ther into a stew-pan with some gravy; thicken it with a
little butter rolled in flour; season it with a little pepper and salt,
and set it over a gentle fire to simmer for five minutes, frequently
shaking them about.

While this is doing, have a thin slice of bread toasted very lightly;
divide it into sippets, and lay them round the dish: pour the mince and
sauce into the middle of it, and split the feet, and lay them round it.

N.B. Pettitoes are sometimes boiled and dipped in batter, and fried a
light brown.

_Obs._--If you have no gravy, put into the water you stew the pettitoes
in an onion, a sprig of lemon thyme, or sweet marjoram, with a blade of
bruised mace, a few black peppers, and a large tea-spoonful of mushroom
catchup (No. 439), and you will have a very tolerable substitute for
gravy. A bit of No. 252 will be a very great improvement to it.

_Bacon._--(No. 13.)

Cover a pound of nice streaked bacon (as the Hampshire housewives say,
that "has been starved one day, and fed another") with cold water, let
it boil gently for three-quarters of an hour; take it up, scrape the
under-side well, and cut off the rind: grate a crust of bread not only
on the top, but all over it, as directed for the ham in the following
receipt, and put it before the fire for a few minutes: it must not be
there too long, or it will dry it and spoil it.

Two pounds will require about an hour and a half, according to its
thickness; the hock or gammon being very thick, will take more.

_Obs._--See Nos. 526 and 527: when only a little bacon is wanted, these
are the best ways of dressing it.

The boiling of bacon is a very simple subject to comment, upon; but our
main object is to teach common cooks the art of dressing common food in
the best manner.

Bacon is sometimes as salt as salt can make it, therefore before it is
boiled it must be soaked in warm water for an hour or two, changing the
water once; then pare off the rusty and smoked part, trim it nicely on
the under side, and scrape the rind as clean as possible.

MEM.--Bacon is an extravagant article in housekeeping; there is often
twice as much dressed as need be: when it is sent to table as an
accompaniment to boiled poultry or veal, a pound and a half is plenty
for a dozen people. A good German sausage is a very economical
substitute for bacon; or fried pork sausages (No. 87).

_Ham_,--(No. 14.)

Though of the bacon kind, has been so altered and hardened in the
cu