COLLARED PIG'S FACE (a Breakfast or Luncheon Dish)
Origin: London, England
Source: Isabella Beeton, 1861
Ingredients
- 1 pig's face
- salt
- For brine
- 1 gallon spring water
- 1 lb common salt
- 1/2 handful of chopped juniper-berries
- 6 bruised cloves
- 2 bay-leaves
- a few sprigs of thyme
- basil
- sage
- 1/4 oz saltpetre
- For forcemeat
- 1/2 lb ham
- 1/2 lb bacon
- 1 teaspoonful mixed spices
- pepper to taste
- 1/4 lb lard
- 1 tablespoonful minced parsley
- 6 young onions
- PIG'S FACE.]
Instructions
- Singe the head carefully, bone it without breaking the skin, and rub it well with salt.
- Make the brine by boiling the above ingredients for 1/4 hour, and letting it stand to cool.
- When cold, pour it over the head, and let it steep in this for 10 days, turning and rubbing it often.
- Then wipe, drain, and dry it.
- For the forcemeat, pound the ham and bacon very finely, and mix with these the remaining ingredients, taking care that the whole is thoroughly incorporated.
- Spread this equally over the head, roll it tightly in a cloth, and bind it securely with broad tape.
- Put it into a saucepan with a few meat trimmings, and cover it with stock;
- let it simmer gently for 4 hours, and be particular that it does not stop boiling the whole time.
- When quite tender, take it up, put it between 2 dishes with a heavy weight on the top, and when cold, remove the cloth and tape.
- It should be sent to table on a napkin, or garnished with a piece of deep white paper with a ruche at the top.