Mock Mock Turtle

As Made by E. Stevenson, Cook to Sir Simon Clark, Bt., East Barnet, Middlesex. (No. 245.)

Line the bottom of a stewpan that will hold five pints, with, an ounce of nice bacon, or ham, a pound and a half of lean gravy beef, a cow heel, the inner rind of a quarter of a carrot, a sprig of lemon-thyme, winter savory, three times the quantity of parsley, two green leaves of sweet basil *, and two shallots; make a bundle of these, and tie up in it a couple of blades of mace: put in a large onion, with four cloves † stuck in it, twelve corns of allspice, the same of black pepper; pour on these a quarter pint of cold water, cover your stewpan, and set it on a slow fire to boil gently for a quarter of an hour; then, for fear your meat should catch, take off the cover, and watch it; and when it has got a good brown colour, fill up your stewpan with boiling water, and let it simmer very gently for two hours: if you wish to have the full benefit of your meat, only stew it till it is just tender, and cut it, into mouthfuls, and put it into your soup. Put a tablespoonful of the thickening, No. 257, of sauces, into a two quart stewpan, pour to it a ladleful of your gravy, and stir it quick till it is well mixed, pour it back into the stewpan where your gravy is, and let it simmer gently for half an hour longer, then strain it through a tammis into a gallon stewpan; cut the cow-heel into pieces about an inch square, squeeze through a sieve the juice of a lemon, a tablespoonful of plain browning, the same of mushroom catsup, a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of ground black pepper, and as much grated nutmeg as will lay on a sixpence, with a glass of Madeira or sherry wine; let it all simmer together for about half an hour.

* To this fine aromatic herb, the turtle is much indebted for the spicy flavour it imparts to the soup, and the high esteem it is held in by all good citizens of London, who, I believe, are pretty generally of the same opinion as Dr. Salmon. See his "Household Dictionary, and Essay on Cookery," London, 8vo. 1710, page 34, article ' basil.' " This comforts the heart, expels melancholy, and cleanses the lungs."

† Stick the cloves into the onion, to save your tammis or sieve from being torn by the sharp points of the cloves, when you strain vour sauce.

Forcemeat and egg balls may be added if you please; you will find a receipt for these under the article forcemeat, Nos. 380, &c

*** A pound of veal cutlets cut into pieces about an inch square, and fried and stewed till they are tender, will be a great addition. The above excellent soup costs only sixteen pence a quart,