Text 11900, 82 rader
Skriven 2008-08-12 03:48:04 av Michael Loo (1:18/200.0)
  Kommentar till text 11813 av Barbara Mcnay (1:382/48)
Ärende: Hello? 753
==================
 BM> Sometimes I read through recipes and wonder if all the ingredients are
 BM> necessary.  This is usually with unfamiliar ingredients.  

Depends on what flavor profile one is looking to create.
More ingredients can sometimes mean more depth or variety
of flavors; sometimes, though, more trouble is the only
result.

 BM> When I was young and learning to cook, I learned the hard
 BM> way what ingredients or processes were necessary.

As did most of us. If you got a good base of skill, you
can make a good educated guess regarding what's needed
and what's not and whether substitutions or shortcuts
are in order.

 > COLLOPS IN THE PAN
 BM> This sounds good.  How is the mushroom ketchup made?

It's just a salt- or vinegar- pickled mushroom substance
with a similar spicing scheme to tomato ketchup.

MUSHROOM KETCHUP
cat: text only, condiment
yield: 1 lg batch

To each peck mushrooms 1/2 lb of salt; to each quart of
mushroom-liquor 1/4 oz of cayenne, 1/2 oz of allspice,
1/2 oz of ginger, 2 blades of pounded mace.

Choose full-grown mushroom-flaps, and take care they are
perfectly fresh-gathered when the weather is tolerably
dry; for, if they are picked during very heavy rain, the
ketchup from which they are made is liable to get musty,
and will not keep long. Put a layer of them in a deep
pan, sprinkle salt over them, and then another layer of
mushrooms, and so on alternately. Let them remain for a
few hours, when break them up with the hand; put them in
a nice cool place for 3 days, occasionally stirring and
mashing them well, to extract from them as much juice as
possible. Now measure the quantity of liquor without
straining, and to each quart allow the above proportion
of spices. Put all into a stone jar, cover it up very
closely, put it in a saucepan of boiling water, set it
over the fire, and let it boil for 3 hours. Have ready a
nice clean stewpan; turn into it the contents of the jar,
and let the whole simmer very gently for 1/2 hour; pour
it into a jug, where it should stand in a cool place till
the next day; then pour it off into another jug, and
strain it into very dry clean bottles, and do not squeeze
the mushrooms. To each pint of ketchup add a few drops of
brandy. Be careful not to shake the contents, but leave
all the sediment behind in the jug; cork well, and either
seal or rosin the cork, so as perfectly to exclude the
air. When a very clear bright ketchup is wanted, the
liquor must be strained through a very fine hair-sieve,
or flannel bag, after it has been very gently poured off;
if the operation is not successful, it must be repeated
until you have quite a clear liquor. It should be
examined occasionally, and if it is spoiling, should be
reboiled with a few peppercorns.

Seasonable from the beginning of September to the middle
of October, when this ketchup should be made.

Note - This flavouring ingredient, if genuine and well
prepared, is one of the most useful store sauces to the
experienced cook, and no trouble should be spared in its
preparation. Double ketchup is made by reducing the
liquor to half the quantity; for example, 1 quart must be
boiled down to 1 pint. This goes farther than ordinary
ketchup, as so little is required to flavour a good
quantity of gravy. The sediment may also be bottled for
immediate use, and will be found to answer for flavouring
thick soups or gravies.

Source: Mrs. Beeton

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30

--- Maximus/2 3.01
 * Origin: Nocturnal State BBS (1:18/200)