Banquets of the nations

Take six good-sized firm red tomatoes, wipe and cut them into halves, through the sides. Place half-a-gill of sweet oil in a frying-pan, let it heat well, lay in the tomatoes on the sides which were cut, and cook briskly for one minute. Butter well a tin baking-dish, lay the tomatoes on this on the uncooked sides, and season with half a pinch each of salt and pepper. Make a stuffing with a shallot finely chopped, two cloves of crushed garlic, two hard-boiled eggs, one teaspoonful of chopped chives, the same of parsley, two medium-sized finely-chopped anchovies, and one ounce of butter. Mix well together in a bowl, and cover the tops of the tomatoes with the stuffing, dividing it equally. Sprinkle a little fresh breadcrumbs over them, drop three or four drops of clarified butter over each tomato, and put them in a very hot oven for eight minutes. Place them on a hot dish, and serve as a separate dish, with some Espagnole sauce poured into the dish. Spanish Sauce. (Espagnole.) Lay in a deep stewpan, seven inches wide, two slices of lean ham, half an inch thick ; upon the ham place a knuckle of veal and two partridges, with as much beef stock as will cover the veal only ; cover it and put it over a quick stove ; when the stock is reduced, lay hot cinders on the top of the fire, that the veal may sweat slower and all the gravy be drawn out, which, producing more glaze, renders the sauce more perfect When it is nearly down, do not leave it, lest the glaze catches. This care is essential, for if it catches it gives a disagreeable odour and bitterness to the taste. (The stock used in drawing the veal down should have as little salt in it as possible.) When it begins to take a light brown colour, and little or no liquor remains, take it from the fire and run a knife through the veal, that the gravy it contains may be added with the glaze. Throw some ashes on the fire, and replace the stewpan for nearly an hour ; watch the glaze until it takes a SPAIN (North) clear red colour. To discover the proper degree, dip the point of the knife into the glaze, and, taking a little from it, roll it between your fingers ; if sufficiently down it will form itself into a ball, but if not it will stick to the fingers. If at the proper point, take off the stewpan and set it on one side for a quarter of an hour, that the glaze may more easily dissolve ; then fill it up with consomme or beef stock, and set it at the corner of the stove. (If no partridges can be obtained, the carcases of two rabbits, or one whole one, will afford an agreeable flavour.) When it boils, skim it, and make a roux (thickening) with four ounces of oil or butter, adding as much sifted flour as will make it a little stiff ; put it over a slow fire, and stir it often, that it may receive equally and gradually a light gold colour. Pour into this roux two ladlefuls of stock, stirring it continually (but remove it from the fire) till it becomes quite smooth, then add more stock, and stir it until smooth and well mixed ; then pour it back on the veal, add a bunch of parsley and shallot, with half a bay-leaf, a little thyme, two cloves, and, above all, some trimmings of mushrooms.