flour, a bunch of savoury herbs, green peas.
_Mode_.--Cut the mutton into pieces about 2 inches square, and let it be
tolerably lean; put it into a stewpan, with a little fat or butter, and
fry it of a nice brown; then dredge in a little flour, slice the onions,
and put it with the herbs in the stewpan; pour in sufficient water
_just_ to cover the meat, and simmer the whole gently until the mutton
is tender. Take out the meat, strain, and skim off all the fat from the
gravy, and put both the meat and gravy back into the stewpan; add about
a quart of young green peas, and let them boil gently until done. 2 or 3
slices of bacon added and stewed with the mutton give additional
flavour; and, to insure the peas being a beautiful green colour, they
may be boiled in water separately, and added to the stew at the moment
of serving.
_Time_.--2-1/2 hours.
_Average cost_, 6d. per lb.
_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.
_Seasonable_ from June to August.
NAMES OF ANIMALS SAXON, AND OF THEIR FLESH NORMAN.--The names of
all our domestic animals are of Saxon origin; but it is curious
to observe that Norman names have been given to the different
sorts of flesh which these animals yield. How beautifully this
illustrates the relative position of Saxon and Norman after the
Conquest. The Saxon hind had the charge of tending and feeding
the domestic animals, but only that they might appear on the
table of his Norman lord. Thus 'ox,' 'steer,' 'cow,' are Saxon,
but 'beef' is Norman; 'calf' is Saxon, but 'veal' Norman;
'sheep' is Saxon, but 'mutton' Norman; so it is severally with
'deer' and 'venison,' 'swine' and 'pork,' 'fowl' and 'pullet.'
'Bacon,' the only flesh which, perhaps, ever came within his
reach, is the single exception.
BROILED MUTTON AND TOMATO SAUCE (Cold Meat Cookery).