Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Beef, Pressed. — Take any number of pounds of the brisket of beef, as lean as can be obtained, and nicely salted. The beef may be bought salted of the butcher or it may be salted at home. To do this, dissolve % oz. of saltpetre in a little water, and mix with it 2 lbs. of common salt and x/i lb. of moist sugar. Rub this pickle into the meat every morning for eight days, and turn it over each day. Take it from the pan, drain, and bone it. The butcher will do this, if desired. Put it into a saucepan with as much lukewarm water as will quite cover it, and put with it an onion stuck with two cloves, a large carrot, and a bay-leaf. Let the water boil up once, skim carefully, then draw the saucepan quite to the side of the fire, and simmer the meat as gently as possible till it is done enough. Lift the saucepan quite away from the fire, and leave the meat in the liquor for half an hour. Take it out carefully, drain it, place it between two flat dishes, and put a heavy weight on the top. Let it remain until the next day. Take off the weight, and glaze the beef. Place the jar with the glaze in a saucepan with about two inches of boiling water, and let it steam until the glaze is dissolved. The water in the saucepan must not be allowed to flow over into the jar. Take an ordinary brush which has been soaked in hot water to make it soft, and with it cover the surface of the meat entirely with the dissolved glaze. It ought to be laid lightly on rather than brushed on, so as not to show the marks of the brush. When one coating of glaze is quite stiff, give the meat a second one, and, if liked, a third. Place the meat on a dish, garnish with parsley, and it is ready for serving. Time to simmer the meat, half an hour per pound from the time the water boils after the meat is put in. Beef, Ragout. — Take equal quantities of good gravy and boiling water — a pint in all. Pour it into a stewpan in which 2 lbs. of cold roast beef, sliced, have been put. Add five or six small onions, some mixed spices, pepper, and salt to taste, and let the whole stew very gently until tender, which will be in about two hours. Before serving, add capers and pickled walnuts to the gravy. Beef Rissoles. — Cut slices from the roasted joint, or take pieces of beefsteak left from dinner, chop them very fine, freeing them from all bits of gristle. If salt pork is liked, chop a slice of it with the beef. To one teacupful of beef add one teacupful of grated bread; if it is very stale, moisten it with milk, and chop with the meat; add one well-beaten egg, salt, pepper, a sprinkle of allspice, and, if desired, a small onion, finely chopped, for flavoring. Mix all well together; if the bread used is not softened, add two table-spoonfuls of sweet milk ; flour the hands, and roll up the mixture into good-sized balls ; fry in hot lard or in beef drippings. Serve on a platter, and garnish with sprigs of parsley and pickled beet-root sliced. Mutton, lamb, and veal can be used instead of beef. Beef, Roast (English). — The forerib is the best roasting piece. Put the meat down before a nice, clear fire, put some dripping into the pan, dredge Beef, Roast Beefsteak