The Khaki Kook Book Part 3

27. Koorma (Arabian).

Koorma is usually made from mutton or veal. Mince an onion, a little green ginger, and a tiny bit of garlic and add to a cup of b.u.t.termilk.

Cover a pound of mutton with this and allow to stand for a while. The mutton may either be fresh or left-over. While the mixture is standing, fry a minced onion; add to it a little turmeric. Turn the b.u.t.termilk mixture into this. If the meat is uncooked, also add a little water, so that it may become tender; but this is unnecessary if cold mutton is used. Simmer slowly together until the meat gets tender and the curds dry. At the last a little cocoanut may be added, but this is not necessary. The gravy must be very little and very rich.

28. Spiced Beef.

This is a very nice way of keeping beef if the weather is hot and one has no ice. Cut the meat up, salt a little, turn it into a bowl, and just cover with vinegar. Sprinkle well with mixed spices. When ready to use, fry with tomatoes and onions. This may be kept for several days without ice, even in the hottest weather.

29. Irish Stew (Old English).

Equal parts of meat and potatoes. Half a pound of meat and half a pound of potatoes makes quite a good-sized dish. Cook the meat with a sliced onion in plenty of water until it is almost tender. Then add the potatoes; also a little mint or parsley, a tiny bit of green ginger, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, salt and plenty of pepper. Cook together until all are sufficiently cooked. At the last, if mutton has been used, add half a cup of milk. Thicken a little if desired, only perhaps it is best to cook it until potatoes begin to break, thickening it in that way.

30. Mesopotamia Stew.

Equal parts of meat and string beans. Fry together with or without an onion. When quite brown but not hard, season well in any way liked. In Mesopotamia, of course it is made very hot. Cover with water and cook slowly until beans are soft and meat is tender. Less meat may be used.

Beans and meat should both be cut up fine for this stew.

31. French Stew.

Take a pound of beef cut in small pieces and fry it until brown. Remove and fry in the same pan the following vegetables: Three small radishes, three small carrots, three small onions, half a dozen potatoes, a little green ginger, a green chili or two, and three or four mint leaves. The ginger, chili, and mint leaves should be finely minced, but slice the other vegetables. When the vegetables are nicely browned, remove, make a little gravy in the pan; pour this gravy over the meat, add the vegetables, and cook very slowly together until the meat is tender. If liked, it may be made with only potatoes and onions and meat.

32. Turkish Stew.

Fry a pound of meat cut in small pieces. Remove from the pan. In the same pan fry eggplant, thinly sliced and rolled in batter and crumbs.

Season as desired. Put a layer of the fried eggplant and a layer of the fried meat in a cooking vessel. Add a little water, and cook very slowly until meat is tender.

33. All Blaze.

This is an old English dish, and is fine for the fireless cooker. Mutton is best for this dish. One pound of mutton, cut in bits, one-half pound of potatoes (quartered), peas, beans, onions, carrots, or any vegetables one may have on hand. Put a layer of potatoes at bottom of the pan, then a layer of meat, then a layer of mixed vegetables. Repeat this, sprinkling salt and pepper over each layer and a little drippings. Put in a vessel with a very tight-fitting lid, so that no steam will escape, and steam or bake slowly for three or four hours.

34. Country Captain.

This is another English dish, and is a great favorite with the Indian cooks. Chicken is always used in India, but veal or mutton will do nicely. Cut up the meat, slice four or five onions in rings, and set aside. Fry the chicken quickly over a hot fire, then fry the onions.

With the onions fry some green chilies and a little green ginger; add a cup or two of water and stew until chicken is tender. Do not thicken the gravy to this. Sprinkle fried onions over the platter when it is ready to serve.

35. Toad in Hole.

Make a batter just as you would for pancakes. Melt some b.u.t.ter or crisco in a baking dish and pour in half the batter. On this place a mixture of meat, potatoes, and onions prepared as for No. 29. Pour over this the remainder of the batter and bake or steam.

36. Minced Meat Patties.

Prepare the mince according to No. 9. Make a piecrust, not too rich.

Roll out paste, cut out in circles about three inches in diameter. Put in each of these circles a tablespoonful of the curried mince, and turn over, pressing the edges closely together. Fry or bake.

37. Hamburg Cutlets.

Take a pound of Hamburg steak, a minced onion, a minced mango pepper, a leaf or two of mint or coriander, a little salt and pepper, and very few bread or cracker crumbs. Mix all together, mold in little oblong cakes, dip in a thin batter made of flour and water, and then in crumbs. Fry in fat or oil.

38. Potato Patties with Fish or Meat.

Take equal parts of cold mashed potatoes and flour. Work together into a paste and roll out in circles about four inches in diameter. Place in each of circles a spoonful of salmon or tuna; season rather highly, press edges together, and fry. Fine way to use cold mashed potatoes.

Curried mincemeat may also be used for the filling.

39. Beef Olives.

Have the butcher cut a very thin round steak either of beef or veal. Cut this in pieces about three inches square, and pound with a saucer about a dessert-spoonful of flour into each of these pieces. Make a highly-seasoned forcemeat of breadcrumbs and onions and a little minced bacon. Place a spoonful of the stuffing on each square of meat, and roll in the form of a sausage. Wrap each roll with cord and tie. Fry the rolls, then remove and make a gravy in the pan. When gravy is made, add the rolls and stew gently until the rolls are tender.

40. Bird Nests.

Stew a pound of boiling meat with two sliced onions until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and onions, and when cold pa.s.s through the meat grinder. Season rather highly, add egg and breadcrumbs, and work all together as though for cutlets. If flour is worked well into it, no egg or crumbs will be required.

Boil six eggs until quite hard. When cold, remove the sh.e.l.ls. Enclose each egg in the meat mixture. Roll in a thin batter, then in crumbs, and fry. When nicely browned, cut with a sharp knife through the center of each egg. Place on a platter, and pour over all a gravy made from the broth in which the meat was boiled. This makes twelve birds' nests.

A very attractive and delicious salad can be made by using veal or chicken instead of beef. The yolks of the eggs may be removed and deviled or highly seasoned. Serve with mayonnaise dressing instead of gravy.

41. Eggplant Patties.

Take two medium-sized eggplants, steam or bake until tender; then cut lengthwise into halves. Scoop out the pulp, cut the pulp in small bits and set aside. Keep the skins for the patties. Mince an onion, brown it in oil or crisco. When nicely browned, add a quarter of a pound of either cold or raw minced meat, a little green mango pepper, and the pulp which was removed from the eggplant. A little Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce or piccalilli improves this considerably. Fill the empty sh.e.l.ls with this mixture. Cover with crumbs and bake. Large ripe cuc.u.mbers are good prepared the same way. Only they should be peeled before steaming, and the seeds should be carefully removed. If a gravy could be made of stock and poured over the patties it would be liked by many.

42. Spanish Steak.

Pound thoroughly by means of a saucer a half cup of flour with a pound of round steak. Then over a hot fire quickly fry the steak and remove.

In the same pan fry two good-sized onions, thinly sliced, and half a dozen good-sized tomatoes and one large mango pepper. If the pepper is mild, add cayenne pepper. When the onions begin to get soft and the tomatoes to dry, add the meat. Cook very slowly until meat is tender.

One can use canned tomatoes very nicely for this. Cook onions and tomatoes and peppers together, with plenty of oil or crisco until they begin to thicken. Then add the meat. This is also a very satisfactory way of reserving cold steak or any kind of cold meat. After the tomato and onion mixture is well cooked, add the cold meat and heat up all together.

43. Spanish Welsh Rarebit.

Fry in plenty of oil or b.u.t.ter or crisco a large sliced onion. When onion is partly done, add a tin of tomato soup or a cupful of stewed strained tomatoes. Cook for a little while together, then add half a pound of sharp cheese, three or four pimentos, and a small tin of mushrooms; also add a tablespoonful of Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce. Cook all together slowly for a while, then pour over toast or crackers. This is also called "rinktum ditty."