Virginia Cookery-book

Beefsteak.— Beef Stew.— Mutton Stew.— Cuiry Powder.— Zitelli's Macaroni Stew. — To Fricassee Chickens. — Fowl Cutlets. — Chicken Pudding. — Stewed Ducks.— Stewed Chicken.- Brown Gravy for Ducks.— To Dress a Calf s Head.— A Pie of Green Corn and Chickens.- Father Adam.— To SteW a Rump of Beef.— Sanders of Cold Beef.— Italian Beefsteak.— To Stew a Fresh Beef Tongue. — Ragout of Souse,— Beef Bouilli.— A Nice Relish of Meat for Tea.— Venison Stew.— Blanquettes of Veal.— Baked Hash.— Veal Olives the French Way. — Sweetbreads with Oranges.— Sweetbreads ft la Dauphine. — To Make a Handsome Dish out of an Old Hen.— Brunswick Stew.— Stewed Pigeons.— Rice Pie. Beefsteak. The finest beef is required for really good steak. Steaks cut from three different parts of the beef are in request for private tables and restaurants, known as tenderloin, porter-house, and round steak. The last is most commonly seen, because, having no bone worth speaking of, it is the most economical cut, and having no fat, suits the many who have Jack Sprat's taste^ yet yet it is far inferior in juice and tenderness to the two other cuts named. Tenderloin steak cut from prime beef cannot be excelled. Porterhouse cut from it is next choice. Beefsteak should be cut in slices half an inch thick. If the beef is of the right quality, by no means beat it, as in this way much of the sweetness escapes. Have a clear bed of coals over which to place a griddle with slender bars, well warmed and greased. Lay the steak on the bars and cook it just to the degree that pleases the palate of those for whom you are providing. Some persons who like it rare insist^ that five minutes is an ample time to allow for having it done perfectly, while others have a disgust for any save well done, thoroughly cooked meat, and would prefer their steak to remain over the fire for fifteen minutes. A cook should accommodate herself strictly to the instructions of her employer, and learn how to please parties who widely differ. Cooking beefsteak upon an ordinary stove is to fill a kitchen with the smell of burnt fat, which may be avoided by having a charcoal brazier for this purpose put in some airy place, the charcoal supplying good heat, without smoke. No gravy is so good as the pure juice from the meat, joined with a little butter added to the meat as soon as it is lifted from the gridiron. Pepper the steak when first put upon the gridiron, but let salt be added to taste at table. Mustard should always be at hand, ready mixed, for those who like it as a condiment for their beefsteak. Beef Stew. Few persons care to stew raw meat, but, as a way of serving up what is left of a roasted joint so that it may make a hot and appetizing dish, stewing is highly esteemed. Cut off, then, as much of a cold joint as will furnish enough food for your family, and about one hour before dinnertime lay it in a stewpan that has a lid to it ; add butter in proportion to the size of the dish, or, if you have been provident enough to set aside a good portion of yesterday's gravy, you will need almost none ; cut into rings a boiled carrot, also a whole pickled cucumber, chop up a fraction of an onion, and two or three cold potatoes, adding pepper and salt to your taste, as also a teaspoonful of whole allspice ; then add a little hot water, cover up your stewpan closely, and set it where it may stew gently until the hour comes for serving ; send it to table in a covered dish, and, if carefully prepared, the chances are that the family will enjoy it more than many a more elaborate preparation. Mutton Stew.