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Mock Venison Stewed
400. Take a fat loin of mutton, the outer skin must be stripped off, and the bones cut out. Put the bones into a stewpan with a goodsized onion stuck with cloves, one anchovy, some peppercorns, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Stew for three hours in a small quantity of water, then strain. The mutton should be beaten with a rolling-pin , and nutmeg grated over the inside the previous night. Before it is put in the stewpan it must be rolled up tight, beginning at the tail end, and tied with a strong string. Add half a pint of port -wine to the gravy, and let it all stew together for three hours at least. A large loin or saddle will require four hours. When done the fat must be skimmed off, and the gravy thickened with a little flour and butter, and a small quantity of ketchup added.
STEWED MUTTON CUTLETS (AMERICAN). 401. Remove the fat and bone, beat the cutlets, and season with pepper and salt, and nutmeg. Put them in a circular tin kettle, with bits of butter rolled in flour. Set the kettle closely covered upon a upon a trivet inside a flat-bottomed pot. Pour boiling water round; set the pot on a slow fire, and let the stew simmer two hours; then lift up the meat, and put under it a lettuce cut in four, three cucumbers cut up, two onions sliced, mace, salt, and a little more butter rolled in flour; set again in boiling water, always taking care that the water should not be above the top of the inner kettle; let it simmer two hours more and serve; place the meat on the vegetables, and laying a ridge of boiled peas round. The bone may be left in each cutlet if preferred
A boned, rolled loin of mutton braised long and slow in its own bone stock with port — the port, cloves and nutmeg are what make it "venison". The hinge is the overnight seasoning: without the nutmeg sitting on the meat for a night, it is simply stewed mutton.
- The meatA loin of mutton, skinned and boned, is roughly a 3-4 lb rolled joint; lamb loin will stand in but is milder and needs the full spicing to carry the conceit. Ask the butcher to bone it and keep the bones, which are the whole basis of the gravy.
- Start the night beforeBeating with a rolling pin and grating nutmeg over the cut face is done the previous night, so allow for that. Rub the nutmeg well into the inner surface, roll, and refrigerate uncovered on a rack.
- Rolling and tyingRoll from the thin tail end so the tapering flap ends up on the outside, and tie at 1-inch intervals with butcher's twine. A loose roll will fall apart over three to four hours of stewing.
- Half a pint of portAn imperial half-pint is 10 fl oz, about 1¼ US cups. A ruby or tawny port is right; the recipe assumes the sweetness.
- KetchupIn a nineteenth-century British kitchen this means mushroom or walnut ketchup — thin, dark, salty, nothing like tomato sauce. Mushroom ketchup is still made; a spoonful of Worcestershire plus a little soy is the nearest common substitute.
- AnchovyOne anchovy in three hours of stock will not read as fish, only as depth. Do not leave it out; with the bones and cloves it is what gives the broth its game-like savour.
- Heat and timing"Stew" here means a bare tremble, not a boil. Six hours total (three for the bone stock, three for the meat) is not an exaggeration for mutton; a large loin or saddle wants four hours in the second stage.
- Finishing the gravySkim the fat properly — a fat loin plus port throws a great deal — then thicken with a beurre manié of equal butter and flour; the recipe says only 'a little'. Taste for salt only after the ketchup goes in.
- YieldA 3-4 lb rolled loin serves six to eight. Slice across the roll so each portion shows the spiral, and serve with something starchy to take the gravy.