Birds, Pigeons, Etc., En Casserole

Birds, left whole, pigeons and partridges, cut in halves, beef or venison steak, cut in pieces for serving, and lamb chops are cooked in the same manner as chicken. Green peas are used with pigeons or chops. The peas, without browning or parboiling, are added about twenty minutes before the time of serving. With venison and chops, Madeira or Port wine is used in place of the sherry. With pigeons, olives, cut from the stones in quarters or cut in one piece spirally from the stones, are much used. Set to cook at the same time as the vegetables.

Partridge En Casserole

Truss a young partridge as for roasting; spread with butter and let brown in a hot oven, turning and basting as is neecssary to secure an even color over the whole exterior. Meanwhile chop two small (new) carrots, one small onion and two small tender inner stalks of celery; add a tablespoonful of raw ham, cut in julienne strips, and a bit of bay leaf; let cook in two tablespoonfuls of melted butter until softened and yellowed somewhat. Spread part of the mixture over the bottom of a casserole just large enough to take the partridge; set the partridge on the vegetables, and sprinkle the rest of the vegetables above. Put two tablespoonfuls of Maderia into the saucepan and let simmer a minute, shaking the pan to rinse it thoroughly; add a tablespoonful of butter and half a cup of rich broth, and when boiling turn into the dish. Cover and seal down the lid with a strip of paste or a cloth spread with paste. Let cook twenty-five minutes. A young chicken may be cooked the same way.

Rabbit Or Hare En Casserole

Cut the hare, neatly wiped and dried, into pieces, at the joints. Cook these, rolled in flour, in about one-third a cup of butter until nicely browned. Pour over them three cups of well-flavored-and-seasoned brown stock, and stir until the broth boils, to remove any glaze in the pan. Then turn the whole into an earthernware jar or casserole. Put in also an onion, into which six cloves have been pushed, the thin yellow rind of a lemon, and one glass of port wine, also salt and pepper, if needed. Cover close, and set the jar in a moderately heated oven. Let the contents simmer from three to four hours. In the mean time chop the liver fine. Mix it with half a cup of fine, soft bread crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, a teaspoonful of fine-chopped parsley, a grating of lemon rind and a teaspoonful of juice, a teaspoonful of powdered sweet herbs, and a little salt and pepper. Then stir the whole into an egg, well beaten. Shape the mixture into small balls. Fry these in butter, and add to the dish just before serving. Serve currant jelly in a dish apart.

Chilli Con Carne En Casserole

2 pods of fresh or dried chilli peppers 2 pounds of round steak ¼ cup (about) of fat (pork, butter or dripping)

4 tablespoonfuls of flour 1 clove of garlic. Hot water as needed 1 teaspoonful of salt 1 cup of dried beans

Soak the beans over night, drain and let simmer in fresh water until tender. Discard the seeds in the peppers; if dried peppers are used, soak them in warm water until soft; scrape the pulp into the water and discard the skin. Retain the pulp and water.

Cut the steak in small pieces and cook them in the fat melted in a frying pan until well browned; add the flour to the fat left in the pan, and stir until browned; add the chilli paste and water, and stir until boiling, then the garlic (first cutting two gashes in it) and the meat; cover and let simmer until the meat is tender (about two hours) adding hot water as needed. When the meat is tender the sauce should be of a good consistency. Add the salt. The beans meanwhile should have become tender and the water evaporated to a few spoonfuls. Season with salt, pepper and a little butter, shake in the saucepan over the fire, to mix thoroughly, and add to the meat in the casserole. Or melt three tablespoon-fuls of butter in the frying pan; add the beans, drained from liquid, and a little salt, and stir until the butter is absorbed and the beans are browned. Then serve in a dish apart from the meat.