Chapter 16
Sprinkle salt on the inside of the fish and also on the outside, and then fill with stuffing. Skewer the cut edges of the fish together or close the incision as follows:
Hold the edges of the skin together and thrust toothpicks across the opening, through both cut edges of the fish. Then fasten the opening by _"lacing"_ string around the toothpicks. Cut gashes on each side across the fish and put strips of salt
pork into them or insert strips of pork with a larding needle. Oil a baking sheet or the rack of a fish kettle (see Figure 60) and place the fish on it, forming the fish into an "S" by means of skewers. Place the sheet in a baking-pan and add pieces of salt pork. Bake 15 minutes for each pound, or until the flesh can be separated easily from the bones by means of a skewer or a fork. If the baking-pan is uncovered, baste every 10 minutes. When done, carefully remove the fish from the pan and place on a platter, garnish with parsley and lemon, and serve with _Tomato Sauce_ or _Sauce for Fish_ (see below).
In the absence of a baking sheet, two well oiled strips of muslin may be placed across the baking-pan, underneath the fish. When baked, the fish may be removed easily from the pan by means of the strips of muslin.
STUFFING FOR FISH
2 cupfuls soft bread crumbs 1/2 teaspoonful salt 1/8 teaspoonful pepper Cayenne 1 teaspoonful scraped onion 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley 1 teaspoonful capers or chopped pickles 2 tablespoonfuls butter or substitute
Mix the ingredients in the order given (see _Crumbs for Scalloped Dishes_)
SAUCE FOR FISH
3 tablespoons butter or substitute 1/4 cupful flour 1/2 teaspoonful salt Cayenne l 3/4 cupfuls hot water 1/4 cupful vinegar _or_ 1 large lemon,--juice 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley
Prepare the first five ingredients as in White Sauce (see _White Sauce for Vegetables_. Then add vinegar or lemon juice and chopped parsley. Serve hot over fish.
Hard-cooked eggs make a pleasing addition to this sauce. Chop the whole eggs or slice the whites and mash the yolks with a fork; then add to the sauce.
QUESTIONS
Why should fish not be left uncovered in the refrigerator?
Why should fish be cleaned by wiping with a cloth, rather than by placing in a pan of water (see Experiment 59)?
What is the purpose of placing fish on a baking sheet or placing strips of muslin underneath for baking (see Experiment 60)?
How is fish tested for sufficient cooking?
How can the odor be removed from utensils in which fish has been cooked?
LESSON LXXI
FISH (C)
PLANKED (BROILED) FISH
An oak plank,--one inch in thickness and as long and wide as a large platter,--is a satisfactory device for broiling fish. For planking or broiling, fish steaks or thin, flat fish, such as mackerel or bluefish, should be selected.
Clean the fish, then place it, skin side down, on the plank. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and spread with softened or melted butter. Place in the broiling oven and broil until done, usually 15 or 20 minutes.
A border of potato puff mixture makes a pleasing addition to the fish (see _Potato Puff_). A few minutes before the fish is done, remove it from the oven and arrange the potato mixture around it. (A pastry bag and tube may be used for this purpose.) Brush the potato with egg diluted with water (1 tablespoonful of water to 1 egg). Return the plank to the oven to finish broiling the fish and to brown the potatoes. Serve the fish and potatoes on the plank.
FRIED OR SAUTEED FISH
Clean fish and season with salt and pepper. Mix equal parts of corn-meal and flour. Dip the fish in this mixture. Fry in deep fat or saute. Drain and serve with a sauce. Dried bread or cracker crumbs, and egg may be used for dipping instead of the corn-meal and flour mixture (see _Fried Oysters_).
FISH CHOWDER
1/2 pound salt fish _or_ 2 pounds fresh fish 1 quart potatoes cut in pieces 2 tablespoonfuls bacon drippings _or_ other fat 1 onion, chopped 2 tablespoonfuls corn-meal 1 pint milk Crackers
If salt fish is used, hold it under running water for a few minutes (why?), then shred it.
If fresh fish is used, Wash it, remove bones if possible, and cut it into six or eight pieces.
Brown the onion in the fat. Into a kettle put layers of fish and potatoes and add a little browned onion and corn-meal to each layer. Cover with hot water and boil gently until the potatoes are tender. Add the milk and continue heating until the mixture is hot. Just before serving, add a few crackers broken into pieces.
QUESTIONS
State the advantages of using a plank for broiling fish.
Why select fish steaks or thin, flat fish for broiling?
What is the purpose of brushing the potato mixture with egg?
Give two reasons for using well seasoned sauces and stuffing with fish (see _Comparison of Beef with Fish_).
LESSON LXXII
LEGUMES (A)
THE LEGUMES include peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts. These plants bear pods containing seeds; the seeds--green or ripened--and the pods of some of the plants are commonly used as foods.
PROTEIN IN SEEDS.--Many foods rich in protein belong to the animal kingdom. The seeds of plants, however, contain protein. The common cereals, wheat and corn, contain almost 10 per cent of protein, while oats contain about 16 per cent. But the dried seeds of legumes exceed all seeds in protein content. Peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts contain more protein than most cuts of meat. About 25 per cent of their composition is protein. Soy-beans are much richer in protein than any of the other legumes. They contain about 37 per cent.
It has been mentioned that proteins differ in quality. Although the dried legumes are especially rich in protein, they do not all contain complete protein. With the exception of peanuts and soy-beans, these foods need to be supplemented with other protein-rich foods such as milk, eggs, and cheese.
Since the dried legumes are a much cheaper source of protein than meat, they should be used oftener than they are. Legumes supplemented with milk or combined with a small quantity of meat furnish economical sources of protein food. The protein in legumes is called _legumin_.
COOKING DRIED LEGUMES.--The dried legumes should be soaked overnight in water, to which a little baking soda has been added. These vegetables require long cooking to soften them, and also to develop flavor. A little soda added to the water in which they are cooked also aids in softening them and neutralizes the vegetable acid found in some of the legumes. During the long heating, dried legumes break up, if not carefully cooked.
Dried soy-beans have a strong flavor which is objectionable. This can be removed as follows: Soak the beans overnight in a large quantity of hot water, drain, add fresh water and baking soda (about 1 teaspoonful for each cupful of beans), and cook the beans for about 40 minutes, then drain, add more water, and cook until they are tender. Dried soy-beans require long cooking,--usually 4 or 5 hours. After the 40-minute cooking, they may be drained, heated in more water, and then placed in a _fireless cooker_. The _pressure cooker_ may be used effectively in cooking these dried beans.
Soy-beans may also be baked after the 40-minute cooking in the same manner as navy beans (see _Boston Baked Beans_). Serve cooked soy-beans with Tomato Sauce.
Although dried legumes are comparatively cheap, the fuel required to cook them for so long a time may increase their cost to a considerable extent. In cooking these foods, care should be taken to utilize fuel that is already required for some other purpose. The _fireless cooker_ is most satisfactory in cooking these dried foods.
BOSTON BAKED BEANS
2 cupfuls navy beans 2 tablespoonfuls molasses or brown sugar 2 teaspoonfuls salt 2 ounces salt pork or bacon 1/2 teaspoonful mustard
Soak the beans overnight as directed in _Cooking Dried Legumes_. Add a little baking soda and gradually heat to the boiling point. Then add the seasoning to the beans; place half of them in a bean crock; and add the pork which has been scraped and scored. (To score salt pork cut gashes in it nearly to the rind.) Add the remainder of the beans and enough water to cover them slightly. Bake in a slow oven (250 degrees F.) 6 to 12 hours. Keep the beans below the boiling point and see that they are covered with liquid.
_Lentils_ may be baked in the same way as beans.
SALTED PEANUTS
1/2 cupful salt 1 cupful shelled unroasted peanuts 3 cupfuls water 2 teaspoonfuls butter or substitute
Remove the skins from the peanuts by placing them in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain, cover with cold water; and then slip off the skins. Heat the salt and water, and when boiling, add the peanuts. _Cook 8 minutes_. Drain, rinse off the salt, place in a baking-pan, add the fat, and bake until slightly browned, stirring often. Turn from the pan on paper.
QUESTIONS
Why should dried vegetables be soaked in water before cooking?
Measure the beans after soaking. How much have they increased in bulk?
What is the reason for keeping the beans below the boiling point while baking?
Devise a method for preparing Baked Beans, when they can remain in the oven but an hour or two.
How are fatty meats cleaned? Why can they not be cleaned by washing in water (see Experiment 35)?
What is the purpose of scoring the salt pork or bacon?
What is the advantage of seasoning peanuts by cooking in strong salted water rather than sprinkling salt over them after browning?
What are the prices of beans and raw peanuts per pound?
How many cupfuls in a pound of each?
LESSON LXXIII
LEGUMES (B)
BEAN SOUP
2 cupfuls beans 3 quarts water Baking soda 1 piece of celery root _or_ 1/2 teaspoonful celery salt _or_ Dried celery leaves l 1/2 tablespoonfuls butter or substitute 2 slices onion Cayenne 1/8 teaspoonful pepper 2 teaspoonfuls salt 1/4 teaspoonful mustard 2 tablespoonfuls flour
Soak the beans overnight; add soda, onion, and celery. Cook slowly until the beans are soft. Add more water, if more than one quart evaporates. Press through a strainer. Use the remainder of the ingredients in making a sauce. The strained beans should be used as the liquid for the sauce (see _Thick Soups_).
Slices of lemon and of hard-cooked eggs may be used as a garnish for this soup.
SPLIT PEA SOUP
1 cupful split peas 2 1/2 quarts water Baking soda 2 slices onion 1 pint milk 1/8 teaspoonful pepper l 1/4 teaspoonfuls salt 3 tablespoonfuls flour 2 tablespoonfuls butter or substitute
Soak the peas overnight; add soda and onion; and cook slowly until the peas are soft. Press through a strainer. Make a White Sauce of the remainder of the ingredients. Add the strained peas, heat, and serve.
Cooking a ham bone with the split peas changes the flavor.
GREEN PEA SOUP
1 pint or can of peas 1/2 teaspoonful sugar 1 pint liquid round peas and water Pepper 1 teaspoonful salt 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls butter or substitute 1 pint milk 2 tablespoonfuls flour
Turn the peas into a saucepan; add the liquid, water, and sugar; and cook until very soft. Press the peas through a strainer. Make a White Sauce of the remaining ingredients. Add the strained peas, heat, and serve.
Peas too old to serve as a vegetable may be used for soup. Some of the pods of fresh peas may be cooked with the peas.
CRISP CRACKERS
Spread thin crackers very lightly with butter. Brown in the oven and serve with soup.
QUESTIONS
How should the water boil to prevent dried legumes from breaking (see _Cooking Vegetables in Water_)?
What is the simplest way of thickening soup, if it is too thin? Too thick?
If a ham bone is cooked with split peas, what ingredient should be omitted in making the soup? Why?
How many persons will these recipes for soup serve?
How many cupfuls in a pound of split peas? What is the cost per pound of split peas? How much does one cupful of split peas increase in bulk by soaking? What quantity of split peas would be equal to a can of peas? What is the cost of a can of peas? How much is saved in making soup by using split peas rather than green peas?
LESSON LXXIV
LEGUMES (C)
BEAN ROAST
1 cupful white beans, cooked 1 cupful roasted peanuts 1/2 cupful bread crumbs 1 teaspoonful salt Speck pepper 1/2 cupful milk
Put the beans and peanuts through a food chopper, add the remaining ingredients. Mix and shape into a loaf. Place in an oiled dish and bake 30 minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot with Tomato Sauce.
PEANUT BUTTER SOUP
1 cupful peanut butter 1/2 cupful chopped celery 1 1/2 cupfuls water 3 cupfuls milk 2 teaspoonfuls salt 1/8 teaspoonful pepper 1 grated potato
Mix the peanut butter with I cupful of milk. Heat 2 cupfuls of milk in a double boiler. Cook the celery in the water until the vegetable is tender. Add the grated potato, cook, and stir until the mixture is thickened. Then add it to the hot milk. Also add the peanut butter mixture and seasoning. Heat until it is hot. Beat with a Dover egg beater. Serve hot.
Dried celery leaves may be used instead of fresh celery.
QUESTIONS
Mention the nutrients contained in the food materials of Bean Roast and Peanut Butter Soup. Discuss the value of each nutrient.
Calculate the cost of Bean Roast. How many persons will it serve?
How many persons will one pound of chopped beef serve? Estimate the difference in cost of one serving of Bean Roast and of Chopped Steak.
What is the purpose of grated potato in Peanut Butter Soup? What substance could be substituted for the grated potato? State the method of mixing and cooking if the substitution were made.
RELATED WORK
LESSON LXXV
COST OF FOOD
FOODS DIFFER GREATLY IN COST.--One pound of rice costs much less than one pound of beefsteak. One cut of meat may cost less per pound than another. Twenty-five cents buys much less in weight of sweetbreads than of beefsteak.
Many factors other than difference in cost must, however, be taken into consideration when determining the value of foods.
COST OF FOOD IN RELATION TO NUTRITIVE VALUE.--Foods differ in nutritive value per pound. One pound of dried split peas contains more than three times as much nutriment as one pound of fresh peas. The nutritive value of a pound of sweetbreads is much less than that of a pound of beefsteak.
COST OF FOOD IN RELATION TO REFUSE.--Although one cut of meat may sell for more than another, the higher priced one may be cheaper because there is less waste. In most localities flank steak costs more per pound than shoulder steak; yet flank steak is the cheaper meat because it is all edible, while there is about one fifth waste in most shoulder steak. One pays for some refuse even when purchasing eggs.
COST OF FOOD IN RELATION TO SEASON.--Most foods are higher in price when out of season. Strawberries may cost seventy-five cents per quart in February and twenty-five cents in the spring or summer months. An unseasonable food is invariably expensive.
COST OF FOOD IN RELATION TO WEIGHT.--Food labels often contain valuable information. The weight of the contents of a package, can, or bottle, and sometimes the composition of food appears on them.
Packages, bottles, and cans of equal size do not always contain the same quantity of foods. The shape or thickness of a container also affects the quantity of its contents. By examining labels and noting weight and composition, the price and quality of one brand of foods may be compared with another.
Household scales are useful in checking up the weight of foods, such as meats, fats, and vegetables. By weighing foods after they have been purchased, a housekeeper can determine if a dealer is giving her that for which she pays.
LESSENING THE COST OF FOODS.--There are many things, then, that the thrifty buyer should take into consideration when purchasing foods. It is one of the obligations of a woman who purchases and plans the foods for a family to be careful of expense. The following statement concerning thrift is both forceful and true:
"It is not beneath the dignity of any family to avoid useless expenditure no matter how generous its income, and the intelligent housekeeper should take as much pride in setting a good table, at a low price, as the manufacturer does in lessening the cost of production in his factory." [Footnote 56: _United States Department of Agriculture_, Farmers' Bulletin 391, "Economical Use of Meat in the Home," p. 43.]
CALCULATION OF THE COST OF FOOD.--In counting the cost of foods, it is necessary to know not only the price per pound, quart, dozen, or package, but the measurement in cupfuls of the given weight. Most of the data for the list given below can be obtained from labels on the containers and from the notes on the weights and measures of various foods prepared from the "Questions" of this text. The dashes indicate that data are not required. The cost should be calculated to four decimal places.
FOODS COST MEASURE COST PER COST PER COST PER PER IN CUPFUL TABLE- TEA- POUND, CUPFULS SPOONFUL SPOONFUL QUART, OF ETC. POUND, QUART, ETC.
Apricots (dried) ----- ----- Baking Powder ----- ----- Beans, dried ----- ----- Butter Butter Substitute Cheese ----- ----- Cocoa ----- ----- Coffee Heaping ----- Table- spoonful Corn-meal ----- ----- Corn-starch ----- Cream of Wheat ----- ----- Cream ----- Currants ----- ----- (dried) Eggs (see ----- One ----- Experiment 41 Flour, white ----- Flour, whole wheat ----- ----- Flour, graham ----- ----- Gelatine ----- Lard ----- Macaroni ----- ----- Meat, chopped ----- ----- Milk ----- ----- Potatoes ----- One ----- ----- potato Prunes (dried) ----- ----- Raisins (dried) ----- ----- Rice ----- ----- Rolled Oats ----- ----- Salt ----- Split Peas ----- ----- Sugar, brown ----- ----- Sugar, granulated ----- ----- Sugar, loaf One ----- ----- lump Sugar, powdered ----- ----- Tapioca ----- ----- Tea ----- Vanilla ----- ----- ----- Vegetable Oil ----- Wheatena ----- -----
LESSON LXXVI
COOKING AND SERVING A BREAKFAST
Cook and serve a breakfast. The following menu is suggested: Oranges or Baked Apples Goldenrod Eggs Baked Mush with Honey or Marmalade Cocoa
Follow the English or family style of serving. Serve the breakfast with or without a maid.
Calculate the cost of the meal. In determining the cost, use the data from the previous lesson for the staple materials. The cost of fresh foods such as oranges or apples may be secured from the one who did the marketing or from the grocer's statement.
LESSON LXXVII
REVIEW: MEAL COOKING
MENU
Cereal with Fruit Poached Egg on Toast
See Lesson XIV for suggestions regarding the preparation of the Lesson.
LESSON LXXVIII
HOME PROJECTS [Footnote 57: See Lesson IX]
SUGGESTIONS FOR HOME WORK.--Set the table for the evening meal each day.
Cook at least one tough cut of meat each week.
Suggested Aims:
(1) To lay the cloth smooth and straight.
(2) To place the dishes in a neat and orderly way on the table.
(3) To make as few trips as possible from the cupboard to the dining table.
(4) To plan the entire number of dishes, knives, forks, spoons, and other things needed during the meal, and then place these on the dining table or other suitable place where they may be conveniently obtained when the meal is being served.
(5) To prepare the tough meat so that it is tender, moist, and tasty.
(6) To determine the cost of meat.
DIVISION SEVEN
HEALTH AND GROWTH-PROMOTING FOODS,--RICH IN VITAMINES
LESSON LXXIX
VITAMINES--VEGETABLES OF DELICATE FLAVOR
VITAMINES.--In determining the proper diet for perfect nourishment, scientists long since came to the conclusion that the body needed a certain quantity of carbohydrates, fats, protein, ash, and water. They were all agreed that all these foodstuffs needed to be represented in the foods making up a day's diet. Scientists also found that these foodstuffs must exist in a certain proportion in a day's food,--that there should be enough of each of the foodstuffs to meet the needs of the body. A diet made up of foods in which all the foodstuffs were represented in the proper proportion was termed a _balanced ration_.
Investigations of recent years, however, show that these foodstuffs alone do not afford perfect nourishment. Much valuable scientific work is being done on the question of adequate diet. It is found that _certain substances_ contained in foods in small amounts are absolutely essential in diet. When animals are fed foods containing only the foodstuffs mentioned above and none of these other substances, they cease growing, become diseased, and eventually die.
These materials so necessary to the growth and maintenance of animal life are termed _Vitamines_ by some authorities. There are three classes of Vitamines, called _Fat-soluble A_, _Water-soluble B_, and _Water-soluble C_. It is now believed that there is at least one more vitamine.
Although vitamines exist in foods only in minute quantities it is necessary to use foods containing all the kinds of vitamines to promote growth and to keep in health.
Fat-soluble A, especially with certain minerals, is thought to prevent rickets and a disease of the eye called xerophthalmia. During the war, because of inadequate diet, many cases of these diseases developed in Europe.
Water-soluble B is called the _anti-neuritic vitamine_ because it is necessary to prevent a disease called polyneuritis or beri-beri (see _Polished and Unpolished Rice_).
Water-soluble C is called the _anti-scorbutic vitamine_ because it is necessary to prevent a disease called scurvy.
FOODS CONTAINING FAT-SOLUBLE A are _milk_, _eggs_, and _leafy vegetables_. Leafy vegetables include: spinach, lettuce, celery tops, beet tops, Swiss chard, collards, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and onions. Milk products, such as butter and cheese, and cod-liver oil also contain fat-soluble A. It is also thought to be present in certain vegetables such as carrots, which are not leafy vegetables. Not all fat foods contain fat- soluble A. It does not exist in the vegetable oils.