Take a handful or two of young spinage and wash it, drain it from the water, put it into a pan with a lump of butter, and a little salt, let it stew whilst it be tender, only turn it in the boiling, then take it up and squeeze out the water, put in another lump of butter and chop it small, put to it a handful of currans plump’d, and a little nutmeg; have three toasts cut from a penny loaf well buttered, then lie on your spinage.

This is proper for a side-dish either for noon or night.

297. To roast a BEAST KIDNEY.

Take a beast kidney with a little fat on, and stuff it all around, season it with a little pepper and salt, wrap it in a kell, and put it upon the spit with a little water in the dripping-pan; what drops from your kidney thicken with a lump of butter and flour for your sauce.

To fry your STUFFING.

Take a handful of sweet herbs, a few breadcrumbs, a little beef-suet shred fine, and two eggs, (leave out the whites) mix altogether with a little nutmeg, pepper and salt; stuff your kidney with one part of the stuffing, and fry the other part in little cakes; so serve it up.

298. To stew CUCUMBERS.

Take middling cucumbers and cut them in slices, but not too thin, strow over them a little salt to bring out the water, put them into a stew-pan or sauce-pan, with a little gravy, some whole pepper, a lump of butter, and a spoonful or two of vinegar to your taste; let them boil all together; thicken them with flour, and serve them up with sippets.

299. To make an OATMEAL PUDDING.

Take three or four large spoonfuls of oatmeal done through a hair-sieve, and a pint of milk, put it into a pan and let it boil a little whilst it be thick, add to it half a pound of butter, a spoonful of rose-water, a little lemon-peel shred, a little nutmeg, or beaten cinnamon, and a little salt; take six eggs, (leave out two of the whites) and put to them a quarter of a pound of sugar or better, beat them very well, so mix them all together; put it into your dish with a paste round your dish edge; have a little rose-water, butter and sugar for sauce.

300. To make a CALF’S HEAD PIE another Way.

Half boil your calf’s head, when it is cold cut it in slices, rather thicker than you would do for hashing, season it with a little mace, nutmeg, pepper and salt, lie part of your meat in the bottom of your pie, a layer of one and a layer of another; then put in half a pound of butter and a little gravy; when your pie comes from the oven, have ready the yolks of six or eight eggs boiled hard, and lie them round your pie; put in a little melted butter, and a spoonful or two of white wine, and give them a shake together before you lie in your eggs; your pie must be a standing pie baked upon a dish, with a puff-paste round the edge of the dish, but leave no paste in the bottom of your pie; when it is baked serve it up without a lid.