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Pig's Head Cheese
Thoroughly clean a pig's head, split it into halves, take out the eyes and brains, cut off the nose and ears, and pour scalding water over the latter and the head, and scrape them clean. Then rinse all in cold water, and put them into a saucepan with sufficient water to cover, and boil slowly, taking off the scum as it rises. When boiled so that the bones leave the meat readily, take them from the water and put them in a large wooden bowl or tray. Remove every particle of bone, chop the meat small, season to taste with salt and pepper, and if relished, a little chopped sage or thyme. Spread a cloth in a sieve, set in it a deep dish, put in the meat, then fold the cloth closely over it, lay over a plate with a weight on it, which will press equally the whole surface. Let the weight be more or less heavy according as you wish the cheese to be fat or lean; a heavy weight by pressing out the fat will of course leave the cheese lean. When cold, scrape off whatever fat may be found on the outside of the cloth, and keep the cheese in the cloth in a cool place. It should be sliced thin, and can be eaten with or without mustard and vinegar or catsup.
Jellied Veal or Veal Head Cheese Take about two pounds of knuckle of veal, wash it and cut it into two or three pieces. Allow it to simmer in just enough water to cover the meat, until the latter can easily be removed from the bones--which will take from three to four hours. Take it up, remove all the bone, and chop the meat up fine; add to it salt, pepper, mace and finely-chopped shallots and thyme, according to the taste. Put all these into the liquor and boil it until it is almost reduced, then stir in the strained juice of a lemon. Turn it into a mould, and let it stand until the following day. Turn it out onto a dish, and serve garnished with parsley.