks on top, and pour the pan juices over them. Cover and bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes, then remove cover and bake until meat is tender, about 30 minutes.

Lamb Shanks with Onions and Beer. Rub the lamb shanks all over with salt, pepper, and rosemary, and brown on all sides, either in butter and oil or under the broiler. Meanwhile, sauté 6 sliced large onions in 6 tablespoons butter until limp and golden. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a heavy casserole, lay the lamb shanks on top, add 2 teaspoons thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 2½ cups beer. Cook, covered, in a 350° oven until the meat is tender, 2 to 2½ hours. If you wish, the sauce may be thickened with beurre manié (see page 536).

Veal

Top-quality veal has ivory-colored flesh, just barely flushed with pink, and a specially delicate, dense texture. For years it was almost unobtainable in this country; moreover, few butchers knew how to cut it properly. However, today veal is much in fashion despite the fact that it is wildly expensive.

Its price is not surprising. To produce pure white meat, farmers have had to resort to the “Dutch process,” whereby calves are weaned very early and fed a scientifically designed diet, with no minerals or iron to color the meat. The feed costs a lot, and a good deal of expensive human attention is required for a period of 3 to 4 months. (The old-fashioned way was to leave the unweaned calf with the cow for 6 weeks, then butcher it; but the carcasses were too small for the growing market.)

You can get Dutch-process veal from selective butchers, or from mail-order businesses which ship it frozen; and it’s what I choose for luxury dishes. But you can manage, even for scallops, with the pinker, premium veal (3 to 4 months old, brought up on a more or less normal diet), which is now quite regularly available, even in the supermarkets. However, don’t buy scallops unless they have been cut correctly—and, alas, most places don’t do this. Scallops must be deftly cut from a certain muscle in the leg—and this is what you should insist on.

And for a veal ragout, a veal Marengo, or other long-cooked dish, you can even use baby beef, from calves old enough to be called adolescent, up to 9 months old. It’s quite pink, but the color doesn’t matter too much since you cook the meat in a sauce, and for these dishes you don’t need the ultimate in tenderness.

In other words, for any meat but for veal in particular, shop for a quality that is sufficient for the dish you plan and the method it requires.

Roast Veal

Roast Veal with Roquefort-Butter Stuffing

Although veal, a rather dry meat, is usually better braised than roasted, this recipe is an exception. The stuffing adds both moisture and a glorious flavor. Serve this with sautéed potatoes and baked apples.

Makes 6 servings

CRÈME FRAÎCHE

1½ cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons buttermilk

Thin sheets of barding pork

3-pound boneless veal loin roast

¾ pound walnuts, finely chopped

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ pound Roquefort cheese

6 baking apples

6 tablespoons brown sugar

Vanilla

⅓ cup cognac

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

First, make the crème fraîche for the sauce ahead of time. Combine the cream and buttermilk in a screw-topped jar, cover, and shake steadily for 2 minutes, as if you were shaking a cocktail. Let the jar stand at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight, until the cream has thickened. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When you are ready to roast the meat, tie the barding pork around the veal. Arrange on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast in a 400° oven for 45 minutes. Make a paste of the walnuts, ¾ cup butter, and Roquefort cheese in a food processor or blender or by mashing well with a fork.

Core the baking apples. Fill the cavities with 1 tablespoon each butter and brown sugar, and a dash of vanilla.

After the veal has roasted for 45 minutes, reduce the oven heat to 325°. Remove the veal from the oven and cut it downward into thick slices, but not all the way through. Put the Roquefort butter between the slices and tie the roast back in shape lengthwise. Arrange the apples around the meat. Return to the oven and roast the meat 30 to 35 minutes longer. If necessary, continue baking apples until tender.

Remove the veal from the pan to a hot serving platter and take off the barding pork. Deglaze the pan with the cognac, then stir in the crème fraîche over medium-low heat, stirring until well blended. Taste and correct seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Surround the veal with sautéed potatoes and the baked apples and serve the sauce separately.

Veal with Tuna Sauce

(Vitello Tonnato)

There are many ways of preparing this famous Italian specialty, one of the best hot-weather dishes I know. It bears a lovely piquant quality that arouses the appetite and pleases the nose. Some people slice cold roast veal and serve it with tuna mayonnaise, but I think it tastes better if the veal is braised and the sauce made with the pan juices. More time consuming, but worth the extra trouble. Serve with a rice salad or sliced tomatoes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

3-pound veal leg or loin roast, boned and tied

3 cloves garlic, cut in thin slivers

6 anchovy fillets

1 teaspoon dried basil, or 2 tablespoons fresh

5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil

3 onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 carrot, scraped

1 leek, trimmed and washed clean

2 or 3 sprigs parsley

2 pig’s feet or 1 veal knuckle, split

1½ cups dry white wine

1 cup water or veal stock

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

TUNA SAUCE

1½ cups veal stock that has jellied

7-ounce can tuna

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 anchovy fillets

GARNISH: Capers, chopped parsley, chopped fresh basil

Make incisions in the veal with the point of a sharp paring knife. Stuff the garlic slivers into the holes, then insert anchovy fillets, pushing them in very deeply with the garlic. Rub the meat with the dried basil and brown it on all sides in the oil in a deep 8-quart pot. Add the onions, carrot, leek, and parsley, and cook the vegetables a little in the oil. Then add the pig’s feet, wine, water or stock, pepper, and salt. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer the meat on top of the stove or in a 300° oven for 1½ hours, or until tender when tested with a fork, but not soft and mushy. Remove the meat from the pan to a platter, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight.

To make the sauce: Strain the pan juices into a bowl and chill overnight. Next day, skim the fat from the juices and put 1½ cups jellied juices into a blender or food processor with the tuna and its oil, crushed garlic cloves and anchovy fillets. Whirl until well blended and thick.

Remove the veal from the refrigerator and slice thin. Arrange on a platter and spoon the tuna sauce over it. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve, so the veal absorbs the flavor of the sauce. To serve, garnish with capers, chopped parsley, and chopped basil.

Veal with Tuna Sauce, Yogurt, and Mayonnaise. Combine the tuna-anchovy purée with 1 cup each of yogurt and mayonnaise. Add additional capers and finely cut green onions. Spoon sauce over the veal and chill.

Pork Loin Tonnato. Use slices of cold roast loin of pork.

Sicilian Veal Roll

For a veal roll, rollatine in Italian or roulade in French, you need a cut from the leg—either a slice cut right across at the broadest point, with the bone in, or three slices cut across half the leg, each of which may be split in half almost to the edge and then folded back to make one long slice. In the first case, the bone is removed after cutting. In either case, the meat should be well pounded to flatten it to a thickness of about ¼ inch. Veal rolls may be served hot or cold and look extremely attractive when sliced, preferably on the diagonal. Green noodles with butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese are good with this Sicilian version of a veal roll.

Makes 8 servings

3 to 4 veal cutlets, sliced very thin across the leg, with bone

¼ pound thinly sliced prosciutto or Virginia ham

¼ pound thinly sliced mortadella or a good bologna

¼ pound thinly sliced Genoa soft salami

⅓ cup fine fresh bread crumbs

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

5 or 6 hard-boiled eggs, shelled

Olive oil

5 or 6 slices bacon

2 to 2½ cups tomato sauce (see page 534)

Leave each slice of veal in one piece, but carefully cut out the bone. Pound the slices between sheets of wax paper until very thin. Arrange the slices, long sides overlapping about ½ inch, on a sheet of waxed paper. Pound overlapping areas lightly but thoroughly to be sure they adhere to each other. Starting about 1 inch in from the edge farthest from you, arrange overlapping slices of prosciutto the length of the veal, then slices of mortadella about 1 inch closer to you, and finally the salami, so that the surface of the veal is covered with 3 layers of the meats.

Mix the bread crumbs, three-fourths of the minced garlic, the parsley, and half the basil, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the surface with this mixture. Arrange a row of eggs down the center. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roll one long side of the rectangle carefully over the eggs, as for a jelly roll, and continue rolling, making sure the eggs stay in place, until you have a neat, firm roll. Lift carefully, using two long spatulas, into a 9-by-20-inch oval or rectangular baking dish, seam side down. Cover the top of the roll with bacon slices. Pour the tomato sauce around—not over—the roll and sprinkle it with the remaining garlic, basil, and ½ teaspoon salt. Bake in a 350° oven for about 1 hour, basting occasionally with the sauce. Remove to a hot platter and cut the roll into thick diagonal slices, spooning some of the tomato sauce over the slices. Or serve directly from the baking dish.

Veal Roll with Omelet Stuffing. Instead of the hard-boiled eggs, put a rolled fines herbes omelet in the center of the roll.

Cold Veal Roll. Remove veal from baking dish, remove bacon strips, wrap in foil, and chill. Slice and arrange on a serving platter. Garnish with watercress. Serve with thinly sliced ripe tomatoes dressed with vinaigrette sauce and finely chopped fresh basil, and a rice salad (see page 96).

Roulade of Veal Île-de-France

A French version of veal roll that can be served hot with sautéed potatoes (see page 171) and a purée of green peas (see page 164) with a touch of chopped mint, or cold, with anchovy mayonnaise and a salad of white beans with chopped fresh herbs and a garlic-seasoned vinaigrette sauce.

Makes 8 servings

3 or 4 veal cutlets, sliced as for Sicilian Veal Roll (see preceding recipe)

⅔ to ¾ pound thinly sliced Smithfield or Westphalian ham

6 eggs

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

6 to 7 tablespoons butter

1 pound spinach or sorrel, or a combination

1 tablespoon heavy cream

⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

Prepare the veal as for the Sicilian Veal Roll and cover the surface with overlapping slices of ham. Beat the eggs with 2 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, then scramble them lightly in 2 tablespoons butter. Spread the eggs on top of the ham. Blanch the spinach or sorrel or wilt down in the water clinging to the well-washed leaves. Drain well, pressing out all moisture, chop, and mix with 3 tablespoons butter, the cream, and the nutmeg. Put on top of the eggs. Roll the veal as before and put in the baking dish. Butter the top of the roll well and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Roulade with Duxelles. Spread the ham with a layer of duxelles (see page 535), add spinach or sorrel and ⅓ teaspoon nutmeg, and roll as above.

Veal Scallops

Probably the most versatile and universally popular of all cuts of veal are the small slices cut from the leg and pounded until very thin, known variously as scallops in English, escalopes in French, and scaloppine in Italian. These little morsels cook very fast and lend themselves to all manner of flavorings. Speed is essential when cooking scallops. They should be sautéed very quickly in a mixture of butter and oil (the oil prevents the butter from burning at a high temperature) until just cooked through and lightly browned. After cooking, add desired flavoring and serve at once. Two or three scallops, according to size, should be enough for a serving, or 1½ pounds for 4 to 6 persons. Veal scallops may be served with rice, noodles, gnocchi, or sautéed potatoes, or simply with a green vegetable or a salad.

Veal Scallops with Lemon

I find that many people—just because flour in cooking is so out of fashion today—object to flouring veal scallops before cooking. I consider the flour as optional, though it does enable the meat to brown better. You’ll find it more convenient to use two skillets for sautéing the scallops, as that way you can serve them all at once, hot from the pan.

Makes 4 servings

8 large or 12 medium-size veal scallops, pounded until thin

½ to ¾ cup flour

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, preferably clarified

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup lemon juice

8 or 12 thin slices of lemon

2 tablespoons chopped parsley (preferably Italian parsley)

Lightly flour the scallops, shaking off any excess. Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy skillet until it stops foaming, then add the scallops, a few at a time (do not crowd the pan). Sauté them quickly, about 1 minute on a side, until lightly browned, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice, lemon slices, and chopped parsley. Remove scallops to a hot platter and pour the pan juices over them.

Veal Scallops with Lemon and Parmesan Cheese. After flouring scallops, dip them in lemon juice and then in flour mixed with 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest, 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook as before, but do not season.

Veal Scallops with Sherry. Deglaze the pan with ⅔ cup oloroso sherry. Return scallops to pan to heat through. Serve with sauce poured over them. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Veal Scallops with Port. Substitute tawny port for the sherry.

Veal Scallops with Marsala. Substitute Marsala for the sherry.

Veal Scallops with White Wine. Substitute white wine for the sherry. Add 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon or chives to the sauce. Or omit herb and add 1 tablespoon capers.

Veal Scallops with Cognac. Substitute cognac for the sherry. If desired, instead of returning scallops to sauce, blaze cognac in the pan and pour over the scallops.

Veal Scallops with Herbs. Remove the scallops and keep warm. Add to the pan 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped chives, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, and ⅔ cup white wine. Bring to a boil, cook 2 minutes, and pour over the scallops.

Veal Scallops with Cream. Remove scallops. Add ⅔ cup heavy cream to the pan and cook down for 2 or 3 minutes. Pour over the scallops.

Veal Scallops with Almonds. Sauté ½ cup slivered almonds in 4 tablespoons butter until golden and crisp. Toss the cooked scallops in the pan with the almonds. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Veal Scallops Smitaine. Remove the scallops to a platter and keep warm. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots or green onions to the pan. Sauté quickly until limp. Mix in 2 tablespoons tomato purée, season to taste, blend in ⅔ cup sour cream, off the heat. Return to heat and let sauce warm through, but not boil. Pour over the scallops.

Veal Scallops Lafayette. Make the following garnish for the scallops: Arrange vertical rows of peeled, sliced tomato and crosswise slices of peeled avocado on a baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, then liberally with Parmesan cheese. Put under a hot broiler until cheese is barely colored. Arrange cooked veal scallops in a single layer on a heatproof serving platter and arrange a row of garnish on each one, transferring it with a long metal spatula. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and put under the broiler until garnish is lightly browned. Drain fat from skillet and rinse with 1 cup tawny port and ¼ cup veal or chicken stock. Boil until reduced to ⅔ cup, then quickly stir in 2 tablespoons butter, swirling it around in the pan. Pour around scallops and serve.

Veal Scallops Piquant. Mix 1 cup toasted bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, and a dash of cayenne pepper or Tabasco. Dip scallops in flour, then in white wine, and then in crumb mixture, coating well. Sauté, turning carefully. Remove scallops to a platter, add to the pan ½ cup white wine, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of Tabasco. Cook and blend 1 minute then pour over scallops.

Saltimbocca

Makes 4 servings

8 small veal scallops

3 slices prosciutto

1 sprig fresh rosemary or 4 leaves sage

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

½ cup Marsala

GARNISH: Chopped parsley

Pound each veal scallop to a round shape, about 2 to 2½ inches in diameter. Trim ragged edges. Cut the prosciutto slightly smaller than the scallops and lay a piece on each piece of veal. Add several needles of fresh rosemary or a leaf of sage, top each with another piece of veal, and fasten edges together with toothpicks. Sauté in butter and oil until cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove to a hot platter. Deglaze the pan with Marsala and pour over the saltimbocca. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Veal Scallops with Mozzarella Cheese. Pound and trim scallops as before. Spread half the scallops with a little fresh ricotta, add a slice of mozzarella cheese, a piece of prosciutto and a leaf of sage. Top with a second scallop, making a sandwich. Pound edges with a meat pounder to seal, dust lightly with flour and sauté in olive oil, turning carefully. When cooked through, season to taste with salt and pepper and remove to a platter. Deglaze pan with ½ cup dry vermouth and let it cook down for 1 minute. Pour over the saltimbocca.

Veal Birds with Olive-Anchovy Stuffing

Practically every country in Europe, as well as various regions of the United States, has a different recipe for veal birds, which are thin slices of veal cut from the leg, pounded, rolled with a stuffing, tied and braised, like small, individual versions of the veal roll. Buttered noodles or rice goes well with these stuffed rolls.

Makes 6 servings

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

8 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup olives, pitted and finely chopped

12 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

¾ cup bread crumbs

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon basil

6 veal slices, 4 by 6 inches, cut from the leg and pounded ⅜ inch thick

⅔ cup red wine or more

GARNISH: Chopped parsley

Sauté the onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil until translucent. Add the olives, anchovies, crumbs, and seasonings, and blend thoroughly. Correct the seasoning and remove from heat. Place a small amount of the filling on each piece of veal. Roll and tie with string about ½ inch from each end. Heat 5 tablespoons oil and brown the birds, turning often to give an even color. Reduce the heat. Add the red wine, cover, and simmer the birds for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until just tender. Transfer to a hot platter and remove the string. If the sauce has cooked down too much, you may need to add another ½ cup wine to the pan. Allow the sauce to cook for several minutes, then pour over the birds and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Veal Birds with Ham. For stuffing, combine 1 cup ground ham with ¼ cup chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon rosemary, a grating of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Brown the stuffed rolls in oil, then add 1 bay leaf and ⅔ cup white wine and simmer until tender.

Veal Birds with Turkey and Pork. For stuffing, combine 1 cup ground raw turkey breast and ½ cup ground raw pork. Season with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Sear rolls in oil, then simmer in dry white wine and serve sprinkled with dill.

Veal Birds with Tongue and Horseradish. Spread each slice of veal with horseradish blended with softened butter and top with a paper-thin slice of smoked tongue. Brown the rolls, add 1 teaspoon thyme and ⅔ cup veal or chicken stock. Simmer until tender. Remove rolls to a hot platter, add ¼ cup Madeira or sherry to the pan, and reduce over high heat. Pour over the veal birds and sprinkle with parsley.

Veal Birds Provençal. For stuffing, mix ½ pound well-seasoned sausage meat with ½ cup fresh bread crumbs, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon thyme, 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon cognac. Stuff rolls and brown in hot oil. Season. Add to pan 2 garlic cloves, 1 sliced onion, ½ teaspoon thyme, a sprig of parsley, and 1½ cups dry white wine. Cover and simmer until tender. Transfer rolls to a hot dish. Add to pan juices 2 tablespoons tomato purée, ¼ cup finely chopped onion, and 1 finely chopped garlic clove. Cook sauce down for 5 minutes, then add 30 pitted soft Italian black olives and ¼ cup chopped parsley. Return birds to pan and reheat in sauce. Serve birds around a platter of macaroni, and sprinkle with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Veal Birds Oregon. Sauté ½ cup chopped shallots in 6 tablespoons butter. Add 2 cups fresh bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons fresh dill, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add additional butter, if needed. Stuff the veal with this mixture, adding a slim finger of dill pickle with each roll. Cook as above. Deglaze the pan with ⅓ cup vodka and add ½ cup heavy cream.

“Minced” Veal with Cream

Another way of treating veal, popular in Switzerland, is to cut it into thin julienne strips and sauté: an easy quick dish when you don’t have much time to prepare dinner. It’s called émincé, which means “minced”—even though the meat is not chopped. Serve with sautéed or roesti potatoes (see page 171) or with rice.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound boneless veal cutlet, cut in strips 1 inch wide and 2 inches long

Flour

4 tablespoons clarified butter

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup dry white wine

⅔ cup cream, sour cream or yogurt

Roll the veal strips in flour, and sauté in the butter over rather high heat till just cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste and remove to a hot platter. Add the wine to the pan and deglaze over high heat, then stir in the cream and let it cook down for a minute or two. If using sour cream or yogurt, be certain not to let the sauce boil. Return veal to sauce just long enough to heat through and serve immediately.

Veal Strips with Onion and Mushrooms. Separately sauté 1 chopped medium-size onion and 6 sliced mushrooms in butter. Add to the sauce and heat through with the veal.

Veal Strips with Mustard Sauce. After deglazing the pan, stir 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard into the pan juices before adding the cream. Serve with a sprinkling of capers.

Sautéed Veal Chops with Cream

Young, tender loin veal chops cut ¾ to 1 inch thick can be sautéed as well as broiled. They take the same length of time—5 minutes a side. The meat will be moist and flavorful, with just a slight pinkness inside.

Makes 4 servings

4 veal chops, ¾ to 1 inch thick

½ cup flour

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Sautéed potatoes (see page 171)

4 steamed leeks (see page 153)

¼ cup dry sherry

1 cup heavy cream

2 egg yolks

Dip the chops in flour, brushing off any excess. Heat the butter in a heavy skillet, preferably iron, large enough to accommodate the chops in one layer. When bubbling, add the chops and brown quickly on each side over high heat. Reduce the heat and continue cooking until done, about 5 minutes a side for the total cooking time. Season with salt and pepper and arrange the sautéed chops on a bed of crisp, golden sautéed potatoes on a hot platter. Top each chop with a steamed leek.

Deglaze the skillet with the sherry, then beat the cream and egg yolks together and stir into the pan juices. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens, but do not let it come to a boil or the eggs will curdle. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over the chops.

Veal Chops with Onion Sauce. Before sautéing the chops, heat 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in a skillet, add 1½ cups finely chopped onion, cover, and steam over low heat until soft and juicy. Strain 3 tablespoons of the butter-onion liquid into a saucepan. Blend in 3 tablespoons flour, and cook, stirring, to make a roux. Mix in ⅔ cup heavy cream, cook until thick, then set aside. Purée the steamed onions and their liquid in a blender or a food processor, or by putting them through a food mill. Mix into the sauce in the pan, and cook over medium heat until well mixed and thickened. Add ⅔ cup grated Gruyère cheese and stir until melted into the sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Sauté chops and put in a baking dish, pour the onion sauce over them, sprinkle the top with a little grated Gruyère cheese, and put under a preheated broiler until the cheese is melted and the top is glazed.

Veal Chops with Hearts of Palm. While the chops are being sautéed, heat 4 canned hearts of palm in 3 tablespoons unsalted butter over low heat. Remove the cooked chops to a heated platter. Rinse the skillet with 2 tablespoons dark rum and ½ cup port, then gradually add ½ cup heavy cream and cook until the sauce is reduced a little. Turn off the heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons purée of foie gras or liver pâté, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chops covered with the sauce, and garnish each one with a heart of palm.

Veal Chops with Mushrooms. Follow the preceding recipe, but use sliced mushroom caps, sautéed in butter, instead of hearts of palm, and rinse the pan with ½ cup dry white wine and 1 tablespoon cognac.

Broiled Veal Chops

Veal chops can be broiled, provided they are lubricated with olive oil and not overcooked. They should be pleasantly brown on the outside, but still juicily pink inside. I usually leave them at room temperature for an hour before cooking.

Makes 6 servings

6 loin veal chops, cut ¾ to 1 inch thick

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon crumbled dried tarragon

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Brush the chops on one side with oil and rub them with a little tarragon. Arrange them on the rack of a broiling pan and broil, about 3 inches from the heat, for 5 minutes, then brush with a little more oil. Turn the chops, brush the second side with oil, sprinkle with tarragon, and broil for an additional 5 minutes. Season the chops with salt and pepper to taste.

Paillard of Veal

A paillard is a slice cut from the leg, like scaloppine, but instead of being sautéed, after pounding it is quickly broiled close to the heat. It won’t brown, but it will become pleasantly crisp around the edges. This has become the dieter’s delight, as it has no fat and needs no seasoning apart from a squeeze of lemon juice. The veal must be of excellent quality and carefully cut, with no tendons to make it curl up, so seek out a good butcher. When fresh asparagus is in season, I like a mound of cooked asparagus to munch on with my paillard.

Makes 4 servings

4 slices veal from the leg, about 2 inches in size, pounded until 4 to 5 inches in diameter

About ¼ cup melted butter

Lemon

Brush the slices lightly with butter, arrange on the broiler rack, and broil about 3 inches from the heat, brushing frequently with butter and turning twice, for no more than 3 minutes’ total cooking time. Serve with lemon, to be squeezed on the meat.

Roast Breast of Veal

Most people stuff and braise breast of veal, but I’ve found that it is absolutely delicious roasted until crisp and carved like a flank steak, with the little bones reserved for munching. If you want to flavor it with an herb, tarragon would be my choice, but frankly I think good veal needs no seasoning other than a little garlic.

Makes 6 servings

5- to 6-pound breast of veal

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon crushed dried tarragon (optional)

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Rub the veal with the oil, then with the chopped garlic and the tarragon (if desired). Place veal on the rack of a broiling pan, and broil approximately 4 inches from the heat until veal is nicely browned—about 20 to 22 minutes. Drape foil over the pan and roast in a 400° oven for about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and carve the meat from the bones on the diagonal in medium-thick slices, removing only the top meat. Cut the bones apart and serve with the sliced meat.

Veal en Daube

Although in Provence a daube is usually made with beef or lamb, there is in the region of the Dordogne a delicious daube made with veal. Serve with a purée of chestnuts or celery root and potato, and a salad of endive and julienne beets.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

3- to 3½-pound shoulder of veal

4 cloves garlic, cut in slivers

6 tablespoons goose fat or olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

½ cup cognac

2 pig’s feet, split lengthwise

1 teaspoon sugar

12 small white onions

2 tomatoes, peeled and seeded

3 shallots

4 carrots, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons butter

1 sprig parsley

1 teaspoon thyme

1 rib celery

1 cup veal or chicken broth

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Beurre manié (optional; see page 536)

GARNISH: Chopped parsley

Make incisions in the veal with the point of a small knife and insert the garlic slivers. Brown the meat on all sides in the goose fat or oil in a deep braising pan. Add the wine, cognac, and pig’s feet. Sprinkle the veal with the sugar and add the onions, tomatoes, and shallots. Sauté the carrots in the butter for a few minutes, then add to the veal with the parsley, thyme, celery, and broth. Season well with salt and pepper and simmer, covered, over low heat for 3 hours, or until veal is tender. Transfer veal to a hot platter. Reduce the sauce over high heat. If you wish, thicken it further with beurre manié. Correct the seasoning. Slice the veal, surround with the vegetables and sauce and garnish with parsley.

Braised Veal Shanks with Tomatoes and Sausages

Known in France as ronchys de veau, this is an old dish, seldom seen nowadays, that is somewhat reminiscent of the popular Italian ossi buchi. Both are made with pieces of the veal shank with bone and marrow left in. Serve with rice and a good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings

12 pieces of veal shank, cut about 2 to 2½ inches long

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

6 very large ripe tomatoes, peeled, halved, and seeded

2 cups dry white wine

½ cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1½ teaspoons dry basil

3 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)

24 small pork sausages

Season the veal shanks well with salt and pepper and sauté in the butter and oil until browned on all sides. Stand shanks upright in pan, top each one with half a tomato and add the white wine. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, then add the parsley and basil. Simmer over very low heat, covered, for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and the sauce well blended. If the tomatoes used are not very ripe, add the tomato paste for the last 20 minutes of cooking time to give a rich flavor. Poach the sausages in water to cover until they reach the boiling point. Simmer for 5 minutes, drain well, and add to the veal shanks for the last 10 minutes of cooking time.

Veal Ragout

A simple veal ragout or stew is a great delicacy unless subjected to overcooking, a common habit of many stew makers. Somehow the idea took root that if long cooking is good, longer cooking must be better. This is not the case with a delicate meat like veal. Even the less tender sections are not tough enough to warrant very lengthy cooking. Noodles or rice go well with veal stew.

Makes 6 servings

2½ to 3 pounds veal leg or shoulder cut in 1½-inch cubes (or riblets cut from the breast)

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 medium-size onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 to 1½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes

2 green peppers, broiled, peeled, seeded, and cut in strips

¾ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or

1½ teaspoons dried basil

¾ cup pitted soft black Italian olives

GARNISH: Finely chopped parsley

Brown the veal in the butter and oil, season with salt and pepper, and add the onion, garlic, plum tomatoes, green pepper strips, white wine, and basil. Simmer, covered, for 1 to 1½ hours, or until tender (supermarket veal may need another 30 minutes), then add the olives and let the sauce reduce, uncovered, for 3 to 4 minutes. Correct the seasoning, remove meat to a platter, and reduce the sauce over brisk heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Pour over the veal and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Ossi Buchi

Makes 4 servings

8 veal shanks with marrow

6 tablespoons butter

1½ cups dry white wine

1½ cups tomatoes (either chopped fresh or canned Italian plum tomatoes)

1½ cups stock

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

GREMOLATA

2 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped

⅔ cup chopped parsley

1 lemon

Tie each veal shank with string so as to keep the marrow intact. Melt the butter and sauté the shanks, turning once. Stand them upright in the pan. Add the white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan and simmer the shanks for 1½ to 2 hours, or until tender.

Chop the garlic and parsley together well. Grate the zest of the lemon and combine well with the parsley mixture.

Place the veal shanks on a serving platter, spoon the sauce over them, and sprinkle with the gremolata. Serve with risotto (see page 291).

Ossi Buchi with Prosciutto and Black Olives. After cooling the shanks, add 1 cup julienne-cut prosciutto and 1 cup soft black olives, and heat through. Serve shanks with the sauce and sprinkle with gremolata.

Pork

Pork happens to be my favorite meat. I like every cut, from the fancy loin to the humble hock, and I like to make my own sausage: an easy job with the processor, and fun, because there are so many ways to vary it. The basic recipe here has three variations, and can be used for either link or country sausage. But note that I don’t scorn store sausage. It turns up as an additive all around in this book, and in the Appetizer chapter I’ve given a recipe that is delightful for big parties. Pork in any form, I have always felt, belongs at more parties. Maybe because it’s relatively inexpensive, people didn’t use to think it was fancy enough. But now that the cook’s taste and skill have chased “conspicuous consumption” right off the stage, pork is coming into its own.

I’m giving you recipes for the old favorites I love, but many, like the roast loin, have some pretty sophisticated variations and flavor surprises. Variety is the charm of pork cookery, for the meat is good hot or at room temperature, has a good dense texture which responds to many methods, and its rich but mellow and unassertive flavor takes well to a wonderful range of combinations, pickley, nutty, aromatic, fruity, winy, and more. And it isn’t “heavy” in the least; actually a fine pork loin is no richer than a beef loin. Pork fat is exquisite anyway, and so delicate that it’s the choicest kind for enriching other meats. (Use fresh pork fat in thin slices for barding, or in matchstick shapes for larding; if you can’t get it and must use bacon or salt pork, blanch it first.) I love cured pork, either salted or smoked, and there’s a recipe here for smoked loin and several for ham (with a dissertation on country hams in the Concordance); but I urge you to try a pork leg fresh as well as cured. The recipe has many variations, serves lots of people, and is excellent cold. Not too cold.

And speaking of temperature, the most important thing I have to say about pork is this: cook it to 160° or 170° of interior temperature, and thus have it ivory-pale, not gray, and juicy, not stringy. The old insistence on 185° to 190° was due to the fear of the trichinae sometimes (rarely nowadays) found in pork; but it has been conclusively proven that they are killed off at 150°, so it is absolutely ridiculous to cremate this good meat.

Roast Loin of Pork

Makes 6 servings

5-pound pork loin, trimmed and tied

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup chicken (see page 529) or veal stock

Rub the loin well with salt, pepper, and thyme. Place fat side up on a rack in a roasting pan and roast in a 425° oven for 25 to 30 minutes a pound, until the internal temperature registers 160° on a meat thermometer. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Skim off excess fat from the roasting pan, add 1 cup hot chicken or veal stock and let the mixture come to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes and serve with the pork. A potato purée and sautéed apple slices are good with pork.

Roast Pork Loin with Garlic. Insert 2 or 3 slivered garlic cloves in the meat before rubbing it with seasonings. Halfway through the roasting, baste with red wine and continue basting until cooked. Serve with sautéed onions and tiny new potatoes.

Roast Pork Loin Flambé. Roast as for Roast Pork Loin with Garlic. When cooked, remove to a hot platter and flame with ¼ cup warmed cognac. Skim excess fat from pan juices and serve as a sauce.

Roast Pork Loin with Rosemary. Rub the loin with garlic, salt, and rosemary, pressing the seasoning well into the meat. Put a few rosemary leaves or sprigs in the roasting pan. When the roast is done, remove it to a hot platter and skim the excess fat from the pan juices. Add ¼ cup dry white wine and ½ cup heavy cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook and blend for a few minutes and serve with the roast. With this have roast potatoes and spinach dressed with oil and lemon juice, or a purée of spinach.

Roast Pork Loin Marinated Oriental Style. Rub the loin with garlic. In a bowl, make a marinade with ⅔ cup Japanese soy sauce, ⅔ cup dry sherry, 2 or 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger. Turn roast in the marinade and marinate for 3 to 4 hours, turning frequently. During roasting, baste frequently with the marinade. Serve with broiled pineapple and a barley casserole (see page 295).

Roast Marinated and Glazed Pork Loin. Have the loin boned and tied. Rub well with dry mustard and thyme. Marinate as above, and roast. Melt 8 ounces of apple or currant jelly and add a tablespoon of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons dry sherry. Cook down for a minute or two, stirring contantly. When the loin is done, remove it from the oven and spoon this glaze over it. Cool at room temperature. Serve cool, but not chilled, with applesauce mixed with horseradish to taste, and a rice salad (see page 96).

Orange-Glazed Roast Pork Loin. Insert garlic slivers in the loin and rub with salt and crushed rosemary; roast. Halfway through the roasting time, baste with thawed, undiluted concentrated orange juice. Roast 30 minutes more and then spread the pork with bitter-orange marmalade. Roast 30 minutes, baste again with concentrated orange juice, and spread with more marmalade. Roast until done. Transfer the pork to a serving platter, skim fat from the pan juices, and combine with 1 cup orange sections and ½ cup fresh orange juice. Season to taste. Serve the roast loin with this orange sauce, a purée of yams or parsnips and a chicory or endive salad.

Pork Loin Roasted with Green Peppercorn Butter. Have the loin of pork boned and tied. Crush 1⅓ tablespoons fresh green peppercorns in a mortar and pestle with 1 garlic clove and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Work in ½ cup sweet butter and, when thoroughly mixed, a scant teaspoon salt. With your fingers push this green peppercorn butter into the spaces where the meat is tied together, and spread a thin layer of the butter over the top of the roast. After roasting, remove from the pan and spread more butter on top. Leave at room temperature until tepid. Serve at this temperature with a French potato salad dressed with oil and vinegar.

Pork Loin Roasted with Coriander and Fennel. Rub the loin with ground sage, ground coriander, allspice, and freshly ground black pepper, and run a dried fennel stalk through the length of the meat (pierce a hole first with a larding needle or heavy skewer). When roasted, remove from the pan, add 4 tablespoons flour to make a roux and cook over medium heat, gradually stirring in 1 cup veal or chicken stock until thickened. Add ½ to 1 cup heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. If available, add a little chopped fresh coriander to the sauce. Serve with roesti potatoes (see page 171).

Prune-Stuffed Roast Pork Loin. Soak 2 pounds large pitted prunes in 1 cup dry sherry for 12 hours. Make 2 long incisions in the fleshiest part of the meat, almost to the bone. Stuff incisions with prunes, pressing them in with the handle of a wooden spoon. Reshape roast and tie with string. Rub with salt and roast, basting occasionally with pan juices mixed with sherry from soaked prunes. Serve with buttered noodles and a sauerkraut salad (see page 92).

Prune-Stuffed Roast Pork Loin with Potatoes and Onions. Roast as above, adding parboiled small white onions and potatoes to the pan for the last hour of cooking time. Skim fat from pan juices. Thicken juices with flour and stir in heavy cream to make a sauce.

Crown Roast of Pork

A spectacular and festive roast for the holidays or a dinner party. The crown is made with 2 rib ends of the loin, tied together, or with the center cuts or the entire loin, according to how many people you wish to serve. Two chops from the crown roast are an ample serving. When the butcher ties the loin, he will scrape the ends of the bones (keep the scraps; they can be used for stock). Cover the exposed rib ends with aluminum foil to prevent them from charring.

Rub the meat well with sage, thyme, and garlic, or with pepper and rosemary. Fill the center of the roast with crumpled foil. Roast on a rack in a large pan in a 325° oven, allowing 25 minutes per pound, until the internal temperature reaches 150° to 155° (test by inserting a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bone). Baste frequently with the pan juices and dry white wine or wine and melted butter.

When the meat is cooked, replace the foil on the bone ends with paper frills, if you wish. Remove the foil from the center and fill with sauerkraut, cooked for 1 hour in dry white wine or chicken stock with juniper berries and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with thin slices of poached garlic sausage.

Carve the roast into chops and serve 1 or 2 to a person, with some of the stuffing from the center. A salad of Bibb lettuce or endive with julienne strips of beet is good with this and, if the stuffing is not a starchy one, boiled parsleyed potatoes or a purée of potatoes or potatoes and celery root.

Variations. Fill the center of the crown roast with any of the following combinations:

Buttered homemade noodles, mixed with sliced, sautéed mushrooms.

Rice mixed with peas and parsley.

Braised Brussels sprouts, with or without chestnuts.

Sautéed lentils with onion, crisp pieces of bacon, and chopped parsley.

Sautéed mushroom caps.

Sautéed apple slices.

Chestnut purée with melted butter, seasoned with ground ginger and nutmeg.

Roast Smoked Loin of Pork

Smoked pork loin is a great delicacy. When buying, ask how much cooking it needs. Some types require 30 minutes a pound in a 300° oven, while others, which are hot smoked and more fully cooked, require little more than reheating, about 12 to 15 minutes a pound at most. Baste a smoked pork loin during roasting with dry white wine or sherry, and serve it with buttered new potatoes and sauerkraut.

Individual chops or double chops may be braised or broiled and served forth with braised red cabbage or sauerkraut. The thick chops may be pocketed and stuffed with any favorite stuffing.

Roast Pork Leg or Fresh Ham with Burgundian Mustard

The pork leg or fresh ham is another versatile pork cut that can be cooked either boned or bone in. A whole ham, which can run from 8 to 16 pounds or more, is an excellent roast for a holiday dinner or a large dinner party. For a smaller roast, buy a half ham. If you can find a butcher who will leave the skin on and score it, you’ll have an extra treat with the lovely crisp crackling to chew on. Slow cooking at 300° to 325° is best for this large piece of meat. If the skin is left on, crispen it by increasing the heat to 425° for the last 20 minutes, basting it well with the pan drippings. Like the loin, the roast leg is wonderful cold, but not ice cold. Take it from the refrigerator an hour or two before serving.

Makes 12 or more servings

12-pound leg of pork

Crushed herb (sage, thyme, or summer savory)

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Crushed garlic

BURGUNDIAN MUSTARD

1 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely chopped sour pickle

1 tablespoon finely chopped sweet pickle

1 teaspoon cognac

Rub the meat well with the herb, salt, pepper, and garlic. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast in a 300° to 325° oven for about 25 minutes a pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 150° to 155° on a meat thermometer. Unless the skin has been left on the ham, there is no need to baste, as the layer of fat provides sufficient lubrication. Remove the roast to a hot platter and let rest 15 minutes before carving in fairly thin slices.

For the Burgundian mustard, blend ingredients thoroughly. Serve with the ham. A potato purée and sautéed apple slices are good with roast leg.

Roast Pork Leg, Norman Style. Rub the meat with nutmeg, salt, pepper, and a touch of ground ginger. Roast, basting with warmed sweet cider for flavor. Remove the cooked leg to a heatproof platter and flame with ⅓ cup warmed Calvados or applejack. Skim excess fat from pan juices, and thicken over low heat with 4 egg yolks beaten with 1 cup heavy cream (do not allow to boil). Correct seasoning and serve with the pork, buttered noodles, and horseradish applesauce, prepared by combining ⅔ cup freshly grated horseradish, or to taste, with 3 cups applesauce.

Drunken Pork. Have the leg boned and tied. Put in a deep bowl with the following marinade: 4 crushed garlic cloves, 3 small chopped onions, 1 teaspoon basil, and red wine to cover. Leave for 5 to 6 days, turning once a day. Remove meat and dry. Make several gashes in the pork and stud with pine nuts and slivers of garlic. Rub with salt, and roast. Reduce strained marinade to 1½ cups by rapid boiling. Thicken with brown sauce or beurre manié. Rice pilaf or polenta and braised onion slices are good accompaniments.

Pork to Taste Like Wild Boar. Rub the pork with a mixture of 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, 12 crushed peppercorns, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves. Place in a deep bowl with 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 bay leaf, 2 strips orange zest, and red wine to cover. Marinate 5 to 6 days, turning each day. Remove and dry meat and rub with oil. Put in a roasting pan (not on a rack) and roast, basting with the strained marinade. Remove pork to a hot platter. Skim excess fat from pan juices. Add juices to remaining marinade and cook down to 2 cups. Thicken with beurre manié. Serve as a sauce for the pork, with the same accompaniments as Drunken Pork.

Italian Boned Stuffed Pork. Stuff the ham cavity with Italian parsley, 3 or 4 chopped cloves of garlic, chopped fresh or dried basil, and a touch of sage or thyme. Tie firmly. Rub with salt and pepper. Roast on a rack in a shallow pan, basting with warmed dry white wine every 30 minutes. Remove cooked pork to a hot platter. Skim fat from the pan juices, add 1 cup dry white wine, and bring to a boil. Reduce slightly, then add chopped chives and parsley, and serve as a sauce for the pork with puréed potatoes and broccoli sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Roast Shoulder of Pork with Apples and Onions

A boned shoulder of pork makes a pleasant roast that slices easily. This coriander-flavored pork is wonderful cold. Serve with vegetables vinaigrette and French bread.

Makes 8 servines

4- to 5-pound boned, tied shoulder of pork

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon thyme

6 to 8 medium-size onions, peeled and parboiled

8 cooking apples, cored

½ cup raisins

¼ cup chopped walnuts

8 tablespoons sugar

8 tablespoons butter

½ cup melted butter mixed with 3 tablespoons sugar

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

Rub the shoulder well with coriander and thyme. Arrange on a rack in a roasting pan and roast in a 325° oven, allowing 25 to 30 minutes per pound. After 1¼ hours, add the onions to the pan and baste with the pan juices. Test the temperature frequently until it reaches 150° to 155°.

Remove a center band of skin from each of the cored apples. Stuff apples with the mixed raisins, nuts, sugar, and butter. Put them in a baking dish, add ½ cup water, and bake in the oven with the pork until they are just tender, basting occasionally with the melted-butter-sugar mixture.

Salt and pepper the pork well and remove it from the oven when done to 150° to 155°. Allow to rest on a hot platter for 10 minutes before carving. Drain the onions and arrange them around the meat. Serve the apples separately. Skim the excess fat from the juices in the roasting pan and combine the juices and cream. Bring to the boiling point and cook down for several minutes. Season to taste and serve with the pork.

Roast Suckling Pig with Pistachio-Rice Stuffing

A spectacular roast for a holiday party. Suckling pigs may be bought most easily around Christmas, but if you order far enough ahead you can get them during the summer months and spit-roast them over charcoal.

Try to get the smallest pig possible, about 12 to 14 pounds. Take out your tape measure and see whether it will fit into the oven—this is vital. If you can’t get a pig of a size to fit your oven, forget it! For oven roasting, the pig should rest on a rack in a fairly shallow pan. It is nice to stuff the pig, but since the meat is so rich, the stuffing must not be too rich.

I’ve been battling for a long time about the way roast suckling pig is usually served. I’m against the rather pagan way people have of decorating them. I feel that a roast suckling pig can be a beautiful sight without the silly embellishments. There is nothing wrong with simply garnishing it with masses of parsley or watercress or with roasted apples and onions. One really needn’t make a caricature of the poor beast.

Makes 12 to 14 servings

STUFFING

¼ pound unsalted butter

1 cup chopped shallots

6 cups cooked rice

½ cup pistachio nuts

½ cup finely chopped parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12- to 14-pound suckling pig, cleaned (reserve liver, heart, and kidneys)

Olive oil

SAUCE

2 to 3 cups chicken broth

¼ cup finely chopped shallots

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup heavy cream

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

GARNISH: Watercress, parsley, or roasted apples and onions

To prepare this stuffing, melt butter in a large heavy skillet and sauté shallots until limp. Add rice, pistachios, and parsley. Toss well to mix. Season with salt and pepper. If mixture seems dry, melt 4 to 6 tablespoons butter and mix in to moisten. Taste the stuffing and correct the seasoning, if necessary.

Stuff the pig rather loosely and sew the cavity up or clamp it securely. Arrange pig on a rack in a roasting pan and rub well with olive oil. Roast in a 350° oven, basting or brushing occasionally with olive oil, for about 3½ to 4 hours, or to an internal temperature of 155° to 160° (insert meat thermometer into thickest part of leg and loin, not touching the bone).

While the pig is roasting, cook the liver, heart, and kidneys in chicken broth to cover, over medium heat, until just tender. Remove and chop fine; reserve broth. Sauté shallots in butter, add flour, and blend well. Gradually stir in the reserved broth and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes. Add heavy cream and chopped innards, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer sauce over very low heat for 10 minutes.

Remove the pig to a carving board and garnish with watercress or parsley or roasted apples and onions. To carve, first remove and slice the small hams, then cut down the backbone and remove the head. Carve the rib and loin sections into chops. Serve some of each kind of meat with the stuffing, sauce, the apples and onions. If you do not serve the apple and onion garnish, an orange and onion salad would be good.

Roast Suckling Pig with Aïoli. In Spain, especially in Barcelona, roast suckling pig is served with an aïoli (see page 203), which, of course, gives it an entirely new dimension, and I find I like it very much.

Pork Chops

The loin and rib chops are the best cuts, and of these the loin chops, with a bit of the tenderloin included, are the choicest. Broiling is not very successful, as it tends to dry out and toughen the meat. Chops sautéed or baked in any of the following ways are much more succulent and delicious. Allow 1 large or 2 small chops per serving.

Sautéed Pork Chops with Onions

Makes 4 servings

4 loin or rib chops, 1 to 1½ inches thick

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

3 large onions, thinly sliced

⅓ cup Madeira or dry sherry

Brown the chops well on both sides in a large, heavy skillet in 2 tablespoons butter and the oil, cooking them for 3 to 4 minutes a side. Season with salt and pepper, remove to a hot platter, and keep warm. Add the rest of the butter to the pan and brown the onions lightly, turning them often so they don’t stick or burn. Return the chops to the pan and arrange the onions on top of them. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the wine and simmer another 10 minutes, or until chops are tender.

Sautéed Pork Chops with Mushrooms. Lightly flour the chops and brown on both sides in butter and oil. Season with salt and pepper, add ½ cup dry white wine, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until tender, turning once. Meanwhile, sauté 1 pound small mushroom caps in 4 tablespoons butter in another skillet. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour, stir in ¾ cup heavy cream, and cook, stirring, until lightly thickened. Transfer the chops to a hot platter and spoon the mushrooms over them.

Pork Chops Mexican Style. Brown the chops in oil. Pour off excess fat, reduce heat, add 1 chopped medium-size onion and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, and sauté until soft. Season with 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Add 1 cup tomato sauce, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover, add 2 tablespoons chili powder, turn the chops, and simmer uncovered 10 minutes, or until tender.

Transfer chops to a hot platter. Bring sauce to a boil and pour over chops. Garnish with chopped canned peeled green chilies and chopped cilantro or parsley.

Pork Chops Charcutière. Brown the chops in butter. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook 10 minutes over low heat. Remove to a hot platter. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan, sauté 1 finely chopped onion and 1 finely chopped garlic clove until soft. Add ½ cup dry white wine and cook down to ¼ cup. Mix in 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons tomato purée or tomato sauce, and ½ cup brown sauce (you may use the Quick Brown Sauce, page 533). Correct seasoning, add the chops, and simmer 10 minutes, or until tender. Add ¼ cup thinly sliced cornichons and heat through. Transfer chops to a serving platter and spoon sauce over them. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Sautéed Pork Chops with Sauerkraut. In a good-size skillet fry 4 rather thick slices bacon. Remove to absorbent paper to drain. Brown 4 thick pork chops in 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Return the bacon to the skillet, add 1 medium-size onion, thinly sliced, and 1½ pounds washed sauerkraut, being sure the chops are well covered with the kraut. Add 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and enough beer barely to cover all. Cover the skillet, bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with boiled potatoes.

To add an unusual touch, sprinkle the chops and sauerkraut with ¾ cup shredded Gruyère cheese during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Stuffed Pork Chops

I think stuffed pork chops must be American in origin, for I have never encountered them in any other country. And delicious they are! Savory and satisfying.

For stuffing, you need loin or rib chops 2 inches thick, with a deep pocket cut in the fat edge, toward the bone.

Makes 6 servings

6 pork chops, 2 inches thick

STUFFING

1 medium-size onion, finely chopped

4 tablespoons butter

1 celery rib, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup finely chopped mushrooms

1 teaspoon thyme or rosemary, crumbled or pounded in a small mortar

1¼ cups dry bread crumbs

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

FOR SAUTÉING AND SAUCE

3 tablespoons oil

1 cup heavy cream

With a sharp knife, cut a pocket in the fat edge of each chop, about 1½ inches long and deep enough to touch the bone.

To make the stuffing, sauté the onion in butter until limp, add the celery, garlic, mushrooms, and herb, and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs, parsley, salt, and pepper, and blend thoroughly. Taste for seasoning. The mixture should be fairly dry. Stuff the pocket of each chop with the mixture, and fasten the openings with small skewers or toothpicks.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet with a tight-fitting lid, large enough to hold the chops in one layer. Brown chops on both sides. Add just enough boiling water to cover the bottom of the pan, cover skillet, lower heat, and simmer gently for 25 minutes, then turn the chops, replace the lid, and simmer 10 to 20 minutes longer, until tender but not dry. If the skillet has an ovenproof handle, the chops can be cooked in a 550° oven for the same length of time. When done, transfer chops to a hot platter and keep warm.

Skim excess fat from pan juices, add the cream, and let it cook down to thicken slightly. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary, then spoon sauce over the chops.

NOTE: Dry white wine or stock may be used instead of water.

Onion and Herb Stuffing. Blend 2½ cups finely chopped onion, ½ cup bread crumbs, ¼ cup chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, ¼ cup melted butter, 1 egg, salt and pepper to taste.

Pork and Onion Stuffing. Sauté ½ cup ground pork and ½ cup ground onion in 4 tablespoons butter until cooked through. Mix with ½ cup bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Pork and Sauerkraut Goulash

This very different version of the classic Middle European goulash combines pork and sauerkraut. Buttered noodles or spatzle (see page 288) go well with this.

Makes 6 servings

3 pounds lean pork shoulder, cut in 1½-inch cubes

4 tablespoons rendered pork fat or olive oil

3 large onions, chopped

1 tablespoon Hungarian rose paprika

2 green peppers, peeled, seeded, and cut in thin strips

½ bay leaf

1 cup water or stock (veal or chicken)

1½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes

2 pounds sauerkraut, well rinsed and drained

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sour cream or yogurt

Sauté the meat in a heavy skillet in the pork fat until lightly browned. Add the onions and paprika and sauté until the onions are limp, then add the green peppers, bay leaf, water or stock, tomatoes, and sauerkraut. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Season to taste (with the sauerkraut you will not need much salt, if any). Serve very hot with sour cream or yogurt spooned over the goulash.

Pork and Veal Goulash. Use half pork, half shoulder of veal.

Sometimes sour cream or yogurt is folded into the goulash and it is heated through without allowing it to boil.

NOTE: A few caraway seeds may be added to the goulash.

Baked Spareribs with Sauerkraut, Apples, and Potatoes

While spareribs have a lot of bone (count on at least 1 pound per serving), they are an inexpensive cut and go further if cooked or served with other ingredients. For this dish, buy the country spareribs, or back ribs, which have more meat on them than the regular kind.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 sides (4 pounds) country spareribs

3 to 4 pounds sauerkraut, well rinsed and drained

2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 to 2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place one side of spareribs in a lightly buttered baking pan, fat side down. Layer sauerkraut, apples, and potatoes on top, sprinkling the layers with caraway seeds. Season with pepper. Top with second side of ribs and press down onto sauerkraut mixture. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour, then remove foil and bake 1 hour more, or until brown and tender.

With Onions. Slice 2 large onions and layer with sauerkraut, apples, and potatoes.

With Dill. Substitute 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill for the caraway seeds.

Plain Roasted Spareribs. Split 1 or 2 sides of spareribs down the middle and sprinkle liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the ribs on the rack of a broiling pan and roast for 30 minutes at 350°. Turn the ribs and bake 30 minutes longer. Serve with braised Brussels sprouts.

Pigs’ Feet St. Menehould

Although you may find it takes a bit of work to eat these delicious morsels, they are well worth it. When eating them, one must remove all the little foot bones to get at the edible parts. However, if you like foods that are gelatinous to the bite, you will love these. They are crisp and delicious and go well with crisp French fries.

Makes 4 servings

4 large or 8 small meaty pigs’ feet

COURT BOUILLON

2 cups water

2 cups dry white wine

1 onion stuck with 2 cloves

1 carrot

1 celery rib

1 bay leaf

2 or 3 cloves garlic

A few leaves of sage

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

FOR BROILING THE FEET

2 to 3 cups toasted bread crumbs

⅓ cup melted butter or pork fat

Wash the feet well and wrap tightly in several thicknesses of cheesecloth, muslin, or an old pillowcase, which prevents the skin from breaking as they cook. Tie securely. Bring the court bouillon ingredients to a boil in a large pan, add the feet, and simmer until very tender, about 2½ to 3½ hours. Cool in the bouillon.

Remove wrappings, roll the feet in toasted crumbs, dribble melted butter or fat over them, and brown either under the broiler, 5 inches from the heat, or in a 475° oven, turning them several times, until brown and crisp. Serve with a well-flavored vinaigrette sauce or a sauce diable (see page 74 or 533), French-fried potatoes and a bowl of watercress.

Pickled Pigs’ Feet. Have the feet split. Wrap and cook in the court bouillon; remove. When cool enough to handle, discard wrappings and place feet in a jar with 2 sliced onions, salt and pepper to taste. Heat enough white wine vinegar or cider vinegar to cover the feet. Pour over feet and refrigerate several days before eating.

Jellied Pigs’ Feet. For this dish, it is not necessary to wrap the feet. Simmer them in the court bouillon until tender, then remove. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard bones. Cut meat and slice in small pieces; place in a large casserole. Cook the broth down until reduced by one-third. Strain broth and ladle enough over the feet to cover. Cool, then chill until set. Slice and eat cold with pickles and salad.

Jellied Pigs’ Feet and Hocks. Cook pigs’ hocks in the court bouillon with the feet until tender, then follow preceding recipe.

Head Cheese

A very old traditional European recipe that has become part of the ethnic cooking patterns of this country through the German immigrants and French Canadians in New England. Delicious in summer or as part of an hors d’oeuvre selection.

Makes about 20 servings

1 pig’s head

3 pig’s feet

2 pigs’ tongues

Salt

COURT BOUILLON

2 onions

2 carrots

2 leeks

2 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 sprigs parsley

8 peppercorns, crushed

4 tablespoons wine vinegar

FOR THE JELLIED STOCK

2 cups dry white wine

Salt

Lemon juice to taste

2 pinches (about ¼ teaspoon) quatre épice seasoning (see page 536)

Have the head sawed into four by the butcher so it will fit into a large pan. Reserve the brain and cook as for calf’s brains (see page 449) for another meal. Soak the head in water to cover with 1 tablespoon salt for 2 hours. Then discard the water, put all the court bouillon ingredients in a pan with the head and the pig’s feet, tightly wrapped in cheesecloth, according to directions on page 429. The pig’s feet are to add gelatin to the stock, and after cooking they may be used in any of the ways recommended for pig’s feet (see page 430). Add fresh water to cover and bring slowly to a boil. Skim off the scum, cover pan tightly with the lid, and simmer as gently as possible for 5 hours. The meat is cooked when it drops easily from the bone. Meanwhile, cook the tongues separately in salted water or court bouillon according to directions for beef tongue on page 456, for about 45 to 50 minutes or until tender.

Drain the head and feet and measure the liquid. Put 6 cups of strained liquid in a pan with the white wine and boil down to 4 cups. Taste, then season with salt and lemon juice.

Pick out the meat from the head, discarding bones and vegetables. Chop the meat into small dice by hand or in a food processor (do not put through a meat grinder). Season the meat with the spice seasoning, add it to the reduced bouillon-wine mixture, and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Taste again for seasoning and put aside to cool. As it cools, taste again and adjust seasoning. Put a layer of chopped meat in two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans that have been rinsed with cold water. Arrange whole tongues on top, add another meat layer, then ladle in bouillon to cover the meat completely, and chill until set. To serve, unmold onto a platter and serve sliced rather thick, either plain or with sauce vinaigrette.

Roast Spareribs with Sautéed Lentils

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 sides (4 pounds) country spareribs

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 cups quick-cooking lentils

1 onion stuck with 2 cloves

1 bay leaf

½ pound slab bacon, cut into small dice

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup chopped parsley

Lay the spareribs on a rack in a broiling pan, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and roast in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. Turn, salt and pepper the other side, and roast for a further 30 minutes.

While the spareribs are roasting, cook the lentils. Put them in a saucepan with water to cover, the clove-stuck onion, and bay leaf. Simmer until just tender, about 25 to 30 minutes, adding a little salt after the first 15 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or they will become mushy. Drain well.

Cook the bacon in a heavy skillet until the fat is rendered, remove excess fat, add the chopped onion and garlic, and sauté lightly until just limp and golden. Add the drained lentils and toss well together, being careful not to break up the lentils. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper (you will probably not need salt) and the parsley. Serve with the spareribs.

Glazed Spareribs. Melt 1 cup orange marmalade and mix with 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Brush spareribs with mixture frequently during roasting, until well glazed. Serve with rice.

NOTE: If quick-cooking lentils are not available, use regular lentils and cook according to directions on the package.

Cecilia Chiang’s Red-Cooked Pork Shoulder

A very old Chinese dish which was prepared for me in her home by Cecilia Chiang, the owner of the Mandarin Restaurant on the West Coast. I like to serve this with rice and cooked mustard greens tossed with butter.

Makes 6 servings

1 whole pork shoulder, 5 to 6 pounds, bone and skin left on

¼ cup dry sherry

5 or 6 thin slices fresh ginger

1¼ cups soy sauce

⅓ cup sugar (preferably rock sugar)

Wash the pork and make a few slashes with a knife on the side of the meat where there is no skin to allow the sauce to penetrate more easily during the cooking. Place the pork in a heavy medium-sized pot and add enough water to cover. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, skim off all the scum, then add the dry sherry and the fresh ginger. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer the pork for 1 hour. Drain off one-third of the liquid and add the soy sauce to the pot. Simmer for another 1½ hours, then add the sugar (rock sugar will give the skin a more glazed appearance). Cook for a further 30 minutes, basting the skin often with the hot sauce. To test for tenderness, pierce the meat with a fork or chopstick. If it penetrates easily, the meat is done. If not, cook a little longer. Serve the shoulder and the sauce in a deep bowl and slice the meat thin. Serve with the sauce.

Braised Pigs’ Hocks

An inexpensive and much neglected part of the pig, the hocks are meaty, flavorful, with a luscious gelatinous texture. You will notice there is no salt in this recipe—the flavors of the meat, garlic, and vegetables come through with a kind of undisguised purity that is exciting to the palate. Try it this way, then add seasonings if you feel the dish needs them.

Makes 6 servings

6 meaty pigs’ hocks, washed

2 onions, sliced

12 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 rib fennel

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill

1½ cups dry white wine

Arrange the pigs’ hocks in a braising pan on a bed of the sliced onions, garlic, fennel, and dill. Pour over the white wine. Cover and braise in a 300° oven for 1½ hours, then reduce the heat to 250°, and cook for a further 1½ hours, or until tender. Serve with plain boiled potatoes or with crusty French bread and a salad.

Pigs’ Hocks with Sauerkraut. Braise the hocks with sauerkraut, enough white wine to cover the sauerkraut, and freshly ground black pepper. Omit the onions and fennel and add a few caraway seeds instead of the dill.

Marinated Pigs’ Hocks. The meat of cold hocks may be cut away from the bone and marinated in a good vinaigrette dressing, to which add 2 tablespoons chopped onion or shallot, 2 teaspoons capers, and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Marinate for several hours before serving.

Italian Sausage

I’ve often said that I’d be perfectly happy eating nothing but sausages, and I find making them almost as much fun. As it is becoming well-nigh impossible to get decent sausage meat these days, you’ll find it a satisfying and engrossing pursuit. There’s no end to the sausages you can make at home by experimenting with different mixtures of meat and seasonings, but probably the simplest and tastiest to start with are the Italian link sausages. I like the meat coarsely ground or chopped, so if you use a food processor, be careful not to grind the mixture too fine.

Makes 2 pounds

2 pounds pork with 30 percent fresh white pork fat (from the loin or belly, fatback, or leaf lard from the kidneys)

4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

2 teaspoons crushed dried basil

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1½ teaspoons crushed anise seed

Either grind the pork coarse in a meat grinder, chop it coarse by hand with a large, heavy chef’s knife, or use a food processor, turning it off and on quickly, so the meat isn’t reduced to mush. Mix the pork thoroughly with the seasonings, using your hands. To check for seasoning, form 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a tiny patty and sauté it in 1 tablespoon butter until thoroughly cooked through (never taste raw pork; it’s very dangerous), then taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

You can either form the sausage meat into cakes or force it loosely into casings for link sausages, using either natural hog intestines or the edible plastic kind. (Ask your local butcher where he buys his casings, or look in the yellow pages of the telephone directory under “Sausage Casings.”)

Casings, especially the natural ones which are sold packed in salt, should be cleaned before stuffing. Slip one end of the casing over the faucet and let cold water run through, then dry and cut the casings into lengths of 4 or 5 feet.

There are various ways to stuff the casings. If you own an electric meat grinder with a stuffing attachment, you can grind the meat and seasonings and fill the casings in one operation. Otherwise, you can use a commercial sausage stuffer (one type, sold by various kitchen shops across the country, is about 2½ feet long and resembles a huge hypodermic needle with a plunger for forcing the meat into the casings), a large funnel, or a pastry bag without a tube. Tie one open end of the casing tightly with string and slip the other end over the tube of the grinder, stuffer, or funnel, or the opening of the pastry bag.

You should gauge the amount of stuffing forced into the casing for each sausage so as to get an even shape and size. Force the meat mixture down toward the tied end with the plunger or by working it down with your hand, and when you have one complete sausage about 4 inches long, either twist the casing twice to make a separation, or tie it off firmly with thin white cotton string. Continue until you have used all your meat mixture, unless you want to save some for patties. Homemade sausages or patties can be kept for 3 months in the freezer.

Old-Fashioned Sausage. To the pork add 1 tablespoon salt, 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, and 2 teaspoons ground sage.

Hot Sausage. To the pork add 1 tablespoon salt, 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon crushed anise seed, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon crushed dried basil, and 3 or 4 good dashes Tabasco.

Pork and Veal Sausage. Combine the pork with 1 pound coarsely ground veal (leg or shoulder), 6 finely chopped shallots, 1½ teaspoons crushed fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper.

Link Sausages

To cook link sausages, prick the skins well with a fork, put in a skillet with water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and poach 1 minute. (This initial blanching draws out the excess fat and heats the sausages through so they take less time to cook.) Drain off the water and continue to cook over medium-low heat, or in a 350° oven, until brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Or prick the skins again and brown under the broiler.

Sausage Cakes

Form the sausage meat into 3-, 4-, or 5-ounce cakes, making them rather flat and round or oval. Broil slowly about 5 inches from the heat until cooked through and browned, or sauté in 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil until cooked through and lightly browned, turning frequently.

Broiled Sausage Balls

Mold the sausage meat into balls about 5 to 6 ounces each and wrap each one loosely in foil. Broil over charcoal or under the broiler, turning twice, for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through. To serve, split the balls in half and serve in the foil with sauce diable (see page 533), crisp French fries, and watercress.

Sausage en Brioche

I find that Italian cotechino or the garlic sausage from a French butcher shop is best for this dish. Failing these, you could use a Polish kielbasa or a bologna (this does not need cooking, just heating and skinning). Although this is usually served in French restaurants as a first course with a hot potato salad (see page 95), it is sufficiently hearty, with potato salad or Spicy Coleslaw (see page 91), to make a main course for lunch or supper. You can also make individual sausages in brioche, using knockwurst or large frankfurters.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 large garlic sausage, cotechino, or kielbasa

1 recipe Brioche Bread (see page 477) refrigerated for second rising

1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Poach the sausage in water to cover for 30 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin.

Remove the brioche dough from the refrigerator and punch it down, then turn out onto a floured board and roll out into a rectangle about ⅓ inch thick and large enough to envelop the sausage completely. Place the cooled, peeled sausage in the middle of the dough, fold each end of the dough over the ends of the sausage, then bring up the sides of the dough to overlap, forming a neat seam. (Do not cover the sausage too tightly; the dough should be slightly loose.) Press the seam to seal well.

Place the brioche-wrapped sausage on a buttered baking sheet, seam side down, and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°. Brush the surface of the risen dough with the egg mixture and bake in the center of the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and puffed. Remove from the oven and let stand a few minutes, then remove to a serving board by sliding two large spatulas under the brioche. Slice thick and serve with hot potato salad or coleslaw.

Sausage en Brioche with Mustard. Spread the surface of the dough with Dijon or German mustard before wrapping the sausage.

Ham

Baked Ham en Croûte

There are plenty of versions of ham en croûte, in puff pastry, in brioche dough, in a rich pastry crust—but this is something different, because after baking the ham you throw away the crust. It’s not a waste; the crust is merely intended to be a container and the Madeira in it gives flavor, juiciness, and delicate texture to the ham. This works well with country hams or the tenderized hams sold in supermarkets.

Makes 16 to 20 servings

1 ready-to-eat (fully cooked) ham or a country ham, about 10 to 12 pounds

1½ cups brown sugar

6 tablespoons Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon cinnamon or ground cloves (optional)

CRUST

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

4 ounces lard

1⅓ cups Madeira, port, or sherry (preferably Madeira)

If you are using aged country ham, soak it in clear water for 24 hours before baking. After soaking, scrape off any little spots of mold there may be on the ham. Supermarket hams do not need soaking. With a sharp knife, loosen the skin on the ham, run your fingers between skin and fat and pull off the skin. If there is an excess of fat, trim off a little, but not too much, as this helps keep the ham moist during baking. Mix the brown sugar and mustard to a paste, adding the cinnamon or cloves, if desired. Rub the paste well into the ham fat and let rest while making the crust.

Put the flour in a bowl with the salt and cut in the lard, or crumble it in with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Mix in the Madeira and just enough water to make a firm pastry, like a good pie crust. It must roll out easily and yet not be flimsy. Refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes, then roll it out about ¾ inch thick, following in free form the conical shape of the ham. Roll the pastry over the rolling pin, carefully lift it up, and drape it over the ham so it hangs down about two-thirds of the way around. Cup your hands around the ham, fitting the pastry around the shank end, and press it into the flesh. Then press pastry into sides of ham, all the way around. The top and two-thirds of the sides should be completely covered.

Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan and bake at 400° for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 325° and continue baking for a further 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, according to weight.

Remove the baked ham and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove the hard crust; you may have to crack it with a mallet and remove in 2 or 3 pieces. This is for a hot ham. If you wish to serve it cold, cool in the crust before removing the pastry. Serve hot with a spinach ring or timbale (see page 263), cold with potato salad, and have a variety of mustards and perhaps some freshly made cornbread.

Braised Ham Chablisienne

Most European recipes for hot ham call for the ham to be braised rather than baked. The ham is then often served with a sauce, for which the wine from the braising supplies part of the liquid. The ham may be braised on a mirepoix or bed of vegetables, or just with wine, either of which makes for moist and deliciously flavorful meat. Slice the ham fairly thin and accompany with tiny new potatoes, boiled and sprinkled with parsley, and salad with some spinach leaves in it. Leftover ham can be served cold, with a mustard mayonnaise (see page 76).

Makes 16 or more servings

4 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

1 rib celery, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

1 ready-to-eat 10-pound ham, skin removed

1 bottle French Chablis or similar very dry white wine

SAUCE

1 cup stock from the braised ham

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons tomato paste

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

Make a bed of the chopped vegetables, thyme, and bay leaf in a deep roasting or baking pan. Place the ham on the vegetables, fat side down. Add the Chablis. Cover the pan with foil and braise the ham in a 350° oven for 2 to 2½ hours.

Remove ham and keep warm while making the sauce. Pour off ham stock from the pan and remove excess fat. Measure 1 cup of the ham stock. Melt the butter in a saucepan, blend in the flour, and cook slightly, then stir in the ham stock and white wine, and cook, stirring, until thickened. Mix in the tomato paste and seasonings to taste. Beat the egg yolks and cream, add a little of the hot sauce, then blend into the remainder of sauce in the pan. Cook gently (do not boil) until smooth and thickened. Serve sauce with the ham.

Ham Braised in Madeira. After skinning the ham, rub the fat with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard. Put the ham in the pan and pour over it 2 cups Madeira. Cover with foil and braise. Combine ¼ cup liquid from the pan with ¼ cup Madeira and 1¼ cups brown sauce (see page 533). Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Add 2 finely chopped truffles, if you wish, and heat through. Serve sauce with the ham. You may use a rich, rather sweet sherry, port, Jamaica rum, or cognac instead of the Madeira. This calls for spinach, either en branche or chopped and seasoned with garlic, olive oil, and a dash or two of nutmeg.

Boiled Ham and Cabbage

A hearty peasant dish, similar to a pot-au-feu or a boiled dinner. Save the ham broth and use it as stock for split pea or lentil soup.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

½ ready-to-eat ham, weighing about 6 to 8 pounds, or a smoked picnic shoulder

1 onion, stuck with 2 cloves

1 bay leaf

½ cup wine vinegar

1 teaspoon mustard seed

ACCOMPANYING VEGETABLES

1 carrot per serving

1 turnip per serving

1 potato per serving

1 head cabbage

Butter

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Put the ham in a deep pot with water to cover, the onion, bay leaf, vinegar, and mustard seed. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 18 minutes per pound. Half an hour before the ham is done, add the carrots and turnips to the pot, halving them if they are large. Boil the potatoes separately in their jackets. Wash the cabbage, cut it into quarters or sixths, and cook in boiling salted water until done but still crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well, dress with butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the ham and vegetables with a variety of mustards. Crisp cornbread or the chili bread from Beard on Bread is an admirable accompaniment.

Leftover Ham

Ham that has been boiled, baked, or braised has innumerable uses, so there need never be any problem about what to do with leftovers. You can use it in a soufflé, mousse, pâté, soup, salad, pasta sauce, sandwich, stuffing. You can grind it and make deviled ham, ham loaf, or ham balls, or just cut it in thin, even slices, reheat in white wine to cover, and serve with a sauce or on top of choucroute garnie, along with the other pork products that go with this great dish. A slice of reheated ham can be a base for sweetbreads or brains, poached eggs, or many other foods, ad infinitum.

Broiled Ham Slice

These recipes are for ham slices cut from the leg, which supermarkets call “ham steaks,” a term I happen to dislike.

Makes 3 to 4 servings

Slash the fat around the edges of a 1½-inch-thick slice of ready-to-eat country ham or tenderized ham to prevent its curling. Broil on a greased rack 3 inches from the heat, turning once during the cooking. Allow about 8 minutes’ total broiling time.

Ham Slice Glazed with Honey and Mustard. Brush before broiling with 1 part honey to 2 parts Dijon mustard. Brush once or twice with mixture during broiling.

Barbecued Ham Slice. Baste during broiling with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Ham Slice Glazed with Maple Syrup. Brush during broiling with maple syrup.

Ham Slice Broiled with Soy and Mustard. Brush during broiling with a mixture of soy sauce and dry mustard.

Baked Ham Slice in Red Wine

Makes 3 to 4 servings

Slash the fat on a ham slice 1½ to 2 inches thick and spread both sides with Dijon mustard. Place in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, and add red wine to cover. Bake in a 350° oven for 35 minutes, basting several times during the cooking. Serve with polenta and puréed spinach (see pages 300 and 173).

Ham Slice Baked in Champagne. Put a 2-inch-thick ham slice in a baking dish with champagne to cover. Marinate several hours, turning once. Bake in a 375° oven for 35 minutes, sprinkle lightly with sugar, and put under the broiler to glaze. Serve with tiny new potatoes, tossed in melted butter and parsley, and an orange and onion salad.

Ham Slice Floridian. Put a 2-inch-thick ham slice in a baking dish with orange juice to cover. Bake in a 375° oven for 35 minutes, basting once or twice. Arrange ⅔ cup orange sections on the ham, sprinkle lightly with sugar and a touch of cinnamon, and put under the broiler to glaze. Serve with crusty French bread and sautéed zucchini (see page 175).

Ham Slice. Arthoise. Arrange a 2-inch-thick ham slice in a baking dish and spread with purée of foie gras or good liver pâté. Top and surround with sliced sautéed mushrooms (see page 154). Pour ¾ cup Madeira over the ham and bake in a 350° oven for 10 minutes, then add ¼ cup more Madeira, bake 10 minutes, baste, and bake 10 minutes more, or until tender. Serve with Barley Casserole with Almonds (see page 296) and a green salad.

Fried Ham Slice with Red-Eye Gravy

This is the famous Southern way of treating a ham slice, which for frying should be only ½ inch thick. Southerners prefer their country ham sawed straight across the leg, so you have a piece of ham with the little round leg bone in the center and a rim of fat on the outside. Trim off most of the fat, and slash the remaining fat around the edges. Heat a large iron skillet to medium hot and rub it with a bit of the trimmed ham fat. Put in the ham slice and cook slowly for about 10 minutes, turning it several times, until cooked through and crisp on the edges. Remove the ham from the skillet and pour in ⅔ to ¾ cup hot water. Let it simmer for 3 minutes, stirring to lift the reddish-brown glaze from the pan (this is what makes it red-eye gravy). Spoon the gravy over the ham, to be mopped up with hot biscuits, or spoon it directly over hot biscuits or grits.

Variation. Some traditional recipes call for a cup of black coffee to be added to the pan instead of water.

Venison

Out in the woods, and even in the suburbs, wild deer are making a comeback, to the point of overpopulation in some areas not an hour’s drive from Manhattan. But right here in town, commercially raised venison is quite easy to get and very reliable. How you cook it depends on the age of the animal and the cut of meat. The saddle, loin, tenderloin, leg, steaks, and chops cut from a young animal which has been hung for the proper length of time are usually tender enough to roast, broil, or sauté. The meat of older animals should definitely be given a good long soaking in a marinade to tenderize and flavor it. The tougher cuts from the shoulder, shank, and breast are best if used for stew or ground.

The following marinade is an excellent one. The meat should be allowed to soak for at least several hours, preferably for 2 days or more, in a cool place. Turn it frequently.

Marinade for Venison

1 bottle red wine

1 cup wine vinegar

3 cloves

1 teaspoon coarsely crushed peppercorns

1½ tablespoons salt

3 onions, sliced

3 carrots, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bay leaves, crushed

1 sprig thyme

1 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients and use to marinate venison.

Marinated Roast Leg of Venison

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 leg venison

2 cups strained marinade

Fat salt pork

Butter or oil

4 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup cream

Salt to taste

Soak a leg of venison in the marinade for 2 days. Remove and dry well. Venison is not well marbled, and it needs the addition of fat to tenderize the meat. Lard it with strips of fat salt pork, either with a larding needle (for description of larding technique, see page 375) or by making deep incisions in the meat with the point of a small sharp knife and pushing the salt pork into them. Rub the leg well with butter or oil, arrange on a rack in a roasting pan, and roast in a 375° oven from 1½ to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature registers 125° (for rare) on a meat thermometer, basting frequently with melted butter or oil.

Transfer the roast to a hot platter and let it rest 10 to 12 minutes before carving. Remove most of fat from roasting pan, leaving about 4 tablespoons. Mix in the flour and then add the strained marinade. Cook, stirring, until thickened, then stir in the tomato sauce, freshly ground black pepper, and cream. Taste and add salt. Simmer until well blended. Serve the venison with this sauce, roast potatoes, and cauliflower with browned butter.

Roast Saddle of Venison

A saddle of venison makes an impressive roast, which should always be served rare. Carve it in long, thin slices the length of the saddle, parallel to the bone, and don’t forget to remove the tender little fillets and slice them as well. If the saddle comes from a very young animal, it will not need marinating. A saddle from an older animal should be rubbed with oil and marinated for several days before roasting. Serve the saddle with a purée of chestnuts or sweet potatoes and buttered Brussels sprouts.

Makes 4 to 6 servings, according to size of saddle

1 saddle young venison

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon thyme

6 tablespoons softened butter

¼ cup melted butter

¼ cup red wine

1½ cups broth (venison, beef, or chicken)

Beurre manié (see page 536)

½ cup Madeira

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Rub the saddle well with pepper, salt, thyme, and softened butter. Arrange on a rack in a shallow pan and roast at 450° for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 400° and continue roasting for 15 minutes longer, or until internal temperature registers 125° for rare. Baste occasionally with the melted butter and red wine, mixed. When done, transfer to a hot platter and let stand 10 minutes before carving, while you make the sauce.

Rinse the roasting pan with the broth, bring to a boil and thicken with small balls of beurre manié. Add the Madeira, and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and correct the seasoning. Add the parsley and serve with the venison.

Helmut Ripperberger’s Roast Loin of Venison

For this you need a loin that has hung for several weeks. The marinade, a different one, with juniper berries, is used to make a wonderful sauce for the meat. Serve the roast with puréed chestnuts and braised Brussels sprouts.

Makes 2 to 4 servings, according to size of loin

MARINADE

1 pint wine vinegar

1 pint red wine

2 bay leaves

6 shallots

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon juniper berries

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Loin of venison

6 strips thick bacon about ¼ inch wide

¼ pound butter

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sour cream

Combine the marinade ingredients. Add the venison and marinate for 2 to 3 hours, turning frequently. Remove and wipe dry. Lard the loin with the strips of bacon and arrange it on a rack in a roasting pan. Spread the top of the meat with butter, and melt the remaining butter for basting. Roast in a 450° oven for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size, or until the internal temperature registers 125° on a meat thermometer. Baste frequently with melted butter and some of the marinade.

Remove the loin to a hot platter while making the sauce. Strain the marinade. Skim the excess fat from the pan juices, add 1 cup of the strained marinade and cook it down to ½ cup by rapid boiling. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat, stir in the sour cream, and heat through; do not boil. Correct seasoning and serve with the venison.

Broiled Venison Steaks

If these are from a young and tender animal that has been properly hung for 2 or 3 weeks, they will require no marinating. Have them cut thick—1 to 1½ inches. Press coarsely ground black pepper and coarse salt into the flesh and broil close to the broiling unit, turning once, for about 4 to 5 minutes a side, or 3 minutes if you like extremely rare meat. Serve with a purée of chestnuts and diced turnips tossed in butter.

Broiled Venison Steaks with Seasoned Butter. Put on a heatproof platter 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot and 6 tablespoons butter. Heat in the oven until butter melts. Add a few dashes of Tabasco and a sprinkling of salt. Put the steaks on the butter and put another pat of butter on top. Turn in the seasoned butter several times. Carve in strips and serve with the hot butter and crisp fried potatoes.

Sautéed Venison Steaks. Heat a mixture of half butter and half oil in a heavy skillet and sauté the venison as you would a strip steak, for about 6 minutes a side, until nicely browned, turning frequently. Serve with sautéed potatoes (see page 171) and a green salad. If you like, flame the steaks with cognac before serving.

Peppered Venison Steaks. Push a layer of coarsely crushed or ground black peppercorns into each side of the steaks and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes. Season lightly with salt and sauté as before. Flame with cognac before serving and stir sour cream or yogurt into the pan juices to make a sauce for the steaks.

Venison Kebabs

For kebabs, the meat should come from the loin or leg of a young and tender animal that has been well hung. The marinade is typical of India and Pakistan. Serve the kebabs with rice pilaf.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 to 3 pounds venison, cut in 2-inch cubes

½ cup oil

½ cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons turmeric

½ teaspoon chopped hot chili pepper

¼ teaspoon Tabasco

1 teaspoon salt

Beef fat

Small pieces of onion (optional)

Olive oil

Marinate the venison in a mixture of the oil, lemon juice, turmeric, chili, Tabasco, and salt for several hours. Thread meat on skewers alternately with small pieces of beef fat and, if desired, onion. Brush well with olive oil and broil about 4 inches from the broiling unit or over hot coals, turning them several times and basting them frequently with the marinade, until done to taste, about 8 to 9 minutes for medium rare.

Venison Pot Roast

A tough piece of venison from an older animal is best pot roasted. You may marinate it if you wish, but as it is going to be cooked in wine this is not essential. You should, however, lard it well with strips of salt pork to add some lubrication to the dry meat, and give it more flavor by first soaking the strips for an hour or two in cognac or bourbon.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

5-pound piece of boned venison leg or shoulder, securely tied

8 strips salt pork, soaked in ½ cup cognac

¼ cup oil

2 teaspoons thyme

1 cut clove of garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 tablespoons rendered beef suet

1 onion, stuck with 2 cloves

2 carrots, halved

3 cloves garlic

1 leek

1 bay leaf

2 cups red wine

Beurre manié (see page 536)

Lard the venison with the salt pork strips, using a larding needle (see page 375 for technique). Rub well with oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Heat the beef fat in a deep braising pan, add the venison and brown on all sides over fairly high heat or brown under the broiler. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, leek, bay leaf, remaining teaspoon thyme, and red wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2½ to 3 hours, or until tender. Transfer the meat to a warm platter. Add enough beurre manié to the sauce to thicken lightly. Serve this pot roast with macaroni and dress it with the sauce, as you would a daube.

Venison Hamburgers

While tough old venison makes an acceptable stew or pot roast, it is my belief that, if the meat is fresh, it is best ground with a small amount of beef fat and used for hamburgers. Venison hamburgers and venison chili are fine ways to use up some of the less desirable parts of the animal. You can sauté the hamburgers or broil outdoors on the charcoal grill. Serve these with crisp fried onion rings and either baked potatoes or sautéed mushrooms (see page 154).

Makes 4 servings

2 pounds venison, ground with about 20 percent beef fat

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

Mix the venison with salt and pepper and form into 4 large patties, or 8 small patties if you don’t like large burgers. For rare burgers, make the patties thick, for medium rare rather thinner. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy skillet, add the patties, and sauté over fairly high heat for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and brown for 5 minutes on the second side. This will give you rare burgers. Small patties will only take 3 minutes on a side.

Venison Hamburgers Flambé. Flame the burgers with ¼ cup warmed cognac or bourbon before removing from the pan. Pour pan juices over them.

Herbed Venison Hamburgers. Add ½ teaspoon crushed dried rosemary, thyme, or summer savory with the salt and pepper.

Venison Hamburgers with Garlic and Chives. Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon chopped chives, and 2 dashes Tabasco to the meat mixture. After sautéing, remove burgers to a hot platter, rinse the pan with ¼ cup red wine, cook down a little over high heat, and pour over the burgers.

Venison Chili

A pleasant variation on beef chili. Serve with pinto or kidney beans and rice. This also makes a tasty sauce for hot dogs: top each frankfurter with a spoonful or two of chili and a spoonful of chopped raw onion and put in toasted bun.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

4 large onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup vegetable oil

2 pounds venison, ground

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Dash of Tabasco

1 cup beer

½ cup tomato paste

1½ teaspoons salt

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil in a large pot until limp and golden. Add the ground venison and cook through, breaking it up with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, adding more beer if mixture gets too dry. Taste and correct seasoning until rich in flavor and well thickened.

Offal

Originally the word offal meant something to be thrown away. Thank heavens today we no longer look upon offal or the innards of an animal with such disdain. Quite the contrary, most of us treasure all those choice, succulent morsels that add so much versatility to our table.

Nowadays I notice brains and sweetbreads are much more readily available in our supermarkets. Sometimes they have been frozen and thawed, but don’t be afraid of that; it doesn’t hurt them. However, if you’re in any doubt about whether these perishable innards have been resting in the supermarket display case too long, simply unwrap and sniff them. I like to soak, trim, and blanch them as soon as I get them home (though one remarkable sweetbread recipe here does skip this step). Once prepared, they can be refrigerated overnight and very quickly turned into all sorts of delicate and sophisticated dishes.

Calves’ liver has become a very expensive delicacy these days, although, as it is a rich meat with no waste, a little goes a long way. A quarter to a half pound is ample for a serving, depending on the style of preparation. Lambs’ liver, if you can find it, is a good substitute for calves’ liver and less costly. Cheapest of all is beef liver. While not as delicate in flavor and texture, beef liver, especially baby beef liver, which is now generally available, can be pretty palatable if not overcooked. (I don’t recommend it for broiling.) Pork liver, which is very strong and rich in flavor, may be sautéed, although it is more often used in pâtés. Liver should be cooked rare. When it is overdone it loses texture and becomes very dull.

Tongue, whether smoked, pickled or fresh, needs careful trimming and thorough cooking. The cured variety particularly makes a durable refrigerator resource; the scraps are wonderful additives for aspics and pâtés, delicious in a herring salad, and, of course, there is nothing like a good tongue sandwich.

Kidneys, which are comparatively inexpensive in our markets, vary a great deal according to the animal from which they come. Gastronomically, the veal kidney is considered the prize, particularly if the calf has been milk fed. Lamb and pork kidneys have a very strong flavor that some people find unpleasant. I find that if you soak them in milk before cooking, it removes some of the blood and the kidney taste and makes them sweeter and more palatable. Veal kidneys seldom need soaking. As kidneys are now sold divested of all their fat, they need lubrication while roasting. Here in this chapter I have a number of recipes that I find simple to prepare, varied in flavor, and very adaptable to almost any kind of meal. If you love kidneys as I do, you might check out Theory & Practice for several quite different recipes: steak and kidney pie (and pudding), fritto misto, and liver bourguignon, for example.

I’ve always had a fondness for hearts and you’ll find a delicious recipe for braising them. But avoid beef hearts—for me they are too coarse and indelicate.

I have given tripe much fuller treatment here than most cookbooks do, because it is a resource too long neglected by home cooks. A century ago, it was immensely popular in this country, and seems to be making a comeback with the new interest in French peasant cooking, in the form of tripes à la mode de Caen. But there’s so much more you can do with tripe. As my recipes show, you can bake it, simmer it, broil it, or stir-fry it. It’s inexpensive; several of the recipes are easily reheated or frozen; and finally, it’s delicious.

Parboiled or Poached Brains

It is a good idea to do this preliminary step ahead of time—even the night before or the morning of the day you plan to serve them so that the brains can firm up and will hold their shape better.

Wash the brains well and soak in ice water for 30 minutes. Very carefully peel off the covering membrane and any remaining threads of blood. Put the brains in a pan, cover with lightly salted, acidulated water (1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to each pint of water) or a court bouillon (made with the salted, acidulated water and a few peppercorns, a sprig of parsley, and an onion stuck with 2 cloves). Bring slowly to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Immediately remove the brains and put in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking further and to firm the texture. Drain and dry, put on a plate, and cover with wax paper. Put another plate on top so the brains will become firm and compact as they cool. Chill until ready to use.

One pair of calfs’ brains, those most readily available, serves two. The small lamb’s brains, if you find them in your market, serve one.

Sautéed Brains

Parboil the brains as in preceding recipe. Drain and dry. Dip them in flour, then in beaten egg, and then in freshly made bread crumbs. Sauté quickly in hot butter until golden brown on both sides. Season with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

Sautéed Marinated Brains. Parboil the brains. Cool and cut in thick slices. Marinate for several hours in a mixture of ½ cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon Tabasco, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon each chopped parsley and chopped chives. Remove from marinade, dip in flour, beaten egg, and fresh bread crumbs, and sauté in hot oil until golden brown.

Brains au Beurre Noir. Parboil the brains, dip in flour, and sauté quickly in hot butter until golden brown. Remove and keep warm. Add to the pan 6 tablespoons butter and cook until it is a deep amber color. Add ¼ cup chopped shallots, then add 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or lemon juice, 3 tablespoons capers, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Pour this sauce over the sautéed brains and serve.

Broiled Brains

Dip the parboiled brains in melted butter and then in fresh bread crumbs. Broil just until the coating is browned and crisp, turning once. Serve with beurre noir (see preceding recipe).

Fried Brains

Cut the cooled parboiled brains into thick slices. Dip the slices in flour and beer batter (see page 188) and fry in deep fat, heated to 375°, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve with fried parsley and lemon wedges.

Sautéed Liver with Bacon

Makes 4 servings

1½ to 2 pounds liver (calves’, lambs’, baby beef, or pork), sliced ½ inch thick (about 3 slices per serving)

½ cup flour

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons oil

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

8 to 12 slices bacon, cooked until crisp

Lightly flour the liver slices and brown quickly on both sides in the hot butter and oil. Never overcook liver; it should be pink inside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with the crisp bacon slices and, if you wish, boiled new potatoes.

Sautéed Liver with Onions. Sauté 3 onions, sliced, in 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. When lightly colored and soft add 1½ tablespoons vinegar and mix well. Serve on top of the sautéed liver.

Liver Sautéed with Shallots and Madeira. Sauté finely chopped shallots in the butter and oil until limp. Add floured liver and sauté. Season; add ¼ cup Madeira and ¼ cup chopped parsley. Turn the liver once in the sauce. Transfer the liver to a platter and pour the sauce over it.

Sautéed Liver with Avocado. Peel 2 avocados and cut in quarters. Flour lightly and sprinkle with salt. Sauté avocado in butter for about half a minute per side and arrange on plates with the sautéed liver. To pan in which liver cooked add the juice of ½ lemon, 1 tablespoon chopped chives, and 4 tablespoons butter. Stir until butter is light brown, and pour over liver and avocado. Garnish with crisp bacon.

Sautéed Liver with Mustard Sauce. After removing liver, deglaze pan with ¼ cup dry white wine. Blend in 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard. Remove from heat and add ½ cup yogurt, stirring until warmed throughout. Pour sauce over the liver.

Deviled Liver. After removing liver, add to pan 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of Tabasco. Blend with pan juices and pour over liver.

Liver Venetian Style

This is one of the great, simple dishes of the Italian cuisine.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound calves’ liver, sliced ¼ inch thick

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced onions

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

Trim off the skin around the liver slices, remove any pieces of gristly tube, and cut liver into strips about 1 inch wide. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the onions, and sauté until limp and delicately browned. Remove and keep warm. Turn the heat high. Add more oil to the pan if the onions have absorbed most of it. When the oil is hot, sauté the liver strips very quickly on each side for about a minute, until the liver loses its raw look. Season with salt and pepper to taste, return onions to the pan, and toss with liver strips just long enough to reheat, then add 1 tablespoon wine vinegar and shake the pan thoroughly to distribute the flavor. Serve at once.

Liver Julienne. (Called in Switzerland “Suri Leberle.”) Cut calves’ or lambs’ liver into strips about ⅜ inch wide and toss lightly in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Sauté ½ cup finely chopped green onions in 4 tablespoons butter for 1 minute, add liver, and brown quickly on all sides. Remove to a hot platter and deglaze the pan with ½ cup dry white wine and 1 tablespoon wine vinegar. Remove from heat and mix in ¾ cup sour cream or yogurt and return to the heat just long enough to heat through, but do not allow it to boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons chopped parsley or dill and pour the sauce over the liver.

Roast Whole Liver

If you can afford it, this is a different and special way to present liver. Serve with Béarnaise sauce (see page 532), parsleyed potatoes and a purée of broccoli (see page 129).

Makes 8 servings

4- to 5-pound whole calf’s liver, rolled and tied

1½ pounds good bacon

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Put the liver on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and cover it completely with the bacon strips, which will provide all the lubrication needed. Roast in a 375° oven, allowing 15 minutes a pound. Transfer the liver to a platter and remove the bacon strips, which may be served around the liver. Sprinkle the liver with pepper and a mixture of the parsley and garlic. Slice medium thick.

Kidneys “on the Half Shell”

Makes 4 servings

4 veal kidneys or 12 lamb kidneys

Milk

4 to 6 slices bacon

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Tabasco

Trim the kidneys of membrane and snip out the hard white core of tubes at the top with scissors. Cover with milk and leave to soak for 1 hour (you may not find this step necessary with veal kidneys if they are very fresh). Drain and dry. Preheat the oven to 475°.

Wrap each veal kidney in a bacon slice (for the smaller lamb kidneys, cut the slices in two) and put in a shallow baking pan. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, or till done according to your taste, turning once. Remove to a hot platter, cut the veal kidneys in half and season with salt, pepper, and a dash of Tabasco, and serve with the bacon, if you wish. These are good with crisp shoestring potatoes and a watercress salad.

Kidneys Flambé. After halving the kidneys, put them on a flameproof platter and flambé them with 3 tablespoons warmed cognac. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve on hot plates and spoon the juices from the platter over them. Serve with herbed rice.

Kidneys with Mushrooms. While the kidneys are roasting, sauté 2 tablespoons chopped shallot or green onion and ½ pound sliced mushrooms in 6 tablespoons butter. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, and mix into the pan juices ¾ cup heavy cream, sour cream, or yogurt. When kidneys are cooked, put them on a flameproof platter and flambé with 3 tablespoons warmed gin. Slice thin and add to the sauce along with the juices from the platter. Heat through quickly and serve garnished with parsley and the bacon.

Lamb Kidneys en Brochette

A good way to broil kidneys is to skewer them, which makes them easy to turn and simple to serve. Brushing them with a coating of Dijon mustard not only flavors them but also keeps them from hardening and toughening. Veal kidneys can be cooked this way, but as they are larger than lamb kidneys, allow only 1 per person. Nice accompaniments are shoestring potatoes or French-fried eggplant and a watercress salad or tomatoes vinaigrette. Or you can serve the kidneys on crisp buttered toast.

Makes 4 servings

12 lamb kidneys

Milk for soaking

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 slices bacon

Melted butter

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Remove membrane from kidneys, split in two lengthwise and snip out hard core of fat and white tubes. Soak in milk to cover for 1 hour. Drain and dry. Preheat the broiler.

Brush the kidneys well with the mustard and arrange on 4 skewers with the bacon, weaving it in and out between the kidneys. Brush kidneys with melted butter and broil for 5 minutes, turning once. Serve on hot plates, sprinkling them with salt and pepper.

Broiled Kidneys and Sweetbreads. Blanch a pair of sweetbreads and cool them on a plate, weighted down, until firm. Cut sweetbreads and kidneys into 1½-inch cubes and alternate on skewers. Brush well with lemon juice and melted butter, and broil. Season and serve with melted butter and lemon wedges.

Broiled Kidneys and Sweetbreads Flambé. After broiling, arrange on a heatproof platter and flambé with ¼ cup warmed cognac.

Broiled Kidneys and Mushrooms. Alternate halved kidneys with mushroom caps, brush well with melted butter, and broil. Serve with rice.

Broiled Kidneys, Mushrooms, and Bacon. Weave slices of bacon on skewers between kidneys and mushroom caps, and broil.

Broiled Kidneys with Herb Butter. Split kidneys almost all the way through. Put in the split: butter creamed with chopped parsley, scallions, and lemon juice (for 12 to 16 kidneys, use ¼ pound butter, ¼ cup each chopped parsley and scallions, 2 teaspoons lemon juice). Wrap each stuffed kidney in a half slice of partially cooked bacon, arrange on skewers, and broil until bacon is crisp and kidneys cooked through, but still pink on the inside.

Broiled Deviled Kidneys. Split 12 kidneys and spread flat. Cover cut surfaces with a mixture of ¼ pound butter creamed with ¼ cup chopped green onion, 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, a dash of Tabasco and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and broil, spread side up, for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve on toast with the pan drippings poured over the kidneys.

Kidney Sauté Flambé

Makes 4 servings

8 lamb kidneys

Milk

4 tablespoons clarified butter

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup cognac or bourbon

½ cup heavy cream

GARNISH: Chopped parsley

Soak the kidneys in enough milk to cover for 1 to 1½ hours. Remove the kidneys from the milk, cut them in half, and remove the core of fat and white tubes with a sharp knife or scissors. Place the kidneys on absorbent paper until ready to cook.

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over high heat—do not burn the butter. Add the kidneys, toss well, and sauté for approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the cognac or bourbon, and flambé. When the flame has died down, remove the kidneys to a hot plate. Stir in the cream and reduce slightly over high heat. Pour the sauce over the kidneys, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Deviled Kidney Sauté. Combine 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of Tabasco with the kidneys and sauté as above. Remove the kidneys and sauce and rinse the pan with ½ cup bourbon. Pour over the kidneys and serve.

NOTE: Pork kidneys may be used, or veal kidneys if cut into thick slices.

Braised Veal Hearts

Little veal hearts braise beautifully, as do the smaller lamb hearts. This is, to me, the best way to treat this part of the animal, as it needs the addition of flavor and moisture. Serve with a little of the braising vegetables on top, boiled potatoes, and a salad.

Makes 4 servings

2 veal hearts

¼ cup flour

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons oil or unsalted margarine

2 large onions, thinly sliced

2 carrots, shredded

6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 white turnip, shredded

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

½ cup dry white wine

Wash and dry the hearts and trim away the fatty covering. Cut in slices 1 inch thick, crosswise. Lightly flour the slices and sauté in the butter and oil or margarine until lightly browned. Make a bed of the onion, carrot, garlic, and turnip in a braising pan. Lay the heart slices on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add the wine. Cover tightly and braise in a 350° oven for 1½ hours.

Braised Lamb Hearts. Allow 1 heart per serving. Leave whole and braise as for veal hearts.

Tongue

Beef tongue is sold various ways—fresh, smoked, and corned or pickled. Fresh tongue, while not as easy to find as the smoked variety, makes an excellent and rather different meat dish when boiled and served with various sauces, or in the style of a pot-au-feu. Whether you boil a fresh, smoked, or pickled tongue, the method is the same, although the salt would be omitted with smoked tongue. Tongues weigh from 3½ to 5 pounds, and, as they are practically all meat except for the root end, will make from 6 to 10 servings, according to size.

Beef Tongue with Provençal Tomato Sauce

Good with rice or boiled potatoes and a purée of spinach.

Makes 8 servings

4- to 5-pound fresh beef tongue

1 onion stuck with 2 cloves

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon salt

1½ teaspoons dried basil

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Tomato sauce (see page 534)

24 soft black olives, pitted

GARNISH: Chopped parsley

Put the tongue in a pot with cold water to cover, and add the onion, garlic, salt, basil, and pepper. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes, skimming off the scum. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for approximately 45 minutes a pound, until tender. Remove from the pan. Reserve 1 cup of the strained broth. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, loosening it with a knife and pulling it off with your fingers, and trim off the root end.

In a large pan heat together the tomato sauce and olives, add the tongue and the reserved cup of tongue broth. Simmer 20 minutes, turning the tongue once. Arrange on a platter with the sauce poured around it, and garnish with chopped parsley.

Philip Brown’s Tongue with Chicken Liver Sauce. For the sauce, sauté ½ pound chicken livers in 4 tablespoons butter. Remove from the pan and chop coarsely. Add to the pan ½ pound sautéed sliced mushrooms and toss in the pan juices. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons flour and stir in 1½ cups chicken (see page 529) or tongue broth. Cook until sauce is thickened. Add ⅓ cup Madeira and the chopped livers, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Slice the cooked tongue and arrange in an ovenproof dish. Cover with the sauce and heat in a 300° oven for 30 minutes.

Tongue with Madeira Sauce. Reserve 1 cup broth from the cooked tongue. Make a white sauce with 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, and the tongue broth, then stir in ½ cup currant jelly, ½ cup Madeira, ⅓ cup raisins, ⅓ cup finely chopped almonds, and simmer for 3 minutes. Reheat the tongue in the sauce. Serve tongue sliced, with the sauce, buttered noodles, and spinach en branche.

Tongue with Spinach. Slice the cooked tongue thin and arrange around a mound of puréed spinach (see page 173) garnished with thinly sliced onion rings and a grating of nutmeg. Serve with grated horseradish mixed with sour cream and a touch of lemon juice, and parsleyed boiled potatoes.

Tongue Pot-au-Feu. When boiling the tongue, use 1 teaspoon thyme instead of basil, and add to the pan 2 leeks, 1 carrot, 1 rib celery, and 1 bay leaf. Cook as before. One hour before it is done, add to the pot 6 medium-size onions, cook for 40 minutes, then add 6 small white turnips, 6 more leeks, and 6 more carrots. Cook until tongue and vegetables are tender. Skin and trim tongue, return to the broth to reheat, then serve on a platter, sliced and surrounded by the onions, leeks, and carrots. With this have potatoes boiled separately in their jackets, grated fresh horseradish and mustard, or horseradish-mustard-sour-cream sauce.

Lambs’ Tongues Poulette

Lambs’ tongues have a more delicate flavor than beef tongue and are especially good with a creamy sauce poulette, boiled potatoes, and a green salad, or pickled, with a green salad and potato salad or rice salad (see pages 93–96) as a light luncheon dish. Allow 2 or 3 of these tiny tongues per person. The larger veal tongues can be treated in the same way, but take about an hour longer to cook.

Makes 4 servings

8 to 12 lambs’ tongues

1 onion stuck with 2 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 carrot

1 or 2 slices lemon

1 rib celery

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

SAUCE POULETTE

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1½ cups broth from the tongues

Juice of 1 lemon

2 egg yolks

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Put the tongues in a pan with the onion, bay leaf, carrot, lemon, celery, salt, pepper, and water to cover. Bring to a boil, skim off the scum, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender when tested, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove tongues from the broth, and when cool enough to handle, skin and trim them. Strain the broth and reserve 1½ cups for the sauce. Return the rest to the pan and put in the skinned tongues, to keep warm.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, blend in the flour and cook a few minutes, stirring, then mix in the reserved broth. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens, then add the lemon juice. Lightly beat the egg yolks and blend with a little of the hot sauce, then stir into the sauce in the pan. Cook gently, stirring until thickened. Do not allow to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and a little more lemon juice, if needed. Split the tongues in two lengthwise and serve with the sauce.

Lambs’ Tongues with Tomato Sauce. Cut the tongues in half and reheat in tomato sauce (see page 534).

Lambs’ Tongues Vinaigrette. Serve the tongues cold with a mustard vinaigrette (see page 74) or sauce Gribiche (see page 535), a garnish of sliced hard-boiled eggs, and a potato salad (see pages 93–96).

Pickled Lambs’ Tongues. Boil, skin, and trim 12 to 18 lambs’ tongues. Place in a large jar with 1 thinly sliced onion, 8 peppercorns, 1 garlic clove, 1 bay leaf, and a sprig of fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon. Cover with a light white wine vinegar or Japanese rice wine vinegar or half vinegar and half dry white wine. Cover and refrigerate. These will keep 2 or 3 weeks under refrigeration. Serve with a potato, rice, or sauerkraut salad.

Tripes à la Mode de Caen

(Tripe in the Style of Caen)

One of the many classic French ways of cooking this excellent, inexpensive, but much neglected part of the steer. The long, slow cooking with onions, aromatic herbs, suet, and pig’s feet gives this dish its luscious, savory quality. It is worth making a large quantity, and serving to tripe lovers, or else freeze the leftovers for another day. Boiled potatoes are the traditional accompaniment.

Makes 10 servings

2 pounds onions, sliced

5 pounds honeycomb tripe, cut into 2-inch squares

2 pig’s feet, split

1 pound beef suet, diced

Bouquet garni of 1 leek, 1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 onion stuck with 2 cloves, tied in cheesecloth

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup Calvados or applejack

1 cup dry white wine or dry (not sweet) cider

Arrange a layer of half the sliced onion in a large 8-quart casserole with a tight-fitting lid, follow with a layer of one-third of the tripe, then the pig’s feet, half the suet, the remaining onion and another third of the tripe, the bouquet garni and the remaining tripe. Top with the remaining suet, season with the salt and pepper, and pour on the Calvados, wine, and just enough water to cover the ingredients. Put a piece of heavy aluminum foil over the casserole and cover with the lid (this creates an airtight seal so no steam can escape).

Cook in a 250° oven for 8 hours. Uncover, skim off the excess fat on top, remove the bouquet garni and take out the pig’s feet. Remove meat from the feet and return it to the casserole. Correct the seasoning. Serve in soup plates with boiled potatoes.

Tripe with Red Wine. Instead of the Calvados and white wine, use ¼ cup cognac and 1 cup full-bodied red wine.

Tripe Niçoise

Another superb French way with tripe. The flavors of tomato and rosemary spell Provence. This improves if reheated and served the next day, and also freezes well.

Makes 4 servings

¼ cup olive oil

4 medium-size onions, sliced

1 pound firm ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon rosemary

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups dry rosé wine, preferably a Provençal rosé

1 pig’s foot, split

2 pounds honeycomb tripe, cut into 1-by-3-inch strips

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a deep pot and sauté the onions until limp. Add the tomatoes, herbs, and salt and pepper. Blend well. Add the wine, pig’s foot, and tripe. Mix all the ingredients well, cover, and simmer over low heat for 2½ to 3 hours. Remove the pig’s foot, take off the meat, and add to the tripe. Correct the seasoning and arrange on a hot platter. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Menudo

A traditional Mexican way with tripe, much favored for a morning-after breakfast. Although the beneficial effects on a hangover are doubtful, it’s an excellent hearty dish for a New Year buffet or a Sunday supper.

Makes 8 servings

4 pounds honeycomb tripe, cut in 1-inch squares

2 pig’s feet

1 onion stuck with 2 cloves

4 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon oregano

2 teaspoons coriander seed, crushed

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

3 cups canned whole hominy, drained

GARNISH: Chopped green onions, chopped peeled green chilies, chopped cilantro

Put the tripe, pig’s feet, onion, garlic, oregano, and coriander seed in a large casserole with salt and pepper to taste and water to cover. Bring to a boil on top of the stove. Cover, and cook in a 300° oven for 4 to 5 hours, or until tripe is thoroughly tender. Remove the pig’s feet, take the meat from the bones, and replace meat in the casserole. Add the hominy and simmer for 30 minutes in the oven or on top of the stove. Serve in deep plates or bowls, topped with the garnish of green onions, chilies, and cilantro.

Tablier de Sapeur

Tablier de Sapeur, meaning workman’s apron, is native to the Lyonnaise district—a great specialité of the restaurant La Voûte, where the chef-proprietor, Lea, has prepared it for years.

Makes 6 servings

4 pounds honeycomb tripe, cleaned and parboiled

1 bottle Pouilly Fuissé or other dry white wine

3 tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs

¼ cup cold water

2 cups fresh bread crumbs, approximately

6 to 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Sauce Gribiche (see page 535) or tartare (page 77)

Cut the tripe into 2-inch squares. Place in a large pot and cook in water to cover until tender, approximately 1½ hours. Drain.

In a bowl large enough to accommodate the tripe, mix the ingredients for the marinade—wine, lemon juice, ½ cup peanut oil, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Put the tripe in the marinade and marinate for about 3 hours. Drain well. Beat the eggs, 2 tablespoons oil, the cold water, and a dash of salt and pepper together in a bowl. Dip the pieces of tripe in the egg mixture and then roll in soft bread crumbs. Put the melted butter in a broiling pan. Arrange the pieces of tripe on the broiling pan and broil for approximately 5 minutes on each side or until delicately brown. Serve with sauce Gribiche or tartare.

Cecilia Chiang’s Tripe with Gizzards

In Cecilia Chiang’s restaurant, The Mandarin, in San Francisco, this dish is called Black and White to suggest the contrast between the color and texture of the gizzards and the tripe.

Makes 4 servings

½ pound honeycomb tripe

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 green onions, or scallions, shredded (white part only)

1 tablespoon dry sherry

¾ teaspoon Oriental sesame-seed oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

½ pound chicken gizzards

1 quart chicken broth (see page 529)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large garlic clove, sliced

Cut the tripe into 1½-by-2-inch pieces and score in a crisscross pattern with a knife. Put the tripe in a bowl with water to cover and the baking soda. Soak overnight, then drain.

In a bowl, combine the scallion, sherry, sesame oil, vinegar, salt, coriander, and cornstarch mixed well with 1 tablespoon water. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Trim and rinse the chicken gizzards and score them in a crisscross pattern. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a pan, add the drained tripe and gizzards, and poach gently for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove tripe and gizzards from broth.

Heat the oil in a wok or a large skillet that has been heated over a high flame, add the sliced garlic, and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the scallion-sherry mixture from the bowl, the tripe, and gizzards, and stir-fry briskly over high heat for 2 minutes. Serve at once with steamed rice.

Blanching Sweetbreads

The sweetbreads most often found in our markets come from the thymus gland of a calf, although occasionally you can find lamb or beef sweetbreads. Sweetbreads are very delicate and need to be soaked in ice water and blanched or parboiled before they can be trimmed of the covering membrane and connecting tubes; this is usually done before the final broiling, sautéing, or braising process. If they are to be sliced, they should be weighted down until cold to make them firmer.

Soak the sweetbreads in ice water for 30 minutes. Put in a pan with water to cover with ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove and immediately plunge into ice water to stop them from cooking further. When cool enough to handle, peel off the covering membrane and trim away the connecting tubes and any particles of fat. A pair of sweetbreads will serve 2 or 3, according to the style of preparation.

Sweetbreads Albert

This was an invention of the late Albert Stockli while he was executive chef of the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York. The sweetbreads are not blanched and cleaned in the usual way, but braised, then trimmed, and the trimmings used for the sauce. Serve with rice and salad.

Makes 8 servings

3 tablespoons oil

1 leek, well washed, cut in fine julienne strips

3 ribs celery, cut in fine julienne strips

2 small carrots, peeled and cut in fine julienne strips

1 green pepper, seeded, and cut in fine julienne strips

6 shallots, very finely chopped

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 cups dry white wine

4 pairs sweetbreads

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

3 egg yolks

Juice of 1 lemon

GARNISH: 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the leek, celery, carrots, green pepper, and shallots until lightly colored. Arrange them in a layer in a braising pan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add 1 cup of wine. Arrange the sweetbreads on the vegetables, cover the pan, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove the sweetbreads and cool them between wet towels. Drain the vegetables, reserving both vegetables and liquid.

Measure 1 cup of the liquid, add the remaining cup of wine, and place in a saucepan over moderate heat. Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and blend into the liquid. Simmer until slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, clean the sweetbreads. Add membranes, tubes, and other trimmings to the vegetables. Purée vegetables and trimmings in an electric blender or food processor and add to the thickened liquid. Beat the egg yolks lightly, stir a little of the hot sauce into them, then return to the pan, and cook slowly, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Do not let it boil. Add the lemon juice, taste, and correct the seasoning.

Slice the sweetbreads ½ inch thick and put them on a hot platter in a 250° oven for a few minutes to heat through. Pour some of the sauce over them and serve the rest separately in a bowl. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Sweetbreads Panné

One of the simplest and best ways to prepare sweetbreads is to panné them—which means they are coated with flour, egg, and bread crumbs, then sautéed.

Makes 4 servings

2 pairs sweetbreads, blanched and trimmed

½ cup flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1½ cups fresh bread crumbs

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

GARNISH: Chopped parsley, lemon wedges

After blanching and trimming the sweetbreads, put them on a baking sheet, cover with wax paper, put a board on top and weigh down with cans. Leave for 2 hours, then remove. Cut into serving-size pieces just before cooking.

Coat the pieces lightly with flour, then dip in the egg and roll in the bread crumbs. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy skillet, add the sweetbreads, and sauté over medium-high heat until nicely browned on both sides. Season to taste with salt and pepper as they sauté. Remove to a hot platter and serve sprinkled with parsley and with lemon wedges to squeeze over the sweetbreads.

Sweetbreads Panné with Cream. Remove sweetbreads from skillet. Pour off any excess fat. Deglaze pan with ¼ cup dry white wine, then pour in 1 cup heavy cream, and let it reduce until slightly thickened. Season with freshly ground black pepper and pour over the sweetbreads.

Sweetbreads Panné with Mustard. Before flouring the sweetbreads, brush them heavily with about ½ jar Dijon mustard.

Broiled Sweetbreads

Dip blanched and trimmed sweetbreads into heavy cream, then into beaten egg, then roll in fresh bread crumbs. Broil slowly about 5 inches from the heat until the crumbs brown, turning once. Serve with lemon wedges, or with hollandaise or Béarnaise sauce (see page 532).

Sweetbreads Milanese. Dip sweetbreads in melted butter, then in a mixture of equal parts bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese, and broil. Serve with lemon wedges.

Herbed Sweetbreads. Dip sweetbreads into melted butter and then into herbed crumbs (to 1½ cups bread crumbs add 1 tablespoon each chopped parsley, chives, and tarragon). Broil as above. Excellent served with a piquant mustard sauce.

Sweetbreads, Kidneys, and Sausages

This rather unusual combination makes an excellent brunch or luncheon dish.

Makes 6 servings

1 pound small pork sausages

1 pair sweetbreads, blanched and trimmed

3 veal kidneys, trimmed

6 shallots, finely chopped

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried tarragon

¼ cup cognac, warmed

¼ cup Madeira

1½ cups beef stock (see page 530)

Beurre manié (see page 536)

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

6 patty shells, from a bakery or frozen, heated

6 sautéed mushroom caps

Cut the sausages in small pieces and blanch in a skillet for 3 minutes in boiling water. Pour off water and let the sausages brown slowly until just cooked through. Cut the sweetbreads in small pieces. Slice the kidneys thin. Sauté the shallots in half the butter and oil until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the sweetbreads and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan to cook them evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and the tarragon. Remove sweetbreads, add the remaining butter and oil, and sauté kidneys quickly; do not overcook. Season with salt and pepper and flame with the warmed cognac. Combine the Madeira and beef stock and cook down until reduced to one-third; thicken with beurre manié. Combine this sauce with the kidneys, sweetbreads, sausages, and shallots, and correct the seasoning. Reheat to the boiling point and sprinkle with the parsley.

Serve in the heated patty shells (if frozen shells are used, follow package directions for baking) and top each one with a sautéed mushroom cap. Serve at once.