A guide to modern cookery

Salted cod bought in England has generally been fished somewhere along the English coast, and is, as a rule, of recent salting. It has not the peculiar flavour of the Icelandic morue, or that of the Newfoundland specimens, and it does not lend itself to such a large variety of preparations as these two. At the end of each of the following recipes, I indicate the kind of cod to which the procedure may be applied. Morue, especially the Newfoundland kind, should be set to soak at least twelve hours before being used, and the water during that time should be frequently changed. When about to cook it, suppress its fins, and cut it up in a way befitting the selected mode of preparation. Allow four oz. gross of the fish for each person. 1024a—SALTED COD AND MORUE A L’ANGLAISE Put the fish into cold water; set to boil, and as soon as this point is reached, leave the fish to poach on the side of the fire for fifteen minutes. Drain, skin, dish on a napkin, and serve, separately, a timbale of parsnips and an egg-sauce A 1’Ecossaise. Both kinds of cod may be used for this dish. 1025—MORUE A LA BENEDICTINE Poach one and one-half lbs. of morue as above; drain it and cut into small pieces, cleared of all skin and bone. Pound it quickly while it is still hot, and add to it half its weight of potatoes cooked as for a purée, drained, and dried in the oven for a few minutes. When the whole has been reduced to a fine paste, add one-sixth pint of oil, and one-quarter pint of boiled milk. The oil and the milk should be added little by little, and the paste should be more mellow than stiff. Serve in a buttered gratin dish; arrange the preparation in the form of a dome; sprinkle with melted butter, and set to colour in the oven. Icelandic and Newfoundland morue. 1026—MORUE AU BEURRE NOIR OU AU BEURRE NOISETTE Cut the morue into squares or rectangles; roll these into paupiettes or scrolls, and bind these with a piece of string. Poach them in the usual way; drain them; scrape their skins, and dish them. Sprinkle with concassed parsley; add lemon juice, and cover with brown or lightly-browned butter. Either kind of cod may be used. 1027—BRANDADE DE MORUE Cut one lb. of morue into pieces, and poach these for eight minutes. The eight minutes should be counted from the time the water begins to boil. Drain on a sieve, and clear the pieces of all skin and bones. Heat in a sautépan one-sixth pint of oil until the latter smokes; throw the cleaned pieces of morue into the oil; adda piece of crushed garlic the size of a haricot-bean, and stir over a brisk fire with a wooden spoon until the morue is reduced to shreds. Then take the saucepan off the fire, and, without ceasing to stir the paste, add thereto, little by little, as for a mayonnaise, about one-half pint of oil. When the paste begins to stiffen through the addition of the oil, now and again add a tablespoonful of milk. For the amount of morue used, one-quarter pint of boiling milk should thus be added by degrees. When the Brandade is finished, it should have the consistence of an ordinary potato purée. When about to serve, taste the preparation, and rectify its seasoning. Dish the Brandade in a hot timbale, building it up in the shape of a pyramid, and set thereon a crown of bread-crumb triangles fried in butter just before dishing up. N.B.—The triangles of fried bread may, with advantage, be replaced by lozenges made from puff-paste, which are baked without colouration. For the Brandade use only well-soaked Icelandic or Newfoundland morue. 1028—BRANDADE DE MORUE A LA CREME Follow the directions given above, but instead of oil and milk, use two-thirds pint of cream, which should be added to the morue paste by spoonfuls. 1029—MORUE A LA CREOLE