Part 13
Clean heads thoroughly, removing eyes and ear tubes; split head lengthwise and remove teeth and soft bones in and near nasal cavities; place heads and other meat in large kettle with a liberal quantity of water and cook until meat falls off bones; separate liquid and soft tissue from bones and pass through a fc; strain liquid in which meat was cooked to remove small pieces of bone, return to kettle and heat to boiling point; then slowly add the meal and flour, stirring constantly; boil and stir until the mass becomes thick; add the salt, spices and chopped meat, and boil 10 min longer. Pour while still hot into deep meat molds; bread pans will do; pour 2 to 4 tbp of melted lard over the materials in pans.
The scrapple is ready for use as soon as it has cooled. To prepare it for the table it is usually cut into slices about ½″ thick, dusted with flour, cracker dust or dry cornmeal, fried until the outside is crisp, and served hot; fried apples are good with fried scrapple.
LIVER AND BACON
Prepare the bacon as directed for breakfast bacon; cut the liver in slices ⅓″ thick, cover with boiling water and let stand 5 min; dry well and roll in seasoned flour; lay the slices in smoking hot bacon fat; when they are browned on each side they will be sufficiently cooked; serve on hot platter; garnish with slices of bacon.
ROAST FRESH HAM
Remove bone from a fresh ham or fresh pork shoulder; wipe meat, sprinkle with salt and stuff; sew in shape and score fat; place on rack in pan; dredge meat and bottom of pan with flour, and roast in a hot oven 3 hr, basting every 15 min with fat in pan; remove skin and brush outside of ham with 1 egg yolk diluted with 2 tbp cold water; sprinkle with ¼ c fine bread crumbs mixed with ¼ c brown sugar and bake until well browned.
FRIED HAM AND EGGS
Wipe ham, remove ½ outside layer of fat, and place in frying pan; cover with tepid water and let stand on back of range 30 min; drain and dry on a towel; heat pan, put in ham; brown quickly on one side, turn and brown other side; or soak ham over night; dry and cook in hot frying pan. If cooked too long, ham will become hard and dry; serve with fried eggs cooked in the tried-out ham fat.
HAM WITH JELLY SAUCE
½ tbp butter, ⅓ c currant jelly, 1 c cold cooked ham cut in small strips, few grains cayenne, ¼ c sherry wine.
Put butter and currant jelly into chafing dish; as soon as melted, add cayenne, wine and ham; simmer 5 min.
SAUSAGES
Cut apart a string of sausages; pierce each sausage several times with a carving fork; put in frying pan, cover with boiling water, and cook 15 min; drain; return to frying pan, and fry until well browned; serve with fried apples. Sausages are often broiled same as bacon and apples baked in pan under them.
MEAT LOAF
1 lb fresh pork, 1 lb veal. 2 lb beef, 1 c bread crumbs, 1 c milk. 1 tbp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, 3 eggs, slightly beaten.
Chop meat finely, mix, and add remaining ingredients in order given; shape into a loaf; put in pan, and lay across top 6 thin slices fat salt pork; roast in a hot oven 1½ hr, basting every 10 min, at first with ½ c hot water and after that has gone, with fat in pan; remove to platter, pour around tomato or brown sauce and garnish with parsley. One small onion, peeled and finely chopped, may be added.
BREAKFAST BACON (1)
Remove the rind and cut bacon in thin slices; cook in a hot frying pan; turning slices frequently until crisp and brown; drain on a soft paper.
BREAKFAST BACON (2)
Remove the rind and cut bacon in thin slices; place the slices on a broiler over a dripping pan and bake in hot oven until bacon is crisp; turn once during baking; drain on soft paper. Oysters may be wrapped in thin slices of bacon and baked in this way.
FRIED SALT PORK
Remove the rind and cut the pork in ¼″ slices; freshen, if very salt, and fry slowly and evenly until dry. It is used as a garnish for fish, fishballs, tripe, etc.; may be used as a lunch or breakfast dish baked with potatoes and a white gravy made like white sauce; only the fat from the pork is substituted for butter.
BROILED PIGS’ FEET
Wipe, sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil 6 to 8 min; serve with maitre d’hotel butter or sauce piquante.
FRIED PIGS’ FEET
Wipe, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip in crumbs, egg and crumbs; fry in deep fat and drain.
BOILED HAM
Soak in cold water over night or for several hours; scrape, and trim carefully; put in a kettle and cover with cold water; bring gradually to the boiling point and cook slowly until tender; remove kettle from range and set aside that ham may partially cool; then take from water, peel, skin carefully in 2″ strips; make rings or figures with cloves stuck in the crust, brush with beaten egg and dust thickly with fine bread crumbs; brown in the oven; add a paper ruffle to the shank before sending to table; garnish with cauliflower, cabbage, sauerkraut, spinach or some sort of greens.
To glaze ham, after cooking and peeling, brush with beaten egg and coat with paste made of 1 c cracker crumbs, made into a smooth paste with 1 c milk and a tbp of butter; brown in a moderate oven. Some cooks add a tsp of sugar to the bread crumbs; vinegar may be substituted for wine. When either vinegar or wine is used the cook should not put it in an iron pot. In any method the main point is to heat gradually, cook slowly and cool in the liquor.
STUFFED HAM
Soak a 10 or 12 lb ham in cold water over night, in the morning wash and trim carefully; remove the bone and fill with stuffing; sew up the slit where the bone was taken out, and bind the ham firmly in a strong piece of cotton; cook slowly for 3 or 4 hr, and cool in the bandage; when cold, remove the bandage, the rind and the brown fat; sprinkle with sugar and fine crumbs; bake 1 hr in a slow oven.
STUFFING
1 lb chestnuts, 1 can mushrooms, 6 truffles, 1 slice raw ham, 1 egg, 1 oz mustard seed, 2 cucumber pickles, ¼ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp cloves, 2 tbp minced parsley, 2 tbp salt, 1 tbp onion.
Boil the nuts till tender enough to chop fine; cut the truffles into strips and chop all the other ingredients; add seasonings and spices; boil all together with a raw egg.
SAVORY BAKED HAM
1 slice ham (1″ thick or more), 2 tbp mustard, to tbp water, about 1 c milk.
Make a paste of the mustard and water and rub it on both sides of the ham; place ham in baking dish slightly larger; add milk almost to cover and bake in moderate oven until milk is absorbed and the top of the ham is nicely browned. This requires about 45 min.
SCALLOPED HAM-POTATOES
1 slice ham 2″ thick, potatoes, pared and sliced, 1 pt (approximately) milk, chopped parsley.
Cut ham in pieces for service; put in greased pyrex loaf pan or utility dish; pile potatoes on side, and pour in milk; bake in slow oven 1½ to 2 hr; sprinkle with parsley.
VIRGINIA BAKED HAM
Soak ham over night. In the morning scrape and clean well, not forgetting to clean the opening in shank, and through which the string is drawn. Then place ham in pot of boiling water, to which you have added ½ c brown sugar and ½ c vinegar or cider; boil briskly for 10 min, then reduce heat and cook slowly for 2½ hr or until tender; cool and remove skin to near shank end; rub in well over ham 1 tbp dry mustard; insert cloves all over ham at intervals of 2″; place ¼ c of vinegar mixed with sugar in bottom of baking pan, but do not baste ham; bake for about 1 hr. Apricots or prunes placed in pan when baking gives a nice flavor and are delicious served with the ham.
HAMPIQUANT
1 lb thinly sliced cooked ham; 1 tbp mustard, ¼ tsp black pepper, dash of cayenne, ¾ c grated Parmesan or American cheese.
Mix the mustard and seasonings with enough milk to form a thick paste; spread this on the slices of ham and sprinkle each slice with cheese; stack the ham in the shape of a brick and tie with a string; bake for 30 min in a moderate oven, basting occasionally with the ham fat as it runs out into the pan. When cold remove the string and cut in slices downward through the layers.
HAM EN CASSEROLE
Cut potatoes in 1″ balls and put them in a covered dish; season with salt and pepper; cover with milk; over a thick slice of ham sprinkle a little dry mustard and place ham on potatoes; add enough milk to cover; cover and bake in moderate oven 1 hr.
CORN RAGOUT
Cut scraps of ham or bacon in small pieces; fry brown; add 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced, and the grains cut from 6 ears of corn; cover with boiling water, season with red pepper and salt, and cook slowly ½ hr; serve hot with toast or slices of fried bread.
SAUSAGES (2)
2 lbs sweet potatoes, ½ c sugar, ½ c brown sugar, ¼ c water, 2 tbp fat, 1 tsp salt, 1 lb sausages.
Parboil sweet potatoes 15 min; peel and slice in strips like French fried potatoes; put in a greased baking dish; put sugar, brown sugar, water, fat and salt in a saucepan and boil 3 min; pour syrup over the sweet potatoes; bake in a moderate oven 30 to 40 min; put sausages on top of potatoes; cook ½ hr longer or until potatoes and sausages are tender.
SAUSAGE TURNOVERS
1 c sausage meat, 1 c chopped ham, 1 c cooked rice, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 egg, plain pastry.
Cook sausage meat in a frying pan, slowly, stirring constantly until done, but not browned, about 10 min; drain off fat; add ham, rice and Worcestershire sauce and mix well; add well-beaten egg; roll plain pastry very thin and cut in 4″ squares; put 2 tbp of the meat mixture in the center of each square; moisten edges with water and fold over to form triangles; press edges together with tines of fork, and prick the tops; bake in a hot oven 15 or 20 min.
SHELLFISH
Oysters are in season from September to May. They are nutritious and are easily digested, especially when eaten raw. During the oyster season they form the first course of a dinner served on the half shell or in cocktail. Mussels eaten in some parts of Europe are similar to oysters.
=To Open Oysters=: Put a thin, sharp knife between shells, near back and push forward until it cuts the strong muscles which holds the two shells together. Then the shells may be separated.
=To Clean Oysters=: Place oysters in a strainer; set over a bowl so as to save the liquid from them; then wash well in cold water and pick out all pieces of broken shells. Oyster liquid should be strained and scalded before using.
BROILED OYSTERS
Clean well large oysters; scald 1 min; drain and dry on towel; dip into soft butter till well coated and then in flour; season with salt and pepper; place on greased broiler; broil until a light brown; serve on thin buttered toast or on small pieces of milk toast, sprinkled with finely chopped celery.
DEVILED OYSTERS
Wash, drain and dry 6 large oysters; make a paste of ¼ tsp dry mustard, ⅛ tsp pepper and salt and 1 egg yolk; dip oysters in mixture and when covered well roll in fine cracker crumbs and broil.
FRIED OYSTERS
Wash, drain, clean and dry oysters; dip in flour or cracker crumbs; seasoned with salt and pepper; fry in deep hot fat; drain on brown paper; serve immediately on hot, folded napkin; garnish with parsley and thin slices of lemon. They can be dipped in egg, rolled in crumbs, dipped again in egg and rolled in crumbs and fried 1 min in hot fat.
OYSTER STEW
1 qt oysters, 1 c oyster liquid, ½ c milk or water, 1 tbp butter, 1 tbp cracker crumbs; ½ tbp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper. Scald and strain liquid; add to it milk, seasonings, butter and cracker crumbs; let come to boiling point; then add oysters and cook until edges begin to curl.
OYSTERS ON HALF SHELL
Serve oysters on deep halves of the shells; arranged on plate of crushed ice, with ¼ lemon in the center of plate; allow 6 oysters to each person served.
OYSTER COCKTAIL
6 small raw oysters, 1 tbp tomato catsup, ¼ tbp vinegar or lemon juice, 1 drop tabasco, salt, ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce.
Mix ingredients; chill; serve in cocktail glasses. Cases made from green peppers placed on a bed of crushed ice are attractive to serve them in. A cocktail glass full of cocktail sauce can be placed in the center of a bed of ice and oysters served on deep halves of shell the same as oysters on half shell.
RAW OYSTERS
Raw oysters are served on oyster plates, same as oysters on half shell, or in a block of ice; place block of ice on a folded napkin on platter, and garnish the base with parsley and quarters of lemon or ferns and lemon.
=Oysters on Block of Ice.= Square piece of ice, and with hot flatiron melt a hole large enough to hold oysters; pour off water; place ice on a folded napkin on platter and garnish with parsley and lemon. Green or watercress leaves can be used instead of parsley.
FRICASSEE OF OYSTERS
1 pt oysters, 3 tbp butter, 2 tbp flour, 1 tsp salt, few grains cayenne, ½ tsp parsley, chopped.
Drain and clean oysters; scald and skim oyster liquid; parboil in liquid; brown butter; add flour and stir until well browned; add oyster liquid slowly, stirring constantly; then seasonings and oysters; serve on toast, in patty shells or on shortcake.
PANNED OYSTERS
Clean 1 pt oysters; place in greased pan small pieces of toast; place an oyster on each piece; sprinkle with salt and pepper; bake until oysters are plump; serve with lemon butter.
CREAMED OYSTERS
1 pt oysters, 1 ½ c white sauce.
Drain and clean oysters; scald and strain the liquid; cook oysters in liquid until plump and edges begin to curl; drain; add to white sauce; add more seasoning if necessary; let it heat to boiling point and serve on toast in patty shells or on shortcake.
OYSTERS AND MACARONI
1 pt oysters, ¾ c macaroni, broken, salt and pepper, flour, ½ c buttered crumbs, ¼ c butter.
Cook macaroni in boiling salted water until soft; drain and rinse with cold water; place a layer in bottom of greased baking dish; cover with oysters; sprinkle with salt and pepper; dredge with flour; dot over with ½ of the butter; repeat, and cover with buttered crumbs; bake 20 min in hot oven.
ROASTED OYSTERS
Use oysters in the shell; wash thoroughly with scrubbing brush; place in pan and cook in hot oven until shells part; open; sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve in halves of shells. Melted butter is very nice served with these.
OYSTER SHORTCAKE
Drain and clean 1 qt oysters; scald and strain the liquid; cook oysters in liquid until plump and edges curl; cook 1 tbp flour with 3 tbp of butter; when mixture is light and creamy gradually turn upon it boiling liquor and season with salt and pepper; when boiling stir in 3 tbp of cream; add oysters; stir over fire ½ min; serve immediately on individual shortcakes.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS
1 pt oysters, 1 c grated bread crumbs, ½ c coarse cracker crumbs, ½ c butter, 1 c oyster liquid, 1 tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper.
Drain and clean oysters; grease pudding dish; sprinkle bottom with a layer of bread crumbs; mix rest of the bread and cracker crumbs and stir in butter; arrange oysters and bread in alternate layers; seasoning each with pepper and salt; pour over oyster liquor; bake 30 min in quick oven.
OYSTERS IN BATTER
Clean oysters; drain and dry; dip in batter; fry in deep hot fat; drain and serve on folded napkin; garnish with lemon and parsley. Oysters may be parboiled, drained and then fried.
OYSTER BATTER
2 eggs, 1 tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, 1 c bread flour, ¾ c milk.
To well-beaten eggs add salt and pepper; add milk and flour alternately, stir until smooth and well mixed.
RICED OYSTERS
1½ c hot boiled rice, 1 pt oysters, 1 c white sauce, butter, salt, pepper, 1 c cracker crumbs.
Cover bottom of greased baking dish with ½ the rice, then add ½ the oysters; pour over ½ the sauce; dot with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper; repeat, using remaining ingredients; cover with crumbs and bake in hot oven 30 min.
OYSTERS AU GRATIN
In a saucepan put 1 tbp of butter; melt and add 1 tbp flour, ½ tsp salt and a little white pepper; mix smooth and stir in 1 c milk until it thickens; add a little Anchovy sauce or Worcestershire if liked; butter, either small dishes or 1 large dish; put in layer of sauce, then 1 of oysters, salt and pepper; more sauce and another layer of oysters; cover with bread crumbs; dot thickly with butter and bake in a quick oven; a tsp chopped parsley, 2 tbp grated cheese added to sauce improves it.
OYSTER ROAST
Clean 1 pt oysters; drain; place in greased pan and cook until oysters are plump and edges begin to curl; season with salt, pepper, and 2 tbp butter; pour over buttered toast.
OYSTERS SAUTE
1 doz large oysters; butter, pepper, salt; drain juice from oysters thoroughly; butter frying pan; when very hot place oysters in single layers; when brown on one side turn and brown on other side; while cooking keep adding a little butter. This, with the juice of the oysters, form a brown skin in pan; season with pepper and salt; when browned serve oysters and skin very hot.
SHRIMPS
Shrimps are caught in season from early spring till late autumn; they are about 2″ long, covered with a thin shell and are boiled and sent to market with the heads removed; they are used in salads; as garnish for boiled fish; they are creamed and served in patty shells; they may be prepared by any of formulas already given for lobsters or crabs; the seasoning should be less heavy, as the flavor of shrimp is more delicate; canned shrimp should always be rinsed in lightly salted water and well drained and aired before they are used. Before using remove any of the shell and the fine black thread of intestine.
CREAMED SHRIMPS AND PEAS
1 can peas, 1 can shrimps, 2 c white sauce.
Drain peas; finely divide shrimp; combine peas and shrimp and add white sauce; heat thoroughly and serve on buttered toast.
CRAWFISH
Crawfish are found in fresh water streams; they resemble lobster, and are largely used for garnishes, sauces, salads, etc.
CRAWFISH BORDELAISE
1½ lb crawfish meat, ½ pt cream sauce, 1 tbp butter, 1 glass red wine, 1 tbp minced carrot, 1 tbp minced onion, ½ tsp salt, few grains cayenne, few grains nutmeg.
Cook carrot and onion in butter; add wine, meat and cream sauce with seasonings; boil 5 min and serve hot.
SCALLOPS
Scallops are bivalve mollusks; the heavy muscle which holds together the shell is the only part used as food; they are usually cooked stewed or fried. To fry: Dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs, dust with salt and pepper and fry in deep fat. To stew: Make a pt of white sauce; add scallops and cook 10 min in db.
SCRAMBLED SCALLOPS
Boil ½ pt scallops till tender; drain, chop or pick them apart; mix with 2 well-beaten eggs, 2 tbp milk, salt and pepper to taste; cook in hot butter in frying pan, stirring as they thicken; when the egg is firm, turn out on toast.
SCALLOPS IN SHELL
1 pt scallops, 2 tbp butter, 1 tbp flour, yolk 3 eggs, 1 c drained liquid, 4 tbp bread crumbs, 1 slice onion, ½ tsp salt, few grains cayenne.
Drain scallops; toss them with 1 tbp butter in saucepan; brown lightly for about 10 min; drain from the butter and chop fine; melt 1 tbp butter; add onion minced fine and brown it lightly; add flour; cook together and stir in slowly scallop liquid; mix chopped scallops with bread crumbs and seasonings; add to sauce; beat yolks lightly; add to mixture and cook together for 3 min; fill the shells, sprinkle fine bread crumbs over top; dot with bits of butter and brown in a hot oven for 10 min.
TERRAPIN
Put in a kettle, cover with boiling salted water; add 2 slices carrot and onion, and a stalk of celery; cook until meat is tender, or about 40 min; remove from water, cool, draw out nails from feet, cut under shell close to upper shell and remove; empty upper shell and carefully remove and discard gall bladder, sandbags, and thick, heavy part of intestines; any of gall bladder would give a bitter flavor to dish; the liver, small intestines, and eggs are used with the meat.
BUTTERED CLAMS
Wash thoroughly and plunge them into boiling water for a moment; drain and open them; place in frying pan; some butter, and when quite hot add a little flour and cayenne to suit taste; simmer clams till they are slightly cooked; cover and simmer 5 min; serve on hot toast.
LITTLE NECK CLAMS
Little neck clams are served raw on half shell; the same as oysters on half shell.
CLAM BROTH
Wash and drain clams; steam till shells open easily; save juice that comes with opening and add enough water to make 1 qt; with a pair of scissors trim off soft part of clam and reserve to serve with the broth; chop tough portion a little and simmer 15 min in broth; strain and add pepper and salt if needed and serve in very small bouillon cups; send reserved portion to table with melted butter and lemon juice poured over them.
STEAMED CLAMS
Clams for steaming should be bought alive in the shell; wash clams thoroughly with scrubbing brush, changing water several times; place in large kettle, allowing ½ c hot water to 4 qt clams; cover closely; steam until shells partially open; be careful that they are not overdone; serve with individual dishes of melted butter; some prefer a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar added to butter.
ROASTED CLAMS
Roasted clams are served at clam bakes. Clams are washed in sea water, placed on stones which have been previously heated, covered with seaweed, and then a canvas covering; when done prepared and served the same as steamed clams.
CRABS
Crabs are in season during summer months; like lobsters, are purchased alive, put in hot water and boiled the same way; soft shelled crabs are hard shelled crabs shedding their shells.
BROILED CRABS
Prepare as above; cook in db for 10 min; serve with melted butter and lemon juice poured over.
DEVILED CRABS
1 doz crabs, ½ c butter, ½ tsp mustard, 1 tsp salt, few grains cayenne, bread crumbs.
Put meat in bowl and mix with it an equal quantity of fine bread crumbs; cream butter; add seasonings and stir, a little at a time; mixed crabs and crumbs; fill crab shells with mixture; sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over top; brown quickly in hot oven.
SOFT SHELLED CRABS
Lift each point of back shell and remove spongy substance found beneath it, taking care to scrape and cut away every bit; turn crab on its back and remove semicircular piece of dark, soft shell called “apron” or “flap” and more of the same spongy substance lying under it; wash in cold water and dry carefully on a towel; season with salt and pepper; dip in egg and roll in crumbs; fry 3 min in hot fat; putting in 2 at a time, as they should be ice cold when prepared; serve with tartare sauce.
CRAB A LA NEWBERG
½ c evaporated milk, diluted with ½ c water, 2 tbp butter, 2 tbp flour, ¼ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp paprika, 2 c crabmeat, 2 hard-cooked eggs.
Scald diluted milk; melt butter in frying pan; sift in flour, stir until smooth; add hot diluted milk; cook sauce over boiling water 10 min; add seasonings and crab meat; serve at once on toasted bread or crackers; garnish with hard-cooked eggs.
FROGS’ HIND LEGS
Trim and clean; sprinkle with salt and pepper; dip in crumbs, egg and crumbs again; fry 3 min in deep fat; drain and serve on buttered toast or crackers.
LOBSTER
Lobster should be perfectly fresh; one test of freshness is to draw back the tail, if it springs into position again it is safe to think the fish is good; plunge lobsters into boiling water enough to cover, and continue boiling them until they are done; between 10 or 20 min, depending on size. Too much cooking toughens lobster and destroys the fine delicate flavor of the meat.
STEWED LOBSTER
Take meat of 2 medium lobsters; cut in dice; season with salt as needed; ½ tsp cayenne and ½ lemon; make a white sauce; add another tbp butter and the seasoned lobster; let it simmer 10 min and serve hot.
LOBSTER A LA NEWBERG
2 small lobsters, 2 c cream, 4 tbp butter, 2 tbp wine, yolks of 4 eggs, 1 tsp salt, few grains cayenne, few grains mace.