CookingHoopla.com

Watch that show and you actually see that there’s a method to his madness, and that he’s not a one trick pony, but quite a good chef, and a sharp businessman. Hell’s Kitchen is train wreck fun, but it really doesn’t show Ramsey at his best. Watch as Korean tradition collides with b-boying!

Chef Gordon Ramsay — a cross between Simon Cowell and a Marine Corps Basic Training instructor, with just a pinch of rabid pit bull thrown in — is back to treat us to his unique method of selecting the “best of the best.”.The prize — with a multi-million dollar restaurant on the Vegas strip. Chef Ramsay compounds the problems with his well-known anger issues. If you enjoy watching the misery of others, this is definitely the show for you! Chef RamJam introduces us to some Los Angeles trendsetters and then we spend some time with our very own setters of trend. First there is Bonnie, who leads us in the fad of making dumb mistakes and crying.

Chef Gordon Ramsay is back for an all-new season of Hell’s Kitchen .where the stakes are higher .and on fire! Submit your worst cooking disaster to Joey by clicking here for your chance to win Hell’s Kitchen Raw & Uncensored & a $100 Chefscatalog.com “The best kitchen starts here”.

Cooked in an oven and not on a conveyer belt they are delicious as Hell. Click here to learn more. Cooking is relaxing to me, and it’s quite gratifying when my “niece” (actually a young cousin) and her new husband ask me how I prepared this dish or that, especially since he is a restaurant manager and she is already a good cook with lots of interesting and spicy dishes in her arsenal. Some of my “secret” recipes (including my “from scratch” pizza sauce and BBQ shrimp marinade/basting sauce) are now favorites for them to entertain their friends with.

Gordon Ramsay has built a food empire, from dozens of high-end restaurants, to cookbooks and TV shows. Everything he does, he does well and his high standards are maintained throughout. Gordon is quoted in the press as saying, “It’s the first time ever that audiences are getting to see the reality of what it’s like to run a restaurant at this level”: I disagree. Gordon then comes in and surprised them both with a trip to Las Vegas.

Gordon slices and dices them, keeping only those trainees who possess the right combination of ingredients to ensure success and spitting out those who don’t. The contestants’ inexperience, combined with Gordon’s biting insults, may be a recipe for disaster, but for one aspiring restaurateur, it’s the chance of a lifetime.

Bonnie has screwed up way to many times. Did anyone hear the comment she made to Rock? Bonnie is kept around because she is the cheesecake. Julia was kept around because she was the underdog and she could offer the elitist vs. Bonnie makes a shrimp and Fettuccine Alfredo and Rock does the aforementioned fried chicken and crab cakes (was anyone else disappointed by their lack of culinary splendor? I can master those dishes!).

Rock is a competent cook, probably the only one on this show except for Chef Ramsay. This season’s challenges are simply a rehash of earlier years. Rock made a BIG mistake by picking all the men for his final team. Apparently he forgot that the men were constantly losing to the women in the beginning, and Bonnie knows it.

Actually there are follow-up episodes for the Kitchen Nightmares, starting in season 2 of course (where they go back to see what’s up with the Season 1 restaurants, after a few episodes of new restaurants). The followups were really interesting too. Actually there is no comparison between American Idol and any other reality television program in terms of viewership, ratings and contestants success post-Idol. But for all of you Idol haters there’s only 2 more seasons after 2008 because Simon is pulling the plug after 2010.

SOUPS.

Soups are of three kinds–clear soups, thick soups, and purées. A clear
soup is made by boiling fruit or vegetables (celery, for example) until
all the nourishment is extracted, and then straining off the clear liquid.
A little sago or macaroni is generally added and cooked in this. When
carrots and turnips are used, a few small pieces are cut into dice or
fancy shapes, cooked separately, and added to the strained soup. Thick
soups always include some farinaceous ingredients for thickening (flour,
pea-flour, potato, etc.). Purées are thick soups composed of any vegetable
or vegetables boiled and rubbed through a sieve. This is done, a little at
a time, with a wooden spoon. A little of the hot liquor is added to the
vegetable from time to time to assist it through.

1. BARLEY BROTH.

1 carrot, 1 turnip, 4 leeks or 3 small onions, 4 sprigs parsley, 4 sticks
celery, 1 tea-cup pearl barley, 3 qts. water. (The celery may be omitted
if desired, or, when in season, 1 tea-cup green peas may be substituted.)

Scrub clean (but do not peel) the carrot and turnip. Wash celery, parsley,
and barley. Shred all the vegetables finely; put in saucepan with the
water. Bring to the boil and slowly simmer for 5 hours. Add the chopped
parsley and serve.

2. CREAM OF BARLEY SOUP.

Make barley broth as in No. 1. Then strain it through a wire strainer.
Squeeze it well, so as to get the soup as thick as possible, but do not
rub the barley through. Skin 1/2 lb. tomatoes, break in halves, and cook
to a pulp very gently in a closed saucepan (don’t add water). Add to the
barley soup, boil up once, and serve.

In cases of illness, especially where the patient is suffering from
intestinal trouble, after preparing as above, strain through a fine
muslin. It should also be prepared with distilled, or clean boiled
rain-water.

3. CLEAR CELERY SOUP.

1 head celery, 2 tablespoons sago, 2 qts. water.

Wash the celery, chop into small pieces, and stew in the water for 2
hours. Strain. Wash the sago, add it to the clear liquid, and cook for 1
hour.

For those who prefer a thick soup, pea-flour may be added. Allow 1 level
tablespoon to each pint of soup. Mix with a little cold water, and add to
the boiling soup. One or two onions may also be cooked with the celery, if
liked.

4. CHESTNUT SOUP.

1 lb. chestnuts, 1-1/2 oz. nutter or butter, 2 tablespoons chopped
parsley, 1 tablespoon wholemeal flour, 1-1/2 pints water.

First put on the chestnuts (without shelling or pricking) in cold water,
and boil for an hour. Then remove shells and put the nuts in an enamelled
saucepan with the fat. Fry for 10 minutes. Add the flour gradually,
stirring all the time, then add the water. Cook gently for half an hour.
Lastly, add the parsley, boil up, and serve.

It is rather nicer if the flour is omitted, the necessary thickness being
obtained by rubbing the soup through a sieve before adding the parsley.
Those who do not object to milk may use 1 pint milk and 1 pint water in
place of the 1-1/2 pints water.

5. FRUIT SOUP.

Fruit soups are used extensively abroad, although not much heard of in
England. But they might be taken at breakfast with advantage by those
vegetarians who have given up the use of tea, coffee and cocoa, and object
to, or dislike, milk. The recipe given here is for apple soup, but pears,
plums, etc., may be cooked in exactly the same way.

1 lb. apples, 1 qt. water, sugar and flavouring, 1 tablespoon sago.

Wash the apples and cut into quarters, but do not peel or core. Put into a
saucepan with the water and sugar and flavouring to taste. When sweet,
ripe apples can be obtained, people with natural tastes will prefer no
addition of any kind. Otherwise, a little cinnamon, cloves, or the yellow
part of lemon rind may be added. Stew until the apples are soft. Strain
through a sieve, rubbing the apple pulp through, but leaving cores, etc.,
behind. Wash the sago, add to the strained soup, and boil gently for 1
hour. Stir now and then, as the sago is apt to stick to the pan.

6. HARICOT BEAN SOUP.

2 heaped breakfast-cups beans, 2 qts. water, 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
or 1/2 lb. tomatoes, nut or dairy butter size of walnut, 1 tablespoon
lemon juice.

For this soup use the small white or brown haricots. Soak overnight in 1
qt. of the water. In the morning add the rest of the water, and boil until
soft. It may then be rubbed through a sieve, but this is not imperative.
Add the chopped parsley, the lemon juice, and the butter. Boil up and
serve. If tomato pulp is preferred for flavouring instead of parsley, skin
the tomatoes and cook slowly to pulp (without water) before adding.

7. LENTIL SOUP.

4 breakfast-cups lentils, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 2 onions, 4 qts. water, 4
sticks celery, 2 teaspoons herb powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 oz.
butter.

Either the red, Egyptian lentils, or the green German lentils may be used
for this soup. If the latter, soak overnight. Stew the lentils very gently
in the water for 2 hours, taking off any scum that rises. Well wash the
vegetables, slice them, and add to the soup. Stew for 2 hours more. Then
rub through a sieve, or not, as preferred. Add the lemon juice, herb
powder, and butter (nut or dairy), and serve.

8. MACARONI SOUP.

1/2 lb. small macaroni, 2 qts. water or vegetable stock, 3/4 lb. onions or
1 lb. tomatoes.

Break the macaroni into small pieces and add to the stock when nearly
boiling. Cook with the lid off the saucepan until the macaroni is swollen
and very tender. (This will take about an hour.) If onions are used for
flavouring, steam separately until tender, and add to soup just before
serving. If tomatoes are used, skin and cook slowly to pulp (without
water) before adding. If the vegetable stock is already strong and
well-flavoured, no addition of any kind will be needed.

9. PEA SOUP.

Use split peas, soak overnight, and prepare according to recipe given for
lentil soup.

10. POTATO SOUP.

Peel thinly 2 lbs. potatoes.

SAVORY DISHES.

The recipes following are intended to be used as substitutes for meat,
fish, etc.

The body needs for its sustenance water, mineral salts, [Footnote: I
allude to mineral salts as found in the vegetable kingdom, not to the
manufactured salts, like the ordinary table salt, etc., which are simply
poisons when taken as food.] fats and oils, carbo-hydrates (starch and
sugar), and proteids (the flesh and muscle-forming elements). All
vegetable foods (in their natural state) contain all these elements, and,
at a pinch, human life might be supported on any one of them. I say “at a
pinch” because if the nuts, cereals and pulses were ruled out of the
dietary, it would, for most people, be deficient in fat and proteid.
Wholewheat, according to a physiologist whose work is one of the standard
books on the subject, is a perfectly-proportioned, complete food. Hence it
is possible to live entirely on good bread and water.

Nuts are the best substitute for flesh meat. Next in order come the
pulses. After these come wholewheat and unpolished rice. Both nuts and
pulses contain, like flesh meat, a large quantity of proteid in a
concentrated form. No one needs more than 1/4 lb. per day, at most, of
either. (Eggs, of course, are a good meat substitute, so far as the
percentage of proteid is concerned.)

1. ALMONDS, ROASTED.

Take any quantity of shelled almonds and blanch by pouring boiling water
on them. The skins can then be easily removed. Lay the blanched almonds on
a tin, and bake to a pale yellow colour. On no account let them brown, as
this develops irritating properties. To be eaten with vegetable stews and
pies. (That is, with any stew or pie which contains neither nuts nor
pulse.)

2. CHESTNUTS, BOILED.

An excellent dish for children and persons with weak digestive powers. The
chestnuts need not be peeled or pricked, but merely well covered with cold
water and brought to the boil, after which they should boil for a good
half hour. Drain off the water and serve hot. They may also be boiled,
peeled, mashed and eaten with hot milk.

3. CHESTNUT SAVOURY.

Boil for 15 minutes. Shell. Fry in a very little nut fat for 10 minutes.
Barely cover with water, and stew gently until tender. When done, add some
chopped parsley and thicken with chestnut flour or fine wholemeal. For
those who prefer it, milk and dairy butter may be substituted for the
water and nut fat.

4. CHESTNUT PIE.

1 lb. chestnuts, 1/2 lb. tomatoes, short crust.

Boil the chestnuts for half an hour. Shell. Skin the tomatoes and cut in
slices. Well grease a small pie-dish, put in the chestnuts and tomatoes in
alternate layers. Cover with short crust (pastry recipe No. 3) and bake
until a pale brown. Serve with parsley, tomato, or white sauce.

5. CHESTNUT RISSOLES.

1 lb. chestnuts, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, cornflour and water or 1
egg.

Boil the chestnuts for half an hour. Shell, and well mash with a fork. Add
the parsley. Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornflour in 1 tablespoon water. Use as
much of this as required to moisten the chestnut, and mix it to a stiff
paste. Shape into firm, round, rather flat rissoles, roll in white flour,
and fry in deep oil or fat to a golden brown colour. Serve with parsley or
tomato sauce.

For those who take eggs, the rissoles may be moistened and bound with a
beaten egg instead of the cornflour and water. They may also be rolled in
egg and bread-crumbs after flouring.

6. HARICOT BEANS, BOILED.

1/2 pint beans, 1 oz. butter, water, 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

The small white or brown haricots should be used for this dish. Wash well,
and soak overnight in the water. In the morning put in a saucepan in the
same water and bring to the boil. Simmer slowly for 3 hours. When done
they mash readily and look floury. Drain off any water not absorbed. Add
the butter and lemon juice, and shake over the fire until hot. Serve with
parsley or white sauce.

7. HARICOT RISSOLES.

1/2 pint haricots, 1 oz. butter, 1 medium onion, water, 1 teaspoon lemon
juice, 1 teaspoon mixed herbs, or 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.

Cook the haricots as in preceding recipe. Mash well with a fork, add the
onion finely grated, and the parsley or herbs. (This may be omitted if
preferred.) Form into firm, round, rather flat rissoles. Roll in white
flour. Fry in deep oil or fat to a golden brown colour. Serve with tomato
sauce, brown gravy, or parsley sauce.

8. LENTILS, STEWED.

1 cup lentils, 1-1/2 cups water, butter (size of walnut), 1 teaspoon lemon
juice.

Use either the red Egyptian, or the green German lentils. Wash well in
several waters, drain, and put to soak overnight in the water. Use this
same water for cooking. Cook very slowly until the lentils are soft and
dry. They should just absorb the quantity of water given. (If cooked too
quickly it may be necessary to add a little more.) A little thyme or herb
powder may be cooked with the lentils, if liked. When done, drain off any
superfluous water, add the butter and the lemon juice, shake over the fire
until hot. Serve with baked potatoes and tomato sauce.

9. LENTIL PASTE.

1/2 pint red lentils, 1/2 pint bread-crumbs, 2 ozs. butter or 1-1/2 oz.
nutter, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1/2 a nutmeg.

Well wash the lentils and place on the fire with just enough water to
cover them. Simmer gently until quite soft. Add the butter, lemon juice,
nutmeg, and bread-crumbs. Stir well, heat to boiling point, and cook for
10 minutes. Put in jars, and when cold pour some melted butter or nutter
on the top. Tomato juice may be used in place of the lemon juice if
preferred.

10. LENTIL AND LEEK PIE.

2 cups lentils, 12 small leeks, 4 cups water, short crust.

Put the lentils, water, and leeks, finely shredded, into a covered jar or
basin. Bake in a slow oven until done. Put into a greased pie-dish and
cover with short crust. (If lentils are very dry, add a little more
water.) Bake. Serve with boiled potatoes, brown gravy, and any vegetable
in season, except spinach

VEGETABLES.

Never eat boiled vegetables. No one ever hears of a flesh-eater boiling
his staple article of diet and throwing away the liquor. On the contrary,
when he does indulge in boiled meat, the liquor is regarded as a valuable
asset, and is used as a basis for soup. But his meat is generally
conservatively cooked–that is, it is baked, roasted, or grilled, so that
the juices are retained. If he has to choose between throwing away the
meat or the water in which it has been boiled, he keeps the
liquor–witness “beef-tea.” For some unknown reason he does not often
treat his vegetables in the same way, and suffers thereby the loss of much
valuable food material.

The vegetarian–being avowedly a thinker and a pioneer–would, it might be
imagined, treat what is now one of his staple articles of diet at least as
carefully as the out-of-date flesh-eater. But no! For the most part, his
vegetables are boiled, and when the best part of the food constituents and
all the flavour have been extracted, he dines off a mass of indigestible
fibre–mere waste matter–and allows the “broth” to be thrown down the
sink, with the consequence that many vegetarians are pale, flabby
individuals who succumb to the slightest strain, and suffer from chronic
dyspepsia.

The remedy is simple. Treat vegetables as you used to treat meat. Bake or
stew them in their own juice. (See recipe for Vegetarian Irish Stew.) At
the least, steam them. A little of the valuable vegetable salts are lost
in the steaming, but not much. Better still, use a double boilerette. A
very little water is put into the inner pan and soon becomes steam, so
that by the time the vegetable is cooked it has all disappeared.

No exact time can be given for cooking vegetables, as this varies with age
and freshness. The younger–always supposing it has just come to
maturity–and fresher the vegetable, the quicker it cooks.

It should not be forgotten that orthodox cooks put all green and root
vegetables, except potatoes, to cook in _boiling_ water. This rule should
not be neglected when steaming vegetables–the water should be fast
boiling.

I will conclude with a few remarks about preparing greens, cauliflowers,
etc. The general practice is to soak them in cold salted water with the
idea of drawing out and killing any insects. But this often results in
killing the insects, especially if much salt is used, before “drawing them
out.” A better plan is to put the trimmed cabbage or cauliflower head
downwards into _warm_ water for about half an hour. As I trim Brussels
sprouts I throw them into a pan of warm water, and the insects crawl out
and sink to the bottom of the pan. It is astonishing how many one finds at
the bottom of a pan of warm water in which sprouts are soaked.

1. ARTICHOKE, JERUSALEM.

Steam until tender, or bake with a small piece of nutter on each artichoke
until brown. Serve with tomato or white sauce.

2. ASPARAGUS.

Tie in a bundle and stand in a deep saucepan with the stalks in water, so
that the shoots are steamed. Serve with melted butter or white sauce.

3. BEETROOT.

Bake or steam. It will take from 2 to 4 hours, according to size.

4. BROAD BEANS.

Steam until tender, but do not spoil by overcooking. Serve with parsley
sauce.

5. BROCCOLI.

This is a rather coarser variety of cauliflower. Cook in the same way as
the latter.

6. BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

These should be steamed for not more than 20 minutes. They are generally
spoiled by overcooking. Serve plain or with onion sauce.

7. CABBAGE.

Steam. Put in vegetable dish, chop well, and add a small piece of butter.

8. CARROT.

Steam until tender. Serve whole or mashed with butter.

9. CAULIFLOWER.

Steam. This may be done in a large saucepan if a steamer is not available.
Support the cauliflower on a pudding basin or meat stand–anything which
will raise it just above the level of the water. Serve with white sauce or
tomato sauce.

10. CELERY.

Stew. Choose a small head of celery, not a large, coarse head which will
be tough. Well wash and cut into about 8 pieces. (Keep any large coarse
sticks, if such are unavoidably present, for soup.) Put in stew-pan and
barely cover with water. Simmer until tender. Lift out on to hot dish.
Thicken the liquor with a little wholemeal flour, add a small piece of
butter pour this sauce over celery, and serve.

11. CELERIAC.

This is a large, hard white root, somewhat resembling a turnip in
appearance, with a slight celery flavour. It is generally only stocked by
“high-class” greengrocers. It costs from 1-1/2d. to 3d., according to
size. It is nicest cut in slices and fried in fat or oil until a golden
brown.

12. CUCUMBER.

Although not generally cooked, this is very good steamed, and served with
white sauce.

13. GREEN PEAS.

Do not spoil these by overcooking. Steam in a double boilerette, if
possible. About 20 minutes is long enough.

14. LEEKS.

Cut off green leaves rather close to the white part. Wash well. Steam
about 30 minutes. Serve with white sauce.

15. NETTLES.

The young tops of nettles in early spring are delicious. Later they are
not so palatable. Pick the nettles in gloves. Grasp them firmly, and wash
well. Put a small piece of butter or nutter with a little pounded thyme
into the saucepan with the nettles. Press well down and cook very slowly.
A very little water may be added if desired, but if the cooking is done
slowly, this will not be needed. When quite tender, dish up on a layer of
bread-crumbs, taking care to lose none of the juice. This dish somewhat
resembles spinach, which should be cooked in the same fashion, but without
the butter and thyme.

16. ONIONS.

If onions are peeled in the open air they will not affect the eyes. Only
the Spanish onions are pleasant as a vegetable. The English onion is too
strong for most people.

Steam medium-sized onions from 45 mins. to 1 hour. Serve with white sauce,
flavoured with a very little mace or nutmeg, if liked. For baked onions,
first steam for 30

CAKES AND BISCUITS.

Cakes need a hot oven for the first half-hour.

If possible, they should not be moved from one shelf to another, but the
oven should be cooled gradually by opening the ventilators or lowering the
gas. A moderate oven is needed to finish the cooking.

All fruit cakes (unless weighing less than 1 lb.) need to be baked from
1-1/2 to 2 hours. The larger the cake the slower should be the baking.

The cake tins should be lined with greased paper.

If a gas oven is used, stand the cake tin on a sand tin (see Cold Water
Bread).

If the cake becomes sufficiently brown on top before it is cooked through,
cover with a greased paper to prevent burning.

To test if done, dip a clean knife into hot water. Thrust it gently down
the centre of cake. If done, the knife will come out clean and bright.

1. CAKE MIXTURE.

1/4 lb. butter, 1/4 lb. castor sugar, 6 ozs. flour, 2 eggs.

Half butter and half nutter gives just as good results and is more
economical.

Beat together the butter and sugar to a cream. Whisk the eggs to a stiff
froth and add. Stir in the flour gently. Mix well. Add a little milk if
mixture is too stiff. This makes a Madeira Cake.

For other varieties, mix with the flour 1 dessertspoon caraway seeds for
Seed Cake; 2 tablespoons desiccated cocoanut for Cocoanut Cake; 6 ozs.
candied cherries chopped in halves for Cherry Cake; 6 ozs. sultanas and
the grated rind of 1 lemon for Sultana Cake; the grated yellow part of 2
lemon rinds for Lemon Cake.

2. SMALL CAKES.

Take 2 small eggs and half quantities of the ingredients given for the
cake mixture. Add the grated rind of half a lemon for flavouring. Grease a
tin for small cakes with 9 depressions. Put a spoonful of the mixture in
each depression. Bake for 20 minutes in a hot oven.

3. COCOANUT BISCUITS.

1/2 lb. desiccated cocoanut, 1/4 lb. sugar, 2 small eggs.

Proceed as for Macaroons, but make the cakes smaller. Bake in a moderate
oven for half an hour.

4. “CORN WINE AND OIL” CAKES.

1 lb. wholemeal flour, 3/4 lb. raisins, 4 tablespoons walnut oil, 1/4 pint
water.

This recipe was especially concocted for non-users of milk and eggs. Stir
the oil well into the flour. Add the washed and stoned raisins (or
seedless raisins, or sultanas). Mix to a dough with the water. Divide
dough into two portions. Roll out, form into rounds, and cut each round
into 6 small scones. Bake in a hot oven for half an hour.

5. CURRANT SANDWICH.

8 ozs. butter, 1 lb. flour, 1/4 lb. cane sugar, currants.

Mix flour and sugar, and rub in the butter. Mix with water to plastic
dough. Divide dough into two cakes, 1 inch in thickness. Cover one evenly
with currants, lay the other on top, and roll out to the thickness of
one-third of an inch. Cut into sections, and bake in a hot oven for about
30 minutes.

6. APPLE SANDWICH.

Make a short crust (see recipe). Well grease some shallow jam sandwich
tins. Roll out the paste very thin and line with it the tins. Peel, core,
and finely chop some good, juicy apples. Spread well all over the paste.
Sprinkle with castor sugar and grated lemon rind. Cover with another layer
of thin paste. Bake for about 20 minutes in a hot oven. When done, take
carefully out of the tin to cool. Cut into wedges, sprinkle with castor
sugar, and pile on a plate.

7. FANCY BISCUITS.

8 ozs. flour, 4 ozs. butter, or 3 ozs. butter and 1 egg, 4 ozs. cane
sugar, flavouring.

Flavouring may consist of lemon rind, desiccated cocoanut, cooked
currants, carraway seed, mace, ginger, etc. Beat the butter and sugar to a
cream, add flavouring and flour. Mix with the beaten egg, if used; it not,
treat like the Lemon Short Cake. Roll out, cut into shapes, and bake about
10 minutes.

8. GINGER NUTS.

1/2 lb. nutter, 1/2 lb. sugar, 1 pint molasses or golden syrup, 1/2 oz.
ground cloves and all-spice mixed, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, flour to form
dough.

Beat the nutter and sugar together; add the molasses, spice, etc., and
just enough flour to form a plastic dough. Knead well, roll out, cut into
small biscuits, and bake on oiled or floured tins in a very moderate oven.

9. JAM SANDWICH.

Mix ingredients and prepare 2 jam sandwich tins as for Sponge Cake (see
recipe). Pour mixture in tins and bake for about 10 minutes in a hot oven.
Take out, spread one round with warmed jam, place the other on top, and
cut when cold.

10. LEMON SHORT CAKE.

1 lb. flour, 7 ozs. nutter, 1/4 lb. sugar, rind of 1 lemon.

Mix together nutter and sugar, add grated lemon rind, work in flour, and
knead well. Press into sheets about 1/2 in. thick. Prick all over. Bake in
a moderate oven for about 20 minutes.

An easy way of baking for the inexpert cook who may find it difficult to
avoid breaking the sheets, is to well grease a shallow jam-sandwich tin,
sprinkle it well with castor sugar, as for sponge cakes, and press the
short cake into it, well smoothing the top with a knife, and, lastly,
pricking it.

II. MACAROONS. 5 ozs. sweet almonds, 5 ozs. castor sugar, 2 eggs.

Blanch the almonds and flake them in a nut mill. Whisk the eggs to a stiff
froth adding the sugar a teaspoonful at a time. Add the almonds, and stir
lightly. Drop the mixture, a dessertspoon at a time, on to well-oiled
paper, or, better still, rice-paper. Shape with a knife into small cakes
and put the half of a blanched almond into the centre of each. Bake in a
moderate oven.

12. SPONGE CAKE.

Take the weight of two eggs in castor sugar and flour.

For a richer cake take the weight of two eggs in sugar and the weight of
one only in flour.

Well grease the cake-tin, and sprinkle with castor sugar until thoroughly
covered, and shake out any that remains loose.

Well whisk the eggs with a coiled wire beater. They must be quite stiff
when done. Add the sugar, a teaspoon at a time, while whisking. Or
separate the yolks and whites, beating the yolks and sugar together and
whisking the whites on a plate with a knife before adding

PASTRY, SWEET PUDDINGS, &c.

1. PASTRY.

Pastry should usually be made with a very fine wholemeal flour, such as
the “Nu-Era.” There are times, however, when concessions to guests, etc.,
demand the use of white flour. In such an event, use a good brand of
household flour. The more refined the kind, the less nutriment it
contains. Never add baking-powders of any kind.

The secret of making good pastry lies in lightly mixing with a cool hand.
If a spoon must be used, let it be a wooden one. Roll in one direction
only, away from the person. If you must give a backward roll, let it be
only once. Above all, roll lightly and little. The quicker the pastry is
made the better.

2. PUFF PASTE.

1/2 lb. fresh-butter or 6 ozs. Mapleton’s nutter, 1 yolk of egg or 1
teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 lb. flour.

If butter is used, wrap it in a clean cloth and squeeze well to get rid of
water. Beat the yolk of egg slightly. Put the flour on the paste board in
a heap. Make a hole in the centre and put in the yolk of egg or lemon
juice, and about 1 tablespoon of water. The amount of water will vary
slightly according to the kind of flour, and less will be required if egg
is used instead of lemon juice, but add enough to make a rather stiff
paste. Mix lightly with the fingers and knead until the paste is nice and
workable. But do it quickly!

Next, roll out the paste to about 1/4 inch thickness. Put all the butter
or nutter in the centre of this paste and wrap it up neatly therein. Stand
in a cool place for 15 minutes. Next, roll it out once, and fold it over,
roll it out again and fold it over. Do this lightly. Put it away again for
15 minutes. Repeat this seven times! (I do not think many food-reformers
will have the time or inclination to repeat the above performance often.
Speaking for myself, I have only done it once. But as no instructions
about pastry are supposed to be complete without a recipe for puff-paste,
I include it.) It is now ready for use.

Do not forget to keep the board and pin well floured, or the pastry will
stick. If wholemeal flour is used, it is well to have white flour for the
board and pin. See also that the nutter is the same consistency as
ordinary butter when kept in a medium temperature. If too hard, it must be
cut up and slightly warmed. If oily, it must be cooled by standing tin in
very cold water.

3. SHORT CRUST.

1/2 lb. flour, 3 ozs. nutter or butter.

Rub the nutter or butter lightly into the flour. Add enough cold water to
make a fairly stiff paste. Roll it out to a 1/4 inch thickness. It is now
ready for use.

4. APPLE CHARLOTTE.

Apples, castor sugar, grated lemon rind, butter or nutter, bread-crumbs or
Granose flakes.

Bread-crumbs make the more substantial, granose flakes the more dainty,
charlotte. Use juicy apples. “Mealy” apples make a bad charlotte. If they
must be used, a tablespoon or more, according to size, of water must be
poured over the charlotte. Peel, core, and slice apples. Grease a
pie-dish. Put in a thin layer of crumbs. On this dot a few small pieces
nutter. Over this put a generous layer of chopped apple. Sprinkle with
sugar and grated lemon rind. Repeat the process until the dish is full.
Top with crumbs. Bake from 20 minutes to half an hour. When done, turn out
on to dish, being careful not to break. Sprinkle a little castor sugar
over. Serve hot or cold. Boiled custard may be served with it.

5. APPLE DUMPLINGS.

Peel and core some good cooking apples, but keep them whole. If you have
no apple-corer, take out as much of the core as possible with a pointed
knife-blade. Fill the hole with sugar and a clove. Make short paste and
cut into squares. Fold neatly round and over apple. Bake from 30 to 45
minutes. If preferred boiled, tie each dumpling loosely in a cloth, put
into boiling water and cook from 45 minutes to 1 hour.

6. APPLE AND TAPIOCA.

1/4 pint tapioca, 1 lb. apples, 1 pint water, sugar, lemon peel.

Soak the tapioca in the water overnight. Peel and core the apples, cut
into quarters, stew, and put in a pie-dish. Sprinkle with sugar to taste,
and the grated yellow part of a fresh lemon rind. Mix in the soaked
tapioca and water. Bake about 1 hour. Serve cold, with or without boiled
custard.

7. BATTER PUDDING.

2 eggs, 1 teacup flour, milk.

Well whisk the eggs. Sprinkle in the flour a spoonful at a time. Stir
gently. When the batter becomes too thick to stir, thin it with a little
milk. Then add more flour until it is again too thick, and again thin with
the milk. Proceed in this way until all the flour is added, and then add
sufficient milk to bring the batter to the consistency of rather thick
cream. Have ready a very hot greased tin, pour in and bake in a hot oven
until golden brown. By mixing in the way indicated above, a batter
perfectly free from lumps is easily obtained.

8. BOMBAY PUDDING.

Cook a heaped tablespoon of semolina in 1/2 pint of milk to a stiff paste.
Spread it on a plate to cool. (Smooth it neatly with a knife). When quite
cold, cut it into four. Dip in a beaten egg and fry brown. Serve hot with
lemon sauce. This may also be served as a savoury dish with parsley sauce.
The quantity given above is sufficient for two people.

9. BREAD AND FRUIT PUDDING.

Line a pudding-basin with slices of bread from which the crust has been
removed. Take care to fit the slices together as closely and neatly as
possible. Stew any juicy fruit in season with sugar to taste. Do not add
water. (Blackcurrants or raspberries and redcurrants are best for this
dish.) When done, fill up the basin with the boiling fruit. Top with
slices of bread fitted well in. Leave until cold. Turn out and serve.

10. BLANC MANGE, AGAR-AGAR.

1/4 oz. prepared agar-agar, 1-1/2 pints milk, sugar, flavouring.

Soak a vanilla pod, cinnamon stick, or strip of fresh lemon rind in the
cold milk until flavoured to taste. Add sugar to taste. Put in a saucepan
with the agar-agar, and simmer until dissolved (about 30 minutes). Pour
through a hot strainer into wet mould. Turn out when cold.

EXTRA RECIPES.

1. BARLEY WATER.

1 dessert spoon Robinson’s “Patent” Barley, 1/2 a lemon, 3 lumps cane
sugar.

Rub the lumps of sugar on the lemon until they are bright yellow in colour
and quite wet. (It is the fragrant juice contained in the yellow surface
of the lemon rind that gives the delicious lemon flavour without acidity.)
Mix the barley to a thin paste with a little cold water. This is poured
into a pint of boiling water, well stirred until it comes to the boil
again and then left to boil for five minutes, after which it is done. Add
the sugar and lemon juice.

2. BOILED HOMINY.

Take one part of Hominy and 2-1/2 parts of water. Have the water boiling;
add the hominy and boil for fifteen minutes; keep stirring to keep from
burning.

3. BROWN GRAVY.

1 dessert-spoon butter, 1 dessert-spoon white flour, hot water.

Melt the butter in a small iron saucepan or frying pan and sprinkle into
it the flour. Keep stirring gently with a wooden spoon until the flour is
a rich dark brown, but not burnt, or the flavour will be spoilt. Then add
very gently, stirring well all the time, rather less than half-a-pint of
hot water. Stir until the mixture boils, when it should be a smooth brown
gravy to which any flavouring may be added. Strained tomato pulp is a nice
addition, but a teaspoonful of lemon juice will suffice.

4. BUTTERED RICE AND PEAS.

1 cup unpolished rice, 3 cups water, 2 cups fresh-shelled peas, 1
tablespoon finely chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, butter size of
walnut.

Put the rice on in the water and bring gradually to the boil. Boil hard
for five minutes, stirring once or twice. Draw it to side of stove, where
it is comparatively cool, or, if a gas stove is used, put the saucepan on
an asbestos mat and turn the gas as low as possible. The water should now
gradually steam away, leaving the rice dry and well cooked.

Steam the peas in a separate pan. If young, about 20 minutes should be
sufficient; they are spoiled by over-cooking.

Add the cooked peas to the cooked rice, with the butter, parsley, and
lemon juice. Stir over the fire until the mixture is thoroughly hot.

Serve with or without tomato sauce and new potatoes.

5. CONVALESCENTS’ SOUP.

1 small head celery, 1 large onion, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 3 tablespoons
coarsely chopped parsley, P.R. Barley malt meal, Mapleton’s or P.R. almond
or pine-kernel cream, 3 pints boiling water.

Well wash the vegetables and slice them, and add them with the parsley to
the boiling water. (The water should be distilled, if possible, and the
cooking done in a large earthenware jar or casserole. See notes _re_
casseroles in Chap. IV.) Simmer gently for 2 hours, or until quite soft.
Then strain through a hair sieve. Do not rub the vegetables through the
sieve to make a purée, simply strain and press all the juices out. The
vegetable juices are all wanted, but not the fibre. To each pint of this
vegetable broth allow 1 heaped tablespoon barley malt meal, 1 tablespoon
nut cream, and 1/2 lb. tomatoes. Mix the meal to a thin paste with some of
the cooled broth (from the pint). Put the rest of the pint in a saucepan
or casserole and bring to the boil. Add the meal and boil for 10 minutes.
Break up the tomatoes and cook slowly to a pulp (without water). Rub
through a sieve. (The skin and pips are not to be forced through.) Add
this pulp to the soup. Lastly mix the nut-cream to a thin cream by
dripping slowly a little water or cool broth into it, stirring hard with a
teaspoon all the time. Add this to the soup, re-heat, but do _not_ boil,
serve.

This soup is rather irksome to make, but is intensely nourishing and easy
of digestion. The pine-kernel cream is the more digestible of the two
creams. Care should be taken not to _cook_ these nut creams. If the soup
is for an invalid care should also be taken that, while getting all the
valuable vegetable juices, no skin or pips, etc., are included. The
vegetable broth may be prepared a day in advance, but it will not keep for
three days except in very cold weather. (When it is desired to keep soup
it should be brought to the boil with the lid of the stockpot or casserole
on, and put away without the lid being removed or the contents stirred.)

6. FINE OATMEAL BISCUITS.

2 ozs. flour, 3-1/2 ozs. Robinson’s “Patent” Groats, 2 ozs. castor sugar,
2 ozs. butter, 2 eggs.

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs, then the flour and groats, which
should be mixed together. Roll out thin and cut out with a cutter. Bake in
a moderate oven until a light colour.

7. FINE OATMEAL GRUEL.

1 heaped tablespoon Robinson’s “Patent” Groats, 1 pint milk or water.

Mix the groats with a wineglassful of cold water, gradually added, into a
smooth paste, pour this into a stew-pan containing nearly a pint of
boiling water or milk, stir the gruel on the fire (while it boils) for ten
minutes.

8. MACARONI CHEESE.

1/4 lb. macaroni, 1-1/2 ozs. cheese, 1/2 pint milk, 1 teaspoon flour,
butter, pepper.

The curled macaroni is the best among the ordinary kinds. Better still,
however, is the macaroni made with fine wholemeal flour which is stocked
by some food-reform stores. Parmesan cheese is nicest for this dish. Stale
cheese spoils it.

Wash the macaroni. Put it into fast-boiling water and keep boiling until
_very_ tender. Drain off the water and replace it with the 1/2 pint of
milk. Bring to the boil and stir in the flour mixed to a thin paste with
cold milk or water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Grate the cheese finely.

Butter a shallow pie-dish. Put the thickened milk and macaroni in
alternate layers with the grated cheese. Dust each layer with pepper, if
liked. Top with grated cheese. Put some small pieces of butter on top of
the grated cheese. Put in a very hot oven until nicely browned.

9. MANHU HEALTH CAKE.

1/4 lb. butter, 1/2 lb. castor sugar, 1/2 lb. Manhu flour, 1 oz. rice
flour, 6 ozs. crystallised ginger, 4 eggs.

Cream butter and sugar, adding eggs, two at once, not beaten. Beat each
time after adding

FOWL AND GAME.

ACCOMPANIMENTS FOR FOWLS.

With boiled fowls, bread sauce, onion sauce, lemon sauce, cranberry
sauce, jellies, and cream sauce.

With roast turkey, cranberry sauce, currant jelly.

With boiled turkey, oyster sauce.

With wild ducks, cucumber sauce, currant jelly, or cranberry sauce.

With roast goose or venison, grape jelly, or cranberry sauce.

A GOOD WAY TO COOK CHICKEN.

Fricassee your chicken, taking care to brown the skin nicely; season
to taste.  When done set by to cool; then remove all the bones; put
back into the liquor in which it was cooked; chop fine, leaving in all
the oil of the fowl. If not enough of the oil, add a piece of butter;
then pack closely in a dish as you wish it to go to the table.

DROP DUMPLINGS FOR VEAL OR CHICKEN.

One full pint of sifted flour, two even teaspoonfuls of yeast powder,
and a little salt.  Wet this with enough milk or water to drop from
spoon in a ball; remove your meat or chicken; drop in the balls of
dough; cook five minutes in the liquor; place around the edge of
platter, with the chicken or meat in center; season the liquor and
pour over it.

JELLIED CHICKEN.

Boil the fowl until the meat will slip easily from the bones; reduce
the water to one pint.  Pick the meat from the bones in good-sized
pieces; leave out all the fat and gristle, and place in a wet mold.
Skim all the fat from the liquor; add one-half box of gelatine, a
little butter, pepper and salt.  When the gelatine is dissolved, pour
all over the chicken while hot.  Season well.  Serve cold, cut in
slices.

FRIED CHICKEN.

Kill the fowls the night before; clean, cut and set on ice until
needed the next day.  Flour and sprinkle with salt and pepper; pour
boiling water over it, and stew three-quarters of an hour.  Add
sufficient butter to fry a light brown.

CHICKEN PIE.

Take a pair of young, tender chickens and cut them into neat joints.
Lay them in a deep pudding-dish, arranging them so that the pile shall
be higher in the middle than at the sides.  Reserve the pinions of the
wings, the necks, and the feet, scalding the latter and scraping off
the skin.  Make small forcemeat balls of fine bread crumbs seasoned
with pepper, salt, parsley, a suspicion of grated lemon peel, and a
raw egg.  Make this into little balls with the hands, and lay them
here and there in the pie.  Pour in a cupful of cold water, cover the
pie with a good crust, making a couple of cuts in the middle of this,
and bake in a steady oven for an hour and a quarter.  Lay a paper over
the pie if it should brown too quickly.  Soak a tablespoonful of
gelatine for an hour in enough cold water to cover it.  Make a gravy
of the wings, feet, and necks of the fowls, seasoning it highly;
dissolve the gelatine in this, and when the pie is done pour this
gravy into it through a small funnel inserted in the opening in the
top.  The pie should not be cut until it is cold.  This is nice for
picnics.

CHICKEN PIE.

Stew the chicken until tender.  Line a pan with crust made as you
would baking powder biscuit.  Alternate a layer of chicken and pieces
of the crust until the pan is filled; add a little salt and pepper to
each layer; fill with the broth in which the chicken was cooked; bake
until the crust is done.  If you bake the bottom crust before filling,
it will only be necessary to bake until the top crust is done. A layer
of stewed chicken and a layer of oysters make a delicious pie.  Use
the same crust.

DROP DUMPLINGS FOR STEWED CHICKEN.

Stew chicken and make a rich gravy with milk or cream.  Pour off a
part into a separate vessel and thin with water; let it boil, then
drop in dumplings made with this proportion:  One quart flour, a
little salt, one egg, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, and milk to make
a stiff batter.  Stir, and drop from spoon into boiling gravy.  Cover,
and let boil gently for five minutes.  Try them with a fork.  They
must be perfectly dry inside when done.  Serve with the chicken.

CHICKEN ON BISCUIT.

Have prepared for cooking a nice fat fowl about a year old; season
with pepper and salt, and boil two hours, or until very tender.  When
done there should be a quart of broth.  If there is not that quantity,
boiling water should be added.  Beat together very smoothly two
heaping tablespoonfuls of flour with the yolk of one egg and one-third
pint of cold water; add this to broth, stirring briskly all the time;
add one tablespoonful of butter.  Have ready a pan of hot biscuit;
break them open and lay halves on platter, crust down; pour chicken
and gravy over biscuit, and serve immediately .

ROAST TURKEY.

Prepare the dressing as follows:  Three coffeecups of bread crumbs,
made very fine; one teaspoonful salt, half teaspoonful pepper, one
tablespoonful powdered sage, one teacup melted butter, one egg; mix
all together thoroughly.  With this dressing stuff the body and
breast, and sew with a strong thread.  Take two tablespoonfuls of
melted butter, two of flour; mix to a paste.  Rub the turkey with salt
and pepper; then spread the paste over the entire fowl, with a few
thin slices of sweet bacon.  Roll the fowl loosely in a piece of clean
linen or muslin; tie it up; put it in the oven, and baste every
fifteen minutes till done.  Remove cloth a few moments before taking
turkey from oven.  A young turkey requires about two hours; an old one
three or four hours.  This can be tested with fork.  Thicken the
drippings with two tablespoonfuls of browned flour, mixed with one cup
sweet cream.

OYSTER SAUCE TO BE USED WITH THE TURKEY.–Take one quart of oysters;
put them into stew pan; add half cup butter; pepper and salt to taste;
cover closely; let come to a boil, and serve with the turkey and
dressing.

TURKEY AND DRESSING.

A good-sized turkey should be baked two and one-half or th

MEATS.

ACCOMPANIMENTS.

With roast beef, tomato sauce, grated horseradish, mustard, cranberry
sauce, pickles.

With roast pork, apple sauce and cranberry sauce.

With roast veal, tomato sauce, mushroom sauce, onion sauce, or lemon
sauce.

With roast mutton, currant jelly, caper sauce, bread sauce, onion
sauce.

With roast lamb, mint sauce, green peas.

TO BOIL MEATS.

For all meats allow from fifteen to twenty minutes for each pound.
Skim well.  All fresh meats are to be put into boiling water to cook;
salt meats into cold water.  Keep the water constantly boiling,
otherwise the meat will absorb the water.  Be sure to add boiling
water if more is needed.  The more gently meat boils the more tender
it will be.

TO BROIL MEATS.

In broiling all meats, you must remember that the surface should not
be cut or broken any more than is absolutely necessary; that the meat
should be exposed to a clear, quick fire, close enough to sear the
surface without burning, in order to confine all its juices; if it is
approached slowly to a poor fire, or seasoned before it is cooked, it
will be comparatively dry and tasteless, as both of these processes
are useful only to extract and waste those precious juices which
contain nearly all the nourishing properties of the meat.

BEEFSTEAK.

The chief secret in preparing the family steak lies in selection.
Like cooking the hare, you must first catch it.  Choose a thick cut
from the sirloin of a mature, well fatted beeve, avoiding any having
dark yellow fat.  Detach a portion of the narrow end and trim off any
adhering inner skin.  Place the steak upon a hot spider, and quickly
turn it.  Do this frequently and rapidly until it is thoroughly
seared, without burning.  It may now be cooked to any degree without
releasing the juices.  Serve upon a hot platter.  Pour over a scant
dressing of melted butter.  Season.  Whosoever partakes will never
become a vegetarian.

STUFFED BEEFSTEAK.

Take a flank or round steak and pound well; sprinkle with pepper and
salt.  Make a plain dressing; spread it on the steak; roll it up; tie
closely, and put in a skillet with a little water and a lump of butter
the size of an egg; cover closely and let it boil slowly one hour;
then let it brown in skillet, basting frequently.  When done, dredge a
little flour into the gravy, and pour over the meat.

TO FRY STEAK.

Have a nice tenderloin or porterhouse steak, one inch and half in
thickness, well hacked.  Over this sprinkle salt, pepper, and a little
flour.  Have ready a very hot spider.  Into this drop plenty of good,
sweet butter (a quarter of a pound is not too much); when thoroughly
melted, lay in the meat; turn frequently.  While cooking, make many
openings in the steak to allow the butter to pass through.  When done,
place on a hot platter and serve immediately.

BEEFSTEAK AND ONIONS.

Have a steak well hacked; over this sprinkle pepper, salt, and a
little flour.  Into a very hot spider drop one teaspoonful of lard;
when melted, lay in steak; pour over this two tablespoons boiling
water, and cover steak with four good-sized onions, sliced very thin.
Cover quickly and cook five minutes; then turn all over together, and
cook five minutes longer.  Care should be taken that the onions do not
turn.  Take up on hot platter; place onions on top of meat, and serve
immediately.

BEEFSTEAK AND MUSHROOMS.

Put the steak on to fry, with a little butter.  At the same time put
the mushrooms on in a different skillet, with the water from the can
and one-half cup extra; season with pepper and salt, and thicken with
a tablespoonful of flour.  Take the steak out, leaving the gravy, into
which put the mushrooms, cook for a few minutes, and pour all over the
steak.

BEEF LOAF.

Take three and one-half pounds of lean beef (raw), chopped; six
crackers, rolled fine; three well-beaten eggs, four tablespoonfuls of
cream, butter the size of an egg; salt and pepper to taste; mix all
together and make into a loaf.  Bake one and one-half hours.  Serve
cold in thin slices.

BEEF A LA MODE.

Take a round of beef, four or five inches thick, and for a piece
weighing five pounds soak a pound of white bread in cold water until
soft; turn off the water; mash the bread fine; then add a piece of
butter the size of an egg, half a teaspoonful each of salt, pepper,
and ground cloves, about half a nutmeg, two eggs, a tablespoonful of
flour, and a quarter of a pound of fresh pork, chopped very fine.
Gash the beef on both sides and fill with half the dressing.  Place in
a baking pan, with luke-warm water enough to cover it; cover the pan
and put into the oven to bake gently two hours; then cover the top
with the rest of the dressing, and put it back for another hour and
let it brown well.  On dishing up the meat, if the gravy is not thick
enough, stir in a little flour, and add a little butter.  It is a
favorite meat, eaten cold for suppers and luncheons.  When thus used,
remove the gravy.

FRIED LIVER.

Always use calf’s liver, cut in slices.  Pour boiling water over, and
let it stand fifteen minutes.  Fry some slices of breakfast bacon;
take out the bacon; roll the liver in either flour or corn meal, and
fry a delicate brown; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Serve with gravy
if you like.

POTATO AND MEAT PIE.

Take mashed potatoes, seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter; line a
baking dish with it; lay upon this slices of cold meat (any kind),
with a little pepper, salt, catsup, and gravy; then another layer of
potatoes, another of meat, and so forth till pan is filled, having the
last a cover of potatoes.  Bake until thoroughly warmed.  Serve in the
dish in which it is cooked.

COLD MEAT TURNOVERS.

Roll out dough very thin; put in it, like a turn

FISH AND OYSTERS.

ACCOMPANIMENTS OF FISH.

With boiled fresh mackerel, gooseberries, stewed.

With boiled blue fish, white cream sauce and lemon sauce.

With boiled shad, mushroom, parsley and egg sauce.

Lemon makes a very grateful addition to nearly all the insipid members
of the fish tribe.  Slices of lemon cut into very small dice, stirred
into drawn butter and allowed to come to a boiling point, is a very
fine accompaniment.

RULE FOR SELECTING FISH.

If the gills are red, the eyes full, and the whole fish firm and
stiff, they are fresh and good; if, on the contrary, the gills are
pale, the eyes sunken, the flesh flabby, they are stale.

BAKED FISH.

Take large white fish or pickerel, make a dressing as for turkey, with
the addition of one egg and a little onion; fill the fish, wrap close
with twine, lay in baking pan; put in one-half pint of water, small
lumps of butter and dredge with flour.  Bake from three-fourths to one
hour, basting carefully.

CODFISH WITH EGG.

Wash codfish; shred fine with fingers (never cut or chop it); pour
cold water over it.  Place the dish on the stove and bring the water
to a boil.  Throw the fish in a colander and drain.  Stir a
teaspoonful of flour smoothly with water; add two tablespoonfuls of
butter and a little pepper; bring to a boil; then throw in the
codfish, with a well-beaten egg. When it boils up it is ready for
table.

CODFISH WITH CREAM.

Take a piece of codfish six inches square; soak twelve hours in soft,
cold water; shred fine with the fingers; boil a few moments in fresh
water.  Take one-half pint cream and a little butter; stir into this
two large tablespoonfuls flour, smoothly blended in a little cold
water; pour over the fish; add one egg, well beaten.  Let come to a
boil; season with black pepper.

SLIVERED CODFISH.

Sliver the codfish fine; pour on boiling water; drain it off; add
butter and a little pepper.  Heat three or four minutes, but do not
let fry.

CODFISH BALLS.

One pint shredded codfish, two quarts mashed potatoes, well seasoned
with butter and pepper–salt, if necessary.  Make this mixture into
balls.  After dipping them into a mixture of two eggs beaten with
one-half cup milk, place them in a dripping pan into which you have
put a little butter; place them in the oven; baste frequently with
eggs and milk; bake till a golden brown.

FRIED FISH.

Wash the fish and dry well.  Take one-half pint of flour and one
teaspoon salt; sift together, and roll the fish in it.  Have lard very
hot, and fry quickly.  When done roll in a cloth to absorb all grease.

OYSTERS ON TOAST.

Toast and butter a few slices of bread; lay them in a shallow dish.
Put the liquor from the oysters on to heat; add salt, pepper, and
thicken with a little flour.  Just before this boils add the oysters.
Let it all boil up once, and pour over the toast.

ESCALOPED OYSTERS.

Two quarts of oysters; wash them and drain off the liquor; roll some
crackers (not too fine). Put in a pan a layer of crumbs, some bits of
butter, a little pepper and salt; then a layer of oysters, and repeat
until the dish is full. Have cracker crumbs on top; turn a cup of
oyster liquor over it; add good sweet milk sufficient to thoroughly
saturate it, and bake three-fourths of an hour.

STEAMED OYSTERS.

Select large oysters; drain; put on a plate; place in the steamer over
a kettle of boiling water.  About twenty minutes will cook them.
Season with pepper and salt; serve on soft buttered toast.

OYSTER GUMBO.

Cut up a chicken; roll in flour and brown well in a soup-pot, with a
spoonful of lard, two slices of ham, one large onion (chopped fine),
and a good-sized red pepper.  When browned, cover the whole with water
and stew until the chicken is perfectly tender.  Then add the liquor
of four or five dozen oysters, with water enough to make four quarts.
When it has again come to a good boil, add the oysters and stir while
sifting in one large spoonful of fresh file.  Salt to taste.  Serve
immediately, placing a large spoonful of boiled rice in each soup
plate.

“Gumbo File” is made of the red sassafras leaves, dried and ground
into a powder.

OYSTER PIE.

Make a rich pie crust, and proceed as you would to make any pie with
top crust.  Have nice fat oysters and put on a thick layer, with
plenty of lumps of butter; salt and pepper, and sprinkle over cracker
crumbs.  Put in the least bit of water, and cover with crust.  Bake,
and serve with turkey.

OYSTER PIE.

For crust make a dough as for baking powder biscuit.  Take one quart
of oysters; remove a half dozen good-sized ones into a saucepan; put
the rest into bottom of your baking dish.  Add four spoons of milk;
salt to taste, and dot closely with small lumps of butter.  Over this
put your crust, about as thick as for chicken pie, and place in oven
to bake until crust is well done.  Take the oyster left, add one-half
cup water, some butter, salt and pepper; let this come to a boil;
thicken with flour and milk, and serve as gravy with the pie.

FRIED OYSTERS.

Place New York counts in a colander to drain for a few minutes.  With
a fork remove them separately to a dry towel.  Place another towel
over them, allowing them to remain until all moisture is absorbed.
Have ready the beaten yolks of three eggs and a quantity of rolled
cracker, salted and peppered.  Dip each oyster separately, first into
egg, then into cracker.  When all have been thus dipped, have ready a
hot spider, into which drop four heaping tablespoons of butter.  When
butter is melted, place in the oysters, one by one; fry a light brown,
then turn.  Serve very hot.

PIGS IN BLANKET.

Take extra select oysters and very thin slices of nice bacon.  Seas

METHODS OF COOKING.

A proper source of heat having been secured,
the next step is to apply it to the food in some manner. The principal
methods commonly employed are roasting, broiling, baking, boiling,
stewing, simmering, steaming, and frying.

Roasting is cooking food in its own juices before an open fire. A
clear fire with intense heat is necessary.

Broiling, or grilling, is cooking by radiant heat over glowing
coals. This method is only adapted to thin pieces of food with a
considerable amount of surface. Larger and more compact foods should be
roasted or baked. Roasting and broiling are allied in principle. In
both, the work is chiefly done by the radiation of heat directly upon
the surface of the food, although some heat is communicated by the hot
air surrounding the food. The intense heat applied to the food soon
sears its outer surfaces, and thus prevents the escape of its juices. If
care be taken frequently to turn the food so that its entire surface
will be thus acted upon, the interior of the mass is cooked by its own
juices.

Baking is the cooking of food by dry heat in a closed oven. Only foods
containing a considerable degree of moisture are adapted for cooking by
this method. The hot, dry air which fills the oven is always thirsting
for moisture, and will take from every moist substance to which it has
access a quantity of water proportionate to its degree of heat. Foods
containing but a small amount of moisture, unless protected in some
manner from the action of the heated air, or in some way supplied with
moisture during the cooking process, come from the oven dry, hard, and
unpalatable.

Proper cooking by this method depends greatly upon the facility with
which the heat of the oven can be regulated. When oil or gas is the fuel
used, it is an easy matter to secure and maintain almost any degree of
heat desirable, but with a wood or coal stove, especial care and
painstaking are necessary.

It is of the first importance that the mechanism of the oven to be used,
be thoroughly understood by the cook, and she should test its heating
capacity under various conditions, with a light, quick fire and with a
more steady one; she should carefully note the kind and amount of fuel
requisite to produce a certain degree of heat; in short, she should
thoroughly know her “machine” and its capabilities before attempting to
use it for the cooking of food. An oven thermometer is of the utmost
value for testing the heat, but unfortunately, such thermometers are not
common. They are obtainable in England, although quite expensive. It is
also possible at the present time to obtain ranges with a very reliable
thermometer attachment to the oven door.

A cook of good judgment by careful observation and comparison of
results, can soon learn to form quite a correct idea of the heat of her
oven by the length of time she can hold her hand inside it without
discomfort, but since much depends upon the construction of stoves and
the kind of fuel used, and since the degree of heat bearable will vary
with every hand that tries it, each person who depends upon this test
must make her own standard. When the heat of the oven is found to be too
great, it may be lessened by placing in it a dish of cold water.

Boiling is the cooking of food in a boiling liquid. Water is the usual
medium employed for this purpose. When water is heated, as its
temperature is increased, minute bubbles of air which have been
dissolved by it are given off. As the temperature rises, bubbles of
steam will begin to form at the bottom of the vessel. At first these
will be condensed as they rise into the cooler water above, causing a
simmering sound; but as the heat increases, the bubbles will rise higher
and higher before collapsing, and in a short time will pass entirely
through the water, escaping from its surface, causing more or less
agitation, according to the rapidity with which they are formed. Water
boils when the bubbles thus rise to the surface, and steam is thrown
off. If the temperature is now tested, it will be found to be about 212°
F. When water begins to boil, it is impossible to increase its
temperature, as the steam carries off the heat as rapidly as it is
communicated to the water. The only way in which the temperature can be
raised, is by the confinement of the steam; but owing to its enormous
expansive force, this is not practicable with ordinary cooking utensils.
The mechanical action of the water is increased by rapid bubbling, but
not the heat; and to boil anything violently does not expedite the
cooking process, save that by the mechanical action of the water the
food is broken into smaller pieces, which are for this reason more
readily softened. But violent boiling occasions an enormous waste of
fuel, and by driving away in the steam the volatile and savory elements
of the food, renders it much less palatable, if not altogether
tasteless. The solvent properties of water are so increased by heat that
it permeates the food, rendering its hard and tough constituents soft
and easy of digestion.

The liquids mostly employed in the cooking of foods are water and milk.
Water is best suited for the cooking of most foods, but for such
farinaceous foods as rice, macaroni, and farina, milk, or at least part
milk, is preferable, as it adds to their nutritive value. In using milk
for cooking purposes, it should be remembered that being more dense than
water, when heated, less steam escapes, and consequently it boils sooner
than does water. Then, too, milk being more dense, when it is used alone
for cooking, a little larger quantity of fluid will be required than
when water is used.

The boiling point for water at the sea level is 212°. At all points
above the sea level, water boils at a temperature below 212°, the exact
temperature depending upon the altitude. At the top of Mt. Blanc, an
altitude of 15,000 feet, water boils at 185°. The boiling point is
lowered one degree for every 600 feet increase in altitude. The boiling
point may be increased by adding soluble substances to the water. A
saturated solution of common baking soda boils at 220°. A saturated
solution of chloride of sodium boils at 227°. A similar solution o

SALADS, BEVERAGES, &c.

1. SALAD.

Lettuce, tomatoes, mustard and cress, cucumber, olive or walnut oil, lemon
juice.

Wash the green stuff and finely shred it. Peel the cucumber, skin the
tomatoes (if ripe, the skins will come away easily) and cut into thin
slices. Place in the bowl in alternate layers. Let the top layer be
lettuce with a few slices of tomato for garnishing. Slices of hard-boiled
egg may be added if desired.

For the salad dressing, to every tablespoonful of oil allow 1 of lemon
juice. Drip the oil slowly into the lemon juice, beating with a fork all
the time. Pour over the salad.

2. SALAD.

Beetroot, mustard and cress, olive or walnut oil, lemon juice, cold
vegetables.

Chop the cold vegetables. French beans and potatoes make the nicest salad.
To every 2 cups of vegetables allow 1 cup of chopped beetroot. Mix well
together, and pour over salad dressing as for No. 1. A level teaspoonful
of pepper is added to a gill of the dressing by those who do not object to
its use.

3. FRUIT SALAD.

Take sweet, ripe oranges, apples, bananas, and grapes. Peel the oranges,
quarter them, and remove skin and pips. Peel and core the apples and cut
into thin slices. Wash and dry the grapes, and remove from stalks. Skin
and slice the bananas.

Put the prepared fruit into a glass dish in alternate layers. Squeeze the
juice from 2 sweet oranges and pour over the salad.

Any other fresh fruit in season may be used for this salad. Castor sugar
may be sprinkled over if desired, and cream used in place of the juice.
Grated nuts are also a welcome addition.

4. LEMON CORDIAL.

12 lemons, 1 lb. lump sugar.

Put the sugar into a clean saucepan. Grate off the yellow part of the
rinds of 6 lemons and sprinkle over the sugar. Now moisten the sugar with
as much water as it will absorb. Boil gently to a clear syrup. Add the
juice from the lemons, stir well, and pour into clean, hot, dry bottles.
Cork tightly and cover with sealing-wax or a little plaster-of-Paris mixed
with water and laid on quickly. Add any quantity preferred to cold or hot
water to prepare beverage, or use neat as sauce for puddings.

5. LIME CORDIAL. The same as for Lemon, but use 13 limes.

6. ORANGE CORDIAL.

The same as for Lemon, but use 3/4 lb. sugar.

A detailed list of Fruit and Herb Teas will be found in the companion
volume to this, “Food Remedies.”

7. WALLACE CHEESE.

1 qt. milk, 6 tablespoons lemon juice.

Strain the lemon juice and pour it into the boiling milk. Lay a piece of
fine, well-scalded muslin over a colander. Pour the curdled milk into
this. When it has drained draw the edges of the muslin together and
squeeze and press the cheese. Leave it in the muslin in the colander, with
a weight on it for 12 hours. It will then be ready to serve.

This cheese is almost tasteless, and many people prefer it so. But if the
flavour of lemon is liked, use more lemon juice. The whey squeezed from
the cheese is a wholesome drink when quite fresh.

JAM, MARMALADE, &c.

Jam simply consists of fresh fruit boiled with a half to two-thirds its
weight of white cane sugar until the mixture jellies.

Nearly every housekeeper has her own recipe for jam. One that I know of
uses a whole pound of sugar to a pound of fruit and boils it for nearly
two hours. The result is a very stiff, sweet jam, much more like shop jam
than home-made jam. Its only recommendation is that it will keep for an
unlimited time. Some recipes include water. But unless distilled water can
be procured, it is better not to dilute the fruit. The only advantage
gained is an increase of bulk. The jam may be made just as liquid by using
rather less sugar in proportion to the fruit. A delicious jam is made by
allowing 1/2 lb. sugar to every pound of fruit and cooking for half an
hour from the time it first begins to boil. But unless this is poured
immediately into clean, hot, dry jars, and tied down very tightly with
parchment covers, it will not keep. Nevertheless, too much sugar spoils
the flavour of the fruit, and too long boiling spoils the quality of the
sugar. A copper or thick enamelled iron pan is needed.

The best recipe for ordinary use allows 3/4 lb. sugar to each pound fruit.
Put the fruit in the pan with a little of the sugar, and when this boils,
add the rest. Boil rather quickly for an hour. Keep well skimmed. Pour
into hot, dry jars, and cover.

1. FRUIT NUT FILLING.

For small, open tarts, the following mixture is a good substitute for the
lemon curd that goes to make cheese cakes. Peel, core and quarter some
juicy apples. Put in a double saucepan (or covered jar) with some strips
of lemon peel (yellow part only) and cane sugar to taste. Cook slowly to a
pulp and, when cold, remove the lemon rind. Grate finely, or mill some
Brazil nuts. Mix apple pulp and ground nut together in such proportions as
to make a mixture of the consistency of stiff jam. Fill tarts with mixture
and sprinkle top with ground nut. It must be used the same day as made.

2. JAM WITHOUT SUGAR.

To every pound of fresh fruit allow 1/2 lb. dates. Wash the fruit, put it
in the preserving pan, and heat slowly, stirring well to draw out the
juice. Wash and stone the dates. Add to the fruit, and simmer very gently
for 45 minutes. Put immediately into clean, hot, dry jars, and tie on
parchment covers at once.

3. LEMON CURD.

1 lb. lump sugar, 3 lemons (the rinds of 2 grated), yolks of 6 eggs, 1/4
lb. butter.

Put the butter into a clean saucepan; melt, but do not let it boil. Add
the sugar, and stir until it is dissolved. Then add the beaten yolks, and,
lastly, the grated lemon rind and juice. Stir over a slow fire until the
mixture looks like honey and becomes thick. Put into jars, cover, and tie
down as for jam.

4. MARMALADE.

To 1 large Seville orange (if small, count 3 as 2) allow 3/4 lb. cane
sugar and 3/4 pint water. Wash and brush oranges, remove pips, cut peel
into fine shreds (better still, put through a mincer). Put all to soak in
the water for 24 hours. Boil until rinds are soft. Stand another 24 hours.
Add the sugar, and boil until marmalade jellies. If preferred, half sweet
and half Seville oranges may be used.

5. VEGETABLE MARROW JAM.

Peel the marrow, remove seeds, and cut into dice. To each pound of marrow
allow 1 lb. cane sugar; to every 3 lbs. of marrow allow the juice and
grated yellow part of rind of 1 lemon and 1/2 a level teaspoon ground
ginger. Put the marrow into the preserving pan, sprinkle well with some of
the sugar, and stand for 12 hours. Add the rest of the sugar, and boil
slowly for 2 hours. Add the lemon juice, rind, and ginger at the end of
1-1/2 hours.

EGG COOKING.

Many vegetarians discard the use of eggs and milk for principle’s sake,
but the majority still find them necessary as a half-way house. But no
eggs at all are infinitely to be preferred to any but real new-laid eggs.
The commercial “cooking-egg” is an unwholesome abomination.

1. BOILED EGGS FOR INVALIDS.

Put the egg on in cold water. As soon as it boils take the saucepan off
the fire and stand on one side for 5 minutes. At the end of this time the
egg will be found to be very lightly, but thoroughly, cooked.

2. BUTTERED EGGS.

3 eggs, 1 tablespoon milk, 1/2 oz. fresh butter.

Beat up the eggs and add the milk. Melt the butter in a small stew-pan.
When hot, pour in the eggs and stir until they begin to set. Have ready
some buttered toast. Pile on eggs and serve.

3. EGG ON TOMATO.

1 egg, 2 medium tomatoes, butter.

Skin the tomatoes. Break into halves and put them, with a very small piece
of butter, into a small stew-pan. Close tightly, and cook slowly until
reduced to a pulp. Break the egg into a cup and slide gently on to the
tomato. Put on the stew-pan lid. The egg will poach in the steam arising
from the tomato.

4. DEVILLED EGGS.

Boil eggs for 20 minutes. Remove shells. Cut in halves and take out the
yolks. Well mash yolks with a very little fresh butter, melted, and curry
powder to taste. Stuff the whites with the mixture, join halves together,
and arrange in a dish of watercress.

5. SCRAMBLED EGG AND TOMATO.

Skin the tomatoes and cook to pulp as in the preceding recipe. Beat the
egg and stir it in to the hot tomato. Cook until just beginning to set.

6. OMELET, PLAIN.

Whisk the egg or eggs lightly to a froth. Put enough butter in the
frying-pan to just cover when melted. When this is hot, pour the eggs into
it, and stir gently with a wooden spoon until it begins to set. Fold over
and serve.

7. SAVOURY OMELET.

2 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon finely-chopped parsley or mixed
herbs, 1/2 a very small onion (finely minced), 1 teaspoon fresh butter.

Put butter in the omelet pan. Beat the eggs to a fine froth, stir in the
milk and parsley, and pour into the hot pan. Stir quickly to prevent
sticking. As soon as it sets, fold over and serve.

8. SWEET OMELET.

Proceed as in recipe for Savoury Omelet, but substitute a dessertspoon
castor sugar for the onion and parsley. When set, put warm jam in the
middle. Fold over and serve.

9. SOUFFLÉ OMELET.

2 eggs, 1 dessertspoon castor sugar, grated yellow part of rind of 1/2
lemon, butter.

Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs. Beat the yolks and add
sugar and lemon. Whisk the whites to a stiff froth. Mix very gently with
the yolks. Pour into hot buttered pan. Fold over and serve when set. Put
jam in middle or not, as preferred.

GRAVIES AND SAUCES.

1. BROWN GRAVY.

Fry a chopped onion in a very little nutter until a dark brown. (Do not
burn, or the flavour of the gravy will be spoilt.) Drain off the fat and
add 1/2 pint water. Boil until the water is brown. Strain. Return to
saucepan and add flavouring to taste. A teaspoon of lemon juice and a
tomato, skinned and cooked to pulp, are good additions. Or any vegetable
stock may be used instead of the water.

THICK.–If thick gravy be desired, mix a dessertspoonful wholemeal flour
with a little cold water. Add the boiling stock to this. Return to
saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. Add a small piece of butter just before
serving.

_Another method_.–Add a little “browning” (see recipe) to any vegetable
stock. Thicken.

2. EGG SAUCE.

Make a white sauce (see recipe). Boil an egg for 20 minutes, shell, chop
finely, and add to the sauce.

3. PARSLEY SAUCE.

Make a white sauce (see recipe). But if the use of milk be objected to,
make the sauce of water and wholemeal flour. Allow 1 tablespoon
finely-chopped parsley to each 1/2 pint of sauce. Add to the sauce, and
boil up. Add a small piece of butter or nut-butter just before serving.

4. SWEET LEMON SAUCE.

2 ozs. lump sugar, 1 large lemon.

Rub the lemon rind well with the sugar. Put the sugar into a saucepan with
as much water as it will just absorb. Boil to a clear syrup. Add the lemon
juice. Make hot, but do not boil.

5. TOMATO SAUCE.

Pour boiling water on the tomatoes, allow to stand for 1 minute, after
which the skins may be easily removed. Break the tomatoes (do not cut) and
put into a closely-covered saucepan. Put on one side of the range, or an
asbestos mat over a very low gas ring, and allow to cook slowly to pulp.
Serve.

This simple recipe makes the most delicious sauce for those who appreciate
the undiluted flavour of the tomato. But a good sauce may be made by
allowing 1 teacup water or carrot stock to each teacup of pulp, boiling up
and thickening with wholemeal flour. A little butter may be added just
before serving.

6. WHITE SAUCE.

Allow 1 level dessertspoon cornflour to 1/2 pint milk. Mix the cornflour
with a very little cold water in a basin. Pour the boiling milk into this,
stirring all the time. Return to saucepan and boil 5 minutes. Add a small
piece of butter just before serving.

7. BROWNING, FOR GRAVIES AND SAUCES.

Put 2 ozs. lump sugar in saucepan with as much water as it will just
absorb. Boil to a clear syrup, and then simmer very gently, stirring all
the time, until it is a very dark brown, almost black. It must not burn or
the flavour will be spoilt. Then add a pint of water, boil for a few
minutes. Put into a tightly-corked bottle and use as required.

CASSEROLE COOKING.

Casserole is the French word for stew-pan. But “Casserole Cookery” is a
phrase used to denote cookery in earthenware pots. It commends itself
especially to food-reformers, as the slow cookery renders the food more
digestible, and the earthenware pots are easier to keep clean than the
ordinary saucepan. The food is served up in the pot in which it is cooked,
this being simply placed on a dish. A large pudding-basin covered with a
plate may be used in default of anything better. A clean white serviette
is generally pinned round this before it comes to table. Various
attractive-looking brown crocks are sold for the purpose. But anyone who
possesses the old-fashioned “beef-tea” jar needs nothing else. It is
important to ensure that a new casserole does not crack the first time of
using. To do this put the casserole into a large, clean saucepan, or pail,
full of clean cold water. Put over a fire or gas ring, and bring slowly to
the boil. Boil for 10 minutes and then stand aside to cool. Do not take
the casserole out until the water is cold.

1. FRENCH SOUP.

2 carrots, 1 turnip, 1 leek, 1 stick celery, 1/2 cabbage, 1 bay leaf, 2
cloves, 6 peppercorns, 3 qts. water.

Scrape and cut up carrots and turnip. Slice the leek, and cut celery into
dice. Shred the cabbage. Put into the jar with the water, and place in a
moderate oven, or on the top of a closed range. If it is necessary to use
a gas ring, turn very low and stand jar on an asbestos mat. Bring to the
boil slowly and then simmer for 2-1/2 hours.

2. HOT POT.

1 lb. potatoes, 2 carrots, 1 large onion, 1 turnip, 1/4 lb. mushrooms or
1/2 lb. tomatoes, 1 pint stock or water.

Wash, peel, and slice thickly the potatoes. Wash and scrape and slice the
carrots and turnip. Skin the tomatoes or mushrooms. Put in the jar in
alternate layers. Moisten with the stock or water. Cook as directed in
recipe 1 for 1-1/2 hours after it first begins to simmer.

3. STEWED APPLES.

Take hard, red apples. Wash, but do not peel or core. Put in jar with cold
water to reach half way up the apples. Cover closely and put in moderate
oven for 2 hours after it begins to simmer. At end of 1 hour, add sugar to
taste.

4. VEGETABLE STEW.

1-1/2 lbs. (when prepared and cut up) of mixed seasonable vegetables,
including, whenever possible, tomatoes, celery and spinach; one
tablespoonful of water.

Cut up the moist, juicy vegetables such as celery, spinach, onions and
tomatoes, place them with the water in a casserole, put lid on and slowly
cook for about one hour until enough juice is extracted to safely add the
rest of the cut-up vegetables. The whole should now be placed in a
slightly greater heat and simmered until the last added vegetables are
quite tender. The mixture should be stirred occasionally with a wooden
spoon.

SALADS AND SALAD DRESSING.

It is said that “Any fool can make a salad,” but all salads are not
made by fools.  “Mixing” comes by intuition, and the successful cooks
use the ingredients, judgment, and their own tastes, rather than the
recipe.

Any number of salads and fillings for sandwiches for home use, teas or
receptions, can be made at little cost and trouble, by using the
following simple recipe for dressing.  The secret of success of the
dressing lies in the mixing of the ingredients:

Powder the cold yolks of four hard boiled eggs; then stir in one
tablespoon even full of common mustard, one-half teaspoonful of salt,
and two heaping tablespoonfuls of pulverized sugar.  When mixed
thoroughly, add three tablespoonfuls of good table oil, and stir
rapidly for three minutes; then add six tablespoonfuls of good, sharp
vinegar, and stir for five minutes.  Now you will have dressing
sufficient for a dozen or fifteen plates of salad, and one that will
keep in a cool place for weeks.

LETTUCE SALAD.

Add to the above dressing just before serving, one pound of crisp
lettuce, cut in one-half inch squares, or sliced fine.  Garnish the
dish or dishes with the white of the egg, chopped fine, to which add
the thin slices of two or three small radishes.

LOBSTER SALAD.

Take one pound of fresh or canned lobster, two small onions, one
fourth of a lemon (with rind), two bunches of celery, or a like amount
of crisp cabbage; chop fine, and thoroughly mix with the dressing.
Serve on a lettuce leaf in individual dishes; garnish with the white
of the eggs, chopped fine.

Veal, chicken, terrapin, salmon, little-neck clams, scollops, etc.,
can be utilized by the judicious cook in connection with the dressing.

SANDWICH FILLING.

Take ham, veal, chicken, sardines, etc., with the white of the eggs,
chopped exceedingly fine, and mixed with sufficient of the dressing to
make a paste the consistency of butter; spread this on thin slices of
bread, cut in irregular shapes, and you have most delicious
sandwiches.

CHICKEN SALAD.

Take white and choice dark meat of a cold boiled chicken or turkey,
three-quarters same bulk of chopped celery or cabbage, and a few
cucumber pickles, chopped well and mixed together.  For the dressing
take the yolks of two hard boiled eggs, rub to a fine powder; mix with
it a teaspoonful of salt, teaspoonful pepper, teaspoonful mustard, two
teaspoonfuls white sugar; then add three teaspoonfuls salad oil, and,
last of all, one-half cup vinegar.   Pour the dressing over the
chopped meat, cabbage, etc., and stir all well together.

CHICKEN SALAD.

Take two large chickens; boil tender; pick in small bits.  Chop as
much celery as you have meat.  For the dressing, take six yolks and
one whole egg; beat to a froth, mix with two spoonfuls of salad oil,
one spoonful mixed mustard, a little pepper and salt, one pint
vinegar, heated; before it boils, stir in the other ingredients; cook
till thick, stirring all the time.  Boil down the liquid in which the
chickens were cooked until it forms a jelly.  Let all cool.  Two or
three hours before using, mix meat, celery, liquid, and dressing.

CHICKEN SALAD.

Two chickens, boiled tender and minced fine, five hard boiled eggs,
and one raw egg.  Take as much chopped cabbage as you have minced
chicken; chop the whites of the boiled eggs, and put with the chicken.
Mix the cooked yolks with the raw egg; add one teacup of the broth and
oil from the chicken; one pint of good vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard,
and season to taste.  Part celery and part cabbage can be used, if
desired.  Mix all together.

CHICKEN SALAD FOR TWO HUNDRED.

Thirty chickens, cooked and cut medium fine, fifty heads of celery,
two gallons of good strong vinegar, three pounds of light brown sugar,
ten cents worth of yellow mustard, three pounds of butter, four dozen
eggs, boiled hard.  Chop whites, and cream yolks with butter.  Boil
vinegar and sugar together, and skim; add the creamed butter and
yolks; also, mustard, salt and pepper to taste; let stand until cold;
then pour over the celery and chicken; mix thoroughly, and add the
whites of eggs.  If unable to get celery, use crisp cabbage, with ten
cents worth of celery seed.  If you use celery seed, boil it in the
vinegar.

CHICKEN SALAD.

Shred cold boiled chicken, and measure one pint chicken and one pint
celery; season with French dressing as below, and keep on ice until
ready to serve.

FRENCH DRESSING.–One saltspoon of salt, one-half saltspoon of white
pepper, one-fourth teaspoon of onion juice, one tablespoon of vinegar,
three tablespoons of olive oil, or melted butter; mix in the order
given, adding the oil slowly. When ready to serve your salad, mix it
with the boiled dressing given below; arrange it, and garnish with
parsley.

BOILED DRESSING.–Mix one teaspoon of mustard, two teaspoons of salt,
two tablespoons of sugar, one-fourth saltspoon of cayenne pepper, one
heaping teaspoon of flour; mix well; then add one egg, well beaten;
and one cup hot water.  Put in double boiler, and boil ten minutes.
While it is cooking, add one-half cup hot vinegar.  When done, add one
tablespoon of melted butter, or Lucca oil, if prepared.  After it is
cooked, turn into a bowl; put on ice until cold; add to salad just
before serving. If you like filberts in the salad, pour boiling water
on them; let them stand a short time, then throw them into cold water;
remove the skins, break into halves; put into salad before you pour on
the boiled dressing.

For a company of seventy-five, use six chickens, and six times both
recipes for dressing, and three pounds of filberts.

BEAN SALAD.

Cold cooked stringed beans, drained and dressed with a simple oil and
vinegar dressing, or mayonnaise, make an excelle

EGGS.

Try the freshness of eggs by putting them into cold water; those that
sink the soonest are the freshest.

Never attempt to boil an egg without watching the timepiece.  Put the
eggs in boiling water.  In three minutes eggs will boil soft; in four
minutes the white part will be cooked; in ten minutes they will be
hard enough for salad.

HOW TO PRESERVE.

To each pailful of water add two pints of fresh slaked lime and one
pint of common salt; mix well.  Fill your barrel half full with this
fluid, put your eggs down in it any time after June, and they will
keep two years if desired.

SOFT BOILED EGGS.

Put eggs in a bowl or pan; pour boiling water over them until they are
well covered; let stand ten minutes; pour off water, and again cover
with boiling water.  If you like them quite soft, eat immediately
after pouring on second water; if you like them harder, leave them in
longer.  This method makes the white more jelly-like and digestible.

FRENCH OMELETTE.

Take eight eggs, well beaten separately; add to the yolks eight
tablespoonfuls of sweet milk, one tablespoonful of flour, one
teaspoonful of good baking powder, salt and pepper; beat well
together, and then stir in lightly at the last the beaten whites.
Have ready a skillet with melted butter, smoking hot, and pour in
mixture.  Let cook on bottom; then put in oven from five to ten
minutes.  Serve at once.

OMELETTE.

To the well beaten yolks of five eggs add two teaspoonfuls of corn
starch, and a little salt dissolved in one-half cup of milk.  Beat
whites to a stiff froth, and stir lightly into mixture.  Have ready a
hot buttered spider, into which turn the whole, and bake to a light
brown in a quick oven.

PLAIN OMELETTE.

Stir into the well beaten yolks of four eggs one-half tablespoonful of
melted butter, a little salt, one tablespoonful of flour mixed smooth
in one cup of milk; beat together well, and then stir in lightly the
whites, beaten stiff; pour into buttered skillet; cook on top stove
for ten minutes, and then place in oven to brown.

EGG FOR AN INVALID.

Put two tablespoonfuls of boiling water in a sauce pan on the stove;
break a fresh egg into it; stir briskly until the egg is slightly set,
but not at all stiff; season with salt, and a little pepper.  Serve at
once on a thin slice of buttered toast.

SARDELLED EGGS.

Boil some eggs hard; remote shells, and cut the eggs oblong; take out
yolks, and cream, or mash fine.  Then take sardells, and remove the
backbone; mash fine, and mix with the yolks of eggs and a little red
pepper, and fill the whites of eggs with the mixture.  They are fine
for an appetizer.  Sardells are a small fish from three to four inches
long, and come in small kegs, like mackerel.

STUFFED EGGS.

Boil eggs for twenty minutes; then drop in cold water.  Remove the
shells, and cut lengthwise.  Remove the yolks, and cream them with a
good salad dressing.  Mix with chopped ham, or chicken, or any cold
meat, if you choose.  Make mixture into balls, and fill in the hollows
of your whites.  If you have not the salad dressing mix the yolks from
six eggs with a teaspoonful of melted butter, a dash of cayenne
pepper, a little prepared mustard, salt, vinegar and sugar to taste.

Recipes Tried and True.

We may live without poetry, music, and art;
We may live without conscience, and live without heart;
We may live without friends; we may live without books;
But civilized man cannot live without cooks.

MENUS.

SUNDAY BREAKFAST (WINTER).

Oat Meal.  Boston Brown Bread.  Boston Baked Beans.  Coffee.

PLAIN DINNER.

Tomato Soup.  Boiled Fish.  Lemon Sauce.  Roast Lamb.  Mint Sauce.
Stewed Tomatoes.  Sweet Potatoes.  Spanish Cream.  Coffee.

PLAIN DINNER.

Bouillon.  Boiled Spring Chicken.  New Potatoes.  New Peas.  Lettuce,
Mayonnaise Dressing.  Rhubarb Pie.  Cheese.  Crackers.  Coffee.

OLD-FASHIONED THANKSGIVING DINNER.

Roast Turkey, Oyster Dressing.  Cranberry Sauce.  Mashed Potatoes.
Baked Corn.  Olives.  Peaches.  Pumpkin Pie.  Mince Pie.  Fruit.
Cheese.  Coffee.

FAMILY DINNERS FOR A WEEK IN SUMMER.

Sunday.

Green Corn Soup.  Salmon and Green Peas.  Roast Beef.  Tomatoes.  New
Potatoes.  Strawberry Ice Cream.  Cake.  Coffee.  Iced Tea.

Monday.

Lamb Chops.  Mint Sauce.  Potatoes.  Escaloped Onions.  Cucumber
Salad.  Orange Pudding.

Tuesday.

Veal Soup.  Fried Chicken.  Green Peas.  Rice Croquettes.
Strawberries and Cream.

Wednesday.

Broiled Beef Steak.  Potato Croquettes.  String Beans.  Tomato Salad.
Fruit Jelly.  Cream Pie.

Thursday.

Potato Soup.  Roast Veal.  Baked Potatoes.  Beet Salad.  Asparagus.
Strawberry Shortcake.

Friday.

Boiled Fish.  Egg Sauce.  Lamb Chops.  Peas.  Escaloped Potatoes.
Lettuce, Mayonnaise.  Raspberry Iced Tea.

Saturday.

Chicken Pot Pie, with Dumplings.  Spinach.  Cucumber Salad.  Radishes.
Lemonade.

PLAIN FAMILY DINNERS FOR A WEEK IN WINTER.

Sunday.

Cracker-Ball Soup.  Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding.  Creamed
Potatoes.  Celery.  Mince Pie.  Apricot Ice Cream.  Cheese.  Coffee or
Chocolate.

Monday.

Cold Roast Beef.  Mashed Potatoes.  Cabbage Slaw.  Pickles.  Plain
Plum Pudding.  Cheese.  Tea.

Tuesday.

Tomato Soup.  Leg of Mutton.  Caper Sauce.  Baked Potatoes.  Stewed
Turnips.  Apple Pudding.  Coffee or Tea.

Wednesday.

Lemon Bouillon.  Baked Fish, with Drawn Butter.  Roast Chicken.
Potatoes.  Boiled Onions.  Pickles or Olives.  Cottage Pudding.

Thursday.

Roast Beef Soup.  Stewed Tomatoes.  Mashed Potatoes.  Boiled Rice.
Turnips.  Troy Pudding.  Egg Sauce.

Friday.

Corn Soup.  Chicken Pie.  French Peas.  Stewed Potatoes.  Cream Slaw.
Suet Pudding.

Saturday.

Boiled Corn Beef, with Vegetables.  Pork and Beans.  Pickles.  Indian
Pudding.  Cream Sauce.

BREAKFASTS.  Fall and Winter.

1.  Melon.  Fried Mush.  Fried Oysters.  Potatoes.  Rolls.  Coffee or
Cocoa.

2.  Melon or Fruit.  Graham Cakes.  Maple Syrup.  New Pickles.
Broiled Steak.  Corn Oysters.  Coffee or Cocoa.

3.  Melon or Fruit.  Fried Oat Meal Mush.  Syrup.  Bacon, Dipped in
Eggs.  Fried Potatoes.  Coffee.

4.  Oranges.  Warm Biscuit.  Jelly.  Broiled Oysters on Toast.  Rice
Balls.  Coffee.

5.  Oranges.  Mackerel.  Fried Potatoes.  Ham Toast.  Muffins.

6.  Breakfast Bacon.  Corn Griddle Cakes.  Syrup.  Boiled Eggs.  Baked
Potatoes.

Spring and Summer.

1.  Fruit.  Muffins.  Ham.  Eggs.  Radishes.  Onions.  Coffee.

2.  Fruit.  Light Biscuit.  Breakfast Bacon.  Scrambled Eggs.  Fried
Potatoes.  Coffee.

3.  Fruit.  Corn Meal Muffins.  Veal Cutlets.  French Toast.
Radishes.  New Onions.  Coffee.

4.  Strawberries.  Lamb Chops.  Cream Potatoes.  Graham Muffins.
Coffee.

5.  Raspberries.  Oat Meal and Cream.  Sweet Breads.  Sliced Tomatoes.
Hamburg Steak.  Fried Potatoes.  Coffee.

6.  Berries.  Breakfast Bacon, Dipped in Butter and Fried.  Sliced
Tomatoes.  Baked Potatoes.  Muffins.  Coffee.

A FEW PLAIN DINNERS.

1.  Tomato Soup.  Cranberry Sauce.  Roast Pork, with Dressing.
Potatoes.  Peas.

DESSERT–Fruit and Cake.  Coffee.

2.  Vegetable Soup.  Beef Steak and Gravy.  Macaroni, with Cheese.

DESSERT–Cake and Lemon Pudding.  Coffee.

3.  Clam Soup.  Boiled Chicken.  Potatoes.  Lettuce, Mayonnaise
Dressing.

DESSERT–Strawberry  Shortcake, with  Strawberry Sauce.  Coffee.
Crackers.  Cheese.

Healthy Cooking.

You want food you can eat every day, knowing that it is bringing you
nearer and nearer to real Fitness, the Fitness which lasts all day, and
survives even Sunday or a Summer Holiday.

SOUPS: Soups are of three kinds–clear soups, thick soups, and purées. A clear soup is made by boiling fruit or vegetables (celery, for example) until all the nourishment is extracted, and then straining off the clear liquid. A little sago or macaroni is generally added and cooked in this. When carrots and turnips are used, a few small pieces are cut into dice or
fancy shapes, cooked separately, and added to the strained soup. Thick
soups always include some farinaceous ingredients for thickening (flour,
pea-flour, potato, etc.). Purées are thick soups composed of any vegetable
or vegetables boiled and rubbed through a sieve. This is done, a little at
a time, with a wooden spoon. A little of the hot liquor is added to the
vegetable from time to time to assist it through.

SAVORY DISHES: The recipes following are intended to be used as substitutes for meat,
fish, etc.

VEGETABLES: Never eat boiled vegetables. No one ever hears of a flesh-eater boiling
his staple article of diet and throwing away the liquor. On the contrary,
when he does indulge in boiled meat, the liquor is regarded as a valuable
asset, and is used as a basis for soup. But his meat is generally
conservatively cooked–that is, it is baked, roasted, or grilled, so that
the juices are retained. If he has to choose between throwing away the
meat or the water in which it has been boiled, he keeps the
liquor–witness “beef-tea.” For some unknown reason he does not often
treat his vegetables in the same way, and suffers thereby the loss of much
valuable food material.

CASSEROLE COOKING: Casserole is the French word for stew-pan. But “Casserole Cookery” is a
phrase used to denote cookery in earthenware pots. It commends itself
especially to food-reformers, as the slow cookery renders the food more
digestible, and the earthenware pots are easier to keep clean than the
ordinary saucepan. The food is served up in the pot in which it is cooked,
this being simply placed on a dish. A large pudding-basin covered with a
plate may be used in default of anything better. A clean white serviette
is generally pinned round this before it comes to table. Various
attractive-looking brown crocks are sold for the purpose. But anyone who
possesses the old-fashioned “beef-tea” jar needs nothing else. It is
important to ensure that a new casserole does not crack the first time of
using. To do this put the casserole into a large, clean saucepan, or pail,
full of clean cold water. Put over a fire or gas ring, and bring slowly to
the boil. Boil for 10 minutes and then stand aside to cool. Do not take
the casserole out until the water is cold.

EGG COOKING: Many vegetarians discard the use of eggs and milk for principle’s sake,
but the majority still find them necessary as a half-way house. But no
eggs at all are infinitely to be preferred to any but real new-laid eggs.
The commercial “cooking-egg” is an u