The Myrtle Reed Cook Book

CEREALS

So many breakfast foods are upon the market that it would be impossible to enumerate all of them, especially as new ones are appearing continually. Full and complete directions for cooking all of them are printed upon the packages in which they are sold. It may not be amiss to add, however, that in almost every instance, twice or three times the time allowed for cooking would improve the cereal in taste and digestibility.

The uncooked cereals are many. A wise housekeeper will use the uncooked cereals when she has no maid. “A word to the wise is unnecessary.”

Pleasing variety in the daily menu is secured by getting a different cereal each time. In this way, it takes about a year to get back to the beginning again, and there is no chance to tire of any of them.

Cereals should always be cooked in a double boiler; and soaking over night in the water in which they are to be cooked, where it is not possible to secure the necessary time for long cooking, will prove a distinct advantage. Leftover cereals should be covered with cold water immediately, in the double boiler, and kept in a cool place until the next day. Bring slowly to a boil, and cook as usual. In the hot weather, cereals may be cooked the day before using, moulded in custard-cups, and kept in the ice-box over night. They are very acceptable when served ice-cold, and, if moulded with fruit, or served with fruit on the same plate, so much the better.

Pearled wheat, pearled barley, and coarse hominy require five cupfuls of water to each cup of cereal, and need from four to six hours’ cooking. Coarse oatmeal and fine hominy must be cooked from four to six hours, but need only four cupfuls of water to each cup of cereal. Rolled wheat and rolled barley are cooked two hours in three times as much water as cereal; rice and rolled oats, with three times as much water, will cook in one hour. Farina, with six cupfuls of water to each cupful of cereal, also cooks in an hour; cerealine flakes cook in thirty minutes, equal parts of water and cereal being used.

Salt must be added just before cooking begins. All cereals are richer if a little milk is added to the water in which they are cooked.

To cook cereals in a double boiler, put the water into the inner kettle, the outer vessel being from half to two thirds full, and when it is boiling furiously, sprinkle in the cereal, a few grains at a time, and not so rapidly as to stop the boiling. When cereals are eaten cold, they require a little more liquid.

BOILED BARLEY

Wash the barley in several waters, cover with cold water; bring to a boil, drain, cover with fresh boiling water, add a little salt, and cook slowly for four hours.

BARLEY GRUEL

Wash half a cupful of pearled barley in several waters; put it into a double boiler with eight cupfuls of water and half an inch of stick cinnamon. Boil for two hours, strain, sweeten, and add two wine glasses of port. Keep in a cool place and reheat when required. An invaluable breakfast cereal for a convalescent.

STEAMED BARLEY

Cooked one cupful of pearled barley in a double boiler four hours, with four cupfuls of water and a little salt. In the morning, add a cupful of boiling water or milk, stir occasionally, reheat thoroughly, and serve.

BREWIS

Dry bread in the oven so slowly that it is a light brown in color. Crush into crumbs with the rolling-pin and sift through the frying-basket. Measure the milk, salt it slightly, and bring to a boil. Put in half as much of the dried crumbs. Boil five or ten minutes, season with butter, pepper, and salt, and serve at once with cream. It must be stirred all the time it is cooking. By omitting the butter, it may be served with sugar. Brown, rye, graham, or corn bread may be mixed with the white bread to advantage. The dried and sifted crumbs of brown bread, when served cold with cream, taste surprisingly like a popular cereal which etiquette forbids us to mention. This is a good way to use up accumulated crumbs.

CORN-MEAL MUSH

The best meal comes from the South. It is white, moist, and coarse, and is called “water ground.” It is a very different proposition from the dry, yellow powder sold in Northern groceries. For mush, use four times as much water as meal. Salt the water, and sprinkle in the meal very slowly when it is at a galloping boil. Boil an hour or more, stirring frequently. A better mush is made by using half milk and half water. Serve hot or cold with cream, or milk, and sugar. If wanted for frying, wet a pan in cold water, pour in the hot mush, and let cool.

CORN AND WHEAT PORRIDGE

Half a cupful of corn-meal and half a cupful of flour. Make into a batter with cold water and put into two cupfuls of boiling water. Stir often and cook half an hour or more, then add four cupfuls of boiling milk. Cook half an hour longer, stirring often. Serve hot or cold, with cream and sugar.

CORN MUSH OR HASTY PUDDING

One cupful of corn-meal and one cupful of cold water. Mix and stir into two cupfuls of salted boiling water. One half cupful of white flour may be mixed with the meal. When the mush becomes thick, place in a steamer and steam six hours. Rinse a pan with cold water, pour in the mush, smooth the top with hand or spoon wet in cold water, and let stand in a cold place twelve hours. This is used for frying. Other cereals may be used in the same way. The sliced mush should be dredged in flour and cooked in salt pork, ham, or bacon fat in the spider, or in lard or butter if it is to be served with syrup.

HULLED CORN

This can occasionally be found in city markets, and is a delicious cereal, eaten hot or cold with milk or cream or sugar.

COLD CEREAL WITH FRUIT

Pack left-over cereal into buttered custard cups, scoop out the inside, fill with any sort of stewed or fresh fruit cut fine and sweetened, cover the top with more cereal, and let stand some hours in a cold place. At serving time turn out and dust with powdered sugar. Cream may be used if it harmonizes with the fruit.

FRIED CREAM

Bring two cupfuls of milk to the boil, add two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, and half a teaspoonful of salt. Take from the fire and add one egg, well beaten, then pour into a mould to cool. When cold, cut into slices, dredge with flour, and fry.

FARINA

Soak over night. In the morning add boiling salted water to cover, and cook half an hour, stirring constantly. Serve hot or cold with cream and sugar, or with sugar and fruit.

APPLE FARINA

Stir one half cupful of farina into one quart of boiling salted water. As soon as mush forms, stir in four tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced, and cook until the apples are soft. If the apples lack flavor, a bit of orange- or lemon-peel, or any preferred spice may be added. Serve hot or cold with cream or sugar. This will mould well.

FARINA BALLS

Half a cupful of farina, two cupfuls of milk, half a teaspoonful of salt, a sprinkle of paprika, six drops of onion-juice, and the yolk of one egg. Cook the farina in the salted milk for half an hour in a double boiler. When it is stiff, add the egg and the seasoning. Reheat, pour into a dish, and let cool. When cold, make into small flat cakes, dip in egg, then in crumbs, and fry. These can be made ready for frying the day before.

FAIRY FARINA

Mix three tablespoonfuls of farina with three quarters of a teaspoonful of salt and half a cupful of milk, taken from two cupfuls. Bring the rest of the milk to a boil with two cupfuls of water and stir in the farina mixture. Cook slowly half an hour, turn into individual moulds, and serve cold with sugar and cream.

JELLIED FARINA

One cupful of farina, sprinkled into two and a half cupfuls of boiled salted milk. Stir till it thickens, then boil half an hour without stirring. Serve hot or cold with sugar and cream. This will mould nicely, and may be used with fruit.

FARINA MUSH

Boil one quart of salted milk, and, when boiling, add half a cupful of farina, stirring constantly. Add a lump of butter and serve with cream and sugar.

FLUMMERY

One and a half cupfuls of pinhead oatmeal, a saltspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of white sugar, two tablespoonfuls of orange-flower water. Cover the oatmeal with cold water and let it soak twenty-four hours, then drain off the water, cover again, and let steep twenty-four hours longer. Strain through a fine sieve, add the salt, and boil till as thick as mush, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and the orange-flower water, pour into saucers, and serve hot or cold with cream and sugar. This recipe dates back to the time of Queen Elizabeth.

GRITS

One cupful of well-washed grits is slowly added to two cupfuls of boiling water, and boiled one hour. Soaking over night is an advantage. If the porridge is too thick, it may be thinned with milk. Serve hot or cold with cream and sugar.

FRIED GRITS

Pack left-over grits into a wet mould. Turn out, slice, dredge in flour, and fry.

OATMEAL GRUEL

Mix one tablespoonful of oatmeal in half a cupful of cold water, add three cupfuls of milk, or of water, or of milk and water, and a little salt. Cook half an hour in a double boiler, stirring often. Strain if desired, and serve hot or cold. May be flavored with a bit of lemon-peel, spice, or orange-flower water. For children and convalescents.

OATMEAL GRUEL WITH EGG

One cupful of oatmeal and one teaspoonful of salt stirred into four cupfuls of boiling water. Boil one hour, strain, and pour on to two eggs well beaten. Reheat until it thickens, and serve with cream and sugar.

WHEAT GRUEL

Mix one teaspoonful of salt with half a cupful of flour, make into a paste with a little cold water and cook in a double boiler till smooth and thick. Thin with milk, if necessary. Strain and sweeten; serve either hot or cold. May be flavored with spice, lemon-peel, or wine.

BOILED HOMINY

Stir one cupful of well-washed hominy into two quarts of boiling water. Cook one hour. Use half milk and half water if preferred.

HOMINY BALLS

To a cupful of cold hominy add one tablespoonful of melted butter, stir well, add enough milk to rub the hominy to a paste, add a teaspoonful of sugar and one egg, unbeaten. Shape into small flat balls, dredge with flour, dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry. These may be prepared beforehand and kept in a cool place till ready to fry.

FRIED HOMINY

Pack left-over hominy into a mould. When cold, slice, dredge with flour, and fry, or dip in egg and crumbs and fry.

HOMINY WITH MILK

Soak hominy all night. In the morning cover with boiling salted water and boil until very tender. Drain off the water, cover with milk, boil up once more, and serve.

STEAMED HOMINY

Soak hominy over night in an equal measure of cold water. In the morning add twice as much boiling salted water and boil fifteen minutes, then put into a steamer and steam six hours.

HOMINY PORRIDGE

Soak a cupful of granulated hominy in four cupfuls of water over night. Add a teaspoonful of salt, one cupful of milk, and boil one hour in the morning.

CRACKED WHEAT MUSH

Butter a double boiler inside, put in four cupfuls of water and a little salt. When boiling add one cupful of cracked wheat which has been washed in several waters. Boil ten minutes, then simmer three hours. Serve with sugar and cream.

GRAHAM FLOUR MUSH

Mix one cupful of graham flour with a teaspoonful of salt, and make it into a paste with cold water. Mix gradually with four cupfuls of boiling water. Boil half an hour, stirring constantly. Serve with cream and sugar.

OATMEAL MUSH

Mix one cupful of coarse oatmeal with a little salt, sprinkle into four cupfuls of boiling water. Boil fifteen minutes, stirring constantly, in the double boiler. Cover and cook slowly three hours longer.

RYE MUSH

One quart of boiling water, one teaspoonful of salt, five heaping tablespoonfuls of rye meal. Sprinkle the meal into the boiling water, stirring constantly, add the salt, bring to the boil once more, cover, and cook slowly in the double boiler one hour and a half. Serve with sugar and cream.

FRIED OATMEAL MUSH

Wet a pan or mould in cold water and pack into it left-over oatmeal. Twelve hours later, turn out, cut into slices, dredge with flour and fry, serving with a simple syrup if desired. Any left-over cereal which does not contain fruit may be used in the same way.

GRAHAM MUSH WITH APPLES

Slice peeled and cored tart apples into graham mush prepared according to the recipe previously given, as soon as it begins to boil.

MUSH CAKES

Season two cupfuls of left-over cereal with salt and pepper and a few drops of onion-juice. Shape into small flat cakes with floured hands and dredge with flour. Fry in ham or bacon fat and serve with those meats.

MUSH BALLS

Add a tablespoonful of melted butter and two unbeaten eggs to two cupfuls of hot corn-meal mush. Cool. Shape into small flat cakes, dredge with flour, and fry brown. These may be prepared the day before using.

VELVET MUSH

Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter in a double boiler, add two cupfuls of flour, and stir until it leaves the sides of the kettle; add five cupfuls of milk, stirring constantly and bringing to the boil at each cupful. Add a teaspoonful of salt, mix thoroughly, and serve with sugar and cream.

COLD GRAHAM MUSH WITH FRUIT

Stir chopped dates or figs into graham mush made according to previous directions, turn into a mould, and cool. The next morning, slice, and serve with sugar and cream.

STEAMED OATMEAL

Add a quart of cold water and a teaspoonful of salt to a cupful of oatmeal. Put in a steamer over a kettle of cold water, bring to the boil gradually, and steam two hours after it begins to cook.

OATMEAL JELLY

Soak one cupful of oatmeal over night in cold water to cover deeply. Add boiling salted water in the morning and boil several hours, adding more water as needed. Do not stir any more than necessary. When every grain is transparent and jelly-like, it is done. It is delicious served cold, with fruit and sugar, or with sugar and cream.

CREAMED OATMEAL

Boil oatmeal for an hour and a half according to recipes previously given. Rub through a sieve, cover with hot milk, and cook very slowly half an hour longer. Serve with sugar and cream.

OATMEAL BLANC MANGE

Bring one quart of milk to the boil, add a teaspoonful of salt, and stir in one cupful of oatmeal. Boil forty-five minutes, then add two eggs well beaten just before removing from the fire. Serve hot or cold with cream and sugar. A bit of grated lemon- or orange-peel, wine, or spice may be added to the milk.

LIGHT OATMEAL

Cook oatmeal twenty-five minutes according to directions previously given, then set the dish in a moderate oven for half an hour. The grains will swell.

BAKED OATMEAL

The day before using, stir two cupfuls of oatmeal into two quarts of boiling water, salted, and boil ten minutes. Turn into a buttered earthen dish, cover, and bake slowly two hours. In the morning set the dish into a pan of boiling water and put in the oven for forty-five minutes.

MILK PORRIDGE

One tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth with half a cupful or more of water. Add a cupful of boiling milk, a little salt and spice, and cook ten minutes or more in the double boiler.

RICE PORRIDGE

One cupful of rice, washed in several waters, and one cupful of oatmeal. Cook one hour in plenty of boiling salted water, and add a heaping tablespoonful of butter before serving.

WHEATLET PORRIDGE

One cupful of wheatlet, two cupfuls of boiling water, and one teaspoonful of salt. Cook slowly for an hour.

CREAMED OAT PORRIDGE

Soak two cupfuls of oatmeal in four cupfuls of water over night. In the morning, strain and boil the water thirty minutes. Scald a pint and a half of rich milk, thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, add to the water, with a teaspoonful of butter and a half teaspoonful of salt. Boil up well and serve with cream and sugar.

BOILED RICE
(Hop Sing’s Recipe)

“Washee lice in cold water bellee muchee. Water boil all ready muchee quick. Water shakee lice—no burn. Boil till one lice all rub away in fingers. Put in pan all holee, pour over cold water bellee muchee, set in hot oven, make dry, eatee all up.”

BOILED RICE
(American Recipe)

Wash one cupful of rice in several waters. Sprinkle it, a little at a time, into eight quarts of slightly salted water at a galloping boil. Boil steadily for twenty minutes. Drain, toss carefully with a fork, and dry ten minutes in a hot oven.

BOILED RICE WITH MILK

Cook as above until it has boiled ten minutes, then drain, cover with boiling milk, and cook slowly ten minutes longer in a covered double boiler. Uncover, and stand in a hot oven for a few minutes, stirring occasionally with a fork.

RICE BALLS

One cupful of boiled rice, one half cupful of milk, one egg, one tablespoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a slight grating of nutmeg or a sprinkle of cinnamon. Put the milk on to boil, add the rice and seasoning. When it boils, add the egg, cook till thick, take from the fire, and cool. Form in to small flat cakes, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry. These may be prepared beforehand.

STEAMED RICE

Wash a small cupful of rice and put into a double boiler with three cupfuls of milk and a pinch of salt. Cook until creamy, add a teaspoonful of butter and three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Fruit may be added.

SAMP

Cover the samp with boiling water, boil ten minutes, then drain, rinse in cold water, cover with fresh boiling water and a little salt. Cook slowly six hours, adding fresh boiling water as needed. Serve hot or cold with cream and sugar.

CREAM TOAST

Dip slices of toast in boiling water and set into the oven. Stir one heaping tablespoonful of corn-meal into four cupfuls of boiling salted milk, and add two tablespoonfuls of butter. When the milk thickens, stir in the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, boil up again, pour over the toast, keep in the oven five minutes longer and serve.

MILK TOAST

Lay slices of toast in cereal bowls, spread with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, pour boiling milk over and serve immediately.

SOFT TOAST

Dip crisp slices of toast for a moment in boiling salted water, pour over melted butter, set in the oven a moment and serve with cream.

CRUSHED WHEAT WITH RAISINS

Add a handful of stoned and cleaned raisins to crushed wheat mush made according to recipe previously given, and as soon as it begins to boil. Raisins are a healthful and agreeable addition to almost any cereal.

COLD CRACKED WHEAT

Add half a teaspoonful of salt to three cupfuls of boiling water, stir in half a cupful of cracked wheat. Cook uncovered till the water has almost disappeared, then add three cupfuls of hot milk. Cover and cook until the wheat is soft, then uncover and cook until the wheat is almost dry. Stir carefully now and then while cooking. Turn into individual moulds to harden, and serve cold with sugar and cream.

SALT FISH

With very, very few exceptions, fish and meats other than salt are not suitable for breakfast. So many delicious preparations of these are possible, however, that no one need lament the restriction which general use has made. The humble and lowly codfish may be made into many a dainty tidbit,—to make no invidious distinction,—and, for some occult reason, the taste craves salt in the morning.

BROILED BLOATERS

Scrape and clean the fish, wipe dry and split, laying flat upon a buttered gridiron. Broil about six minutes, turning frequently. When brown, pour over melted butter. Serve with lemon quarters and parsley.

YARMOUTH BLOATERS

See Potomac Herring.

CODFISH BALLS

Cut into inch pieces a heaping cupful of salt codfish. Remove the bones, skin, and put into an earthen dish. Pour boiling water on and keep hot two hours. Pour off the water, cool, and shred the fish with the fingers. Add a heaping cupful of hot mashed potatoes. Mix a teaspoonful of flour with a heaping tablespoonful of butter, add three tablespoonfuls of boiling water, and cook until thick. Season with salt and pepper, mix with the fish and potato, and with floured hands form into eight small flat cakes. Dredge with flour and set away to be fried the following morning.

CODFISH BALLS—II

Prepare as Codfish Balls II, but use twice as much potato as fish.

CODFISH BALLS À LA BURNS

Make codfish balls into flat cakes and just before serving, put a poached egg on each.

PICKED-UP CODFISH

Pour boiling water on a cupful of salt codfish which has been shredded and had the bones removed. When the water cools, pour it off and cover with fresh boiling water. Drain again when the second water cools. Blend a tablespoonful of butter with a tablespoonful of flour, add a cupful of milk, and cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Add the codfish and a teaspoonful of finely minced parsley. Serve on toast and garnish with hard-boiled egg cut in slices. Sprinkle with black pepper.

CREAMED CODFISH

Two cupfuls of shredded codfish, three cupfuls of milk, yolk of one egg, one tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour, two quarts of water, pepper, and salt. Cover the fish with the water and set it over a slow fire. When it boils, drain it and cover with the milk. Bring to a boil again. Have the butter and flour rubbed smooth with a little cold milk and add to the boiling milk. Stir steadily till it thickens, then add the beaten yolk of the egg, and cook five minutes longer. Season with pepper. A little minced parsley may be added. Half an hour before the fish is shredded it should be put to soak in cold water, unless it is preferred very salt.

CREAMED ROAST CODFISH

NEW ENGLAND SALT COD

Chop fine a pound of salted cod that has been freshened, boiled, and cooled. Mix a heaping teaspoonful of corn-meal with one cupful of milk, and stir over the fire until it thickens, then add one cupful of mashed potatoes, two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, and two well-beaten eggs. Let it get very hot. Make the drawn-butter sauce with the egg in it, given in the recipe for New England Salt Cod, and serve with the sauce poured over.

SALTED COD WITH BROWN BUTTER

Freshen the fish for twenty-four hours. Place over the fire in cold water and bring slowly to a boil. Put a little butter and a few sprigs of parsley in a frying-pan. Skim out the fish and put on a platter in the oven. When the butter is brown, pour over the fish and serve with lemon-quarters and fresh parsley.

CODFISH CUTLETS

Use the mixture for Codfish Balls II. Shape into cutlet form,—small tin moulds come for the purpose,—dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Stick a piece of macaroni in the small end of the cutlet, and garnish with a paper frill. Serve with lemon and parsley.

BOILED SALT CODFISH

Select a piece of cod that has been boned. Brush the salt from it with a stiff brush and broil under the gas flame until brown. Lay in a baking-pan and pour over boiling water to cover. Let stand ten minutes, drain, and repeat the process. Drain, put on a hot platter, pour over melted butter, sprinkle with pepper and minced parsley.

FLAKED SALT CODFISH

Soak two pounds of fish over night. In the morning scrub it well, cover with slices of onion, pour boiling water over, and let it soak till the water is cool. Skim out, wipe, and broil. Put into a platter, break with a fork, and pour over a drawn-butter sauce seasoned with pepper, parsley, and lemon-juice. Keep in a hot oven five minutes before serving.

CODFISH PUFF

Make the mixture for Codfish Balls II. Add the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth, folding them in lightly. Butter a stoneware platter, spread the puff upon it, and bake in a hot oven till well puffed and browned. Or, cook in a buttered frying-pan till a brown crust has formed, then fold like an omelet.

CREAMED COD WITH EGG SAUCE

Freshen, boil, and drain, according to directions previously given. Arrange on a platter and cover with cream sauce, which has minced parsley and chopped hard-boiled eggs mixed with it.

ESCALLOPED CODFISH

Make a Codfish Puff, sprinkle with grated cheese, and bake brown.

FINNAN HADDIE À LA DELMONICO

Make a cream sauce, using two tablespoonfuls of butter and two of flour; cook till they bubble, add a pint of milk, and stir till thick and smooth. Add a pound of Finnan Haddie flaked, and the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, three hard-boiled eggs cut fine, and a tablespoonful of strong cheese, grated. Season with black pepper, heat thoroughly, and serve.

FINNAN HADDIE À LA MARTIN

Make the cream sauce, add the flaked Finnan Haddie, according to the recipe for Finnan Haddie à la Delmonico, add one half-cupful of shredded green peppers, let boil up once, and serve on toast.

FINNAN HADDIE FISH BALLS

Prepare as Codfish Balls II.

BROILED FINNAN HADDIE

Parboil, drain, wipe, then skin. Broil, pour over melted butter, sprinkle with pepper and minced parsley. Serve with lemon quarters.

PICKED-UP FINNAN HADDIE

Cut the fish in convenient pieces for serving. Cover with boiling water, boil five minutes, drain, and rinse in fresh boiling water. Arrange on a platter, dot with butter, put in the oven, and when the butter sizzles, serve.

CREAMED ROAST FINNAN HADDIE

See Creamed Roast Codfish.

BROILED FINNAN HADDIE—II

Soak in cold water half an hour, and in boiling water ten minutes. Wipe dry, marinade in oil and lemon-juice, and broil as usual.

BAKED SMOKED HADDOCK

Put the haddock into a baking-pan, cover with boiling water, drain, dot with butter, sprinkle with black pepper, and bake in a hot oven for ten minutes. Serve very hot.

BROILED SMOKED HADDOCK

Rub with butter, dredge with flour, and broil over clear coals, or under a gas flame.

FRIED SMOKED HADDOCK

Partly boil bloaters or herrings, skin, add an equal bulk of mashed potatoes made from baked potatoes. Add a lump of butter and enough cream to soften it. Form into balls, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat.

POTOMAC HERRING

See Potomac Herring.

BROILED SMOKED HERRING

Soak over night. Pour boiling water over it in the morning; when the water cools, plunge it into ice water for five minutes, wipe dry, and broil under a gas flame.

BROILED SALT MACKEREL

Wash in several waters, remove the head and part of the tail. Scrape the thin black skin from the inside. Put the fish in a pan of cold water, skin side up, over night at least, and, if very salt, by four o’clock in the afternoon. In the morning wash in fresh cold water, wipe dry on a clean cloth, rub with melted butter, sprinkle with pepper, and broil carefully. It must be watched every moment, as it burns easily. When brown, serve on a hot platter, dot the fish with bits of butter, and garnish with parsley and lemon quarters.

CREAMED SALT MACKEREL

Freshen according to directions previously given. Put in cold water, bring to a boil, then drain. Pour over it half a cupful of cream. Roll a piece of butter the size of an egg in flour and add to the cream. Let boil up once and serve.

BOILED SALT MACKEREL

Freshen according to directions previously given, rinse thoroughly. Tie in a cloth, put into a kettle of cold water, bring slowly to the boil, and cook half an hour. Remove the cloth, take out the backbone, and pour over melted butter and half a cupful of cream. Sprinkle with black pepper and garnish with parsley.

BOILED SALT MACKEREL, CREAMED

Prepare as above. Heat a cupful of milk to the boil. Stir into it a teaspoonful of cornstarch made smooth with a little cold milk. When it thickens, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, and a little pepper, salt and minced parsley. Beat an egg very light, pour the sauce gradually over it, reheat for about a minute. Pour over the fish and garnish with slices of hard-boiled eggs.

BAKED SALT MACKEREL

Freshen according to directions previously given. Put into a baking-pan and pour on boiling water to cover. When the water cools, drain. Cover the fish with dots of butter, pour over half a cupful of cream or milk, and bake till brown.

FRIED SALT MACKEREL

Freshen according to directions previously given, soaking a full twenty-four hours and changing the water frequently. In the morning, drain, wipe dry, dredge with flour, and fry brown in butter. Garnish with lemon quarters and parsley.

BOILED SALT MACKEREL—II

Freshen, and boil in water made very acid with lemon-juice. Serve with melted or drawn butter.

BROILED SALT MACKEREL—II

Freshen, wipe dry, and soak for an hour in French dressing, made of three tablespoonfuls of olive oil, and one of lemon-juice or tarragon vinegar. Broil as usual.

BROILED SALT SALMON

Soak the salmon twenty-four hours in cold water, changing the water frequently. Drain, wipe dry, rub with butter, and broil over a clear fire. Serve with melted butter. Garnish with lemon quarters and parsley.

BROILED SMOKED SALMON

Rub with butter and broil with the flesh side nearest the fire. Serve on a hot platter with lemon quarters, melted butter, and parsley.

BROILED KIPPERED SALMON

Cut the salmon into strips, rub very lightly with butter, sprinkle with pepper, and broil as usual.

FRIED KIPPERED SALMON

See Fried Smoked Haddock.

BROILED SMOKED SALMON

Wash a piece of smoked salmon in three or four waters, parboil fifteen minutes. Skim out, wipe dry, rub with butter, and broil. Cover with melted butter, sprinkle with pepper and minced parsley, and garnish with lemon quarters.

FRIED SMOKED SALMON

Wash and parboil the salmon, drain, wipe, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry. Serve with lemon quarters and parsley.

Roughly speaking, the recipes for salt fish are interchangeable. A method of cooking recommended for one will be found equally good for some of the others.

Salt fish left-overs may be used in hash, scrambles, omelets or ramekin dishes, or reheated, rubbed to a paste, and served on toast, with a poached egg on each slice.

BREAKFAST MEATS

BEEF BALLS

One cupful of cooked chopped beef, one cupful of cold mashed potatoes, half a cupful of milk, two tablespoonfuls of butter, and one egg. Put the milk and butter in the frying-pan; when it boils up, add the beef and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the egg, well beaten, and take from the fire. Let cool. When stiff, shape into small flat cakes, dip in egg and bread crumbs, and put in a cool place. Fry in hot fat for three minutes. These can be prepared beforehand.

BEEF HASH WITHOUT POTATOES

Mince the beef, season with grated onion, salt, and pepper. Reheat in the beef gravy, or in hot water, adding a little butter. Serve on toast. Shredded green pepper may be added.

FRIZZLED BEEF

Have dried beef cut very thin. Cover with cold water to which a small pinch of soda has been added, and bring gradually to the boil. Drain, add a lump of butter, and cook till the edges of the beef curl. Serve on slices of buttered toast with poached or fried eggs laid over the beef.

BEEF À LA NEWPORT

Prepare Creamed Dried Beef according to recipe elsewhere given, using the egg to thicken. Add half a cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes and a tablespoonful of grated cheese just before taking from the fire. Heat thoroughly and serve at once on toast.

CORNED BEEF HASH

Equal parts of cooked corn beef and cold potatoes, cut fine, or use more potato than meat if desired. Season with grated onion, pepper and salt, and a little butter, and heat thoroughly. A green pepper, shredded, is an invaluable addition to corned beef hash.

CORNED BEEF HASH À LA DELMONICO

Prepare as above, using the green pepper. Spread the hot hash thickly on thin slices of buttered toast, slip a poached egg on to each piece, sprinkle with pepper, salt, and minced parsley.

CREAMED DRIED BEEF

Prepare as directed for Frizzled Beef, having the beef cut into very small pieces. Make a cream sauce of one tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour, and two cupfuls of milk. Season with salt and pepper, and when smooth and thick add the cooked beef. A well-beaten egg added just before taking from the fire is an improvement. Serve on toast.

BACON AND EGGS

BACON AND MUSH

Cut slices of cold corn-meal mush, dredge in flour, and fry brown. Serve with a strip of fried or broiled bacon on each slice.

BACON FRAISE

Make a batter of four eggs, half a cupful of milk, and a teaspoonful of flour. Fry some thin slices of bacon till transparent. Dip them in the batter, spread on a stoneware platter, cover with the remaining batter, and put into a moderate oven till a golden brown.

BACON À LA CRÊME

Fry thin slices of bacon as usual, place on a platter, and put into the oven to keep warm. Make a cream sauce, using the fat in the pan instead of butter. Pour over the bacon, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve at once.

CALF’S BRAINS

Soak in cold water, parboil, remove pipes and membranes, throw into cold water, drain, wipe, and keep cool. They may be rubbed with melted butter and fried or broiled, or dipped in egg and crumbs and fried or broiled. Serve with a cream sauce or with a sauce of melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley.

CHICKEN HASH

Use cold cooked chicken and proceed according to directions previously given. Cold turkey or tongue makes delicious hash. A shredded green pepper will usually improve it. Any hash may be served on toast with a poached egg on each slice.

FRIED HAM

Freshen a slice of ham a few moments in boiling water. Drain, wipe, and fry slowly. Eggs may be served with it. See Bacon and Eggs.

FRIZZLED HAM

Prepare as above. When the ham is half done, sprinkle with flour and fry brown. When brown, add a tablespoonful of made mustard to the gravy, and boiling water enough to cover the ham. Simmer five minutes and serve on a hot platter.

HAM AND POACHED EGGS

Prepare as directed above. Poach the eggs separately and serve on the slices of ham.

BROILED HAM

Freshen in cold water, drain, wipe, and broil. May be breaded and broiled on a buttered gridiron.

HAM BALLS

One cupful of cooked ham, finely chopped, one cupful of bread crumbs, two cupfuls of cooked potatoes, mashed fine, a heaping tablespoonful of butter, two eggs, and a dash of cayenne. Melt the butter and beat all together until very light. Shape into small flat cakes, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry brown. May be prepared beforehand.

HAM TOAST

Half a cupful of cold cooked ham, finely minced, half a teaspoonful of anchovy paste, a bit of cayenne and pounded mace. Add half a cupful of milk and an egg, well beaten. Stir till thick, take from the fire, and spread thinly on dry buttered toast. A poached egg may be placed on each slice.

HAM RÉCHAUFFÉ

Butter individual custard cups, fill three fourths full of minced ham reheated in a cream sauce, break an egg into each cup, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake till the egg is set. Tongue, chicken, turkey, or other meats may be used in this same way.

HAM AND EGGS À L’AURORE

Mince cooked ham and reheat in a cream sauce, to which the shredded whites of hard-boiled eggs have been added. Spread on buttered toast and sprinkle with the sifted yolks of the eggs, rubbed through a sieve.

KIDNEY BACON ROLLS

Season a cupful of bread crumbs with grated onion, salt and pepper, and minced parsley. Moisten with egg well beaten. Spread the crumb mixture over thin slices of bacon and wrap each slice of bacon around a small kidney. Fasten with toothpicks or skewers. Put in a baking-pan and bake in a hot oven until the bacon is crisp. Remove the skewers and serve on a hot plate, garnished with parsley.

FRIED KIDNEYS

Cut in halves, skin, sprinkle with salt and red pepper, and fry one minute in a spider, with no additional fat. Serve with dry toast.

KIDNEYS EN BROCHETTE

Cut the kidneys into small squares after parboiling and skinning. String on small steel skewers with small squares of bacon alternating. Broil or fry or cook in the oven, dredging with flour or not, as preferred. If the bacon is not very fat, soak the kidneys in olive oil a few moments before stringing. Serve on the skewers.

CRUMBED KIDNEYS

Parboil, drain, wipe, and split the kidneys, keeping them open with skewers. Season with pepper and salt, brush with oil, roll in crumbs, and broil, fry, or cook in a very hot oven. Make a sauce of melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley, and pour over them if desired.

DEVILLED KIDNEYS

Parboil, drain, wipe, and slice the kidneys. Make a marinade of three tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, one of vinegar,—tarragon vinegar or lemon-juice may be used,—a teaspoonful of mustard, salt, and red pepper. Dip the sliced kidneys in this dressing and broil. Minced parsley is a pleasant addition to the marinade. After dipping in the dressing, they may be rolled in crumbs and fried. Serve plain, or with a sauce of melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley, or with the remaining marinade heated and poured over the kidneys.

KIDNEY AND BACON

Parboil and slice mutton or lamb kidneys. Fry brown in bacon fat and serve on dry toast with the bacon.

STEWED BEEF KIDNEY

Parboil, drain, wipe, and cut into dice. Cook five minutes in boiling water, drain, add a small onion, grated, a pinch of sage, and a cup of water. Bring to the boil once more, add a pinch of salt, and two hard-boiled eggs, cut fine. Thicken with one tablespoonful of cornstarch, rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Serve on toast.

KIDNEYS À LA TERRAPIN

Parboil, drain, wipe, and cut into dice. Reheat in cream sauce, to which hard-boiled eggs, cut fine, and minced parsley are added. Serve on toast.

BROILED KIDNEYS—MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL

Chop cold roast lamb very fine. Season with salt, pepper, and a bit of mint. Reheat in the gravy, or in water, adding a little butter, or in a cream sauce. Spread thinly on thin slices of dry buttered toast, slip a poached egg on each slice, and serve at once, sprinkled with pepper and minced parsley.

BROILED LAMB’S LIVER

Cut the liver in thin slices, cover with olive oil, and soak half an hour. Drain, season with salt and pepper, dip in crumbs, and broil. Finish as for Broiled Kidneys.

CALF’S LIVER AND BACON

Cook the bacon first, skim out, and put the slices of liver, dredged with flour and seasoned with salt, into the hot fat. Cook very quickly.

LIVER À LA CRÊME

Parboil calf’s liver, drain, wipe, and cut into dice or chop coarsely. Reheat in a cream sauce, seasoning with salt and pepper. Minced parsley, lemon-juice, or finely cut capers may be added to the sauce. Serve on toast. Cold cooked liver may be used in this way.

LIVER HASH

Equal parts of cold cooked liver and cold potatoes, cut fine. Reheat in a frying-pan, adding butter and boiling water as necessary. Almost any cold cooked meat may be used in this way.

BAKED HASH

Butter a shallow baking-dish, pile in the hash loosely, smooth the top, dot with butter, and bake until brown and crisp. Turn out on a platter or serve in the dish, a fresh napkin or a paper frill being arranged around the dish.

LIVER BOULETTES

Chop cold cooked liver fine. Reheat in a very thick cream sauce, well seasoned. Cool, shape into small flat cakes, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry brown.

LIVER AND BACON BALLS

Cold cooked liver cut fine and half as much cooked bacon, chopped. Shape into small flat cakes, using a raw egg to bind if necessary. Dip in egg and crumbs and fry brown.

MEAT AND RICE BALLS

One cupful of cold cooked rice, one cupful of finely chopped cooked meat,—any kind, or several kinds,—a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper, two tablespoonfuls of butter, half a cupful of milk, and one egg. Put the milk on to boil, add the rice, meat, and seasoning. When it boils, add the egg, well beaten, and stir one minute. Take from the fire, cool, form into small flat cakes, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry brown. May be prepared the day before using.

FRIED SALT PORK

Cut in thin slices, freshen in cold water gradually brought to the boil. Drain, wipe, trim off the rind, roll in flour, and fry. When brown, put on a hot platter and make a cream sauce, using the fat in the pan. Fried salt pork with cream sauce poured over it is a venerable New England dish of some three centuries’ standing.

PHILADELPHIA SCRAPPLE

Use the head, heart, and feet of fresh pork. Boil until the flesh slips from the bone. Cool, take out the bones and gristle, and chop the meat fine. Set aside the water in which the meat was cooked, and when cold take the cake of fat from the surface. Bring the liquor to the boil once more, add the chopped meat, and when at a galloping boil, sprinkle in, slowly, enough corn-meal to make a thick mush. Cook slowly for an hour or more. Pour into a pan wet with cold water and let stand in a cold place over night. Turn out on a platter, cut in half-inch slices, and fry.

SAUSAGE

Prick the skins with a needle or fork to prevent bursting. Cover with boiling water, parboil five minutes, drain, wipe, and fry as usual. The sausage meat is made into small flat cakes, dredged with flour and fried. Bread crumbs may be used in making the sausage cakes if desired. If the cakes do not hold together readily, add a little beaten egg.

BAKED SAUSAGE

Prick the sausages and lay each one on a strip of buttered bread its own length and width. Arrange in a baking-pan and bake in a very hot oven till the sausages are brown and the bread crisp.

SAUSAGES BAKED IN POTATOES

Prick medium-sized sausages and brown quickly in a spider. Take out and keep warm. Core large potatoes, draw the sausages through the cores, and bake. A pleasant surprise for the person peeling the potato.

BROILED SWEETBREADS

Parboil, in slightly acidulated water, for five minutes, then throw into cold water. Remove pipes and fibres and let cool—the colder the better. Split, rub with melted butter, season with pepper and salt, and broil or fry. They may also be dipped in egg and crumbs and fried or broiled. Serve on a hot platter. A sauce of melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley is a pleasing accompaniment.

FRIED TRIPE

Tripe as it comes from the market is already prepared. Wash thoroughly, boil until tender, drain, and cool. Cut into strips, season with salt and pepper, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in butter or drippings until brown. It may be prepared for frying the day before and kept in a cool place. Breaded tripe may also be broiled on a buttered gridiron.

FRICASSEED TRIPE

Cut a pound of tripe in narrow strips, add a cupful of water, a piece of butter the size of an egg, and a tablespoonful of flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Season with salt and simmer thirty minutes. Serve very hot, on toast if desired.

TRIPE À LA LYONNAISE

One pound of cooked tripe cut into inch squares, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one tablespoonful of chopped onion, one tablespoonful of vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Put the butter and onion in a frying-pan. When the onion turns yellow, add the tripe and seasoning, boil up once more, and serve immediately, on toast.

TRIPE À LA POULETTE

Fry a chopped onion in three tablespoonfuls of butter. When brown, add a pound of tripe, cut into dice, season with salt and paprika, and fry until the mixture is partially dry. Add a heaping tablespoonful of flour, and when the butter has absorbed it, add slowly two cupfuls of stock or milk and a slight grating of nutmeg. Simmer till the tripe is tender. Beat together one tablespoonful of melted butter and one tablespoonful of lemon-juice, stir into the well-beaten yolks of two eggs, take the tripe from the fire, mix thoroughly, and serve at once.

MINCED VEAL AND EGGS

Chop cold cooked veal very fine. Add hard-boiled eggs cut fine, one to each two cupfuls of meat. Reheat in hot water, adding melted butter, or in a cream sauce. A bit of green pepper, parsley, grated onion, pimento, or capers finely cut may be used for flavoring. Other meats may be prepared in the same way.