To Dress a Sheep's Head

The Book of Household Management · Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary) · 1861

Source: The Book of Household Management
Yield: 3.0 persons
Status: success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (10)

1 sheep's head ↝ Head cheese [Cold cuts and cured meats]
sufficient water to cover it ↝ Water, tap [Tap water]
3 carrots ↝ Carrots, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
3 turnips ↝ Turnips, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
2 or 3 parsnips ↝ Parsnips, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
3 onions ↝ Onions, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
a small bunch of parsley ↝ Parsley, raw [Not included in a food category]
1 teaspoonful of pepper ↝ Spices, pepper, black [Spices and Herbs]
3 teaspoonfuls of salt ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
1/4 lb. of Scotch oatmeal ↝ Scotch [Liquor and cocktails]

Instructions (7)

Clean the head well, and let it soak in warm water for 2 hours, to get rid of the blood
Put it into a saucepan, with sufficient cold water to cover it
When it boils, add the vegetables, peeled and sliced, and the remaining ingredients
Before adding the oatmeal, mix it to a smooth batter with a little of the liquor
Keep stirring till it boils up
Then shut the saucepan closely, and let it stew gently for 1-1/2 or 2 hours
It may be thickened with rice or barley, but oatmeal is preferable

Original Text

TO DRESS A SHEEP'S HEAD.

742. INGREDIENTS.—1 sheep's head, sufficient water to cover it, 3 carrots, 3 turnips, 2 or 3 parsnips, 3 onions, a small bunch of parsley, 1 teaspoonful of pepper, 3 teaspoonfuls of salt, 1/4 lb. of Scotch oatmeal.

Mode.—Clean the head well, and let it soak in warm water for 2 hours, to get rid of the blood; put it into a saucepan, with sufficient cold water to cover it, and when it boils, add the vegetables, peeled and sliced, and the remaining ingredients; before adding the oatmeal, mix it to a smooth batter with a little of the liquor. Keep stirring till it boils up; then shut the saucepan closely, and let it stew gently for 1-1/2 or 2 hours. It may be thickened with rice or barley, but oatmeal is preferable.

Time.—1-1/2 or 2 hours. Average cost, 8d. each.

Sufficient for 3 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

SINGED SHEEP'S HEAD.—The village of Dudingston, which stands "within a mile of Edinburgh town," was formerly celebrated for this ancient and homely Scottish dish. In the summer months, many opulent citizens used to resort to this place to solace themselves over singed sheep's heads, boiled or baked. The sheep fed upon the neighbouring hills were slaughtered at this village, and the carcases were sent to town; but the heads were left to be consumed in the place. We are not aware whether the custom of eating sheep's heads at Dudingston is still kept up by the good folks of Edinburgh.

Notes

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