The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight OpenedDigby, Kenelm
History
The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened
Digby, Kenelm
Cooking -- Early works to 1800; Digby, Kenelm, Sir, 1603-1665; Liquors; Wine and wine making -- Early works to 1800
Take a fat rump of young Beef, as it comes from the Butcher, and take out
all the bones, excepting the tip of it towards the tail that is all fat,
which you cannot take out, without spoiling or defacing or breaking it. But
take out all the thick bones towards the Chine, and the thick Sinews, that
are on the outer sides of the flesh; (which will never become tender with
boiling) so that you have nothing but the pure flesh and fat, without any
bony or tough substance. Then beat well the lean part with a woodden roling
pin, and when you have beaten well one side, turn the other. Then rub it
well with Pepper grosly beaten, and salt; just as you would do, to season a
Venison pasty, making the seasoning higher or gentler according to your
taste. Then lay it in a fit vessel, with a flat bottom (pipkin or kettle as
you have conveniency) that will but just contain it, but so that it may lye
at ease. Or you may tye it up in a loose thin linnen cloth, or boulter, as
they do Capons _a la mode_, or Brawn, or the like. Then put water upon it,
but just to cover it, and boil it close covered a matter of two hours
pretty smartly, so that it be well half boiled. Then take it out of that,
and put it into another fit vessel, or the same cleansed, and put upon it
about two quarts of good strong deep well bodied Claret-wine, and a good
bundle of sweet-herbs, (Penny-royal, Sweet-Marjoram, Winter-savory, Limon
Thyme, &c.) and a good large Onion peeled, and stuck as close with Cloves,
as you can stick it, if you like the taste of Onions. They must be the
strong biting Onions, that are round and red: a little Nutmeg, and some
Mace. Put to the wine about a pint of the Liquor that you have already
boiled the Beef in; and if you would have it strong of the seasoning of
Pepper, and Salt; take the bottom of this Liquor. Thus let it boil very
gently, simpringly, or rather stew with Char-coal over a little furnace, or
a fit Chafing-dish, a matter of three hours, close covered. If the Liquor
waste too much, you may recruit it with what you have kept of that, which
your beef was boiled in. When it is near time to take it up, stew some
Oysters in their own Liquor (to which you may add at the latter end, some
of the winy Liquor, that the Beef is now stewing in, or some of the first
Beef-broth, or use some good pickled Oysters) and at the same time make
some thin tostes of Kingstone manchet, which toste very leisurely, or
rather dry them throughly, and very hard, and Crisp, but not burned, by
lying long before the fire. And if you have fresh Champignons, dress a good
dish full of them, to be ready at the same time, when all the rest is
ready; If not, use pickled ones, without further dressing. When you find
your Beef is as tender as can be, and will scarcely hold together, to be
taken up together, and that all the other things are ready, lay the tostes
in the dish, where the Beef is to lye; pour some of the Liquor upon it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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