Part 10

Mix to a dough with a scant two-thirds cup of ice-cold water. Turn on a floured moulding board and either roll or pat out one and one-quarter inch thick. Cut as for biscuits, using a water glass to cut with. The biscuit cutter will not permit cutting with this thickness of dough. Now use small cutter and cut out the centre, leaving about one-half inch thickness at the bottom and a wall one-half inch thick around the patty shell. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a hot oven for eighteen minutes. Then fill with braised sweetbreads.

BRAISED OXTAILS WITH BAKED DRIED PEAS

Soak one and one-half cups of dried peas over night and then in the morning parboil. Place in a baking dish, together with

One-half cup of chopped onions, Two green peppers, chopped fine, Two prepared oxtails, One cupful of tomatoes, Two teaspoons of salt, One-half teaspoon of pepper,

and sufficient water to cover. Bake in a moderate oven for three hours.

To prepare the ox-tails have the butcher cut the tails in two-inch pieces and then soak for two hours in lukewarm water. Wash well and parboil for fifteen minutes.

CHILI OF BEEF

Cut one pound of flank steak in one-inch blocks and then roll in flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Now add

Six onions, chopped fine, Three red pimentoes, chopped fine, One cup of tomatoes, One cup of water.

Cook slowly until meat is tender and then season with

Two teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika,

and add one cup of cooked beans. Heat to boiling point and then serve.

MEAT LOAF

Two cups of raw meat, minced fine, One cup of onions, chopped fine, Two cups of cold cooked oatmeal, One teaspoon of thyme, One teaspoon of sweet marjoram, One tablespoon of salt, One teaspoon of pepper, One-half cup of stock to moisten.

Mix thoroughly and then pack into a well-greased and floured loaf-shaped pan. Place this pan in a larger one containing water and bake in a slow oven for one hour. This dish will keep for one week in the icebox. It makes splendid sandwiches.

Select cut from neck then using meat for the loaf

Then cover the bones with cold water and then add

Two onions, One carrot, One fagot of soup herbs.

Cook slowly for one hour. Use this liquid for a stock for making gravy.

SWEETBREADS POLASKA

Select medium-sized sweetbreads, place the sweetbreads in cold water to soak, adding one teaspoon of lemon juice; soak for two hours and then wash and pat dry. Remove the tubes and fatty particles and then place in a saucepan. Cover with boiling water and cook for twenty minutes. Blanch under cold running water and let cool. Pat dry and then place in icebox until needed.

Prepare one pint of cream sauce as follows: Place one pint of milk in a saucepan and add six tablespoons of flour. Stir with a wire spoon or fork to dissolve the flour, then place on the stove and bring to a boil. Now add

One level tablespoon of salt. One level teaspoon of paprika, Two tablespoons of lemon juice, One teaspoon of grated rind of lemon, One-half teaspoon of mustard, One well-beaten egg.

Beat to thoroughly mix; then add

One cup of cooked peas, One tablespoon of grated onion, The prepared sweetbreads, cut into three-quarter inch pieces.

Mix thoroughly and then fill into the patty shells. Sprinkle the top with fine bread crumbs; place and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Now while the patties are heating, peel and wash one-quarter pound of mushrooms, using the stem and button. Parboil and then drain. Pan for four minutes in a little butter and then serve as a garnish with the patties.

CREOLE BEEF

Have the butcher cut two pounds of shin beef, leaving the bone in. Wipe it with a damp cloth and then pat into the meat one-half cupful of flour. Melt five tablespoons of shortening in a deep saucepan, and when hot put in the meat. Brown quickly and then turn on the other side. When both sides are browned add

Two cups of boiling water, One cup of chopped onions, Two carrots cut in dice, One cup of canned tomatoes.

Bring quickly to a boil and cover closely and cook very slowly until tender, usually about two hours. Season and then it is ready to serve; or the pot may be placed in a slow oven for three hours.

SHELL FISH

Shellfish includes crabs, both hard and soft shell, lobsters, shrimp, terrapin, green turtle, snapper, etc.

All shellfish must be actively alive before cooking. This is the essential point and will prevent ptomaine poisoning. Never cook shellfish if they are dead. Remember, they are deadly.

Place a boiler of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add one tablespoon of red pepper and one cup of vinegar. To cook lobster, shrimp, crabs, etc., cover and cook rapidly for twenty-five minutes for the medium size, fifteen minutes for the small and thirty minutes for the large ones.

When cooked, remove from the water and place under cold water. Let cool. Place on the ice until needed.

To clean crabs break off the claws and then save the two large ones. Then remove the apron pieces of the shell, like a plate under the eyes. Break the shell apart and remove the spongy fingers, sandbag and eggs, if any. Wash well. You now have white oval-shaped pieces of crab meat, that must be picked from its cells. Split with a silver knife and use an oyster fork to pick out the meat. This can be used for au gratin, à la King, ravigotte, deviled crabs, salads, croquettes and crab cakes.

CRAB MEAT

The crab must be actively alive before cooking. To cook place a large boiler of water on the fire and bring to a boil; add to it

One-half cup of vinegar, One teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Then add the crabs and cover closely and boil for twenty minutes. Count time when water boils after adding crabs.

FRIED CRAB MEAT

Pick the meat from the cooked crabs and mince fine two ounces of bacon. Place the bacon and one and one-half cups of crab meat and two tablespoons of grated onion in a hot skillet and cook until nicely browned. Serve on toast and pour melted butter over the prepared crab meat.

CRAB MEAT SERVED IN CREAM

Place in a saucepan

One and one-half cups of milk, Six level tablespoons of flour.

Stir to blend. Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes. Now add

One and one-half cups of crab meat, One green pepper minced fine, One onion, grated, One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, Grated rind of one-quarter lemon, Juice of one lemon, Two tablespoons of butter.

Toss gently, cooking until well heated. Serve in individual ramekins or small custard cups, dusting with paprika.

FRIED CRABS

Clean the cooked crabs and then cut a thin slice from the shell that contains the meat. Dip the meaty part in a salad oil and fry until golden brown in hot skillet.

RAVIGOTTE SAUCE

One cup mayonnaise, One-half cup finely chopped young green onions, One-quarter cup finely chopped parsley, One-quarter cup finely chopped green peppers, One-quarter teaspoon mustard, One teaspoon paprika, One teaspoon salt.

Beat to mix.

CRAB MEAT BALLS

Mince fine

Two ounces of bacon, Two green peppers, One-half cup of canned tomatoes, pressed very dry, Two tomatoes, Three onions.

Brown the bacon quickly and then add the finely chopped peppers, tomatoes and onions. Cook gently until soft and dry, then add

One and one-half cups of crab meat, One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix well and then form into balls the size of a fishcake and roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and fry until golden brown in hot fat. Serve with tartare sauce.

CRAB RAVIGOTTE

Serve crab meat in nests of crisp lettuce with ravigotte sauce.

CRAB MEAT A LA KING

Place in saucepan or chafing dish

One and one-half cups of thick cream sauce.

Add

Three-quarters cup of mushrooms, peeled and cut into tiny pieces and parboiled, Two pimentos chopped fine, One well-beaten egg, One teaspoon salt, One teaspoon paprika, Juice of one-half lemon, Two cups or one-half pound of crab meat.

peeled and cut into tiny pieces and parboiled.

Toss with fork to mix; heat to boiling point and serve with toast.

TRIPE AND OYSTERS

Cut one-half pound of cooked tripe into small dice and place in a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Cook for ten minutes and then drain and add

One and one-half cups of thin cream sauce, One small onion, grated, Two tablespoons of finely minced parsley, Twenty-five stewing oysters.

Bring to a boil and cook for eight minutes, then season with

Two teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika.

GRILLED OYSTER ON HALF SHELL

Allow four large oysters for each service. Have the oysters opened on the deep shell and remove the oysters, wash free from bits of shell and then roll in grated cheese. Replace on shell and then spread each oyster with one-half teaspoon of minced bacon. Sprinkle with fine bread crumbs and then bake eight minutes in a hot oven or broiler.

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL

Have the oysters opened on the deep shell and remove the oyster. Look over carefully for bits of shell, and then prepare a mixture of

One tablespoon of horse radish, grated, Three tablespoons of catsup, One-half teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika.

Mix and dip oyster into the sauce, then roll in finely grated cheese. Serve ice cold.

OYSTER COCKTAIL

Sauce for the cocktail can be made from

One-half cup of finely chopped onions.

Place in a saucepan and cook until the onions are soft and then rub through a fine sieve and add

One tablespoon of horseradish, One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika.

Beat to thoroughly mix and add five small oysters for each service.

OYSTER PIE

Make a pastry of

One cup of flour, One-half teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of baking powder.

Sift and then rub in four tablespoons of shortening, and then mix to a dough with five tablespoons of water. Roll out one-half of the pastry one-quarter inch thick and then line a deep pie tin with the pastry. Then place in layers of the oysters and season with

Salt, Pepper, One-quarter teaspoon of grated onion, One teaspoon of finely minced parsley.

Now another layer of oysters and then the seasoning. Now pour over all one cup of very thick cream sauce. Roll out the balance of the pastry and cut in one-inch-wide strips. Place lattice fashion over the tops of the pie and wash with water and bake in a hot oven for forty-five minutes.

CRAB MEAT AU GRATIN

Place in a bowl

Two cups thick cream sauce, One and one-quarter cups crab meat, One onion grated, Three tablespoons finely minced parsley, One and one-half teaspoons salt, One-half teaspoon white pepper, One-half teaspoon paprika.

Mix with fork, turn into au gratin dish, sprinkle the top with fine bread crumbs, dot with bits of butter and then sprinkle two tablespoons grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven thirty-five minutes.

To prepare cream sauce for à la King and au gratin dishes, use four level tablespoons flour to each cup milk.

Dissolve flour in cold milk, bring to boil, cook two minutes; it is then ready for use.

SOFT SHELL CRABS

Soft-shell crabs are shedders, that is, the crab has shed his shell and the new one is not yet hard. To clean, insert the finger under the apron-shaped piece and the back part of the shell and remove the spongy fingers, the entrails, etc. Wash and drain well and then roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and then roll in fine crumbs and fry until golden brown in hot fat. Place in a hot oven for ten minutes to cook. Serve with tartare sauce.

LOBSTER

Lobster may be boiled, broiled and baked and may be served in same manner as crab meat.

LOBSTER A LA NEWBURG

Place in a saucepan

One and one-half cups of milk, Five tablespoons of flour.

Dissolve the flour in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then add

One well-beaten egg, Lobster meat, cut in one-inch blocks, One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, One-half teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, Juice one-half lemon.

TO BROIL LOBSTERS

Split the live lobster in half. Lay it on its back. Do not cut the back shell through. Remove the entrails and remove the vein through the tail. Wash well and then brush with salad oil and place in broiler, shell side up, and cook for fifteen minutes. Turn the flesh side up and baste with salad oil or melted butter. Cook for twelve minutes and then remove and serve with melted butter, chili or tomato sauce.

TO BOIL

Plunge the lobster into boiling water and cook for twenty minutes, for medium lobster. Cool, break apart, discard entrails and fine vein running down the centre of the tail. Break open the claws and remove the meat. This meat and that of the belly and tail may be used for salads, ravigottes, au gratins, croquettes, cutlets, à la King and terrapin style.

SAUCE TO SERVE WITH FISH--FOR BOILED FISH

One cup of fish stock (Court Bouillon), One-half cup of milk, Three level tablespoons of cornstarch.

Dissolve the starch in the milk and then add the fish stock. Bring to a boil and cook slowly for eight minutes. Add

One tablespoon of butter, One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, One teaspoon of grated onion, One well-beaten egg.

Beat thoroughly to mix and then bring to heating point. Serve.

TARTARE SAUCE FOR FRIED FISH

One cup of mayonnaise dressing, One medium sized pickle, chopped fine, One tablespoon of grated onion, Two tablespoons of minced parsley, One teaspoon of paprika, One-half teaspoon of mustard, One teaspoon of salt.

Blend well before serving.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

One-half cup of salad oil, One onion grated, One teaspoon of paprika, One teaspoon of salt, Five tablespoons of vinegar.

Heat slowly until hot and then add

Yolks of two eggs.

Stir until thick and then add one tablespoon of finely minced parsley. If this should curdle, add two tablespoons of boiling water. Beat hard.

BROILED SHAD ROE

Wipe the roe and then parboil for five minutes. Now wipe dry and then dust very lightly with flour and then brush with bacon fat. Place on the broiler and cook for ten minutes. Lift to a hot platter and spread with this sauce: Place on a plate

Two tablespoons of butter, One tablespoon of lemon juice, One tablespoon of grated onion, One tablespoon of finely chopped onion, One teaspoon of salt.

BAKED SHAD

Select a two and one-half pound shad. Have the fish dealer clean and prepare it for baking. Now prepare a filling as follows: Place in a bowl

One cup of breadcrumbs, Two onions, chopped fine, Two tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, One and one-half teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of pepper, One-half teaspoon of thyme, One egg, Two tablespoons of salad oil.

Mix well and then fill into the fish. Sew the opening with a stout string and a darning needle. Pat the flour into the fish. Place in a baking pan and bake in a hot oven for one hour. Baste every fifteen minutes with one cup of boiling water. Now, if you place a strip of cheesecloth under the fish you will be able to lift it without breaking. Use the leftover portions for shad au gratin for Monday night's dinner.

PLANKED SHAD

Have the fish dealer split the shad for planking. Soak the plank in cold water for two hours and then place the fish on the plank, and brush it with lemon juice. Place in the lowest part of the broiler of the gas range. Begin to baste with cold water after the fish has been in the oven for twelve minutes. Allow thirty minutes for planking a two and one-half pound shad.

LONG ISLAND DEEP SEA PIE

Grease a deep baking dish and then sprinkle with fine bread crumbs. Now place a layer of finely diced potatoes in the bottom of the dish. Next a layer of cooked fish, cut into pieces the size of a walnut. Next a layer of sliced onions; then a layer of sliced tomatoes; repeat, making two layers. Season each layer with salt, pepper and finely minced parsley. Now prepare a sauce as follows:

Place

One and one-half cups of milk in a saucepan, Six level tablespoons of flour.

Stir until the flour is dissolved and then bring to a boil. Remove from the fire and add

Two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, One well-beaten egg.

Pour over the prepared pie. Place a crust on top, making three or four gashes in it to permit the steam to escape. Bake in slow oven one hour.

APPETIZERS

The appetizer is a small morsel of food served at the beginning of the meal, causes a free flow of digestive juice and thus helps the digestion. During the growing season these canapés may be scullions, served icy cold, radishes, cold and crisp and cut into thin pieces, but still left on the stem; well-cleaned, crisp, crinkly watercress; coleslaw, with celery; coleslaw with green and red peppers or with scullions, or with bacon or ham nicely browned; or just a slice of full ripe tomato, spread with mayonnaise and dusted with grated cheese or paprika.

Many housewives have the impression that the preparation of the delicious accessories of the cosmopolitan meal is expensive. Well, I hardly need tell you that the French housewife is noted for her thrift and that these dainty tidbits are frequently portions of leftovers from a meal, sometimes the scrapings of a saucepan or a tablespoon of meat, vegetables and gravy.

Have you ever had just a small piece of fish left over, entirely too small to serve by itself? And rather than leave it on a plate or saucer to form an accumulation you think, "Well, I can't use it, so into the garbage it goes."

Now this tablespoon or two of fish would have made you a few delicious canapés; by flaking it and then putting it through a sieve. Place it on a platter and then add

Two tablespoons of butter, One teaspoon of paprika, One tablespoon of grated onion, One tablespoon of finely minced parsley.

Work to a smooth paste and then spread on a narrow strip of toast. Garnish with a slice of hard-boiled egg.

The canapé, though it bears a foreign name, is not necessarily an expensive addition to the menu for the family, nor is it elaborate. This delectable morsel is rather dainty, delicate and used as an appetizer that helps to start and stimulate the digestive juices and thus cause them to flow freely for the digestion of the food.

Canapés are usually served cold, on a plate covered with a doily; the canapé is placed on this. They need not all be alike; the bread may be cut with various sandwich cutters or it may be cut into finger widths and then toasted lightly and spread with the prepared paste.

Meat, chicken, cheese, nuts, olives, etc., may be used in place of the fish. If you have just a spoonful or so of peas, beans, spinach, cauliflower or asparagus you may use it in place of the fish, thus making a vegetable canapé. Try two canned pimentos in place of either meat or fish.

EGG CUTLETS

Make a cream sauce, using six level teaspoons of flour to one cup of milk. Dissolve the flour in the milk and then bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then cool and place in a bowl and add two hard-boiled eggs chopped fine and

Two tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, One tablespoon of finely grated onion, One and one-half teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, One-quarter cup of fine bread crumbs.

Mix and then pour on well-greased platter. Cool for four hours. To mould, form into shape and then dip in flour, then in beaten egg and then in fine bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown in hot fat or vegetable oil. Serve with tomato sauce.

BAKED EGGS IN CORN CASES

Make ten corn muffins, from the following mixture:

One and one-quarter cups of milk, One egg, Two tablespoons of syrup, Two tablespoons of shortening.

Beat hard to mix and then add

One and one-quarter cups of sifted flour, Three-quarters cup of cornmeal, Five teaspoons of baking powder.

Beat thoroughly to mix and then pour into well-greased muffin pans and bake for thirty-five minutes in a hot oven. Now cut from the top one slice from each of the four muffins and use a spoon to scoop out the centres. Break an egg and then fill to the top with cheese sauce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and set in a baking pan and bake for twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with either cream or tomato sauce.

SPANISH OMELET

Beat whites of three eggs until stiff, then carefully cut and fold in yolks of three eggs. Then when well blended, pour in hot frying pan containing three tablespoons of shortening; cook slowly, shaking frequently until mixture is dry on top. Now spread with a filling prepared as follows:

Place in a bowl

Two tablespoons grated onion, One-half cup of well-drained tomatoes, Four olives, chopped fine, Two tablespoons of finely minced parsley, One-half teaspoon of paprika.

Cook this mixture in two tablespoons of shortening until hot, spread on omelet, fold and roll, turn on hot dish, sprinkle with paprika and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

EGGS A LA GRENADIER

Cook three ounces of macaroni and then place in a bowl, and season highly. Add

One onion, chopped fine, Two tablespoons of finely chopped parsley.

Now fill into five pimentos. Place in a baking pan and bake for fifteen minutes. Remove and then place on a hot platter, flattening well; then place one poached egg on each pepper. Cover with cheese sauce and garnish with parsley.

CODDLED EGGS

Place a teaspoon of butter in an egg glass or custard cup. Break in two eggs, then add one teaspoon of butter and place in a cup of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes. Lift cups on saucers, dust the eggs lightly with paprika, and serve. Use two eggs for each service.

How to utilize and serve leftover food so there will be no actual waste has perplexed many young housewives, and as one woman writes me: "I try to keep down the leftovers, but every once in so often they just rise up and conquer me."

Every housewife knows that, no matter how carefully she plans there is sure to be a small quantity of leftover meat, gravy or vegetables. And just what to do with them is almost a daily problem. Two essentials are necessary to successfully utilize leftovers: First, good seasoning; second, attractive appearance.

The French excel in serving leftovers because they so thoroughly understand the art of flavoring and seasoning. The French housewife knows very well that she may only have a _pot au feu_ to serve to the family, but the family knows that the delicate, attractive manner in which the food is put on the table would appeal to the epicure, though the table is but a plain ash top, scoured to the whiteness of the snows.

HOW TO PREPARE A FAGGOT OF SOUP HERBS

Place in separate piles:

One branch of parsley, One-quarter leek, Two branches of thyme, One-half carrot, cut lengthwise, One bay leaf.

Tie in bunches and then dry thoroughly and place in a fruit jar until needed.

FRENCH SEASONINGS

Each housewife prepares her own seasonings from her garden. You know, she grows them in the garden, and as the leaves become abundant she picks them each day, dries them thoroughly, and then places them in separate containers. She prepares the faggots of soup herbs and has them ready for instant use.

GARLIC

Few American persons know of the garlic but as a rank, pungent flavor. To the foreigner garlic is as sweet tasting as the onion and its flavor delightful in food. Just that dash that it needs to give it zest. Separate a clump of garlic into cloves and then peel and place in a fruit jar. Now bring one pint of white wine vinegar to the scalding point and then pour it over the garlic. Place on the cover and set in a warm place for two days. Use this vinegar for seasoning gravies and use the garlic, cut into tiny bits the size of a pinhead, for flavoring.