The housewife's referee

Pigeons a la Grecque. — Cut some pigeons in halves, add three pints of stock, and simmer gently for three-quarters of an hour. These should be cooked in the morning and put between two plates with a weight on the top to flatten them. The sauce is made of two ounces of butter, the same of chopped ham, two shallots, one small onion, one bay leaf, and two tomatoes fried together ; then add a gill of sherry, pepper and salt, and simmer gently for about three-quarters of an hour, and pass through a sieve. Pour this mixture over the pigeons in a stewpan, and simmer for a quarter of an hour. Place the pigeons in a dish, garnish with olives and spinach, and add the sauce. Pigeons en Compote. — Put one-quarter of pound of lean bacon cut into small dice into a stewpan, with half ounce of butter, and fry a few seconds over the fire ; then have three pigeons trussed with their legs turned inside, place them on the stewpan breast downwards, set them over the fire until they are of a light brown colour, and move them round occasionally ; add a tablespoonful of flour, work it well in with a wooden spoon, until it becomes browned, when it must be moistened with one pint of water ; then add a good bunch of parsley with a bay leaf, and about thirty button onions ; season with a little pepper and salt. Let the whole simmer for three-quarters of an hour, keeping it well skimmed ; then dress the pigeons upon a dish with the bacon and onions round, reduce the sauce to a proper consistency, take out the parsley and bay leaf, sauce over and serve. Polpettone. — No. 1 . Cut the meat of a joint and hash it up with sage, parsley, a little mashed potato and a very small lump of butter, some grated cheese, salt and pepper. Add to this the yolks of two eggs, and a little milk. Mix all well together, then make it into the shape of a very large croquette ; THE HOUSEWIFE^S REFEREE roll it in breadcrumbs, and put it into a buttered tin pan with a little dripping, turning it over now and then till it is baked. It can be served with sauce or without. No. 2. Mince cold meat almost into a paste, with an anchovy, a tiny scrap of parsley and a goodish lump of butter (Italians use oil), then add some salt, red pepper, and the juice of a lemon. This makes delicious sandwiches. Pork a TAllemande ; Schweinscarre mit Kirschensauce ; Carre de Pore a TAllemande. — Boil till tender a loin of pork, cutting off all superfluous fat. Koast it with the trimmings in the oven, and three onions, a couple of sliced carrots, salt and pepper; it must be continually basted. Care must be taken that it should not colour, and therefore some stock should occasionally be added, after which it should be taken up, and put on a deep dish; strew over the top some fine brown breadcrumbs and sprinkle over with oiled butter, then strew again with brown breadcrumbs into which pounded cinnamon should have been sprinkled. Twenty minutes before serving the carve should be put into a moderate oven and baked a light brown ; a thick cherry puree should be served with it. Pork, Loin of, a TEspagnole. — This is prepared and dressed in the same manner as la Portugaise, but, when ready for dressing, sprinkle the meat with sweet herbs chopped, wrap it in bay leaves, add the juice of two Seville oranges to the wine, which must be strained, and bake it in an oven.