Part 15

Draw and singe and cut the chicken. Wash and place in a deep saucepan and cover with boiling water. Bring to a boil and add

One onion, One small carrot, Two branches of celery.

Cook slowly until tender and then thicken the gravy. Dumplings may be added if desired.

ROAST CHICKEN, SPLIT STYLE

Prepare the chicken as for roasting. Do not fill. Rub well with shortening and then pat in plenty of flour. Place in a roasting pan and roast until tender; baste frequently with hot water.

ROAST DUCK

Singe and draw the duck and then remove the neck and add to the giblets and cook until tender. Wash and then drain the duck. Now prepare a filling by soaking sufficient stale bread in cold water. When pressed dry it will measure two and one-half cups. Rub through a sieve. Now place five tablespoons of shortening in a saucepan and add

One cup of chopped onion, One green pepper, chopped fine, The prepared bread, Three tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, One level teaspoon of thyme.

Cook slowly, turning frequently until the onions are tender, adding more shortening if necessary to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan. Then season with salt and pepper. Cook and then fill into the duck. Dust with flour and then roast in a moderate oven, allowing thirty minutes for the duck to start cooking and twenty minutes to the pound.

MACARONI

Macaroni is to the Italian cook the starchy content of the meal; just as the Irish and sweet potato are our common starchy foods. The thrifty Italian and French housewifes have found that by addition of meat, cheese and eggs for flavoring, they can serve their families substantial and attractive foods at a minimum cost.

The average American consumer of pastes and macaroni has no idea of the number of styles or forms--of which there are over a hundred--into which this wheat product is made. They range from the lasagnes, which are the short, flat pieces one and two inches wide, cut and frequently moulded by hand, to the fideline, which are the long, thin threads, the finest of which are many times smaller than vermicelli. Between these two extremes there is a great variety, which includes the alphabet and many fancy designs.

MACARONI MILIEUSE

Wipe with damp cloth and cut in one-inch blocks one pound of shin beef. Roll in flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Place in a deep saucepan and add

Three pints of cold water, Two onions cut fine, One medium-sized carrot cut in dice.

Bring to a boil and cook gently until the meat is tender. Now add

One-half cup of tomato aux fines herbes, Two teaspoons of salt, One and one-half teaspoons of paprika, Six ounces of prepared macaroni.

Bring this mixture to a boil and then cook until the macaroni is well heated. Pour on a large platter and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

TO PREPARE MACARONI

The macaroni may be broken into pieces one and one-half inches long, or it may be cooked whole. In all recipes the macaroni must first be prepared as follows:

Grease the bottom of a deep saucepan and then add two quarts of boiling water. Let boil for two minutes and then add the macaroni. Stir for a few minutes and then cook for fifteen minutes. Turn into a colander and drain. Then blanch under the running cold water for three minutes. Let drain. It is now ready to use in any number of ways. Greasing the saucepan prevents the macaroni from sticking to the bottom, while it is cooking.

The Italian prepares a seasoning as follows:

Wash two leeks, Six branches of parsley, Two green or red peppers, Four branches of celery.

Pare

Six onions, Tiny bit of garlic.

Place in a chopping bowl and chop very fine. Now place in one-half cup of vegetable cooking oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Cook slowly until soft and then add one small can of tomato paste. Blend well and then pour in a bowl or jar and set in a cool place. This mixture will keep in the refrigerator or in a cool place for one week in summer time and from ten to twelve days in winter. This mixture is called tomato aux fine herbes.

Small portions of meat that would be insufficient to serve alone can be utilized in making these dishes. When making gravy, prepare enough so that a cup or more may be set aside to use in the macaroni dishes. Bones, gristle and meat joints left on the serving platter may all be made into stock, from which the various gravies can be made. The Italian cook uses a small piece of meat for flavoring, usually chopping it in small pieces.

MACARONI CUSTARD

Place in a saucepan

Two cups of milk, One and one-half cups of water, Six level tablespoons of cornstarch.

Dissolve the starch in the water and add the milk. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Remove from the fire and add

Yolks of two eggs, One cup of sugar, One and one-half teaspoons of vanilla.

Beat to mix and then pour over six ounces of macaroni prepared as given in the method for preparation. Add one-half cup of raisins and then bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Place the whites of two eggs in a bowl and add one glass of jelly. Beat until the mixture holds its shape; then pile on top of pudding.

MACARONI AU GRATIN

Cook one-half pound of macaroni as given in the method of preparing. Place in a baking dish and then make three cups of cream sauce, using

One and one-half cups of milk, One and one-half cups of clear stock, One-half cup of flour.

Blend well and then pour over the macaroni. Sprinkle the top with fine bread crumbs and grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes.

POTATOES

This nutritious tuber is said to have saved the Irish people from famine, and it is fitting that this variety of potato should bear that name. The potato was unknown to Europe before the venturesome expedition of the fifteenth century to the Americas, where it was found to be used freely by the natives of both continents.

Frequently it has been said that the potato competes with bread as the staff of life, because its use is almost universal. There are more than thirty-five varieties of potato and although it is affected by soil and climate, the sandy soil necessary for its successful growth is found in almost every country.

The housewife should understand its food value. The average analysis of the white potato is as follows:

Sixty-two per cent. water, 2 per cent. protein, 1 per cent. fat, 4 per cent. carbohydrates (starch and sugar), 20 per cent. waste and 1 per cent. mineral ash.

The proportion of water found in the potato depends largely upon the soil in which it is grown. The small protein content is offset by its large carbohydrates (starch and sugar) content.

POTATO CAKES

Cook three large potatoes and then peel and mash fine. Measure and place two cups of mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl and add

Two cups of flour, One teaspoon of salt, Four teaspoons of baking powder, One egg, Four tablespoons of milk.

Mix to a smooth dough and then roll out one-half inch thick and cut and brush the tops with milk. Bake in a hot oven for eighteen minutes.

POTATO DISHES

One of the best forms of serving this tuber is to roast the potato in the ashes. Few will realize how delicious it can be. Wrap the potato in wax paper and then cover with coals and roast about one hour.

Next to this method comes the baked potato. Wash and dry medium-sized potatoes and then rub well with shortening and place in the oven and bake for thirty-five minutes for small potatoes and fifty minutes to one hour for large ones. Greasing the potato well before baking prevents a hard crust from forming and permits the entire contents of the mealy sack to be eaten. Boiling potatoes in their jackets causes the potato to lose about 2 per cent. of its nutritive value, while peeling before cooking causes a loss of 14 per cent. If necessary to peel, use a sharp knife and removed the very thinnest portion of the skin; scraping new potatoes is better than peeling them.

O'BRIEN POTATOES

Pare and then cut in thin slices five potatoes that have been boiled in their jackets. Mince sufficient onions, fine, to measure three-quarters of a cup. Chop fine two green peppers. Parboil onions and peppers until tender and then drain well. Now heat three tablespoons of shortening in a frying pan until very hot and then add the potatoes and let brown. Fold over and brown again. Keep turning over until the potatoes are well browned and then add the prepared onions and peppers. Cook slowly for five minutes and then turn on a hot platter and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

BOILED POTATOES

To cook potatoes, either in jackets or pared: Cover with boiling water, cook until tender. Season; now cover closely with clean cloth to absorb moisture and the potato will be mealy.

GRILLED POTATOES

Wash and pare large old potatoes and then cut into thin slices, cutting the full width of the potato. This means that you are to cut a thin slice of raw potato that will cover your hand. Place on a shallow baking dish and brush with shortening. Place in the broiler and broil until nicely browned, then place in the oven for five minutes.

MOUNTAIN BUTTERMILK RYE MUFFINS

Place in a mixing bowl

One and one-half cups of buttermilk, One teaspoon of baking soda, Four tablespoons of shortening, Six tablespoons of syrup, One egg.

Beat to mix and then add

Two and one-half cups of rye flour, One teaspoon of baking powder.

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour into well-greased and floured muffin pans, and bake for thirty minutes in a moderate oven. When cold the muffins that are left over may be split and toasted and then spread with mountain sweet-spiced jam.

IF NECESSARY TO KEEP MEAT THREE OR FOUR DAYS

Much sickness that is described as ptomaine poisoning is usually caused by carelessness. If for any reason meat must be kept several days after it is purchased, it may be cared for in the following manner:

Place

Three-quarters cup of salt in a saucepan

And add

Three and one-half cups of water, One bay leaf, One-half teaspoon of saltpeter.

Bring to a boil and cool. Place the meat in a china bowl or a wooden bucket and pour the brine over it. Now place a plate on top of the meat and weigh down with an old flatiron and heavy stone. Turn the meat every other day.

This meat will keep for one week. This method is suitable for mutton, beef or pork. For lamb or chicken place in a saucepan and add

One-half carrot, One onion, Sufficient boiling water to partially cover same.

Cook, keeping pan closely covered, for ten minutes to the pound. Cool before placing in the ice box. If it is necessary to keep the meat only until the next day, mince fine two onions and add

Four tablespoons of salt, One tablespoon of pepper.

Mix thoroughly and then rub the meat thoroughly with this mixture. Meat may be kept in the ordinary ice box that holds seventy-five pounds of ice for two days in the hottest weather in the following manner: Wipe the meat with a dry cloth and cover with a wax or parchment paper, and then hang from a hook in the lower part of the refrigerator, directly under the ice chamber if possible. The hooks are shaped like the letter S, sharply pointed at both ends and they may be purchased or made by any hardware dealer.

Meat allowed to lie on a platter soon loses its nutritious qualities with the escaping of the juices.

FILLET OF BEEF

Have the butcher trim the fillet into shape and then lard it with salt pork. Dust lightly with flour and then place on a rack in the roasting pan and place in a hot oven, basting every ten minutes. Cook, allowing the meat one-half hour to become thoroughly heated and to start cooking; then allow twelve minutes for every pound. This cut is the choicest of the entire cattle and is without a single ounce of waste. It is delicious either hot or cold.

WELSH CHEESE PUDDING

Five ounces of grated cheese, One cup of bread crumbs, One cup of flour, One and one-half teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of white pepper, One teaspoon of paprika, One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, One tablespoon of baking powder, Four tablespoons of grated onions, One egg, One cup of milk.

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour in moulds or prepared pudding cloth and boil for one and three-quarters hours. Serve either hot or cold. To serve hot, use the following sauce:

Place in a saucepan

One cup of milk, Two tablespoons of cornstarch.

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

One well-beaten egg, One teaspoon of salt, Two teaspoons of paprika, Juice of one-half lemon.

Beat hard to mix and then serve. This dish will replace meat and be sufficient for a family of four or five.

MEAL PUDDING

Place one quart of milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil; then add three-quarters cup of fine cornmeal. Stir until thick, and cook slowly for ten minutes and then add

One cup of sweet spiced jam, One cup of syrup, One-half cup of sugar, One-half teaspoon of nutmeg.

Beat to mix and then pour into a baking pan and bake slowly for three-quarters of an hour. Cool and then serve with plain cream.

HOW TO COOK CORN BEEF

Wash the beef in cold water and then place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and turn into a colander, and let cold water run on the meat. Place a saucepan on the stove and fill with boiling water, and add

One carrot, cut in dice, Two onions, with one clove stuck in each onion, One bay leaf and, The meat.

Bring to a boil and cook slowly, allowing the meat to cook thirty minutes to start and then twenty minutes to the pound, gross weight. Then remove the saucepan from the fire when the meat is cooked and allow the meat to cool in the liquid, with the lid removed. When cool, remove and place at once in the ice box. Serve cold.

Mutton may be corned like beef. The shoulder makes a delicious economical cut. Have the butcher bone the meat, but do not roll. Put in a pickle for six days. Remove and wash and then tie securely, and cook in the same manner as for corned beef.

OLD PHILADELPHIA STEWED KIDNEY

Wash and dry the kidney and cut into inch pieces; put on to boil in a pot of cold water; as soon as boiling point is reached, remove from the fire, turn in colander and drain, rinse in cold water and dry. Dust lightly with flour; put three tablespoons of shortening in a pot; when hot toss in the kidney, browning carefully; then add two cups of water, which must be boiling, and cook until the kidney is tender. Then season with salt and pepper, five tablespoons of catsup, three tablespoons of vinegar; add one tablespoon each of grated onion and fine chopped parsley. Serve on toast for breakfast.

MEAT PUDDINGS

Put sufficient cold meat through the chopper to measure three-quarters of a cup. Place in a mixing bowl and add

One cup of cold boiled rice, One small onion, grated, One green pepper, chopped fine, Two teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, Two teaspoons of garlic vinegar, One-half teaspoon of thyme, One egg, Five tablespoons of cold stock, water or gravy.

Mix thoroughly and then grease and flour the custard cups and fill a little better than just one-half full. Spread the top smoothly and place in a pan containing water, and then bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. Unmould and cover with either cream or brown sauce.

CORN PUDDING

Place in a mixing bowl

One can of crushed corn, One cup of prepared bread, Two eggs, One-half cup of milk, One onion, grated, Four tablespoons of finely minced parsley, Two teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika.

Mix well and then pour in the prepared custard cups. Set cups in a pan of warm water and bake for thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven.

To prepare the bread:

Soak the stale bread in hot water and place in cloth and squeeze dry.

To prepare the cups:

Grease well and then dust with bread crumbs.

SALT CHOWDER

Mince fine four ounces of salt pork or bacon. Place in a deep kettle and add

One cup of chopped onions, One-half cup of chopped sweet red peppers, One cup of chopped tomatoes.

Cook slowly for ten minutes and then add one pound of fish, bones and skin removed, fish cut in one-inch blocks.

Six large clams cut in pieces, Two cups of water.

Cover closely and then boil for twenty minutes. Now add

One teaspoon of sweet marjoram, One-quarter teaspoon of thyme, Two and one-half cups of cream sauce, One cup of cooked peas, One cup of cooked lima beans, One-half cup finely chopped parsley, Two tablespoons of butter, One tablespoon of salt, One and one-half teaspoons of pepper.

Heat until scalding and then serve.

STEAMED SALT OYSTERS OR CLAMS

Place the salt oysters or clams in a large dishpan and cover with plenty of cold water. Scrub clean with a stiff brush. Now place a colander in a deep scaucepan and add one quart of boiling water. Fill the colander with salt oysters or clams and steam until they open their mouths. Place one dozen of the steamed salt oysters or clams in a deep soup plate and serve with a small saucer of melted butter. Serve a small cup of the salt oyster or clam liquid, left in the saucepan after steaming the bivalves, with them.

CLAM FRITTERS--RED RIVER BOATHOUSE STYLE

Mince one dozen large clams fine and then drain free of the liquid. Measure the liquid and add sufficient milk to measure one and one-half cups. Place in a bowl and add

One egg, Two teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, Two tablespoons of grated onion, Four tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, One tablespoon of shortening, One teaspoon of sugar, The minced clams, Two cups of sifted flour, Four level teaspoons of baking powder.

Beat hard and then fry in very hot fat in shallow pan.

DEVILED CLAMS

Place in a saucepan

One-half cup of clam juice, One-half cup of milk, Five tablespoons of flour.

Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Now add

Six clams minced fine, One tablespoon of grated onion, Four tablespoons of finely minced parsley, One-quarter teaspoon of mustard, One-half teaspoon of paprika, One teaspoon of salt, Six tablespoons of bread crumbs.

Mix thoroughly and then fill into well-cleaned clam shells, rounding up on top. Dust with flour and then coat with beaten egg and then cover, patting well, with fine crumbs. Fry until golden brown in hot fat.

CLAM FRITTERS

Mince six clams fine and then place in a bowl and add sufficient milk to the clam juice to make one and one-half cups. Pour over minced clams and add

Two and one-quarter cups of flour, One and one-half teaspoons of salt, One-half teaspoon of pepper, One well-beaten egg, Two tablespoons of baking powder (level), One tablespoon of grated onion, Three tablespoons of finely minced parsley.

Beat to a smooth batter and then fry in deep fat.

CLAM COCKTAIL

Use four cherrystone clams for each service. Prepare a cocktail sauce as follows:

One cup of canned tomatoes, One leek, chopped fine, One onion, chopped fine, Pinch of thyme, Pinch of cloves, One-half teaspoon of mustard, One-half cup of water.

Cook for fifteen minutes, cool and then rub through a sieve and add

One and one-half teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix and then divide into four portions.

CLAMS

Clams may be served and cooked in a manner similar to oysters.

BAKED HAM

Place a four and one-half to five-pound cut from the butt end of the ham in the fireless cooker overnight. In the morning remove the skin and then pat into the fat part of the ham

Five tablespoons of brown sugar, One teaspoon of cinnamon, Three-quarters teaspoon of allspice.

Place in a hot oven and bake for forty minutes. Baste every ten minutes with

Six tablespoons of vinegar, Three-quarters tablespoon of boiling water.

Use the liquid in the pan, after baking the ham for making gravy, by browning three tablespoons of flour, then adding the liquid left in the pan and sufficient boiling water to make one and one-quarter cups of gravy. Season.

HAM LOAF

Chop the left-over ham very fine. Measure and add to one and one-half cups

One and one-half cups of cold cooked oatmeal, Two onions, grated, One teaspoon of paprika, One-half cup of bread crumbs, One cup of cream sauce, One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix and then pour into well-greased loaf-shaped pan and then place this pan in a larger one containing warm water. Bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with hot tomato sauce.

ENGLISH HAM PIE

Cut the remainder of the fresh baked ham into neat pieces, laying aside all the small bits. Pare and cut in dice sufficient potatoes to measure one quart. Chop fine sufficient onions to measure one cupful. Place the potatoes and onions in a saucepan and add sufficient boiling water to cover. Cook until tender and then drain. Now prepare a pastry as follows: Place

Two cups of flour, One teaspoon of salt, Two teaspoons of baking powder.

in a bowl. Sift and then rub in six tablespoons of shortening. Mix with one-half cup of ice-cold water. Roll out and then line a shallow pan with pastry. Place a layer of potatoes and onions and then a layer of the meat. Season well and cover the meat with a second layer of the potatoes. Season and then add two cups of highly seasoned gravy. Place top crust in position and fasten the edges tightly by pinching together firmly. Brush the pastry with cold water and then bake one hour in a slow oven.

CHEESE LOAF

Three cups of fine bread crumbs, One and one-half cups of cottage cheese, One and one-half cups of very thick cream sauce, One large onion, minced fine, One and one-half teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, One teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix thoroughly and then mould into shape. Pack into well-greased pan and set this pan in a large bake pan, with hot water to one-quarter of the depth of the bake pan. Bake in a moderate oven for fifty minutes.

BARBECUE OF BOILED HAM

Cut cold boiled ham into very thin slices and then place in a chafing dish and add

One-half glass of currant jelly, Three tablespoons of vinegar, Four tablespoons of water, One-half teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, One-quarter teaspoon of paprika.

Heat until very hot, and then serve on toast.

HEAD CHEESE

Have the butcher clean and crack a young pig's head. Wash well and put on to cook in a pot large enough to have the water completely cover the head. Cook until the meat leaves the bones, skimming carefully. When cooked lift pot from the fire and take the meat from the pot. Chop fine, seasoning with salt and pepper and one tablespoon of poultry seasoning; mix thoroughly; put a clean cloth in the colander and put in the cheese; cover with another cloth; place a plate on top and weight down with a flat-iron.

ITALIAN CANAPE

Mince fine

One green pepper, One medium sized onion, One leek, Four branches of parsley, One tomato.

Now place four tablespoons of shortening in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Cook slowly until tender and then add

Five tablespoons of grated cheese, One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika.

Mix thoroughly and then spread on thin slices of toast. Garnish with sliced stuffed olives and dust with paprika.

CHEESE SAUCE

One cup of water, One cup of milk, Five level tablespoons of flour.

Dissolve the flour in milk and water; bring to a boil; cook slowly for ten minutes; now add

One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of pepper, One well-beaten egg, One-half cup grated cheese.

WELSH RAREBIT

Cut one-half pound cheese very fine and then place in a saucepan and add

One-half teaspoon of mustard, One teaspoon of grated onion, Two well-beaten eggs, One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

Stir until well creamed and free from lumps and then pour over slices of toast. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and serve.

CHELSEA RABBIT