Chapter 6

An economical housewife may supply good gravy and thick soups at very little, if any, addition to the weekly expenses, as soups are an excellent method of using up scraps and bones from joints and vegetables that otherwise are wasted. Soup, if taken as the primary course of a substantial dinner, if well flavored and warm, acts as a stimulant in the stomach, exciting the gastric glands, and generally enabling that organ to perform its functions more easily. For this object the soup should be thin and not too much of it partaken, otherwise it dilutes the digestive juices too much. If it is to form the chief part of the meal, the soup will be more nutritious if thickened, especially so, if pulse--i.e. peas, beans, and lentils--is used as the thickening medium.

Stock is the liquid in which meat, bones, or vegetables have been cooked, and which contains an extract from these substances. It is used for soups, sauces, and gravies. Fresh or cooked bones or meat may be used. A stock pot may be kept on the stove, into which are put any scraps of meat, bones, gristle, or vegetable; at the end of the day it is strained, and all fat taken off. Bones and meat for stock must be broken into small pieces. Cold water should be used, and a little salt to extract the nutriment. The whole must be brought slowly to the boiling point; then, the temperature lowered, the fat and scum taken off. When wanted for clear soups the vegetables should be cleaned, but not cut up, or with the long cooking they may mash and thicken the soup. In hot weather it is better to leave out the vegetables, as the stock turns sour more quickly if vegetables have been used in its preparation. They can be cooked separately and added when using the stock.

The soup should simmer for five or six hours to extract the gelatinous matters. If the stock is skimmed occasionally it will be much clearer. Keep the lid on the stock pot to prevent loss by evaporation. The bones can be cooked again next day for a second stock, but the vegetables must be taken out. Care must be taken that nothing doubtful in freshness be put into the stock pot. Meat and bones should be well wiped with a damp cloth before using them. If onions be put in the soup unpeeled, simply washed and the root end cut off, they will help to color the soup. When using eggs for other dishes, if the shells be washed before breaking them and added to the stock pot they will help to clear the soup. For clear soups care must be taken that nothing of a floury nature be added to the stock pot. Stock always should be strained before cooling. Never allow it to stand in stock pot all night. Clear gravy soup consists of the extractives, flavoring matters, and gelatine of meat and bones.

Consommé is a good stock made from beef, veal, and often fowl, and flavored with vegetables, cooled, freed from fat. It is clarified with whites and shells of eggs, and chopped raw lean beef, and strained through a cloth. It should be brilliantly clear and of a pale brown color. Any fat floating on the stock may be removed by passing a piece of kitchen or blotting paper over the surface. Soup left from a meal will keep better if strained from the vegetables that have been served in it. In hot weather, stock left over must be boiled each day, and poured into a clean basin to prevent its turning sour. In warm weather, soups with milk in their composition should have a pinch of baking soda added.

Thickenings for soup consist usually of yolks of eggs and cream beaten together in a basin, the boiling soup poured on slowly, stirring well at the same time. Soups thus thickened should not be allowed to boil again, otherwise they will curdle. Instead of eggs and cream, cornstarch and milk may be used to thicken the soup.

Asparagus Soup

40 heads asparagus 3 tablespoonfuls flour 3 tablespoonfuls Crisco 1/2 cupful cream 1 quart white stock 1 bunch herbs 1 bay leaf 4 sprigs parsley 2 egg yolks 1 blade mace Salt and white pepper to taste 1 onion

Take heads off asparagus, and put aside. Cut up stalks in slices, also onion, put these into saucepan with Crisco, herbs, parsley, bay leaf, and mace, and fry gently for fifteen minutes, add flour, then stock, and simmer slowly for 1-1/2 hours. Rub through sieve, add cream, yolks of eggs, and seasonings, reheat, but take care not to boil soup. Just before serving throw in asparagus tops, which should be first cooked in a little boiling stock.

Cheese Soup

4 tablespoonfuls grated cheese 3 quarts clear soup stock 1-1/2 cupfuls flour 4 tablespoonfuls Crisco 2 cupfuls cream 2 eggs Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste Finely grated cheese

Put flour into double boiler, add gradually cream, Crisco, 4 tablespoonfuls of grated cheese and paprika to taste, stir over fire till a smooth paste. Break in eggs, mix well, cook two minutes longer and allow to cool. Roll into balls, when they are all formed, drop into boiling water and cook gently five minutes. Drain and put into soup tureen. Pour over boiling stock and serve with dish of finely grated cheese.

Cream of Tomato Soup

2 tablespoonfuls flour 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls Crisco 1 cupful milk 2-1/2 cupfuls strained tomato juice 1 teaspoonful celery salt Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste Pinch baking soda 1 tablespoonful tomato catsup

Blend Crisco and flour together in saucepan over fire, add milk and bring to boiling point. Heat tomato juice, tomato catsup and add soda and seasonings. Just before serving add Crisco mixture to tomato juice and stir till boiling. Serve hot. Another method, is to cook 1 quart can of tomatoes with 1 quart of water twenty minutes, then rub through sieve. Blend 2 tablespoonfuls Crisco with 2 tablespoonfuls flour, add 1 tablespoonful sugar, salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoonful tomato catsup. Add pinch of baking soda to tomatoes, then add gradually to Crisco mixture. Just bring to boiling point and serve with tablespoonful whipped cream on top of each plate.

Fish Soup

1 lb. cod, or other white fish 2 tablespoonfuls Crisco 1 quart white stock, or half milk and half water 1 small carrot 1 small onion 1 stalk celery 3 parsley sprigs 1 blade mace 2 egg yolks 1/2 cupful cream 1 lemon 2 tablespoonfuls flour 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley

Dry toast

Wash and dry fish and cut into small pieces. Put into saucepan with stock, vegetables cut in small pieces, parsley and mace. Let these simmer for half hour, then strain off liquid. Melt Crisco in pan, stir in flour, then add fish liquor and stir till it boils. Draw it to the side of fire and let cool slightly. Beat yolks of eggs with cream, and, when soup has cooled, strain them in. Reheat soup without boiling it, to cook eggs. Season, and add few drops lemon juice and chopped parsley. Serve with small pieces of dry toast.

Lentil Soup

1 cupful lentils 2 cupfuls milk 3 tablespoonfuls Crisco 3 pints stock or water 1 onion 1 carrot 2 stalks celery 1 tablespoonful flour 1 bay leaf Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cupful cream Croutons

Wash lentils; soak twenty-four hours; drain well. Cut onion, carrot and celery into small pieces, then put them into a saucepan with Crisco, cover, and cook gently for fifteen minutes. Add stock and simmer 2 hours, then rub through sieve. Return to pan, add milk, seasonings, and bring to boil. Moisten flour with 1/2 cupful milk or stock, add it to soup and simmer five minutes. Season to taste and add cream. Serve with croutons of fried or toasted bread.

Lentils are a small leguminous seed, not so generally known as beans, but an excellent nitrogenous food, containing about 25 per cent. protein, more than 50 per cent. starch, with over 2 per cent. fat. They are not used as much as they ought to be.

Croutons are made by cutting bread into tiny cubes and browning through and through in hot oven or putting into a frying pan with 2 tablespoonfuls Crisco and browning well. If latter is used great care must be used as the croutons will brown easily.

Lobster Bisque

1 can lobster 1 cupful breadcrumbs 1 quart milk 1 quart water 1 tablespoonful flour 1/4 cupful Crisco Salt, pepper, red pepper, and grated nutmeg to taste Squares fried bread Thin lemon slices

Open a can of lobster of good quality, take out best pieces and cut into small squares without tearing; put them aside. Place remains of lobster in mortar or basin, and pound quite smooth with Crisco. Soak bread in water, adding flour, and seasonings, and put all on fire in soup pot with pounded lobster and Crisco; stir till it boils, and boil for fifteen minutes; then pass it through sieve, add milk and pieces of lobster, and return to the pot till it boils up. Serve with small squares of fried bread, and send thin slices of lemon to table with it. This is an excellent soup, and can of course be made with fresh lobster.

Norfolk Puree

1/2 cupful barley, pearl 1 quart water 3 pints white stock 1/2 cupful cream 1 yolk of egg 2 tablespoonfuls Crisco 4 tablespoonfuls cooked carrot balls 4 tablespoonfuls cooked peas Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste Diced toast or fried bread

Put barley into saucepan of cold water, bring to boil, let boil five minutes, then drain off water; this removes the slightly bitter taste. Now put barley into saucepan with Crisco and water, let these boil gently until barley is tender, drain, and rub through sieve. Add stock to this puree and let simmer ten minutes. Beat yolk of egg with cream and when soup has cooled slightly, strain them in. Stir soup over fire a few minutes to reheat; but be careful that it does not boil, or it will curdle. Season carefully, add carrot balls and peas, which should first be heated in a little stock or water. Serve with dice of toast or fried bread. If you do not possess a round vegetable cutter, cut the carrot into small dice. This is a particularly nourishing soup. If you prefer a slightly cheaper variety, use milk instead of cream, and if you have no white stock use milk and water in equal proportions instead, and cook a carrot, turnip and onion in milk and water for twenty or thirty minutes.

Soup Verte

4 tablespoonfuls flour 3 tablespoonfuls Crisco 2 quarts stock 1 bunch parsley 1 lb. spinach 1 bunch parsley 1 teaspoonful sugar 2 egg yolks 1 lemon Salt and pepper to taste

Put stock into saucepan; add spinach and parsley, picked and thoroughly washed; let all boil twenty minutes; strain, rubbing puree through sieve. Return it all to saucepan, add Crisco and flour mixed together with cupful of water, sugar and strained juice of a quarter of lemon. Let boil five minutes. Beat yolks of eggs with 1/4 cupful water, add them gradually to soup off fire, and stir near fire until cooked. Soup must not boil after yolks are added. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Thick Rice Soup

2 pints water or stock Salt and pepper to taste 2 small onions 2 tablespoonfuls Crisco 1 cupful rice 1 cupful canned tomatoes, or 4 fresh ones

Wash and drain rice. Heat Crisco in saucepan, add rice and stir constantly until a golden brown. Now add water or stock, onions and tomatoes cut in small pieces, and seasonings. Cook slowly for one hour.

FISH

Fish, though not quite so nutritious or so stimulating as butcher's meat, is an excellent article of diet, as it is light and easy of digestion and well suited to delicate persons and those following sedentary occupations, who generally do not take exercise in the fresh air. Fish contains a fair proportion of flesh forming and mineral matter, and the white kinds very little fat, hence their value in a sick diet. A few fishes are rich in fat, as salmon, mackerel, eels, and herrings; they are more satisfying as a meal, but usually more difficult to digest, except the latter, which is fairly easy to digest, and, being inexpensive, forms an economical food.

The digestibility will vary also with the quality of the fish and the methods of cooking. White fish when boiled is improved by being rubbed over with a cut lemon, or by adding a little vinegar to the water in which it is cooked to keep it white and firm. The fish should be put into hot, not boiling water, otherwise the higher temperature contracts the skin too quickly, and it breaks and looks unsightly. Salt fish may be placed in cold water, then boiled to extract some of the salt; if the fish has been salted and dried, it is better to soak it in cold water for about twelve hours before cooking.

Fish to be fried should be cooked in sufficient hot Crisco to well cover it, after having been dried and covered with batter, or with beaten egg and breadcrumbs. To egg and breadcrumb fish put a slice into seasoned flour, turning it so that both sides may be covered. Shake off all loose flour. Brush fish over with beaten egg. Raise fish out of egg with the brush and a knife, drain off egg for a second, and lay fish in crumbs. Toss these all over it, lift out fish, shake off all loose crumbs, lay the slice on a board, and press crumbs down, so that surface is flat. The thicker the fish the more slowly it must be fried after the first two minutes, or it will be raw inside when the outside is done.

_To bone fish._ The process of boning is known as filleting and is generally done by the fish dealer, but when this is not the case the single rule for boning must be strictly adhered to in order to keep the knife on the bone lifting the flesh with the left hand while the knife slips in between the bone and the flesh. Flat fish are divided down the middle of each side well into the bone, and the boning is begun at either side of the incision. Round fish are cut down the back, the flesh is laid open from one side and the bone is removed from the other. Occasionally round fish are boned readily, the whole fish minus the bones being returned to its proper shape, as in anchovies, sardines, herrings, haddocks, etc., in this case the fish would be split down the front, not the back, and stitched together after boning.

Fish stock is made from the bones, skin and trimmings of white fish. These are broken small and generally flavored with onion, parsley, herbs, and seasonings. The proportion of water used is rather larger, as the flavor is much stronger and also more easily extracted than from meat.

Baked Halibut

2 lbs. halibut 1 cupful tomatoes 2 tablespoonfuls flour 2 tablespoonfuls Crisco 3/4 teaspoonful salt 1/8 teaspoonful pepper

Clean fish, season with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, place in Criscoed baking pan, pour over tomatoes, and dot with Crisco. Bake in a moderate oven, basting often.

Baked Salmon with Colbert Sauce

1 slice salmon, 1-1/2 lbs. in weight 4 tablespoonfuls melted Crisco 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley 1 tablespoonful tarragon vinegar 1 chopped shallot, gherkin and anchovy Salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste and water

For Sauce

4 tablespoonfuls Crisco 2 tablespoonfuls flour 1 teaspoonful lemon juice 3 anchovies 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley Pepper to taste 2 cupfuls fish stock, or milk and water

_For fish._ Mix Crisco with shallot, gherkin, anchovy, and seasonings, lay salmon in this mixture and let it "marinade," as it is called, for one hour. At the end of that time lift it out; do not shake off any ingredients that are sticking to it. Now lay it in a well Criscoed fireproof dish, cover it with a greased paper, and bake in moderate oven for thirty minutes.

_For sauce._ Melt Crisco in small saucepan, stir in flour, add fish stock and stir until it boils and thickens. Rub anchovies through fine sieve, and add with seasonings. Serve in hot tureen with fish.

Baked Shad

1 shad weighing 4 lbs. 1/4 lb. mushrooms 1/2 cupful Crisco 2 tablespoonfuls chopped parsley 2 tablespoonfuls chopped chives 1 cupful breadcrumbs 1 egg Salt and white pepper Salt pork 1 cupful cream 1 teaspoonful cornstarch

Clean, wipe and dry the shad. Melt Crisco, add breadcrumbs, chopped mushrooms, parsley, chives, egg well beaten, salt and pepper. Stuff fish with this forcemeat, then lay it in a greased pan, put thin strips of salt pork over it and bake in hot oven for forty minutes. Lay the fish on a hot platter. Pour cream into baking pan, add cornstarch and stir till boiling. Serve with the fish.

Cassolettes of Fish

1/2 lb. cold cooked fish or shrimps 1/2 cupful milk 4 tablespoonfuls Crisco 1/2 cupful water 2 tablespoonfuls cream 2 eggs 4 tablespoonfuls flour Salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste 1 teaspoonful lemon juice 2 lbs. cooked potatoes

Rub potatoes through a sieve, add little salt and pepper, 1 egg well beaten, and 2 tablespoonfuls melted Crisco and mix well. Roll out on floured baking board to 1-1/4 inches in thickness. Cut into small rounds, brush over with remaining egg well beaten, toss in fine breadcrumbs, mark the center slightly with a smaller round cutter. Fry to golden color in hot Crisco. Remove lids, carefully remove bulk of potatoes from inside, fill with mixture, replace lids, and serve hot. For mixture, blend 2 tablespoonfuls of the Crisco with flour in a saucepan over the fire, add milk, water and seasonings and cook for a few minutes. Put in flaked fish and make hot. Add cream last. 1/2 teaspoonful of anchovy extract may be added if liked.

Sufficient for ten cassolettes.

Dressed Crab

1 good sized heavy crab 6 tablespoonfuls Crisco 2 tablespoonfuls breadcrumbs 3 tablespoonfuls olive oil 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley Crisp lettuce leaves Salt and pepper to taste

If possible choose a crab with large claws. Boil crab in boiling salted water for thirty minutes, take up and break off large and small claws. Lay crab on its back, pull back the flap under its body, pull it right out and commence to remove flesh from shell. Take care that the little bag near head, usually full of sand, is taken out. Throw away all bone and finny pieces. The flesh is of two kinds, some firm and white, rest soft and dark. Separate former into little shreds with a fork, also the white meat from claws, which must be cracked in order to obtain it. Mix dark soft substance with crumbs, add oil, vinegar, and seasonings to taste. Toss shredded white meat also in a little seasoning, but keep the two kinds separate. When shell is empty wash and dry well. Fill shell with the two mixtures, arranging them alternately, so that they appear in dark and white stripes. Have it heaped a little higher in center. Decorate meat with lines of finely chopped parsley, and force the Crisco round edge with a forcing bag and tube. Place crab on some crisp lettuce leaves. Arrange some of the small claws in a circle round shell.

Curried Cod

2 lbs. cod 1/4 cupful Crisco 2 cupfuls white stock 1 tablespoonful flour 2 teaspoonfuls curry powder 1 medium-sized onion 1 tablespoonful lemon juice Salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste 2 cupfuls plain boiled rice 2 tablespoonfuls chopped cocoanut

Wash and dry the cod, and cut into pieces two inches square. Melt Crisco in a saucepan, fry cod lightly in it, then take out and set aside. Add sliced onion, flour, and curry powder to the Crisco in saucepan and fry ten minutes, stirring continuously to prevent onion becoming too brown, then stir in the stock and cocoanut, stir until it boils, and afterwards simmer for twenty minutes. Strain and return to saucepan, add lemon juice and seasonings to taste, bring nearly to boil, then put in fish, cover closely, and cook slowly for half hour. An occasional stir must be given to prevent the fish sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Turn out on hot platter and serve with rice. The remains of cold fish may be used, in which case the preliminary frying may be omitted.

Flounder a la Crème

1 flounder about 2 lbs. 2 cupfuls milk 1 tablespoonful cream 3 tablespoonfuls Crisco 1 blade mace 6 whole white peppers 4 tablespoonfuls flour Lemon juice Salt and pepper to taste

Skin flounder, and take fillets off neatly by sharply cutting down the middle of back, and pressing the knife close to the bones. This will produce 4 long fillets. Cut each of them in half lengthways, and tie up in pretty knot; sprinkle a little salt over and put them aside. Wash skin bones of fish, put them into a small saucepan with milk, mace, and whole peppers and simmer for half hour; strain milk into clean saucepan; add fillets, and allow to simmer for ten minutes. Lift them out, and add to milk the Crisco and flour beaten together; stir till it becomes quite smooth; add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste, and cream; put in fillets gently to warm through; dish neatly and pour the sauce over them. Serve very hot.

Flounder a la Turque

For Fish

1 large flounder 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley 3 tablespoonfuls breadcrumbs 2 tablespoonfuls Crisco 1/2 teaspoonful powdered herbs 1 pinch powdered mace Salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste 1/2 cupful picked shrimps

For Sauce

1/2 lemon 1 egg 1/2 cupful melted Crisco 1 yolk of egg 1/2 teaspoonful mustard 1/2 teaspoonful salt 1 pinch red pepper 1 tablespoonful vinegar 2 chopped gherkins

1 teaspoonful chopped parsley

_For fish._ Wash dry and trim flounder. On one side make cut down center from near head to near tail and raise flesh from the bones. Make a stuffing with Crisco, parsley, breadcrumbs, herbs, shrimps, lemon juice, seasonings, and nearly all the egg, and insert under the fillets of the flounder, leaving the center open. Dot with Crisco. Brush fish over with remaining egg, sprinkle with browned breadcrumbs, put on Criscoed baking tin, and bake thirty minutes. Serve with sauce.

_For sauce._ Put egg yolk into a bowl, and, with a wooden spoon stir a little; then add by degrees melted Crisco, stirring constantly; then add seasonings, vinegar, gherkins and parsley.

Fish Pudding

_(Kate B. Vaughn)_

For Pudding

2 lbs. cooked fish 1 cupful milk 1 tablespoonful flour 1 tablespoonful Crisco 2 eggs Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 teaspoonful onion juice 1 tablespoonful Worcestershire sauce Cream sauce

For Sauce

3 tablespoonfuls flour 3 tablespoonfuls Crisco 1 slice carrot 1 slice onion 1 slice celery 1 blade of mace 1 bay leaf 6 whole peppers 1 sprig of parsley 1/4 teaspoonful salt

1 cupful thick cream

_For pudding._ Boil fish in boiling salted water till done. Shred or break in small pieces, and free from skin and bone. Blend Crisco and flour in a saucepan over fire, add milk and stir till boiling, remove from fire, add eggs well beaten, seasonings, and mix well. Turn into Criscoed fireproof dish, cover with greased paper, set in warm water, and bake in moderate oven for thirty minutes. Serve with the sauce, potato balls, and chopped parsley.

_For sauce._ Blend Crisco and flour in a pan over fire, add vegetables, mace, bay leaf, peppers, parsley, milk, and simmer for thirty minutes. Strain, return to pan, add salt, allow to heat, then add cream and it is ready to serve.

Fried Fish

Fish Crisco 1 egg Salt and pepper to taste Crumbs Sauce

Clean fish, season with salt and pepper. Dip in crumbs, brush over with beaten egg, and crumb again. Fry in deep Crisco and drain on brown paper.

_Sauce_. Blend 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls Crisco with 1 tablespoonful flour in saucepan over fire, add 1 cupful of milk or cream and bring to boil, cook for a few minutes over hot water. Cool and add 2 chopped green bell peppers and 6 medium-sized chopped sour pickles.

Fried Lobster with Horseradish Sauce

1 boiled lobster Crisco for frying 1 egg Breadcrumbs 1 cupful thick cream Salt and paprika to taste 2 tablespoonfuls grated horseradish