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Ox Tongue, Pickled

Prepare the tongue in the usual way. Soak and dry it, and put it into a deep earthen pan with two dozen peppercorns, a bunch of basil, and a bunch of thyme. Make a pickle by boiling an ounce of saltpetre, an ounce of salprunella, a pound and a half of bay salt, and a pound of moist sugar in a gallon of water for twenty minutes. Let it get quite cold, then cover the tongue with this, and let it remain for ten days or a fortnight, the duration of the time to depend upon the season of the year: it should be longer in winter than in summer. When the tongue is taken out of the pickle it should be rubbed well with a dry cloth, and either cooked at once or hung up to dry. It is always best when cooked straight out of the pickle. This pickle may be used again and again for beef and tongues, but when it has been used a few weeks, it should be boiled gently with a little additional salt and sugar, and the scum carefully removed. Probable cost, 4s. to 6s.