Good Things in England - A Practical Cookery Book for Everyday Use, Containing Traditional and Regional Recipes Suited to Modern Tastes. Florence White
in a moderate oven, length of time according to size.
8.When cooked take off the paste carefully and place the chine on a dish strainer.
9.Eat when quite cold.
To Make Calf’s Head Brawn
‘Eliza Powell her Book, 23rd January, 1753.’ This manuscript book of recipes is just an ordinary school exercise book on the outside cover of which is a wood engraving of the great Earl of Montrose. It was lent by Miss A. H. Carter, of Haywards Heath.
INGREDIENTS: A calf’s head; sweet herbs; anchovies; lemon peel; salt; spice; water.
TIME: 2 hours; then 15 minutes; then one hour.
METHOD
1.Take a calf’s head with the skin on.
2.Scald the hair off with boiling soft water.
3.Boil it sufficiently in enough water to cover it, long enough to take out the bones (about 2 hours).
4.When boned, boil it about 1/4 of an hour.
5.Then lay it flat on a board.
6.Then take chopped sweet herbs, boned and chopped anchovies and a little lemon peel shredded small.
7.Mix them to your taste with a little salt and spice.
8.Strew it all over the inside of the head.
9.Then roll it up very close in a cloth like other collared meat.
10.Tie it up securely.
11.Boil it but 1 hour.
N.B.— Must be kept in common pickle which must be renewed upon occasion and it will keep a quarter of a year. [But it can be eaten at once without being put in pickle. In this case the cloth should be taken off whilst hot and the collar rolled up in it again very tightly, and left on until the brawn is cold. It may be pressed till cold between 2 dishes.]
Oxtail Mould
One of Miss Heath’s delightful recipes, inherited from her grandmother who was married in 1823 (see pp. 291 and 306).
INGREDIENTS: Oxtail 1; butter 1 oz.; flour to dredge it; cold water; onion 1; cloves 3; vinegar about 1/4 gill; a bunch of herbs; pepper, salt; hard-boiled egg.
TIME: stew till the meat leaves the bones.
METHOD
1.Cut the fat off the oxtail.
2.Cut it into joints.
3.Put the butter into a saucepan and shake till brown.
4.Dredge the oxtail lightly with flour.
5.Put it into the hot butter and brown it.
6.Add enough water to cover it and about a 1/4 gill of vinegar.
7.Add the onion sliced, a bunch of herbs, pepper and salt.
8.And stew till the meat leaves the bones.
9.Take the meat from the bones.
10.Butter a plain mould or cake tin.
11.Line it with slices of hard-boiled egg.
12.Put in the meat and as much of the stock as the mould will hold.
13.When cold turn out as you would a jelly, and serve with salad.
14.Cut down in thin slices.
Potted Beef
Leicester, made in 1860 and earlier
This recipe has been very kindly sent by the Misses Hope, Henfryn, Reading, who have a marvellous collection of manuscript cookery books handed down from one generation to another for 300 years. They exhibited cakes etc. at the first English Folk Cookery Exhibition and amongst others sent a delicious cake known as ‘Aunt Nelly’s cake’ and made by Mrs. Spokes, of Tilehurst, Berkshire.
INGREDIENTS: Leg of beef; water; essence of anchovy; pepper; salt; clarified butter or mutton fat to cover.
TIME: to boil the beef 4 hours or more.
METHOD
1.Put the beef in cold water, bring it slowly to boiling point and boil gently till the flesh will separate with a fork.
2.Separate the meat from all gristle and fat.
3.Pound it in a mortar and during this process season it with the anchovy essence, etc. (A little of the liquor may be used to assist the process of pounding, but be careful not to put too much.)
N.B.—Boil the bones and gristle in the soup for an hour or more to improve the quality. Let it stand all night, take off the fat next morning and it will be most strengthening.
Potted Beef
From a Yorkshire woman’s scrap-book, 1931
INGREDIENTS: Beef steak 1/2 lb.; ground mace 1/2 small teaspoonful; hot water to just cover meat; pepper; salt; butter.
TIME: 1 1/2 to 2 hours according to the tenderness of the steak.
METHOD
1.Cut up steak into very small pieces.
2.Stew gently until tender.
3.Put through mincer twice.
4.Mix to a paste adding some of the gravy left over.
5.Season with mace, pepper, and salt.
6.Put into mould.
7.And when cold cover with oiled butter.
Beef Potted
Worcester Early 18th Century
Bake a tender piece of beef in butter till very tender. Drain it from the gravy, season it with cloves, mace, nutmeg, pepper and salt. Pound it in a stone mortar with a wooden beater adding fresh butter; when smooth and fine put it in your pots, close, clear the oyl’d butter from the gravey and pour over; if not enough oyle some butter and pour over.
A Modern Midland Recipe
Mrs. Jones, Ravenswood, Northampton
INGREDIENTS: Neck of beef 1 lb.; water 1 tablespoonful; a little mixed spice; pepper and salt to taste; anchovy essence a small dessertspoonful; butter.
TIME: about 4 hours.
METHOD
1.Put the beef, water, and mixed spice into a double saucepan (or into a stoneware jar standing on a piece of wood in an iron saucepan) and cook for 4 hours.
2.When the meat is cold put it two or even three times through the mincer till it is quite fine and smooth.
3.Then add the anchovy sauce, pepper, salt, and gravy from the meat; mix well.
Put into small dishes, and pour a little butter over them.
N.B.—The meat will cook in a hay-box (or fireless cooker) if it is allowed to get well started on the fire; say after the first half hour.
To Pot Pigeons, Grouse, Woodcock, Partridges, etc.
Worcester, Early 18th Century
Take and clean them very