CHAPTER XIII.

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VEAL.

Baked Calf's Liver.One calf's liver washed and dried, slashed and scored inside. Have bread dressing ready well seasoned with onions. Stuff the liver with this and tie with cord. Skewer to liver with toothpicks several pieces of bacon, put a little hot water in the bag and bake at least one hour in a hot oven. Send to table hot, with a parsley garnish.

Calves' Brains in Tempting But Inexpensive Ways.—Carefully prepared few can tell the difference between sweetbreads and calves' brains though the housewife will appreciate the fact that sweetbreads cost about four times as much as the brains. In whichever way one elects to cook the brains, the preliminary treatment is the same. Parboil fifteen minutes in water, to which has been added a teaspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of vinegar. After this, let them lie in cold water a few moments, then remove all membranes and dark streaks. They are now ready to be cooked in any way preferred.

Breaded Brains.—Separate the lobes of a pair of brains that have been parboiled as directed. Then with a sharp knife split each division. Beat the yolk of an egg lightly, thin slightly with cold water or milk, dip the brains in this, then into finely rolled crumbs. Put in a buttered bag and bake twenty minutes. Serve on a hot dish with a garnish of quarters of lemon that have been rolled in finely minced parsley.

Sweetbreads.—The initial treatment of sweetbreads, when they come from the market, is always the same. Parboil at once in salted water, from fifteen to thirty minutes, never allowing them to boil. Then plunge into ice water and lemon juice or vinegar (a tablespoonful to a quart of water) and leave for an hour to blanch and become firm. After parboiling, the little strings and membranes can be very readily removed. Now they are ready for the finishing culinary touch, in anyway the cook may elect.

Baked Sweetbreads.—Sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll in crumbs then beaten egg to which a spoonful of milk has been added, then in crumbs again, the last time having the crumbs well-buttered. Put in greased bag and bake half an hour in a moderately hot oven. Serve on toast with the brown gravy poured over the slices.

Sweetbreads With Bacon.—Slice sweetbreads, roll in seasoned crumbs, then in egg and again in crumbs. Put on a skewer, alternating with slices of bacon cut thin, put in a greased bag, and bake twenty minutes in medium oven.

Larded Sweetbreads.—Lard the boiled sweetbreads with strips of bacon and lemon peel, having the bacon in the centre and peel on the sides. Lay in paper bag with brown gravy to half cover, and let them bake for an hour, or until brown. Arrange on a hot dish, thicken the gravy with a little flour and season with catsup, lemon juice and spices to taste. Pour over the sweetbreads and serve with peas.

Sweetbreads Straight.—Parboil the sweetbreads, take off the skins, dust each sweetbread with salt and pepper very lightly and pour over each a tablespoonful of cream. Slip the sweetbreads into a thickly greased bag and cook in a moderate oven slowly for forty minutes. Serve on a hot dish with a border of asparagus or green peas.

Vealettes.—Purchase veal cuts from the leg in slices as large as one's hand and about half an inch thick. On each slice lay a large tablespoonful of dressing made from seasoned bread crumbs, a beaten egg and a tablespoonful of melted butter. Roll up the slices, pinning with toothpicks to keep the dressing in. Put in a well-greased bag, seal and bake about three-quarters of an hour. When done, thicken the gravy, pour over the veal and serve on a hot platter.

A variation in vealettes is made by getting from the butcher two slices of veal and a slice of ham the same size. Put together like a sandwich with the ham in the center and skewer together. Trim the edges evenly and bake in a bag. When the veal is done take up on a hot platter, thicken the drippings remaining in the bag, adding enough hot water to make a good consistency.

Veal Loaf.—Mince three pounds raw lean veal and a quarter pound of fine fat pork, salt or fresh. Season with half an onion, grated fine, a tablespoonful of salt, a half teaspoonful of pepper, a half teaspoonful powdered thyme, quarter of a spoonful sweet marjoram, the same amount Summer savory and a saltspoonful celery salt. Next mix in two-thirds of a cup of rolled cracker crumbs, a scant cupful veal gravy or hot milk, the yolk of one egg and the whites of two beaten together until light. Mix thoroughly and form into a compact loaf. Roll it until coated in yolks of the two eggs left over, then in sifted cracker or bread crumbs, and put in buttered bag and bake in a moderate oven. Roast two hours and serve cold, cut in very thin slices.

Shoulder of Veal Stuffed and Braised.—Buy a shoulder of veal and ask the butcher to bone it and send the bones with the meat. Cover the bones with cold water and when it comes to a boil, skim, then add a little onion and carrot, a few seasoning herbs and any spices desired. Simmer gently for an hour or so until you have a pint of stock. To make the stuffing, take a stale loaf, cut off the crust and soak in a little cold water until soft. Rub the crumb of the loaf as fine as possible in the hands, then add to the soaked and softened crust. Chop a half cupful of suet fine, put into a frying pan a tablespoonful of the suet, and when hot add an onion chopped fine. Cook until brown, then add to the bread with regular poultry seasoning or else salt, pepper and a bit of thyme. Mix well and stuff the cavity in the shoulder, then pull the flaps of the meat over and sew up. Put the rest of the suet in the frying pan, and having dusted the meat with flour, salt, pepper and a sprinkling of sugar, brown on all sides in the fat. Into the bottom of the bag put a layer of thin sliced onion and carrot, a bit of bay leaf and sprigs of parsley, and on this lay the meat. Add two or three cloves, pour the hot stock around it, cover closely and braise in a hot oven for two and a half hours.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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