Cassell's dictionary of cookery

of the pig with this, and sew it up ; lay it to the fire, and baste it with salad-oil till it is quite done. Do not leave it a moment ; it requires the most vigilant attendance. Roast it at a clear brisk fire at some distance. To gain the praise of epicurean pig-eaters, the crackling must be nicely crisped and delicately and lightly browned, without being either blistered or burnt. A small three weeks' old pig will be done enough in about an hour and a half. Before you take it from the fire, cut off the head, and part that and the body down the middle ; chop the brains very fine with some boiled sage-leaves, and mix them with good veal gravy, or beef gravy, or what runs from the pig when you cut its head off. Send up a tureenfull of beef gravy sauce besides. Currant sauce is still a favourite with some of the old school. Lay your pig back to back in the dish, with one half of the head on each side, and the ears one at each end, which you must take care to make nice and crisp. When you cut off the pettitoes, leave the sldn long, round the ends of the legs. When you first lay the pigbefore the fire, rub it all over with fresh butter or salad-oil ; ten minutes after, and the skin looks dry, dredge it well with flour all over; let it remain on an hour; then rub it ■with a soft cloth. A pig is a very troublesome subject to roast. Most persons have them baked. Pig, Sucking, Scalded.— A sucking-pig is generally sent from the butcher's ready for the spit, but for the benefit of those who find it necessary to prepare it themselves the following directions are given : — Put the pig into cold water direct^ after it is killed, and let it remain for five minutes, then take it up, and hold it by the head in a large pan of boiling water for two minutes. Lay it on a table, and rub the hairs off ^vith. a coarse cloth. If they do not come off easily, put the pig in the water another minute. When quite clean, make a slit down the belly,, and take out the entrails, leaving the kidneys untouched. Cut oft' the feet at the first joint, and leave a small portion of skin to fold neatly over the end. Clean the nostrils and ear& thoroughly, wash the pig in two or three waters, and dry it, inside and out, with a cloth, then wrap it in a damj) cloth until it can be cooked. The feet, the heart, and the liver of a sucking-pig are generally served separately. Pig, Sucking, Stuffed. — Remove the bones from every part of a sucking-pig except the head, which should be left entire. Stuff the pig with equal parts of bacon and vealliver cut small, and seasoned with salt, pepper, cloves, and nutmeg, as well as with some sage and basil cut as small as possible. Lay on the stuffing some slices of ham and tongue, dressed a Vicariate, and cut in strips some bacon, truffles, &c. Arrange the skin over these, bring the sucking-pig into as natural a shape as possible, and then enclose it in a linen cloth, with some slices of bacon, and basil, and sageleaves. Put it in a pan with some stock broth, salt and pepper, and dress it at a very gentle heat. Allow it to get sufficiently cold in the vessel in which it is cooked, that it may be compressed between the hands to force out the- PIG ( 553 ) PIG liquid inside it. Let the sucking-pig got quite cold, and remove the cloth before sending it to table.