Meat Cookery

Grilling or Broiling.

Trim off surpluS fat and skin, beat into shape and, if necessary, tie with string. Oil the gridiron and heat it before using. Turn the meat frequently with tongs or two spoons. Do not use a fork. Grilled meats are usually served dry with maitre d'hôtel butter (parsley, lemon juice and butter blended together), or merely moistened with the fat and juice which have run out of the meat.

Frying.

Unless the meat is minced and protected in batter, meat should always be "dry" fried, i.e., in a frying pan. White internal organs, e.g., sweetbreads, etc., ought to be scalded before cooking. Liver should be cut into thin strips; kidneys need skin ning after washing. A "mixed grill" is commonly cooked by frying in place of grilling.

Meat is frequently reheated in the form of slices of meat warmed in good gravy, hash, curries (cold meat warmed in a curry sauce) ; or minced and formed into rissoles, etc. In all re heating the aim should be to avoid re-cooking. Judicious flavour ing and careful cooking are the essentials in re-heated meat dishes.

Galantines.

These are cold meat dishes consisting of a mix ture of several boned minced meats, poultry or game deprived of all gristle and skin and usually mixed with hard-boiled eggs and truffles to garnish. To prepare, pound all the ingredients except the garnishes in a mortar, add seasoning, shape into the desired form and tie in a floured cloth. Boil gently for two hours in water with pot herbs and seasoning to taste. After cooking re move cloth, reshape if necessary by pressing and rolling, and place under heavy weights. Finally, brush over with glaze. Trim off a slice from each end and garnish with fresh parsley.

Brawn.

Correctly speaking, brawn should be made from pig's or sheep's head but so-called brawns are made of rabbit, etc. Wash the head thoroughly, place in cold water to cover, bring to a boil, add pot herbs and seasoning and simmer until the flesh leaves the bones. Skim while cooking. Cut up the cooked flesh into small pieces together with the tongue. Remove skin and gristle. Reduce the liquor to one half, and strain over the meat. Cool slightly and pour into a wetted mould. Spices may be added to brawns if desired.

See also COOKERY; GRAVIES SAUCE. (J. A. Si.) MEATH, a county of Ireland, in the province of Leinster, bounded east by the Irish sea, south-east by Dublin, south by Kildare and Co. Offaly, west by Westmeath, north-west by Cavan and Monaghan, and north-east by Louth. Area 579,320 ac., or about 905 sq. miles. Pop. (1926) 62,909.

In the north is a broken country of Silurian rocks with much igneous material, partly contemporaneous, partly intrusive, near Slane. Carboniferous limestone stretches from the Boyne valley to the Dublin border, giving rise to a flat plain especially suitable for grazing. Outliers of higher Carboniferous strata occur on the surface; but the Coal Measures have all been removed by de nudation. The coast extends about io m., but there is no harbour of importance. Laytown is a small seaside resort, 5 m. S.E. of

Drogheda. The Boyne enters the county at its south-western extremity, and flows north-east to Drogheda. At Navan it re ceives the Blackwater, which flows south-west from Cavan. Both these rivers are noted for their trout, and salmon are taken in the Boyne, which is navigable for barges as far as Navan whence a canal is carried to Trim. The Royal canal passes along the southern boundary from Dublin.

A district known as Meath (Midhe), including the present county as well as Westmeath and Longford, with parts of Cavan, Kildare and Co. Offaly was formed by Tuathal (c. i3o) into a kingdom to serve as mensal land or personal estate of the Ard Ri or over-king of Ireland. Kings of Meath reigned until 1173, and their descendants claimed the title as late as the 15th cen tury, but Hugh de Lacy was confirmed in the lordship of the country by Henry II. But though Meath was declared a county in the reign of Edward I. (1296), and though it came by descent into the possession of Edward IV., it was long before it was fully subdued and its boundaries clearly defined. In 1543 Westmeath was created a county apart from that of Meath, but as late as 1598 Meath was still regarded as a province by some, who in cluded in it the counties Westmeath, East Meath, Longford and Cavan. Early in the 27th century it was at last established as a county, and no longer considered as a fifth province of Ireland.

There are two ancient round towers, the one at Kells and the other in the churchyard of Donaghmore, near Navan. By the river Boyne near Slane there is an ancient burial-place called Brugh, with 20 burial mounds, the largest of which is that of New Grange, a domed tumulus above a circular chamber. The mound is surrounded by remains of a stone circle, and the whole forms one of the most remarkable extant erections of its kind. Tara (q.v.) is the seat of a royal palace referred to by Thomas Moore. The more important monastic ruins are those of Duleek, said to have been the first ecclesiastical building in Ireland of stone and mortar; the extensive remains of Bective abbey; and those of Clonard, where also were a cathedral and a famous college. Of the old fortresses, the castle of Trim still presents an imposing appearance.

The soil is principally a rich deep loam on limestone gravel, but varies from a strong clayey loam to a light sandy gravel. Oats, potatoes and turnips are the principal crops. Cattle, sheep and poultry are increasing. Agriculture is almost the sole indus try, but coarse linen is woven by hand-looms, and there are a few woollen manufactories. The main line of the Great Southern railway skirts the southern boundary, with a branch line north from Clonsilla to Navan and Kingscourt (Co. Cavan). From Kil messan on this line a branch serves Trim and Athboy. From Drogheda (Co. Louth) a branch of the Great Northern railway crosses the county from east to west by Navan and Kells to Old castle. The administrative county of Meath returns three mem bers to Dail Eireann.