MYTILIL\E. MUSSEL. 77 



pyke (pick) hem clene and waishe hem clene in wyne. 

 Take almandes and bray hem. Take some of the 

 muskels and grynde hem, and some hewe small. Draw 

 (mix up) the muskels yground (that are ground) with 

 the self (same) broth. Wryng the almandes with 

 faire (clean) water. Do all this togider. Do thereto 

 verjous (verjuice) and vinegar. Take whyte of lekes, 

 and parboil hem wel. Wryng out the water, and hew 

 hem small. Cast oile thereto, with onyons parboiled, 

 and minced small. Do thereto powder, fort, safron, 

 and salt; a lytel seeth it, not to stondyng (too thick), 

 and messe it forth."* 



Soyer's Recipe for Cooking Mussels. — Take three 

 dozen mussels, wash them and place in a stew-pan over 

 the fire for ten minutes, to open the shell (sometimes 

 a small crab will be found in them, which remove, as 

 they are rather unwholesome); replace them with their 

 liquor, and bottom shell, in the pan ; add a spoonful of 

 flour, mixed with some butter or lard, and a spoonful 

 of chopped parsley ; stir it, and stew for five minutes, 

 and serve. If required in large quantities, take the 

 large boiler, put therein four pounds of lard or butter 

 and four pounds of sliced onions ; fry for five minutes. 

 Have ready two pailfuls of mussels out of the shell, 

 and in their liquor, which put in the boiler with one 

 pound of salt, two ounces of pepper, two ounces of 

 sugar, two pounds of chopped parsley, and two pounds 

 of flour, mixed with water to the thickness of good 

 cream ; boil ten or fifteen minutes, stir it gently with 

 a wooden spatula, and serve. If not required maigre, 

 use instead of water, the same quantity of boiliDg 



* 'Autiquitates Cuiinarise,' by the Rev. Richard Warner, p. 23. 



