Part 121 (1/2)

HASHED GAME (Cold Meat Cookery).

1023. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold game, 1 onion stuck with 3 cloves, a few whole peppers, a strip of lemon-peel, salt to taste, thickening of b.u.t.ter and flour, 1 gla.s.s of port wine, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice, 1 tablespoonful of ketchup, 1 pint of water or weak stock.

_Mode_.--Cut the remains of cold game into joints, reserve the best pieces, and the inferior ones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs put into a stewpan with the onion, pepper, lemon-peel, salt, and water or weak stock; stew these for about an hour, and strain the gravy; thicken it with b.u.t.ter and flour; add the wine, lemon-juice, and ketchup; lay in the pieces of game, and let them gradually warm through by the side of the fire; do not allow it to boil, or the game will be hard. When on the point of simmering, serve, and garnish the dish with sippets of toasted bread.

_Time_.--Altogether 1-1/4 hour.

_Seasonable_ from August to March.

_Note_.--Any kind of game may be hashed by the above recipe, and the flavour may be varied by adding flavoured vinegars, curvy powder, &c.; but we cannot recommend these latter ingredients, as a dish of game should really have a gamy taste; and if too many sauces, essences, &c., are added to the gravy, they quite overpower and destroy the flavour the dish should possess.

GROUSE PIE.

1024. INGREDIENTS.--Grouse; cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste; 1 lb. of rump-steak, 1/2 pint of well-seasoned broth, puff paste.

_Mode_.--Line the bottom of a pie-dish with the rump-steak cut into neat pieces, and, should the grouse be large, cut them into joints; but, if small, they may be laid in the pie whole; season highly with salt, cayenne, and black pepper; pour in the broth, and cover with a puff paste; brush the crust over with the yolk of an egg, and bake from 3/4 to 1 hour. If the grouse is cut into joints, the backbones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs will make the gravy, by stewing them with an onion, a little sherry, a bunch of herbs, and a blade of mace: this should be poured in after the pie is baked.

_Time_.--3/4 to 1 hour.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the grouse, which are seldom bought, 1s.

9d.

_Seasonable_ from the 12th of August to the beginning of December.

ROAST GROUSE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ROAST GROUSE.]

1025. INGREDIENTS.--Grouse, b.u.t.ter, a thick slice of toasted bread.

_Mode_.--Let the birds hang as long as possible; pluck and draw them; wipe, but do not wash them, inside and out, and truss them without the head, the same as for a roast fowl. Many persons still continue to truss them with the head under the wing, but the former is now considered the most approved method. Put them down to a sharp clear fire; keep them well basted the whole of the time they are cooking, and serve them on a b.u.t.tered toast, soaked in the dripping-pan, with a little melted b.u.t.ter poured over them, or with bread-sauce and gravy.--See coloured plate, L1.

_Time_.--1/2 hour; if liked very thoroughly done, 35 minutes.

_Average cost_, 2s. to 2s. 6d. the brace; but seldom bought.

_Sufficient_,--2 for a dish.

_Seasonable_ from the 12th of August to the beginning of December.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RED GROUSE.]

GROUSE.--These birds are divided into wood grouse, black grouse, red grouse, and white grouse. The wood grouse is further distinguished as the c.o.c.k of the wood, or capercalzie, and is as large as the turkey, being about two feet nine inches in length, and weighing from twelve to fifteen pounds. The female is considerably less than the male, and, in the colour of her feathers, differs widely from the other. This beautiful species is found princ.i.p.ally in lofty, mountainous regions, and is very rare in Great Britain; but in the pine forests of Russia, Sweden, and other northern countries, it is very common. In these it has its habitat, feeding on the cones of the trees, and the fruits of various kinds of plants, especially the berry of the jumper. Black grouse is also distinguished as black-game, or the black-c.o.c.k. It is not larger than the common hen, and weighs only about four pounds. The female is about one-third less than the male, and also differs considerably from him in point of colour. Like the former, they are found chiefly in high situations, and are common in Russia, Siberia, and other northern countries. They are also found in the northern parts of Great Britain, feeding in winter on the various berries and fruits belonging to mountainous countries, and, in summer, frequently descending to the lower lands, to feed upon corn. The red grouse, gorc.o.c.k, or moor-c.o.c.k, weighs about nineteen ounces, and the female somewhat less. In the wild heathy tracts of the northern counties of England it is plentiful, also in Wales and the Highlands of Scotland. Mr. Pennant considered it peculiar to Britain, those found in the mountainous parts of Spain, France, and Italy, being only varieties of the same bird. White grouse, white game, or ptarmigan, is nearly the same size as the red grouse, and is found in lofty situations, where it supports itself in the severest weather. It is to be met with in most of the northern countries of Europe, and appears even in Greenland.

In the Hebrides, Orkneys, and the Highlands of Scotland, it is also found; and sometimes, though rarely, among the fells of Northumberland and c.u.mberland. In winter they fly in flocks, and are so little familiar with the sight of man, that they are easily shot, and even snared. They feed on the wild produce of the hills, which sometimes imparts to their flesh a bitter but not unpalatable taste. According to Buffon, it is dark-coloured, and somewhat flavoured like the hare.

GROUSE SALAD.

(_Soyer's Recipe_.)