The English Housewife: Roast Meats and Carbonadoes

To proceed them to Roast meat, it is to be understood, that in the general knowledge thereof are to be observed these few Rules: First the clean keeping and scouring of the spits and cob-irons; Next, the neat picking and washing of meat, before it be spitted, then the spitting and broaching of meat, which must be done so strongly and firmly, that the meat may by no means either shrink from the spit, or else turn about the spit; and yet ever to obsere, that the spit do not go through any principall part of the meat, but such as is of least account and estimation, and if it be birds or fowl which you spit, then to let the spit go through the hollow of the body of the fowl, and so fasten it with pricks or skewers under the wings about the thigh of the fowl, and at the feet or Rump, according to your manner of trussing and dressing them.

Then to know the Temperatures of fires for every meat, and which have a slow fire, and yet a good one, taking leisure in roasting, as Chines of Beef, Swans, Turkies[1], Peacocks, Bustards, and generally any great large Fowl, or any other joynts of Mutton, Veal, Duck, Kid, Lamb, or such like whether it be Venison red or Fallow; which indeed would lye long at the fire, and soak well in the roasting, and which would have a quick and sharp fire without scorching: as Pigs Pullets, Pheasants, Partridges, Quails and all sorts of middle sized, or less fowl, and all small birds, or compound roast meats, as Olives of Veal, Harslets; a pound of butter roasted, or puddings simple of themselves, and many other such like, which indeed would be suddenly and quickly dispatcht, because it is intended in Cookery, that one of these dishes may be made ready whilst the other is in eating.

Then to know the complexions of meats, as which must be palce and white roasted, and yet throughly roasted, as Mutton, Lamb, Kid, Capon, Pullet, Pheasant, Partridge, Veal, Quail, and all sorts of middle and small land or water-fowl, and all small Birds; which must be so brown roasted, as Beef, Venison, Pork, Swan, Geese, Piggs, Crane, Bustards, or any other large Fowl, or other things whose flesh is black.

Then to know the best bastings for meat, which is sweet Butter, sweet Oyl, Barrel Butter, or fine redred up seam, with Cinnamon, Cloves and Mace. There be some that will baste onely with Water and Salt, and nothing else: yet it is but opinion, and that must be the Worlds Master alwayes.

Then the best dredging, which is either fine white bread crums well grated, or else a little very white meal, and the crums very well mixt together.

Lastly to know when meat is rosted enough; for as too much rawness is unwholsom, so too much dryness is not nourishing. Therefore to know when it is in the perfect height, and is neither too moist nor too dry, you shall observe these signs: First, in your large Joynts of meat, when the steam or smoak of the meat ascendeth either upright, or else goeth from the fire, when it beginneth a little to shrink from the spit, or when the gravy which droppeth from it is clear without bloodiness, then is the meat enough.

If it be a Pigge, when the eyes are fallen out, and the body leaveth Piping: for the first is when it is half roasted, nd would be sindged, to make the coat rise, and crackle, and the later when it is full enough, and would be drawn; or if it be any kind of Fowl you roast, when the thighs are tender, or the hinder parts of the pinions at the setting on of the wings, are without blood, then be sure that your meat is fully enough roasted: yet for a better and more certain assuredness, you may thrust your Knife into the thickest parts of the meat, and draw it out again, and if it bring out white gravy without any bloodiness, then assuredly it is enough, and may be drawn with all speed convenient, after it hath been well basted with butter not formerly melted, then dredging as a foresaid, then basted over the dredging and so suffered to take two or three turns, to make crispe the dredging: Then dish it in a fair dish with salt sprinkled over it, and so serve it forth. Thus you see the general form of roasting al lkind of meats: Therefore now I will return to some particular dishes, together with their several Sauces.

If you will roast Mutton with Oysters, take a shoulder alone or a legg, and after it is washt, parboyl it a little; then take the great Oysters and having opened them into a dish drain the gravy clean from them twice or thrice, then parboyl them a little, then take Spinage, Endive, Succory, Straberry leaves, Violet leaves and a little Parsley, with some Scallions; chop them very small together, then take your Oysters very dry drain'd and mix them with an half part of these herbs; then take your meat, and with these Oysters and herbs farce or stop it, leaving no place empty, then spit it and roast it, and whilst it is in roasting, take good store of Verjuyce and Butter, and Salt, and set it in a dish on a chafing dish and coals, and when it begins to boyl, put in the remainder of your herbs without, Oysters, and a good quantity of Currants, with Cinnamon, and the yelks of a couple of eggs. And after they are well boyled and stirred together, season, it up according to your taste with Sugar; then put in a few Lemon slices; the meat being enough draw it, and lay upon this sawce removed into a clean dish, the edge thereof being trimmed about with Sugar, and so serve it forth.

To roast a Leg of Mutton after an Outlandish fashion, you shall take it after it is wash'd, and cut off all the flesh from the bone, leaving only the outmost skin intirely whole and fast to the bone; then take thick Cream and the yelks of eggs, and beat them exceedingly well together, then put to Cinnamon, Mace, and a little Nutmeg with Salt; then take bread crums finely trated and searst with good store of Currants, and as you mix them with the Cream, put in Sugar and so make it into a good stiffness. Now if you would have it look green, put in the juyce of sweet herbs, as Spinage, Violet leaves, Endive &c. If you would have it yellow, then put in a little Saffron strained, and with this fill up the skin of your legg of Mutton in the same shape and form that it was before, and stick the out-side of the skin, thick with Cloves, and so roast it throughly, and baste it very well, then after it is dredg'd, serve it up as a legg of Mutton with this Pudding; for indeed it is no other: you may stop any other Joynt of meat, as brest or loyn or the belly of any fowl boyled or roast, or Rabbet or any meat else which hath skin or emptiness. If into this Pudding also you beat the inward pith of an Oxes bck, it is both good in taste, and excellent soveraign for any disease, ach, or flux in the reins whatsoever.

To roast a Jigget of Mutton, which is the legg splatted and half part of the loyn together, you shall after it is washt stop it with Cloves, so spit it and lay it to the fire and tend it well with basting; then you shall take Vinegar, Butter and Currants, and set them on a fire in a dish or pipkin; then when it boyles you shall put in sweet herbs finely chopt, with the yelks of a couple of eggs, and so let them boyl together: then the meat being half rosted, you shall pare off some part of the leanest and brown, then shred it very small, and put it into the pipkin also; then season it up with Sugar, Cinnamon, Gingar and Salt, and so put it into a clean dish, then draw the Jigget or Mutton and lay it on the sawce, and throw salt on the top and so serve it up.

You shall take a leg of Veal, and cut the flesh from the bones, and cut it out into thin long slices; then take sweet herbs and the white part of Scallions, and chop them well together with the yelks of eggs, then role it up within the slices of Veal, and so spit thm and roast them; then boyl Verjuyce, Butter, Sugar, Cinnamon, Currants, and sweet herbs together, and being seasoned with a little salt, serve the Olives up upon the sawce with salt cast over them.

To roast a Pig curiously, you shall not scall'd it, but draw it with the hair on, then having washt it, spit it and lay it t othe fire, so as it may not scorch, thn being a quarter roasted, and the skin blistered from the flesh, with your hand pull away the hair and skin, and leave all the fat and flesh perfectly bare; then with your Knife scotch all the flesh down to the bones, then baste it exceedingly with butter and Cream, being no more but warm: then dredge it with fine bread crums, Currants, Sugar, and Salt mixt together, and thus apply dredging upon basting, and basting upon dredging, till you have covered all the flesh a full inch deep; Then the meat being fully roasted, draw it, and serve it up whole.

To roast a pound of Butter curiously and well, you shall take a pound of sweet Butter and beat it stiff with Sugar and the yelks of Eggs, then chap it round-wise about a spit, and lay it before a soft fire, and presently dredg it with the dredging before appointed for the Pig; then as it warmeth or melteth, so apply it with dredging till the Butter be overcomed, and no more will melt to fall from it; then roast it brown, and so draw it, and serve it out, the dish being as neatly trim'd with Sugar as may be.

To roast a pudding upon a spit, you shall mixe the Pudding before spoken of in the leg of Mutton, neither omitting herbs or saffron, and put to a little sweet butter and mix it very stiff, then fold it about the spit, and have ready in another dish some of the same mixture well seasoned, but a great deal thinner, and no butter at all in it; and when the pudding doth begin to rost, and that the butter appears, then with a spoon cover it all over with the thinner mixture, and so let it roast: then if you see no more butter appear, then baste it as you did the Pig, and lay more of the mixture on, and so continue till all be spent; and then roast it brown and so serve it up.

If you will Roast a Chine of Beef, a Loyn of Mutton, a Capon, and a Lark, all at one instant, and at one fire, and have all ready together, and none burnt, you shall first take your Chine of Beef and parboyl it more than half through: Then first take your Capon, being large and fat, and spit it next the hand of the turner, with the legs from the fire, then spit the Chine of Beef, then the Lark, and lastly the loyn of Mutton, and place the Lark so as it may be covered over with the Beef and the fat part of the Loyn of Mutton, without any part disclosed, then baste your Capon and your loyn of Mutton with cold water and salt, the Chine of Beef with boyling Lard, then when you see the beef is almost enough, which you shall hasten by scotching and opening of it, then with a clean cloath you shall wipe the Mutton and Capon all over, and then baste it with sweet butter till all be enough rosted: then with your knife lay the Lark open, which by this time will be stewed between the beef and Mutton, & and basting it also with dredge altogether, draw them and serve them up.

If you will Roast any Venison, after you hae washt it, & clensed all the blood from it, you shall stick it with Cloves all over on the outside; & if it be lean, you shall lard it either with Mutton lard, or pork lard: but Mutton is the best: then spit it and rost it by a soaking fire, then take vinegar, bread crums, and some of the gravy which omes from the venison, and boyl them well in a dish: then season it with sugar, cinamon, ginger and salt, and serve the venison forth upon the sawce when it is rosted enough.

If you will Roast a piece of fresh Sturgeon, which is a dainty dish, you shall stop it with Cloves, then spit it, and let it Roast at great leasure, plying it continually with basting, which will take away the hardness: then when it is enough you shall draw it and serve it upon Venison sauce, with Salt only thrown upon it.

The rosting of all sorts of meats differeth nothing but in the fire, speed and leasure as is aforesaid, except these compound dishes, of which I have given you sufficient presidents, and by them you may perform any work whatsoever: but for the ordering, preparing, and trussing your meat for the spit or Table, in that there is much difference: for in all oynts of meat except a shoulder of Mutton, you shall crush and break the joynts well; from Pigs and Rabbets you shall cut off the feet before you spit them, and the heads when you serve them to Table; and the Pig you shall chine and diide in two parts: Capons, Pheasants, Chickens and Turkeys[1] you shall roast with the Pininions folded up, and the legs extended: Hens, Stockdoves, and Housedoves, you shall roast with the Pinions folded, and the elgs cut off by the knees and thrust into the bodies: Quails, Partridges, and all sorts of small Birds shall have their Pinions cut away, and the legs extended: all sorts of Water fowl shall have their Pinions cut away, and their legs turned backwards: Wood-cocks, snips and Stint shall be Roasted with their Heads and Necks on, and their legs thrust into their bodies, and shoulders, and Bitterns shall have no necks but their heads only.

Take a Cows Udder, and first boyl it well: then stick it thick all over with Cloves: then when it is cold spit it, and lay it on the fire, and and apply it very well with basting of sweet Butter, and when it is sufficiently roasted and brown, then dredg it, and draw it from the fire, take Venegar and Butter, and put it on a chafing dish and coals; and boyl it with white bread crum, till it be thick: then put to it good store Sugar and of Cinnamon, and putting it into a clean dish, lay the Cows Udder therein, and trim the sides of the dish with Sugar, and so serve it up.

Take an excellent good leg of Veal, and cut the thick part thereof, a handful and more from the Knuckle: then take the thick part which is the fillet) and farce it in every part all over with Strawberry-leaves, Sorrel, Spinage, Endive, and Succory grosely chopt together, and good store of Onions, then lay it to the fire and roast it very sufficiently and brown, casting good store of Salt upon it, and basting it well with sweet butter: then take of the former herbs much finer chopt then they were for farcing, and put them into a pipkin with Vinegar and clean washt Currants, and boyl them well together, then when the herbs are sufficiently boyled and soft, take the yelks of four very hard boyled Eggs, and shred them very small, and put them into the Pipkin also with Sugar and Cinnamon and some of the gravy which drops from the Veal, and boyl it over again, and then put it into a clean dish, and the fillet being dredged and drawn, lay upon it and trim the side of the dish with Sugar, and so serve it up.

To make an excellent sauce for a rost Capon, you shall take Onions, and having sliced and peeled them, boyl them in fair water with Pepper, Salt, and few bread crums; then put unto it a spoonful or two of Clarret Wine, the juyce of an Orange, and three or four slices of Lemmon peel: all these shred together, and so pour it upon the Capon being broke up.

To make a sauce for an old Hen or Pullet, take a good quantity of Beer and Salt, and mix them well together with a few fine bread crums, and boyl them on a chafing-dish and coals; then take the yelks of three or four hard Eggs, and being shred small put it to the Beer, and boyl it also; then the Hen being almost enough, take three or four spoonfulls of the gravy which comes from her, and put it in also, and boyl all together to an indifferent thickness: which done, suffer it to boyl no more, but only to keep it warm on the fire, and put into it the juyce of two or three Oranges and the slices of Lemmon-peels shred small, and the slices of Oranges, having also the upper rind taken away: then the Hen being broke up, take the brains thereof, and shredding them small, put it into the sawce also, and stirring all well together, put it hot into a clean warm dish and lay the Hen (broke up) in the same.

The Sawce for Chickens is divers, according to mens tastes: for some will onely have Butter, Verjuyce, and a little Parsley rosted in their bellies mixt to gether; others will have butter, verjuyce, and Sugar boyl'd together with toasts of bread, and other will have thick sippets with the juyce of sorrel and sugar mixt together.

The best sawce for a Pheasant is water and Onions slic't, Pepper and a little Salt mixt together, and but stewed upon the coals, and then poured upon the Phesant or Partridge, being broken up, and some will put thereto the juyce or slices of an Orange or Lemon, or both: but it is according to taste, and indeed more proper for Phesant then Partridge.

Sauce for a Quail, Raile or any fat big bird, is Claret wine and salt mixt together with the gravy of the bird, and a few fine bread crums well boyled together, and either a Sage leaf, or Bay leaf crusht amongst it, according to mens tastes.

The best sauce for Piggeons, Stockdoves, or such like, is Vinegar and Butter melted together, and Parsley rosted in the bellies; or Vine leaves rosted and mixed well together.

The most general sauce for ordinary wild fowl rosted, as Ducks, Mallard, Widgeon, Teal, Snipe, Sheldrake, Plovers, Puets, Guls, and such like, is only Mustard and Vinegar, or Mustard and Verjuice mixt together; or else an Onion, Water, and Pepper, and some (especially in the Court) use only Butter melted, and not with any thing else.

The best sauce for green Geese is the juyce of Sorrel and Sugar mixt together with a few scalted Feberries, and served upon sippets; or else the belly of the Green Goose fill'd with Feberries and so rosted; and then the same mixt with Verjuyce, Butter, Sugar and Cinnamon, and so served upon sippets.

The Sauce for a stubble Goose is divers, according to mens minds, for some will take the pap of rosted Apples, and mixint it with Vinegar, boyl them together on the fire wih some of the gravy of the Goose, and a few Barberries and bread crums, and when it is boyled to a good thickness, season it with Sugar and a little Cinnamon, and so serve it up: some will add a Little Mustard and Onions unto it, and some will not rost the Apples, but pare them and slice them, and that is the nearer way, but not the better. Others will fill the belly of the Goose full of Onions shred, and Oatmeal grotes, and being roasted enough, mix it with the gravy of the Goose, and sweet herbs well boyled together, and seasoned with a little Verjuyce.

To make a Gallantine, or sauce for a Swan, Bittern, Hern, Crane, or any large Fowl, take the blood of the same Fowl, and being stirred well, boyl it on the fire, then when it comes to be thick, put unto it Vinegar a good quantity, with a few fine white bread crums, and so boyl it over again; then being come to a good thickness, season it with Sugar and Cinnamon, so as it may taste pretty and sharp upon the Cinnamon, and then serve it up in saucers as you do Mustard, for this is called a Cauder or Gallantine, and is a sauce almost for any Fowl whatsoever.

To make sauce for a Pig, some take Sage and rost it in the belly of the Pig; then boyling Verjuyce, Butter, and Currants together, take and chop the Sae small and mixing the brains of the Pig with it, put all together and so serve it up.

To make Sauce for a loyn of Veal, take all kind of sweet Pot-herbs, and chopping them very small with the yelks of two or three Eggs boyl them in Venegar and Butter, with a few bread crums, and good store of Sugar; then season it with Sugar and Cinnamon, and a Clove or two crusht, and so pour it upon the Veal, with the slices of Oranges and Lemons about the Dish.

Take Oranges and slice them thin, and put unto them White wine and Rose-water, the Powder of Mace, Ginger, and Sugar and set the same upon a Chafing-dish of coals, and when it is half boyled, put to it a good lump of Butter, and then lay good store of sippets of fine white bread therein, and so serve your Chickens upon them, and trim the sides of the dish with Sugar.

Take fair water, and set it over the fire, then slice good store of Onions, and put into it, and also Pepper and Salt and good store of Gravy that comes from the Turkey, and boyl them very well together: then put to it a few fine crums of grated bread to thicken it, a very little Sugar, and some Venegar, and so serve it up with the Turkey: or otherwise, take greated White bread and boyl it in White wine till it be as thick as a Gallantine; in boyling put in good store of Sugar, and Cinnamon, and then with a little Turnsole make it of a high murrey colour, and so serve it in saucers with the Turkey, in manner of Gallantine.

Take the blood of a Swan, or any other great fowl, and put it into a dish, then take stewed Prunes, and put them into a strainer, and strain them into the blood; then set it on a chafing-dish, and coals, and let it boyl; then stir it till it come to be thick, and season it very well with Sugar and Cinnamon, and so serve it in Saucers with the fowl: but this sauce must served cold.

Take good store of Onoins, peel them and slice them, and put them into Vinegar and boyl them very well till they be tender; then put into it a good lump of sweet butter, and season it well with Sugar and Cinnamon, and so serve it up with the fowl.

Charbonadoes, or carbonadoes, which is meat broyled upon the coals (and the invention thereof was first brought out of France as appears by the name) are of divers kinds according to mens pleasures; for there is no meat either boyled or raosted whatsoever, but may afterards be broyled if the master thereof be disposed, yet the general dishes which for the most part are to be carbonadoed, are a breast of Mutton half boyled; a shoulder of Mutton half rosted, the legs, wings, and carkasses of Capon, Turkey[1], Goose or any other fowl whatsoever, especially Land fowl.

ANd lasty, the uttermost thick skin which covereth the ribbs of beef, and is called (being boyled,) the Inns of Court Goose, and is indeed a dish used most for wantonness, sometimes to please the appetite, to which may also be added the broyling of Pigs heads, or the brains of any fowl whatsoever after it is rosted and drest.

Now for the manner of Carbonadoing, it is in this sort; you shall first take the meat you must Carbonado, and scotch it both above and below; then sprinkle good store of salt upon it, and baste it all over with sweet butter melted; which done, take your Broyling-iron, I do not mean a Grid-iron (though it be much used for those purpose) because of the smoak of the coals, occasioned by the dropping of the meat, will ascend about it, and make it stink: but a Plate iron made with hoks and pricks, on which you may hang the meat; and set it close before the fire, and so the Plate heating the meat behind, as the fire doth before, it will both the sooner and with more neatness be ready: then, having turned it, and basted it till it be very brown, dredg it, and serve it up with Vinegar and Butter.

Touching the toasting of Mutton, Venison, or any joynt of Meat, which is the most excellentest of all Carbanadoes, you shall take the fattest and the largest that can possibly be got (for lean meat is less of flavour, and little meat not worth your time :) and having scotcht it and cast Salt upon it, you shall set it on a strong fork, with a dripping pan underneath it, before the face of a quick fire, yet so far off that it may be no means scorch, but toast at leasure; then with that which falls from it, and wiht no other basting, see that you baste it continually, turning it ever and anon many times and so oft that it may soak and brown at great leasure, and as oft as you baste it, to oft sprinkle Salt upon it, and as you see it toast, scotch it deeper and deeper, epecially in the thickest and most fleshy parts where the blood most resteth, and when you see that no more blood droppeth from it, but the gravy is clear and white, then you shall serve it up either with Venison sauce, with Vinegar, Pepper, and Sugar Cinnamon, and the juyce of an Orange mixt together, and warmed with some of the gravy.

Take Mutton or Lamb that hath been either roasted or but parboy'ld, and with your knife scotch it many wayes, then lay it in a deep dish, and put to it a pint of White wine, and a little whole Mace, a little slic't Nutmeg and some Sugar, with a lump of sweet butter, and stew it so till it be very tender, then take it forth, and brown it on the Grid-iron, and then laying sippets in the former broth, serve it up.

Take any Tongue, whether of Beef, Mutton, Calves, Red Deer or Fallow, and being well boyled peel them, cleave them, and scotch them many wayes; then take three of four Eggs broken, some Sugar, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg, and having beaten it well together, put to it a Lemmon cut in thinne slices, and another clean peel'd, and cut into little four square bits, and then take the Tongue, and lay it in: and then haing melted good store of Butter in a Frying pan, put the tongue and the rest therein, and so fry it brown, and then dish it, and scrape Sugar upon it, and serve it up.