The Project Gutenberg EBook of Twenty-Five Cent Dinners for Families of Six, by
Juliet Corson
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Title: Twenty-Five Cent Dinners for Families of Six
Author: Juliet Corson
Release Date: March 27, 2009 [EBook #28419]
Language: English
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TWENTY-FIVE CENT DINNERS
FOR
FAMILIES OF SIX.
BY
JULIET CORSON,
_Superintendent of the New York Cooking School_.
AUTHOR OF "THE COOKING MANUAL," "OUR HOUSEHOLD COUNCIL," "THE BILL OF
FARE, WITH ACCOMPANYING RECEIPTS AND ESTIMATED COST," "A TEXT-BOOK FOR
COOKING SCHOOLS," "FIFTEEN-CENT DINNERS FOR WORKINGMEN'S FAMILIES," ETC.
THIRTEENTH EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED.
NEW YORK:
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY,
245 BROADWAY,
1879.
Copyright by JULIET CORSON, 1878.
All Rights Reserved.
PREFACE
TO
_THE REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION_.
During the time that this little book has been a candidate for public
favor, it has attained a success far beyond the expectations of its most
sanguine advocates; and in issuing this revised and enlarged edition the
author returns her sincere thanks to both press and public, who have so
substantially seconded her efforts for culinary reform.
In this edition an additional chapter has been devoted to the
preparation of fruit for dessert, with special reference to the needs of
American housewives. Most American ladies prepare fruit for table use
either by canning it, or making it into rich and expensive preserves;
while both of these methods are palatable, and available for winter use,
the receipts given in the closing chapter will provide a welcome variety
for serving fresh fruits at the table, and will tend to increase the
healthy consumption of those abundant and excellent domestic
productions, while they cannot fail to decrease the deplorable
prevalence of that objectionable national compound, the pie.
Recent investigations concerning retail prices in different sections of
the country confirm the author in the estimate of cost given in this
work; in certain localities some of the articles quoted are more
expensive, while others are cheaper; but the average is about equal.
PREFACE.
TO ECONOMICAL HOUSEWIVES:
The wide publicity which the press in different sections of the country
has given to my offer to show workingpeople earning a dollar and a half,
or less, per day, how to get a good dinner for fifteen cents, has
brought me a great many letters from those who earn more, and can
consequently afford a more extended diet.
In response to their requirements I have written this book, which I hope
will be found servicable in that middle department of cookery it is
designed to occupy, where we begin to look for more than the absolute
necessaries of life; it is a practical guide to the economical,
healthful, and palatable preparation of food, and will serve to show
that it is possible to live well upon a very moderate income.
It is necessary to repeat in this book some of the directions given in
the work on "FIFTEEN CENT DINNERS;" but I hope their reappearance will
be pardoned on the ground of their usefulness, and also because the
first book will fail to reach many for whom this one is intended.
The cheapest kinds of food are sometimes the most wholesome and
strengthening; but in order to obtain all their best qualities we must
know how to choose them for their freshness, goodness, and suitability
to our needs. That done, we must know how to cook them, so as to make
savory and nutritious meals instead of tasteless or sodden messes, the
eating whereof sends the man to the liquor shop for consolation.
Good food, properly cooked, gives us good blood, sound bones, healthy
brains, strong nerves, and firm flesh, to say nothing of good tempers
and kind hearts. These are surely worth a little trouble to secure.
The first food of nearly all living creatures is milk, the only entire
natural food; that is, the only food upon which health and strength can
be sustained for any length of time, without using any other
nourishment. For this reason it is the best food you can give the
children if you must restrict their diet at all; and it is also a
valuable addition to the food of grown persons. While this fact about
milk is settled, it is generally acknowledged by people who study the
subject that we thrive best on a variety. We get warmth and strength
from fat meat, wheat, rye, barley, rice, milk, sugar, fruit, peas,
beans, lentils, macaroni, and the roots of vegetables; we gain flesh
from lean meat, unbolted flour, oatmeal, eggs, cheese, and green
vegetables; and, if we want to think clearly, we must use fish, poultry,
the different grains, and a good variety of fruit and vegetables.
The food most generally in use among the masses is just that which meets
their requirements. No hungry man will spend money for what he knows
will not satisfy his appetite, and a natural appetite may always be
trusted. For that reason the receipts given in this book treat of the
articles in common use, with the exception of lentils and macaroni,
which are foods that I earnestly beg all to try. In meals made up of
bacon, potatoes and bread, of corned beef and cabbage, and of pork and
beans, there exists an equal and sufficient amount of nourishment; but
if other dishes are added to these, the variety will result in better
general health and contentment. If we were to live day after day on
rice, bread, potatoes, or any one other article of food, we would not
long be strong enough for any kind of work. In matters of diet variety
is not only the spice of life, it is the necessity.
In estimating cost, I have naturally supposed that the family consists
of father, mother, and children of different ages, and not of six
adults; for them the quantities given would, of course, be insufficient.
I allow a meat dinner every day; but in order to have this the meat
itself must generally be used one day, with bread or vegetables, and the
next day the breakfast must be the broth or juice of the meat, which, if
prepared according to my directions, will afford equal nourishment.
I wish to call your attention to the following important fact. The hardy
and thrifty working classes of France, the country where the most rigid
economy in regard to food is practised, never use tea or coffee for
breakfast, and seldom use milk. Their food and drink is BROTH. Not the
broth from fresh meat, for they do not often eat that; but that which is
made from vegetables, and perhaps a bit of bacon or salt pork.
If you will reflect on the reasons I give in the next chapter for
boiling food, instead of roasting or baking it, you will learn two
important lessons in economy, namely: that boiling saves at least one
fourth the volume of food, and that the broth which is produced, when
properly managed, always gives the foundation for another meal. You
should always bear in mind that the object of cooking is to soften and
disintegrate food, so that it can be easily masticated; and to expand
it, so as to present a large surface to the action of the digestive
organs. In this connection you must open your eyes to certain
physiological facts if you want your food to agree with you. I shall not
tell you more, and perhaps not so much, as you ought to know, and to
teach your children.
In calculating the cost of the receipts I give you, I have used the
retail prices asked in Washington market, and in ordinary grocery
stores, at this season of the year; the average is about the same as
that of past years, and probably will not change much; so that I believe
I have not placed too low an estimate upon them.
At the first glance it may seem impossible to buy healthy meat at the
prices I give, but you must remember that I speak of the good second
quality of meat, and that the marketing must be done with economy, and
in low-priced localities. It _can_ be done, for I have done it myself.
Go to packing houses, and provision stores, for meats; to German
green-groceries for vegetables, and fruit; and to "speciality" stores,
for butter, sugar, tea, et cetera.
In conclusion I only have to say that I hope my little book will be
useful to every one who consults it.
JULIET CORSON.
_New York Cooking School._
DAILY BILLS OF FARE FOR ONE WEEK.
{ Breakfast: Johnny Cake, 5; Cocoa, 6; Broiled }
{ Herring, 5. 16 }
{ }
MONDAY { Dinner: Chicken Soup with Rice, 5; Fried }
{ Chicken and Potatoes, 35. 40 } 75
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Broiled Kidneys, 10; Rice }
{ Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Pulled Bread, 3; Coffee, 6; Macaroni, }
{ Farmers' Style, 10. 19 }
{ }
TUESDAY { Dinner: Broth and Brewis, 5; Stewed Beef }
{ with Norfolk Dumplings, 19. 24 } 62
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Peas Pudding, 10; Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Biscuit, 6; Cocoa, 6; Codfish }
{ Steaks, 15. 27 }
{ }
WEDNESDAY { Dinner: Spinach Soup, 15; Gammon Dumplings }
{ and Potatoes, 15. 30 } 76
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Baked Beans, 10; Potato }
{ Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Breakfast Rolls, 6; Cocoa, 6; }
{ Stewed Pig's Kidneys, 10. 22 }
{ }
THURSDAY { Dinner: Macaroni with White Sauce, 10; }
{ Brain and Liver Pudding, with potatoes, }
{ 18. 28 } 69
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Rice, Japanese Style, 10; }
{ Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Indian Cakes, 5; Coffee, 6; Vegetable }
{ Porridge, 15. 26 }
{ }
FRIDAY { Dinner: Thick Pea Soup, 6; Fish and Potato }
{ Pudding, 15. 21 } 66
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Fried Beans, 10; Rice }
{ Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Biscuit, 6; Cocoa, 6; Rice, Milanaise }
{ Style, 10. 22 }
{ }
SATURDAY { Dinner: Mutton Broth, with Barley, 3; Epigramme }
{ of Lamb, 16; Potatoes, 3. 22 } 58
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Polenta, 5; Potato Bread, 6. 14}
{ Breakfast: Toast, 6; Fried Lentils, 10; }
{ Coffee, 6; Oatmeal Porridge, 8. 30 }
{ }
SUNDAY { Dinner: Roast Fowl and Baked Potatoes, 38; }
{ Half-pay Pudding, 20. 58 } 1.19
{ }
{ Supper: German Potatoes, 10; Cream Rice }
{ Pudding, 15; Bread, 6. 31 }
TOTAL. $5.25
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
_Marketing._ PAGE.
Composition and nutritive value of Meat, Blood, and Bones--How to
choose Meat--Beef--Mutton--Lamb--Veal--Pork--Poultry--Game
Birds--Fish--Vegetables--Fruit 10
CHAPTER II.
_How to Cook, Season, and Measure._
Effect of different methods of cooking--Roasting or
Baking--Broiling--Boiling and Stewing--Frying--Cooking Salt and
Smoked Meats--Seasoning Food--Dried Celery and Parsley--Dried
Herbs--Table Sauce--Celery Salt--Spice Salt--Lemon, Orange, and
Vanilla Tinctures--Table for Measuring Food 16
CHAPTER III.
_Beverages._
Tea--Coffee--Cocoa and Chocolate--Beer--Barley Water--Milk--Lime
Water 20
CHAPTER IV.
_Bread, Macaroni, and Rice._
Comparative price and nutritive value of different kinds of
bread--Homemade Bread--Rice Bread--Potato Bread--Pulled Bread--Bread
made with Baking Powder--Breakfast Rolls--Tea Biscuit--Nutritive value
of Macaroni--Macaroni Farmers' Style--Macaroni with Broth--Macaroni with
White Sauce--Macaroni with Cheese--Macaroni Milanaise Style--Macaroni
with Tomato Sauce--Tomato Sauce--Rice--Rice Panada--Boiled Rice--Rice
Milanaise Style--Rice Japanese Style 24
CHAPTER V.
_Soup._
Nutritive value of Soup--General directions for making Soup--Scotch
Broth without Meat--Pea Soup--Thick Pea Soup--Bean Soup--Lentil
Soup--Onion Soup--Spinach Soup--Francatelli's Vegetable
Soup--Vegetable Porridge--Rice Milk--Fish Soup--Fish Chowder--Mutton
Broth--Veal Broth--White Broth--Cream Soup--Beef Broth--Norfolk
Dumplings--Meat Brewis 31
CHAPTER VI.
_Peas, Beans, Lentils, and Maize._
Value of Leguminous Vegetables for Hard Workers--Oatmeal and
Peas--Peas-Pudding--Peas and Bacon--Baked Peas--Peas and
Onions--Baked Beans--Stewed Beans--Fried Beans--Beans and
Bacon--Boiled Lentils--Stewed Lentils--Fried Lentils--Indian Corn
Meal--Polenta--Cheese Pudding--Hasty Pudding--Johnny Cake--Indian
Cakes--Indian Bread--Boiled Indian Pudding--Baked Indian Pudding 38
CHAPTER VII.
_Cheap Fish and Meat Dinners._
Nutritive value of Fish--Pickled Fish--London Fried Fish--Fish and
Potato Pie--Fish Pudding--Fish and Potato Pudding--Codfish
Steaks--Red Herrings with Potatoes--Cheap Meats--Sheeps' Head
Stew--Oxtail Stew--Beef Pie--Baked Heart--Stewed Kidneys and
Potatoes--Pig's Kidneys--Kidney Pudding--Gammon Dumpling--Bacon and
Apple Roly-poly--Mutton and Onions--Pork and Onions--Veal and
Rice--Irish Stew--Sheep's Haslet--Baked Pig's Head 43
CHAPTER VIII.
_Sunday Dinners._
Economy of Combination Dishes--Roast Fowl--Forcemeat or
Stuffing--Chicken Gravy--Fried Chicken--Frying Batter--Chicken
Broth--New York Cooking School Fricassee--Suet Dumplings--Rabbit
Curry--Rabbit Pie--Pickled Shad--Pork Pie--Pork Chops--Roast Pork and
Apples--Stewed Sausage--German Potatoes--Brain and Liver
Pudding--Broiled Kidneys--Tripe, Curry, and Rice--Liver Polenta--_A la
Mode_ Beef--Meat Patties--Boiled Mutton--Mutton _rechauffée_--Mutton
Kromeskys--Plain Frying Batter--_Epigramme_ of Lamb--Roast
Veal--Forcemeat for Veal--_Blanquette_ of Veal--Veal and Ham Patties 50
CHAPTER IX.
_Cheap Puddings, Pies, and Cakes._
Comparative nutritive value of Puddings, Pies, and Cakes--Swiss
Pudding--Cream Sauce--College Puddings--Cream Rice Pudding--Half-pay
Pudding--Bread Pudding--Cup Custards--Fruit Dumpling--Apple
Dumplings--Baked Apple Dumplings--Lemon Dumplings--Rice
Croquettes--Fruit Tarts--Rice Cake--Rock Cakes--Caraway Cake--Soft
Gingerbread--Sweet Biscuits 62
CHAPTER X.
_Dessert Dishes._
Directions for making cheap and enjoyable delicacies from Fruit--Apple
Black Caps--Apple Snow--Apple Cakes--Cherry Cheese--Candied
Cherries--Currant Salad--Iced Currants--Compôte of Damsons--Stuffed
Dates--Stewed Figs--Compôte of Gooseberries--Gooseberry
Cheese--Gooseberry Fool--Grape Jelly--Green Gage Compôte--Pine Apple
Julep--Lemon Snow--Melon Compôte--Orange Salad--Orange and Apple
Compôte--Peach Salad--Cold Compôte of Pears--Stewed Prunelles--Quince
Cakes--Quince Snow--Iced Raspberries--Raspberry Salad--Compôte of
Strawberries--Strawberry Drops--Compôte of Mixed Fruits--Fruit Juice 67
CHAPTER I.
MARKETING.
The most perfect meats are taken from well-fed, full-grown animals, that
have not been over-worked, under-fed, or hard-driven; the flesh is firm,
tender, and well-flavored, and abounds in nutritious elements. On the
other hand, the flesh of hard-worked or ill-fed creatures is tough,
hard, and tasteless.
All animal flesh is composed of albumen, fibrin, and gelatin, in the
proportion of about one fifth of its weight; the balance of its
substance is made up of the juice, which consists of water, and those
soluble salts and phosphates which are absolutely necessary for the
maintenance of health. It is this juice which is extracted from beef in
the process of making beef tea; and it is the lack of it in salted meats
that makes them such an injurious diet when eaten for any length of time
to the exclusion of other food.
The flesh of young animals is less nutritious, and less easily
masticated than that of full grown animals, on account of its looser
texture. Beef, which has firmer and larger fibres than mutton, is harder
to digest on that account, but it contains an excess of strengthening
elements that is not approached by any meat, save that of the leg of
pork.
The tongues of various animals, the fibres of which are small and
tender, are nutritious and digestible; the heart is nutritious because
it is composed of solid flesh, but the density of its fibre interferes
with its digestibility; the other internal organs are very nutritious,
and very useful as food for vigorous persons on that account, and
because they are cheap. The blood of animals abounds in nutritive
elements; the possibility of its use as a general food has closely
engaged the attention of European scientists; notably of the members of
the University of Copenhagen, who recommend its use in the following
forms, in which it is not only suitable for food, but also capable of
preservation for an indefinite time. First, as sausages, puddings and
cakes--being mixed with fat, meal, sugar, salt, and a few spices--to
serve as a much cheaper substitute for meat, and intended especially for
the use of the poor classes; and second, as blood-chocolate, more
especially suitable to be used in hospitals, as well as otherwise in
medical practice, in which latter form it has been recommended by
Professor Panum, at a meeting of physicians at Copenhagen, and is now
being employed in some of the hospitals of that city.
Bones consist largely of animal matter, and earthy substances which are
invaluable in building up the frame of the body. In order to obtain all
their goodness, we must crush them well before putting them into soups
or stews.
=Beef.=--The flesh of the best quality of beef is of a bright red color,
intersected with closely laid veins of yellowish fat; the kidney fat, or
suet, is abundant, and there is a thick layer upon the back. The second
quality has rather whitish fat, laid moderately thick upon the back, and
about the kidneys; the flesh is close-grained, having but few streaks of
fat running through it, and is of a pale red color, and covered with a
rough, yellowish skin. Poor beef is dark red, gristly, and tough to the
touch, with a scanty layer of soft, oily fat. Buy meat as cheap as you
can, but be sure it is fresh; slow and long cooking will make tough meat
tender, but tainted meat is only fit to throw away. Never use it. You
would, by doing so, invite disease to enter the home where smiling
health should reign. The best way to detect taint in any kind of meat is
to run a sharp, thin-bladed knife close to the bone, and then smell it
to see if the odor is sweet. Wipe the knife after you use it. A small,
sharp wooden skewer will answer, but it must be scraped every time it is
used, or the meat-juice remaining on it will become tainted, and it will
be unfit for future use. If, when you are doubtful about a piece of
meat, the butcher refuses to let you apply this test carefully enough to
avoid injuring the meat, you will be safe in thinking he is afraid of
the result.
=Mutton.=--Prime mutton is bright red, with plenty of hard, white fat. The
flesh of the second quality is dark red and close grained, with very few
threads of fat running through it; the fat is rather soft, and is laid
thin on the back and kidneys, closely adhering to them. The poorest
healthy quality has very pale flesh, and thin white fat, and the meat
parts easily from the bone. Diseased mutton has decidedly yellow fat,
and very soft flesh, of loose texture. Tainted mutton smells bad; test
it as you would beef.
=Lamb.=--A carcass of lamb should weigh about twenty-five pounds before it
is old enough to be wholesome and nourishing food; before it has reached
that age it is watery and deficient in the elements of strength; at any
age it is more suitable food for women and children than for healthy
men. The finest kind has delicate rosy meat, and white, almost
transparant fat. The flesh of the second quality is soft, and rather red
compared with the pinkish-white meat of choice kinds; the fat is more
scanty, and the general appearance coarser. The poorest lamb has yellow
fat, and lean, flabby red meat, which keeps but a short time. Test the
freshness of lamb by touching the kidney-fat; if it is soft and moist
the meat is on the verge of spoiling; a bad smell indicates that it is
already tainted; it is utterly unfit for use.
=Veal.=--Prime veal is light flesh color, and has abundance of hard,
white, semi-transparent fat. The flesh of the second quality is red in
contrast to the pinkish-white color of the prime sort; and the fat is
whiter, coarser-grained, and less abundant. The poorest kind has
decidedly red flesh, and very little kidney-fat. The neck is the first
part that taints, and it can easily be tested; the loin is just spoiling
when the kidney-fat begins to grow soft and clammy.
Read this sentence about BOB-VEAL carefully, and be sure to remember it.
It is the flesh of calves killed when two or three weeks old, or that of
"deaconed calves," which are killed almost as soon as they are born, for
the value of their skins. This practice cannot be too harshly condemned
as a criminal waste of food; for a stock raiser, or farmer, who knows
his business can feed his calves until they reach a healthy maturity,
without seriously interfering with his supply of milk. The flesh of
BOB-VEAL is a soft, flabby, sticky substance, of a ropy gelatinous
nature; and, being the first flesh, unchanged by the health-giving
action of air and food, it is devoid of the elements necessary to
transform it into wholesome food. IT SHOULD NEVER BE EATEN.
=Pork.=--The best kind of pork is fresh and pinkish in color, and the fat
is firm and white. The second quality has rather hard, red flesh, and
yellowish fat. The poorest kind has dark, coarse grained meat, soft fat,
and discoloured kidneys. The flesh of stale pork is moist and clammy,
and its smell betrays its condition. Measly pork has little kernels in
the fat, and is unhealthy and dangerous food. After testing, as you
would beef, so as to see if it is fresh, and making sure that it is not
measly, we have still to dread the presence of TRICHINA, a dangerous
parasite present in the flesh of some hogs. The surest preventive of
danger from this cause is thorough cooking, which destroys any germs
that may exist in the meat. Cook your pork until it is crisp and brown,
by a good, steady fire, or in boiling water, at least twenty minutes to
each pound. Pork eaten in cold weather, or moderately in summer,
alternately with other meats, is a palatable and nutritious food. It has
a hard fibre, and needs to be thoroughly chewed in order to be perfectly
digested; for that reason it should be sparingly used by the young and
the very old. The least fat is found in the leg, which contains an
excess of flesh-forming elements, and resembles lean beef in
composition; the most fat is in the face and belly. When cured as bacon
it readily takes on the anti-septic action of salt and smoke, and
becomes a valuable adjunct to vegetable food, as well as a pleasant
relish; and in this shape it is one of the most important articles in
general use.
=Poultry.=--Both poultry and game are less nutritious than meat, but they
are more digestible, and consequently are better food than meat for
persons of weak digestive organs and sedentary habits. They are both
excellent for persons who think or write much. Fresh poultry may be
known by its full bright eyes, pliable feet, and soft moist skin; the
best is plump, fat, and nearly white, and the grain of the flesh is
fine. The feet and neck of a young fowl are large in proportion to its
size, and the tip of the breast-bone is soft, and easily bent between
the fingers; a young cock, has soft, loose spurs, and a long, full,
bright red comb; old fowls have long, thin necks and feet, and the flesh
on the legs and back has a purplish shade; chickens and fowls are always
in season.
Turkeys are good when white and plump, have full breasts and smooth
legs, generally black, with soft loose spurs; hen turkeys are smaller,
fatter, and plumper, but of inferior flavor; full grown turkeys are the
best for boiling, as they do not tear in dressing; old turkeys have long
hairs, and the flesh is purplish where it shows under the skin on the
legs and back. About March they deteriorate in quality.
Young ducks and geese are plump, with light, semi-transparent fat, soft
breast-bone, tender flesh, leg joints which will break by the weight of
the bird, fresh colored and brittle beaks, and windpipes that break
when pressed between the thumb and forefinger. They are best in fall and
winter.
Young pigeons have light red flesh upon the breast, and full, fresh
colored legs; when the legs are thin, and the breast is very dark, the
birds are old.
=Game Birds.=--Fine game birds are always heavy for their size; the flesh
of the breast is firm and plump, and the skin clear; and if a few
feathers be plucked from the inside of the leg and around the vent, the
flesh of freshly killed birds will be fat and fresh colored; if it is
dark, and discolored, the game has been hung a long time. The wings of
good ducks, geese, pheasants, and woodcock are tender to the touch; the
tips of the long wing feathers of partridges are pointed in young birds,
and round in old ones. Quail, snipe, and small birds should have full,
tender breasts.
=Fish.=--Fish is richer in flesh-forming elements than game, poultry, lamb
or veal, but it contains less fat and gelatin. It is easily digested,
and makes strong muscular flesh, but does not greatly increase the
quantity of fat in the body. The red blooded and oily kinds, such as
salmon, sturgeon, eels and herring, are much more nutritious than the
white blooded varieties, such as cod, haddock, and flounders. The
salting of rich, oily fish like herring, mackerel, salmon, and sturgeon,
does not deprive it of its nutritive elements to the extent that is
noticeable with cod; salt cod fish is almost entirely devoid of
nutriment, while the first named oily varieties are valuable adjuncts to
a vegetable diet.
Although fish contains more water and less solid nutriment than meat, it
is generally useful from its abundance and cheapness; and certain kinds
which are called red-blooded, are nearly as nourishing as meat: oily
fish satisfies hunger as completely as meat; herring, especially, makes
the people who eat it largely strong and sinewy. Sea fish are more
nourishing than fresh water varieties.
Sea fish, and those which live in both salt and fresh water, such as
salmon, shad, and smelts, are the finest flavored; the muddy taste of
some fresh water species can be overcome by soaking them in cold water
and salt for two hours or more before cooking; all kinds are best just
before spawning, the flesh becoming poor and watery after that period.
Fresh fish have firm flesh, rigid fins, bright, clear eyes, and ruddy
gills. Oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels, should be eaten very
fresh, as they soon lose their flavor after being removed from the
shell.
Lobsters and crabs should be chosen by their brightness of color, lively
movement, and great weight in proportion to their size; you ought always
to buy them alive, and put them head first into a large pot of boiling
water, containing a handful of salt; they will cook in about twenty
minutes.
=Vegetables.=--In order to be healthy we must eat some fresh vegetables;
they are cheap and nourishing, especially onions and cabbages. Peas,
beans, and lentils, all of which are among the lowest priced of foods,
are invaluable in the diet of a laboring man: he can get so much
nourishment out of them that he hardly needs meat; and if they are
cooked in the water that has been used for boiling meat, they make the
healthiest kind of a meal.
All juicy vegetables should be very fresh and crisp; and if a little
wilted, can be restored by being sprinkled with water and laid in a
cool, dark place; all roots and tubers should be pared and laid in cold
water an hour or more before using. Green vegetables are best just
before they flower; and roots and tubers are prime from their ripening
until they begin to sprout.
When it is possible buy your vegetables by the quantity, from the
farmers, or market-gardeners, or at the market; you will save more than
half. Potatoes now cost at Washington market from one to one dollar and
a half a barrel; there are three bushels in a barrel, and thirty-two
quarts in a bushel; now at the groceries you pay fifteen cents a half a
peck, or four cents a quart; that makes your barrel of potatoes cost you
three dollars and sixty-three cents, if you buy half a peck at a time;
or three dollars and eighty-four cents if you buy by the quart. So you
see if you could buy a barrel at once you could save more than one half
of your money. It is worth while to try and save enough to do it.
=Fruit.=--Fresh fruit is a very important food, especially for children,
as it keeps the blood pure, and the bowels regular. Next to grains and
seeds, it contains the greatest amount of nutriment to a given quantity.
Apples are more wholesome than any other fruit, and plentiful and cheap
two-thirds of the time; they nourish, cool, and strengthen the body. In
Europe laborers depend largely upon them for nourishment, and if they
have plenty, they can do well without meat. They miss apples much more
than potatoes, for they are much more substantial food.
All fruit should be bought ripe and sound; it is poor economy to buy
imperfect or decayed kinds, as they are neither satisfactory nor healthy
eating; while the mature, full flavored sorts are invaluable as food.
Preserved and dried fruits are luxuries to be indulged in only at
festivals or holidays. Nuts are full of nutritious oil, but are
generally hard to digest; they do not come under the head of the
necessaries of life.
CHAPTER II.
HOW TO COOK, SEASON, AND MEASURE.
Before beginning to give you receipts, I wish to tell you about the
effect of cooking food in different ways. We all want it cooked so that
we can eat it easily, and get the most strength from it, without wasting
any part of it. I will tell you some very good reasons for making soup
and stew out of your meat instead of cooking it in any other way.
=Roasting or Baking.=--The first is the most extravagant way of cooking
meat, as it wastes nearly one third of its substance in drippings and
steam; the second also is very wasteful, unless the meat is surrounded
with vegetables, or covered with a flour paste. When you do bake meat
without a covering of paste, put it into a hot oven at the start, to
crisp the outside and to keep in the valuable juices; you can moderate
the heat of the oven as soon as the meat is brown, and let it finish
cooking slowly by the heat of the steam which is constantly forming
inside of it. It generally takes twenty minutes to bake each pound of
meat.
=Broiling.=--This is another extravagant way of cooking meat, for a great
deal of the fat runs into the fire, and some nourishment escapes up the
chimney with the steam. If you must broil meat, have your fire hot and
clear, and your gridiron perfectly clean; and, unless it has a ledge to
hold the drippings, tip it towards the back of the fire, so that the fat
will burn there, and not blacken the meat as it would if the gridiron
were laid flat, and the fat could burn under the meat. Never stick a
fork into broiled meat to turn it; and do not cut it to see if it is
done; for if you do either you will let out the juice. Study the
following table, and then remember how near the time given in it comes
to cooking according to your taste. Fish will broil in from five to ten
minutes; birds and poultry in from three to fifteen minutes;
chops in from ten to fifteen minutes, and steak in from ten to twenty
minutes.
=Boiling and Stewing.=--Boiling food slowly, or stewing it gently, saves
all its goodness. After the pot once boils you cannot make its contents
cook any faster if you have fire enough under it to run a steam engine;
so save your fuel, and add it to the fire, little by little, only enough
at a time to keep the pot boiling. Remember, if you boil meat hard and
fast it will be tough and tasteless, and most of its goodness will go up
the chimney, or out of the window, with the steam. Boil the meat gently,
and keep it covered close to save the steam; it will condense on the
inside of the cover, and fall back in drops of moisture upon the meat.
The following table shows how much is wasted in the different ways of
cooking we have just spoken of. Four pounds of beef waste in boiling or
stewing, about one pound of substance, but you have it all in the broth
if you have kept the pot covered tightly; in baking one pound and a
quarter is almost entirely lost unless you have plenty of vegetables in
the dripping pan to absorb and preserve it; in roasting before the fire
you lose nearly one pound and a half. Do not think you save the waste in
the shape of drippings; it is poor economy to buy fat at the price of
meat merely for the pleasure of trying it out.
=Frying.=--This is a very good method of cooking fish, and of warming cold
meat and vegetables. To fry well put into your frying pan enough fat to
cover what you mean to fry, and let it get smoking hot, but do not burn
it; then put in your food, and it will not soak fat, and will generally
be done by the time it is nicely browned. To SAUTÉ, or HALF FRY any
article, you should begin by putting in the pan enough fat to cover the
bottom, and let it get smoking hot, but not burnt before you put in the
food. This also is a good way to warm over meat, vegetables, oatmeal, or
pudding.
A very good way to cook meat and vegetables together is to put them in
an earthen jar, cover it tightly, and cement the cover on with flour
paste; then bake for about four hours.
If you are going to use a piece of meat cold do not cut it until it
cools, and it will be more juicy. If the meat is salt let it cool in its
own pot liquor, for the same reason.
=Salt and Smoked Meats.=--These meats are best when they are put over the
fire in cold water, brought gradually to a boil, and then set back from
the fierce heat of the fire, so as to keep scalding hot WITHOUT BOILING;
they take longer to cook this way, but they are tender and delicious,
and very little fat is wasted.
=Seasoning Food.=--Many people have the idea that a finely flavored dish
must cost a great deal; that is a mistake; if you have untainted meat,
or sound vegetables, or even Indian meal, to begin with, you can make it
delicious with proper seasoning. One reason why French cooking is so
much nicer than any other is that it is seasoned with a great variety of
herbs and spices; these cost very little; if you would buy a few cents'
worth at a time you would soon have a good assortment. The best kinds
are Sage, Thyme, Sweet Marjoram, Tarragon, Mint, Sweet Basil, Parsley,
Bay-leaves, Cloves, Mace, Celery-seed, and onions. If you will plant the
seed of any of the seven first mentioned in little boxes on your window
sill, or in a sunny spot in the yard, you can generally raise all you
need. Gather and dry them as follows: parsley and tarragon should be
dried in June and July, just before flowering; mint in June and July;
thyme, marjoram and savory in July and August; basil and sage in August
and September; all herbs should be gathered in the sun-shine, and dried
by artificial heat; their flavor is best preserved by keeping them in
air-tight tin cans, or in tightly corked glass bottles.
=Dried Celery and Parsley.=--If you ever use celery, wash the leaves,
stalks, roots and trimmings, and put them in a cool oven to dry
thoroughly; then grate the root, and rub the leaves and stalks through a
sieve, and put all into a tightly corked bottle, or tin can with close
cover; this makes a most delicious seasoning for soups, stews, and
stuffing. When you use parsley, save every bit of leaf, stalk or root
you do not need, and treat them in the same way as the celery. Remember
in using parsley that the root has even a stronger flavor than the
leaves, and do not waste a bit.
=Dried Herbs.=--When you buy a bunch of dried herbs rub the leaves through
a sieve, and bottle them tightly until you need them; tie the stalks
together and save them until you want to make what the French call a
_bouquet_, for a soup or stew. A _bouquet_ of herbs is made by tying
together a few sprigs of parsley, thyme and two bay-leaves. The
bay-leaves, which have the flavor of laurel, can be bought at any German
grocery, or drug-store, enough to last for a long time for five cents.
=Table Sauce.=--There is no reason why you should not sometimes have a
nice relish for cold meat when you can make a pint of it for six cents,
so I will give you a receipt for it. Get at Washington market at the
herb stand, a bunch of TARRAGON; it will cost five cents in the summer,
when it is green and strong, and not much more in the winter; put it in
an earthen bowl, and pour on it one pint of scalding hot vinegar; cover
it and let it stand until the next day; then strain it, and put it into
a bottle which you must cork tight. Either put more hot vinegar on the
tarragon, or dry it, and save it until you want to make more; you can
make a gallon of sauce from one bunch, only every time you use it you
must let it stand a day longer.
=Celery Salt.=--If you mix celery root, which has been dried and grated as
above, with one fourth its quantity of salt, it makes a nice seasoning
and keeps a long time.
=Spice Salt.=--You can make this very nicely by drying, powdering and
mixing by repeated siftings the following ingredients: one quarter of an
ounce each of powdered thyme, bay-leaf, and pepper; one eighth of an
ounce each of marjoram and cayenne pepper; one half of an ounce
each of powdered clove and nutmeg; to every four ounces of this powder
add one ounce of salt, and keep the mixture in an air-tight vessel. One
ounce of it added to three pounds of stuffing, or forcemeat of any kind,
makes a delicious seasoning.
=Lemon and Orange Tincture.=--Never throw away lemon or orange peel; cut
the yellow outside off carefully, and put it into a tightly corked
bottle with enough alcohol to cover it. Let it stand until the alcohol
is a bright yellow, then pour it off, bottle it tight, and use it for
flavoring when you make rice pudding. Add lemon and alcohol as often as
you have it, and you will always have a nice flavoring.
=Vanilla Tincture.=--Make this from a broken Vanilla Bean, just as you
would make Lemon Tincture. When you make a plain rice pudding, and when
you boil rice with sweetening, put a teaspoonful of either of these
tinctures with it, and it will be very good.
=Measuring.=--Be careful about measuring. Do not think you can guess just
right every time; you cannot do it. One day the dinner will be a great
deal better than another, and you will wonder why; it will be because it
is carefully seasoned and properly cooked. A good rule for seasoning
soups and stews, is half an ounce, or a level tablespoonful of salt, and
half a level teaspoonful of pepper to each quart of water; try it, if it
is right you will know how much to use; if it is not right, alter it to
suit your taste; but settle the point for once, and then you will know
what to depend upon. The following table will give you some good hints
about measuring; there are four teaspoonfuls in one tablespoon; two
tablespoonfuls in one ounce; two ounces in one wineglassful; two
wineglassfuls in one gill; two gills in one good sized cupful; two
cupfuls in one pint; two pints in one quart. One quart of sifted flour,
thrown into the measure, and shaken down, but not pressed, weighs one
pound; one quart of Indian corn meal, shaken down in the measure weighs
one pound and three ounces; one quart of fine sugar weighs one pound and
a half.
CHAPTER III.
BEVERAGES.
In my little book on "FIFTEEN CENT DINNERS," I decidedly advocate the
substitution of milk or milk and water as a drink at meal times, for tea
and coffee, on the score of economy; because milk is a food, while the
two former drinks are chiefly stimulants. They are pleasant because they
warm and exhilarate, but they are luxuries because they give no
strength; therefore their use is extravagant when we are pinched for
healthy food. It is true that when we drink them we do not feel as
hungry as we do without them. The sensation of hunger is nature's sure
sign that the body needs a new supply of food because the last has been
exhausted; the change of the nourishing qualities of food into strength
is always going on as long as any remains in the system; the use of tea,
coffee, and alcohol, hinders this change, and consequently we are less
hungry when we use them than when we do without them. Tea and coffee are
certainly important aids to the cheerfulness and comfort of home; and
when the first stage of economy, where every penny must be counted, has
passed, we do not know of any pleasanter accessory to a meal than a cup
of good tea or coffee.
=Tea.=--The physiological action of very strong tea is marked; moderately
used it excites the action of the skin, lungs, and nervous system, and
soothes any undue action of the heart; used to excess, it causes
indigestion, nervousness, and wakefulness. No doubt its effects are
greatly modified by climate, for the Russians drink enormous quantities
of very strong, fine tea. A recent war report gives the following
account of its use in the army.
"The Russian soldiers are said to live and fight almost wholly upon tea.
The Cossacks often carry it about in the shape of bricks, or rather
tiles, which, before hardening, are soaked in sheep's blood and boiled
in milk, with the addition of flour, butter and salt, so as to
constitute a kind of soup. The passion of the Russian for this beverage
is simply astonishing. In the depth of winter he will empty twenty cups
in succession, at nearly boiling point, until he perspires at every
pore, and then, in a state of excitement rush out, roll in the snow, get
up and go on to the next similar place of entertainment. So with the
army. With every group or circle of tents travels the invariable tea
kettle, suspended from a tripod; and it would be in vain to think of
computing how many times each soldier's pannikin is filled upon a halt.
It is his first idea. Frequently he carries it cold in a copper case as
a solace upon the march."
Dr. Edward Smith sums up the physiological action of tea as follows:
"1--A sense of wakefulness.
"2--Clearness of mind, and activity of thought and imagination.
"3--Increased disposition to make muscular exertion.
"4--Reaction, with a sense of exhaustion in the morning following the
preceding efforts, and in proportion to them."
=Coffee.=--The action of coffee is so similar to that of tea that we need
not consider it separately; it will be sufficient to remark that the
chief points of difference are lessening the action of the skin,
increasing the action of the heart, and, when used very strong, aiding
digestion to some extent.
=Cocoa and Chocolate.=--Both these articles are made from the kernels of a
tropical fruit, about the size of a cucumber, the fleshy part of which
is sometimes used to produce a vinous liquor; they are produced from
the seeds of the cocoa palm, and from a kind of ground nut. These
kernels consist of gum, starch, and vegetable oil; and are marketed as
cocoa shells, which are the husks of the kernel; cocoa nibs, which
consist of the crushed nuts; and ground cocoa, which is the kernels
ground fine.
Chocolate is the finely ground powder from the kernels, mixed to a stiff
paste with sugar, and, sometimes, a little starch. It is very
nutritious; when it is difficult to digest remove from its solution the
oily cake which will collect upon the surface as it cools. It is so
nutritious that a small cake of it, weighing about two ounces, will
satisfy hunger; for that reason it is a good lunch for travellers.
Both cocoa and chocolate are very nutritious, and are free from the
reactionary influences of tea and coffee. Let us count the cost of these
beverages, and see which is the best for us.
One quart of weak tea can be made from three teaspoonfuls, or half an
ounce, of tea, (which cost at least one cent;) we must have for general
use a gill of milk, (at one cent,) and four teaspoonfuls or one ounce of
sugar, (at one cent); thus if we use only the above quantities of milk
and sugar, one quart of tea costs three cents; if we increase them it
will cost more.
One quart of weak coffee can be made from one ounce, or two
tablespoonfuls of coffee, (at a cost of two cents;) two tablespoonfuls
or ounces of sugar, (two cents,) and a half a pint of milk, (two cents;)
the total cost six cents.
One quart of cocoa can be made from two ounces, or eight tablespoonfuls
of cocoa shells, (which cost two cents,) with half a pint of milk, and
an ounce of sugar, (at four cents more;) we have a quart of good,
nutritious drink at six cents. It is all the better if the shells are
boiled gently two or three hours. Of course the nibs, or crushed cocoa,
and chocolate, will both produce a correspondingly nutritious beverage.
=Beer.=--Very poor families sometimes spend every day for beer enough to
buy them a good, wholesome meal, because they think it makes them
strong. Beer, like all other liquors, is of no value whatever in making
strength; it only nerves you up to spend all you can muster under the
excitement it causes, and then leaves you weaker than before. What you
need when you crave liquor is a good, warm meal. The best doctors say
that a man cannot drink more than about a pint and a half of beer a day
without injuring his health; and that healthy people, during youth and
middle age, do not need it at all. Let it, and all other liquors alone
entirely, and you will be better off in health and purse.
=Beer for Nursing Women.=--It is generally believed that women who drink
malt liquor are able to nurse children to greater advantage than those
who do not use it. The fact is that while the quantity of milk may be
increased, its nourishing quality will be impaired. There may be more
milk for the child, but it will be poor. The effect of all malt liquors
is to promote the secretion of the fluids of the body, but not to enrich
them. Do not drink beer for the sake of your child, but try milk, or
milk and water instead, and see if after a fair trial you do not have
plenty for the baby, and if it does not grow strong and fat. If milk
does not agree with you, or you cannot afford it, use barley water; it
will not only give you plenty of milk, but it will nourish you as well
as the baby. You will get from it all the nourishment that you may fancy
you get from malt liquor, with this advantage: in the barley water you
will get all the nutriment of the grain unchanged, while in the form of
beer the fermentation has destroyed part of it. The following is a good
receipt:
=Barley Water.=--Thoroughly wash two ounces of pearl barley, (which costs
less than two cents,) to remove any musty or bad flavor, put it over the
fire in two quarts of cold water, and boil it until it is reduced to one
quart; then strain it, cool it, and drink it whenever you are thirsty. A
little sugar can be used without hurting the baby.
=Milk.=--I have already said that milk is the most perfect food; we will
now see what it is made of, and how it nourishes the body; and then we
can understand how necessary it is to have it pure. The elements of milk
which strengthen the whole body are the solid parts that separate in the
form of curd when it begins to turn sour; the whey contains the salts
and phosphates which strengthen the brain, bones, and digestive organs;
the cream is the part which makes us fat. When we remember that cheese
is made from the curd of milk we can see why it is so valuable as food,
and why a meal of black or brown bread and cheese will satisfy a hungry
man.
Try to afford at least a quart of good milk every day. It can be bought
in New York now for seven or eight cents a quart; and if the children
have plenty of seconds bread, or oatmeal porridge, and a cup of milk, at
meal times, they will be strong and rosy.
Skim-milk, butter-milk, and whey, are all excellent foods, and far
better drinks than beer or whiskey. Make a plain pudding now and then,
with skim-milk, adding an ounce of suet to restore its richness. If the
milk has turned a little sour add lime water to it, in the proportion of
four tablespoonfuls of the lime water to a quart. If the lime water is
added before the milk begins to turn it will help keep it fresh. The
following is a good receipt for making lime water:
=Lime Water.=--Slack four ounces of quick lime with a little water, and
gradually add enough water to make a gallon in all; let it stand three
hours, then bottle it in glass-stoppered bottles, putting a portion of
the undissolved lime in each bottle; when you want to use some, pour off
the clear fluid from the top.
Children should never have tea, coffee, or liquor; all these drinks hurt
them; give them milk, or milk and water; or pure water, if you cannot
afford milk. But you had better scant their clothes than their supply of
milk. If you have to limit the supply of food, deny them something else,
but give them plenty of bread and scalded milk, and you can keep them
healthy.
CHAPTER IV.
BREAD, MACARONI, AND RICE.
Homemade bread is healthier, satisfies hunger better, and is cheaper
than bakers' bread. Make bread yourself if you possibly can. Use
"middlings" if you can possibly get them; they contain the best elements
of wheat. "Household Flour" has similar qualities, but is sometimes made
from inferior kinds of wheat. Both are darker and cheaper than fine
white flour; and bread made from them takes longer to "rise" than that
made from fine flour. Bakers' bread is generally made from poor flour
mixed with a little of the better sort; or with a little alum, which
added to the wheat grown in wet seasons, keeps the bread from being
pasty and poor in taste.
The prices of bakers' bread upon the streets in the eastern and western
parts of the city are as follows: ordinary white bread, five cent loaf
weighs three quarters of a pound: six cent loaf weighs fourteen ounces:
eight cent loaf weighs one pound and ten ounces; black bread, two eight
cent loaves weigh, respectively, one pound eight, and one pound ten
ounces; fine French bread, eight cent loaf weighs three quarters of a
pound; in the French quarter a six cent loaf weighs one pound. We advise
the purchase of new flour in preference to old, because, unless flour is
cooled and dried before it is packed, the combined action of heat and
dampness destroys its gluten, and turns it sour; gluten is the nutritive
part of the flour, that which makes it absorb water, and yield more
bread. If you do not have a good oven, your bread can be baked at the
baker's for about a cent a loaf. When bread is made too light it is
tasteless, and lacks nourishment, because the decay caused in the
elements of the flour used to make it by the great quantity of yeast
employed, destroys the most nutritious parts of it. A pint of milk in a
batch of four loaves of bread gives you a pound more bread of better
quality, and helps to make it moist. Scalded skim milk will go as far as
fresh whole milk, and you can use the cream for some other dish. One
pound of pea-meal, or ground split-peas, added to every fourteen pounds
of flour used for bread increases its nourishment, and helps to satisfy
hunger.
Keep your bread in a covered earthen jar; when it is too stale to eat,
or make into bread broth, dry it in a cool oven, or over the top of the
fire, roll it with a rolling-pin, sift it through a sieve, and save the
finest crumbs to roll fish or chops in for frying, and the largest for
puddings. If a whole loaf is stale put it into a tight tin can, and
either steam it, or put it into a moderately warm oven for half an hour;
it will then be as good as fresh bread to the taste, and a great deal
more healthy.
A good allowance of bread each day is as follows: for a man two pounds,
costing six cents; for boys and women one pound and a half, costing five
cents; for children a pound each, costing three cents.
=Homemade Bread.=--Put seven pounds of flour into a deep pan, and make a
hollow in the centre; into this put one quart of lukewarm water, one
tablespoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of sugar, and half a gill of
yeast; have ready three pints more of warm water, and use as much of it
as is necessary to make a rather soft dough, mixing and kneading it well
with both hands. When it is smooth and shining strew a little flour
upon it, lay a large towel over it folded, and set it in a warm place by
the fire for four or five hours to rise; then knead it again for fifteen
minutes, cover it with the towel, and set it to rise once more; then
divide it into two or four loaves, and bake it in a quick oven. This
quantity of flour will make eight pounds of bread, and will require one
hour's baking to two pounds of dough. It will cost about thirty cents,
and will last about two days and a half for a family of six. In cold
weather, the dough should be mixed in a warm room, and not allowed to
cool while rising; if it does not rise well, set the pan containing it
over a large vessel of boiling water; it is best to mix the bread at
night, and let it rise till morning, in a warm and even temperature.
=Rice Bread.=--Simmer one pound of rice in three quarts of water until the
rice is soft, and the water evaporated or absorbed; let it cool until it
is only luke-warm; mix into it nearly four pounds of flour, two
teaspoonfuls of salt, and four tablespoonfuls of yeast; knead it until
it is smooth and shining, let it rise before the fire, make it up into
loaves with the little flour reserved from the four pounds, and bake it
thoroughly. It will cost about twenty-five cents, and make more than
eight pounds of excellent bread.
=Potato Bread.=--Take good, mealy boiled potatoes, in the proportion of
one-third of the quantity of flour you propose to use, pass them through
a coarse sieve into the flour, using a wooden spoon and adding enough
cold water to enable you to pass them through readily; use the proper
quantity of yeast, salt, and water, and make up the bread in the usual
way. It will cost about twenty-four cents if you use the above
quantities, and give you eight pounds or more of good bread.
=Pulled Bread.=--Take from the oven an ordinary loaf of bread when it is
about _half baked_, and with the fingers, _while it is yet hot_, pull it
apart in egg-sized pieces of irregular shape; throw them upon tins, and
bake them in a slow oven to a rich brown color. This bread is excellent
to eat with cheese or wine. An ordinary sized loaf, costing about three
cents makes a large panful.
=Bread made with Baking Powder.=--Where bread is made with baking powder
the following rules should be closely observed: if any shortening be
used, it should be rubbed into the flour before it is wet; _cold_ water
or sweet milk should always be used to wet it, and the dough should be
kneaded immediately, and only long enough to thoroughly mix it and form
it in the desired shape; it should then be placed in a well-heated oven
and baked quickly--otherwise the carbonic acid gas will escape before
the expanded cells are fixed in the bread, and thus the lightness of the
loaf will be impaired.
=Breakfast Rolls.=--Mix well by sifting together half a pound of flour,
(cost two cents,) a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, a level
teaspoonful of salt, and a heaping teaspoonful of sugar, (cost one
cent;) rub into a little of the above one ounce of lard, (cost one
cent,) mix it with the rest of the flour, and quickly wet it up with
enough cold milk to enable you to roll it out about half an inch thick,
(cost two cents;) cut out the dough with a tin shape or with a sharp
knife, in the form of diamonds, lightly wet the top with water, and
double them half over. Put them upon a tin, buttered and warmed, and
bake them in a hot oven. This receipt will cost about six cents, and
will make about nine good sized rolls.
=Tea Biscuit.=--Mix as above, using the same proportions, and cutting out
with a biscuit-cutter; when they are baked, wash them over with cold
milk, and return them to the oven for a moment to dry. The cost is the
same.
=Macaroni.=--This is a paste made from the purest wheat flour and water;
it is generally known as a rather luxurious dish among the wealthy; but
it should become one of the chief foods of the people, for it contains
more gluten, or the nutritious portion of wheat, than bread. It is one
of the most wholesome and economical of foods, and can be varied so as
to give a succession of palatable dishes at a very small cost. The
imported macaroni can be bought at Italian stores for about fifteen
cents a pound; and that quantity when boiled yields nearly four times
its bulk, if it has been manufactured for any length of time. Good
macaroni is yellow or brownish in color; white sorts are always poor. It
should never be soaked or washed before boiling, or put into cold or
lukewarm water; wipe it carefully, break it in whatever lengths you want
it, and put it into boiling water, to every quart of which half a
tablespoonful of salt is added; you can boil an onion with it if you
like the flavor; as soon as it is tender enough to yield easily when
pressed between the fingers, drain it in a colander, saving its liquor
for the next day's broth, and lay it in cold water until you want to use
it. When more macaroni has been boiled than is used it can be kept
perfectly good by laying it in fresh water, which must be changed every
day. After boiling the macaroni as above, you can use it according to
any of the following directions. Half a pound of uncooked macaroni will
make a large dishful.
=Macaroni, Farmers' Style.=--Boil half a pound of macaroni as above, and
while you are draining it from the cold water, stir together over the
fire one ounce each of butter and flour, and as soon as they bubble
gradually pour into the sauce they make, a pint of boiling water,
beating it with a fork or egg whip until it is smooth; season it with a
level teaspoonful of salt and a level saltspoonful of pepper, and put
the macaroni in it to heat; then cut an onion in small shreds, and brown
it over the fire in a very little fat; when both are done dish the
macaroni, and pour the onion out of the frying pan upon it. It is
excellent; and ten cents will cover the cost of all of it.
=Macaroni with Broth.=--Put half a pound of macaroni, boiled as above and
washed in cold water, over the fire with any kind of broth, or one pint
of cold gravy and water; season it to taste with pepper and salt, and
let it heat slowly for an hour, or less if you are in a hurry; then lay
it on a flat dish, strew over it a few bread crumbs, which you will
almost always have on hand if you save all the bits I speak of in the
article on BREAD; then set the dish in the oven, or in front of the fire
to brown. It will cost less than ten cents, and be delicious and very
hearty.
=Macaroni with White Sauce.=--Warm half a pound of macaroni, boiled and
washed in cold water, as above, in the following sauce, and use it as
soon as it is hot. Stir together over the fire one ounce each of butter
and flour, pouring in one pint of boiling water and milk, as soon as the
butter and flour are mixed; season it with salt and pepper to taste, and
put the macaroni into it. This dish costs less than ten cents, and is
very good and wholesome.
=Macaroni with Cheese.=--Boil half a pound of macaroni, as above, put into
a pudding dish in layers with quarter of a pound of cheese, (cost four
cents,) grated and mixed between the layers; season it with pepper and
salt to taste; put a very little butter and some bread crumbs over it,
and brown it in the oven. It will make just as hearty and strengthening
a meal as meat, and will cost about twelve cents.
=Macaroni Milanaise Style.=--Have ready some sauce, made according to the
receipt for _Tomato Sauce_ given below, or use some fresh tomatoes
passed through a sieve with a wooden spoon, and highly seasoned, and
two ounces of grated cheese; put half a pound of imported Italian
macaroni, (cost eight cents,) in three quarts of boiling water, with two
tablespoonfuls of salt, one saltspoonful of pepper, and a teaspoonful of
butter, (cost one cent;) boil rapidly for about twenty minutes, then
drain it in a colander, run plenty of cold water from the faucet through
it, and lay it in a pan of cold water until you are ready to use it. Put
into a sauce-pan one gill of tomato sauce, (cost two cents,) one ounce
of butter, (cost two cents,) and one gill of any meat gravy free from
fat, and stir until they are smoothly blended: put a half inch layer of
macaroni on the bottom of a dish, moisten it with four tablespoonfuls of
the sauce, sprinkle over it half an ounce of the grated cheese; make
three other layers like this, using all the macaroni, cheese, and sauce,
and brown the macaroni in a hot oven for about five minutes; serve it
hot. It will cost about thirteen cents.
=Macaroni with Tomato Sauce.=--Boil half a pound of macaroni as already
directed, and lay it in cold water. Make a tomato sauce as follows, and
dress the macaroni with it, using only enough to moisten it, and
sprinkling the top with an ounce of grated cheese, (cost one cent;)
serve it hot.
=Tomato Sauce.=--Boil together for one hour quarter of a can of tomatoes,
or six large fresh ones, (cost five cents,) one gill of broth of any
kind, one sprig of thyme, one sprig of parsley, three whole cloves,
three peppercorns, and half an ounce of onion sliced; (cost two cents;)
rub them through a sieve with a wooden spoon, and set the sauce to keep
hot; mix together over the fire one ounce of butter, and half an ounce
of flour, (cost two cents,) and when smooth incorporate with the tomato
sauce. The cost of the tomato sauce will be about ten cents, and of the
entire dish about eighteen cents. If you do not wish to use all the
tomato sauce, and you do not need to, save it to use with fried chops of
any kind.
=Rice.=--Rice is largely composed of starch, and for that reason is less
nutritious than flour, oatmeal, Indian meal, or macaroni; but it is a
wholesome and economical food when used with a little meat broth,
drippings, or molasses. It is a very safe food for children, especially
if used with a little molasses. The following is an excellent supper
dish.
=Rice Panada.=--Boil half a pound of rice, (which costs five cents,)
quarter of a pound of suet, (at two cents,) with one tablespoonful of
salt, and one of sugar, (cost one cent,) fast in boiling water for
fifteen minutes; meantime mix half a pound of flour, (cost two cents,)
gradually with one quart of water, and one gill of molasses, (cost two
cents;) stir this into the boiling rice, and boil it for about five
minutes; this makes a nice supper of over five pounds of good,
nutritious food for twelve cents.
=Boiled Rice.=--Another good dish of rice for supper can be made as
follows. Wash half a pound of rice (cost five cents,) throw it into one
quart of boiling water, containing two teaspoonfuls of salt, and boil it
fast ten minutes; drain it in a colander, saving the water to use with
broth next day; meantime just grease the pot with sweet drippings, put
the rice back in it, cover it, and set it on a brick on the top of the
stove, or in a cool oven, and let it stand ten minutes to swell; be
careful not to burn it. The addition of a very little butter, sugar,
molasses, nutmeg, lemon juice, or salt and pepper, will give it
different flavors; so that you can vary the taste, and have it often
without getting tired of it, and it need never cost you over seven
cents.
=Rice, Milanaise Style.=--Fry one ounce of butter, (cost two cents,) light
brown; put into it half a pound of rice, (cost five cents,) well picked
over, _but not washed_, and one ounce of onion, chopped fine; stir and
brown for about five minutes, then add a pint of gravy from meat, season
with a level teaspoonful of salt, quarter that quantity of pepper, and
as much cayenne as you can take on the point of a very small pen-knife
blade; the onion and seasoning will cost less than two cents; stew
gently for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning,
and serve as soon as the rice is tender. This makes a palatable dish for
about ten cents.
=Rice, Japanese Style.=--Put half a pound of well washed rice into a
double kettle, with one pint of milk or water, one heaping teaspoonful
of salt, and quarter of a medium sized nutmeg grated; boil it until
tender, about forty minutes; if it seems very dry add a little more
liquid, taking care not to have it sloppy when it is cooked. When milk
is used it may be served with milk and sugar as a breakfast or tea dish;
when water takes the place of milk, the addition of an ounce of butter,
and half a saltspoonful of pepper makes a nice dinner dish of it.
CHAPTER V.
SOUP.
The value of soup as food cannot be overestimated.
In times of scarcity and distress, when the question has arisen of how
to feed the largest number of persons upon the least quantity of food,
the aliment chosen has always been soup. There are two reasons for this:
first, by the addition of water to the ingredients used we secure the
aid of this important agent in distributing nutrition equally
throughout the blood, to await final absorption; and, second, we gain
that sense of repletion so necessary to the satisfaction of hunger--the
fact being acknowledged that the sensation we call hunger is often
allayed by the presence of even innutritious substances in the stomach.
Good soup is literally the juice of any ingredient from which it is
made--the extract of the meat, grains, or vegetables composing it. The
most economical of soups, eaten with bread, will satisfy the hunger of
the hardest worker. The absolute nutritive value of soup depends, of
course, upon its ingredients; and these can easily be chosen in
reference to the maintenance of health. For instance, the pot-liquor in
which meat has been boiled needs only the addition of a few dumplings or
cereals, and seasoning, to form a perfect nutriment. That produced from
skin and bones can be made equally palatable and nutritious by boiling
with it a few vegetables and sweet herbs, and some rice, barley, or
oatmeal. Even the gelatinous residue produced by long-continued boiling,
without the presence of any foreign matter, is a useful emollient
application to the inflamed mucous surfaces in some diseases, while it
affords at the same time the degree of distention necessary to prevent
flatulency.
The time required to make the most palatable and nutritious soup is
short. Lean meat should be chopped fine, placed in cold water, in the
proportion of a pint to each pound, slowly heated, and thoroughly
skimmed. Five minutes' boiling will extract from the meat every particle
of its nutriment and flavor. The liquor can then be strained off,
seasoned, and eaten with bread, biscuit, or vegetables. Peas or beans
boiled and added to the soup make it the most perfect food for
sustaining health and strength. It is the pure juice of the meat and
contains all its savory and life-giving principles.
If your family is large, it will be well for you to keep a clean
saucepan, or pot on the back of the stove to receive all the clean
scraps of meat, bones, and remains of poultry and game, which are found
in every kitchen; but vegetables should not be put into it, as they are
apt to sour. The proper proportions for soup are one pound of meat and
bone to one and a half quarts of cold water; the meat and bones to be
well chopped and broken up, and put over the fire in cold water, being
brought slowly to a boil, and carefully skimmed as often as any scum
rises; and being maintained at a steady boiling point from two to six
hours, as time permits; one hour before the stock is done, add to it one
carrot and one turnip pared, one onion stuck with three cloves, and a
bouquet of sweet herbs.
When soup is to be boiled six hours you must allow two quarts of water
to every pound of meat, and you must see that the pot boils slowly and
regularly, and is well skimmed. When you want to keep soup from one meal
to another, or over night, you must pour it into an earthen pot, or
bowl, because it will turn by being allowed to remain in the metal pot.
I shall give you first some receipts for making soups without meat, and
then some of the cheapest meat soups I have tried. The first is very
cheap and nutritious, and should be served at meals where no meat is to
be used; bread, and a cheap pudding, will be sufficient to use with it.
=Scotch Broth without Meat.=--Steep four ounces of pearl barley, (cost
three cents,) over night in cold water, and wash it well in fresh water;
cut in dice half an inch square, six ounces of yellow turnip, six ounces
of carrot, four ounces of onion, two ounces of celery, or use in its
place quarter of a saltspoonful of celery seed, (cost of all about one
cent,) put all these into two and a half quarts of boiling water, season
with a teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a saltspoonful of pepper, and as
much cayenne as you can take up on the point of a very small pen-knife
blade, (cost one cent;) boil slowly for two hours; then stir in quarter
of a pound of oatmeal, (cost two cents,) mixed to a smooth batter with
cold water, see if seasoning be correct, add two or three grates of
nutmeg, and boil half an hour. Meantime, cut two slices of bread, (cost
one cent,) in half inch dice, fry light brown in hot fat, (cost two
cents,) and lay the bits in the soup tureen; when the soup is ready pour
it over them, and serve. This soup, which costs only about ten cents, is
palatable as well as economical.
=Pea Soup.=--Use half a pint, or seven ounces of dried peas, (cost three
cents,) for every two quarts of soup you want. Put them in three quarts
of cold water, after washing them well; bring them slowly to a boil; add
a bone, or bit of ham, if you have it to spare, one turnip, and one
carrot peeled, one onion stuck with three cloves, (cost three cents,)
and simmer three hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning; then
pass the soup through a sieve with the aid of a potato-masher, and if it
shows any sign of settling stir into it one tablespoonful each of butter
and flour mixed together dry, (cost two cents;) this will prevent
settling; meantime fry some dice of stale bread, about two slices, cut
half an inch square, in hot fat, drain them on a sieve, and put them in
the bottom of the soup tureen in which the pea soup is served; or cut
some bits of very hard stale bread, or dry toast, to use instead of the
fried bread. By the time the soup is done it will have boiled down to
two quarts, and will be very thick and good. This receipt will cost you
about ten cents.
=Thick Pea Soup.=--Fry one sliced onion, (cost half a cent,) in one ounce
of suet or drippings, (cost half a cent,) using an iron pot to fry it
in; as soon as it is brown, put into the same pot, three quarts of cold
water, one pint, or fourteen ounces of well washed peas, (cost five
cents,) and boil as above; this quantity of peas does not need any
crusts in the soup; it will be thick enough; but bread may be eaten with
it, if you want it. This soup costs six cents.
=Bean Soup.=--For this, use the receipt for pea soup, using beans instead
of peas; the cost will be about the same.
=Lentil Soup.=--For two quarts of soup half a pint of yellow lentils,
(cost five cents,) washed, and put to boil in three pints of cold water,
with one cents' worth of soup greens, and boiled gently until the
lentils are soft enough to break between the fingers; every half hour a
gill of cold water should be added, and the lentils again raised to a
boiling point, until they are done; they should then be passed through a
sieve with a wooden spoon, using enough of the liquor to make them pass
easy, and mixed with the rest of the soup; it should be seasoned with
salt and pepper, and is then ready to simmer for half an hour, and serve
hot, with dice of fried bread half an inch square, like those used for
pea soup, or with bits of stale bread. A plentiful dinner of lentil soup
and bread costs only about ten cents.
=Onion Soup.=--Chop half a quart of onions, (cost three cents,) fry them
brown, in a large saucepan, with two ounces of drippings, stirring until
they are well browned, but not burned; then stir in half a pound, or a
little less, of oatmeal, (cost three cents,) add three quarts of water,
and season to taste with pepper and salt; (the drippings and seasoning
cost one cent;) while the soup is boiling, which must be for about
twenty minutes, with occasional stirring, toast a third of a six cent
loaf of bread, cut it in half inch bits, lay it in the soup tureen; and,
when the soup is ready pour it on the toast. The soup will cost about
ten cents, and is extremely nourishing.
=Spinach Soup.=--Put one quart of spinach, (cost five cents,) to boil in a
large pot, full of boiling water, well salted with two tablespoonfuls of
salt; cover until it boils up once; then remove the cover, and with a
wooden spoon press the spinach under water as fast as it rises to the
surface; boil it steadily only until it is tender; then drain it; run
plenty of cold water from the faucet over it, while it is still in the
colander; drain it again, chop it fine, and pass it through a kitchen
sieve with the aid of a wooden spoon; boil one quart of milk, (cost
eight cents,) and one quart of water; add the spinach to it, thicken it
by stirring in two tablespoonfuls of corn starch dissolved in cold milk;
season it with one teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a saltspoonful of
white pepper, and the same of nutmeg; (cost of seasoning one cent,) and
serve it as soon as it boils up. It costs only fifteen cents, and is
delicious.
Soup can be made from any green vegetable or herb in the same way.
=Vegetable Soup.=--The following is the receipt given by the celebrated
FRANCATELLI for a cheap vegetable soup: Put six quarts of water to boil
in a large pot with quarter of a pound of suet, or two ounces of
drippings, (cost about two cents,) season it with a level tablespoonful
of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and a few sprigs of parsley and
dried herbs, (cost of seasoning one cent;) while it is boiling prepare
about ten cents' worth of cabbage, turnips, beans, or any cheap
vegetables in season; throw them into the boiling soup, and when they
have boiled up thoroughly, set the pot at the side of the fire, where it
will simmer, for about two hours. Then take up some of the vegetables
without breaking, and use them with any gravy you may have on hand, or
with quarter of a pound of bacon, (cost four cents,) sliced and fried,
for the bulk of the meal; the soup after being seasoned to taste can be
eaten with bread, at the beginning of the meal, the whole of which can
be provided for about twenty cents.
=Vegetable Porridge.=--Pare and slice thin ten cents' worth of carrots,
turnips, onions, and parsnips, and put them into three quarts of water,
with a few sprigs of parsley and dried herbs; season them with half a
tablespoonful of salt, and quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper, and let
them boil till very soft, two hours or more; then rub them all through a
colander, return the porridge to the pot, and set it over the fire to
heat, stirring it to prevent burning. Use it with bread; it will cost
about fifteen cents for enough for a hearty meal.
=Rice Milk.=--Put half a pound of well-washed rice into two quarts of
boiling water, with two ounces of sweet drippings, a teaspoonful of
salt, and a bit of cinnamon, or lemon peel, and let all boil gently
about an hour; then add one quart of milk, and stir the rice for about
ten minutes. A little sugar or molasses may be added if you want it
sweet. It makes an excellent breakfast or supper dish, and costs about
fifteen cents.
=Fish Soup.=--Make this soup from any rich, glutinous fish, such as cod's
head, halibut neck, flounders, skate, or any cheap fish which is in
season, and which you can buy for five or six cents a pound. Chop one or
two onions, fry them in a pot with two ounces of drippings, till light
brown; season with a level tablespoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of
pepper, and a teaspoonful of sweet herbs of any kind, then add two
quarts of hot water, and let all boil for ten minutes; meantime mix
quarter of a pound of oatmeal with one pint of cold water, and wash and
cut in two-inch pieces about two pounds of fish; when the soup has
boiled ten minutes, put the fish into it, and carefully stir in the
oatmeal; let it boil twenty minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent
burning; it will then be ready to use. The seasoning, drippings, and
oatmeal, will cost about five cents, and the fish ten more; with the
addition of bread and potatoes, say five cents' worth of either, it
makes an excellent meal, costing about twenty cents.
=Fish Chowder.=--Fry together in the bottom of a saucepan four ounces of
salt pork and two onions sliced; when brown season with a teaspoonful of
sweet herbs, and a very little salt and pepper; meantime peel and slice
half a dozen medium-sized potatoes, and lay them in cold water; and cut
in small slices two pounds of any fish which costs about five cents per
pound; when the onions and pork are brown, put the potatoes and fish
upon them in layers, seasoning with a level tablespoonful of salt, and
half a teaspoonful of pepper; pour over all cold water enough to cover
the ingredients, and let them cook twenty minutes after they begin to
boil; soak half a pound of sea-biscuit in cold water, and when the
chowder is nearly done lay them on it, and pour over them half a pint of
milk; in five minutes the chowder will be ready to use. The onions,
pork, and seasoning will cost five cents; the potatoes, crackers and
milk five more; and the fish ten cents; total for two quarts of good
chowder twenty cents.
=Mutton Broth.=--Put two pounds of a jointed neck of mutton, (cost twelve
cents,) in two and a half quarts of cold water, and let it boil slowly;
skim it carefully, season it with a level tablespoonful of salt, half a
teaspoonful of pepper, and the same of sweet herbs; then add one quart
of yellow turnips, peeled and quartered, (cost three cents,) and four
ounces of well washed pearl barley, (cost two cents,) and boil about an
hour longer, or until the turnips and barley are tender. Take up the
meat on a platter, lay the turnips around it, and pour the broth and
barley into a soup tureen. The broth, meat and vegetables will cost
seventeen cents, and will make a good dinner with the addition of bread;
or you can use the mutton and turnips for one meal, and keep the broth
and barley for another.
=Veal Broth.=--Make this as you would the mutton broth, using a knuckle of
veal, (which costs ten cents,) instead of the neck of mutton, and a
quarter of a pound of rice, (which costs two or three cents,) instead of
barley; omit the turnips. You will have a good, nutritious, broth for
about thirteen cents.
=White Broth.=--Cut two pounds of the neck of veal, (cost twelve cents,)
in cutlets, and put it in a sauce pan with two ounces of salt pork,
(cost two cents,) a level tablespoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of
pepper, one onion chopped, six whole cloves, and half a pint of water;
(the seasoning will cost about one cent;) boil these ingredients for ten
minutes, stirring often enough to prevent burning, then add two and a
half quarts of hot water, and skim the broth thoroughly as soon as it
boils up; let it simmer for half an hour, when take up the meat,
reserving it for stew, strain the broth, let it boil up again, and then
put into it a quarter of a pound of macaroni, (cost four cents,) and
boil it for half an hour longer. While it is boiling put the meat with
half a quart of peeled and quartered potatoes, (cost two cents,) a
teaspoonful of salt, and a pint of boiling water into a sauce pan and
let them cook as long as the macaroni. Serve the stew by itself, and the
broth and macaroni in a soup tureen. With bread these two dishes make a
good dinner, at a cost of about twenty-five cents. You can sometimes use
rice or dumplings instead of macaroni.
=Cream Soup.=--Proceed as for white broth, using the meat for a stew,
skimming all the fat off the broth, and then adding to it two
tablespoonfuls of flour mixed smooth with half a pint of milk; when the
milk and flour are mixed smooth pour into them a gill of the boiling
broth, and then add them to the soup; see if the seasoning is right, and
boil it ten minutes, stirring it to prevent burning; during this time
toast a few slices of stale bread, cut them in dice, and put them in the
soup tureen; when the soup is ready pour it over the toast, take up the
stew on another dish, and serve both together. They make a good dinner
for about twenty-five cents.
=Beef Broth.=--Put two pounds of lean beef from the neck, (cost twelve
cents,) in two and a half quarts of cold water to boil; skim as soon as
it boils, and add a level tablespoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of
pepper, quarter of a nutmeg grated, a few sweet herbs, and half a dozen
cloves; (cost of seasoning two cents;) boil gently for one hour. At the
end of quarter of an hour make as follows some
=Norfolk Dumplings.=--Mix by sifting together one pound of flour, one
teaspoonful of salt, and two of baking-powder, (cost three cents;) make
into a soft dough with one egg, half a pint of milk and a very little
water, (cost four cents,) and drop them by the tablespoonful in the
soup; be careful that the pot does not stop boiling, or the dumplings
will be heavy.
At the end of three quarters of an hour stir together over the fire in a
large sauce-pan one ounce each of butter and flour, (cost two cents,)
and when they are nicely browned, gradually add, and mix with an
egg-whip or large fork, a pint of the boiling soup. Take up the meat and
dumplings on the same dish, strain the soup into the sauce you have just
made, and mix it thoroughly; put a little of it over the meat and
dumplings, and serve the rest in the soup tureen; it is very nice with
small dice of toast in it.
Both dishes make an excellent dinner, at a cost of about twenty-five
cents, including bread.
=Meat Brewis.=--This palatable dish is made by putting the thick upper or
under crust of a stale loaf of bread into the pot when any meat or soup
is boiling, and letting it remain about five minutes to thoroughly
absorb the broth; it should then be taken out as whole as possible, and
eaten at once. It is satisfactory, nutritious and economical; enough for
a hearty meal costing not more than five cents.
CHAPTER VI.
PEAS, BEANS, LENTILS, AND MAIZE.
Before giving you receipts for cooking peas, beans, and lentils, I want
to show you how important they are as foods. I have already spoken of
the heat and flesh forming properties of food as the test of its
usefulness; try to understand that a laboring man needs twelve ounces
and a half of heat food, and half an ounce of flesh-food every day to
keep him healthy. One pound, or one and a quarter pints of dried peas,
beans, or lentils, contains nearly six ounces of heat food, and half an
ounce of flesh food; that is, nearly as much heat-food, and more than
twice as much flesh food as wheat. A little fat, salt meat, or suet,
cooked with them, to bring up their amount of heat-food to the right
point, makes either of them the best and most strengthening food a
workingman can have. The only objection to their frequent use is the
fact that their skins are sometimes hard to digest; but if you make them
into soup, or pudding, rubbing them through a sieve after they are
partly cooked, you will be safe from any danger.
=Oatmeal and Peas.=--Cut quarter of a pound of fat pork or bacon, (cost
four cents,) into pieces half an inch square; put it in the bottom of a
pot with two sliced onions, (cost one cent,) and fry ten minutes without
burning; season with two teaspoonfuls of salt, one of sugar, and one
saltspoonful of pepper; (cost of seasoning one cent;) then add three
quarts of cold water, and one pint of peas, (cost five cents,) and boil
the whole gently until the peas become quite soft; then stir in enough
oatmeal to thicken, about a quarter of a pound, (cost two cents or
less;) simmer for twenty minutes, and then eat hot. It is the healthiest
kind of a meal, and costs thirteen cents, or less.
=Peas-Pudding.=--Soak one pint of dried peas, (cost five cents,) in cold
water over night; tie them loosely in a clean cloth, and boil them about
two hours in pot-liquor or water, putting them into it cold and bringing
them gradually to a boil; drain them, pass them through a sieve with a
wooden spoon, season them with a level tablespoonful of salt, half a
saltspoonful of pepper, one ounce of butter, and one egg, (all of which
will cost five cents,) mix, tie in a clean cloth, and boil half an hour
longer; then turn it from the cloth on a dish, and serve hot. This
receipt makes a good large pudding for ten cents; or you can leave out
the egg and it will cost less.
=Peas and Bacon.=--Put one pound of bacon, (cost twelve cents,) to boil in
two and a half quarts of cold water, with one pint of dried peas, (cost
five cents;) when the peas are soft, drain them, press them through a
sieve, lay them neatly on a flat dish, place the bacon on them, and set
them in the oven to brown. Meantime strain any water which may remain
after boiling them, and thicken it over the fire with Indian meal, in
the proportion of four or five tablespoonfuls to each pint, so as to
make it thick enough to cut and fry when cold; boil it about one hour,
and then cool it.
As soon as the peas and bacon are brown, serve them with boiled potatoes
or bread, (about five cents' worth of either;) they make a good dinner,
and with the hasty pudding, cost only about twenty-five cents.
=Baked Peas.=--Proceed as directed for peas-pudding, only instead of
putting the peas again in the cloth put them in a pudding-dish, and
brown them in the oven. A large dish costs only ten cents.
=Peas and Onions.=--Proceed as directed for peas pudding, omitting the
egg, and substituting for it an onion chopped and fried in an ounce of
drippings; bake as in the previous receipt. The cost will be about ten
cents, and the dish is exceedingly nutritious.
=Baked Beans.=--Put one pint of dried beans, (cost six cents,) and quarter
of a pound of salt pork, (cost four cents,) into two quarts of cold
water; bring them to a boil, and boil them slowly for about twenty
minutes; then put the beans, with about a teacupful of the water they
were boiled in, into an open jar, season them with salt and pepper to
taste, and one tablespoonful of molasses, (cost of seasoning one cent,)
lay the pork on the top, and bake two hours, or longer. The dish will
cost about ten cents, and is palatable and nutritious. The liquor in
which the beans were boiled should be saved, and used the next morning
as broth, with seasoning and a little fried or toasted bread in it.
=Stewed Beans.=--Soak a pint of dried beans, (cost six cents,) over night
in cold water; put them to boil in a quart of cold water with one ounce
of drippings, a level tablespoonful of salt, and quarter of a
teaspoonful of pepper, and boil them gently for two hours. Then drain
them, put them into a sauce pan with one ounce of butter and a
tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and after heating them through, serve
them at once. The drippings, butter, and seasoning, will not cost more
than four cents, and the whole dish can be made for ten.
=Fried Beans.=--Proceed as above, omitting the parsley, and letting the
butter get hot in a frying pan, before putting the beans in; fry them a
little, stirring them so that they will brown equally, and then serve
them. The dish will cost ten cents.
=Beans and Bacon.=--Soak a pint of dried beans, (cost six cents,) over
night in cold water; put them over the fire in one quart of cold water,
with quarter of a pound of bacon, (cost three cents,) and boil them
gently for about two hours; then stir in two tablespoonfuls of flour
mixed smooth with a little cold water, season to taste with pepper,
salt, and if you like it a little chopped onion, and let them stew
gently for about ten minutes; they will then be ready to serve. The dish
will cost ten cents.
=Lentils.=--Lentils have been used for food in older countries for a long
time, and it is quite necessary that we should become acquainted with
their merits if we want to save; I give a lentil soup, and some
excellent directions for cooking this invaluable food. One quart of
lentils when cooked will make four pounds of hearty food. There are two
varieties in market; the small flat brown seed, called lentils _à la
reine_; and a larger kind, about the size of peas, and of a greenish
color; both sorts are equally well flavored and nutritious; they cost
ten cents a pound, and can be bought at general groceries. The seed of
the lentil tare, commonly cultivated in France and Germany as an article
of food, ranks nearly as high as meat as a valuable food, being capable
of sustaining life and vigor for a long time; this vegetable is
gradually becoming known in this country, from the use of it by our
French and German citizens; and from its nutritive value it deserves to
rank as high as our favorite New England Beans.
=Lentils boiled plain.=--Wash one pound, or one full pint of lentils,
(cost ten cents,) well in cold water, put them over the fire, in three
quarts of cold water with one ounce of drippings, one tablespoonful of
salt, and a saltspoonful of pepper, (cost about one cent,) and boil
slowly until tender, that is about three hours; drain off the little
water which remains, add to the lentils one ounce of butter, a
tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a teaspoonful of sugar, and a little
more salt and pepper if required, (cost about three cents,) and serve
them hot. Always save the water in which they are boiled; with the
addition of a little thickening and seasoning, it makes a very
nourishing soup.
=Stewed Lentils.=--Put a pint of plain boiled lentils into a sauce pan,
cover them with any kind of pot-liquor, add one ounce of chopped onion,
two ounces of drippings, quarter of an ounce of chopped parsley, and
stew gently for twenty minutes; serve hot. This dish costs about ten
cents.
=Fried Lentils.=--Fry one ounce of chopped onion brown in two ounces of
drippings, add one pint of plain boiled lentils, see if they are
properly seasoned, and brown them well; serve hot. This dish costs about
ten cents, and is very good, and as nutritious as meat.
=Maize, or Indian Corn Meal.=--This native product is a strong and
nutritious food, and very economical; in addition to the ordinary
hasty-pudding, or mush, it can be cooked with a little pot-liquor, meat,
or cheese, so as to be both good and wholesome. Below are some excellent
receipts for cooking it.
=Polenta.=--Boil one pound of yellow Indian meal, (cost four cents,) for
half an hour, in two quarts of pot-liquor or boiling water, salted to
taste, with one ounce of fat, stirring it occasionally to prevent
burning; then bake it for half an hour in a greased baking dish, and
serve it either hot, or, when cold, slice it and fry it in smoking hot
fat. This favorite Italian dish is closely allied to the hasty-pudding
of New England, and the mush of the South. It costs five cents.
=Cheese Pudding.=--Into two quarts of boiling water, containing two
tablespoonfuls of salt, stir one pound of yellow Indian meal, (cost four
cents,) and a quarter of a pound of grated cheese, (cost four cents;)
boil it for twenty minutes, stirring it occasionally to prevent
burning; then put it in a greased baking pan, sprinkle over the top
quarter of a pound of grated cheese, (cost four cents,) and brown in a
quick oven. Serve hot. If any remains, slice it cold and fry it brown.
It costs twelve cents.
=Hasty-Pudding.=--Have boiling upon the fire two quarts of water with a
level tablespoonful of salt; sprinkle in gradually one pound of Indian
meal, (cost four cents,) stirring constantly to prevent lumps; and boil
steadily for one hour, stirring occasionally. The secret of making good
hasty-pudding is to boil it long enough to thoroughly cook it. Some
persons first mix the meal with cold water until it forms a thick
batter, and then stir this into the boiling water. The pudding can be
eaten with a little milk, butter, or molasses, if they are desirable
additions; or with some meat gravy, or melted and seasoned suet. When
cold it is good sliced and fried.
=Johnny Cake.=--Mix one pound of Indian meal, (cost four cents,) one ounce
of lard, (cost one cent,) and one teaspoonful of salt, with sufficient
boiling water to make a stiff batter; put it by the tablespoonful into a
greased baking pan, and bake it thoroughly. Five cents' worth makes a
hearty meal, with a little butter or molasses.
=Indian Cakes.=--These are prepared in the same way as Johnny Cake, except
that the batter is made about as thin as buckwheat cakes, and baked upon
a greased griddle over the fire instead of in the oven. The most
economical way of greasing the griddle is to put a small piece of fat
salt pork upon a fork and rub it over the surface of the griddle after
it is well heated.
=Indian Bread.=--Mix into one quart of boiling water enough Indian meal to
make a thin batter, about a quarter of a pound, (cost one cent;) when it
has cooled, stir into it one pound of wheat flour, (cost four cents,) a
level tablespoonful of salt, and one gill of yeast; let it rise
overnight, and then bake it in loaves.
=Boiled Indian Pudding.=--Dissolve a level teaspoonful of soda in one pint
of sour milk, add to it one pint of molasses, (cost five cents,) quarter
of a pound of chopped suet, (cost two cents,) half a pound of Indian
meal, (cost two cents,) and a level teaspoonful of salt; if you have no
milk use boiling water instead of it; put the pudding into a scalded
pudding bag, or a pudding kettle, and this into a pot of boiling water;
boil steadily for four hours, adding boiling water as the quantity
decreases. The pudding when cooked may be eaten with sauce or molasses,
if desired; it will cost about ten cents.
=Baked Indian Pudding.=--Stir into a quart of boiling milk, (cost eight
cents,) quarter of a pound of Indian meal, (cost one cent,) one level
teaspoonful of salt, the same of spice, and one ounce of butter, (cost
two cents;) last of all add one pint of cold milk, (cost four cents,) or
milk and water. Pour the pudding into an earthen dish, and bake slowly
for three hours. It will cost about fifteen cents, and be very nice.
There is as much difference in the quality of Indian meal as there is in
its preparation; Southern meal is undoubtedly finer than Northern, and
Southern cooks are proverbial for their skill in using it. I am indebted
for some of the preceding receipts to a friend in Maryland, and I advise
my readers to buy Southern meal, if they can get it, and test them
thoroughly. Meal that is ground by hand or water power is superior to
that ground by steam, because it is less heated in the process.
Indian corn is an excellent food in temperate and warm climates; and
from its abundant yield, and easy cultivation, it is one of the cheapest
of cereals. It contains the nitrates, or flesh-forming properties, in an
excessive degree. It is a palatable and nutritious diet whether eaten
green, parched, or ground into meal.
CHAPTER VII.
CHEAP FISH AND MEAT DINNERS.
I have already spoken of the value of fish as strengthening food, and in
support of what I say I need only to remind you how vigorous and healthy
the inhabitants of the sea coast usually are, especially if they eat
red-blooded fish. This fact, in connection with the abundance and
cheapness of fish makes it an important article in the dietary of the
good housekeeper.
Fish may be cooked by boiling, baking, broiling, and frying; boiling is
the least economical method of cooking fish, and fish soup, or fish
chowder the most saving; broiled fish wastes but little of its
nutriment, but its bulk is decreased; baked fish ranks next to fish soup
in point of economy.
Fish are preserved for winter use by cleaning them, rubbing them with
salt, packing them in layers, and covering them with brine. An excellent
way of pickling fish is to clean them, cut off the heads, tails, and
fins, wash them, and then rub them well with salt and spice, pack them
in layers in an earthen crock or deep dish, cover them with vinegar, and
tie the jar over with buttered paper; they are then ready to bake slowly
for about four hours; and will keep for three or four weeks after they
are cooked.
In London, and other large English cities, where fried fish forms an
important item of popular food, it is cooked with great care, and in
such a manner as to retain all its nourishing qualities. It is well
washed in salted water, dried on a clean cloth, cut in slices if large,
dipped in a rather thin batter, made of flour, salt, pepper, and cold
water, and then dropped into a pan containing plenty of fat heated until
it is smoking hot, but does not boil; the pan is then taken from the
fire, and by the time the fat is growing cool the fish is cooked. A
novice would do best by maintaining the fat at the proper degree of heat
until the fish is cooked.
The receipts which I give for fish are calculated to produce compound
dishes from it, hearty enough to make the bulk of a meal.
=Fish and Potato Pie.=--Use any cheap fish which does not cost more than
five or six cents a pound, such as cod, haddock, or blue-fish; cut two
pounds of fish, (cost twelve cents,) in pieces about an inch thick and
two inches long; lay them in a deep dish with a pint of cold gravy of
any kind, or cold water, season with a tablespoonful each of chopped
parsley and onion, and a teaspoonful of salt, pepper, and thyme, mixed
together in equal quantities, and sprinkled among the fish; put it into
the oven for fifteen or twenty minutes to partly cook. Put one quart of
potatoes, (cost three cents,) into boiling water, and boil until soft
enough to mash; mash them, season them with salt and pepper, and put
them over the fish, which you must take from the oven, as a crust;
return the pie again to the oven to brown the crust, and then serve it
with bread and butter. Twenty-five cents will cover the cost of all, and
the dinner will be a good one.
=Fish Pudding.=--Make a plain paste by mixing quarter of a pound of lard
or sweet drippings, (cost three cents,) with half a pound of flour,
(cost two cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, and just water enough to make a
stiff paste; roll it out; line the edges of a deep pudding dish with it
half way down; fill the dish with layers of fresh codfish cut in small
pieces, using two pounds, (cost twelve cents,) season each layer with
salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and chopped onions, using one
tablespoonful of salt, one saltspoonful of pepper, two bay leaves, a
saltspoonful of thyme, four ounces of onion, and half an ounce of
parsley, (cost five cents;) fill up the dish with any cold gravy, milk,
or water, cover with paste, and bake fifteen minutes in a quick oven;
finish by baking half an hour in a moderate oven; serve hot.
With bread the dinner will cost twenty-five cents.
=Fish and Potato Pudding.=--Wash and peel one quart of potatoes, (cost
three cents,) peel and slice about six ounces of onions, (cost one
cent,) skin and bone two bloaters or large herrings, (cost five cents,)
put all these ingredients into a baking dish in layers, seasoning them
with a dessertspoonful of salt and a saltspoonful of pepper; pour over
them any cold gravy you have on hand, or add two or three ounces of
drippings; if you have neither of these, water will answer; bake the
pudding an hour and a half; serve hot, with bread. If you use drippings
or milk the entire seasoning will cost you less than five cents; and the
whole dinner, which is excellent, not more than fifteen cents.
=Codfish Steaks.=--Two pounds of codfish, (which costs at the market from
four to seven cents,) can be cut in steaks, dried well, and either
dipped in flour, or thin batter of flour, salt, pepper, and water, and
fried in smoking hot fat, or can be served with a quart of boiled
potatoes, (cost three cents,) and plenty of bread and butter, at the
rate of about twenty cents a meal.
=Red Herrings with Potatoes.=--Soak a dozen herrings, (cost ten cents,) in
cold water for one hour; dry and skin them, split them down the back,
and lay them in a pan with two ounces of drippings, two ounces of onion
chopped fine, a saltspoonful of pepper, and three tablespoonfuls of
vinegar, (cost two cents,) and set them in a moderate oven to brown for
ten or fifteen minutes; meantime, boil one quart of potatoes, (cost
three cents,) with a ring of the paring taken off, in plenty of boiling
water and salt, pouring off the water as soon as they are tender, and
letting them stand on the back of the fire, covered with a dry towel,
for five minutes; serve them with the herrings, taking care to dish
both quite hot. With bread and butter a plentiful dinner can be had for
about twenty-two cents.
=Cheap Meats.=--Those parts of meat which are called the cheap cuts, such
as the head, brains, tongue, tripe, kidneys, haslet or pluck, feet, and
tail, are eaten much more frequently in Europe than in this country, and
are worthy of all the use they get there; for their proportion of
flesh-forming elements is large; this is especially the case with the
lights or lungs, but as they are rather difficult to digest, they should
be thoroughly cooked, and never eaten alone. Tripe and pigs' feet, on
the contrary, are very easily digested; but on this account are not as
satisfactory food as that which remains longer in the stomach; although
they are both savory and cheap.
Be careful to keep all meat stews closely covered, or a great deal of
the nutriment of the meat will escape in the steam.
=Sheeps' Head Stew.=--Thoroughly clean a sheeps' head, weighing about
three pounds, (cost about ten cents,) put it over the fire with quarter
of a pound of rice, (cost three cents,) two cents' worth of onions
sliced, a level tablespoonful of salt, quarter of a teaspoonful of
pepper, and three pints of cold water; bring it slowly to a boil,
skimming it carefully, and then add five cents' worth of carrots and
turnips, peeled and quartered; let all simmer gently together for two
hours, being careful to remove all grease, and see if the seasoning is
correct, before dishing the stew. With bread, or boiled potatoes, the
meal will cost about twenty-five cents.
=Oxtail Stew.=--Put two jointed oxtails, (cost about ten cents,) over the
fire in one quart of cold water, and scald them, to remove the strong
flavor; then roll the joints in flour, season them with salt and pepper,
and pack them in an earthen jar, with one onion chopped, and one quart
of potatoes peeled and sliced; the vegetables and seasoning will cost
about five cents; add one pint of water, put on the cover of the jar,
and cement it in place with a paste of flour and water, which you must
grease a little to prevent cracking; then put the jar into a moderately
hot oven, and bake it about four hours. With the addition of bread and
butter it makes a hearty meal, and costs about twenty-two cents.
=Beef Pie.=--Cut in two inch pieces two pounds of the neck of beef, (cost
twelve cents,) brown them quickly in one ounce of drippings, (cost one
cent,) season them with pepper and salt, put them into a pudding dish
in layers with one cents' worth of chopped onion, and one quart of
potatoes, (cost three cents,) peeled and sliced; add enough cold water
to cover the beef and vegetables, and put over them a crust made of one
pound of flour, (cost four cents,) and quarter of a pound of lard, (cost
three cents,) put it for fifteen minutes into a hot oven, and then bake
for an hour and a half in a moderate one. It will cost less than
twenty-five cents, and be an abundant meal.
=Baked Heart.=--Thoroughly wash a beef's heart, (cost ten cents,) stuff it
with half a loaf of stale bread, (cost two cents,) moistened with warm
water and seasoned with one teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a
teaspoonful each of pepper, chopped parsley and sweet herbs, an onion
chopped, and one ounce of sweet drippings (cost of all these two cents;)
lay it in a dripping pan with five cents' worth of parsnips scraped and
washed, and bake in a moderate oven about two hours. It may be baked in
an earthen jar, like the oxtail stew, and all its goodness will be
saved.
Parsnips are exceedingly nutritious and cheap, but if they are not liked
potatoes may be substituted for them.
The entire dinner with bread and butter will cost about twenty-five
cents.
=Stewed Kidneys and Potatoes.=--Wash one quart of potatoes, (cost three
cents,) pare off one ring from each, and put them to boil in well salted
boiling water. Choose a very fresh beef's kidney, (cost fifteen cents,)
cut it in thin slices, removing all the white vessels and membranes, fry
it quickly for five minutes in one ounce of smoking hot drippings, (cost
one cent,) season it with half a teaspoonful of salt, and quarter of a
teaspoonful of pepper, a teaspoonful each of chopped parsley, onion, and
vinegar; shake into it from the dredging box one tablespoonful of flour,
add one pint of boiling water, and boil gently for fifteen minutes. By
this time the potatoes will be done, and both dishes must be served at
once, because the kidneys will grow tough and indigestible if they are
cooked more than twenty minutes in all. They will make a plentiful
dinner, including bread and butter, for about twenty-five cents.
=Pig's Kidneys= may be cooked in the same manner, and enough can be bought
for ten cents to make a good sized dish.
=Kidney Pudding.=--Cut the kidneys, season, and stew them as above, making
meantime a crust from one pound of flour, two teaspoonfulls of salt,
and one of baking powder, sifted together; mix into these ingredients
four ounces of finely chopped suet, (cost two cents,) make them into a
paste with about one pint of cold water; use part of this to line a deep
pudding dish, into which put the stewed kidneys; cover the dish with the
rest of the paste, and bake it about an hour and a quarter in a regular,
moderately hot oven. The pudding will cost about thirty cents.
=Gammon Dumpling.=--Make a plain paste of one pound of flour, (cost four
cents,) one dessertspoonful of salt, and one of baking powder, quarter
of a pound of finely chopped suet or scraps, (cost two cents,) and
sufficient cold water to mix it to a stiff dough; roll this out about
half an inch thick, spread over it half a pound of any cheap cut of
bacon or ham, finely chopped, (cost six cents,) roll up the dumpling as
you would a roly-poly pudding, tie it tightly in a clean cloth, and boil
it in boiling water, or boiling pot-liquor, for about three hours. Do
not let the pot stop boiling, or the dumpling will be heavy. Serve it
hot, with one quart of plain boiled potatoes, (cost three cents.) The
dinner will cost fifteen cents.
=Bacon and Apple Roly-poly.=--Boil a pound of bacon, (cost twelve cents,)
for half an hour; then slice it thin; peel and slice three cents' worth
of apples and the same quantity of onions; make a stiff dough of one
pound of flour, (cost four cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, and cold
water; roll it out half an inch thick; lay the bacon, apples, and onion
all over it, roll it up, tie it tightly in a clean cloth, and boil it
about two hours, in plenty of boiling water. Serve it with three cents'
worth of boiled potatoes, or boiled cabbage. The dinner will cost
twenty-five cents.
=Mutton and Onions.=--Choose a shoulder of mutton weighing about three
pounds, which you can buy at six cents a pound; wipe it thoroughly with
a damp cloth, put it into a pot half full of boiling water, with a
tablespoonful of salt, and boil it gently for two hours, skimming the
pot as often as any scum rises. Half an hour before it is done slice one
quart of onions, (cost five cents,) boil them in a pint of boiling water
for about twenty minutes, add one ounce of butter, (cost two cents,)
half a pint of milk, (cost two cents,) four tablespoonfuls of flour
(cost one cent,) one teaspoonful of salt, and pepper to taste. When you
have put the onions over the fire, pare rings off a quart of potatoes,
(cost three cents,) and boil them in well salted boiling water. Have
all three dishes ready at once, and serve them together hot. Save the
broth from the mutton, and the next morning boil it up once, and serve
it for breakfast, with half a loaf of stale bread, toasted, and cut in
dice; or boil in it for twenty minutes a quarter of a pound of rice or
macaroni.
The dinner will cost you about thirty cents, and you have on hand the
broth for breakfast.
=Pork and Onions.=--Three pounds of the neck, or spare ribs, of fresh
pork, which you can buy at the packing houses for three cents a pound,
can be made into a capital dinner, which will cost only about twenty
cents, by following the above receipt.
=Veal and Rice.=--Put the scrag end of a neck of veal, which you can
usually buy for ten cents, into a pot half full of boiling water, with a
half tablespoonful of salt, and half a pound of bacon, or salt pork,
(cost six cents,) half a pound of rice, (cost five cents,) and an onion
stuck with six cloves; boil it gently for three hours, and then serve it
hot, the meat in the middle of the platter, and the rice laid around it.
The broth may be served for breakfast, as in the receipt for MUTTON AND
ONIONS.
The dinner will cost about twenty cents.
=Irish Stew.=--Cut two pounds of the flank of beef, (cost fifteen cents,
or less,) in pieces about two inches square, rub them well with pepper
and salt; peel and slice one quart of onions, (cost five cents;) place
beef and onions in a saucepan, with just enough cold water to cover
them, and stew them gently for one and a half hours; then add one quart
of peeled potatoes, (cost three cents,) and boil the stew until the
potatoes are soft, which will be in about twenty minutes. Serve at once
hot. The dish will cost twenty-three cents.
=Sheep's Haslet.=--Peel and slice one quart of onions, (cost five cents;)
wash and slice a sheep's haslet, (cost six cents;) put two ounces of
drippings, (cost two cents,) in the bottom of a dripping pan, strew the
onions upon it, and lay the haslet on them, seasoning it with a
teaspoonful of salt, and one of thyme, savory, allspice, and pepper,
using equal parts of each; add enough water to reach halfway to the top
of the meat, then cover it thickly with the crumbs from half a loaf of
stale bread, and bake all together for one hour and a half, in a
moderate oven. The whole dish will not cost over seventeen cents, and it
is nutritious and savory. =Baked Pig's Head.=--Buy at a packing house
half a medium sized pig's head, which you can get for three or four
cents a pound, (the piece will cost about ten cents;) clean and wash it
well; pare and slice one quart of onions, (cost five cents;) chop
quarter of a pound of suet, (cost two cents,) and grate half a loaf of
stale bread, (cost three cents;) put into a dripping pan one ounce of
drippings, (cost one cent,) one gill of vinegar, (cost one cent,) then
the onions, next the head, skin up, and last the bread, suet, and
seasoning, well mixed, and bake in a moderate oven for about one and a
half hours. The dish will cost about twenty-two cents; it is hearty and
extremely nutritious.
CHAPTER VIII.
SUNDAY DINNERS.
Sunday is the workingman's festival. It is not only a day of rest from
manual labor, a breathing space in his struggle for existence, an
interval during which his devotional aspirations may have full exercise;
it is the forerunner of a new phase of life, in which toil is laid aside
for the gentler occupations of home, if he is a man of family, and for
rest and relaxation in any case.
The duty of making home pleasant, which a good wife feels, is doubly
felt upon the days when the bread-winner abides in it. The husband of
such a wife seldom passes his Sundays in strange places: he is content
to accept the day according to its recognized signification, and when it
has passed he is all the more ready to begin his daily work again.
Because much of the comfort of home depends upon good and economical
meals, and because Sunday dinners ought to be better than those of
working days, we must make Monday dinners supplementary to them; the
cost of Saturday night's marketing must be divided between the two days,
in order to keep within our financial margin. Good examples of this
management may be found in the receipts given in this chapter for ROAST
FOWL and FRIED CHICKEN, À LA MODE BEEF and MEAT PATTIES, BOILED MUTTON
and KROMESKYS, and ROAST VEAL and VEAL AND HAM PATTIES. These receipts
show how by the exercise of a little judgment in buying, and economy in
managing food, we can have our Sunday fowl, or joint of meat, without
incurring any expense unwarranted by the figures to which this little
book confines us.
=Roast Fowl.=--You can generally buy a fowl for about a shilling a pound;
it need not be tender, but it ought to be fleshy in order to furnish the
basis for two meals. Choose a fowl which will cost fifty cents or less;
pluck all the pin feathers, singe off the hairs with a piece of burning
paper, or a little alcohol poured on a plate and lighted with a match;
then wipe the fowl with a clean damp cloth, draw it carefully by
slitting the skin at the back of the neck, and taking out the crop
without tearing the skin of the breast; loosen the heart, liver, and
lungs by introducing the fore-finger at the neck, and then draw them,
with the entrails, from the vent. Unless you have broken the gall, or
the entrails, in drawing the bird, _do not wash it_, for this greatly
impairs the flavor, and partly destroys the nourishing qualities of the
flesh. Twist the tips of the wings back under the shoulders; bend the
legs as far up toward the breast as possible, secure the thigh bones in
that position by a trussing cord or skewer; then bring the legs down,
and fasten them close to the vent. Put the bird into a pot containing
three quarts of boiling water, with one tablespoonful of salt, an onion
stuck with half a dozen cloves, and a bouquet of sweet herbs, made as
directed on page 19; skim it as soon as it boils, and as often as any
scum rises. If you wish to stuff the fowl use a forcemeat made as
follows, (cost ten cents,) and carefully sew it up in the carcass.
=Forcemeat or Stuffing.=--Cut two ounces of salt pork, (cost two cents,)
in quarter inch dice, and fry it brown in half an ounce of drippings,
with one ounce of chopped onion; while these ingredients are frying,
soak five cents' worth of stale bread in tepid water, and then wring it
dry in a napkin; add it to the onion when it is brown, with one
tablespoonful of chopped parsley, half a saltspoonful of powdered thyme,
and the same quantity of dried and powdered celery, and white pepper,
and one teaspoonful of salt; mix all these over the fire until they are
scalding hot, and cleave from the pan; then stir in one raw egg, and
stuff the fowl with it. It is good stuffing for any kind of poultry or
meat. A few ounces of grated cheese make it superlatively good.
Meantime, while the fowl is boiling, peel one quart of potatoes, (cost
three cents,) and lay them in cold water. At the end of one hour take
the fowl from the pot, taking care to strain and save the pot liquor,
put it into a dripping pan with the potatoes, season them both with a
teaspoonful of salt, and quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper, and put
them in a rather quick oven to bake for about one hour. When both are
well done, and nicely browned, take them up on hot dishes, and keep them
hot while you make the following gravy:
=Chicken Gravy.=--Pour one pint of boiling water into the dripping pan in
which the fowl was baked; while it is boiling up mix one heaping
tablespoonful, or one ounce, of flour with half a cup of cold water, and
stir it smoothly into the gravy; season it to taste with pepper and
salt, and send it in a bowl to the table with the chicken and potatoes.
In carving the chicken cut off the drumsticks, wings, and neck
carefully, and lay them aside; use the second joints, breast and fleshy
parts, for dinner; and after dinner cut up what remains of the carcass
in neat pieces, which you must save with the pieces first cut off, to
use for FRIED CHICKEN.
Half the cost of the Roast Chicken, stuffed, and the Baked Potatoes,
will be thirty-eight cents.
=Fried Chicken.=--Dip the pieces of chicken saved from the Sunday dinner
into a batter made according to the following receipt, and fry it a
delicate brown color in quarter of a pound of olive oil or sweet
drippings, or lard, (cost three cents,) heated until it is smoking hot.
Before you begin to fry the chicken, wash one quart of potatoes, (cost
three cents,) pare off a ring from each, and put them to boil in plenty
of well salted boiling water. When the chicken is done take it up with a
strainer, and lay it for a few minutes on brown paper to free it from
fat; then serve it hot, with the boiled potatoes.
=Frying Batter.=--This batter will do nicely for chicken, fish, clams,
cold boiled parsnips, or fruit of any kind, of which you wish to make
fritters. The oil is added to it for the purpose of making it crisp.
Many persons object to the use of oil in cooking, from a most foolish
prejudice. It is a pure vegetable fat, wholesome and nutritious in the
highest degree; and the sooner our American housewives learn to use it
in cooking the better it will be for both health and purse. I do not
mean the expensive oil, sold at fine grocery stores for a dollar a
bottle, but a good sweet kind which can be bought at French _Épicerie_
or German _Delicatessen_ depots for about two dollars and fifty cents a
gallon. Make the batter by mixing together four heaping tablespoonfuls
of flour, (cost one cent,) a level teaspoonful of salt, the yolk of one
egg, (cost one or two cents,) two tablespoonfuls of oil, (cost one
cent,) and one gill of water, or a quantity sufficient to make a thick
batter; just as you are ready to use it, beat the white of the egg, and
stir it into the batter; the cost will be three or four cents, and the
use of it will double the size and nicety of your dish.
=Chicken Broth.=--Heat the broth in which the fowl for Sunday dinner was
boiled, and when it is at the boiling point throw in quarter of a pound
of rice, or fine macaroni, which will cost three or four cents, and boil
it about twenty minutes, or until tender; see if the seasoning is right,
and serve it hot.
=New York Cooking School Fricassee.=--Prepare a fowl weighing about three
pounds, (cost three shillings,) as directed in the receipt for =Roast
Fowl=; cut it in neat joints, fry it quickly in one ounce of sweet
drippings, (cost one cent,) till brown; cover it with boiling water, add
one teaspoonful of salt, and quarter of a level teaspoonful of pepper,
and stew it gently until tender, keeping it covered closely; when it is
about half done, add to it some dumplings made as follows:
=Suet Dumplings.=--Make into a stiff paste, with about two gills of cold
water, half a pound of flour, (cost two cents,) quarter of a pound of
chopped suet, (cost two cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, and the same
quantity of baking powder sifted with the flour; drop the paste into the
fricassee from a teaspoon dipped in cold water, and let them boil with
it; these dumplings cost less than five cents, and are nice with any
stew, soup, or fricassee.
=Rabbit Curry.=--Choose a tender rabbit or hare, which will cost at the
market about twenty cents, and which if young will be plump, and have a
short neck, thick knees, and fore paws whose joints break easily; hang
it by the hind legs, and skin it, beginning at the tail, and ending at
the head, wipe it carefully with a damp cloth to remove the hairs; take
out the entrails, saving the brains, heart and liver, rinse out the
carcass with a cup of vinegar, (cost two cents,) which you must save,
and cut it in joints; lay the rabbit in a deep frying pan, with two
ounces of drippings, (cost two cents,) one cent's worth of onion sliced,
a teaspoonful of salt, ten whole cloves, and quarter of a level
teaspoonful of pepper; fry it gently for twenty minutes; then add one
cent's worth of parsley, the vinegar, half a level tablespoonful of
curry, and one tablespoonful of flour mixed with half a teacupful of
water, and simmer all gently for fifteen minutes, keeping the pan
closely covered. When the rabbit is first put upon the fire, put quarter
of a pound of rice, (cost four cents,) into two quarts of boiling water
with one tablespoonful of salt, and boil it until the ends of the grains
begin to crack open; turn it from the pot into a colander, drain it,
shake it back into the pot, and cover it to keep it hot until the rabbit
is done; then send it to the table with the rabbit, but on a dish by
itself. The RABBIT CURRY AND RICE will cost about twenty-eight cents.
=Rabbit Pie.=--Prepare a rabbit, or hare, (cost twenty cents,) as for the
CURRY, and after you have jointed it, roll each piece in flour, salt and
pepper mixed; slice two cent's worth of onions, peel and slice three
cents' worth of potatoes, and put these into a pudding dish in layers
with the rabbit, season with a teaspoonful of salt, and quarter of a
level teaspoonful of pepper, add half a pint of cold water, cover the
pie with a plain paste, made as for SUET DUMPLINGS (cost five cents,)
and bake for one hour and a quarter. These quantities will cost about
thirty cents, and make a large pie.
=Pickled Shad.=--In season fine large shad can be bought for twenty-five
cents, and each one will be enough for two hearty meals. Thoroughly
clean a fresh shad; cut it in pieces about three inches square, lay it
in a deep baking dish, or earthen crock, seasoning it well with two
tablespoonfuls of salt, one level teaspoonful of pepper, one dozen whole
cloves, two bay-leaves broken, and a bit of lemon or orange peel, if you
have it; pour over it enough vinegar to cover it, tie an oiled or
buttered paper over the top of the dish or crock, and bake the shad five
hours in a moderate oven. The action of the pickle will be to entirely
soften the bones of the fish, so that every part of it will be eatable.
One half of it will cost about fifteen cents; and with the addition of
five cents' worth of bread or potatoes, will make a hearty dinner for
twenty cents.
=Pork Pie.=--Cut in two inch pieces two pounds of pork trimmings, (cost
ten cents,) roll them in flour, season them with two teaspoonfuls of
salt, quarter of a level teaspoonful of pepper, and one teaspoonful of
curry, put them in a deep baking pan or dish with two cents' worth of
onions, and three cents' worth of potatoes, peeled and sliced, add half
a pint of cold water, and bake the pie slowly for one hour and a
quarter. It will cost about fifteen cents made as above; or a suet
crust, made as directed for SUET DUMPLINGS, may be added for five cents
more. If the taste of curry is not liked it may be omitted.
=Pork Chops.=--Buy at a packing house two pounds of shoulder chops,
(cost sixteen to twenty cents,) roll them in flour, pepper, and salt,
put them into a hot frying pan, and fry them brown, cooking them at
least twenty minutes. Meantime boil one quart of potatoes, (cost three
cents,) in boiling water and salt, and chop fine one pickle, (cost one
cent.) When the chops are done, take them up, and keep them hot, while
you make the gravy by pouring into the frying-pan half a pint of boiling
water, and adding to it the chopped pickle, a tablespoonful of flour
mixed smooth with half a cup of cold water, and salt and pepper to
taste. Boil it up once, pour it over the chops, and serve them hot with
the potatoes.
The dinner will cost about twenty-five cents.
=Roast Pork and Apples.=--Season two pounds of shoulder chops, (cost
twenty cents, or less,) with salt and pepper, and powdered sage, and put
them in a deep baking dish with one quart of potatoes, (cost three
cents,) two cents' worth of onions, and two cents' worth of apples,
peeled and sliced; add half a pint of cold water, and bake two hours in
a moderate oven.
The dish will cost twenty-seven cents, or less.
=Stewed Sausage.=--Prick a pound and a half of sausages, (cost eighteen
cents,) lay them in hot water for three minutes, roll them in flour, put
them in a hot frying pan, and fry them brown; take them up and fry about
half a loaf of stale bread sliced, in the same pan; put this on a
platter, lay the sausages on it, and pour over them a gravy made as
follows; after taking up the sausages, pour into the pan half a pint of
boiling water, season it to taste with salt and pepper, thicken it with
one tablespoonful of flour mixed smooth in half a cupful of cold water,
add to it one chopped pickle, boil it up, and pour it over the sausages
and bread. The seasoning and flour will cost two cents, the bread three,
and the whole dish about twenty-three cents. If you serve it with a
quart of plain boiled potatoes it will cost twenty-five or twenty-six
cents.
=German Potatoes.=--Carefully wash one quart of potatoes, removing any
defective part, cut a slice from the top of the potatoes, take out a
little of the inside, chop it fine, mix it with half a pound of highly
seasoned sausage or mincemeat, (cost six cents,) fill it into the
potatoes, put on the piece you first cut off, and bake them for about
three quarters of an hour in a quick oven. Serve them as soon as they
are soft. Ten cents will cover the entire cost, and they will make a
very hearty and nutritious meal, especially if the meat used is pork.
=Brain and Liver Pudding.=--You can generally buy a pig's brain and haslet
at the slaughter house for about ten cents; wash them thoroughly; slice
the heart, liver, and lights, and fry them light brown in a cents' worth
of drippings. Put the brain over the fire in cold water with a
tablespoonful each of salt and vinegar, let it boil for fifteen minutes,
and then lay it in cold water to get hard. Make a suet crust, as
directed for SUET DUMPLINGS, (cost five cents,) roll out a cover for the
pudding, line the edges of the dish two inches down with it, and put any
bits you may have remaining, into the dish in layers with the haslet and
brain sliced; season the pudding with one level tablespoonful of salt,
one onion chopped, and half a level teaspoonful of pepper; cover it with
the suet crust, and bake it for about an hour in a moderate oven. Serve
it hot. The pudding will make a very hearty dinner, at a cost of about
fifteen cents.
=Broiled Kidneys.=--Mix together in a deep plate the following
ingredients, which will cost about three cents; one ounce of butter,
half a level teaspoonful of pepper, one teaspoonful each of mustard, and
any table sauce or vinegar, and as much cayenne as you can take up on
the point of a small pen-knife blade; toast half a loaf of stale bread,
(cost three cents,) cut in slices one inch thick; wash, split, and broil
one pound of pig's or sheep's kidneys, (cost ten cents or less;) while
the kidneys are broiling dip the toast in the first named seasonings,
lay it on a hot dish, and lay the kidneys on it as soon as they are
broiled; season them with salt and pepper, and serve them hot with one
quart of plain boiled potatoes, (cost three cents.) The cost of the
entire dinner will be less than twenty cents.
=Tripe, Curry and Rice.=--Thoroughly wash two pounds of tripe, (cost
sixteen cents,) boil it until tender, about one hour, in plenty of water
and salt; then lay it on a clean, dry cloth to drain; put half a pound
of rice, (cost five cents,) into the same water, and boil it fast for
twenty minutes; cut the tripe in pieces two inches square; slice two
cents' worth of onions, frying them in two ounces of drippings, (cost
two cents,) season with one teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a level
teaspoonful of pepper, and one tablespoonful of vinegar, add to the
tripe, and cook all together for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally
to prevent burning. Just as you are ready to serve it, stir in one
teaspoonful of curry, which, with the other seasonings, will cost two
cents. Drain the rice in a colander, shake it into a dish, and send it
to the table with the tripe. The dinner will cost twenty-seven cents,
and be very satisfactory.
=Liver Polenta.=--Boil one pound of yellow Indian Meal, (cost four cents,)
for half an hour, in two quarts of boiling water with one ounce of
drippings, (cost one cent,) stirring it occasionally to prevent burning;
meantime fry in one ounce of drippings, (cost one cent,) a sheep's or
pig's haslet, (cost five cents,) well washed and sliced; when the meal
has boiled half an hour, put it into a greased baking dish with the
haslet, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper; bake it for twenty
minutes in a quick oven, and serve it hot.
The dish, which is palatable and nutritious, costs less than twelve
cents.
=À la Mode Beef.=--This is one of the compound dishes which are mentioned
in the beginning of this chapter, and will serve as a basis for at least
two good dinners. Unless there is an unusual rise in the price of meat,
you can buy the round of beef for a shilling a pound at the market or
provision house; in the middle of the week choose four pounds in a
solid, thick piece; cut half a pound of fat pork, (cost six cents,) into
strips half an inch square; thrust the steel you use for sharpening
knives into the meat, in the direction of the grain, and put the strips
of pork into the holes you make; cut up five cents' worth of carrot,
turnips, onion, and parsley, lay them in the bottom of an earthen crock
or deep bowl, with two tablespoonfuls of salt, and one teaspoonful of
pepper; put the beef on them, and pour over it one pint of vinegar, and
enough water to just cover the meat; the vinegar and seasoning will cost
five cents.
Turn a plate over the meat, and put a clean stone on it to keep the meat
under the pickle; turn the meat every day, keeping it in a cool place.
Sunday morning, as soon as breakfast is over, put the meat, pickle, and
vegetables, over the fire in a clean pot, and let them stew,
_uncovered_, until the pickle is all evaporated and the meat is nicely
browned; then sprinkle over it two tablespoonfuls of flour, and let that
brown, turning the meat over occasionally; then add enough boiling water
to cover the meat, put on the pot cover, and set it where it will simmer
gently for at least three hours. During the last half hour boil one
quart of potatoes, (cost three cents,) in plenty of boiling water and
salt. When the meat is done take it upon a platter, strain the gravy
over it, and serve it hot with the boiled potatoes. About half of it
will be enough for dinner, and will cost, with the potatoes, thirty-five
cents.
=Meat Patties.=--Chop the remainder of the _À la mode_ BEEF; make a suet
crust, (cost five cents,) as directed for SUET DUMPLINGS, roll it out
quarter of an inch thick, cut it out with a round tin cutter, lay a
tablespoonful of the mince-meat on each round, wet the edges of the
crust, and fold it over in the shape of an old-fashioned turn-over;
pinch the edges together, put the patties on a floured baking-pan, and
bake them about half an hour in a moderate oven. When you put them in
the oven, put one quart of potatoes, (cost three cents,) to boil in
boiling water and salt. When both potatoes and patties are done serve
them together; the dinner will cost about thirty cents.
=Boiled Mutton.=--The shoulder of mutton can be bought at the market for
about six cents a pound. Choose one weighing not over four pounds, (cost
twenty-four cents,) wipe it with a clean, damp cloth, put it into three
quarts of boiling water with a tablespoonful of salt, one cents' worth
of soup greens, a level teaspoonful of pepper, and boil it gently
fifteen minutes for each pound, skimming it as often as any scum rises.
About one hour before it is done pare one quart of turnips, cut them in
quarters, and boil them with the mutton. Wash one quart of potatoes,
pare off a ring from each, and boil them in boiling water. Serve them
with the mutton and turnips, saving the broth from the mutton for BREAD
BROTH for breakfast. The potatoes and turnips will cost five cents, and
the proportionate cost of the mutton will be twelve cents; so the dinner
will cost seventeen cents. The remains of the mutton must be saved for
MUTTON _rechauffée_, as the basis of the next day's dinner.
=Mutton= _rechauffée_.--Prepare and boil one quart of potatoes, (cost
three cents;) slice the best part of the mutton remaining from the day
before, saving all the scraps and trimmings, dip each slice in a beaten
egg, or a little milk, (cost one cent,) roll it in bread crumbs, dried
and sifted, as directed on page 25, and fry them in sweet drippings.
Serve the meat and potatoes together; they will cost about fifteen
cents.
=Mutton Kromeskys.=--Cut cold mutton in half inch dice; chop one ounce of
onion, and fry it pale yellow in one ounce of sweet drippings, (cost one
cent;) add one ounce of flour, and stir until smooth; add half a pint
of water, two tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley, one level teaspoonful
of salt, one level saltspoonful of white pepper, half a saltspoonful of
powdered herbs, as much cayenne as can be taken up on the point of a
very small penknife blade, and the chopped meat; the seasonings will
cost about one cent; stir until scalding hot, add the yolk of one raw
egg, (cost one cent,) cook for two minutes, stirring frequently; and
turn out to cool on a flat dish, slightly oiled, or buttered, to prevent
sticking, spreading the minced meat about an inch thick; set away to
cool while the batter is being made.
=Plain Frying Batter.=--Mix quarter of a pound of flour, (cost one cent,)
with the yolks of two raw eggs, (cost two cents,) a level saltspoonful
of salt, half a saltspoonful of pepper, quarter of a saltspoonful of
grated nutmeg, one tablespoonful of salad oil, (which is used to make
the batter crisp,) and one cup of water, more or less, as the flour will
take it up; the batter should be stiff enough to hold the drops from the
spoon in shape when they are let fall upon it; now beat the whites of
the two eggs to a stiff broth, beginning slowly, and increasing the
speed until you are beating as fast as you can; the froth will surely
come; then stir it lightly into the batter; heat the dish containing the
meat a moment, to loosen it, and turn it out on the table, just dusted
with powdered crackers; cut it in strips an inch wide and two inches
long, roll them lightly under the palm of the hand, in the shape of
corks, dip them in the batter, and fry them golden brown in smoking hot
fat. Serve them on a neatly folded napkin. They make a delicious dish,
really worth all the care taken in preparing them. The seasoning,
crackers, and what fat is used in frying, will not cost over four cents,
for you must strain the fat, and save it after you fry your KROMESKYS;
if you use either bread or potatoes with them, the dinner will not cost
over twenty cents.
=Epigramme of Lamb.=--This is one of my favorite dishes, which I learned
to make the first winter I had a Cooking School, and I believe that
nearly every one who tries it will share my opinion of it. Choose as
tender a two-pound breast of mutton as you can buy for about six cents a
pound, boil it in two quarts of water about three quarters of an hour,
or until you can easily pull out the bones, taking care to put it into
boiling water, with a tablespoonful of salt, and skim it as often as any
scum rises; when it is done, strain and save the pot-liquor for BREAD or
RICE BROTH, pull out the bones from the breast of mutton, lay it
between two platters, and put a flat iron on it until it is cold. Then
cut it in triangular pieces, taking care not to waste a scrap, roll the
pieces in a beaten egg, (cost one cent,) and dried bread crumbs prepared
as directed on page 25, and fry them as you would the KROMESKYS in the
previous receipt.
Use the pot-liquor in which it was boiled, with quarter of a pound of
rice, for the next morning's breakfast. The cost of both dishes will not
exceed twenty cents.
=Roast Veal.=--The shoulder of veal can usually be bought at the market
for eight cents a pound. Choose a fresh one weighing about seven pounds,
and costing about sixty cents; from this we shall make three dishes,
namely: ROAST VEAL, BLANQUETTE OF VEAL, and VEAL AND HAM PATTIES.
Therefore the proportionate cost for the ROAST VEAL will be twenty
cents. Have the butcher chop off the fore leg quite close up to the
shoulder, and cut it in neat slices about one inch thick; these you must
sprinkle with salt and pepper, and keep in a cool place, together with
the blade bone, until the next day, for the BLANQUETTE. Have the
shoulder boned, saving the blade; stuff it with the following forcemeat.
=Forcemeat for Veal or Poultry.=--Steep four ounces of dry bread, (cost
two cents,) in warm water, and wring it dry in a clean towel; chop one
cent's worth of onion and fry it light yellow in one cent's worth of
drippings, add the bread to it, season it with one level teaspoonful of
salt, quarter of a level teaspoonful each of pepper and powdered thyme,
or mixed spice, and stir these ingredients over the fire until they are
scalding hot; then stir in one egg, and use the stuffing; the cost will
be about five cents.
After stuffing the shoulder, lay it in a dripping pan with one cent's
worth of soup greens, and put it in a hot oven to brown it quickly; when
it is brown take it out of the oven, season with salt and pepper, baste
it with a little sweet drippings, return it to the oven, and bake it
thoroughly fifteen minutes to each pound. Meantime wash one quart of
potatoes, (cost three cents,) pare a ring off each one, and boil them in
plenty of boiling water and salt. When the veal is done take it up on a
hot dish, pour half a pint of boiling water in the dripping pan, scrape
it well, and strain the contents; set this gravy again over the fire to
boil while you mix a tablespoonful of flour, in half a cup of cold
water; stir this smoothly into the gravy, boil it for five minutes, and
serve it with the roast veal and boiled potatoes.
Be careful to save all that remains from the dinner, towards making the
VEAL AND HAM PATTIES; the proportionate cost will be about thirty cents.
=Blanquette Of Veal.=--Put the pieces of veal saved for this dish into
enough cold water to cover them, together with a tablespoonful of salt
and one cent's worth of soup greens, the onion being stuck with ten
cloves; skim occasionally whenever any scum rises, and simmer until the
meat is tender, which will be in half or three quarters of an hour; then
take up the meat in a colander, and run some cold water over it from the
faucet; strain the pot-liquor, and let it boil again; mix together over
the fire one tablespoonful of butter, (cost two cents,) and two of
flour; when they are smooth add one quart of the boiling broth to them,
season with a teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a level teaspoonful of
white pepper, and quarter of a nutmeg grated; mix the yolks of two eggs,
(cost two cents,) with about a cupful of the broth, and stir them into
the rest; then put in the veal, and heat and serve it, with a quart of
boiled potatoes, (cost three cents.) The dinner will cost about thirty
cents.
=Veal and Ham Patties.=--Chop the remains of the ROAST VEAL (cost twenty
cents,) with quarter of a pound of lean ham, (cost four cents,) weigh
both, and mix with them an equal weight of dried bread, soaked in warm
water, and wrung dry in a clean towel; season with salt, pepper, and
powdered herbs, or SPICE SALT to taste, moisten with any cold gravy you
have saved from the ROAST VEAL, and fill it into little turnovers, or
patty pans lined with a suet crust, made as directed on page 53, for
SUET DUMPLINGS, (cost five cents.)
The dinner will cost about thirty cents.
CHAPTER IX.
CHEAP PUDDINGS, PIES, AND CAKES.
Good puddings are nutritious and wholesome, and an excellent variety can
be made at a comparatively small expense. Pies, as they are usually
made, with greasy and indigestible pastry, are positively unhealthy; if
they are made with a plain bottom crust, and abundantly filled with ripe
fresh or dried fruit, they are not so objectionable. Rich cake is always
an extravagance, but some of the plainer kinds are pleasant additions to
lunch and supper; we subjoin a few good receipts.
=Swiss Pudding.=--Sift together half a pound of flour, (cost two cents,)
one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, and one of salt; rub together
four ounces of granulated sugar, (cost three cents,) and two ounces of
butter, (cost four cents,) and when they are well mixed, so as to be
granular but not creamy, add the flour gradually until all is used; make
a hollow in the middle of the flour, put into it one egg, half a
teaspoonful of lemon flavoring, and half a pint of milk, (cost of these
ingredients four cents;) mix to a smooth paste, put into a well buttered
and floured mould, and set this into a large pot with boiling water
enough to come two-thirds up the side of the mould; steam the pudding
three quarters of an hour, or until you can run a broom splint into it
without finding the pudding stick to the splint. Turn the pudding out of
the mould, and send it to the table with the following sauce:
=Cream Sauce.=--Stir together over the fire one ounce each of flour and
butter, (cost two cents;) as soon as they are smooth pour into them half
a pint of boiling milk, (cost two cents,) add two ounces of sugar and
half a teaspoonful of lemon flavoring, (cost two cents,) and use with
the pudding as soon as it boils up. The sauce and pudding will cost
about twenty cents.
=College Puddings.=--Mix well together eight ounces of dried and sifted
bread crumbs, (cost three cents,) two ounces of very finely chopped
suet, (cost two cents,) two ounces of currants, two eggs, and two ounces
of sugar, (cost together five cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, three
grates of nutmeg, and sufficient milk to moisten, about one cents'
worth; make the puddings up in little round balls, roll them first in
sifted bread crumbs; next dip them in beaten egg, and then roll them
again in bread crumbs; fry them in plenty of hot fat, and serve them
with sugar dusted over them. Five cents will cover the cost of frying
them; and a nice dishful will cost you about eighteen cents.
=Cream Rice Pudding.=--Wash four ounces of rice, (cost three cents,)
through two waters, put it into a baking dish with three ounces of
sugar, and a teaspoonful of flavoring, (cost three cents,) pour in one
quart and a pint of milk, (cost twelve cents,) and put it into a
moderate oven to bake an hour and a half, or until it is of a creamy
consistency. This pudding is very delicate and wholesome, and costs
fifteen cents.
=Half-pay Pudding.=--Carefully wash and dry a quarter of a quarter of a
pound of Zante currants, (cost three cents,) stone the same quantity of
raisins, (cost three cents,) and chop an equal amount of suet, (cost two
cents;) mix them with eight ounces of stale bread, (cost three cents,)
three tablespoonfuls of molasses, half a pint of milk, and a teaspoonful
each of spice, salt, and baking powder, (cost four cents.) Put these
ingredients into a mould which has been well buttered and floured, and
steam them about three hours. If by any mischance the top of the pudding
is watery, you can remedy it by putting it into a hot oven for ten or
fifteen minutes to brown. When you are ready to use it, turn it from the
mould and send it to the table with some CREAM SAUCE. This is an
excellent plum pudding, and costs only about twenty cents, including
sauce.
=Bread Pudding.=--Slice a five cent loaf of bread, spread it lightly with
two cents' worth of butter, and lay it in a baking dish; break one egg,
(cost one cent,) into a bowl, add to it two ounces each of flour and
sugar, (cost two cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, and a pint of milk,
(cost four cents;) mix, flavor to taste, pour over the bread, and bake
the pudding about half an hour in a quick oven. It will be very nice,
and cost about fifteen cents.
=Cup Custards.=--Boil a pint of milk, (cost four cents,) with two ounces
of sugar and half the yellow rind of a lemon, (cost three cents;)
meantime beat four eggs, (cost four cents,) and strain the milk into
them; mix thoroughly, strain again, and pour into cups; set these in a
baking pan containing hot water enough to reach half way up the sides
of the cups, and either set the pan over the fire until the custards are
firm, or bake them in the oven; they will set in twelve or fifteen
minutes. The cost will be about twelve cents.
=Fruit Dumpling.=--Make a nice suet crust, as directed for SUET DUMPLINGS
on page 53, roll it out about quarter of an inch thick, spread it with
ten cents' worth of ripe fruit, quarter of a pound of sugar, (cost three
cents,) and a teaspoonful of mixed spice; roll it up, tie it in a cloth
wet with scalding water, and well floured next the dumpling, and boil it
in a large kettle half full of boiling water for two hours, taking care
that the pot does not stop boiling, or remain uncovered, or the dumpling
will be heavy.
When it is done take it from the pot, unroll it from the cloth, and
serve it with a few cents' worth of molasses; it will cost about twenty
cents.
=Apple Dumplings.=--Pare and core five cents' worth of apples, keeping
them whole; make a suet crust as directed for SUET DUMPLINGS on page 53,
roll it out, and cut it in as many squares as you have apples; sprinkle
a little spice on the apples, fold the corners of the pieces of paste up
over them, pinch them together, tie each one in a floured cloth, and
boil for one hour as directed in the previous receipt; then take them
from the pudding cloths, and serve them with five cents' worth of butter
and sugar; they can be made for about fifteen cents.
=Baked Apple Dumplings.=--Make a paste of half a pound of flour, (cost two
cents,) quarter of a pound of butter, (cost eight cents,) and enough
cold water to wet it up, about half a pint; roll it out very thin and
fold it four times; repeat this process twice; then put the paste in a
cool place for five minutes, and roll and fold again; do this three
times, and then cut the paste in squares, and lay on each an apple
prepared as above; fold the paste over the apples, turn them bottom up
on a baking sheet, brush them with a well beaten egg, (cost one cent,)
sift over them an ounce of powdered sugar, (cost one cent,) and put them
in a moderate oven to bake for three quarters of an hour. They will cost
about eighteen cents, and be very nice.
=Lemon Dumplings.=--Sift eight ounces of dried bread crumbs, (cost three
cents,) mix them with the same quantity of very finely chopped suet,
(cost four cents,) pare off the thin yellow rind of a lemon, (cost two
cents,) chop it very fine, and add it with the juice to the bread and
suet; mix in half a pound of sugar, (cost six cents,) one egg, (cost one
cent,) and enough milk to make a stiff paste, about half a pint, (cost
two cents;) divide the paste into six equal balls, tie them in a floured
cloth as directed for BOILED APPLE DUMPLINGS, and boil them an hour.
Serve them with five cents' worth of butter and sugar, or syrup. They
will cost about twenty-three cents, and are really delicious.
=Rice Croquettes.=--Boil half a pound of well washed rice, (cost five
cents,) in one quart of cold water, with a level tablespoonful of salt,
half a pint of milk, (cost two cents,) half the yellow rind of a lemon,
or two inches of stick cinnamon, and two ounces of sugar, (cost two
cents,) for half an hour, after it begins to boil, stirring it
occasionally to prevent burning; take it from the fire, stir in one at a
time, the yolks of three eggs, (cost three cents,) and return to the
fire for ten minutes to set the egg; then spread the rice on an oiled
platter, laying it about an inch thick, and let it get cool enough to
handle. When it is cool enough turn it out of the platter upon some
cracker dust spread on the table, cut it in strips one inch wide and
three inches long, roll them into the shape of corks, dip them first in
beaten egg, then in cracker-dust, and fry them golden brown in plenty of
smoking hot fat; lay them on a napkin for a moment to free them from
grease, put them on a dish, dust a little powdered sugar over them, and
serve them. They will cost, including the last mentioned ingredients,
about twenty cents.
=Fruit Tarts.=--Stew ten cents worth of fruit and four ounces of sugar
together; make some pastry according to the directions in the receipt
for BAKED APPLE DUMPLINGS; line deep pie-plates with the paste, building
up a rim of paste around each; fill them with the stewed fruit, and bake
them about three quarters of an hour in a moderate oven; two good sized
tarts can be made for twenty-five cents; and the fruit can be varied to
suit the season of the year, and the taste of the eaters.
=Rice Cakes.=--Sift together six ounces each of rice and wheat flour,
(cost about seven cents,) rub into them four ounces of lard or meat
drippings, (cost four cents,) four eggs, (cost four cents,) and
sufficient milk to make a thick cake-batter; beat it thoroughly, pour it
into a greased cake-pan, and bake it one hour. A good sized cake will
cost about fifteen cents.
=Rock Cakes.=--Mix well together four ounces each of butter and sugar,
(cost twelve cents,) add four ounces of well washed currants, (cost
three cents,) one pound of flour, (cost four cents,) and three eggs,
(cost three cents;) beat all these ingredients thoroughly, roll them
into little balls, or rocks, and bake them on a buttered baking pan. A
good supply will cost about twenty-two cents.
=Caraway Cake.=--Beat to a cream four ounces each of butter and sugar,
(cost twelve cents,) stir in two eggs, (cost two cents,) one gill of
milk, (cost one cent,) one pound of sifted flour, (cost four cents,) and
five cents' worth of caraway seed; bake the cake for two hours in a deep
earthen dish, testing it with a clean broom splint to be sure it is done
before you take it from the oven. It will cost about twenty-four cents.
=Soft Gingerbread.=--Melt one ounce of butter, (cost two cents,) add it to
half a pint of molasses, (cost five cents,) with one level teaspoonful
each of ground cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, (cost one cent;) dissolve
one level teaspoonful of soda in half a pint of boiling water, mix this
with the molasses, and lightly stir in half a pound of sifted flour
(cost two cents;) line a cake-pan with buttered paper, pour in the
batter, which will be very thin, and bake it about half an hour, or
until you can run a broom-splint into it, and withdraw it clean. The
cake, which will be a good size, will cost about ten cents.
=Sweet Biscuits.=--Rub four ounces of butter, (cost eight cents,) into one
pound of flour, (cost four cents;) dissolve four ounces of sugar, (cost
three cents,) in half a pint of warm milk, (cost two cents.) Pour this
into the flour, mixing it smoothly; then dissolve half a level
teaspoonful of cream of tartar in one gill of cold water, and stir it
into the above ingredients. When they are thoroughly mixed, roll out the
paste about quarter of an inch thick, cut it out in small round cakes,
and bake them golden brown, at once, in a quick oven. A good supply will
cost about seventeen cents.
CHAPTER X.
DESSERT DISHES.
The previous chapter was devoted to cheap and good sweet dishes of the
kind usually called dessert in this country; the dessert proper,
however, consists of fruit, creams, ices, small and delicate cakes,
fancy crackers, and confectionery. We give here directions for making
some of these enjoyable delicacies at a very moderate rate.
It must always be borne in mind that the prices quoted are those which
prevail when the articles specified are in season, and consequently
abundant and cheap. As apples are very plentiful, and generally cheap,
we shall begin with dishes made from them.
=Apple Black Caps.=--Pare a quart of nice apples, core them without
breaking, set them side by side in a baking dish that will just hold
them, fill the centres with sugar, place two cloves in the top of each
one, grate over them the yellow rind of a lemon or orange, and put them
into a moderate oven only until they are tender; do not let them break
apart. As soon as they are tender take them from the oven, heat a fire
shovel red hot and hold it over them, near enough to blacken their tops.
Serve either hot or cold.
A porcelain-lined baking dish, or a _gratin_ pan, is the best dish for
cooking the black-caps in, because either can be set upon a clean plate
and sent to the table; if the apples have to be removed from the dish in
which they were baked they may be broken, and then the appearance of the
dish will be spoiled.
The flavor of the dish may be changed by varying the spice, and by
occasionally using a little wine or brandy with the sugar. The cost of a
dish large enough for half a dozen persons will be covered by ten cents,
unless it is made when apples are scarce and dear.
=Apple Snow.=--Make this dish when eggs are cheap. Pare and core a quart
of apples, (cost five cents,) stew them to a pulp with just water enough
to moisten them, rub them through a seive, and sweeten them to taste.
Beat the whites of six eggs, (cost six cents,) with two tablespoonfuls
of powdered sugar, to a stiff froth; beat the apple-pulp to a froth; mix
the egg and apple together very lightly, turning the bowl of the spoon
over and over instead of stirring it around; then beat them with an egg
whisk until they look like snow. Pile the snow high in the centre of a
dish, putting it in by the tablespoonful, and taking care not to break
it down; in the top of the heap of snow put a fresh flower or a green
sprig; and if you have any currant jelly, lay a few bits around the
base. The effect of the dish is very pretty, and it can be made for
about fifteen cents.
=Apple Cakes.=--Pare, core, and slice a quart of apples, (price five
cents,) stew them with half their weight in sugar, (about one pound,
cost about twelve cents,) the grated rind and juice of a lemon, (cost
two cents,) one ounce of batter, (cost two cents,) and a very little
grated nutmeg. When they are tender beat them with an egg whisk until
they are light, drop them by the dessert-spoonful on buttered paper laid
on a baking sheet, and bake them in a cool oven until they are firm,
which will be in about fifteen minutes. When they are cool put them in a
tin box until wanted for use. The cost will be about twenty cents.
=Cherry Cheese.=--Put into a stone jar a pound of sound, ripe cherries,
with the stones removed, (cost about ten cents;) cover the jar closely,
set it in a saucepan half full of boiling water, and simmer it gently
until the cherries are tender; then take up the fruit, weigh it, put it
into a preserving kettle with half a pound of finely sifted sugar, (cost
about eight cents), to every pound of fruit; add a dozen cherry kernels
with the skins removed by scalding, and rubbing in a clean cloth, put
the kettle over a slow fire, and boil, stirring occasionally, until the
fruit is quite dry and clear. Meantime rinse out some shallow jars with
brandy, and when the fruit is done put it into them, pressing it down
tightly; pour a very little brandy over the top, lay a little paper on
each, then fit on the covers of the jars closely, and keep in a dry,
cool place. The above quantity will cost about twenty-five cents.
=Candied Cherries.=--Choose a pound of perfectly sound, ripe cherries,
(cost ten cents,) with the stalks and an occasional leaf attached, wipe
them with a clean, dry, soft cloth; dip the leaves and stems, but not
the fruit, into boiling vinegar, and set them with the cherries upward,
in a card-board perforated with holes to admit the stems, until the
vinegar dries. Meantime boil a pound of loaf sugar, (cost about fifteen
cents), with a teaspoonful of cold water, using a thick porcelain-lined
saucepan or copper sugar boiler; skim until perfectly clear, and test in
the following way: Dip the thumb and forefinger into cold water and then
quickly into the boiling sugar, withdrawing it instantly; press the
fingers together, and then draw them apart; if the sugar forms a little
thread between them it is ready to use, if it does not, boil a few
minutes longer and test again. When it is ready dip the leaves and
branches into it, and dry them in the card board frame as directed
above. Keep the sugar at the boiling point, and as soon as it forms a
clear brittle thread between the fingers, when tested as above, dip the
entire fruit into it, moving the cherries around so that the sugar
completely covers them, and dry them, placed as above in the card board
frame, in the mouth of a cool oven.
=Currant Salad.=--Remove the stems from half a pound each of red and white
currants, (cost ten cents,) and pile them in regular layers high in the
centre of a shallow glass dish, sifting a little powdered sugar between
each layer; the sugar will cost two or three cents. A gill of cream,
(cost five cents,) may be poured over the top, if desired. The dish
should be tastefully ornamented with green leaves, and the salad kept
very cool until wanted for use. The cost of a nice dishful will be about
eighteen cents.
=Iced Currants.=--Beat the white of one egg, (cost one cent,) to a stiff
froth, mix it with three dessertspoonfuls of cold water, dip into it
carefully some perfect bunches of ripe red and white currants, which can
be bought in season for ten cents a pound; drain each bunch a moment and
then dust it well with powdered sugar, lay each bunch carefully upon a
large sheet of white paper, so that there is plenty of room between the
bunches, and set them in a cool, airy place for five hours. The sugar
will partly crystalize upon the fruit, and the effect will be very
pretty. The cost of a good sized dish will be about fifteen cents.
=Compôte of Damsons.=--Wipe one quart of sound, ripe damsons, (cost ten
cents,) with a clean, dry cloth, drop them, one by one into the
following syrup: make a syrup by melting one pound of loaf sugar (cost
fifteen cents,) with one pint of water, stir in the white of an egg,
(cost one cent,) and boil the syrup fifteen minutes, skimming it clear.
Simmer the plums in this syrup until they are tender, about five
minutes, but do not let them break; take the plums up carefully and
arrange them in a heap on a shallow dish, letting the syrup boil about
ten minutes, until it is quite thick; then remove it from the fire, cool
it a little, and pour it over the plums. The dish will cost about
twenty-five cents.
=Stuffed Dates.=--Remove the stones from a pound of fine dates, (cost ten
cents,) by cutting them open at one side; remove the shells and skins
from half a pound of almonds, (cost ten cents;) the skins can easily be
rubbed off by first pouring boiling water on the almond kernels; replace
the date-stones with the almonds, and arrange the dates neatly on a
shallow dish; dust a little powdered sugar over them, and keep them in a
cool, dry place till ready to use. The dish will cost twenty-three
cents.
=Stewed Figs.=--Dissolve four ounces of powdered sugar, (cost three
cents,) in one pint of cold water, and flavor with a few drops of any
essence preferred; put into it a pound of nice figs, (cost ten cents,)
heat slowly, and stew gently for about two hours, or until the figs are
tender. Eat hot with a dish of boiled rice, or serve cold. The cost will
be less than fifteen cents.
=Compôte of Gooseberries.=--Choose a quart of large, sound, ripe, green
gooseberries, (cost ten cents,) remove the stems and tops, throw them
into boiling water for two minutes; drain them, let them lay three
minutes in cold water containing a tablespoonful of vinegar, to restore
their color, and then drain them quite dry. Meantime make a thick syrup
by boiling one pound of sugar, (cost twelve cents,) with one pint of
water; as soon as the syrup has boiled about ten minutes, put in the
gooseberries and boil them gently until just tender, about ten minutes.
Then pour both fruit and syrup into an earthen or glass dish; cool, and
use. The dish will cost less than twenty-five cents.
=Gooseberry Cheese.=--Remove the tops and stalks from two quarts of ripe,
red gooseberries, (cost twenty cents,) put them in a moderate oven till
soft enough to rub through a seive; then add to them one-fourth their
weight of sugar, set them over the fire to boil gently for half an hour,
stirring them constantly, and skimming till clear; then put by the
tablespoonful on plates, and dry in the mouth of a cool oven. Pack, when
quite cool, in a tight box, between sheets of white wrapping paper. The
above quantity will cost about twenty-five cents.
=Gooseberry Fool.=--Remove tops and stalks from two quarts of
gooseberries, boil them with three quarters of their weight in sugar,
and half a pint of cold water, until soft enough to pulp through a
sieve; then mix the pulp with a pint of milk, or cream, if a more
expensive dish is desired, and put into an earthen or glass dish to
cool; serve cold. The above quantity will cost about twenty-five cents.
=Grape Jelly.=--Dissolve one ounce of gelatine, (cost eight cents,) in
half a pint of cold water. Break one pound and a half of grapes, (cost
ten cents,) in an earthen bowl with a wooden spoon; strain the juice
without pressing the grapes, through clean muslin, three times; put the
juice into a preserve kettle with half a pound of loaf sugar, (cost
eight cents,) and the dissolved isinglass, and boil it ten minutes; rub
a jelly mold with pure salad oil; add two tablespoonfuls of brandy,
(cost three cents,) to the jelly; pour it into the mould, and cool until
the jelly sets firm. The above ingredients will make about a pint and a
half of jelly, and will usually cost about twenty-five cents, for the
above estimate is rather more than the average cost.
=Green Gage Compôte.=--Remove the skin from a quart of very ripe green
gages, (cost fifteen cents,) put them in a glass dish, sprinkle them
over with a pound of powdered sugar, (cost ten cents,) and let them
stand in a cool place four hours, until a nice syrup has been formed.
The dish is delicious, and costs about twenty-five cents.
=Pine Apple Julep.=--Pare and slice a very ripe pine apple, which in
season will cost about ten cents; lay it in a glass dish; pour over it
the juice of one orange, (cost two cents,) the juice of one lemon, (cost
two cents,) a gill of any fruit syrup, (cost about five cents,) and two
tablespoonfuls of rum, (cost three cents;) sprinkle it with a little
powdered sugar, cool it on the ice, and serve it cold. It will cost
about twenty-five cents.
=Lemon Snow.=--Soak one ounce of gelatine, (cost eight cents,) in one pint
of cold water for half an hour; peel the yellow rind from three lemons,
(cost six cents,) and squeeze and strain their juice; put the rind and
juice of the lemons into a saucepan with eight ounces of loaf sugar,
(cost eight cents,) and stir until the sugar and isinglass are quite
dissolved; pour it into a bowl, and let it cool, and begin to grow firm.
Then add the whites of three eggs, (cost three cents,) and beat to a
stiff froth. Pile by the tablespoonful high in the centre of a glass
dish. It is pretty and delicious, and costs only about twenty-five
cents.
=Melon Compôte.=--Make a syrup by boiling one pound of sugar, (cost ten
cents,) with half a pint of water. Pare and slice a spicy musk melon,
(cost five cents,) and put it into the syrup with a little wine, (cost
five cents.) Boil gently for ten minutes, take up the melon in a glass
dish, cool the syrup a little, and pour it over the melon. Serve the
_compôte_ cold; it is delicious, and costs only about twenty-five cents.
=Orange Salad.=--Peel six oranges, (cost twelve cents,) slice them, place
them in rings in a glass dish, sprinkle them with three ounces of
powdered sugar, (cost two cents,) pour over them a little wine and
brandy, and let them stand over night in a cool place. A good dish full
will cost about twenty cents.
=Orange and Apple Compôte.=--Pare and slice very thin three oranges, (cost
six cents,) and three apples, (cost three cents,) removing the seeds
from both: lay the slices in rings in a glass dish, cover, with the
following syrup, and cool. Boil the orange peel in half a pint of water,
with four ounces of sugar, (cost four cents,) until the syrup is clear;
add a tablespoonful of brandy to it, cool it a little, and pour it over
the sliced fruit. The dish is very nice when iced, and costs about
fifteen cents.
=Peach Salad.=--Pare and quarter a quart of ripe peaches, (cost ten
cents,) lay them in a heap in a shallow glass dish; squeeze over them
the juice of an orange, (cost two cents,) and sprinkle them with
powdered sugar, (cost two cents.) Put them on the ice to get very cold.
A large dishful can be prepared for fifteen cents.
=Cold Compôte of Pears.=--Peel and slice thin a quart of Bartlett pears,
(cost fifteen cents,) lay them in a glass dish, pour over them a little
wine, and sprinkle them plentifully with powdered sugar. Let them stand
in a cool place for an hour before using them. A nice dish will cost
less than twenty cents.
=Stewed Prunelles.=--Put a pound of prunelles, (cost fifteen cents,) in
enough boiling water to cover them, and stew them gently for one hour.
Take them up with a skimmer, strain their juice, return it to the fire
with four ounces of loaf sugar, (cost four cents,) the yellow rind and
juice of one lemon, (cost two cents,) and a glass of wine; skim until
clear, add the prunelles, and stew again for one hour. Take up the
prunelles in a glass dish, cool the syrup a little, and strain it over
them. Cool before using. The dish can be made for about twenty-five
cents.
=Quince Cakes.=--Wash some quinces, boil them in enough water to cover
them, until they are tender enough to rub through a seive; to each quart
add a pound and a half of loaf sugar, place the mixture over the fire,
and heat to the boiling point, stirring it constantly, but do not let it
boil. Oil some plates, spread the quince upon them, and dry it in the
mouth of a cool oven. Then cut it in cakes, pack it in a tin box,
between layers of white wrapping paper, when it is thoroughly cold, and
keep it in a cool, dry place. A good dishful can be made for twenty-five
cents.
=Quince Snow.=--Boil some nice quinces until tender, peel them, rub them
through a sieve with a wooden spoon, and add to each pound a pound of
powdered sugar, (cost ten cents,) and the whites of three eggs, (cost
three cents.) Beat with an egg whisk to a stiff froth and pile by the
tablespoonful in the centre of a shallow glass dish. A nice dishful can
be made for about twenty-five cents.
=Iced Raspberries.=--Beat the white of one egg, (cost one cent,) with two
tablespoonfuls of cold water; pick over a quart of fine ripe
raspberries, (cost ten cents,) dip them one by one into the egg, and
roll them in powdered sugar; lay them on white paper spread on a baking
sheet, so that they do not touch, and dry them in a cold, dry place,
sifting a little more sugar over them, if they seem to grow moist. When
the berries are in season, twenty-five cents will cover the cost of a
large dish.
=Raspberry Salad.=--Pick over a quart of ripe raspberries, (cost ten
cents,) pile them high in the centre of a glass dish, pour over them a
glass of wine, (cost five cents,) dust them with an ounce of powdered
sugar, (cost one cent,) and keep on the ice till used. A good dishful
can be made for about twenty cents.
=Compôte of Strawberries.=--Carefully pick over a quart of ripe
strawberries, (cost ten cents;) put them in an earthen dish, pour over
them a syrup made by boiling quarter of a pound of sugar, (cost four
cents,) with one gill of water, for ten minutes; let the berries stand
in this syrup for one hour; then drain them and pile them in a heap in a
shallow glass dish; add to the syrup the juice of one orange, (cost two
cents,) or a glass of wine; boil it up and cool it a little, and strain
it over the berries; cool and use. This delicious dish costs about
fifteen cents.
=Strawberry Drops.=--Rub some ripe strawberries through a fine seive with
a wooden spoon; add two ounces of this juice to half a pound of
powdered sugar, (cost five cents,) put the mixture into a saucepan and
stir it over the fire until it begins to simmer; remove it from the
fire, and stir it briskly for five minutes, oil some paper, lay it on a
baking sheet, drop the strawberries on it by the salt-spoonful, dry them
in the mouth of a cool oven. Keep them between layers of white paper in
a cool place. A good supply can be made for twenty-five cents.
=Compôte of Mixed Fruit.=--Boil half a pound of loaf sugar, (cost eight
cents,) with one gill of cold water for ten minutes; pick over half a
pound of red currants, (cost five cents,) and a pint of raspberries,
(cost five cents,) and simmer them in the syrup for ten minutes. Take up
the fruit on a glass dish, cool the syrup a little and pour it over the
fruit. The dish will cost less than twenty cents.
=Fruit Juice.=--Rub ripe fruit through a seive, with a wooden spoon, and
then strain it free from skins and seeds; to every pound add quarter of
a pound of loaf sugar; mix well; put into wide-mouthed glass bottles,
and set them in a pan with cold water reaching to the necks of the
bottles. Set the pan over the fire and let the water come to a boil;
remove the pan and let the bottles stand in the water until they are
quite cold. Then cork them tightly, and seal them with wax or resin.
Keep them in a cool, dry place. This juice added to ice-water, and
sweetened to taste, makes a delicious sherbet.
THE END.
INDEX.
COST. PAGE.
_À la Mode_ Beef, with potatoes 35 57
Apple Dumplings 15 64
Bacon and Apple Roly-poly, with Vegetables 25 48
Baked Apple Dumplings 18 64
Baked Heart 25 47
Baked Pig's Head 22 50
Barley Water 2 23
Batter for frying 4 52
Batter for frying 5 59
Beans and Bacon 10 40
Beans, Baked 10 39
Beans, Fried 10 40
Bean Soup 10 33
Beans, Stewed 10 40
Beef _À la Mode_ 35 57
Beef Broth, with Dumplings 25 37
Beef Patties 30 58
Beef Pie 25 46
Beer -- 22
Beer for Nursing Women -- 23
Biscuits, Sweet 17 66
Biscuits, Tea 6 27
_Blanquette_ of Veal, with Potatoes 30 61
Brain and Liver Pudding 15 56
Bread per 8 lbs 24 25
Bread Pudding 15 63
Breakfast Rolls 6 27
Broth, Beef 25 37
Broth, Chicken 5 53
Broth, Mutton 17 36
Broth, Scotch 10 32
Broth, Veal 13 36
Broth, White 25 36
Cake, Caraway 24 66
Cake, Rice 15 65
Cake, Rock 22 65
Chicken Broth 5 53
Chicken, Fried 35 52
Cheese Pudding 12 41
Chocolate -- 21
Chowder 20 35
Cocoa -- 21
Cocoa, per quart 6 22
Codfish Steaks and Potatoes 20 45
Coffee -- 21
Coffee, per quart 6 22
College Pudding 18 62
Cooking -- 16
Cream Rice Pudding 15 63
Cream Sauce 6 62
Cream Soup, with Macaroni 25 37
Croquettes, Rice 20 65
Cup Custards 12 63
Dumplings, Apple 15 64
Dumplings, Apple, Baked 18 64
Dumpling, Fruit 20 64
Dumpling, Gammon 15 48
Dumplings, Lemon 23 64
Dumplings, Norfolk 7 37
Dumplings, Suet 5 53
Dessert 10 to 25 67
Fish Chowder 20 35
Fish Pudding 25 44
Fish Soup 20 35
Fish and Potato Pie 25 44
Fish and Potato Pudding 15 45
Forcemeat for Poultry 10 51
Forcemeat for Veal 5 60
Fowl, Roast 38 51
Fruit Dumplings 20 64
Fruit Tarts 12 65
Gammon Dumpling 15 48
German Potatoes 10 55
Gingerbread, Soft 10 66
Half-pay Pudding 20 63
Hasty Pudding 4 42
Indian Bread 5 42
Indian Cakes 5 42
Indian Pudding, Baked 15 43
Indian Pudding, Boiled 10 42
Irish Stew 23 49
Johnny Cake 5 42
Kidneys, Broiled, with potatoes 20 56
Kidneys, Pigs' 10 47
Kidney Pudding 30 47
Kidney, Stewed, with potatoes 25 47
Kromeskys 20 58
Lamb, _Epigramme_, with Broth and Rice 20 59
Lemon Dumplings 23 64
Lentils, Boiled 14 41
Lentils, Fried 10 41
Lentil Soup 10 33
Lentils, Stewed 10 41
Lime Water -- 24
Liver Polenta 12 57
Macaroni, Farmers' Style 10 28
Macaroni, Milanaise Style 13 28
Macaroni, with Broth 10 28
Macaroni, with Cheese 12 28
Macaroni, with Tomato Sauce 18 29
Macaroni, with White Sauce 10 28
Maize -- 41
Marketing -- 10
Measuring -- 19
Meat Brewis 5 38
Meat Patties, with Potatoes 30 58
Milk -- 23
Mutton Boiled, with Turnips and Potatoes 17 58
Mutton Broth, with Vegetables 17 36
Mutton Kromeskys, with Potatoes 20 58
Mutton and Onions 30 48
Mutton _rechauffée_, with Potatoes 15 58
Norfolk Dumplings 7 37
New York Cooking School Fricassee 43 53
Oatmeal and Peas 13 38
Onion Soup 10 34
Oxtail Stew, with Bread 22 46
Patties, Beef, with Potatoes 30 58
Patties, Veal and Ham 30 61
Peas and Bacon 25 39
Peas and Onions 10 39
Peas, Baked 10 39
Peas Pudding 10 39
Pea Soup 10 33
Pea Soup, thick 6 33
Pickled Shad, with bread 20 54
Pigs' Head, Baked 22 50
Polenta 5 41
Polenta, Liver 12 57
Pork and Onions 20 49
Pork Chops, with Potatoes 25 55
Pork Pie 20 54
Pork, Roast, with Apples 27 55
Potato Bread, per 8 lbs 24 26
Potatoes, German 10 55
Pudding, Brain and Liver 15 56
Pudding, Bread 15 63
Pudding, Cheese 12 41
Pudding, College 18 62
Pudding, Cream Rice 15 63
Pudding, Fish and Potato 25 45
Pudding, Half-pay 20 63
Pudding, Hasty 4 42
Pudding, Kidney 30 47
Pudding, Peas 10 39
Pudding, Swiss, with Sauce 20 62
Pulled Bread 3 26
Rabbit Curry 28 53
Rabbit Pie 30 54
Red Herrings and Potatoes, with Bread 22 45
Rice, Boiled 7 30
Rice Bread, per 8 lbs 25 26
Rice Cake 15 65
Rice Croquettes 20 65
Rice, Japanese Style 10 30
Rice, Milanaise Style 10 30
Rice Milk 15 35
Rice Panada 12 30
Roast Fowl 38 51
Roast Pork, with Apples 27 55
Roast Veal, with Potatoes 30 60
Rock Cakes 22 65
Rolls, Breakfast 6 27
Salt, Celery -- 19
Salt, Spice -- 19
Sauce, Cream 6 62
Sauce, Table, per pint 6 19
Sauce, Tomato 10 29
Sausage, Stewed 25 55
Scotch Broth, without Meat 10 32
Seasoning -- 18
Soft Gingerbread 10 66
Swiss Pudding, with Sauce 20 62
Shad, Pickled 20 54
Sheep's Head Stew 25 46
Sheep's Haslet 17 49
Soup, Bean 10 33
Soup, Cream 25 37
Soup, Fish 20 35
Soup, Lentil 10 33
Soup, Onion 10 34
Soup, Pea 10 33
Soup, Spinach 15 34
Soup, Thick Pea 6 33
Soup, Vegetable 20 34
Spinach Soup 15 34
Stuffing for Poultry 10 51
Stuffing for Veal 5 60
Suet Dumplings 5 53
Sweet Biscuits 17 65
Table Sauce, per pint 6 19
Tarts, Fruit 12 65
Tea -- 21
Tea Biscuit 6 27
Tea, per quart 3 22
Tincture Lemon -- 19
Tincture Orange -- 19
Tincture Vanilla -- 19
Tomato Sauce 10 29
Tripe, Curry and Rice 27 56
White Broth, with Macaroni 25 36
Veal and Ham Patties 30 61
Veal and Rice 20 49
Veal, _Blanquette_, with Potatoes 30 61
Veal Broth, with Vegetables 13 36
Veal, Roast, with Potatoes 30 60
Vegetable Soup and Bacon 20 34
Vegetable Porridge 15 35
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OR,
NEW YORK COOKING SCHOOL OFFICE,
35 East 17th Street, New York.
PREPARATION,
and will be published by
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY,
an entirely new and most valuable work entitled
Good Cooking for Everybody,
By Miss JULIET CORSON.
A book that will be wanted by Every Housekeeper.
* * * * *
The American Agriculturist
FOR THE
FARM, GARDEN, AND HOUSEHOLD.
Established in 1842.
The Best and Cheapest Agricultural Journal in the World.
TERMS, which include postage _pre-paid_ by the Publishers: $1.50 per
annum, in advance; 3 copies for $4; 4 copies for $5; 5 copies for $6; 6
copies for $7; 7 copies for $8; 10 or more copies, only $1 each. Single
Numbers, 15 cents.
The Amerikanischer Agriculturist.
The only purely Agricultural German paper in the United States, and the
best in the world. It contains all of the principal matter of the
English Edition, together with special departments for German
cultivators, prepared by writers trained for the work. Terms same as for
the "American Agriculturist."
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, 245 BROADWAY, NEW YORK.
[Transcriber's Notes: 'Seive' and "sieve' seem to be used
interchangeably by the author, they have left them as they were found
on page. Hyphenation, spelling and punctuation have also been left as
they are on the page. The one entry for 'W' in the index appears where
it is on the page, between the 'T' and the 'V.']
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of Six, by Juliet Corson
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