The Rural cook book

Waverly Collared Beef. — Corn a six-pound piece of the thick part of the brisket by putting it in brine strong enough to float an egg, to which is added a heaping teaspoonful of saltpeter, one of brown sugar and a saltspoon of red pepper. Leave it in five or six days in Summer; eight or 10 in Winter. Use an earthen crock, and turn the meat every two or three days. Grate two large carrots, a good-sized stick of horseradish, and chop flne a large bunch of parsley; mix all together, and spread a thick layer on the corned beef, keeping it well to the middle, as it presses out when you roll; if the meat is not long, and difficult to roll nicely, cut a few pockets in it and till with the dressing; then roll very tightly, fastening with skewers and binding with strong string round and round. Any of the dressing that has squeezed out press back into the open ends of the roll ; remove the skewers ; then lie up in cheesecloth, cover with cold water, bring slowly to a simmer, and let it cook at this point four hours. Remove the cheesecloth, put the meat on a tray, place a heavy weight on it and leave it over night. Cut off the string. Serve cold, cutting thin slices off the end, showing the dressing. Brown Stew. — A piece of tough steak can be very well cooked in this way: Brown a tablespoonful of sugar in the kettle and add a sliced onion; when brown cool and add for each pound of beef cut in small bits 1 tablespoonful of flour and one of butter or suet. Add a pint of boiling water, stir well and add the bits of meat. Put in half of a bay leaf or a pinch of celery seed. Cook very slowly for an hour. Just before serving add a teaspoonful of salt. The meat will be tender, the flavor excellent. The browned sugar, or caramel, as cooks call it, does not give a perceptibly sweet flavor, but gives a different taste, and makes brown gravy. Brunswick Stew. — Stew a large fowl until the meat leaves the bone; remove skin, gristle and bones and chop the meat in coarse pieces. Return to the liquor; add a pint of corn scraped from the ears, a pint of young Lima beans, three cupfuls of tomato, a good-sized onion, minced fine, a pint of young okras, a small red pepper, minced, a little celery seed, two tablespoonfuls of butter and salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Simmer until okra is tender and then serve. The addition of a little paprika just before the stew is taken up improves it greatly. Belgian Hare. — If you broil see that the hares are young, under four or five months, and therefore tender. After a brief soaking in water into which no soda or salt has been put (if the hares are young they have no unpalatable flavor and consequently great care must be taken to preserve their natural delicacy), dry well with a clean cloth, and gash them down the back through the thickest portion; then flatten each, place it on a gridiron, and broil it over a bed of coals, turning often, or you may lay them smooth on the bottom of a dripping pan and cook in a hot oven without basting; oil the pan slightly with a little sweet dripping, or a bit of fresh butter; they should be done in half an hour. Stewed. — Cut the hares into joints, drop into a pot and cover with boiling water; then slice in an onion and a bit of bacon, and stew slowly one hour or until tender. As old hares are best stewed, it will do no harm to put in a young chicken, stewing all together. At the end of half an hour add a few potatoes, peeled, and cut in quarters, and, if liked, some small bits of light paste, after the potatoes get fairly boiling. When all are done, stir in a little cream thickened with white flour, boil up a moment and dish for the table.