Practical household cookery

Take a piece of top-side of beef, trim it nicely, cut some fat bacon into eight shreds of about four inches long by a quarter of an inch square, interlard the piece of beef with these by inserting each slice into a large larding-needle, then fasten the beef round with a piece of string so as to secure its shape. Put the pieces of trimmings into a braizing-pan with a few broken bones, if any ; lay the piece of beef on these and garnish with two onions each stuck with two cloves, two heads of celery, two carrots, a "bouquet gaini," and one blade of mace. Moisten with two quarts of good stock and one gill of brandy. Set the beef to simmer very gently for about four hours, taking care to often baste and turn it over in its gravy, in order to glaze it. Meanwhile glaze separately twenty-four small onions (No. 280) and two cabbages (No. 295). When the beef is done, drain it, remove the string, dish it up, make a border with the glazed onions and cabbages, or any other glazed vegetables that may be preferred ; as well as mashed potatoes, croquettes, or mushrooms stewed in the glaze, and stuffed tomatoes, &c. &c. Skim the fat off the glaze, strain it over the lot, and serve. This way of braizing meat can be applied to any cut or part of the animal, viz., ribs, rump, brisket, round or thick flank, as well as fillet of beef. The process of larding can also be omitted, not only as a matter of economy, but of taste as well. 504. BRAIZED BEEF MILANAISE. Procuro about ten pounds of thick flank, or a nice cut of round of beef of a similar weight ; trim, interlard, and bind it with string, as described in No. 503 ; boil it in the stockpot for a couple of hours ; after which, transfer the beef into a braizing-pan on a drainer. Moisten with half a bottle of white wine and one quart of good broth ; add the same quantity of vegetables and '' bouquet garni " as in the previous number. Set this to simmer very slowly for two hours, basting occasionally with its liquor in order to glaze the meat. When the beef is cooked take it out of the pan, drain it, remove the string, and keep it hot; strain the gravy through a fine strainer into a stewpan, skim off the fat, add half a pint of Espagnole sauce ; set it to the boil, skim and reduce it a little. Meanwhile have one pound of macaroni cooked in the usual way, and drained, in a stewpan ; season with mignonette pepper and grated nutmeg ; put in a gill of the reduced sauce together with two ounces of grated parmesan cheese and an ounce of butter; toss the macaroni up, so as to mix it well with the sauce and cheese ; then dress the meat on a dish, form a border round it with the macaroni, pour the remainder of the glaze sauce over, and serve. 505. BRAIZED BEEF NAPOLITAINE. Prepare a top-side piece of beef weighing about ten pounds in the same way as for beef, citizen style. Put it in a braizing-pan, with the same kinds and quantity of vegetables and "bouquet garni," moisten with a quart of good stock and half a bottle of red wine (not port) ; let this simmer on a slow fire for three and a half hours, frequently basting the meat with its liquor ; then put the meat on a dish, strain the liquor through a fine strainer, skim the fat, put the gravy back again in the braizing-pan with the meat, add half a pound of well washed and picked currants, and simmer for another half-hour. See that the meat is nicely glazed ; after which, dress it on a dish, skim the fat from the glaze again, before pouring it over the meat, and serve; 506. BEEF A LA MODE.