Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Sole, Stewed (a maigre dish).— Skin, scale, and clean a large sole, and put it into a saucepan with an onion stuck with two cloves, fifteen black peppercorns, and as many berries of allspice. Pour upon it as much boiling water as will cover it, and let it simmer gently until done enough. Take the fish up carefully with a slice, lay it on a hot dish, and keep it hot for a few minutes. Thicken the sauce with flour and butter, and — supposing there is half a pint — stir into it half a tea-spoonful of essence of anchovy', a table-spoonful of mushroom ~ ketchup, two table-spoonfuls of claret, and a pinch of cayenne. Let it boil till thick and smooth, strain it over the fish, garnish with toasted sippets, and serve very hot. Time to stew the sole, about twenty minutes. Probable cost, 2s. Sufficient for two persons. Sole, Stewed (another way). — Clean, skin, and scale a pair of soles, and then stew them as before with as much boiling water as will cover them, an onion stuck with two cloves, fifteen peppercorns, and fifteen berries of allspice. Let them simmer for a quarter of an hour. Put into a separate saucepan half a pint of milk or cream, the thin rind of a small lemon, a little salt and cayenne, and a thickening of flour and butter. Strain into this sauce half the liquor in which the fish was boiled, lift the soles into it, and let them simmer in it ten minutes. Lift the soles into a hot dish, pour the sauce over them, garnish with toasted sippets, and serve. Time, half an hour. Probable cost, if milk be used, 2s. to 2s. 6d., according to the size of the soles. A pair of moderate-sized soles are enough for foiir or five persons. Sole, Stuffed and Baked (a Portuguese recipe). — Make a little forcemeat as follows : — Mince very finely six ounces of lean veal or beef thoroughly freed from skin and fat. Mix with it two ounces of finely-grated breadcrumbs which have been soaked in milk and squeezed dry, and two ounces of shred suet, butter, or fat bacon that has been slightly fried. Pound the ingredients in a mortar with one fillet of an anchovy, a table-spoonful of picked and chopped parsley, a small onion, and a flavouring of pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. Bind the mixture together with the yolk of an egg. Clean, skin, and fillet a large fresh sole. Squeeze a little lemon -juice upon the fillets, spread the forcemeat upon them, roll them round, and tie them with twine. Put the rolls in a buttered dish, brush over with beaten egg, strew bread-crumbs over them, and put into the dish under them a cupful of gravy mixed with what remains of the egg, a teaspoonful of caper vinegar, a filleted anchovy, and a tea-spoonful of shred parsley. Cover the dish tightly, and bake the rolls in a gentle oven. When done enough, put the rolls into a hot dish, strain the gravy over, and garnish with fried parsley. Sometimes the rolls are dipped in French frying-batter, and fried till crisp, then baked afterwards. Time SOL (897) SOU to bake the fish, about half an hour. Probable cost, one large sole, Is. or Is. 6d. Sufficient for four or five persons.