SAVOURY MINCED COLLOPS

Make a little thickening (see Brown _Roux_, Chapter V.) with about an ounce and a half of butter, and a dessertspoonful of flour; when it begins to be coloured, shake lightly into it a large teaspoonful of finely-shred parsley or mixed savoury herbs, two-thirds as much of salt, and half the quantity of pepper. Keep these stirred over a gentle fire until the thickening is of a deep yellow brown; then add a pound of rump-steak, finely minced, and keep it well separated with a fork until it is quite hot; next pour to it gradually half a cupful of boiling water, and stew the collops very gently for ten minutes. Before they are served, stir to them a little catsup, chili vinegar or lemon-juice: a small quantity of minced onion, eschalot, or a _particle_ of garlic, may be added at first to the thickening when the flavour is not objected to.