CHAPTER XX

COOKERY FOR THE SICK AND CONVALESCENT

The preparation of food for the sick and convalescent person is even more important than the preparation for the strong and well. Certain points should always be considered. The food should be freshly prepared, daintily served, and if possible different dishes for each meal.

The arrangement of the tray is often of great importance. Select attractive dishes and arrange them so that the patient can reach them without trouble. Serve everything which should be hot, very hot, and cold dishes, ice cold.

Apple Water

1 large juicy apple 2 cups water sugar

Wash, pare, core, and cut apple into pieces; add water and simmer until tender; strain, add sugar to water, cook five minutes, chill, and serve. If apple is not tart, a small amount of lemon juice may be added to give a more agreeable flavor.

Pears, peaches, plums, figs, prunes, raisins, and rhubarb may be used in the same way.

Barley Water

2 cups boiling water ½ tablespoon prepared barley salt sugar

Mix barley with a small amount of cold water, add to boiling water, and simmer twenty minutes. Season with salt and sugar. Lemon juice may be added if desired.

Cinnamon Water

½ ounce stick cinnamon 2 cups boiling water

Break cinnamon in small pieces, add water, and boil twenty minutes. Strain and serve hot or cold.

Currant Water

2 tablespoons Currant Jelly 1 cup boiling water

Mix jelly and water, strain, chill, and serve.

Cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, and plum water may be prepared in the same way.

Distilled Water

This may be prepared at home by attaching one end of a curved tube to the spout of the teakettle, and having the other end placed in a jar. The jar should be placed in a kettle of cold water. This condensed steam is distilled water.

Flaxseed Tea

½ cup flaxseed salt 4 cups boiling water sugar lemon juice

Boil flaxseed and water one hour, strain, sweeten, and flavor. Serve hot or cold.

Grape Water

2 cups grapes 1½ cups boiling water

Wash grapes, mash, add water, simmer ten minutes, strain, chill, and serve.

Lemonade

2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons Sugar Sirup 1 cup cold water

Mix ingredients, add crushed ice, and serve ice-cold with straws.

Oatmeal Water

4 tablespoons fine oatmeal 4 cups boiling water salt

Boil all ingredients twenty minutes, strain, cool, add water to make of pleasant consistency.

Tamarind Water

1 tablespoon tamarinds 1 cup boiling water

Let tamarinds stand in water one half hour, strain, chill, and serve.

Toast Water

Dry and brown in the oven very thin slices of white or graham bread, break into small pieces, cover with boiling water; when cold, strain and season with salt.

Sugar Sirup

1 cup sugar ½ cup boiling water

Boil two minutes, keep in preserve jar, and use when needed.

Irish Moss Lemonade

4 tablespoons Irish Moss 2 cups cold water 3 tablespoons lemon juice Sugar Sirup

Pick over and soak moss in cold water to cover for one half hour; drain, cover with two cups cold water, and cook ten minutes; strain, add lemon juice and Sugar Sirup to taste.

Milk Punch

¾ cup fresh milk salt 2 tablespoons brandy or whisky nutmeg sugar

Sweeten milk to taste, add salt and liquor, and pour from one tumbler to another until frothy.

Egg and Milk Punch

1 egg ¾ cup milk 1 tablespoon whisky or brandy 2 teaspoons sugar

Beat yolk; add milk, liquor and sugar, pour into glass; add well-beaten white of egg, stir lightly, and serve.

Eggnog

1 egg 1 teaspoon sugar salt 2 tablespoons wine, whisky or brandy 1 cup cream

Beat white of egg until stiff; add beaten cream and liquor, then well-beaten yolk mixed with sugar and salt.

Milk or hot water may be substituted for the cream, and the yolk and white may be beaten together just slightly if a foamy eggnog is disliked.

Koumiss

Heat four cups milk; cool; when lukewarm, add one fourth yeast cake dissolved in one fourth cup lukewarm water, and two tablespoons sugar. Pour into bottles with patent stoppers, fill two thirds full, cork tightly. Shake; let stand in kitchen six hours, then on ice for twenty-four hours; serve ice cold.

Egg Cordial

1 egg white 1 tablespoon brandy or wine 1 teaspoon sugar few grains salt 2 tablespoons cream

Beat white until frothy; add cream and continue beating; add remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

Orange Egg Cordial

Prepare as Egg Cordial, omitting wine and cream, and using the juice of one orange.

Albuminized Milk

1 egg white ½ cup milk salt

Beat white until frothy; add salt and milk, and continue beating; strain and serve.

Egg and Lemon

1 egg salt 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon sugar

Beat egg, add remaining ingredients, and serve cold.

Wine Whey

2 cups milk ½ cup wine

Scald milk; add wine; let stand until curds separate from whey. Strain and serve hot or cold. Lemon or Vinegar Whey may be prepared in the same way; allow one tablespoon vinegar or two tablespoons lemon juice.

Barley Gruel

1 tablespoon barley flour ¼ cup cold water ½ cup boiling water ½ cup milk salt

Mix barley with cold water and salt; add boiling water and cook in double boiler one half hour; add milk and cook ten minutes more; if too thick, thin with hot milk or cream.

Entire Wheat Gruel

¼ cup entire wheat ½ cup cold water 3 cups water (hot) salt

Mix wheat and cold water, add boiling water and salt, and cook in double boiler one to two hours. Milk may be substituted for water.

Cracker Gruel

2 tablespoons cracker crumbs 1 cup milk ¼ teaspoon salt

Mix crumbs and milk and cook in double boiler twenty minutes; add salt and serve.

Dried bread crumbs may be substituted for cracker crumbs.

Corn Meal Gruel

2 tablespoons corn meal ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup milk 2 cups boiling water

Mix corn meal, salt and milk; add boiling water and cook in double boiler two hours.

Flour Gruel

2 tablespoons flour ¼ cup cold water 2 cups scalded milk ¼ teaspoon salt

Mix flour with cold water, add scalded milk and salt. Cook in a double boiler thirty minutes, stirring often.

Flour Ball for Flour Gruel

Knead two cups flour into a ball, adding water to form a stiff dough. Tie ball in a linen cloth and boil in deep saucepan ten to twelve hours, keeping the cloth covered with boiling water all of the time. Dry in cloth, remove cloth, and dry ball in oven. This will keep for years. Scrape two tablespoons from the ball; add one fourth cup cold water and two cups scalded milk; cook in double boiler ten minutes, add salt, and serve.

Oatmeal Gruel

2 tablespoons oatmeal 2 cups boiling water ¼ cup cold water ⅛ teaspoon salt

Mix oatmeal with cold water; add salt and boiling water, and cook two hours, or better still over night, in double boiler. Strain and serve; thin with hot water or milk if not of the desired consistency.

Oatmeal Caudle

Add one egg yolk and one tablespoon brandy or sherry to Oatmeal Gruel.

Rice Gruel

2 tablespoons ground rice ¼ cup cold water 2 cups milk ¼ teaspoon salt

Mix rice and cold water; add scalded milk and cook in double boiler two hours, stirring occasionally. Strain, add salt, and serve.

Dry Toast

Cut stale bread in one quarter inch slices; remove crust or not as preferred. Dry in oven; place on toaster and toast over clear fire, first on one side and then on the other, having both sides a golden brown. Arrange in toast rack or cover with napkin.

Buttered Toast

Prepare bread as for Dry Toast, and spread with butter as soon as taken from toaster.

Water Toast

Prepare bread as for Dry Toast, dip in hot salted water, drain, and spread with butter.

Milk Toast

3 cups scalded milk 3 tablespoons butter ¼ cup cold milk 3 tablespoons flour ½ teaspoon salt toasted bread

Toast bread according to receipt for Dry Toast. Mix flour and cold milk; add to scalded milk and cook in double boiler twenty minutes, stirring constantly at first; add salt and butter; dip toast in sauce; serve in hot dish; add remaining sauce.

Cream Toast

Prepare in the same way as Milk Toast, substituting cream for milk.

Brown Bread Toast

Cut brown bread in thin slices; dry in oven, then toast; butter each slice, and cover with scalded milk.

Pulled Bread

Remove the crust from fresh bread and tear the center in small pieces. Dry in slow oven; the center of biscuits may be prepared in the same way.

Bread and Butter Sandwiches

Cut bread in thin slices; remove crusts; spread with creamed butter; put two slices together; cut in desired shapes. Arrange on fancy plate.

Raw Beef Sandwiches

Cut bread in thin slices; remove crusts; shape and spread with raw beef. Serve as soon as made.

To scrape Raw Beef

Buy bottom or top of round of beef; wipe, then scrape with a teaspoon; there should be nothing but fiber left when all meat is scraped.

Fig Sandwiches

Fill bread and butter sandwiches with stewed figs.

Beef Juice

Buy one half pound from top of round; wipe, and set in oven five minutes; cut in thin slices, squeeze, using meat press or lemon squeezer. Serve in warm, not hot cups, with salt or not.

Beef Tea

Wipe one half pound of round steak; remove all fat; cut in small pieces; add one cup cold water; place in preserve jar, cover, and let stand ten minutes; place jar on trivet in saucepan surrounded with cold water. Heat gradually on back of range; keep water just simmering for one hour. Strain, add salt, and serve in hot cup.

Beef Essence

Wipe one half pound round steak; remove fat; chop very fine; place in fruit jar; cover, place jar on trivet, surround with cold water, and keep water just bubbling for one and a half hours. Strain, press meat to extract all juice, season, serve in hot cup.

Frozen Beef Tea

Prepare Beef Tea, pour into glass, surrounded with ice and salt, and freeze, turning glass often, and scraping the frozen part into the liquid.

Scraped Beef Balls

Prepare scraped beef according to rule. Season; shape in round balls about the size of marbles; cook in hissing hot frying pan; keep pan constantly in motion, and cook balls two minutes. Serve on small strips of toasted bread; garnish with parsley.

Mutton Broth

Wipe two pounds neck of mutton; remove all fat and cut off skin; cut meat in small pieces. Put meat and bones in kettle; add four cups cold water, and simmer gently several hours; add salt to taste. Strain, let stand over night to cool; in the morning remove fat, reheat, and serve with two tablespoons cooked rice in broth.

Chicken Broth

Cut up a three-pound fowl; remove skin and all fat. Put in soup kettle; add ten cups cold water, and simmer until meat falls from bones. Strain; let stand over night to cool; remove fat; reheat, season with salt, and serve with Boiled Rice or Croûtons.

Clam Broth

Wash one dozen clams, put in kettle, cover, and cook until shells open. Strain clam liquor through cheese cloth and serve very hot.

Rennet Custard

4 cups milk 1 tablespoon liquid rennet 1 tablespoon brandy few grains salt 4 tablespoons sugar

Mix sugar, brandy and salt. Heat milk until lukewarm; add rennet and other ingredients; pour into serving dish and let stand until a firm curd is formed, then chill. Serve with cream and sugar.

Calf’s Foot Jelly

1 calf’s foot 4 cups cold water ½ cup sherry ½ cup lemon juice ½ cup sugar 3 egg whites

Cook the calf’s foot in cold water, slowly, for four hours. Skim often while cooking. Strain; let stand over night. Remove fat; add whites of eggs slightly beaten, and bring slowly to the boiling point, stirring all of the time; boil one minute, strain through cheese cloth, add remaining ingredients, and pour into molds. Chill and serve.

Strawberry Whip

2 egg whites ½ cup powdered sugar 1 cup strawberries 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Hull and wash the strawberries, add sugar and lemon juice. Beat the whites of eggs until stiff, add other ingredients, and serve ice-cold in frappé glasses.

Arrowroot Blanc Mange

2 tablespoons arrowroot few grains of salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1⅓ cups milk flavoring

Mix arrowroot, salt and sugar; add milk, a little at a time, until the mixture is smooth, then add the remainder, and cook in double boiler one half hour, stirring all the time. Add flavoring, pour into molds, and serve with Soft Custard or cream.

Stewed Prunes

Wash prunes; soak over night in water to cover; cook slowly, in same water, until tender. A small amount of sugar and lemon juice may be added if desired.

Stewed Figs

Wash figs; cut in pieces; for each cup of figs add one quarter cup cold water, simmer one hour; add sugar and lemon juice if allowed.

Oatmeal Wafers

1 cup flour ½ cup fine oatmeal ⅓ cup rolled oats 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons butter ½ teaspoon salt ⅓ cup hot milk 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix butter and milk; when cool, add remaining ingredients. Roll very thin, shape in squares, and bake in a slow oven.