it owes
its peculiar pungent flavour, its other parts being composed of
woody fibre, water, gum, and resin.

BROWN GRAVY WITHOUT MEAT.

437. INGREDIENTS.--2 large onions, 1 large carrot, 2 oz. of butter, 3
pints of boiling water, 1 bunch of savoury herbs, a wineglassful of good
beer; salt and pepper to taste.

_Mode_.--Slice, flour, and fry the onions and carrots in the butter
until of a nice light-brown colour; then add the boiling water and the
remaining ingredients; let the whole stew gently for about an hour; then
strain, and when cold, skim off all the fat. Thicken it in the same
manner as recipe No. 436, and, if thought necessary, add a few drops of
colouring No. 108.

_Time_.--1 hour. Average cost, 2d. per pint.

_Note_.--The addition of a small quantity of mushroom ketchup or
Harvey's sauce very much improves the flavour of this gravy.

RICH GRAVY FOR HASHES, RAGOUTS, &c.

438. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of shin of beef, 1 large onion or a few
shalots, a little flour, a bunch of savoury herbs, 2 blades of mace, 2
or 3 cloves, 4 whole allspice, 1/4 teaspoonful of whole pepper, 1 slice
of lean ham or bacon, 1/2 a head of celery (when at hand), 2 pints of
boiling water; salt and cayenne to taste.

_Mode_.--Cut the beef into thin slices, as also the onions, dredge them
with flour, and fry of a pale brown, but do not allow them to get black;
pour in the boiling water, let it boil up; and skim. Add the remaining
ingredients, and simmer the whole very gently for 2 hours, or until all
the juices are extracted from the meat; put it by to get cold, when take
off all the fat. This gravy may be flavoured with ketchup, store sauces,
wine, or, in fact, anything that may give additional and suitable relish
to the dish it is intended for.

_Time_.--Rather more than 2 hours.

_Average cost_, 8d. per pint.

[Illustration: PIMENTO.]

ALLSPICE.--This is the popular name given to pimento, or Jamaica
pepper, known to naturalists as _Eugenia pimenta_, and belonging
to the order of Myrtaceae. It is the berry of a fine tree in the
West Indies and South America, which attains a height of from
fifteen to twenty feet: the berries are not allowed to ripen,
but, being gathered green, are then dried in the sun, and then
become black. It is an inexpensive spice, and is considered more
mild and innocent than most other spices; consequently, it is
much used for domestic purposes, combining