Take the gristly part of the pig's head, but not the fat ;
also the ears and feet. Remove the hard part from the
feet. Scald or singe the hairs, soak in warm water, and
scrape thoroughly. Let them remain in salt and water
for ten hours. Scrape, and clean again, and put them a
second time in freshly salted water. With proper care
they will be perfectl}^ clean. Put them in a kettle and
cover with cold w^ater ; skim when it begins to boil ; set
back and let it simmer till the bones slip out easily. Skim
out the meat, and remove the hard gristle, bones, and
any superfluous fat. Season with salt^ pepper^ and vinegar^
and pack in stone jars. When hard, cut in slices, and
brown in the oven.
Head Cheese, — Prepare the same as souse, omitting the
vinegar^ and season with sage. Put into a strainer cloth,
The Boston Cook Book,
249
and press out the fat. Pack it in jars or moulds. Serve
cold, or brown slightly in a frjing-pan.
Though seldom seen on modern tables, these dishes
when carefuU}^ prepared are very acceptable to many who
have pleasant recollections of them as served at -'grand-
mother's table."
To Try out Lard.
Cut the leaves into small pieces ; remove all flesh and
membrane ; put a few pieces in a kettle on the back of
the stove, and when they are heated through, put in the
remainder. Cook slowly until the scraps are crisp ; strain
through a fine cloth into tin pails or pans, and press that
obtained from the scraps into a separate pail. Never put
water with the leaves, as the object is to expel that w^hicli
they already contain, and there is no danger of burning
if only a few pieces be put in at first, and the kettle be
not over the hot fire. The kettle should not be covered
until the scraps are crisp ; then cover it, and if no steam
condenses on the cover, the water is evaporated.
Baked Pork and Beans.
Soak one quart of pea beans in cold water over night.
In the morning put them into fresh cold water, and simmer
till soft enough to pierce with a pin, being careful not to
let them boil enough to break. If you like, boil one onion
with them. When soft, turn them into a colander, and
pour cold water through them. Place them with the onion
in a bean-pot. Pour boiling water over one quarter of a
'pound of salt porh^ part fat and part lean ; scrape the rind
till white. Cut the rind in half-inch strips ; bury the pork
in the beans, leaving only the rind exposed. Mix one
teaspoonful of salt — more, if the pork is not very salt —
and one teaspoonful of mustard w^ith one quarter of a cup of
molasses. Fill the cup with hot water, and when well
mixed pour it over the beans ; add enough more water to
cover them. Keep them covered with water until the
250
The Boston Cook Book.
last hour ; ^then lift the pork to the surface and let it crisp.
Bake eight hours in a moderate oven. Use more salt and
one third of a cup of butter✪ Baked Pork and Beans if 3'ou dislike pork, or use
half a pound of fat and lean corned heef.
The mustard gives the beans a delicious flavor, and
also renders them more wholesome. Many add a tea-
spoonful of soda to the water in which the beans are boiled,
to destroy the acid in the skin of the beans. Yellow-eyed
beans and Lima beans are also good when baked.
Page 148 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
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Take the gristly part of the pig's head, but not the fat ;
also the ears and feet. Remove the hard part from the
feet. Scald or singe the hairs, soak in warm water, and
scrape thoroughly. Let them remain in salt and water
for ten hours. Scrape, and clean again, and put them a
second time in freshly salted water. With proper care
they will be perfectl}^ clean. Put them in a kettle and
cover with cold w^ater ; skim when it begins to boil ; set
back and let it simmer till the bones slip out easily. Skim
out the meat, and remove the hard gristle, bones, and
any superfluous fat. Season with salt^ pepper^ and vinegar^
and pack in stone jars. When hard, cut in slices, and
brown in the oven.
Head Cheese, — Prepare the same as souse, omitting the
vinegar^ and season with sage. Put into a strainer cloth,
The Boston Cook Book,
249
and press out the fat. Pack it in jars or moulds. Serve
cold, or brown slightly in a frjing-pan.
Though seldom seen on modern tables, these dishes
when carefuU}^ prepared are very acceptable to many who
have pleasant recollections of them as served at -'grand-
mother's table."
To Try out Lard.
Cut the leaves into small pieces ; remove all flesh and
membrane ; put a few pieces in a kettle on the back of
the stove, and when they are heated through, put in the
remainder. Cook slowly until the scraps are crisp ; strain
through a fine cloth into tin pails or pans, and press that
obtained from the scraps into a separate pail. Never put
water with the leaves, as the object is to expel that w^hicli
they already contain, and there is no danger of burning
if only a few pieces be put in at first, and the kettle be
not over the hot fire. The kettle should not be covered
until the scraps are crisp ; then cover it, and if no steam
condenses on the cover, the water is evaporated.
Baked Pork and Beans.
Soak one quart of pea beans in cold water over night.
In the morning put them into fresh cold water, and simmer
till soft enough to pierce with a pin, being careful not to
let them boil enough to break. If you like, boil one onion
with them. When soft, turn them into a colander, and
pour cold water through them. Place them with the onion
in a bean-pot. Pour boiling water over one quarter of a
'pound of salt porh^ part fat and part lean ; scrape the rind
till white. Cut the rind in half-inch strips ; bury the pork
in the beans, leaving only the rind exposed. Mix one
teaspoonful of salt — more, if the pork is not very salt —
and one teaspoonful of mustard w^ith one quarter of a cup of
molasses. Fill the cup with hot water, and when well
mixed pour it over the beans ; add enough more water to
cover them. Keep them covered with water until the
250
The Boston Cook Book.
last hour ; ^then lift the pork to the surface and let it crisp.
Bake eight hours in a moderate oven. Use more salt and
one third of a cup of butter if 3'ou dislike pork, or use
half a pound of fat and lean corned heef.
The mustard gives the beans a delicious flavor, and
also renders them more wholesome. Many add a tea-
spoonful of soda to the water in which the beans are boiled,
to destroy the acid in the skin of the beans. Yellow-eyed
beans and Lima beans are also good when baked.