32. Game

Hares, partridges and pheasants from September through the winter: the game season closes with February. All kinds of water-fowl are most plentiful in keen, dry weather, especially w cold weather, after snow; also larks, wood-cocks, snipes, etc.

63. Asparagus, Artichokes, Spinach, Etc

Scrape the stalks of asparagus clean, tie them up with tape, in bundles of twenty-five or thirty each; cut off the ends of the stalks to an equal length. If quite fresh they need not be washed. Artichokes require thorough washing, and should be soaked two hours or so in water before dressing. Spinach should be picked leaf by leaf; washed in three or four waters, and thoroughly drained. Celery should be well soaked.

64. Potatoes and Jerusalem Artichokes should be well scrubbed with a birch broom, besom, or scrubbing brush, and washed very clean just before boiling; but they should never be the least wetted till they are about to be dressed. Some persons like them best boiled in the skins; they are best peeled before boiling when they are old or specky.

65. Carrots, Parsnips, Beetroots, And Turnips

Carrots and parsnips should be well washed and scrubbed, but not scraped, as it is apt to injure the flavour. After boiling, rub the skins with a coarse cloth. For soups, etc, they should be scraped. Beetroots should be washed and scrubbed very clean, but if the red sort be scraped, or cut with a knife, the colour will escape. When done, carefully rub with a rough cloth. Wash and peel turnips.

Having given directions for the preparations for cooking, we now proceed to Cooking itself; and shall begin with

Soups And Broths, Etc

In our general directions we have given pretty full instructions on the art of making broths, stews, etc, which instructions are of themselves sufficient to enable a young cook, possessed of diligence and common sense, to prepare the different varieties of these dishes, without the assistance of particular receipts. We give, however, the following.

67. Ox Tail Soup

Take three or tour ox tails; divide at the joints; well wash, and soak them. Put them on the fire; to each tail allow a quart of water; when they boil, take off all the scum. If four tails add four onions, and eight or ten corns of allspice and black pepper to each ta;l. Simmer it slowly till the meat on the bones is tender. Then take out the tails, scrape off all the meat and cut it small; strain the soup through a sieve. To thicken it, take two ounces of butter, and as much flour as it will take up; mix it well with the whole, and let it simmer another half hour. If not perfectly smooth, it must be strained again; then put in the meat, with a glass of wine, a table-spoonful of mushroom catsup, a little cayenne, and salt to taste; simmer it again a few minutes. Or instead of thickening the soup, the meat may be returned to the gravy and warmed again, with or without the addition of carrots and turnips.

69. Fish Broth

Thick-skinned fish, and those which have gluti-nous, jelly-like substances, are the best. The liquor which eels have been boiled in is good enough of itself, as they require but little water. The liquor in which turbot or cod has been boiled, boil again, with the addition of the bones. If purposely made, small eels, or grigs, or flat fish, as flounders, soles, plaice or dabs, or the finny parts of cod, will do for the purpose. A pound of fish to three pints of water; add peppercorns, a large handful of parsley, and an onion; and boil till reduced to half. A spoonful of catsup, or vinegar, is an improvement. This broth is very nourishing and easy of digestion; but for a sick person, leave out the catsup or vinegar.