Virginia Cookery-book

Cut some thin slices from the hock end of a fine bam, beat these well with a roUing-pin, and lay them carefully in a stewpan, without any addition whatever ; cover these up close, and set them ovei* a gentle fire to stew. Observe when they begin to stick to the pan, then dust in a little flour, move them gently over the fire, and pour in a little rich veal gravy, made purposely without any salt; put in two small bunches of sweet herbs and some pep- * In Virginia the term pig is never applied to a grown hog. A pig when roasted whole is preferred very young, so as not to weigh over twelve pounds. Bhote is the meat of a half-gro¥m bog ; pork, the meat of the full-grown animal when fit for curing. VIRGINIA COOKERY-BOOK, 151 pepper, a blade of mace broken, and one clove whole. Ijet tbifl be set on again over a gentle fire, and covered up ; when it has stood about a quarter of an hour simmering take out the sweet herbs and skim off the fat, then thicken it up, and pour it into a small dish. Send it up hot. This dish is not only useful as a dish for lunch or supper, but serves excellently as a garnish to any larger dish composed of bacon. A Ragout of Sweetbreads. Choose a couple of fine veal sweetbreads, throw them into a pot of boiling water, and have ready a pan of the coldest water you can get. When the sweetbreads have been a few minutes in the boiling water throw them into the cold, and let them lie there a little ; double a cloth three or four times and spread it out upon the dresser, take the sweetbreads out of the water, lay them upon this cloth, aud cover them with another ; thus dry them perfectly. Put them into a saucepan with a quarter of a pound of butter, toss them up, and add some pepper and salt, and a little bundle of sweet herbs ; then cut to pieces some large, fresh mushrooms, and put into the saucepan ; then put in some fresh ones whole, and very small, set it over a fire, let it simmer longer, and then take out the bundle of herbs ; put in some rich veal gravy, and set it on again ; then, after it has been cooking for some time, skim off the fat, and thicken it up ; serve it hot, without any garnish. This, like the recipe preceding it, is used sometimes for a dish of itself, and sometimes for garnish of others. A Ragout of Truffles. Cut some truffles into very thin slices, and lay them over -night to soak in some strong veal gravy. In the morning heat them up, throw in two cloves and a blade of mace torn to pieces, and set them on to boil up ; then take them off the fire. There must be only just as much of the veal gravy as will moisten them thoroughly ; let them stand now till near the time they are wanted ; they will be perfectly soft, and fully and richly impregnated with the strength of the gravy ; then pour in enough essence of a gammon of bacon to make the whole somewhat thin, set it on to stew again, and then thicken it up with a lump of butter rolled in flour. If this ragout is served up as a separate dish garnish it with sliced lemon. When using it as a sauce for some other elegant dish see that the main dish has something congruous in its nature, for there is nothing so wrong as to join things of unlike taste, that only spoil one another. A Ragout of Cauliflower. One cauliflower is sufficient for a dish, but let it be a very fine one, and lay it in cold spring-water a few minutes before proceeding to pick it in pieces. Melt a quarter of a pound of butter in a stewpan, with a table-spoonful of water. When it is melted throw in the cauliflower thus cut into small pieces ; shake this about until the cauliflower is tender, then dust in a little flour, and toss about the pan ; season it with pepper and salt, and when it is thus far done heat half a pint of rich gravy, and when it is hot pour it in. Stir all about, and then when the whole is well mixed serve up hot.