986 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



spoonful of salt, a pinch of white pepper, and one tcaspoonf ul of chopped parsley, well mixed ; 

 lay the steak on one side, and then on the other. Serve immediately. 



Beefsteak Smothered with Onions. Cut up six onions very fine; put them in a 

 saucepan with two cupfuls of hot water, about two ounces of good butter, some pepper and 

 salt; dredge in flour. Let it stew until the onions are quite soft; then have the steak broiled, 

 put into the saucepan with the onions; then simmer about ten minutes, and send to the table 

 very hot. 



Beefsteak is very palatable when served with fried onions. Slice the onions thin, and 

 put them into a kettle of hot fat consisting of meat drippings the same as for frying dough 

 nuts. Let them fry until brown and tender; strain out with a skimmer, letting the fat drip 

 out well; broil and season the steak as above recommended, and spread the onions over it. Fat 

 used for frying onions should, of course, not be used for cooking anything else, as it will 

 have an onion flavor. 



To Brown Flour for Meat GravieSf Sift the flour and put it into an iron pan on 



the stove. Stir it constantly, scraping it up carefully from the bottom, never allowing it to 

 stick or burn in the least, as it will give it a bitter flavor. Stir it rapidly and move it as it 

 darkens, in order to get it browned perfectly even. When of an even nice brown color it is 

 done. A quantity could be browned beforehand, and kept for convenient use in a glass or 

 tin can. This, when used for thickening, gives certain meat gravies and brown soups a good 

 color and flavor. 



Roast Meats. Meats require a hot oven for roasting; it is better, however, to have 

 the oven moderately hot for the first ten or fifteen minutes, and be made hotter until the 

 heat is quite brisk, than to have it very hot at first. After the meat is heated through, the 

 heat should be well sustained until it is done. For a piece of meat weighing six to eight 

 pounds, put a pint and a half of water in the roasting pan, with a teaspoonful of salt. More 

 water without salt should be added as this boils away. Wash the meat in cold water, not 

 allowing it to remain in the water to soak, wrap a clean, dry cloth around it to absorb the 

 moisture, and rub evenly with fine salt. Do not dredge the meat with flour until it is two- 

 thirds roasted, but continue to baste it with the water and meat drippings to keep it juicy 

 and prevent it from getting crisp and dry. In doing this keep the door of the oven open as 

 short a time as possible so as not to lower the heat. A cloth wound loosely around the hand 

 and wrist, or an old gauntlet glove will protect from burning. Turn the pan around, or the 

 meat in the pan, as required for even roasting. When about two-thirds done, draw out the 

 roasting pan partly from the oven, and dredge it thoroughly and thickly over with fine sifted 

 flour. When the flour is well browned (not before) baste it thoroughly with the gravy, and 

 dredge in the same manner with flour again. Repeat this flouring and browning three or four 

 times, being careful not to wash off the flour before it is browned, and the meat crisp, or to 

 leave any unbrowned flour when it is taken out of the oven. Do not permit the water in the 

 pan to dry out, as this is intended for the gravy. There should be a full pint or more of it. 

 When done, take out the meat on a platter and cover and keep it hot. Set the roasting pan 

 on the stove and stir all the scraps and flour from the dredging into the gravy as it boils. 

 If not thick enough, stir in a little more flour. If there seems to be an excess of fat on the 

 top of the gravy, dip it off with a spoon into another dish, being careful to take only the fat, 

 and add a little more boiling water, stirring rapidly all the time to have it of a uniform 

 thickness. Browned flour is best for this purpose. For roast veal, remove the bone if it be 

 a leg, and fill the space with dressing, or if a loin, put as much of it under the flap as can be 

 pressed into the space, and the rest in the corner of the stew pan, or it may be baked in a 

 separate dish. Two or three thin slices of salt pork laid on the veal before placing it in the 

 oven, enriches and flavors the meat. It should be removed just before dredging. All meats 

 should be well basted while roasting. For the gravy for mutton or lamb, a little mint is 

 excellent for seasoning. 



Dressing for Roast Turkey, Stuffed Teal, etc. A pint of finely pounded 

 cracker crumbs, or stale bread that has become dry and chopped fine may be used as a basis 

 of the dressing of roast veal, turkey, chicken, etc., to which may be added a full half cup of 

 melted butter, with salt, pepper, pulverized sage, and summer savory to suit the taste. It 

 is better to mix the salt, pepper, sage, and summer savory with the dry crumbs before adding 

 the melted butter, which should be evenly stirred in. Stir in enough boiling water to make 

 it into a stiff dough, afterwards beat one egg very light and mix it in. The egg can be 

 omitted without serious detriment to the dressing in fact some prefer it without. A few 



