Part 12 (1/2)

207. _To stew_ EELS.

Take your eels, case, clean and skewer them round, put them into a stew-pan with a little good gravy, a little claret to redden the gravy, a blade or two of mace, an anchovy, and a little lemon-peel; when they are enough thicken them with a little flour and b.u.t.ter. Garnish your dish with parsley.

208. _To pitch-c.o.c.k_ EELS.

Take your eels, case and clean them, season them with nutmeg, pepper and salt, skewer them round, broil them before the fire, and baste them with a little b.u.t.ter; when they are almost enough strinkle them over with a little shred parsley, and make your sauce of a little gravy, b.u.t.ter, anchovy, and a little oyster pickle if you have it; don't pour the sauce over your eels, put it into a china bason, and set it in the middle of your dish.

Garnish with crisp parsley, and serve them up.

209. _To boil_ HERRINGS.

Take your herring, scale and wash them, take out the milt and roan, skewer them round, and tie them with a string or else they will come loose in the boiling and be spoil'd; set on a pretty broad stew-pan, with as much water as will cover them, put to it a little salt, lie in you herrings with the backs downwards boil with them the milt and roans to lie round them; they will boil in half a quarter of an hour over a slow fire; when they are boiled take them up with an egg slice, so turn them over and set them to drain. Make your sauce of a little gravy and b.u.t.ter, an anchovy and a little boiled parsley shred; put it into the bason, set it in the middle of the dish, lie the herrings round with their tails towards the bason, and lie the milts and roans between every herring. Garnish with crisp parsley and lemon; so serve them up.

210. _To fry_ HERRINGS.

Scale and wash your herrings clean, strew over them a little flour and salt; let your b.u.t.ter be very hot before you put your herrings into the pan, then shake them to keep them stirring, and fry them over a brisk fire; when they are fried cut off the heads and bruise them, put to them a jill of ale, (but the ale must not be bitter) add a little pepper and salt, a small onion or shalot, if you have them, and boil them altogether; when they are boiled, strain them, and put them into your sauce-pan again, thicken them with a little flour and b.u.t.ter, put it into a bason, and set it in the middle of your dish; fry the milts and roans together, and lay round your herrings. Garnish your dish with crisp parsley, and serve it up.

211. _To pickle_ HERRINGS.

Scale and clean your herrings, take out the milts and roans, and skewer them round, season them with a little pepper and salt, put them in a deep pot, cover them with alegar, put to them a little whole Jamaica pepper, and two or three bay leaves; bake them and keep them for use.

212. _To stew_ OYSTERS.

Take a score or two of oysters, according as you have occasion, put them into a small stew-pan, with a few bread-crumbs, a little water, shred mace and pepper, a lump of b.u.t.ter, and a spoonful of vinegar, (not to make it four) boil them altogether but not over much, if you do it makes them hard. Garnish with bread fippets, and serve them up.

213. _To fry_ OYSTERS.

Take a score or two of the largest oysters you can get, and the yolks of four or five eggs, beat them very well, put to them a little nutmeg, pepper and salt, a spoonful of fine flour, and a little raw parsley shred, so dip in your oysters, and fry them in b.u.t.ter a light brown.

They are very proper to lie about either stew'd oysters, or any other fish, or made dishes.

214. OYSTERS _in_ SCALLOP Sh.e.l.lS.

Take half a dozen small scallop sh.e.l.ls, lay in the bottom of every sh.e.l.l a lump of b.u.t.ter, a few bread crumbs, and then your oysters; laying over them again a few more bread crumbs, a little b.u.t.ter, and a little beat pepper, so set them to crisp, either in the oven or before the fire, and serve them up.

They are proper for either a side-dish or middle-dish.

215 _To keep_ HERRINGS _all the Year_.

Take fresh herrings, cut off their heads, open and wash them very clean, season them with salt, black pepper, and Jamaica pepper, put them into a pot, cover them with white wine vinegar and water, of each an equal quant.i.ty, and set them in a slow oven to bake; tie the pot up close and they will keep a year in the pickle.