Marion Cabell Tyree

When the weather will admit of it, mutton is better for being kept a few days before cooking. The saddle, which is considered the finest piece, consists of the back or loin and upper part of the hind legs. In getting this nice roast, however, you spoil the hind quarter, as the saddle takes some of the nicest parts of this and leaves it too dry to cook by itself. The hind quarter and loin together make a very nice dish—the latter being fat and juicy.

The fore quarter is sometimes cut by taking off the shoulder and taking the rib-piece, making a piece called the brisket or breast, and many persons esteem this the choicest part of the mutton. The ribs cut next to the back are used for mutton chops.

When you have a large supply of mutton on hand, it is well to put the hind quarters in brine, as you can thus corn them as nicely as beef. As mutton spoils easily, this plan is very advisable.

Whilst boiled mutton is very nice, lamb is spoiled by this mode of cooking. If lamb is to be roasted, it should be covered with the caul, as the fat, dripping from this, will preserve the moisture of the meat.

In carving the fore quarter of lamb, first take off the shoulder and then cut the ribs in strips.

Lamb is seldom cut except in quarters, and when nicely cooked there is nothing better. It should be four months old before being eaten. The season for lamb is from May to August, whilst that for mutton is from August to Christmas.

To Roast Mutton.

The hind quarter is the nicest part of the mutton to roast, and requires longer to cook than lamb. Put it in a pot of boiling water and let it simmer one hour. Lift it into a baking-pan, rub with salt and pepper (too much salt makes the meat tough). Rub over it a little lard and then dredge with flour: skim off the top of the water and pour over it. Set it in a hot oven, basting frequently to prevent it from being hard and dry; roast till thoroughly done. This is nice to set aside for a cold dish, garnished with horseradish and eaten with currant jelly.—Mrs.P.W.

Roast Leg of Mutton.

Choose young and tender mutton. Take off the shank—wash it well; let it lie fifteen or twenty minutes in salt water to take the blood out. Rub with little salt and pepper well. Lay on a grate, which will go nicely in a baking-pan, over one pint boiling water; break the bones of the shank in the water, adding more pepper and salt. Set it in a very hot oven, and baste frequently to prevent it from being hard and dry. When it is of a light brown, cover with sheets of buttered paper. Place it on a dish; add minced parsley to the gravy, which should be brown. Cover the roast with grated brown cracker and garnish at intervals with chopped parsley; pour the gravy in the dish, not over it. Mutton should always be perfectly done.—Mrs.S.T.

Roast Saddle of Mutton.

Trim the joint carefully, roast it at a brisk, clear fire; baste frequently, and when done dredge it plentifully with salt, and serve with the gravy well freed from fat.

To Boil a Leg of Mutton.

Make a paste of flour quite plain, mixed stiff with water, roll out as for a meat pudding; break and turn in the shank bone; then cover the leg of mutton carefully with the paste; tie up tight in a well-floured cloth. Have ready sufficient boiling water, place in the joint, allow ten minutes for checking the boiling, and twenty minutes for each pound of meat. Carefully remove the paste, which can be done by one cut longitudinally and one cut across. Strain the gravy and serve as usual.

Boiled Leg of Mutton.

Dip a cloth in hot water, tie up the mutton and put in boiling water. Boil slowly for two hours, or longer, if not kept constantly boiling.—Mrs.R.

Broiled Mutton.

After a leg of mutton has been washed and wiped dry, place in a cloth that has been dipped in boiling water. Roll it up, pin and tie securely; put in a pot of boiling water. Let it simmer several hours, removing the scum that rises when it first begins to boil. If a small leg of mutton, it will require a shorter time to cook than a large one. Just before it is done, add enough salt to season it properly, half an onion, and one heaping teaspoonful of black pepper. When this has properly seasoned the meat, take from the fire, unwrap and drain. Serve with drawn butter, adding capers or nasturtium seed, or if you have neither, use chopped sour pickle instead. Mutton should always be served with caper sauce, if possible.—Mrs.S.T.

To Cook a Saddle of Mutton.

Meats are all better for being kept a day or two before cooking, particularly mutton. If the mutton be tender, do not boil it, but put it in a pan of water, set it on the stove, and cook slowly, basting constantly with the gravy or water in the pan; with pepper and salt to taste. Just before it is done, put some scraped horseradish over it, and garnish the dish with the same; add a little ground mustard and grated bread or cracker; pour the gravy over it, and grate bread over, and set aside to cool. This is for cold mutton. All meats are better for roasting before a fire than in a stove.—Mrs.P.W.

Saddle of Mutton.

This should be covered with paper, and carefully roasted or baked. Season with a little pepper and salt; garnish with horseradish.

Iced Saddle of Mutton.

Reserve the drippings from the meat when it is roasting. After the saddle is nicely cooked, let it get cold. Then take the white part of the gravy and melt it to the consistency of cream. Pour this over the saddle until it is covered with a white coat; if it appears rough, warm an iron spoon and pass over it until it is smooth. Place it on a dish, and dress the dish all round with vegetable flowers and curled parsley, using the parsley to ornament the saddle also.—Mrs. Judge S.

To Corn Mutton.

Mutton being less apt to keep than other meat, it is well, when you have an over-supply, to corn it exactly as you would corn beef.—MissR.S.

Shoulder of Mutton Corned.

Take a small shoulder of mutton, rub it with

2 ounces salt.

2 ounces sugar.

½ ounce saltpetre.

After twenty-four hours, rub it again with the pickle; next day boil this in paste like the leg of mutton. Serve smothered in onion sauce.

Mutton Chop.

Get from your butcher nicely shaped mutton chops, not too long. Put them into a pan with pepper and salt, and barely enough water to cover them.

Cover close and simmer till done; drain, wipe dry; pepper, salt and butter them; with a spoon, cover with an egg beaten stiff. Sift over pounded crackers. Put in a pan and set in an oven to brown.—Mrs.S.T.

Mutton Chops dressed with Tomatoes.

Place in a pan tomatoes peeled and chopped; season with butter, pepper, sugar, and salt.

Take from your gridiron some nicely broiled mutton chops; put into a pan, cover close, and simmer for fifteen minutes. Lay the chops on a hot dish, put on a little butter, pepper and salt.

With a spoon, cover each chop with tomatoes. Sift over pounded cracker and serve.—Mrs.S.T.

Mutton Chop.

Cut the steaks; pepper and salt them. Broil them lightly on both sides; take them off the gridiron, lay them on a spider. Slice up one large onion and stew until it becomes tender; put a layer between each chop and stew until they become tender. Take out the steaks, cover them closely or tilt the gravy to the side of the vessel, till it is brown; stir in a lump of butter.—Mrs.A.P.

Mutton Chop.

Mushroom catsup is a nice flavoring. Put pepper and salt on the chops and lay them in melted butter; when they have imbibed sufficient, take out and cover with grated bread crumbs and broil.—Mrs.R.

Broiled Mutton Chops.

Beat the mutton chops till tender; then trim, making them of uniform size and shape; pour on them boiling water. Let them remain in it a minute, dry them and rub with pepper, salt, and fresh butter. Lay on a gridiron over hot coals, always remembering to cover them while broiling. Turn them, and as soon as nicely browned place in a hot dish, pepper again, pour over them melted butter, and serve.—Mrs.S.T.

Mutton Stew.

Cut slices of rare mutton and put on to stew in a little water; when nearly done put in—

Stew slowly a short time.—Mrs.F.D.

Mutton Stew.

Slice cold mutton or lamb, lay it in a baking dish; put in—

Slice up a little yellow pickled cucumber, sugar to taste, one-quarter pound butter, one roll of light bread broken in small pieces or cut in little slices, and toasted before used.

In preparing this dish put a layer of the meat and seasonings alternately.

The peppers, celery-seed, cloves, cinnamon, and mace must all be pounded fine.—Mrs.C.

Grilled Slices of Mutton.

Cut some rather thick slices of underdone cold mutton, score them well and rub in plentifully some common mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper; then broil them over a clear fire, and serve with onion sauce.

Sheep's Tongues.

Boil them till the skin can be taken off; split them, and put them into a stew-pan, with some gravy, parsley, mushrooms, and one minced shallot, and some butter, some pepper, and salt.

Stew till tender, and strain the gravy over them; or they may be glazed and served with the gravy under them. Sheep's tongues may also be skinned, larded, braised, and glazed; and served with onion sauce.

To Roast Lamb.

The hind quarter is the nicest piece for roasting. Drop it in a pot of boiling water; boil half an hour, put it in a pan, dredge it with lard, pepper, flour, a little salt; skim the top of the water in which it is boiled, and pour over it; as soon as the gravy accumulates in the pan keep it basted frequently to prevent it from being hard and dry. Lamb should be cooked done to be good.—Mrs.P.W.

To Grill a Shoulder of Lamb.

Half boil it, score and cover it with egg, crumbs, and parsley seasoned as for cutlets. Broil it over a very clear, slow fire, or put it in a Dutch oven to brown it; serve with any sauce that is liked. A breast of lamb is often grilled in the same way.

Lamb's Head to Fricassee.

Parboil the head and haslet (the liver excepted); cut the meat in slices from the head; slice the heart, tongue, etc., and fricassee as for chicken. Have the liver fried in slices with the sweetbreads and slices of bacon and bunches of parsley. Pour the fricassee into the dish, and garnish with the fried pieces.—Mrs.R.

Lamb's Head.

Boil the head and liver, but so as not to let the liver be too much done. Take up the head, split it through the bone, which must remain with the meat on. Cut the meat across and across with a knife, grate some nutmeg on it and lay it on a dish before a good fire; then throw over it some grated bread crumbs, some sweet herbs, some allspice, a little lemon peel chopped fine, a very little pepper and salt. Baste it with butter, and dredge a little flour over it.

Just as it is done, take one-half the liver, the lights, the meat, the tongue; chop them small with six or eight spoonfuls water or gravy. First shake some flour over the meat and stew it together; then put in the gravy or water, a good piece of butter rolled in a little flour, pepper and salt, and what runs from the head in the dish. Simmer all together a few minutes, and add half a spoonful of vinegar; pour it on the head. Lay the head on the centre of the mince-meat; have ready the other half of liver, cut in pieces and fried quickly with slices of bacon and lemon; lay these around the dish and serve.—Mrs.T.

Decorations and Garnishes for Cold Meats and Salads.

The day before giving a dinner or evening entertainment, gather up medium and small sized pure white and yellow turnips, carrots, red and pink beets, the different colored radishes. From these the most beautiful flowers can be cut; camellias, roses, dahlias, tulips, tuberoses, etc. No explicit directions can be given except, first, smoothly to pare each vegetable, taking care not to keep them too near the fire, which will cause them to wilt and lose the waxy freshness which makes them so beautiful. Each flower may be laid on a cluster of green leaves or curled parsley, and over the cold meats, and around the edge of the dish.

The cutting of these flowers makes a charming and interesting pastime for the young members of the family, in the evening before.—Mrs.C.G.