Part 8

Whipped cream may be added to potato soup just before serving.

=Rice Timbales=

⅓ cup rice 1 cup water ½ teaspn. salt ½ teaspn. oil or melted butter

Soak rice in water for half an hour, add salt and oil, stir well and steam without stirring, ¾ to 1 hour. Press into small oiled molds. Set in a pan of hot water covered, for 10 m. Put one in the center of each plate of soup, with or without a small leaf of parsley on top. Rice may be boiled.

=Dumplings=

Cut bread or universal dough into small rounds or make into very small balls; let rise and steam 20 m. or boil 10 to 15 m. in rich soup just before serving, or boil in water and add to soup.

=Noodles=

I have had equally good success with all three of the following combinations:--

4 eggs, salt, 1¾-2 cups bread flour. (Always use bread flour.)

3 eggs, 2 tablespns. water, salt, 1 teaspn. melted butter, about 2 cups flour.

Yolks 4 eggs, 2 tablespns. water, salt, about 1¼ cup flour.

Beat eggs a little with salt, add water if used, and flour for stiff dough. Knead on floured board until dry but not flakey.

Then cut into three or four pieces and knead each piece, without more flour, until very smooth. Roll each piece as thin and as large as possible, some say to the thickness of a fifty cent piece, hang on clothes bars, away from the fire, turning often until dry but not brittle.

Roll up without flour and cut into fine slices from the end; or fold in 1½ in. accordion pleats and cut fine, or cut into strips of any desired width and cut these into narrow match-like pieces; or cut into rounds or fancy shapes with vegetable cutters. If cut in the first two ways, shake out upon a cloth or board and dry ½ to 1 hour.

Add noodles to boiling consommé and boil rapidly, stirring occasionally with a fork, for 10 to 20 m., or until tender.

Serve soup at once or noodles will become pasty.

Noodles may be cooked in boiling salted water, drained and added to soup, or cooked for 5 m. in water and finished in soup, giving a clearer consommé.

Noodles may be cooked in Mother’s and Nut French soup, as well as in bouillon or consommé.

Noodles may be dried thoroughly and stored in jars or close-covered box, almost indefinitely; but will require a much longer cooking.

=★ Cream Noodles=

Beat 1 egg light, add 1 tablespn. milk and a pinch of salt; then beat in 3-4½ tablespns. flour.

Turn slowly in a slender stream into rapidly boiling soup, stirring constantly; boil up well and serve at once.

When the mixture is poured slowly from the point of a spoon, it will be in shreds, and when cooked will be firm enough to hold its shape, but not hard.

* * * * *

“Cooking is not drudgery--it is an art.... No one who stands by a hot stove ever cooks. That party only waits. The cook is always on the _qui vive_. In the exaltation and exhileration of his artistic services, he forgets that the stove is hot.”

--_Dr. Harvey W. Wiley._

ENTRÉES AND BREAKFAST, LUNCHEON AND SUPPER DISHES

“Entrées are the dishes served between any of the regular courses,” one writer says. Another, “Entrées--a conventional term for side dishes.” Entrées proper may or may not have a large proportion of strength giving elements; but in this book we are placing the foods richest in proteids under the head of “true meats.”

As many entrées make good breakfast, luncheon and supper dishes and _vice versa_, it seemed best to group these all together.

CROQUETTES

Egg for dipping croquettes should be slightly beaten with a pinch of salt and 1 teaspn. to 1 tablespn. of water to each egg.

The whites of eggs alone (beaten just enough to mix with the water), also yolks alone or crumbs without egg may be used.

Crumbs may be cracker, zwieback, dry bread or granella. Corn meal, flour, or a mixture of crumbs and flour are used for dipping. For vegetable and cereal croquettes, the nut meals are excellent.

Mix fine chopped onion and parsley with egg or crumbs sometimes for croquettes.

Full directions for shaping and baking are given with trumese croquettes.

Suitable croquettes or patties may be served on beds of pilau, or on plain boiled rice with gravy, or with macaroni in cream sauce, and some are used as garnishes or accompaniments for true meat dishes.

=Croquette Sauce=

To be used with different additions.

1-2 tablespns. butter 2-2½ tablespns. flour 1 cup hot milk ¾-1 teaspn. salt

1 teaspn. grated onion may be used when suitable and also 1 egg, but croquettes are more creamy without the egg.

Rub the butter and flour together, add boiling milk, stirring; boil, remove from fire, add whatever is to be used for croquettes, cool thoroughly, shape into cones or rolls, set in cold place until ready to use.

This quantity is sufficient for the equivalent of 2 cups of fine chopped meat.

=Corn Croquettes=

1 pt. grated corn, (or 1 can of corn well drained) 1 pt. stale bread crumbs 2 tablespns. flour. 1 egg salt

Mix, shape, bake. These croquettes may be breaded only. They may be used as garnish for a timbale if shaped in cones or balls, or served with cream sauce as a separate course.

=Celery Croquettes=

1 cup mashed potato ¾ cup finely-sliced celery 1-1½ teaspn. butter 2 tablespns. chopped nuts (not too fine) salt

Do not cook celery. Mix all ingredients while potato is hot. Cool, shape, egg and crumb. Stand in cold place until ready to bake.

=Rice Croquettes--cold boiled rice=

Add 2 or 3 tablespns. milk to 2 cups cold boiled rice. Heat in double boiler until softened; then add 1 tablespn. butter, 1 beaten egg and salt. Cream may be used instead of milk and butter. Cool, shape, roll in nut meal, bake. Serve as garnish for a ragout, or with stewed green peas, cream or lentil gravy, or maple syrup or jelly.

=Rice Croquettes No. 2=

Cook 1 cup of rice in a quart of milk with a level teaspn. of salt, in a double boiler until rice is tender and milk absorbed. Add yolks of 4 eggs or 2 whole eggs, and 2-4 tablespns. sugar. Cool, shape, egg, crumb, bake. Serve with strawberry or fig sauce, or with quince, elderberry, or some not too tart jelly. May cook rice in half milk and half water, and if desired add a little butter. Sugar may be omitted.

=Rice and Fig Croquettes=

Add 1 cup of fine cut or ground fresh figs to the preceding recipe, with less or no sugar: 1 teaspn. of vanilla also if desired, and serve with orange or cream sauce as dessert at luncheon.

=Bread Croquettes=

1 tablespn. butter 2 tablespns. flour 1 cup milk 1 egg salt bread crumbs

Heat, do not brown, butter, add flour and stir smooth; pour milk in hot, when smooth, remove from fire, add salt and egg and enough bread crumbs to shape. Cool, shape into balls or rolls, bake. Serve as a garnish or as a separate dish with or without sauce. The mixture may be flavored with some of the sweet herbs or minced onion.

=Oyster Plant Patties=

1 pt. cooked pulp of oyster plant 2 tablespns. cream, with oyster liquor to make a large half-cup (or 1 tablespn. butter with milk and the liquor) 2 eggs, or about ¼ cup cracker crumbs salt

Mix all ingredients; sprinkle buttered shells or scallop dishes with crumbs, put a spoonful of the mixture in each and sprinkle tops of patties with crumbs. Bake in moderate oven on top grate 5-10 m., serve at once.

Patties may be served as a second course at dinner, or for a luncheon dish.

For _pulp_, grind about three bunches of oyster plant through the medium cutter of a food chopper. Cook in a small amount of water until just tender, adding salt about 5 m. before removing from the fire.

=Asparagus en Croustade=

Cut the top crust from gems baked in flat oblong, or round gem pans, and remove the soft inside part. Warm in oven. Have ready one cup hot cooked asparagus tips.

_Sauce_--

3 tablespns. butter 5-6 tablespns. flour 3 cups hot milk salt 1 egg

Prepare the sauce as usual, adding beaten egg last, heat without boiling, carefully stir in the asparagus tips, fill the crusts and serve. A few tips may be reserved and pressed into the sauce after crusts are filled, leaving the heads sticking up. Green peas or stringless beans may be substituted for asparagus. Patty pan pastry crusts may be used.

=Oyster Plant en Croustade=

Remove soft inside crumbs (they will go into a roast) from gems. Fill with oyster plant in cream sauce, sprinkle with crumbs and chopped parsley. Heat in oven, serve with celery plain or fringed.

May use pastry crusts.

=Vegetable Cutlets=

Grate or grind carrots; cook, salt, drain. Cut young tender string beans into small pieces and cook in salted water. Mix with nicely seasoned mashed potato, add grated onion, a trifle of crushed garlic if liked, chopped parsley, and salt if necessary; shape into oblong cakes, egg, crumb or dip into corn meal or flour. Pour a little melted butter over them in the pan and brown in a quick oven. Serve with cream sauce, at once.

The mixture may be enclosed in pastry crust as surprise biscuit.

=★ Squash Cutlets=

Cook young, tender Fordhook or crook-neck squash in ½ in. slices. Dip in egg and flour or crumbs. Bake, covered at first. on well oiled griddle or in covered pan in rather hot oven 25-35 m. or until squash is tender. Serve as soon as done as an entrée or as a garnish.

May soak slices in ice water ½-1 hour; drain and wipe dry before dipping.

=Cucumber Cutlets=

Slice cucumbers in thick slices across, or if small cut into halves lengthwise. Wipe dry with a towel if soaked in ice water. Dip in egg and crumbs or cracker dust. Bake covered in hot oven until tender, 20-30 m. Serve as luncheon dish or as garnish for a meat dish.

A little fine chopped onion may be sprinkled over before baking.

=★ Cutlets of Corn Meal Porridge, or Hasty Pudding=

Make corn meal porridge just thick enough to mold, not stiff. Cook thoroughly and turn into bread tins or other molds which have been wet in cold water. When cold, slice, egg and crumb, or dip in flour (No. 1, browned, best). Brown in hot oven. Serve plain or with mushroom sauce or maple syrup for supper, breakfast or luncheon. In small round or square slices it may be used as a garnish for creamed vegetables or true meat dishes.

For variety, coarse chopped nuts may be stirred into the porridge before molding.

Porridge may be molded in small egg cups and finished the same as slices.

=Rice Cutlets=

Put hot boiled rice (cooked in water or part milk) into square mold or brick shaped bread tin which has been wet in cold water, cover close and stand in cold place. Slice, dip in oil or melted butter and crumbs and bake in quick oven. Serve with green peas, mushroom or any desired sauce, or with jelly, honey or maple syrup.

Dip in egg and crumbs, or in French toast mixture when preferred.

=Corn Cakes=

=Mrs. George S. Hopper=

1 can corn, chopped (or 1 pt. fresh grated) 1 egg 1 cup milk 7-7½ level tablespns. cracker crumbs or enough to thicken

Bake in thick cakes on griddle on top of stove or in oven.

=Corn Cakes No. 2=

2 cups grated corn (about 8 ears) 3 eggs 2 tablespns. milk. salt cracker crumbs to thicken

Bake on griddle on top of stove or set in oven on grate after being dropped on to hot griddle, or bake in shallow gem pans.

=★ Corn Oysters=

2-2½ cups (8 small ears) grated corn not too young 2 beaten eggs salt

Drop batter in small spoonfuls on hot buttered griddle. Brown delicately on both sides and serve at once. Fine cut celery may be added to the batter before baking. Add a few cracker crumbs (not bread crumbs or flour) if corn is very milky. Canned corn does not make good oysters.

=★ Oyster Plant Griddle Cakes=

1 cup mixed rich milk and oyster plant broth 2 level tablespns. flour 1½ cup oyster plant cooked in slices 1 egg salt about ½ cup rolled cracker

Bake on hot buttered griddle on stove or top grate of oven.

=★ Corn Custards=

½ cup grated corn 1-2 teaspns. sugar ¾-1 teaspn. salt 2 eggs 1 cup milk

Beat eggs and mix with other ingredients, turn into oiled custard cups, set in pan of water in oven and bake until firm in the center. May be served in the cups, or turned out carefully after standing a few minutes. Serve with wafers or as accompaniment to meat dishes.

=★ Celery Custards=

2 eggs 1 cup milk ¾ cup fine cut celery 1 tablespn. melted butter ½ tablespn. chopped onion ½ teaspn. salt

Simmer onion and celery in butter without browning. Beat eggs and mix all ingredients. Turn into custard cups; bake in pan of water, covered, until egg is set; after standing a few minutes, turn out of cups on to individual dishes. Serve with ripe olives and wafers or as a garnish to meat dish. May turn on to broiled rounds of trumese.

=★ Onion Custards=

2 cups fine sliced onion a little fine sliced celery 2 eggs 2 tablespns. cream salt

Cook onions in very little water until tender; drain slightly, add celery and other ingredients. Bake in custard cups or individual soufflé dishes until firm in center. Unmold on to platter or chop tray and surround with green peas in cream sauce. Onions may be rubbed through colander after cooking.

=Celery and Mushrooms à la Crême=

1¼ qt. celery in inch slices 1 cup mushrooms in quarters or eighths

Cook celery and mushrooms separate and drain.

_Sauce_--

¼ cup oil and melted butter ¼-½ cup chopped onion ¾ cup flour 1 egg or yolk only 1 teaspn. chopped parsley salt

Simmer onion in oil and add flour, then boiling water to leave stiff (perhaps about 1 pt.); when smooth remove from fire, add salt, parsley and beaten egg. Use liquid drained from celery and mushrooms with water in the sauce. Put layers of sauce, cooked celery and mushrooms in baking dish with sauce on top. Sprinkle with crumbs or corn meal, heat and brown in oven. A little garlic may be used and sometimes a small quantity of cream with a very little strained tomato in the sauce.

=Young Lima Beans à la Crême=

Cook young tender Lima beans and use in place of celery and mushrooms in above.

=Asparagus Tips à la Crême=

Use cooked asparagus tips with the heads sticking up out of the cream a little, instead of celery and mushrooms, in Celery and Mushrooms à la Crême.

=Oyster Plant and Mushrooms à la Crême=

Cook sliced oyster plant (large slices cut in quarters) not too soft in a small quantity of water. Drain and use in place of trumese in Trumese and Mushrooms à la Crême, of Trumese Dishes, using oyster plant liquor instead of water in the sauce.

=Macaroni and Mushrooms à la Crême=

Use one of the smaller varieties of macaroni, one that will make the desired size when cooked, in place of trumese in Trumese and Mushrooms à la Crême, of Trumese Dishes.

=Green Corn Pudding=

Accompaniment to roasts, timbales or other meat dishes, or a luncheon or supper dish.

3 cups (12 ears) grated corn 1 tablespn. sugar if corn is not sweet 2 tablespns. butter if desired 1 qt. milk 1 teaspn. salt 4 eggs

Rub butter and sugar together, add yolks of eggs, beat a little, add corn and salt, mix; add milk, and when smooth chop in the stiffly-beaten whites of the eggs. Bake in slow oven about 1 hour. Cover until near the last.

=Corn Pudding--no milk=

3 cups corn pulp 2-3 tablespns. melted butter 1 tablespn. sugar if necessary 1 egg salt

If corn is very old a little liquid may be required, or if very milky a few cracker crumbs. Bake in pie plates or pudding dish to a nice brown.

=Corn Pudding--no eggs=

3 cups corn pulp 1 pt. milk 1 tablespn. melted butter 1 tablespn. sugar if required 1 teaspn. salt.

Bake one hour in moderate oven.

Canned corn may be used in winter. Add ½ cup of sugar and serve as a dessert sometimes.

=Oyster Plant Pudding--no eggs=

8 large roots of oyster plant (1 pt. after cooking) 2 level tablespns. butter 1 tablespn. cream 1 tablespn. oyster liquor 1 tablespn. milk salt

Grind scraped oyster plant through medium cutter of food chopper, cook in as small an amount of water as possible until tender, not soft; add salt, drain and add the other ingredients. Put into a baking dish, sprinkle with cracker crumbs or granella and chopped parsley. Turn a little melted butter over and brown in oven.

=Sweet Potato Pudding=

1 large sweet potato 1 qt. milk 1 tablespn. butter 4 eggs salt

Peel and grate raw potato. Pour hot milk over and let it boil up. Remove from fire, add salt, butter and beaten eggs; bake in buttered pudding dish in moderate oven 20 m. or until firm in center.

This dish (with the eggs and milk) may serve as the meat dish of a meal.

=Squash Pudding=

To each pint of mashed winter squash add 1-1½ tablespn. almond or dairy cream (and if squash is very dry, a little milk), ¾-1 teaspn. salt, 1 teaspn. sugar and 1 beaten egg. Bake in pudding dish in moderate oven about 20 m. May sprinkle with bread crumbs. A little minced onion may be used in the pudding.

=★ Carrot Pudding=

1 cup mashed carrot ½ cup corn ½ cup stewed tomato from which the juice has been drained 1 tablespn. chopped onion 2 eggs salt chopped parsley

Mix all ingredients, beating eggs slightly, turn into baking dish, sprinkle with crumbs and parsley. Bake until firm in the center.

=Scalloped Asparagus=

Make a thin cream sauce of cream and the water in which the asparagus was cooked, cover the bottom of a serving dish with sauce, put in a layer of asparagus cooked in short pieces (the tips may have been used for croustades) and sprinkle with cracker crumbs; continue layers, cover top with thin or split crackers, pour sauce over, sprinkle with chopped parsley, bake 15-20 m.

=Sister Ford’s Scalloped Cabbage--Delicious=

Chop a nice head of cabbage or shave it fine and put it into a baking dish with alternate layers of bread or zwieback crumbs. Turn over it enough rich milk, to which a little salt has been added, to half cover it. Let it boil up once and then set where it will stew slowly until the cabbage is tender, but no longer.

=Scalloped Egg Plant=

Cut egg plant into slices ½-¾ in. thick. Peel and put into a large quantity of cold water over the fire and bring to the boiling point, boil 5 m. and drain. Repeat the process, add salt to the third water, boil 10 m. and drain. Put into scallop dish in layers with bread or cracker crumbs--just a few, cover with rich milk or thin cream and bake covered until the slices are tender, ½ hr. or longer. Uncover, brown and serve. The egg plant may be cut into large cubes.

=Armenian Scallop of Egg Plant=

1 large egg plant 1½-2 cups strained or unstrained tomato ½ cup sliced or chopped onion 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, fine chopped parsley salt 2 tablespns. butter or oil a few bread crumbs

Prepare egg plant as in preceding recipe; mix onion, garlic, salt and a part of the crumbs. Sprinkle mixture in bottom of baking dish, and between and on top of layers of egg plant. Turn the tomato over all, cover with crumbs, sprinkle with parsley, dot with butter or pour oil over. Cover and bake 1½-2 hours. Brown on top grate of oven.

=Scalloped Onions=

Stew sliced onions until tender, drain and put in baking dish with layers of bread crumbs; add salt and a little melted butter to each layer, nearly cover with milk, sprinkle with crumbs and bake until well browned. The butter may be omitted and a little cream added to the milk.

=Scalloped Raw Potatoes=

Slice potatoes very thin, put in layers into scallop dish, sprinkling each layer lightly with flour or cracker crumbs and salt until dish is ⅔ full. Nearly cover with milk, sprinkle with crumbs, bake 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Cover at first and watch that milk does not boil over. A very little chopped onion in the potatoes improves them. When flour is used it is better to mix the milk and flour and pour over the potatoes.

A quicker way is to cook the sliced potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 m., before putting them into the scallop dish.

=Potatoes Scalloped--raw nut butter and onions=

Cooked sliced potatoes for 10 m. in boiling, salted water, drain, put into baking dish in layers with fine chopped onion, and pour a liberal amount of nut milk (made in the proportion of 4 tablespns. of raw nut butter, with salt, to each qt. of water) over them. When the potatoes are tender and the milk just creamy, sprinkle the top with browned flour No. 1, pour a little oil over, and brown on top grate of oven. Serve at once.

=Scalloped Cooked Potatoes=

Potatoes cooked in their jackets until nearly done are best for this purpose and it is a good way to use up small and irregular shaped ones. Slice or dice the potatoes, put into dish in layers with thin cream sauce, chopped parsley and onion, have sauce on top, sprinkle with crumbs, bake 20 m. Without the onion they are called Cottage Potatoes.

=Scalloped Sweet Potatoes=

Prepare and cook the same as scalloped Irish potatoes, without onion.

=Scalloped Squash=

A squash that is not as good cooked in other ways may be used for this dish. Pare and cut into small pieces, boil or steam until just tender, not soft. Arrange in layers in oiled baking dish with salt, a little sugar and if used, a little butter. Pour over a very little milk or (if no butter is used) thin cream, not more than ½-⅔ of a cup for a good sized dish. Bake covered at first, then brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving. A trifle of ground coriander or anise seed may be used, but the natural flavor of the squash is best.

=Scalloped Oyster Plant=

1 qt. cooked sliced oyster plant (1½ qt., 2 bunches, before cooking) ⅔ cup cracker crumbs 1¼ cup oyster liquor 1¼ cup milk 2 tablespns. melted butter 1 egg salt

Mix oyster plant liquor, milk, butter and salt. Put oyster plant into a baking dish with a sprinkling of cracker crumbs between layers, pour part of mixed liquid over. Sprinkle crumbs on top and turn the last cup of liquid over, after beating the egg with it. Bake covered until just bubbling, then remove cover and brown by setting on top grate of oven.

=Scallop of Oyster Plant=

Cook 1⅓ qt. sliced oyster plant in 1⅓ qt. water, adding salt before draining. To the water drained off add ½-1 cup heavy cream. Boil and thicken with flour to the consistency of thin cream; add salt and pour over oyster plant which has been arranged in baking dish with a slight sprinkling of stale bread crumbs between the layers and on top. Be careful not to use too many crumbs. Bake a half hour or until well heated through and nicely browned. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before or after baking.

=Oyster Plant Scallop=

1 pt. cooked oyster plant pulp prepared as for patties 2 level tablespns. butter 2 level tablespns. flour 1 cup cream (or ½ cream and ½ oyster liquor) salt 2 eggs

Rub butter and flour together; add cream hot. Boil, remove from fire, add beaten eggs, salt and oyster pulp. Put into patty cases, other individual dishes or baking dish, buttered. Sprinkle with crumbs and chopped parsley, heat to bubbling and brown, in oven.

=Scalloped Tomatoes=

Place equal quantities of salted stewed tomatoes and delicately browned croutons in dice as for soup, in layers in baking dish with a little melted butter poured over each layer. Cover with the croutons and sprinkle with melted butter. Bake, covered part of the time, 15-20 m. Crumbs or thin slices of zwieback, or granella may be substituted for dice.

=Scalloped Tomatoes--onion flavor=

Thin layers of bread or zwieback, or of cracker or bread crumbs, with thick slices (or double layers) of peeled tomatoes, salt and onion juice. Cover with crumbs, turn a little melted butter over, sprinkle with chopped parsley. Bake, covered most of the time.

=Scalloped Celery and Tomato=