The encyclopædia of practical cookery

Cow-heel Soup. — Cut two Cow-heels and lib. of salt pork into small pieces, put them in a stone jar with 5 pints of clear broth, the juice and chopped rind of one lemon, and a seasoning to taste of chopped herbs and parsley. Cover the jar, stand it in a moderate oven, and leave it for some hours until the goodness is well drawn out of the meat. Afterwards strain the soup into a stewpan, and mix with it 1 pint of rich gravy, ^ pint of white wine, six hard-boiled eggs cut into halves, and twelve small forcemeat balls ; season to taste with salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Boil up the soup, turn it into a soup-tureen, and serve with a plate of sippets of toast or croutons of fried bread. Grilled Cow-heel. — Remove all the bones from a blanched Cow-heel, cut the flesh into rather small pieces, egg and breadcrumb them, and grill till they are light brown, then serve. For details respecting Culinary Processes, Utensils, Sauces, dec., referred to, seej/^frer their special heads. Cow-heels — continued. Pickled Cow-heels. — Directly the cow has been killed, cut off the feet, throw them into cold water, and let them soak during the night. In the morning, drain and put them in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and boil them till the hair and hoof can be easily removed with a knife. More boiling water should be poured in as the other boils away, so as to keep the feet well covered. Make some brine, strong, but not strong enough to float an egg, and it should not be boiled. When the feet are stripped, put them in the brine at once, and let them remain all night ; in the morning, pour the brine away, and cover them with a fresh pickle containing a small quantity of vinegar. Leave them in this brine for two or three days ; they will then be ready for use. Stewed Cow-heel. — Put a nicely-cleaned Cow-heel in a saucepan with four onions, one bay-leaf, two or three cloves, a little salt and pepper, and stew it gently until done ; when it is done take off all the meat from the bones, cut it into small pieces, egg and breadcrumb them with highly- seasoned breadcrumbs, and fry them a light brown in butter. Serve the heel with a puree of tomatoes or mushrooms. COWSLIPS. — As a British plant this spring primula ( Primula veris) requires but very little description ; it can be gathered in April and May. It is not, however, so generally understood that it has any culinary value excepting for the manufacture of the old-fashioned wine. In America there is a species of marsh marigold known by this name, but it more nearly resembles a buttercup in shape and flower. The leaves are sometimes used as herbs for the pot. Cowslips and Cream. — Half fill a small basin with petals of fresh-gathered Cowslip-flowers, and pour over them a thick cream which has been flavoured with sugar and orange-flower water. When well mixed, this is very nice spread on bread or cake. Cowslip Cup. — Put the thin rind of half a lemon into a basin or bowl, strain in the juice, and mix in 2oz. of crushed loaf sugar; then add 1 table-spoonful of brandy, next lqt. of Cowslip wine, and let it stand for an hour or so. Strain it into another bowl, add 1 pint of broken ice, and a few minutes before serving pour in a bottle of soda water.