Part 4

Take nearly a teacupful of haricots pulped through a sieve, and add to this 2 ozs. bread crumbs. Same of mashed potatoes; a shallot finely minced, or a spoonful of grated onion. Beat up an egg and add, reserving a little. Mix thoroughly, and form into marbles. Coat with the egg, toss in fine crumbs, and fry in smoking-hot fat till golden brown in colour.

Haricot Kromeskies

can be made with the same mixture as for marbles. Some chopped tomatoes, beetroot, or mushrooms may be added. If the mixture is too moist add a few more crumbs; if too dry add a little ketchup, milk, tomato juice, &c. Form into sausage-shaped pieces or small flat cakes. Dip into frying batter, and drop into smoking-hot fat. When a golden brown lift out, and drain on absorbent paper. Serve them, as also the golden marbles, on sippets of toast or fried bread with tomato or parsley sauce.

Haricot Croquettes or Cutlets

are of course made with any of these mixtures. Shape into cutlets, egg, crumb, and fry in the usual way.

There are an immense number more dishes which can be made with pulse foods, for which I have not space here. There are also a number of new varieties of pulses being put upon the market, which can be used with advantage to vary the bill of fare and enlarge its scope.

Giant Split Peas

are especially good, and might be used in any of the foregoing recipes in place of haricots. One advantage is that they do not require soaking. If scalded with boiling water, drained, and put to cook in fresh boiling water, they will be quite soft in little over an hour.

The best quality of butter beans also need no soaking. After scalding for a few minutes the skins come off quite easily. There is also a new variety called

Butter Peas, or "Midget" Butter Beans,

which I can heartily recommend. In appearance they resemble the small haricots, but are much finer and boil down very quickly. They make a very rich white soup, and may, of course, be used for any of the savouries for which recipes are given. Scald with boiling water (or they may merely be rubbed in a clean coarse cloth), plunge into more boiling water--the quantity proportioned to the purpose for which intended, soups, stews, &c.--and simmer till just tender, but not broken down.

Though they can be made up in a host of ways they are perhaps nicest as a simple stew. When just cooked--and great care must be taken not to _over_cook, for much of the substance, as well as the delicacy of flavour, is lost if we do--have a saucepan with some shred onions, sweated till tender, but not in the least coloured, in a little butter. Stir in a spoonful of flour, and when smooth a gill of milk, or the stock from the butter peas. Stir till it thickens and add the peas themselves, and any extra seasoning required. See that all is quite hot, and serve garnished with sippets of toast.

Brown Lentils

also furnish us with unlimited possibilities for new dishes. They are as yet rather difficult to procure, but need only to be known to become very popular. They somewhat resemble German lentils, but are much browner and smaller. Being so small, extra trouble must be taken to see that they are clean and free from grit. They can be used in place of German lentils for any of the soups or savouries for which recipes are given. They cook very quickly, and care must be taken with them also not to waste any of their goodness up the chimney.

Toad-in-a-Hole.

Make the sausages the same as in previous recipe, only using brown lentils instead of German lentils. Put in a buttered pie-dish and pour over the following

Batter.

Beat up one or two eggs. Add 3 tablespoonfuls flour, and by degrees two gills milk, also seasoning of grated onion, chopped parsley, white pepper, "Extract," &c. While

Fresh Green Peas or Beans

are to be had, one need not be confined to the dried pulses. Cook the peas, broad beans, or French beans, as directed in "Vegetables." Serve with poached or buttered eggs, fried or baked tomatoes, &c.

One might go on _ad infinitum_ to suggest further combinations and variations of the different pulse foods, but these must be left to suggest themselves, for I must now pass on to another class of foods.

NUT FOODS.

We are only beginning very slowly to recognise the valuable properties of nuts and their possibilities in the cuisine. Indeed, there is a rather deep-rooted prejudice against them as food, people having been so long accustomed to regard them as an unconsidered trifle to accompany the wine after a big dinner, and as in this connection they usually call up visions of dyspepsia, many people regard the idea of their bulking at all largely in a meal with undisguised horror. I remember a lady saying to me that she was quite sure a meal composed to any extent of nuts would _kill_ her, for if she took even one walnut after dinner it gave her such pain. That rather reminds one of the story of a half-witted fellow who used to go about the country doing odd jobs, and asking in return a meal and a shake-down of straw or hay.

He always expressed astonishment at folks being able to sleep on feather beds, his aversion being founded on the fact that he had one night lain down on the hard ground with a single feather under him. "An' if I had sic a sarkfu' o' sair banes wi _ae_ feather," he argued, "what like maun it be wi' a hale bed?"

Well, I can assure readers that whatever may be the troubles of a solitary nut in an oasis of good things, it is very different when nuts are taken alone or in a suitable and simple combination. Most of our digestive troubles are due to an excess of proteid matter, which clogs up the system, and either lodges in the body in the shape of some morbid secretion, or tries to force its way out in an abnormal way, as by the skin. Now, nuts are very rich in proteid, or flesh-forming matter, and it stands to reason, that if we superimpose them on an already full, or overfull, meal, the result is surfeit, and however wholesome or digestible this excess matter may be in itself, it may, and usually does, work harm in more or less obvious ways.

But curiously enough, this does not always work out with mathematical directness. Most things in the physical, as in the metaphysical, world work out as Ruskin says "not mathematically, but chemically." Though this may seem a far-fetched simile in connection with our dinner, it is a true one. To get back to our nuts. If after a meal of several courses, rich in quality and variety, highly-spiced and flavoured, and perhaps interspersed with little piquant relishes, serving to whet the appetite for the next course, one takes only a very few nuts, or an apple, or a banana, the probability is that "these last" will give the most direct trouble. The gastric juices may be already exhausted, and the nuts, therefore, lie a hard undigested mass on the stomach; or the apple digesting very quickly, and being ready to leave the stomach some hours before its other contents, but having to bide their time, ferments and gives off objectionable gases. Thus, the innocent fruit gets the blame, and the fish, game, or meat go free. Another way in which fruits may prove indigestible, through no fault of their own, is because of the unsuitable combination in which they are eaten. Most nuts, with the exception of chestnuts, which are largely composed of starch, consist almost entirely of fat, which, unless it meets with an alkali to dissolve it, is digested with great difficulty. The uric acid in flesh tends to harden this fat, and so retards digestion.

The medical faculty now recognise the nutritive properties of nuts, as also their wholesomeness and freedom from all toxic elements, and at all sanatoria for the treatment of rheumatic and gouty affections a nut and fruit diet is the established regime. We need not, however, go to an expensive sanatorium to enjoy this food, but may cure, or better, prevent these diseases in our own homes.

They are, I believe, best in their natural state, along with fresh fruits, salads, and the like, but there are also many dainty dishes, in the composition of which they may be used with advantage.

Mock Chicken Cutlets

only require to be known to be appreciated. Grate 1/4 lb. shelled walnuts--this is best and easiest done by running through a nut-mill, but these are not expensive, as they may be had from 1s. 6d.--or Brazil nuts, and add to them two teacupfuls bread crumbs, mix in 1/2 oz. butter, spoonful onion juice, and a little mace, white pepper, salt or celery salt. Melt 1/2 oz. butter in saucepan. Mix in a teaspoonful flour, and add by degrees a gill of milk. When it thickens add the other ingredients. Mix well over the fire. Remove and stir in a beaten egg and teaspoonful lemon juice. Mix all thoroughly and turn out to cool. Form into cutlets, egg, crumb, and fry. Serve with bread sauce or tomato sauce.

Brazil Omelet.

Take 2 ozs. shelled Brazil nuts and rub off the brown skin. If they are put in slow oven for 10 minutes, both shell and skin will come off easily. Flake in a nut-mill or pound quite smooth. Add the yolk of hard boiled egg, a teaspoonful ground almonds, or almond meal, and make into a paste. Then add some grated onion, a tablespoonful baked or mashed potato, the same of bread crumbs, and seasoning to taste. Mix well, and add the yolks of two eggs beaten up, and after mixing thoroughly, stir in lightly the two whites beaten quite stiff, butter a shallow tin or soup-plate, and pour in the mixture. Cover and bake gently, till set--about an hour. When cool, cut into neat shapes, egg, crumb, and fry. The same mixture will also make a delicious

Brazil Souffle.

Add another white of egg stiffly beaten, and steam gently for 30 minutes.

Brazilian Quenelles.

Add another two tablespoonfuls bread crumbs, and leave out the potato; use three eggs, but beat yolks and whites together. Butter one large or a number of small moulds, fill with the mixture, and steam gently for 20 to 40 minutes, according to size; turn out, and serve, if large, with slices of tomatoes baked or fried, arranged round. If small ones, have tomatoes piled up in centre and quenelles placed round.

A number of other savouries, in which nuts form a part, can be made by substituting grated walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, almond meal, Barcelonas, &c., for peas, beans, lentils, &c., in the previous recipes. As they are highly nutritive and concentrated, they must be used sparingly, however, along with plenty of bread crumbs, rice, and the like. There is no need to detail these, but I will give one to show what I mean.

Walnut Pie.

Run 4 ozs. shelled walnuts through the nut-mill--this will give about a teacupful. Have some whole rice boiled as for curry, and put a layer of that in buttered pudding dish. Put half of the grated nuts evenly on the top, then a layer of tomatoes seasoned with grated onion, parsley, salt, pepper, pinch mace, ketchup, &c. Repeat. Cover thickly with bread crumbs, pour some melted butter over and bake till a nice brown. If rather dry, pour some tomato sauce, diluted extract, gravy, &c., over. Serve with tomato or other sauce.

The same ingredients may be put in a buttered mould and steamed, or the whole may be mixed together, a beaten egg added, then made into one large or a number of small rolls, place in baking tin, put some butter on the top and bake, basting and turning now and then.

Prepared Nut Meats.

Of late years since the food value of nuts has been recognised, the attention of specialists has been turned in their direction with very practical results. Quite a number of excellent "Nut Meats" are now upon the market, and each year adds to their variety, so that one's storeroom can be supplied in a way that was impossible only a few years ago. For a cold luncheon dish Mapleton's Fibrose, Almond Nut Meat, and

Savoury Nut Meat

Are very good. The latter is put up in air-tight glass dishes. Tomatoes or any vegetable may be served with it. Then Meatose, Nut-Meatose, Vejola, Nutvego, &c., are all excellent. The

"F.R." Meatose

Is specially fine. These "Meats" are all ready for use, and may be made up in any of the ordinary recipes for Stews, Pies, Sausage Rolls, &c. One dish which most people would like is

Curried Nut Meat.

Melt 1 oz. butter in stewpan, and into that put a tablespoonful finely shred or grated onion, a few slices of tart apple or a little rhubarb, and, if possible, some tomatoes--fresh ones peeled and sliced are best, but the tinned ones will do very well. Stir in a dessert-spoonful flour and curry powder to taste, and pour on boiling water, stock, or gravy as required. Slice the nut meat and lay it in. Cover, and cook gently for about half an hour. Serve with plain boiled rice.

I have not space to give further recipes, but would just add a word of caution--use very sparingly. They are highly concentrated and nutritious foods, and a large quantity is not only unnecessary, but harmful.

In addition to above, there are the products of the International Health Association, "the pioneer manufacturers of health foods," who have within the past year removed their works into the country (Stanborough Park, Watford, Herts). Then Messrs Winter, Birmingham, "Pitman," Birmingham, and Messrs Chapman, Liverpool, have a number of excellent nut meats, fuller reference and recipes for which will be found in the chapter on "Health Food Specialties" at end of book.

CHEESE SAVOURIES.

Many excellent cheese dishes, such as macaroni cheese, &c., are to be found in the category of every household, so it will be needless to detail those which are most generally known. Cheese is highly nutritious, and not indigestible for those in ordinary health, if taken in moderation and combined with other lighter and bulkier foods. Cheese with rice, bread crumbs, macaroni, tomatoes, &c., is exceedingly good. It should be used very sparingly, or not at all, in dishes which contain pulse, nuts, or eggs. It should always be grated so that it can be mixed thoroughly with the other ingredients.

Rice and Cheese.

Half teacupful rice, 2 ozs. grated cheese, one egg. Wash rice and put on with cold water to barely cover, and pinch salt. When that is absorbed, add milk enough to swell and cook the rice thoroughly without making it sloppy. Remove from the fire and stir in the cheese, seasoning of salt, pepper, or made mustard, pinch cayenne, and the egg beaten up. Turn into buttered baking dish and bake gently till set and of a pale brown--cheese dishes must never be done in too hasty an oven, as they acquire an unpleasant flavour if in the least burnt. Turn out on hot ashet, and serve garnished with slices of hard-boiled egg or fried tomatoes.

Cheese and Semolina.

Four ozs. cheese, breakfast cup milk, 1 oz. semolina, 2 eggs. Bring milk to boil and stir in semolina. Cook till it thickens; remove from fire and stir in the cheese, pinch cayenne, and yolks of eggs beaten up, beat up whites stiffly, and mix in lightly. Turn into buttered pudding-dish and bake gently till ready--about half-an-hour. This mixture, and the previous one, may also be steamed for about 40 minutes. Serve with fried tomatoes or tomato sauce.

I may say here that tomatoes go very well with cheese in almost any form. A nice variety of rice and cheese can be contrived as follows:--Put half of the cooked rice in pudding dish, put breakfastcupful tomatoes in saucepan with a little butter, the cheese and seasoning, and just stir over the fire till quite mixed. Put half over the rice, then the rest of the rice, and the other half of the tomato mixture. Coat thickly with crumbs, put some butter on top, and bake.

Cheese Souffle.

Two tablespoonfuls grated cheese, 2 eggs, 1-1/2 gills milk. Beat yolks of eggs and mix in cheese, milk, pepper, salt, pinch cayenne, and, lastly, the whites beaten quite stiff. Make souffle tin very hot, pour in mixture, and bake in quick oven till set--15 to 20 minutes. Serve very hot.

Scotch Woodcock.

This is a favourite savoury in many non-vegetarian households. There are numerous different recipes, which will doubtless be well known, but the following is quite new and original. Prepare some slices of buttered toast or fried bread, take about 1 lb. fresh tomatoes or a large cupful tinned ones drained from the liquor, put in saucepan with a little butter and grated onion, and stew gently till the tomatoes are pulped. If at all stringy, put through a sieve. Add 2 ozs. grated cheese, seasoning to taste, and stir over gentle heat till quite thick. Spread a layer of this mixture on each slice of toast and pile on the top of each other. Reserve a little of the mixture and to it add some tomato juice or milk, mushroom ketchup, or diluted extract. Make very hot and pour right over, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and garnish with slices of hard-boiled eggs--or these might have the whites chopped up and the yolks grated over the top. Serve very hot. A very tasteful effect is made by having the slices of toast, which may be round, oblong, &c., graduating pyramid-wise from a large one at the bottom to a small one at the top.

Cheese Straws (1).

Rub 2 ozs. butter into 4 ozs. flour. Add 2 ozs. grated cheese, a little mustard and cayenne, and make into a stiff paste, with the yolks of 2 eggs or one whole egg beaten up. Roll out thin, cut into straws, lift on to baking sheet carefully with a knife, placing them a little apart, and bake a pale brown--about 10 minutes in moderate oven. Another way is to break off small bits of the paste and roll into thin pipes on a floured board. Savoury

Cheese Biscuits

are made by cutting above paste, rolled very thin, into oblong or diamond shapes, with pastry cutter. Bake in same way. Serve either hot or cold. Spread with a little Marmite and savoury tomato mixture, or sandwich this between two biscuits.

Cheese Straws (2).

Two ozs. cheese, same of batter, flour and fine white crumbs. Add seasoning, and make into paste with one egg, roll out, stamp out a few rings, make the rest into straws, bake and put a bundle of straws into each ring.

Parmesan Puff Pie.

Prepare some cheese pastry, as for "Straws No. 1," and with it line a round shallow tin or tart ring. Common short or puff pastry will do, but the cheese pastry is nicer. Fill in with rice or crusts to keep in place. Bake rather briskly, and remove from the tin. Fill in with the following mixture:--In a saucepan melt 1 oz. butter, and into that stir 1 oz. flour and 1 oz. flaked or ground rice. Add gradually a teacupful milk, and when it thickens, 2 ozs. grated cheese and seasoning, cayenne, and made mustard. Pour into pastry case. Sprinkle a few browned crumbs or shredded wheat biscuit crumbs on the top. Dot over with bits of butter, and bake in moderate oven for about 20 minutes. Put a little more grated cheese on the top and serve very hot.

Small Cheese Tartlets

can be made by dividing same ingredients into a number of small cases or patty tins. Ten minutes should be long enough to bake. Another very good filling for these or the previous puff pie is the mixture given in recipe for Scotch woodcock, while a novel and delicious

Welsh Rarebit

could be made with either of these mixtures, with perhaps a rather more liberal supply of cheese and made mustard spread between slices of hot buttered toast.

Mock Crab

is made with somewhat similar filling, but is best with fresh tomatoes. Remove skin and seeds from 1/2 lb. firm, ripe tomatoes, and cut small; grate 4 ozs. rich, well-flavoured Cheddar cheese. Add to tomatoes in basin with teaspoonful made mustard, yolks of 3 hard-boiled eggs, large spoonful mushroom ketchup, a little extract, and a very little curry powder or paste. Pound all together with back of a wooden spoon till quite smooth. Serve in scallop shells, garnished with the white of egg.

These cheese tartlets, mock crab, patties, &c., can be most acceptably varied by using

Shredded Wheat Biscuits

in place of pastry cases or scallop shells. Use any of the cheese mixtures given for Scotch woodcock, mock crab, &c. With a sharp-pointed knife split the biscuit open and place in buttered tin, with a bit of butter on the top of each, in hot oven till crisp and brown. Remove to hot dish, fill in each biscuit with the mixture made very hot, and pile up more on the top.

Dresden Patties.

Stamp out 6 or 8 rounds of bread, dip quickly in milk, gravy, or diluted extract, and drain--on no account allow to soak. Brush over with egg, toss in fine crumbs and fry. Drain and keep very hot. Prepare a cheese and tomato mixture same as for "Scotch Woodcock," and while in saucepan add 1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs--the white chopped in small dice or tiny strips. Mix lightly over the fire and pile up on centre of each round. Serve on hot napkin, garnished with fried parsley. These patties may also be made with shredded wheat biscuits.

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MISCELLANEOUS SAVOURIES.

Scotch Haggis.

"Fair fa' yer honest, sonsy face, Great chieftain o' the puddin' race."

It is to be hoped the shade of Burns will forbear to haunt those who have the temerity to appropriate the sacred name of Haggis for anything innocent of the time-honoured liver and lights which were the _sine qua non_ of the great chieftain. But in Burns' time people were not haunted by the horrors of trichinae, measly affections, &c., &c. (one must not be too brutally plain spoken, even in what they are avoiding), as we are now, so perhaps this practical age may risk the shade rather than the substance.

For a medium-sized haggis, then, toast a breakfastcupful oatmeal in front of the fire, or in the oven till brown and crisp, but not burnt. Have the same quantity of cooked brown or German lentils, and a half-teacupful onions, chopped up and browned in a little butter. Mix all together and add 4 ozs. chopped vegetable suet, and seasoning necessary of ketchup, black and Jamaica popper.

It should be fairly moist; if too dry add a little stock, gravy, or extract. Turn into greased basin and steam at least 3 hours. An almost too realistic imitation of "liver" is contrived by substituting chopped mushrooms for the lentils. It may also be varied by using crushed shredded wheat biscuit crumbs in place of the oatmeal. Any "remains" will be found very toothsome, if sliced when cold, and toasted or fried.

Rolled Oats Savoury.

Put a teacupful Scotch rolled oats in a basin, and pour over 2 cupfuls milk in which some onion has been boiled. Allow to soak for an hour, remove onion, add pinch salt, &c., and a beaten egg. Steam in small greased basin for an hour. May be served with a puree of tomatoes.

Irish Stew.

Pare and slice 2 lbs. potatoes, and about 1/2 lb. each carrots, turnips, and onions. Fry all, except the potatoes, a nice brown in a little butter or fat. Put in layers in saucepan with 2 ozs. fat, salt, pepper, and good stock to barely cover. Simmer very gently for about 2 hours. It may also be baked in pie-dish.

This may be varied in many ways, as by adding layers of forcemeat, pressed lentils, &c. Then there are the various nut meats--Meatose, Vejola, Savoury Nut Meat, &c.--which can be used to great advantage in such a stew.

Scotch Stew.