money-saving
MAIN DISHES
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Home and Garden Bulletin No. 43
Contents
Page
What shall we have for dinner 3
Meat 6
Poultry 15
Cooked and canned meats and poultry 18
Fish 23
Eggs 28
Cheese and milk 33
Dry beans and peas 36
Bread and other cereal foods 40
Lunch-box main dishes 44
Human Nutrition Research Division
and
Consumer and Food Economics Research Division
Agricultural Research Service
US. Department of Agriculture
Washington 25, DC
February 1955
Slightly revised October 1962
This bulletin is a revision of and supersedes Leaflet No. 289.
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US. Government Printing
Office
Washington 25, DC.—Price 20 cents
What shall we have for dinner ...
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This is easy to answer after you have decided on the main dish.
The main dish is especially important in meal planning. It is the hub
around which the rest of the meal is built, and often it carries a large
proportion of the cost of the meal. Usually the main dish is the main
source of protein—so essential to building and repairing body tissues.
In this booklet are recipes and suggestions for about 150 main
dishes—easy to make, hearty, and economical. Most of the dishes give
four liberal servings; a few provide more.
Most of these main dishes furnish about a fourth of the day’s needs for
protein. For those that provide less, additional protein foods are
specified in the menu suggestion following the recipe. Or you may prefer
to increase the amount of protein-rich food in the main dish—by adding
more meat, for instance, to a main-dish soup, salad, or casserole. The
rest of the day’s protein will come from milk used as a beverage, and
from cereals, bread, and other foods eaten as part of the day’s meals.
You get top-rating proteins (as well as other important nutrients) in
foods from animal sources, as in meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk,
cheese. Some of these protein foods are needed each day; and it is an
advantage to include some in each meal.
Next best for proteins are soybeans and nuts and dry beans and peas.
When these or grain products are featured in main dishes, try to combine
them with a little top-rating protein food, if you can.
No one food is exactly like any other food and no food is complete in
all nutrients. Milk products are high in calcium; meats are low. Meat,
poultry, eggs, and beans are good sources of iron; milk is low in it.
One kind of B vitamin abounds in meats, another in milk, and a third in
whole grains. The best way to be sure of a good diet is to use a variety
of main dishes and wide choices of other foods to complete the meal.
Main-dish Proteins From a Variety of Sources
To supply a fourth of the day’s protein requirement, a main dish for a
family of four must contain about 2 ounces of protein. Although this
averages ½ ounce (15 grams) per person, it will not necessarily be
divided equally among the family members—men and teen-age boys and girls
will need somewhat more; women and younger children, somewhat less.
There follows a list of foods commonly used in main dishes, together
with the quantity needed to provide the ½ ounce of protein.
Approximate Amounts of Some Foods That Provide About ½ Ounce (15 grams)
Protein
_As purchased_
Meat:
Cuts with only small amounts of 3 ounces
bone or visible fat (as beef stew
meat, veal cutlet, rolled rib
roast, round steak, boned rump
roast, tongue)
Cuts with moderate amount of bone 4 ounces
and visible fat (as standing rib
roast, rump roast with bone, lamb
shoulder roast, pork chops)
Cuts with much fat or bone (such 5 ounces or more
as bacon, pork sausage, spareribs)
Luncheon-meat mixtures (as bologna, 3½ ounces
frankfurters)
Chicken (as roasters, stewing hens):
Whole, dressed (with head, feet, 4 to 5 ounces
bone, viscera weighed in)
Ready-to-cook (head, feet, viscera 3 to 4 ounces
removed)
Canned or boneless, lean 2 ounces
Turkey:
Whole, dressed (with head, feet, 4 ounces
bone, viscera weighed in)
Ready-to-cook (head, feet, viscera 3½ ounces
removed)
Fish, canned or boneless (as salmon, 2½ ounces
tuna)
Eggs, in shell 4½ ounces (2 large or 2½
medium-size)
Milk:
Fresh, whole or skim, or buttermilk 14½ ounces (1¾ cups)
Evaporated 7 ounces (⅞ cup)
Dry, nonfat 1½ ounces (5½ tablespoons)
Cheese:
Cheddar 2 ounces (½ cup, grated)
Cottage 2½ ounces (5 tablespoons)
Peanut butter 2 ounces (4 tablespoons)
Dry beans, except soybeans (as lima, 2½ ounces (about ⅓ cup)
navy, kidney)
Soybeans, dry 1½ ounces (about 3
tablespoons)
A Daily Food Guide
As you plan your main dishes, do your overall menu planning too, keeping
in mind the different kinds of foods that are needed for an adequate
diet. Plan to serve foods from each of these four groups every day:
• Milk group—milk in all forms (fluid whole or skim, evaporated, dry,
buttermilk). For children, the equivalent of 3 or more cups of fluid
milk daily; for teenagers, 4 or more cups; for adults, 2 or more cups.
• Meat group—meat, poultry, fish, eggs; as alternates, dry beans,
peas, and lentils; nuts, peanuts, peanut butter. Two or more servings
daily.
• Vegetable-fruit group—vegetables and fruits of all kinds. Four or
more servings, including a citrus fruit or other fruit or vegetable
important for vitamin C daily and a dark-green or deep-yellow
vegetable for vitamin A at least every other day.
• Bread-cereal group—all breads and cereals that are whole grain,
enriched, or restored. Four or more servings daily.
Other foods—the fats and oils, sugars, and unenriched cereal products
used in cooking or added to foods at the table—will help to round out
meals and satisfy appetites.
Looking at our national diet, we find that nearly half of our protein
comes from the meat group. But about a fifth comes from bread and other
cereal foods. And the milk group provides about a fourth.
We can then rely on these three food groups to provide the protein of
our main dishes. We need not have protein-deficient diets even if we
economize on meat. For we can get protein from other foods, using them
as suggested in the money-saving recipes given in this booklet.
Meals to Suit the Family
Foods to serve with the main dishes are suggested at the end of each
recipe. Choices will depend on available supplies, cost, the season, and
what the family likes. If the protein in the main dish is limited, care
should be taken to include in the meal the other protein-rich foods
suggested in the menu (such as salads or desserts containing egg or
milk) or dishes equally high in protein, to raise the total protein for
the meal.
In some homes, noon is the time for the big meal of the day. In others,
only at night can the family gather around the dinner table. In still
others, where everyone is physically active, a big meal is needed both
noon and night, and perhaps also at breakfast. But whenever the meal,
the hearty dishes described in this booklet will help you to use a
variety of economical foods to supply the protein your family needs.
If you cannot use the recipe exactly as stated, perhaps one of the
suggested variations will be suited to the foods you have at hand, your
family preferences, or the facilities you have for cooking.
Meat ...
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Meat is too valuable, for its flavor and its protein, iron, and B
vitamins, to waste any of it. Part of the cook’s skill is to make good
use of every bit.
Cook meat bones with beans or soup to extract all possible flavor, and
nutrients too.
Use rendered fats in gravies and sauces and ground cracklings in quick
breads.
The following information on the yield from various cuts of meat will
help you decide how much to buy to get enough lean meat for a main-dish
serving. It will also help you figure the cost per serving.
_Much bone or gristle_—a pound yields 1 to 2 servings. Examples are
shank, brisket, plate, short ribs, spareribs, breast of lamb or veal.
_Medium amount of bone_—a pound yields 2 to 3 servings. Examples are
whole or end cuts of beef round, veal leg or shoulder, ham with bone in;
also steaks, chops, or roasts from the loin, rump, rib sections, or
chuck.
_Little bone_—a pound yields 3 to 4 servings. Examples are center cuts
of beef round, or ham; also lamb or veal cutlets.
_No bone_—a pound yields 4 to 5 servings. Examples are ground meat,
boneless stew meats, liver or other variety or boneless meats.
Buying Meat
Homemakers who are after good buys at the meat counter will consider the
grade and the cut.
Federal grades of beef usually found on the market are Prime, Choice,
Good, Standard, and Commercial. Markets vary in the grades of beef
carried and may offer only one or two, as for example, U. S. Choice and
U. S. Good. The lower grades cost less per pound than similar cuts of
higher grades and usually contain more lean. Beef is the meat most often
sold with a U. S. Grade stamp, but lamb, mutton, veal, and calf are
sometimes federally graded. Pork usually is not graded.
The cut refers to the part of the animal from which the meat comes. The
buyer can usually save money by using the less tender cuts of beef and
the less popular cuts of pork, lamb, and veal. These cuts cost less per
pound but provide the same valuable protein as the more expensive cuts.
Variety meats, such as liver, heart, and kidney, also provide high
return in nutrition for money spent.
In comparing costs, consideration must be given to the amount of bone,
fat, and gristle because they affect the cost of the lean edible
portion.
It pays to buy the cuts best suited to the cooking methods you use. Do
you know what to choose for pot roasts, stews, and soups? Here is a
handy guide.
For pot roasts, Swiss steaks, smothered steaks, other braised
meats.—Beef round, rump, sirloin tip, flank, chuck, short ribs, heart,
and liver. Spareribs and ham hocks. Pork liver and heart. Thick pork
chops or ham slices or shoulder steaks. Lamb shoulder, neck, breast,
shanks, heart, and liver. Veal round, rump, shoulder, and heart.
For stews, soups, or to cook before creaming or frying.—Beef, lamb, or
veal neck. Beef plate and brisket (fresh or corned). Tongue (fresh or
smoked). Veal or lamb shanks, kidneys, brains. Pork kidneys and brains.
Veal, lamb, or beef sweetbreads.
To Make Meat Tender
Good cooking can help make any cut of meat a favorite main dish with the
family. Here are some of the methods that skillful cooks use for less
tender cuts:
Long, slow cooking, as for braised meats and stews.—For extra flavor
first brown meat in a little fat. To braise, use little or no liquid
except the juices that cook from the meat. Cook, closely covered, with
low heat. To stew, add water to partially cover meat, cover kettle, and
simmer.
Chopping, pounding, scoring.—The foodchopper helps make meat tender.
After chopping, any meat cooks as quickly as a tender cut. Pounding, or
scoring with a knife, before cooking is similar in effect to chopping
but tenderizes meat less.
Seasonings
Meat itself is usually flavoring enough for the main dish. It is often
browned in a little fat to develop its flavor. In combination dishes,
highly flavored or cured meats such as ham, dried beef, corned beef, and
sausage may lend more flavor than fresh meat.
When the meat is limited, other foods will add zest and additional food
values. Tomatoes, onions, parsley, chives, green peppers, celery, sour
cream, lemon, nippy or smoked cheese—all contribute in both ways.
Other seasonings your family may enjoy with meat are bay leaf, catsup,
chili, curry, garlic, marjoram, paprika, sage, soy sauce, sweet basil,
tabasco sauce, thyme, worcestershire sauce. Since these are used in
small quantities, they are not expensive in the long run.
Seasoning is especially important for meat-extending dishes. Meat loaves
and other dishes which combine meat with bland foods such as macaroni,
rice, or potatoes depend on skillful seasoning for their goodness.
A “boiled” dinner
2 pounds spareribs
1½ cups hot water
4 medium-sized potatoes, pared and halved
1½ cups canned or cooked green snap beans and liquid
Salt and pepper
Brown spareribs in fry pan without added fat. Add water and simmer about
1 hour.
Add potatoes to meat and cook until tender—about 25 minutes.
Add beans and liquid the last 10 minutes of cooking. If raw beans are
used, add with potatoes.
Season with salt and pepper. Skim off excess fat before serving.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with crisp lettuce, tomato, and celery salad, and apple betty with
lemon sauce for dessert.
For Variety
_Beef short ribs_ may be used with longer cooking.
_Corned beef, meaty ham hock, or ham bone_ may be used in place of the
spareribs. Cover with water and simmer about 3 hours or until tender.
Omit salt, and continue as above. Good with sauerkraut.
_A variety of vegetables_ may be used in a “boiled” dinner. In addition
to potatoes, use onions, large pieces of carrot, and wedges of cabbage.
Add cabbage about 20 minutes before serving, as it cooks more quickly
than the other vegetables.
Scotch meat patties
¾ pound ground beef
⅓ cup milk
¾ cup quick-cooking oats
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cooking fat or oil
1 cup water
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon flour
Combine meat, milk, oats, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Make very thin
patties; brown on both sides in the fat or oil in a fry pan.
Add water and vegetables; season with worcestershire sauce, salt, and
pepper. Cook covered over low heat 30 minutes.
Blend flour with a little cold water, add slowly to the mixture, and
cook until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with candied sweetpotatoes, cabbage and carrot salad, with fruit
and cookies for dessert.
For Variety
_Meat Balls and Tomato Sauce._—Form the meat mixture into small balls
and brown in fat. Remove from pan and brown the vegetables in the fat.
Add ½ cup water and ½ cup tomato paste. Add meat balls and seasonings
and cook covered over low heat. Thickening may not be needed. Serve over
spaghetti.
Kidney stew
¾ pound veal or lamb kidneys
1½ cups diced potato
1 small onion, sliced
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flour
1 egg yolk
Chopped parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cut the kidneys in half and wash well. Remove skin, blood vessels,
connective tissue, and fat.
Cover kidneys with cold water, heat slowly to boiling, discard the
water, and repeat the process until there is no strong odor and no scum
on the water. Add about 1 quart fresh water and simmer kidneys until
tender. Remove kidneys from broth and cut into small pieces.
Cook potato and onion in the broth. Add kidneys and salt.
Blend a little water with the flour, stir into broth. Cook a few minutes
to thicken.
Stir some of the stew into the beaten egg yolk. Mix all together and add
parsley and lemon juice. The heat of the stew will cook the eggs
sufficiently.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with a green or yellow vegetable, apple and raisin salad, cookies
or cake for dessert.
For Variety
_Beef kidney_ may be used in place of veal or lamb if desired.
Soy meat loaf
¾ pound chopped meat
1½ cups vegetable liquid, tomato juice, or milk
2 ounces salt pork, diced (about ⅓ cup)
2 tablespoons chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
¾ cup soy grits
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons salt
¾ cup breadcrumbs
⅛ teaspoon pepper
Select one kind of meat or a mixture of two or more kinds.
Blend vegetable liquid, tomato juice, or milk with the meat.
Fry salt pork until crisp and remove from fat. Cook onion and celery in
the fat for a few minutes.
Add all the ingredients to the meat and mix well.
Shape the mixture into a loaf and place on heavy brown paper on a rack
in an uncovered pan.
Bake loaf at 350° F. (moderate oven) until well done and brown—about 1
hour.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with baked potatoes or squash, peas, and green salad, with apple
crisp or peach cobbler for dessert.
For Variety
To vary the flavor, serve the loaf with brown gravy or tomato sauce.
Sweet-sour spareribs, Chinese style
2 pounds spareribs
1½ cups water
¼ cup raisins
½ teaspoon salt
2 green peppers, cut in 6 pieces each
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup vinegar
Soy sauce
Cut spareribs into serving portions and brown in a fry pan over moderate
heat—about 5 minutes on each side.
Add ½ cup of the water, the raisins, and salt.
Cover pan tightly and cook over very low heat 20 minutes.
Add green peppers. Stir in cornstarch blended with sugar, vinegar, and 1
cup of water.
Cover and continue cooking over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir
occasionally and add more water as needed to prevent drying. Before
serving add soy sauce to taste.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with rice or hominy grits and a green salad. For dessert, have
fresh or baked fruit.
Spareribs in Another Way
_Baked Spareribs._—Bake spareribs at 350° F. (moderate oven) until the
meat is tender—about 1½ hours. Baste several times with a barbecue
sauce, if desired.
Pork shoulder with savory stuffing
Remove the bones and any skin from a 5- to 6-pound fresh pork shoulder.
Sprinkle meat on inside with salt and pepper, and pile in some of the
stuffing. Begin to sew edges of shoulder together to form a pocket, and
gradually work in the rest of the stuffing. Do not pack tightly.
Sprinkle outside of shoulder with salt and pepper, and if desired with
flour also.
Place the roast, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow uncovered pan.
Roast without water at 350° F. (moderate oven) until tender—about 4
hours for a 5-pound shoulder. Turn roast occasionally. Remove strings
before serving.
_Serve with_ sweetpotatoes, fried apples, celery salad, and raisin pie.
Savory Stuffing
¼ cup diced celery and leaves
1 tablespoon diced onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons cooking fat or oil
2 cups soft breadcrumbs
¼ teaspoon savory seasoning
Salt and pepper
Cook celery, onion, and parsley in fat or oil for a few minutes.
Add breadcrumbs and seasonings and stir until well mixed. This stuffing
may be used with other meats and with poultry. Sausage, chopped tart
apples, or chopped nut meats may be added.
Swiss steak
1 pound beef or veal rump or round, cut about 1 inch thick
Salt and pepper
Flour
Cooking fat or oil
2 cups cooked or canned tomatoes or tomato juice
Season meat with salt and pepper, sprinkle with flour. Pounding helps
make the meat tender.
Cut meat into serving pieces and brown in a little fat or oil.
Add tomatoes or juice, cover, and simmer gently until meat is
tender—about 1½ hours.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with mashed potatoes, corn, lettuce salad, and prune whip.
For Variety
_Swiss Steak With Brown Gravy._—Use water instead of tomatoes. When
done, remove meat, add water if needed to make 1 cup total liquid, and
if necessary thicken with flour blended with cold water.
_Swiss Steak, Onion Gravy._—Add 2 cups sliced onions to Swiss Steak With
Brown Gravy during the last half hour of cooking.
_Spanish Steak._—Follow recipe for Swiss Steak, using ¾ pound meat.
Brown ½ cup chopped onion and 1 chopped green pepper in fat. Cook 1 cup
macaroni in boiling salted water. Mix macaroni, onions, and pepper with
the tomato sauce and serve over meat.
Sausage with sweetpotato and apple
½ pound sausage
2 medium-sized sweetpotatoes
3 medium-sized apples
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup cold water
1 tablespoon sausage drippings
Cut link sausage into ½-inch pieces.
Fry until well done. If bulk sausage is used, shape it into small balls
before frying or break it up as it cooks.
Pare and slice potatoes and apples.
Mix salt, flour, and sugar together and blend with cold water.
Arrange layers of potatoes, apples, and sausage in a baking dish,
pouring flour-sugar mixture over each layer. Top with apples and
sausage, and add drippings.
Cover; bake at 375° F. (moderate oven) until apples and potatoes are
tender—about 45 minutes.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with a crisp green salad. For dessert have a well-chilled creamy
rice pudding made with eggs and milk to supplement the protein from the
small serving of meat. If you double the amount of sausage in the main
dish, you will not need to choose a dessert that supplies additional
protein.
For Variety
Replace the sausage with thin slices of smoked pork shoulder, or thin
shoulder pork chops, well browned.
Main-dish soup
3 or 4 pounds meaty soupbones (beef or veal shank or shortribs)
Drippings or other fat
Bay leaf, if desired
3 cups diced vegetables
Salt and pepper
Have bones cracked and remove small slivers. Brown in fat in a large
kettle. Cover with water, add bay leaf, and simmer until meat is tender
enough to fall from bones—3 to 4 hours.
Add vegetables such as onion, carrots, and potatoes during the last half
hour of cooking.
Remove bones from broth. Cut up meat and add to the soup. Season to
taste.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with green salad and fruit pie. If there isn’t much meat, serve
cottage cheese salad or serve cheese with pie.
For Variety
_Onion Soup._—Omit other vegetables. Slice 4 medium-sized onions and
brown in drippings before adding to the meat broth. Serve piping hot,
topped with toasted bread sprinkled with grated cheese—the traditional
French way of serving.
_Beet Soup._—To 1 quart broth and meat add 2 large beets, grated or
ground, 1 cup chopped cabbage, and 2 chopped onions. Simmer until
vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Top each serving
with sour cream.
Brown beef stew
1 pound boneless stewing beef
Salt and pepper
Flour
Drippings or other fat
1½ cups water
3 potatoes, diced
2 onions, sliced
3 carrots, diced
1 cup raw snap beans
Cut meat into inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll in flour,
and brown in the fat.
Add water, cover, and simmer until almost tender—2 to 3 hours.
Add vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and continue to simmer,
covered, until vegetables are done. Stir occasionally.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with coleslaw or green salad, and a baked pear or peach for
dessert.
For Variety
_Green-Tomato Stew._—Use ½ chopped onion in place of sliced ones. Brown
with the meat. Use 2 medium-sized green tomatoes, quartered, instead of
beans.
_Lamb or Veal Stew._—Use breast or neck of lamb or veal in place of beef
and ½ cup diced turnips instead of beans.
_Quick Stew With Hamburger._—Use hamburger in place of stewing meat.
Brown the meat, add vegetables and water and simmer. The stew will be
done in half an hour or less.
Meat-potatoburgers
¾ pound chopped raw beef
¾ cup chopped or coarsely grated raw potato
¼ cup chopped or grated onion
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Drippings or other fat or oil
1 cup tomato juice or puree
1 tablespoon flour
Mix all ingredients except fat, tomato juice, and flour. Form into 4 or
5 flat cakes.
Brown the cakes on both sides in fat or oil in a fry pan. Add tomato
juice, cover, and simmer slowly until done, about 25 minutes.
Remove cakes and keep them hot. Mix flour with a little water and stir
slowly into the liquid in the pan. Cook until thickened, stirring
occasionally. Serve this sauce with the cakes.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with mashed or buttered squash and apple-celery-raisin salad. Add
protein to the meal with peanut butter cookies or cheese and crackers
for dessert.
With Cooked Meat and Potatoes
_Meat and Potato Cakes._—Combine 1½ cups diced or chopped cooked meat, 2
cups mashed potatoes, 1 egg, and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Mold
into flat cakes, flour lightly, and brown in a little hot fat or oil.
Ham and scalloped potatoes
4 medium-sized potatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon grated onion
2 cups hot milk
½ pound thinly sliced ham, cut in serving pieces
Salt, pepper
Put half of the potatoes into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with half
the onion, a little salt, and pepper. Use salt sparingly.
Add ham. Cover with rest of potatoes, seasonings, and onion.
Add milk until it barely shows between the potato slices on top. Save
rest of milk to add during cooking if needed.
Cover dish and bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) about 1 hour. Remove
cover last 15 or 20 minutes to allow potatoes to brown on top.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with tomato juice, snap beans, and cabbage salad. Choose a fruit
dessert such as dried-fruit whip.
Other Potato-Meat Dishes
Use ham trimmings, cheese, roast meat, chipped dried beef, frankfurters,
or corned beef in place of ham in the recipe above.
_Mashed Potato-Meat Pie._—Moisten leftover mashed potatoes with hot milk
and beat until fluffy. Put a meat stew in a baking dish, top with the
potatoes, and brown lightly at 400° F. (hot oven).
Liver loaf
1½ pounds liver
2 tablespoons fat or meat drippings
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ pound pork sausage
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup soft breadcrumbs, mashed potatoes, or cooked rice
1 egg, beaten
About ⅔ cup milk or canned tomatoes
Brown the liver lightly in the fat. Chop fine.
Brown the onion and celery in the fat and add to the liver.
Add the rest of the ingredients, using just enough milk or tomatoes to
moisten the mixture well.
Pack firmly into a loaf pan to shape. Bake in the pan or turn out on a
rack in a shallow pan for baking. Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) 1½ to
2 hours.
Menu Suggestion
Serve the loaf with spanish sauce (see recipe), buttered carrots, tossed
green salad, and ice cream or fruit gelatin.
Spanish sauce
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons fat or meat drippings
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups cooked tomatoes
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped green pepper
Salt and pepper
Brown the onion in the fat and blend in the flour. Add the other
ingredients and cook about 20 minutes, or until rather thick.
Tongue-and-corn casserole
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped pimiento
3½ tablespoons flour
1¼ cups milk, broth from tongue, or water with 2 beef bouillon cubes
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups chopped cooked tongue
1⅓ cups whole-grain corn, drained
⅓ cup grated cheese
¼ cup fine dry breadcrumbs mixed with butter or margarine
Melt butter or margarine and blend in flour and salt. Stir in the
liquid, and cook and stir over low heat until thick and smooth.
Add rest of ingredients except breadcrumbs, and mix well.
Turn the mixture into a greased shallow baking dish and sprinkle top
with crumbs.
Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) 20 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is
bubbly and crumbs are brown.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with raw cranberry relish and Swiss chard or kale, with pumpkin
custard for dessert.
For Variety
In place of tongue use 1½ cups of chopped cooked meat such as chicken,
turkey, or rabbit—or 4 frankfurters cut in thin crosswise slices. Brown
the meat lightly in the butter or margarine before adding the flour,
salt, and pepper.
Poultry ...
[Illustration: uncaptioned]
Like other meats, poultry has protein of high quality and is a good
source of iron and the B vitamin niacin.
In retail markets poultry is usually sold “ready-to-cook”; occasionally,
“dressed” or live. Ready-to-cook style comes either whole or cut up, and
either freshly eviscerated or frozen; some is labeled to show government
inspection and grading, some inspection only.
“Dressed” means that only blood and feathers have been removed.
“Ready-to-cook” means that blood, feathers, head, feet, and viscera have
been removed, and the bird has been thoroughly cleaned inside and out.
Price per pound of a dressed bird includes weight of head, feet, and
viscera. A ready-to-cook bird is weighed and priced after this waste is
removed. Therefore, though the price per pound is lower for the dressed
bird, the cost per pound of actual poultry meat is about the same in the
two styles.
Most chickens are sold in the following classes at these ages and
weights:
Class Age Ready-to-cook weight
_Pounds_
Broilers or fryers 8 to 10 weeks 1½ to 2½.
Roasters 3 to 5 months 2½ to 4½.
Stewing chickens over 10 months 2 to 5½.
Stewing chickens—sometimes called “fowl” or “hens”—are hens old enough
so that the tip of the breastbone has hardened. They need long slow
cooking with steam or water to make the meat tender. They are often a
good buy because they tend to have a higher proportion of meat to bone
than younger chickens. A 5-pound dressed hen (3¾ pounds ready-to-cook)
will give about 4 cups cooked meat coarsely cut, enough for at least two
meals for a family of four if extended dishes are used—10 to 11 servings
each containing 2 ounces of chicken.
Turkeys are sold in three classes based on weight and age: (1) Fryers or
roasters, (2) young hens and young toms, (3) hens and toms. A
fryer-roaster turkey, or a quarter or half of a larger turkey is often
an economical roast, and can be made as attractive as the traditional
big bird.
Stewed or steamed whole chicken
Prepare a fully drawn stewing chicken for cooking: Pull out pin-feathers
and singe bird over flame; wash well, rinse, and dry. Clean giblets.
_Stewed Whole Chicken._—Place the bird on a rack in a kettle and add
water to half cover bird. Salt water lightly. Cover kettle and simmer
until chicken is tender, turning occasionally for even cooking. Three to
4 hours will probably be needed.
Cook giblets with the chicken, removing them as soon as done.
Cool chicken in broth, breast down, an hour or more.
The cooked whole bird may be browned with or without stuffing. Coat it
with fat, place it breast up on a rack in a shallow open pan, and brown
at about 350° F. (moderate oven).
_Steamed Whole Chicken._—Follow the same general directions as for
stewing, but add water only to the level of the rack in the kettle and
keep the bird breast up all the time. As the water boils away, add more.
Steaming time will be 2 to 3 hours.
Stewed or Steamed Chicken, in Pieces
Cut a stewing chicken into pieces suitable for serving. Simmer in water
to cover, or steam. Pieces take about as long to cook as a whole bird.
Chicken with dumplings
1 stewing chicken cut in pieces and stewed
3 to 4 cups broth
6 tablespoons chicken fat
3 to 6 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper
Remove pieces of chicken from the broth and keep them hot. Skim fat from
broth.
Blend fat and flour, stir in several spoonfuls of the broth, and pour
the mixture into the rest of the broth, stirring constantly.
Cook this gravy until it is slightly thickened. Season to taste.
Dumplings
¾ cup sifted flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
⅓ cup milk
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.
Beat egg, add milk, and mix with the dry ingredients.
Drop by small spoonfuls on boiling chicken gravy, cover tightly, and
cook 15 minutes. The cover must not be removed while the dumplings are
cooking, for if the steam escapes they will not be light.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with broccoli or other green vegetable, gelatin vegetable salad,
date-and-nut pudding.
Curried chicken with carrots
1 stewing chicken cut in pieces and stewed or steamed
3 tablespoons chicken fat
1 pint chicken broth
½ cup sliced onion
3 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon curry powder
2 cups cooked shredded carrots
Salt
Take cooked chicken from the broth. Skim off fat and measure quantities
of fat and broth needed.
Make sauce: Cook onion in fat for a few minutes. Blend in flour and
curry powder. Add broth, and cook until smooth and thickened, stirring
constantly.
Mix chicken and carrots with sauce. Add salt to taste.
Leftover cooked lamb, pork, or veal may be used instead of chicken.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with a border of flaky rice and a green vegetable. Start the meal
with tomato juice and have fruit sundae for dessert.
For a company meal pass a relish dish of several of the following:
Chopped hard-cooked eggs, chopped peanuts, sweet pickle relish, finely
diced celery, chopped raw onion. Include shredded fresh coconut, too, if
you live where it is available and inexpensive. Guests can sprinkle
these tidbits over the rice and chicken as desired.
Roast turkey quarter or half
You can roast turkey quarters or halves stuffed or unstuffed.
Rub inside of cleaned turkey part with salt. To keep meat from drying,
fasten skin with skewers over meat at bone edge all around cavity. Or
with big needle and heavy cord, lace across cavity, catching the skin
with each stitch.
On a front quarter or half, sew wing tightly to body or fasten with
skewers put in firmly at an angle. On a rear quarter or half, sew
drumstick to tail.
Stuffing may be baked separately while the turkey cooks or, if
preferred, quarters or halves may be stuffed and then roasted. Use heavy
paper to hold stuffing in place and lace cord across paper from side to
side, catching skin with each stitch.
Place turkey part, skin side up, on a rack in roasting pan. Cover with
thin greased cloth or brush skin with fat. Do not add water. Do not
cover pan. Roast at 325° F. (slow oven), basting several times with
drippings.
Quarters weighing 3½ to 5 pounds require 3 to 3½ hours to roast; those
weighing 5 to 8 pounds, 3½ to 4 hours. A half turkey weighing 7 to 9
pounds ready-to-cook takes 3¾ to 4½ hours. A larger half-bird takes
longer.
_Serve with_ mashed potatoes or turnips, snap beans, cranberry relish,
and fruit or fruit pie.
Cooked and canned meats and poultry ...
[Illustration: uncaptioned]
You can often save time and money by purchasing meat that will serve for
two or more meals. Buy a smoked pork shoulder, a pot roast, or a stewing
hen and plan your menus for several days around it.
Since meat is one of our more expensive foods, you may want to economize
by reducing the size of meat servings. But meat is one of our best-liked
foods. We want to keep the savory meat flavor in main dishes and provide
enough protein in the family diet, too. Fortunately, both economy and
sturdy meat servings can be achieved by wise use of meat-extending main
dishes, using cooked and canned meats.
Least expensive of the meat extenders are the cereal foods—breadcrumbs
in meat loaf, biscuit topping on a chicken pie, macaroni with meat in
Italian-style dishes, rice cooked in chicken stock as in chicken
risotto. The meat protein supplements the protein in the cereals and the
result is a nutritious main dish.
Or you may want to extend a comparatively small amount of cooked meat
with other high-protein foods such as milk, eggs, or cheese. These are
the makings of such main dishes as creamed lamb, ham and egg scramble,
or a beef and vegetable casserole with grated cheese on top.
When there is too little meat left for the basis of a main dish, use
these small amounts for flavor and whatever protein they give. Try bits
of cooked meats or poultry to season scalloped potatoes, macaroni,
soups, salads, or sandwich spreads. Chop crusty brown chicken or turkey
skin and add to gravy or a casserole mixture.
Some of the cooked luncheon meats are relatively low-priced and are as
protein-rich as many of the more expensive meats. For example, a pound
of bologna has as much protein as a pound of smoked ham and even a
little more than a pound of beef with a moderate amount of bone and fat.
Some of the canned meats provide economical main dishes, too, especially
when extended with other foods.
Cool quickly any leftover meat, broth, or gravy (set pan in iced or very
cold water); refrigerate at once. Store in the coldest part of the
refrigerator. Cooked meat loses flavor quickly; cover or wrap loosely
and plan to use within 1 or 2 days. Broth, gravy, and sauce made with
meat are highly perishable. Store these covered and use within 1 or 2
days.
On the following pages are suggestions for extended dishes using cooked
and canned meat and poultry. Other recipes will be found in the section
on cereal foods.
Browned hash
1½ cups chopped cooked meat
3 cups chopped cooked potatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
Broth or milk
Seasoning to taste
The meat, potatoes, and onion may be chopped by hand or put through the
food chopper, depending on the texture desired. Mix meat, potatoes, and
onion thoroughly. Moisten with a little broth or milk, if desired, and
season to taste. Spread mixture in an even layer in a lightly greased
fry pan.
Cook slowly until browned on the bottom. If desired, turn and brown on
the other side.
Turn hash out on a platter and garnish with parsley.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with cream of tomato soup, cooked green cabbage with grated
cheese, and baked apple.
For Variety
_Hash Cakes._—Make the meat and vegetable mixture into flat cakes and
fry slowly on both sides until crusty.
_Pork and Potato Fry._—Chop 1½ cups canned cured pork loaf and brown it
lightly in a fry pan. Add 3 cups sliced or diced cooked potatoes and
cook until brown on one side. Turn and brown on the other side.
Chop suey
1 medium-sized onion, sliced thin
1 green pepper, cut in slivers
1½ tablespoons cooking fat or oil
1½ cups celery, cut in slivers
2 hard tart apples
1 cup thin gravy or broth
1½ cups cooked and diced lean pork
Soy sauce and salt
Brown onion and green pepper in fat or oil.
Mix in the celery and the apple cut into small thin slices.
Add gravy or meat broth. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
Add meat and season to taste with soy sauce and salt. If desired,
thicken with a little cornstarch mixed with water.
Heat thoroughly.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with flaky cooked rice, beets, lettuce salad, almond or oatmeal
cookies.
For Variety
_Cooked chicken, turkey, or beef_ may be used in the chop suey instead
of pork.
_Other vegetables_ may be used—carrots, radishes, Jerusalem artichokes,
bean sprouts. Brazil nuts, thinly sliced, are also good.
_Fried noodles_ may also be served with the chop suey mixture to add
crispness.
Chicken a la king
3 tablespoons chicken fat or butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper
½ green pepper, diced
½ cup mushrooms, cut in pieces
1 egg yolk
1½ cups diced cooked chicken
1 pimiento, chopped
Make white sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons of the fat and stir in the flour.
Add milk and broth and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Season
with salt and pepper.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of fat, add green pepper and mushrooms and
cook a few minutes over low heat.
Beat egg yolk, stir in a little of the sauce, and add to rest of sauce.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until mixture is hot.
Serve in patty shells or on crisp toast, mashed potatoes, or waffles.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with green peas, carrot and raisin salad, and lemon chiffon pie.
For Variety
_Cooked turkey, giblets, ham, veal, pork, or tuna fish_ may be used
instead of chicken.
_Cooked rabbit meat_ may be used. Add ½ teaspoon grated onion and ½
tablespoon lemon juice to the recipe for chicken a la king.
Chicken timbales
1½ cups cooked rice
1½ cups diced cooked chicken
1 tablespoon finely diced onion
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
⅓ cup chicken broth or milk
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Divide mixture among custard cups or
individual baking dishes.
Place cups in pan of very hot water and bake at 350° F. (moderate oven)
about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of timbale
comes out clean.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with glazed carrots, spinach with lemon, pear salad with cream or
cottage cheese and nuts, and gingerbread for dessert.
For Variety
_Cooked ham, pork, turkey, fish, or rabbit_ may be used in place of the
chicken.
If you have less than the 1½ cups of chicken (or other meat) the recipe
calls for, stretch the meat with sliced hard-cooked eggs and cooked
peas. For a company meal, add mushrooms, fresh or canned.
Mushroom sauce may be served on the timbales.
Cooked macaroni, spaghetti, or noodles may be substituted for the cooked
rice.
Luncheon-meat cups
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
2 cups cooked peas, seasoned
1 tablespoon cooking oil or fat
8 thin slices luncheon meat
Make white sauce: Melt the butter or margarine, blend in the flour, and
add milk slowly. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add salt and
pepper to taste.
Add peas to sauce and heat.
Heat fat or oil and brown luncheon meat, allowing edges to curl to form
cups. Put 2 cups together for each serving and fill with the hot creamed
peas.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with hash browned potatoes and a mixed fruit salad, with baked
custard or whipped gelatin dessert.
Other Ways to Use Luncheon Meat
_Broiled._—Brush luncheon-meat slices with fat. Broil lightly. Serve
with broiled tomato slices sprinkled with grated cheese.
“_Birds._”—Place stuffing on thin slices of luncheon meat, roll, and
fasten with skewers or toothpicks. Brown lightly and cover the pan until
the birds heat through.
_Salad._—Mix diced luncheon meat with chopped pickles, celery, and
carrots. Add salad dressing.
Curried lamb
1 cup diced celery with tops
1 small onion, diced
3 tablespoons cooking fat or oil
2 cups diced cooked lean lamb
¾ cup brown gravy
Curry powder
2 drops tabasco sauce
Salt
Brown celery and onion slowly in the fat or oil.
Add meat, gravy, and seasonings. Use ⅛ to 1 teaspoon curry powder, as
desired.
Stir over low heat until well mixed and hot. If too dry, add boiling
water.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with flaky cooked rice, snap beans, coleslaw, and for dessert
sweetpotato pie or pineapple chiffon pie.
For Variety
To make a savory meat pie: Omit the curry powder and tabasco sauce. Pour
heated meat, vegetables, and gravy into a casserole and top with crisp,
golden-brown baking-powder biscuits just before serving.
Green peas and small potatoes may be added to or used in place of the
onions and celery in the meat pie.
Serve crisp tossed lettuce salad with the meat pie, and for dessert have
a pineapple and orange fruit cup and oatmeal cookies made with raisins
and peanuts.
Frankfurter and potato soup
2 cups diced potatoes
1 small onion, sliced
1½ cups boiling water
4 frankfurters
1¾ teaspoons salt
Pepper
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Cook potatoes and onion in boiling water until soft. Put through a ricer
or mash slightly.
Cut frankfurters into ¼-inch slices.
Add frankfurters, seasonings, and milk to potato mixture.
Heat thoroughly, add parsley, and serve.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with a salad of chopped lettuce, tomato, and celery. Have
dried-fruit upside-down cake for dessert. Cooked apricots and prunes
make a colorful cake.
For Variety
_Salami or other luncheon meat_, cut in pieces, may be used instead of
frankfurters. Allow one slice per person. Or sprinkle the soup with
chopped cooked ham before serving.
_Fresh sausage_ also may be used. Dice or crumble the meat and fry until
crisp before adding it to the soup.
Pork souffle
2½ tablespoons butter or margarine
2½ tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
3 eggs, separated
1⅓ cups finely chopped cooked or canned pork
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion, or onion juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped green pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Make a thick white sauce: Melt the butter or margarine, blend in the
flour, and add the milk. Stir and cook over low heat or hot water until
thickened. Cook a little longer, and cool slightly.
Beat the egg yolks and blend into the cooled sauce. Stir in the meat,
onion, and green pepper.
Add the salt to the egg whites and beat until stiff but not dry. Blend
the meat mixture into the egg whites.
Turn into a shallow greased baking dish set in a pan of hot water.
Bake at 325° F. (slow oven) about 50 minutes, or until set and lightly
browned. Serve at once.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with brussels sprouts or panned cabbage, lettuce salad, and hot
apple cobbler for dessert.
For Variety
_Stuffed Green Peppers._—Fill 4 parboiled peppers with chopped pork
mixed with onion, salt, and enough gravy, broth, or cream to moisten.
Set peppers in water in muffin cups and bake at 350° F. (moderate oven)
20 to 30 minutes.
Fish ...
[Illustration: uncaptioned]
Fish—fresh, frozen, canned, or salted—provides high-quality protein. And
it lends interesting flavor and variety to meal planning.
Different kinds of fish vary greatly in price per pound. Some cost twice
as much as others, depending on the season, local supply, and the
preference of buyers.
Fresh fish may be whole, drawn, dressed, or in fillets or steaks. Whole
fish are sold as they are caught. Drawn fish have only the viscera
removed. Dressed fish have the viscera, head, tail, and usually the fins
removed. Fillets are boneless slices of fish cut lengthwise away from
the backbone. Steaks are crosswise slices, usually ¾ to 1 inch thick,
still including bones.
There is no bone or waste in fish fillets, and very little in fish
steaks—only about 9 percent. Dressed whole fish may be cheaper per pound
but remember that they include considerable waste.
To provide the suggested 2 ounces of protein for 4 servings of a main
dish, you will usually need to buy 2 pounds of whole fish. The exact
amount needed depends on the kind of fish and the amount of waste in
cleaning. It takes only 1 pound of boneless fillets or steaks to provide
enough protein for 4 servings.
Some fish contain more fat than others. Fat fish are usually best for
baking and broiling. And lean fish are better for cooking in water or
steam or for making chowders, and for deep-fat or pan frying.
Frozen fish are a boon to inlanders. They give us the fish we want at
any time of year. And the flavor is fresh. Before cooking a frozen fish,
thaw it slowly if there is time—in a refrigerator or other cold place.
If you are in a hurry, cook it slowly for a longer period. Never permit
frozen fish to thaw and refreeze.
Canned fish is economical and convenient for family meals. It can be
chilled and served in salads or on cold plate lunches with little
further preparation. For cooked dishes, the brine or oil in which the
fish is packed can often be used to add flavor and nutritive value to
the sauce.
Salmon is ordinarily available in several different quality grades and
is packed in brine. Mackerel also is packed in brine. Tuna fish may be
had in solid-pack, chunk, or grated style, packed in oil or brine.
Flaked fish—cod, haddock, pollack, or a combination—is ordinarily packed
dry. Small domestic sardines packed in oil, mustard sauce, or tomato
sauce are gaining market prominence.
Fish patties
1½ cups flaked cooked or canned fish
1½ cups dry mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
Pepper
Flour
Cooking fat or oil
Combine all ingredients except flour and fat or oil.
Shape mixture into patties, roll in flour, and brown in fat or oil.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with pickled beets, a green vegetable, celery, and for dessert
molded cornstarch pudding with a sauce of cooked dried apricots.
For Variety
_Fish-Potato Puffs._—Add 2 egg yolks instead of a whole egg to the
mixture of fish and potato; add seasonings and fold in stiffly beaten
egg whites. Put mixture into greased custard cups and bake at 350° F.
(moderate oven) 30 minutes.
_Salt fish Balls._—Use 1 cup of salt fish. Soak the fish in lukewarm
water until freshened, changing the water once or twice. An hour or two
is usually long enough. Simmer in water until tender, drain, and shred.
Stir fish into mashed potatoes. Omit onion and salt. Mix well with the
other ingredients. Form into balls and roll in flour. Fry in shallow or
deep fat, or bake in the oven.
Fish and noodles
3 tablespoons chopped onion
⅓ cup diced celery
1 tablespoon cooking fat or oil
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper
1⅔ cups cooked or canned tomatoes, or 2 cups raw tomatoes cut in
pieces
1⅔ cups cooked noodles
2 cups flaked cooked fish
Crumbs mixed with melted butter or margarine
Cook onion and celery in fat or oil a few minutes.
Add salt, pepper, and tomatoes and heat to boiling.
Put alternate layers of noodles, fish, and hot tomato mixture into a
greased baking dish. Top with crumbs.
Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) 20 minutes or until the mixture is
heated through and the crumbs are browned.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with snap beans or asparagus, a green salad with a tangy
horseradish dressing, and have cupcakes for dessert.
For Variety
Use cooked spaghetti or macaroni instead of noodles.
Instead of tomatoes, use cheese sauce—a thin white sauce to which ½ cup
grated sharp cheese has been added for each cup of sauce. Sprinkle with
grated cheese the last 10 minutes of baking.
Jellied tuna salad
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
¼ cup cold water
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon celery seed
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup water
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups flaked canned tuna (or other canned or cooked fish)
Soften gelatin on top of water. Add seasonings, vinegar, and water to
eggs. Cook over boiling water until thickened, stirring constantly.
Add gelatin and stir until it is dissolved.
Add fish and mix thoroughly. Pour into individual molds or large ring
mold and chill.
Menu Suggestion