Mock Turtle

Take two pounds of gravy-beef, with a small knuckle of veal, about 31bs; chop the bone, and cut the beef in thin slices; put it into a gallon stewpan, with half a pint of water, a slice of lean ham or bacon, one turnip, one carrot, three onions, with four cloves stuck in one, a teaspoonful of black pepper, the same of allspice, a bundle of sweet herbs; put it over a slow fire till it is of a light brown, but be very careful it does not burn; then put to it two quarts of boiling water, let it simmer for two hours, then strain it off, and put two quarts more; simmer it for three hours longer, strain it off, and set it by till next day: boil half a calf's head with the skin on, three quarters of an hour; when cold, cut the meat off in small square pieces. To thicken your soup, put an ounce of butter into a stewpan; as soon as it is melted, mix two tablespoonful of flour with it, stirring it over the fire a few minutes; then mix the gravy with it by degrees: as soon as it boils, mix three tablespoonful of oatmeal with cold water, and put to the soup; let it boil for ten minutes, strain it, and put it into the stewpan again with the meat, and a roll of lemon-peel; simmer it for an hour and a half, or two hours, till quite tender, and finish your soup with seasoning it with wine, catsup, lemon-juice, etc.

Observations

The above is most excellent, and was eaten with unanimous and perfect approbation, by the "Committee of Taste," (vide Preface,) who ordered it to be printed, as well as the following receipt, which is rather more economical.

Mock Turtle

This is the dish, says "le grand Cuisinier Imperial de France" which (he English cooks prepare when they wish to rival the French cookery. Take a calf's head with the skin on, take out the brains, wash the head well several times in cold water, put it on in hot water, and let it boil an hour. While the head is doing, cut Mb of ham into slices, chop a knuckle of veal, or shin of beef, into 1/2lb pieces, lay them in a two gallon stewpan, with two large carrots, two turnips, two heads of celery, and four large onions, with eight cloves stuck in one of them, a 1/4oz of thin cut lemon-peel, half as much eshallots; a bundle as thick as your wrist of winter-savory, pot marjoram, sweet-marjoram, and lemon-thyme, equal parts, half the quantity of basil, (or 3/4oz. of dried soup-herb powder, No. 459, tied up in a bag,) and three times the quantity of parsley: put in 6 blades of mace, two drachms of allspice, and the same of black pepper, all finely pounded: then put in a pint of the liquor the calf's head is boiling in, cover the stewpan, and set it over a quick fire till all the liquor is boiled away, and the meat begins to stick to the bottom of the pan; now fill it up with the liquor in which the calf's head was boiled, cover it close, and let it stew gently for three hours longer; (there should be five quarts of soup when it is finished;) then to thicken it put in 2oz. of butter into a quart stewpan; when it is melted, gradually stir in five tablespoonsful of flour, and rub it up well till you make it a stiff paste, mix some of the broth with this, adding it by degrees, stirring it all the while till thoroughly incorporated; if it is at all lumpy, pass it through a sieve; let it stew slowly half an hour longer, and strain it through atammis into a clean stewpan, cut the head and tongue into mouth fuls, and season the soup with two tablespoonsful of brownings, same of lemon-juice, three of mushroom catsup, and three wineglasses of wine; let it simmer gently for half an hour longer, till the meat is quite tender, taking care it is not overdone: while the soup is doing, prepare for each tureen a dozen and a half of mock turtle forcemeat balls, (to make these, see No. 375, or No. 390, to No. 396,) and a dozen egg balls; put these into the tureen, and squeeze in the juice of a lemon. Brain balls are a very elegant addition, and are made by boiling the brains for ten minutes, then put them in cold water, and cut them into pieces about as big as a large nutmeg; take savory, or sweet marjoram and lemon-thyme dried and finely powdered, nutmeg grated, and pepper and salt, and pound the mall together; roll the brains in this mixture,and make as much of this powder as possible stick to them, dip them in an egg well beat up, and then in finely grated and sifted bread crumbs, fry them in hot fat, and put them into the soup the last thing.

A veal sweetbread, with or without a pound of salted neat's tongue, cut into mouthfuls, is a favourite addition with some cooks. We order the meat to be cut into mouthfuls, that it may be eaten with a spoon; the knife and fork have no business in a soup plate.

*** Some of our culinary cotemporarics order the Haut-gout of this (as above directed, sufficiently relishing) soup to be augmented by the addition of anchovies, mushrooyns, truffles,morells, curry-powder, artichoke bottoms, salmon'shead and livers, or lobsters and sotes cut into mouthfuls, a bottle of Madeira, etc., and to complete their surfeiting and burn-gullet olio, they put in such a tremendous quantity of Cayenne pepper, that no palate, that has not been educated in the Indies, can endure it.

Observations

This is a most delicious and nutritious soup, and within reach of those who "eat to live;" but if it had been composed expressly for those who only "live to eat," I do not know how it could have been made more agreeable: as it is, the lover of good eating will "wish his throat a mile long, and every inch of it palate."