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Lamb Chops and Cutlets
420. These are dressed like those of mutton (see page 127). LAMB CUTLETS (AMERICAN). 421. Cut a loin of lamb into chops, trim them, and place them in a deep dish, cover them with salad oil, and let it soak an hour: mix bread crumbs, minced parsley, pepper, salt, and nutmeg; drain the cutlets from the oil, cover them with the mixture, and broil them over a bed of live coals on a previously heated gridiron, the bars of which have been rubbed with chalk; when half done turn them; (you can bake in a Dutch oven instead of broiling them ;) serve the cutlets round a dome of mashed potatoes, leaning against it with the broad end downwards.
STEWED LAMB (AMERICAN). 422. Take a quarter of lamb, cut it into steaks, remove the skin and fat. Place in a stewpot a fresh lettuce split into quarters, season the steaks with salt, cayenne, powdered nutmeg, and mace; lay them on the lettuce with cold water enough just to cover the whole, and let it stew gently an hour, skimming occasionally; then put in a quart or two of young green peas, a sprig of mint, lump of sugar, and a little butter; let it stew till the peas are well done, serve with the meat on the lettuce and peas round. Cold ham sliced is a good substitute for the lamb, and, being already cooked, half an hour will stew it before adding the peas.
K
Three linked entries: a cross-reference to the mutton chop method, an oil-and-crumb broiled cutlet, and a lamb stew built on a bed of lettuce. The two American recipes stand on their own and both work with very little adjustment.
- Salad oilPlain olive oil or any neutral oil. An hour's soak is a marinade for moisture and browning, not for flavour, so there is nothing to gain by extending it.
- The chalked gridironRubbing the hot bars with chalk was a period trick, usually recommended to stop the meat sticking to and being marked by the bars. Oil the grate instead, or set the cutlets on a very hot ridged pan.
- Broiling timesLoin chops cut about an inch thick need roughly 3-4 minutes a side over coals for pink at the bone. Turning "when half done" means one turn only; crumbed cutlets shed their coating if fussed with.
- Dutch ovenIn British books of this date the term usually means the open reflector oven set facing the fire rather than the modern lidded pot, though this book does not define it. The nearest equivalent is an overhead grill at high heat, or a hot oven (around 425F) on a preheated tray.
- A quarter of lambA full quarter is far more than a household now buys. Two to three pounds of shoulder or leg, cut into thick steaks, suits the stew and serves four to six.
- The peasAn hour's gentle stew suits the meat; the peas do not want anything like that. Modern shelled or frozen peas need 5-10 minutes at the end, added with the mint, sugar and butter.
- A quart of peasA quart or two of peas -- a quart of shelled peas is roughly a pound; scale the quantity down along with the meat.
- Cayenne, nutmeg and maceUse these with restraint: a pinch of each.
- The lettuceA firm cos or romaine holds up to an hour of stewing where a soft butterhead collapses. It is there as a braising bed and a vegetable, and should be served under the meat as directed.