Part 90

Stouffate--Salt a piece of beef, lard it with ham or smoked tongue, or else fat bacon. Put in an earthenware pot (not in a metal pan) several slices of bacon or butter, vegetables, and spice, and on this lay the meat. Pour over it some wine, and 2 spoonsful vinegar or lemon juice. Let this simmer, adding a little water sufficient to moisten the meat on all sides. When sufficiently cooked put the meat on a dish, remove all fat from the gravy, to which add a little stock; strain it if necessary, and pour it over the meat.

_Scottish._--Brochan.--Brochan is excellent as a supper dish or as a hot nourishing drink in winter when coughs and colds are on the outlook for victims. This is the way it is made: A sufficiency of water is put in a pan on the fire and allowed to boil; for every pint water in the pan, 1 small dessertspoonful of meal is put into a basin and mixed with ½ breakfastcupful sweet cream, according to the quantity of meal; this, with salt to taste, is poured into the boiling water, and the whole allowed to boil for about 1 hour. It is served in cups or small basins; into each of these is put 1 tablespoonful golden syrup, or thin slices of cheese, and the boiling gruel is poured into each. The oatmeal used is that known in Scotland as medium ground.

Skink Soup.--A much-liked and often made soup, made from the shin of beef. A well-broken shin of beef is put into 1½ gal. boiling water and boiled for 2 hours; it is then taken out, and the meat cut from the bone in small neat pieces, the liquor being skimmed at the same time. The bone is returned to the liquor and boiled 4 hours longer. This part of the process is generally done the day before the soup is wanted. The vegetables are then added in about the same proportion as for mutton broth. Add the pieces of beef at the same time, with pepper and salt to taste, and boil till the vegetables are tender.

Sowens.--The sids of oats are made into a dish called sowens, which is delicious, and, being light and wholesome, is often recommended by doctors for invalids. The sids are the inner husks of the oat grain; they retain a fine floury substance, which is what sowens are made of. To make sowens, the sids are first put into a narrow-mouthed wooden tub, like a small barrel with an open end, called a “sowen bowy,” and cold water mixed with them. The sids rise in dry bubbles to the top of the water, and must be stirred with the spurtle till all are wet; they are then covered with cold water to the depth of 6-8 in., and allowed to set for a week in summer, and a few days longer in winter, to sour. When sour, a tin sieve, called the sowen sieve, is placed over a wide-mouthed jar or tub, and the tubful of sour sids poured through the sieve; the sids remain on the sieve, and a drab liquid runs into the tub below. The sids which remain on the sieve have some cold water poured over them to wash out any sediment, are squeezed between the hands for the same purpose, and then thrown away. The water in the wide tub is allowed to set for 2 days after the foregoing operation, and is then fit for use; a thick sediment will be at the bottom, and clear water at the top. When wanted for use, the water is poured off, and sufficient of the sediment put into a pan and boiled with a little water for ½ hour; it is then served in soup plates and eaten with new milk.

_Spanish._--Ajo blanco.--This soup is extensively eaten in Andalusia. Pound 1 clove of garlic and 7 well-dried beans, or better still, almonds, in a small spice mortar to a smooth paste. Moisten this paste with olive oil, drop by drop, then water by degrees, so as to thoroughly incorporate and amalgamate the whole. Add until it is sufficiently wet to soak some bread, which must be added later on, pouring in some vinegar and a little salt. Then put in the breadcrumbs, size of half an almond, and allow it to soak. A final mixing of the bowl, and this quaint and perfectly national dish awaits consumption.

Bacalao.--_Bacalao_, or salted cod, in this land of rigid Catholicism, is almost indispensable as food on the many last days in the calendar. (_a_) Cut up the cod after it has been soaked for 24 hours, and lay the pieces so as to cover the bottom of a pipkin; pour on this a thick stratum of grated bread, garlic and parsley in profusion, then more codfish, then bread again, and so on till the pipkin is full to the top. Fill all the crevices with raw oil, garlic, pepper and salt; close the pipkin, and boil till the contents are nearly dry, when serve. (_b_) Lay onions, cut in thick circles, at the bottom of a pipkin, with tomatoes, a grain of garlic, and cinnamon; on these place a layer of codfish sliced, and so on in alternate layers. Pour in plenty of oil, cloves, peppers, whole and ground, and then set on the fire to boil, without adding any stock, till the juice of the tomatoes and onions is nearly absorbed. (_c_) Codfish with honey or sugar may be eaten by boiling the pieces, draining them dry, soaking in honey, flouring, and then frying; or the pieces may be covered with yolk of egg, floured, and powdered over with sugar. (_d_) Codfish _a la vizcaino_ (in the Biscayan method) may be nice. After soaking and cutting in bits, put it on to boil; meanwhile toast a few tomatoes before the fire, skin them, and mash them well up with a wooden spoon; chop up plenty of onions very small, and put them to boil in oil. Just before they turn colour add the tomatoes. Now place the cod in a pipkin, throw in the onions and tomatoes with the oil in which they were cooked, and set on a slow fire to simmer gently till quite done. (_e_) Codfish _con ajo de arriero_ (with muleteer’s garlic) is prepared by boiling the fish first, then adding a sauce at the time of serving, made by frying garlic in oil, and adding peppers, green and red, with vinegar in equal quantity with the oil.

Chorizos.--The ordinary _chorizos_, or plain sausages, are prepared thus: the lean of pork chopped very small is steeped in a small tub with salt, pepper, white and red, to give it a colour, wild marjoram, which has been well pounded and passed through a sieve, and garlic bruised. It is here beaten up well, so that the meat and condiments may become well incorporated, and it is so kept for 3-4 days, taking care to turn it over once or twice a day, and to work it with the hands. After that time fry a little to taste and try, adding such seasoning or other ingredients as may appear necessary; when ready fill the skins, having prepared them the day previous with an infusion of wild marjoram, a little salt, and water sufficient to cover them. Longaniza, which are larger, longer, and very tender, are made in the same way, but without hot pepper, and with the addition of a little aniseed boiled in white wine. The coarse longanizas is made by chopping up the liver, tongue, heart, kidney, and intestines. Some sausages are scented by drenching the mincemeat in white wine flavoured with powdered cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg; and occasionally this sauce is further thickened with eggs beaten up with or without sugar, the meat being minced small, so as to form a thick paste, adding sometimes honey or cream.

Cocido.--First and foremost on the list of soups comes the cocido, or far-famed olla podrida, so supremely dear to the national heart. Every province has some particular method for the concoction of cocido, to which mode it faithfully adheres. The following method is that of the Spanish capital, Madrid, that being the most general. Throw 1½ lb. either mutton or veal into a vessel, with water (the Spaniards use a pipkin, called in the vernacular a “marmite”), 1½ lb. garbanzos, or chickpeas, one good slice of lean raw ham, and any _debris_ (no matter how small) of game or poultry. Cook gently with the lid on, skim, and add a little bacon cut small, and as much salt as necessary; cook for another ½ hour, then pour off the broth slowly, to be used afterwards for the soup and sauce; add as much vegetable as you please, thoroughly well washed, and cook over a clear fire until done. About 5 minutes before the olla is ready, throw in a piece of chorizo (black pudding). Serve the meat separately on one dish, the vegetables on another, and in a third the sauce for the whole.

Gaspacho.--There are 2 other soups much affected by this nation, and these are, strange as it may seem, eaten cold. The first is gaspacho. This is always regarded as the most refreshing of all the national dishes. The poor glory in it; and the rich, during that time when the beams of a too scorching sun enervate the Spanish frame, fly to gaspacho as an unfailing “pick-me-up.” Put some chopped chives and cucumber cut up in the shape of dice into a large salad bowl, add a small quantity of water, a pinch of salt, lemon juice and oil. Throw in some crumbled bread, which must be able to float. Finally sprinkle some fine chopped marjoram over the whole, and your gaspacho is ready.

Morcillas, or Black Puddings.--These savoury articles are prepared as follows: Mince up the fat that has been taken from the stomach of the pig into very small pieces, and throw it into a large tub with salt, onions, pepper, cloves, and cinnamon, all chopped small; pound the whole together till the spices are well mixed, and then add the blood slowly, using a wooden spoon. As soon as the paste is made, fry a little and taste, adding more seasoning if required. Now fill the skins, leaving them a little thin, so that they may not burst in cooking, which operation is performed by boiling in a large saucepan full of lukewarm water. Care must be taken that the puddings are placed in the saucepan slowly and without crowding, and as soon as the vessel is filled loosely, set it on a quick fire. After boiling for a moment or two, pierce each pudding with a needle threaded with a wisp of fennel to let out the air, and reduce the fire. When it is found that on pricking no blood issues from the puddings, they may be considered cooked. Remove the puddings very cautiously from the saucepan, place them on the table in a clean cloth, dry, and then hang them up. The water in which they have been boiled may be used as stock. Some insert rice with the mincemeat instead of the other ingredients, and there are many other recipes.

_Turkish._--The following are mainly from the pen of Marie Kibrizli Pasha, and first appeared in the _Queen_:--

Asuree.--Take 2 lb. wheat, unground, and wash it; throw it into a large saucepan cold water and boil for 1 hour; then dry it near the stove on a cloth. When it is quite dry beat it in a mortar to get off the husks; then put the wheat into a strong muslin bag, tie it up; put it into a saucepan of cold water, and let it boil all day until the water becomes of the consistency of jelly. Then take out the bag, squeeze it until all the water is out, and throw the dregs away. Put 1 lb. white sugar in the water and boil it until it becomes like jelly; if not sweet enough, add more sugar. Put a handful of sultana raisins in a dish with a few blanched almonds, cut small; mix these with the jelly and put it in glass dishes. It will keep many days, and is a strengthening and a very nice dish.

Cerkestal.--Remains of fowls may be stewed with an onion, pepper, salt, and a little water. Wash and bruise 6 walnuts, and mix them in some of the gravy, adding a small quantity of cayenne pepper, and serve as a sauce.

Dolma Hindi (Stuffed Turkey or Fowl).--Take 2 handfuls rice and half boil it; then cut up 1 doz. chestnuts, a handful of currants, and a handful of pistachio nuts; melt about ¼ lb. butter in a saucepan, then mix all well together, adding a little salt and a little cayenne pepper, with a very small quantity of bruised cinnamon. Then stuff the turkey or fowl with this, and sew up the breast; put it on a flat baking dish with a little butter, and baste it with butter. This stuffing is used in Turkey for all kinds of birds and sheep that are roasted whole.

Dolmas.--Chop some mutton or beef very finely, with a little of the fat; add an onion, pepper, salt, and a little boiled rice, and mix it all together. Then take some cabbage leaves and put them into boiling water for a minute or two, and roll the meat into them like small sausages; then stew them in a little broth or water with a small piece of butter in it.

Elva.--Take 1 lb. semolina and ½ lb. butter; put the butter into a saucepan, and brown it well; then sprinkle the semolina into it slowly, and keep stirring until it all becomes well mixed and browned. When sufficiently done, put ½ lb. white sugar and 1 pint milk into another saucepan, and boil it; then blanch about 30-40 almonds, cut them in halves, and throw them into the semolina; then stir in the syrup slowly, and mix well. When it becomes like a thick paste, turn it into moulds to cool, and then turn out on the dishes.

Etena Zarvatte (Ragout).--The Arab cook (for the cooking in Turkey is always done by Arab women) takes 1 lb. meat, either beef or mutton, and cuts it into small pieces. She then fries it just sufficiently to brown it in a little butter or dripping, adding salt, pepper, and a tumblerful of water. She then cuts up 1 lb. French beans, and puts the whole into a stewpan to simmer slowly, adding water as it is required, and serves it when the whole is of a good consistency and there is a good gravy. Any kind of vegetables, carrots or potatoes, will do instead of beans.

Kabaps (Kabobs).--Take some slices of mutton or beef, with a little of the fat and an onion, chop them very fine, add pepper, salt, and a little flour; mix all well together with a little water, so as to make a thick dough; then roll it round skewers and bake it in a slow oven. As soon as the gravy forms, take it off the skewers and put it on a dish with sippets of toasted bread, and throw the gravy over it.

Kabrac Dolmassi (stuffed vegetable marrows).--Take 1 or 2 kabracs (vegetable marrows), cut them in halves across, and scoop out the seeds and a little of the pulp; then rub in a little salt. Scrape off the rinds, then chop ½ lb. mutton very finely, add 1 large onion chopped very small, and a little parsley, also chopped, then season with a little pepper, salt, and about a pennyworth of uncooked rice. Mix all together and stuff the vegetable marrow with it, then put them to boil slowly, with only a small quantity of water in the saucepan.

Kourabiedes.--Break ½ lb. fresh butter into ½ lb. finest rice flour, add ½ lb. finely-powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, moisten into a rather firm paste with orange-flower water, knead lightly, and divide into balls the size of a mandarin orange, bake for ½ hour between buttered sheets of paper; powder with sugar when done.

Kufté.--Mince 1 lb. lean beef very small; add salt, pepper, and a chopped onion, grate the crumb of 2 French rolls, or a large piece of bread and mix it with the meat, and add 2 eggs; then mix all together into a dough. Then roll it into small sausages, first putting them into a little flour. Brown about ¼ lb. butter in a frying pan, and fry the meat in it, and when dished throw the butter over it.

Lokma.--Take 1 lb. flour, then beat up 10 eggs; mix them with the flour, and add a pinch of salt, then put in a glass of water to thin it a little. Take ½ lb. butter, brown it in a frying pan, and put the paste in small round pieces into it, let them brown slowly, taking care to turn them and keep them separate. Take 1 lb. white sugar and 1 teacupful cold water, and boil them in a clean saucepan; when the syrup is done, throw the balls in, and boil them until they are well sweetened, then serve them either hot or cold.

Ouzum Yaprac Dolmassi (dolmas with vine leaves).--During the spring in Turkey large quantities of the young vine leaves are gathered. They are then carefully placed in layers in large earthenware jars or pans that are not porous. The leaves for winter use have layers of salt placed between them, but those for summer use do not require it. Place a good handful of salt over each layer of leaves, and press them down tightly. When the jars are within 2 in. of being full fill them with water. Then place a piece of wood across the top, and put a stone on it to keep out the air. The Dolmas are made in the following way: Take 1 lb. veal, with a little of the fat, mince the meat very finely, and add salt, pepper, and a pennyworth of raw rice, and a large onion chopped very small. Mix it all together into a dough. Put an iron saucepan full of water on the fire; when it begins to boil throw into it 30-100 leaves, as you may require, and let them boil 5 minutes, stirring them well; then turn them out on a dish to cool; when cold break off the stalks, and roll a small quantity of the meat into each, taking care to close the leaf well. Place them carefully in layers in a saucepan without water, and closely, one over the other. Then take a good-sized piece of butter, brown it in the frying pan, and pour it over the dolmas. Half fill the saucepan with hot water, cover it and put it on a stove, to boil slowly until the dolmas are done. Care must be taken not to let them mix together. To get them well out without breaking, the saucepan must be turned upside down on a dish. Beat up an egg and mix it with a little flour, then put a small quantity of the water in which the dolmas were boiled into a smaller saucepan, and stir the egg into it. Pour this sauce over the meat.

Pilau.--Take 3 or 4 large tomatoes and boil them. When they are quite soft mash them well, adding a little salt, and put them back in the same water in which they were boiled, and add ½ lb. rice. When the rice has absorbed all the water, and is well done, take the saucepan off the fire, and put it to stand near, so as not to cool; then put a good-sized piece of butter in a frying pan, and when it is well browned mix it up well with the rice, and serve it hot.

Pouf Burek.--The Arab takes ½ lb. flour and 2 eggs, and makes a paste; then rolls it out thin; then grates some new cheese, chops some parsley very finely, mixes them, and spreads the mixture over the paste. She then doubles up the paste, or folds it once, and cuts out small round cakes with a coffee cup. She then puts a good-sized piece of butter in a frying pan, and when it is nicely browned she fries the little cakes in it, and serves them hot.

Prassas (leeks with oil).--Take 2 doz. leeks and wash them well, cut them in two, leaving only a small part of the white end, and throw away the rest; then cut them into pieces the size of dice, and throw them into water to wash them. Put a breakfastcupful of the best Lucca oil in a saucepan, and brown it slightly; then have ready 3 large onions cut up small, and throw them into the oil to brown a little. Mince a little parsley and mix it with the leeks, and then put them into the oil, adding 2 or 3 glasses hot water. Cover it well; season well; let it boil slowly until the leeks are done. Serve it cold.

Suburek.--Take 1 lb. flour and add a little water and salt, so as to make a thick paste, roll and divide it into 3 portions, then roll out 2 portions and put them aside to serve for rolling up the third portion. Then take 8 eggs, mix them with the third portion, roll it out very thin, cut it into 8 portions and throw them into boiling water on the fire, one after the other. When they are half-boiled or nearly done, spread one of the uncooked portions in a pie dish that is not very deep, and put 4 of the 8 boiled portions in it. Then take some minced beef or mutton, well seasoned and slightly browned in a frying pan with butter, mix a little minced parsley with it, and put it in the dish, then put the remaining 4 _boiled_ portions over it and cover the whole with the remaining large portion, then brown a little butter in the frying pan and put it over the paste. Bake it in the oven. A very good dish.

Tauf--Ghezon.--Draw 2 fowls, and put them to boil slowly; when they are half done take off all the white meat and put it into another saucepan to boil in milk, adding a small quantity of the water in which the fowls were first boiled. When the meat is reduced to a pulp mix it well with pounded white sugar, so as to make it quite sweet. Serve cold on a dish sprinkled with pounded cinnamon. This is a strengthening dish for an invalid.

Tauk Dolmas.--After drawing a fowl, chop the liver, gizzard, and heart very finely and add seasoning; boil some rice and mix it with a small piece of butter, then mix all together and stuff the fowl with it; make a little gravy with the neck and head, and serve with it. This dish should be stewed slowly.

Tuginar (ragoût with artichokes).--Take 1 lb. mutton or veal, and cut it in small pieces. Take 8-10 artichokes and wash them well, stripping off all the leaves, then cut the bottoms in 4 quarters; cut up 2 onions and mince a little parsley, and mix them. Then put a ¼ lb. butter into a stewpan, and put the meat in; when it is a little browned, throw in 2 or 3 tumblers of water, cover it, and let it stew gently for ¼ hour. Add a little seasoning, according to taste, with the onion and parsley; then put in the artichokes to cook until they are done, and then serve the dish. Other vegetables, such as broccoli or Brussels sprouts, may be substituted.

_West Indian._--Cavershed Fish.--Cut a sole into 3 or 4 pieces, according to size; flour each piece, have ready a frying-pan with some good frying oil, put it on the fire, and when the oil boils lay the fish in it, and fry a light brown; drain each piece well, and, when cold, lay them on a dish. Boil ½ pint vinegar, with a little allspice, ginger, and pepper, and throw it over the fish.

Coconut Cakes.--Break a coconut, remove the brown skin and cut it up into quite small pieces (somewhat larger than grains of rice). Put 1 lb. coarse brown sugar into a saucepan, with a teacupful of water; when it boils, skim off the scum, or strain through muslin, add the coconut and a little ginger, and boil (stirring constantly) till the sugar begins to thicken; then drop a little of the mixture from a spoon on to a board or dish which has been well damped with cold water; if it sets so that it can be raised with a knife without breaking, drop all the mixture in like manner in little cakes. Grated coconut can be done in the same way.

Crab Backs.--This dish is truly delicious; once eaten as prepared by a black cook, it is one never to be forgotten. The crabs must be caught and brought in alive; the cook must kill them herself, and divide the claws and bodies from the backs; when doing so she must be careful not to break the gall in the body, which would cause the whole of the meat in the crab to taste bitter. Boil these sufficiently, and, when cold, pick all the meat from the claws and bodies; the fat, which is of a very dark colouring, must be well mixed with the meat and stirred; add pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and lime juice to taste, also bread or biscuit crumbs; have the backs nicely cleaned, fill them with the above mixture, sprinkle breadcrumbs over them, and bake for about 10 minutes. Some people prefer crab backs without the addition of the fat, when they are not nearly so rich, and are of a much lighter colour.

Eater Drink.--An Indian drink. Take 3 doz. ripe fruit of the eater (ita) palm, place them in a jar, and pour boiling water over them. Let them stand until they are sufficiently soft to allow the rind to come off easily. Scrape the fruit, and when cool sweeten, and it is ready for use. This palm is as light as cork, and grows abundantly in the interior of Guiana.

Fly.--Grate 3 or 4 sweet potatoes (the white sort), place them in a stone jar, with 3 gal. boiling water, 1 doz. cloves, clear sugar to taste, and clarify with the white shell of an egg. Let it stand 24 hours, then strain, bottle and cork tightly; it is fit for use in a week.