Cookery for every household

To Cook the Head. — Clean and blanch the head as directed in Recipe 144, insert a piece of carrot in the ears to keep them a good shape, and rub all over with cut lemon to whiten the flesh. Then tie the head in muslin, put it into a large saucepan with fresh cold water to cover it and bring to the boil. Skim well, add a bunch of herbs, an onion stuck with cloves, and a few pieces of carrot. Simmer slowly at least 2 hours, or until the head is tender. The flesh ought to remain slightly firm, if overcooked it falls to pieces and has no taste. When ready, drain and remove the muslin. Then bone the head and cut the flesh in neat pieces. Calf s Bar fringed Keep the ears intact, fringe them with a pair of scissors, and turn them back as in illustration. The Sauce. — Make a good brown sauce, sufficient to well cover the head, add to it a glass of sherry or Madeira and 1 or 2 table-spoonfuls of tomato puree. Strain or tammy before using. Garnish. — Small fresh mushrooms, cooked in butter, with lemon juice, a very little water, and seasoning to taste — olives, turned and blanched — gherkins , shaped like olives — quenelles, either small or decorated — fried eggs — croutons of fried bread — tongue, cut in small pieces. To Serve. — Heat the pieces of head thoroughly in the sauce, then arrange them neatly in the centre of a hot dish, placing the ears on the top. Heat the garnish in the remainder of the sauce (except any croutons of fried bread) and pour all over the head, arranging the garnish to taste. Note. — Some of the ingredients in the garnish may be omitted, if a simpler dish is wanted. 1108. Rognons de Mouton a la Turque 4 or 5 sheep’s kidneys. 1J oz. butter. 1 tea-sp. flour. 1 glass sherry or Madeira. 1 gill stock. Seasoning. Rice pilaff. Prepare a pilaff of rice according to Recipe 1594, and when required press it into a round cake tin that has been well greased. Make it thoroughly hot in the oven and then turn out on the dish on which the kidneys have to be served. Skin the kidneys, cut them in halves and remove the hard fat from the centre. Season them with pepper, salt, and a little nutmeg, and then saute them in the butter until sufficiently cooked. When ready, lift them out and keep them warm. Pour the wine into the saucepan in which the kidneys were cooked, and allow it to reduce to half the quantity. Moisten with the stock mixed with the flour, stir until boiling, and add any juice which has run from the kidneys. To Serve. — Arrange the kidneys in a circle on the top of the rice and strain the sauce over and round. 1109. Cassolettes of Kidney (Cassolettes de Rognons) 3 sheep’s kidneys. 5 or 6 mushrooms. 1 shallot. 1 oz. butter. 1 gill brown sauce. \ glass sherry. Seasoning. 5 or 6 potato cases. To Prepare the Mixture. — Halve the kidneys, remove the skin and hard fat from the centre, and cut them in small pieces. Melt the butter in a small stewpan, add the shallot finely chopped, and cook it a few minutes. Trim the mushrooms and cut them in pieces, add them to the butter and shallot along with the kidney, and cook a few minutes longer. Then pour in the brown sauce and sherry and simmer slowly for J hour. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and more seasoning if necessary.