Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

jar in a deep saucepan filled with boiling water. Set it by the fire, but not so near as to let it simmer. Let it get cold. Strain through muslin, and after that filter it through clean white blotting paper. This Beef Tea is to be taken cold only, and can be digested by the weakest patient. Mutton Tea.— This is much liked by aged patients. Take a pound and half of fresh mutton from the leg, free it from every morsel of fat, gristle or skin. Put it, cut in pieces, with two ounces of well-washed rice, and a dust of salt, into one quart of cold water. Bring it nearly to the boil and let it simmer for four hours. Strain it carefully, and remove every particle of fat. Serve about a teacupful at a time. Veal Tea. — Make this exactly like Mutton Tea. It is verylight and digestible. The rice can be replaced by tapioca, or well-washed pearl barley. Chicken Tea. — This can be taken hot or cold. Skin a chicken, divide it, leaving out the back. Put it into cold water with four white peppercorns. Simmer till the chicken is in rags. Strain the tea, and when cold remove every particle of fat. If taken warm, warm it up in the bain-marie, or in a jar put in a pan of boiling water. [illustration: Some of these decoctions are rather tasteless, and in others the perpetual flavour of meat alone becomes wearisome. It is well to ask the Doctor if a little vegetable flavouring may be added, such as a few leaves of mint, or thyme, or parsley, or a little celery seed. Of course all the leaves would be very small, blanched, and tied up in muslin, so that only the flavour and not the leaves themselves would get into the liquid. Parsley is particularly acceptable with mutton tea. If the Doctor understands how the flavouring is given, and that it is not the Harvey or Worcester sauce, or the wine, liqueur, or spirits, which he has been taught to associate with the word "flavouring," he will probably consent readily. Invalids often like their morsel of toast better if it is toasted before their own fire. The smell of the toast is pleasant, and the toast itself much better when quite fresh from the toasting-fork. Instead of toast, freshly-made water biscuits, or Passover biscuits, or a little pulled bread, or bread chips (see Chapter XX) are often liked for a change. For Mince see page 194.] CALFS FEET BROTH Calf's Feet Broth. — Take two well-cleaned calf’s feet (see page 190), half a pound of lean beef, and three or four slices of white bread half an inch thick, leaving the crust on. Or use the bottom of a tin loaf. Put all into three quarts of water with a little salt. Reduce the broth by simmering to three pints. Strain it very carefully, and remove all fat. Calf S Feet With Milk. — Put two thoroughly-cleaned calf’s feet into a jar, and cover them with equal quantities of milk and water. Put a paste cover over the jar, and set it in a slack oven for three hours. When cold take off all fat, and warm up as required. A few herbs, such as parsley, thyme, or even a bit of leek, if allowed and if liked, improve this broth. Or it may have a little lemon peel stewed in the jar, and be served slightly sweetened.