of fat bacon, 1 teacupful of vinegar, black pepper, allspice, 2 cloves
well mixed and finely pounded, making altogether 1 heaped teaspoonful;
salt to taste, 1 bunch of savoury herbs, including parsley, all finely
minced and well mixed; 3 onions, 2 large carrots, 1 turnip, 1 head of
celery, 1-1/2 pint of water, 1 glass of port wine.
_Mode_.--Slice and fry the onions of a pale brown, and cut up the other
vegetables in small pieces, and prepare the beef for stewing in the
following manner:--Choose a fine piece of beef, cut the bacon into long
slices, about an inch in thickness, dip them into vinegar, and then into
a little of the above seasoning of spice, &c., mixed with the same
quantity of minced herbs. With a sharp knife make holes deep enough to
let in the bacon; then rub the beef over with the remainder of the
seasoning and herbs, and bind it up in a nice shape with tape. Have
ready a well-tinned stewpan (it should not be much larger than the piece
of meat you are cooking), into which put the beef, with the vegetables,
vinegar, and water. Let it simmer _very gently_ for 5 hours, or rather
longer, should the meat not be extremely tender, and turn it once or
twice. When ready to serve, take out the beef, remove the tape, and put
it on a hot dish. Skim off every particle of fat from the gravy, add the
port wine, just let it boil, pour it over the beef, and it is ready to
serve. Great care must be taken that this does not boil fast, or the
meat will be tough and tasteless; it should only just bubble. When
convenient, all kinds of stews, &c., should be cooked on a hot-plate, as
the process is so much more gradual than on an open fire.
_Time_.--5 hours, or rather more.
_Average cost_, 7d. per lb.
_Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons.
_Seasonable_ all the year, but more suitable for a winter dish.
GOOD MEAT.--The lyer of meat when freshly killed, and the
animal, when slaughtered, being in a state of perfect health,
adheres firmly to the bones. Beef of the best quality is of a
deep-red colour; and when the animal has approached maturity,
and been well fed, the lean is intermixed with fat, giving it
the mottled appearance which is so much esteemed. It is also
full of juice, which resembles in colour claret wine. The fat of
the best beef is of a firm and waxy consistency, of a colour
resembling that of the finest grass butter; bright in
appearance, neither greasy nor friable to the touch, but
moderately unctuous, in a medium degree between the
last-mentioned properties.
BEEF-STEAKS AND OYSTER SAUCE.