Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/645

Rh Time.—To fry, 5 or 6 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. to 1s. 2d. per lb. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable from April to October.

Ingredients.—8 or 9 lamb cutlets, 4 tomatoes, 1 oz. of butter, 1 finely-chopped shallot or small onion, stock or water, salt and pepper.

Method.—Trim the cutlets (see "Lamb Cutlets, to Prepare"), and cut the tomatoes into thick slices. Heat the butter in a sauté-pan or shallow stewpan, fry the cutlets quickly until lightly browned on both sides, then add the shallot to blend, then add the tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cover closely, and cook very slowly for 1½ hours, adding a very small quantity of stock or water from time to time, if necessary, but when the tomatoes are juicy none will be needed. When ready, remove the cutlets and keep them hot, pass the tomatoes through a fine sieve, season to taste, and if more sauce is liked add a little stock and thicken with cornflour. Arrange the cutlets in a close circle on a hot dish, pour the sauce round, and serve.

Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 11d. to 1s. 2d. per lb. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable from April to October.

Ingredients.—A breast of lamb, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 small onion, 2 bay-leaves, 2 cloves, 1 blade of mace, 6 peppercorns, 1 pint of boiling stock or water, 1 oz. of flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of capers coarsely-chopped, salt and pepper.

Method.—Trim the meat, and cut into 2-inch squares. Heat the butter in a stewpan, put in the onion sliced, bay-leaves, cloves, mace, peppercorns, ½ a saltspoonful of pepper, salt and the meat, cover, and cook very gently for ½ an hour, stirring occasionally. Now add the boiling stock or water and salt to taste, and simmer gently for 1 hour longer, 20 minutes before serving, mix the flour smoothly with a very small quantity of cold water, and add to it gradually about ½ pint of the liquor from the stewpan, stirring all the time. Bring the contents of the stewpan to boiling point, pour in the thickened liquor, boil for 2 or 3 minutes, then simmer until the meat is sufficiently cooked. When ready, arrange the pieces of meat inside a border of mashed potato, or otherwise, as may be preferred, season the sauce, add to it the capers to taste, and pour over the meat.

Time.—About 1½ hours. Average Cost, 10d. per lb. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons.