The Pattern cook-book

to the feet, wrap the bird in a thin slice of clear salt pork ; run a skewer through to keep the pork, head and feet in position, and run from three to six birds on each skewer. Rub soft butter over the parts not covered by the pork, and dredge all with flour. Place toasted bread under each bird in the baking-pan, as described for roasted snipe, rest the ends of the skewers on the edges of the pan, place the latter in a very hot oven, and cook ten minutes — fifteen, if the oven is not extra hot. On removing the pan from the oven, draw out the skewer gently, slip each bird on its slice of toast, and serve very hot, pouring the gravy from the pan over all. Any small birds may be cooked in this way. SMALL BIRDS, ROASTED IN POTATOES. Halve sweet potatoes lengthwise, and scrape out the inside, making a place large enough in each half to hold half the bird. Clean and draw the birds, cutting off heads and legs, the same as directed for turkey. Place a piece of butter in each bird, season with salt and pepper, spread them with butter, and place them in the potato shells, tying a string around each potato to hold the pieces together. Roast in a baking-pan, and serve in the potatoes. PIGEONS. These are drawn, singed and roasted or broiled the same as chickens. SQUABS. Squabs are broiled or roasted whole the same as woodcock, and are very delicious when carefully prepared. Meats. 235 RABBITS. The tame rabbit is rarely if ever eaten. The " old hare" of the South is the same as the rabbit of the North, and when fat and tender, may be made into a variety of dishes. The wild rabbit of America is almost equal in flavor to the English hare and may be dressed in the same way. JUGGED RABBIT. Have the rabbit skinned by the butcher, draw it, and wash quickly. Cut it into pieces and roll each piece in flour. Heat half a cupful of butter in a frying-pan, and put in the meat to brown well on all sides. Then remove the meat, and place it in a sauce-pan. Put in the fat in the frying-pan two table-spoonfuls of flour, stir until brown, add three cupfuls of water, cook ten minutes and pour the gravy over the meat in the stew-pan. Now add salt, pepper, a little spice and a small onion, uncut. Cover closely, simmer an hour and a-half, and add a table-spoonful of lemon-juice, a table-spoonful of mushroom ketchup (or any other kind that may be at hand) and four table-spoonfuls of sherry wine. Serve at once, and send with it to the table a dish of boiled rice. The wine may be omitted, but it adds greatly to the flavor. FRICASSEED RABBIT. This is prepared the same as fricasseed chicken, either white or brown. FRIED RABBITS. Cut the rabbits in pieces, as for fricassee, dip each piece in beaten egg and then in cracker dust, and fry brown in plenty of hot fat. SQUIRRELS. The large gray squirrel is seldom eaten at the North, but is much liked in the Southern States. Squirrels are cooked the same as rabbits, or are made into the popular dish known as BRUNSWICK STEW. This is named from a county in Virginia and is a favorite dish in that section of the country. Two large squirrels. One quart of tomato, peeled and sliced. One pint of butter beans or hmas. One and one-half tea-spoonful of pepper. Two tea-spoonfuls of white sugar. One onion, minced small. Six potatoes.