A year's cookery

Dinner. — Fried Whiting. — Flour the whiting, and wrap it in a soft cloth, and let it lie in the kitchen for an hour or more. It is an advantage for fish thus to lie for an hour or two after it is floured. When wanted, half fill an iron saucepan, of a size that will hold the frying-basket, with frying fat (see February 19th). Put it on the fire to boil. When water boils it bubbles up quickly, when fat boils it is still. The best way of telling when the fat is ready for the fish is to watch it until, when still, a pale blue smoke rises, and this is a sign that it is ready for the fish. Break an egg, and put the white only into a plate and beat it lightly. Pass both sides of the fish through the egg, hold it up to drain, and roll it in fine dry bread-crumbs which have been mixed with flour, pepper, and salt, in the proportion of a table-spoonful of flour, a small pinch of pepper, and half a saltspoonful of salt to two ounces of crumbs. As the fish are crumbed lay them on a dish until all are prepared, then put them into the frying-basket, and do not let them touch each other. When the smoke rises, plunge the basket into the boiling fat to quite cover the fish, move it gently about, and let it remain until the whiting are done through and lightly browned. They will take from six to ten minutes, according to their size. Lift the basket out, let the fat drain away, then put the fish on a plate covered with kitchen paper, cover it with another sheet, and let it drain before the fire for three or four minutes ; put it on a hot dish covered with a napkin or a fish paper, and garnish it with fried parsley. Whenever in this book it is said that fish is to be fried in plenty of hot fat these directions are to be closely followed. (See also Fried Soles, March 24th). If preferred, the fish instead of being egged and breaded can be simply floured well over before being fried ; many epicures consider it more palatable when thus prepared. _ When, as often happens, there is not a frying-basket in the house, neither sufficient fat to cover the fish entirely, another method may be adopted. Put into an ordinary frying-pan as much good dripping as will cover the bottom all over to the depth of half an inch ; let this get quite hot, and when it is still and the blue smoke rises from it, put in the floured fish, and when it is cooked upon one side turn it to the other. Drain it from grease on kitchen paper, and proceed as before. Shrimp (January 30th), or anchovy (July 17th), or Dutch (May 14th) sauce should be sent to table with the fish. (If more convenient, whiting can be baked instead of being fried, see August 19th.) Roast Shoulder of Mutton (March 4th); Boiled Onions (October 28th) ; Potatoes (May 6th) ; Savoy (June 4th) ; Hayrick Puddings (March 19th) ; Cheese (June 8th). Things that must not be Forgotten, 1. Partially prepare the hare for to-morrow. If the weather is very dry and cold, and if the hare does not appear to have hung long enough, leave it a week longer, and substitute next Sunday’s dinner for to-day. 2. Turn the silverside of beef in the brine, and turn and rub the pig’s cheeks. 3. Take the fat off the fire as soon as it is done with, and pour it carefully into a basin. Before using it again remove the sediment, which will have settled at the bottom of the cake.