Curing Beef Or Hams

Never known to fail.

Four gallons of water, 3 pounds of salt, 1 1/2 pounds of sugar, 2 ounces of saltpetre. Hams should remain in the brine six weeks. Rub the hams well with salt before putting them in the brine. Beef can be cured in two weeks.

Calf's Head Dinner

The Calf's head and feet should be prepared by scalding and scraping, and the tongue taken out before the head is split through the middle, the brains taken out and after soaking over night put in a little bag of muslin to be boiled (15) fifteen minutes. The head, feet and harslet having been soaked for some hours in cold salted water, should be boiled in water carefully skimmed from 2 1/2 to 3 hours until tender.

Drawn Butter Gravy For Calf's Head

Rub 2 ounces of butter into 1 tablespoon of flour, pour upon it either milk or water boiling. Stir all the time and let it boil up once only or it will be oily. Arrange all the large pieces on a platter. Chop a little of the liver with the brains and add to the gravy. Pour on the platter and garnish with parsley and hard boiled eggs. The parts around the tongue are very nice. The tongue should be skinned when done. This is a very rich dish.

Stewed Chicken With Rice

Cut up the chicken and stew as usual, boil a cup of rice by itself till it is done. Five minutes before the chicken is ready to take up put in the rice, with a liberal seasoning of salt, pepper (red if preferred), and butter. When done, take out the chicken first upon a platter, pour the rice and gravy through a small sieve; what goes through with the gravy will thicken it sufficiently. Place the rice remaining in the sieve, in large spoonsfull around the edge of the platter. Save the gravy by itself in gravy boat.

Chicken Pie

Prepare one chicken. One-half pound or less of fresh pork or spare rib. If the chicken is young stew it half an hour, well covered with water. Season it to your taste with pepper and salt. Thicken the gravy with two teaspoons of flour, wet with milk or water. Have a deep pan lined with rather plain pie crust, rolled moderately thin. The upper crust should be a rich one, fully half an inch thick with openings cut entirely through to the chicken to allow gases to escape. Place the poorer parts of the chicken at the bottom of the pan, the better on top. Pour over the chicken all the gravy with bits of butter laid on the fowl. Add the upper crust, press firmly to prevent gravy from escaping and bake an hour in a moderate oven. If a cup is placed upside down in the dish before putting in the chicken, the gravy will be drawn into it, and not run out while baking. Remove cup before serving.

For Corning Beef As It Boils

Very Nice for Tongues.

For six pounds beef take: 1 gallon water, 1 pint salt, 1 teacup sugar, 1 teaspoonful soda, 2/3 teaspoonful saltpetre. Boil three or four hours, or till done. Keep filling the kettle with boiling water as it boils away.