Good Things to Eat as Suggested by Rufus Part 7

-MINCED CABBAGE---Wash a cabbage and lay in cold water for half an hour.

With a sharp knife cut it into strips or shreds, an inch long, then drop them into iced water. Beat a pint of cream very stiff. Drain the cabbage, sprinkle lightly with salt, and stir it into the whipped cream, turning and tossing until it is thoroughly coated with the white foam.

The cabbage should be tender and crisp for this dish.

-NUT HASH---Chop fine cold boiled potatoes and any other vegetables desired that happen to be on hand. Put them into a b.u.t.tered frying-pan and heat quickly and thoroughly, salt to taste, then just before serving stir in lightly a large spoonful of nut meal for each person to be served.

-PEANUT MEATOSE---Dissolve one cup of cornstarch in two cups of tomato juice, add two cups of peanut b.u.t.ter and two teaspoons of salt. Stir for five minutes, then pour into cans and steam for four or five hours.

-REMNANTS OF HAM WITH PEAS---Cut the ham into small cubes, measure and add an equal quant.i.ty of peas. In using canned peas rinse them well with cold water and drain. Mix the peas and ham and for one and one-half cups add a cup of white sauce seasoned with a teaspoon of lemon juice, a dash each of nutmeg and cayenne and salt to taste. Mix well and add one egg well beaten. Turn into a b.u.t.tered baking dish, cover with b.u.t.tered breadcrumbs and bake in a hot oven until well browned.

-SCOTCH SNIPE---Four slices bread b.u.t.tered, one-half box sardines (one-half pound size), five drops of onion juice, six drops lemon juice, few grains salt, two level teaspoons grated cheese, one tablespoon thick cream. Remove the skins and bones from the sardines, mince fine and add seasonings, cheese and cream. Mix to a paste, spread on bread and heat thoroughly in the oven.

-SQUASH FLOWER OMELET---Put to soak in cold water. Then boil about fifteen minutes, strain in a colander and cut up, not too fine. Now a regular omelet is made but fried in a little bit of olive oil instead of b.u.t.ter, and just before it is turned over the flowers are spread on top. Brown quick and turn out on a hot platter.

-VEGETABLE ROAST---Take cooked beans or peas, pa.s.s through a colander to remove the skins, and mix with an equal quant.i.ty of finely chopped nut meats. Season to taste. Put one-half the mixture into a b.u.t.tered baking dish, spread over it a dressing made as follows: Pour boiling water on four slices of zweiback, cover, let stand for a few minutes, then break them up with a fork and pour over one-half cup of sweet cream, season with salt and sage. Cover the dressing with the remainder of the nut mixture, pour over all one-half cup of cream, and bake for one and one-half hours. Serve in slices with cranberry sauce.

-WALNUT LOAF---One pint of dry breadcrumbs, one and one-half cups of chopped or ground nut meats, mix well with salt and sifted sage to suit the taste, add two tablespoons of b.u.t.ter, one beaten egg and sufficient boiling water to moisten. Form into a loaf and bake in a granite or earthen dish in a modern hot oven.

GAME, GRAVY AND GARNISHES

-ROASTED CANVAS-BACK DUCK---Procure a fine canvas-back duck, pick, singe, draw thoroughly and wipe; throw inside a light pinch of salt, run in the head from the end of the head to the back, press and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt, put in a brisk oven, and cook for eighteen minutes. Arrange on a very hot dish, untruss, throw in two tablespoons of white broth. Garnish with slices of fried hominy and currant jelly. Redhead and mallard ducks are prepared the same way.

-BROILED WILD DUCK---Pick, singe and draw well a pair of wild ducks, split them down the back without detaching, place them skin downwards on a dish, season with salt and pepper and pour over two tablespoons of oil. Boil the birds well in this marinade, place them on a broiler on a brisk fire, broil for seven minutes on each side. Place them on a hot dish and cover with maitre d'hotel b.u.t.ter, garnish with watercress, and serve.

-ROAST DUCK WITH ORANGE SAUCE---Sc.r.a.pe a tablespoonful each of fat, bacon, and raw onion and fry them together for five minutes. Add the juice of an orange and a wine-gla.s.sful of port wine, the drippings from the duck and seasoning of salt and pepper. Keep hot without boiling and serve with roast duck.

-CHICKEN GRAVY---Put into a stockpot the bones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of a fowl or chicken with a small quant.i.ty of stock and boil them. Add flour and b.u.t.ter to thicken it, and then place the pot on the side of the stove and let simmer. Stir well and after the gravy has simmered for some minutes skim and strain it, and it will be ready to serve.

-GRAVY FOR WILD FOWL---Put into a small saucepan a blade of mace, piece of lemon peel, two tablespoonfuls each of mushroom catsup, walnut catsup and strained lemon juice; two shallots cut in slices, two winegla.s.ses of port wine. Put the pan over the fire and boil the contents; then strain, add it to the gravy that has come from the wild fowl while roasting. If there is a large quant.i.ty of gravy less wine and catsup will be necessary.

-SALMI OF GAME---Cut cold roast partridges, grouse or quail into joints and lay aside while preparing the gravy. This is made of the bones, dressing, skin, and general odds and ends after the neatest pieces of the birds have been selected. Put this (the sc.r.a.ps) into a saucepan, with one small onion minced, and a bunch of sweet herbs, pour in a pint of water and whatever gravy may be left, and stew, closely covered, for nearly an hour. A few bits of pork should be added if there is no gravy.

Skim and strain, return to the fire, and add the juice of a half lemon, with a pinch of nutmeg, thicken with browned flour if the stuffing has not thickened it sufficiently, boil up and pour over the reserved meat, which should be put into another saucepan. Warm until smoking hot, but do not let it boil. Arrange the pieces of bird in heap upon a dish and pour the gravy over them.

LENTEN DISHES

-ORANGE FOOL---Take the juice of six oranges, six eggs well beaten, a pint of cream, quarter of a pound of sugar, little cinnamon and nutmeg.

Mix well together. Place over a slow fire and stir until thick, then add a small lump of b.u.t.ter.

-PLUM PORRIDGE---Take a gallon of water, half a pound of barley, quarter of a pound of raisins, and a quarter of a pound of currants. Boil until half the water is wasted. Sweeten to taste and add half pint of white wine.

-RICE SOUP---Boil two quarts of water and a pound of rice, with a little cinnamon, until the rice is tender. Take out the cinnamon and sweeten rice to taste. Grate half a nutmeg over it and let stand until it is cold. Then beat up the yolks of three eggs, with half a pint of white wine, mix well and stir into the rice. Set over a slow fire, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. When it is of good thickness it is ready to serve.

-RICE MILK---Boil half pound of rice in a quart of water, with a little cinnamon. Let it boil until the water is wasted, taking great care it does not burn. Then add three pints of milk and the yolk of an egg. Beat up and sweeten to taste.

-FORCED MEAT b.a.l.l.s FOR TURTLE SOUP---Cut off a very small part of the vealy part of a turtle, mince it very fine and mix it with a very small quant.i.ty of boned anchovy and boiled celery, the yolks of one or two hard-boiled eggs, and two tablespoons of sifted breadcrumbs, with mace, cayenne pepper and salt to taste, a small quant.i.ty of warm b.u.t.ter, and well beaten egg. Form the paste into b.a.l.l.s, plunge them into a frying-pan of boiling b.u.t.ter or fat, fry them to a good color, and they are ready. They should be added to the soup hot.

-TRUFFLES FOR GARNISH---Choose large round truffles, wash them thoroughly and peel them, and put the required number into a saucepan, pour over them enough chicken broth or champagne to nearly cover them, add an onion stuck with three or four cloves, a clove of garlic, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a little of the skimmings of the chicken broth or fat. Place the pan on the fire and boil for fifteen minutes with the lid on, then remove from the fire, and let the truffles cool in their liquor. Remove them, drain, and they are ready for use. Another way to fix them is to boil them ten minutes and cut them into various shapes.

The tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs from them as well as the liquor may be used in making sauce.

-FRIED PARSLEY---Carefully pick the stems from the parsley, dry it on a cloth, put into a frying basket, then into hot fat. Be careful that the fat is not too hot. Fry for a few minutes.

-BEEF MARROW QUENELLES---Put one-half pound beef marrow into a basin, with an equal quant.i.ty of breadcrumbs, add two tablespoons of flour; salt and pepper to taste. Work it into a smooth paste with the yolks of six eggs and the whites of one. Take it out a little at a time and poach in boiling salted water, drain, trim, and serve very hot.

-CALF'S LIVER QUENELLES---Steep a thick layer of bread in milk, until well soaked, then squeeze and mix with half a pound of finely ground calf's liver, and season with parsley, chives and lemon peel in small quant.i.ties, and all finely ground. Dust in salt and pepper and a tablespoonful of flour. Bind the mixture with beaten eggs. Divide the mixture with a tablespoon into small quant.i.ties and shape each one like an oval. Plunge the ovals into a saucepan of boiling water and boil for a half an hour. Chop some bacon, place it in a frying-pan with a lump of b.u.t.ter and fry until brown. When the quenelles are cooked pour the hot bacon and fat over them, and serve.

-CHICKEN QUENELLES---Mix together one teacupful each of breadcrumbs and finely pounded cooked chicken. Season highly with salt and cayenne and bind with raw egg yolks. Mold into pieces about the size and shape of an olive, between two spoons. Roll in egg and cracker dust and fry them, or poach them in boiling broth or water until they float, and use them as desired.

MISCELLANEOUS

-BEAUREGARD EGGS---Two level tablespoons b.u.t.ter, two level tablespoons flour, one-half level teaspoon salt, one cup milk, four hard-boiled eggs. Make a white sauce of the b.u.t.ter, flour, salt and milk, and add the whites of the eggs chopped fine. Cut b.u.t.tered toast in pointed pieces and arrange on a hot plate to form daisy petals. Cover with the sauce and put the egg yolks through a ricer into the center.

-EGG AND POTATO SCALLOP---Fill a b.u.t.tered baking dish with alternate layers of cold boiled potatoes sliced thin, hard-boiled eggs also sliced, and a rich white sauce poured over each layer. Cover the top with b.u.t.tered crumbs and set in the oven until the crumbs are browned.

-EGGS SCRAMBLED IN MILK---Half pint of milk, five eggs. Heat the milk in a saucepan and when it is just at the boiling point stir in the eggs, which should have been beaten enough to mix them thoroughly. Stir steadily until they thicken, add a half teaspoonful of salt and serve at once.