Cassell's dictionary of cookery

close it. Now place it in a saucepan just large enough to hold it, and put with it some vegetables, spices, salt, and pepper, together with equal parts of water and white wine, and simmer at a moderate heat for six or seven hours till done. Take the saucepan from the fire, and let the meat remain in it until almost cold. Then take it out, put it in a mould or iron saucepan, and place a wooden plate with a heavy weight on it to squeeze the head and flatten it into the form of a cheese. If preferred, a similar dish to the above may be prepared with the ears alone. Clean the ears, cut them in two pieces, season, and stew in white wine. When cooked sufficiently, arrange them in a mould with alternate layers of sliced tongue, prepared à l'écarlate, and previously cooked. Press out the whole then as flat as possible. Pig's Head, Moulded.— Lay the head and feet of a pig, and two calf's feet, all properly cleansed, into a stewpan, with an onion, a bunch of parsley, a sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, and as much water as will barely cover the whole. Simmer all gently together until the meat is tender, then draw out the bones, and when the meat is nearly cold, cut it into small pieces about the size of a bean, and put with it any remains of dressed poultry, tongue, or meat that may be at hand, first cutting them into pieces like the rest. Strain and skim the liquor, and boil it quickly down to a jelly. Clear it with white of egg, and flavour with plenty of salt and pepper, a little grated nutmeg, and a table-spoonful of tarragon vinegar. Put the minced meat into it, with half a dozen sliced gherkins, and let it remain until quite hot. Pour a small quantity of the clear jelly into a mould, and bend it round, when it begins to stiffen, so that it may adhere to the sides, and the inside of the mould be evenly coated. Ornament the bottom prettily with beetroot, sliced green pickles, pieces of hard-boiled egg, chopped parsley, &c. Lay three or four tablespoonfuls of the thinnest part of the mince gently into the mould, and when set pour in the rest. Let it stand until the next day. If there is any difficulty in turning the jellied meat out of the mould, tie a cloth, which has been wrung out of boiling water, round it for a minute or two, and loosen the edges with a knife. Serve on a neatly folded napkin. Time to boil, two to three hours. Probable cost of head, 8d. per pound. Sufficient for a breakfast or a luncheon dish. Pig's Head, Piquant.— Take a fresh pig's head. Singe and clean it carefully. Lay it in a pickling-pan, with a dessert-spoonful of common salt, half a dozen cloves, one or two bay-leaves, a salt-spoonful of peppercorns, a salt-spoonful of bruised juniper-berries, two sliced onions, and half a lemon, thinly sliced. Pour half a pint of vinegar over the whole, let it lie for five days, turning and basting the head and rubbing in the spices at least once each day. Take it up, drain and dry it, brush it over with clarified butter, and place it in a stewpan over a moderate fire until it is lightly browned all over. Pour in the marinade, leaving out most of the lemon, and add a cupful of water. Put the lid on the saucepan, steam the meat gently for an hour and a half, and baste PIG ( 558 ) PIG