Part 7

~MUSHROOM SAUCE, ITALIAN STYLE~--(For macaroni, spaghetti, ravioli and rice.)--A small piece of butter about the size of an egg. One or two small onions, cut very small. About two pounds of beef. Let all brown. Prepare as you would a pot roast. Add Italian dried mushrooms, soaked over night in hot water, chopped in small pieces. Add about one-half can of tomatoes. Let all cook well. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a little flour to thicken.

~MOLD SPINACH~--Remove roots and decayed leaves, wash in several waters until no grit remains. Boil in water to nearly cover until tender, drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, chop very fine; reheat in butter, season with salt and pepper and pack in small cups. Turn out and garnish with sifted yolk of egg.

~NUT PARSNIP STEW~--Wash, scrape and slice thin two good-sized parsnips. Cook until perfectly tender in two quarts of water. When nearly done add a teaspoon of salt and when thoroughly done a teaspoon of flour mixed with a little cold water, stir well and let boil until the flour is well cooked, then stir in one-half cup of walnut meal, let boil up once, and serve immediately.

~POTATOES A LA MAITRE D'HOTEL~--Slice cold boiled potatoes thin. Melt a rounding tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan, add a heaping pint bowl of the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and heat. Now add a teaspoon of lemon juice and the same of finely minced parsley, and serve at once.

POTATOES AU GRATIN--Make a white sauce, using one tablespoonful of butter, one of flour, one-half a teaspoonful salt, one-quarter of a teaspoonful of white pepper and one cupful of milk. Cut cold boiled potatoes into thick slices, or, better still, into half-inch cubes. Butter a baking dish, put in it a layer of the sauce, then one of the potatoes, previously lightly seasoning with salt and pepper. Continue until all are in, the proportion of potato being about two cupfuls.

To one cupful of dried and sifted breadcrumbs, add one teaspoonful of melted butter and stir until it is evenly mixed through. Spread this over the contents of the baking dish, and place in a quick oven for twenty minutes, or until nicely browned. For a change, a little onion juice, chopped parsley or grated cheese may be added to the sauce.

~POTATO CREAMED~--Cut cold boiled potatoes into small dice and cover them in a small saucepan with milk. Let them stand where they will heat slowly and absorb nearly all the milk. When hot add to one pint of potatoes a tablespoon of salt and a dash of white pepper. Sprinkle a little finely chopped parsley over the top as a garnish.

~POTATO MOLD~--Mash some potato smoothly, add to it some butter and a little milk to make it smooth but not wet. Season with white pepper and salt and add enough chopped parsley to make it look pretty. Press into greased mold and bake for half an hour until lightly browned. Dust with crumbs and serve.

~POTATO PARISIENNE~--Potato marbles seasoned with minced parsley, butter and lemon juice are liked by many. Others find that they are not sufficiently seasoned, that is, the seasoning has not penetrated into the potatoes, especially if a large cutter has been used. This method will be found to remedy this fault, giving a seasoning which reaches every portion of the potato. It may not be quite so attractive as the somewhat underdone marbles, but the flavor is finer.

Pare the potatoes and steam or boil them until soft, being careful they do not cook too fast. Drain off the water and let them stand uncovered until dry. Then cut in quarters lengthwise, and then in thin slices, letting them drop into a stewpan containing melted butter, salt and paprika. When all are sliced cover them and let them heat for a few minutes, add minced parsley and lemon Juice, shake them about so the seasoning will be well mixed and serve at once.

~POTATO PUFFS~--~No. 1~--To one cup of mashed potato add one tablespoon of butter, one egg, beaten light, one-half cup of cream or milk, a little salt. Beat well and fill popover pans half full. Bake until brown in quick oven.

~POTATO PUFFS~--~No. 2~--Add hot milk to cold mashed potato beat up thoroughly. Add one or two well-beaten eggs, leaving out the yolks if preferred whiter. Drop in spoonfuls on a buttered tin, place a piece of butter on the top of each and bake a delicate brown or put in a pudding dish and butter the top and bake till of a light brown on top. Fifteen minutes in a hot oven will be sufficient.

~RICE A LA GEORGIENNE FOR FIVE PERSONS~--Wash one pound of rice in several changes of cold water until water is clear, and cook until soft, but not soft enough to mash between the fingers. Let it drip, cool and drip again. Add it to one-quarter pound of melted butter, not browned, season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly; bake in covered dish for twenty minutes.

~RICE IN TOMATOES~--Cook some rice in boiling salted water until tender and season highly with pepper. Cut a small slice from the top of each ripe tomato, take out the seeds, fill with the seasoned rice, put a bit of butter on each, set in the oven and bake until the tomato is tender.

~RICE SERVED IN ITALIAN STYLE WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE~--Steam or boil one-half pound of rice until done, then drain. Remove meat from mushroom sauce. Drop rice into mushroom sauce and cook about five minutes. Pour on platter and sprinkle heavy with grated cheese.

~SCALLOPED TOMATOES~--Drain a half can of tomatoes from some of their liquor and season with salt, pepper, a few drops of onion juice and one teaspoonful sugar. Cover the bottom of a small buttered baking dish with buttered cracker crumbs, cover with tomatoes and sprinkle the top thickly with buttered crumbs. Bake in a hot oven. Buttered cracker crumbs are made by simply rolling common crackers with a rolling pin and allowing one-third cupful of melted butter to each cupful of crumbs. This recipe takes about one and one-third cupfuls of crumbs.

~SPAGHETTI A L'ITALIENNE~--Let it cook until the water nearly boils away and it is very soft. The imported spaghetti is so firm that it may be cooked a long time without losing its shape. When the water has boiled out, watch it and remove the cover so it will dry off. Then draw the mass to one side and put in a large lump of butter, perhaps a tablespoon, and let it melt, then stir in until the butter is absorbed, and pour on one cup of the strained juice from canned tomatoes. Season with salt and paprika, and let it stew until the spaghetti has absorbed the tomato. The spaghetti, if cooked until soft, will thicken the tomato sufficiently and it is less work than to make a tomato sauce. Turn out and serve as an entree, or a main dish for luncheon and pass grated sap sago or other cheese to those who prefer it. When you have any stock like chicken or veal, add that with the tomato or alone if you prefer and scant the butter.

~STUFFED CABBAGE~--Cut the stalk out of two or more young cabbages and fill with a stuffing made from cooked veal, chopped or ground very fine, seasoned well with salt and pepper, and mixed with the beaten yolk of an egg. Tie a strip of cheese cloth round each cabbage, or if small, twine will hold each together. Put into a kettle with boiling water to cover and cook until tender. Drain, unbind and serve hot.

~STUFFED EGG PLANT~--Wash a large egg plant, cut in halves the long way and scoop the inside out with a teaspoon, leaving each shell quite empty, but unbroken. Cook the inside portion in one-half cup of water, then press through a strainer and mix with one-half cup of bread crumbs, one rounding tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper. The shells should lie in salt and water after scraping, and when ready to fill them wipe them dry and pack the filling. Scatter fine crumbs over the top, dot with butter and bake twenty minutes.

~STUFFED POTATOES~--Select smooth, even sized potatoes and bake until done. Remove one end, carefully scrape out the center of each mash and season with salt and butter, add a generous portion of nut meat and fill the shells with the mixture. Cover with the piece that was cut off, wrap each potato in tissue paper and serve.

~CORN STEWED WITH CREAM~--Select a half dozen ears of Indian corn, remove the silks and outer husks, place them in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook, drain, and cut the corn off the cobs with a sharp knife, being very careful that none of the cob adheres to the corn. Place in a stewpan with one cup of hot bechamel sauce, one-half breakfast-cupful of cream and about one-quarter of an ounce of butter. Season with pepper and salt and a little grated nutmeg. Cook gently on a stove for five minutes, place in a hot dish and serve.

SAUCES

~CUCUMBER SAUCE~--Pare two good sized cucumbers and cut a generous piece from the stem end. Grate on a coarse grater and drain through cheese cloth for half an hour. Season the pulp with salt, pepper and vinegar to suit the taste. Serve with broiled, baked or fried fish.

~GHERKIN SAUCE~--Put a sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, a clove of garlic, two finely chopped shallots, and a cayenne pepper, and salt into a saucepan, with one breakfast cup of vinegar. Place pan on fire and when contents have boiled for thirty minutes, add a breakfast cup of stock or good broth. Strain it through a fine hair sieve and stir in one and one-half ounces of liquefied butter mixed with a little flour to thicken it. Place it back in the saucepan and when it boils stir in it a teaspoonful or so of parsley very finely chopped, two or three ounces of pickle gherkins, and a little salt if required.

~GIBLET SAUCE~--Put the giblets from any bird in the saucepan with sufficient stock or water to cover them and boil for three hours, adding an onion and a few peppercorns while cooking. Take them out, and when they are quite tender strain the liquor into another pan and chop up the gizzards, livers, and other parts into small pieces. Take a little of the thickening left at the bottom of the pan in which a chicken or goose has been braised, and after the fat has been taken off, mix it with the giblet liquor and boil until dissolved. Strain the sauce, put in the pieces of giblet, and serve hot.

~GOOSEBERRY SAUCE~--Pick one pound of green gooseberries and put them into a saucepan with sufficient water to keep them from burning, when soft mash them, grate in a little nutmeg and sweeten to taste with moist sugar. This sauce may be served with roast pork or goose instead of apple sauce. It may also be served with boiled mackerel. A small piece of butter will make the sauce richer.

~HALF-GLAZE SAUCE~--Put one pint of clear concentrated veal gravy in a saucepan, mix it with two wine-glassfuls of Madeira, a bunch of sweet herbs, and set both over the fire until boiling. Mix two tablespoonfuls of potato flour to a smooth paste with a little cold water, then mix it with the broth and stir until thick. Move the pan to the side of the fire and let the sauce boil gently until reduced to two-thirds of its original quantity. Skim it well, pass it through a silk sieve, and it is ready for use.

~HAM SAUCE~--After a ham is nearly all used up pick the small quantity of meat still remaining, from the bone, scrape away the uneatable parts and trim off any rusty bits from the meat, chop the bone very small and beat the meat almost to a paste. Put the broken bones and meat together into a saucepan over a slow fire, pour over them one-quarter pint of broth, and stir about one-quarter of an hour, add to it a few sweet herbs, a seasoning of pepper and one-half pint of good beef stock. Cover the saucepan and stir very gently until well flavored with herbs, then strain it. A little of this added to any gravy is an improvement.

~HORSERADISH SAUCE~--Place in a basin one tablespoonful of moist sugar, one tablespoonful of ground mustard, one teacupful of grated horseradish, and one teaspoonful of turmeric, season with pepper and salt and mix the ingredients with a teacupful of vinegar or olive oil. When quite smooth, turn the sauce into a sauceboat, and it is ready to be served.

~LEMON BUTTER~--Cream four level tablespoons of butter and add gradually one tablespoon of lemon juice mixing thoroughly.

~LEMON SAUCE FOR FISH~--Squeeze and strain the juice of a large lemon into a lined saucepan, put in with it one-fourth pound butter and pepper, and salt to taste. Beat it over the fire until thick and hot, but do not allow to boil. When done mix with sauce the beaten yolks of two eggs. It is then ready to be served.

~LOBSTER BUTTER~--Take the head and spawn of some hen lobsters, put them in a mortar and pound, add an equal quantity of fresh butter, and pound both together, being sure they are thoroughly mixed. Pass this through a fine hair sieve, and the butter is then ready for use. It is very nice for garnishing or for making sandwiches.

~MAITRE D'HOTEL BUTTER~--Cream one-fourth cup of butter. Add one-half teaspoon salt, a dash of pepper and a tablespoon of fine chopped parsley, then, very slowly to avoid curdling, a tablespoon of lemon juice. This sauce is appropriate for beefsteak and boiled fish.

~SAUCE A LA METCALF~--Put two or three tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan, and when it melts add about a tablespoonful of Liebig's Extract of Beef; season and gradually stir in about a cupful of cream. After taking off, add a wine-glassful of Sherry or Madeira.

~PARSLEY AND LEMON SAUCE~--Squeeze the juice from a lemon, remove the pips, and mince fine the pulp and rind. Wash a good handful of parsley, and shake it as dry as possible, and chop it, throwing away the stalks. Put one ounce of butter and one tablespoonful of flour into a saucepan, and stir over fire until well mixed. Then put in the parsley and minced lemon, and pour in as much clear stock as will be required to make the sauce. Season with a small quantity of pounded mace, and stir the whole over the fire a few minutes. Beat the yolks of two eggs with two tablespoonfuls of cold stock, and move the sauce to the side of the fire, and when it has cooled a little, stir in the eggs. Stir the sauce for two minutes on the side of the fire, and it will be ready for serving.

~POIVRADE SAUCE~--Put in a stewpan six scallions, a little thyme, a good bunch of parsley, two bay-leaves, a dessert-spoonful of white pepper, two tablespoons of vinegar and two ounces of butter, and let all stew together until nearly all the liquor has evaporated; add one teacupful of stock, two teacupfuls of Spanish sauce. Boil this until reduced to one-half, then serve.

~ROYAL SAUCE~--Put four ounces of fresh butter and the yolks of two fresh eggs into a saucepan and stir them over the fire until the yolks begin to thicken, but do not allow them to cook hard. Take sauce off the fire and stir in by degrees two tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, two tablespoons of Indian soy, one finely chopped green gherkin, one small pinch of cayenne pepper, and a small quantity of salt. When well incorporated keep sauce in a cold place. When cold serve with fish.

~SAUCE FOR FISH~--Simmer two cups of milk with a slice of onion, a slice of carrot cut in bits, a sprig of parsley and a bit of bay-leaf for a few minutes. Strain onto one-quarter cup of butter rubbed smooth with the same flour. Cook five minutes and season with a level teaspoon of salt and a saltspoon of pepper.

~SAUCE MAYONNAISE~--Place in an earthen bowl a couple of fresh egg yolks and one-half teaspoonful of ground English mustard, half pinch of salt, one-half saltspoonful red pepper, and stir well for about three minutes without stopping, then pour in, one drop at a time, one and one-half cupfuls of best olive oil, and should it become too thick, add a little at a time some good vinegar, stirring constantly.

~SAUCE TARTARE~--Use one-half level teaspoon of salt and mustard, one teaspoon of powdered sugar, and a few grains of cayenne beaten vigorously with the yolks of two eggs. Add one-half cup of olive oil slowly and dilute as needed with one and one-half tablespoon of vinegar. Add one-quarter cup of chopped pickles, capers and olives mixed.

~TARTAR SAUCE~--Mix one tablespoon of vinegar, one teaspoon of lemon juice, a saltspoon of salt, a tablespoon of any good catsup and heat over hot water. Heat one-third cup of butter in a small saucepan until it begins to brown, then strain onto the other ingredients and pour over the fish on the platter.

~SHRIMP SAUCE~--Pour one pint of poivrade sauce and butter sauce into a saucepan and boil until somewhat reduced. Thicken the sauce with two ounces of lobster butter. Pick one and one-half pints of shrimps, put them into the sauce with a small quantity of lemon juice, stir the sauce by the side of the fire for a few minutes, then serve it.

~SAUCE FOR FRIED PIKE~--Peel and chop very fine one small onion, one green pepper, half a peeled clove, and garlic. Season with salt, red pepper and half a wine-glassful of good white wine. Boil about two minutes and add a gill of tomato sauce and a small tomato cut in dice shaped pieces. Cook about ten minutes.

ROLLS, BREAD AND MUFFINS

~BREAKFAST ROLLS~--Sift a quart of flour and stir into it a saltspoonful of sugar, a cup of warm milk, two tablespoonfuls of melted shortening and two beaten eggs. Dissolve a quarter of a cake of compressed yeast in a little warm milk and beat in last of all. Set the dough in a bowl to rise until morning. Early in the morning make lightly and quickly into rolls and set to rise near the range for twenty minutes.

~EGG ROLLS~--Two cups flour, one level teaspoon salt, two level teaspoons baking powder, two level tablespoons lard, two level tablespoons butter, one egg, one-half cup milk. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, work in the shortening with the fingers.

Add the egg well beaten and mixed with the milk. Mix well, toss onto a floured board and knead lightly. Roll out and cut in two-inch squares. Place a half-inch apart in a buttered pan. Gash the center of each with a sharp knife. Brush over with sugar and water, and bake fifteen minutes in a hot oven.

~EXCELLENT TEA ROLLS~--Scald one cup of milk and turn into the mixing bowl. When nearly cool add a whole yeast cake and beat in one and a half cups of flour. Cover and let rise. Add one-quarter cup of sugar, one level teaspoon of salt, two beaten eggs, and one-third cup of butter. Add flour enough to make a dough that can be kneaded. Cover and let rise. Roll out one-half inch thick, cut in rounds, brush one-half each with melted butter, fold and press together. Set close together in the pan, cover with a cloth, let rise, and bake.

~LIGHT LUNCHEON ROLLS~--Heat one cup of milk to the scalding point in a double boiler, add one rounding tablespoon of butter, one level tablespoon of sugar, and one level teaspoon of salt. Stir and set into cold water until lukewarm, then add one yeast cake dissolved in one-quarter cup of lukewarm water, and two cups of flour. Beat hard for two or three minutes, cover, and let rise until very light. Add flour to make a dough that can be kneaded and let rise again. Knead, shape into small rolls. Set them close together in a buttered baking pan, let rise light, and bake in a quick oven.

~A PAN OF ROLLS~--Scald one pint of milk and add one rounding tablespoon of lard. Mix in one quart of sifted bread flour, one-quarter cup of sugar, a saltspoon of salt and one-half yeast cake dissolved in one-half cup of lukewarm water. Cover and let rise over night. In the morning roll half an inch thick cut into rounds, spread a little soft butter on one-half of each, fold over and press together. Let rise until light and bake in a quick oven. Rolls may be raised lighter than a loaf of bread because the rising is checked as soon as they are put into the oven.

~RAISED GRAHAM ROLLS~--Scald two cups of milk and melt in it two level tablespoons of butter and one-half level teaspoon of salt. When cool add two tablespoons of molasses and one-half yeast cake dissolved in a little warm water. Add white flour to make a thin batter, beat until smooth and set in a warm place until light. When well risen stir in whole meal to make a dough just stiff enough to knead. Knead until elastic then place it in the original bulk. Flour the board and turn the risen dough out carefully, pat out one inch thick with the rolling pin and make into small rolls. Place these rolls close together in the pan, brush over with milk and let rise until very light. Bake in a quick oven.

~RYE BREAKFAST CAKES~--Beat the egg light, add one-half cup of sugar, two cups of milk, a saltspoon of salt, one and one-half cups of rye meal, one and one-half cups of flour and three level teaspoons of baking powder. Bake in a hot greased gem pan.

~BREAKFAST CAKES~--Sift one cup of corn meal, one-quarter teaspoon of salt and two level teaspoons of sugar together, stir in one cup of thick sour milk, one-half tablespoonful melted butter, one well beaten egg and one-half teaspoon of soda, measured level. Beat hard and bake in gem pans in a quick oven.

~SCOTCH OAT CAKES~--Can be either fried on a griddle or broiled over a fire. The meal for this purpose should be ground fine. Put a quart of the meal in a baking dish with a teaspoonful of salt. Pour in little by little just enough cold water to make a dough and roll out quickly before it hardens into a circular sheet about a quarter of an inch thick. Cut into four cakes and bake slowly for about twenty minutes on an iron griddle. Do not turn but toast after they are cooked.

~SCOTCH SCONES~--Two cups flour, four level teaspoons baking powder, two level tablespoons sugar, one level teaspoon salt, three level tablespoons butter, one whole egg or two yolks, one cup buttermilk. Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt, and work in the butter with the fingers, then add the buttermilk and egg well beaten. Mix well, turn onto floured board and knead slightly. Roll out one-half inch thick. Cut with small biscuit cutter and cook on a hot griddle, turning once.

~LOG CABIN TOAST FOR BREAKFAST~--This is made up of long strips of bread cut to the thinness of afternoon tea sandwiches, then toasted a delicate brown. All are lightly buttered and piled on a hot plate log cabin fashion.

~OLD FASHION RUSKS~--At night make a sponge as for bread with two cups of scalded milk, a teaspoon of salt, yeast and flour. In the morning put half a cup of butter into two cups of milk and heat until the butter is barely melted, add this to the sponge, one cup of sugar and three beaten eggs. Add flour to make a dough that can be kneaded. Let rise very light. Roll out one and one-half inches thick, cut in round cakes, let rise and bake a deep yellow color.

~WAFFLES SOUTHERN STYLE~--One pint of flour, one pint buttermilk, one egg, half teaspoon soda dissolved in little water, one teaspoon sugar, one teaspoon salt, one teaspoon baking powder, one tablespoon cornmeal, one tablespoon melted butter. Mix as any other batter cake or waffles.

~WHOLE WHEAT POPOVERS~--Put two-thirds cup of whole wheat meal, one and two-thirds cup of white flour, and one-half level teaspoon of salt into a sifter and sift three times. Pour two cups of milk on slowly and stir until smooth. Beat two eggs five minutes, add to the first mixture, and beat again for two minutes. Turn into hot greased iron gem pans and bake half an hour in a rather quick oven.

~BERRY MUFFINS~--Mix two cups sifted flour, one-half teaspoon salt and two rounded teaspoons baking powder. Cream one-quarter cup of butter with one-half cup sugar, add well beaten yolk of one egg, one cup milk, the flour mixture and white of egg beaten stiff. Stir in carefully one heaped cup blueberries which have been picked over, rinsed, dried and rolled in flour. Bake in muffin pans twenty minutes.