Part 83 (1/2)

720. INGREDIENTS.--About 1 lb. of underdone cold mutton, 2 lettuces, 1 pint of green peas, 5 or 6 green onions, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt to taste, 1/2 teacupful of water.

_Mode_.--Mince the mutton, and cut up the lettuces and onions in slices.

Put these in a stewpan, with all the ingredients except the peas, and let these simmer very gently for 3/4 hour, keeping them well stirred.

Boil the peas separately, mix these with the mutton, and serve very hot.

_Time_.--3/4 hour.

_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.

_Seasonable_ from the end of May to August.

IRISH STEW.

I.

721. INGREDIENTS.--3 lbs. of the loin or neck of mutton, 5 lbs. of potatoes, 5 large onions, pepper and salt to taste, rather more than 1 pint of water.

_Mode_.--Trim off some of the fat of the above quant.i.ty of loin or neck of mutton, and cut it into chops of a moderate thickness. Pare and halve the potatoes, and cut the onions into thick slices. Put a layer of potatoes at the bottom of a stewpan, then a layer of mutton and onions, and season with pepper and salt; proceed in this manner until the stewpan is full, taking care to have plenty of vegetables at the top.

Pour in the water, and let it stew very gently for 2-1/2 hours, keeping the lid of the stewpan closely shut the _whole_ time, and occasionally shaking it to prevent its burning.

_Time_.--2-1/2 hours.

_Average cost_, for this quant.i.ty, 2s. 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.--More suitable for a winter dish.

II.

722. INGREDIENTS.--2 or 3 lbs. of the breast of mutton, 1-1/2 pint of water, salt and pepper to taste, 4 lbs. of potatoes, 4 large onions.

_Mode_.--Put the mutton into a stewpan with the water and a little salt, and let it stew gently for an hour; cut the meat into small pieces, skim the fat from the gravy, and pare and slice the potatoes and onions. Put all the ingredients into the stewpan in layers, first a layer of vegetables, then one of meat, and sprinkle seasoning of pepper and salt between each layer; cover closely, and let the whole stew very gently for 1 hour of rather more, shaking it frequently to prevent its burning.

_Time_.--Rather more than 2 hours. _Average cost_, 1s, 6d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.--Suitable for a winter dish.

_Note_.--Irish stew may be prepared in the same manner as above, but baked in a jar instead of boiled. About 2 hours or rather more in a moderate oven will be sufficient time to bake it.

ITALIAN MUTTON CUTLETS.

723. INGREDIENTS.--About 3 lbs. of the neck of mutton, clarified b.u.t.ter, the yolk of 1 egg, 4 tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoonful of minced savoury herbs, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, 1 teaspoonful of minced shalot, 1 saltspoonful of finely-chopped lemon-peel; pepper, salt, and pounded mace to taste; flour, 1/2 pint of hot broth or water, 2 teaspoonfuls of Harvey's sauce, 1 teaspoonful of soy, 2 teaspoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, 1 tablespoonful of port wine.

_Mode_.--Cut the mutton into nicely-shaped cutlets, flatten them, and trim off some of the fat, dip them in clarified b.u.t.ter, and then, into the beaten yolk of an egg. Mix well together bread crumbs, herbs, parsley, shalot, lemon-peel, and seasoning in the above proportion, and cover the cutlets with these ingredients. Melt some b.u.t.ter in a frying-pan, lay in the cutlets, and fry them a nice brown; take them, out, and keep them hot before the fire. Dredge some flour into the pan, and if there is not sufficient b.u.t.ter, add a little more; stir till it looks brown, then pour in the hot broth or water, and the remaining ingredients; give one boil, and pour round the cutlets. If the gravy should not be thick enough, add a little more flour. Mushrooms, when obtainable, are a great improvement to this dish, and when not in season, mushroom-powder may be subst.i.tuted for them.