SAVOURY RICE, MACARONI, OATMEAL, &c.
RICE.
Probably all persons will admit that rice is a too much neglected form of
food in England. When we remember how small a quantity of rice weekly is
found sufficient to keep alive millions and millions of our
fellow-creatures in the East, it seems to be a matter of regret that rice
as an article of food is not more used by the thousands and thousands of
our fellow creatures in the East--not in the ordinary acceptation of the
term, but East of Temple Bar. Rice is cheap, nourishing, easily cooked,
and equally easily digested, yet that monster, custom, seems to step in and
prevent the bulk of the poor availing themselves of this light and
nourishing food solely for the reason that, as their grandfathers and
grandmothers did not eat rice before them, they do not see any reason why
they should, like the Irishman who objected to have his feet washed on the
same ground. Of the different kinds of rice Carolina is the best, the
largest, and the most expensive. Patna rice is almost as good; the grains
are long, small, and white, and it is the best rice for curry. Madras rice
is the cheapest.
Rice, pure and simple, is the food most suited for hot climates and where a
natural indolence of disposition results in one's day's work of an ordinary
Englishman being divided among twenty people. As we move towards more
temperate zones it will be found the universal custom to qualify it by
mixing it with some other substance; thus, though rice is largely eaten in
Italy, it is almost invariably used in conjunction with Parmesan cheese.
Rice contains no flesh-forming properties whatever, as it contains no
nitrogen; and with all due respect to vegetarians, it will be found that as
we recede from the Equator and advance towards the Poles our food must of
necessity vary with the latitude, and, whereas we may start on a diet of
rice, we shall be forced, sooner or later, to depend upon a diet of
pemmican, or food of a similar nature.
RICE, TO BOIL.--The best method of boiling rice is, at any rate, a much
disputed point, if not an open question. There are as many ways almost of
boiling rice as dressing a salad, and each one thinks his own way the best.
We will mention a few of the most simple, and will illustrate it by boiling
a small quantity that can be contained in a teacup. Of course, boiling
rice is very much simplified if you want some rice-water as well as rice
itself. Rice-water contains a great deal of nourishment, a fact which is
well illustrated by the well-known story of the black troops who served in
India under Clive, who, at the siege of Arcot, told Clive, when they were
short of provisions, that the water in which the rice was boiled would be
sufficient for them, while the more substantial grain could be preserved
for the European troops. Take a teacupful of rice and wash the rice in
several waters till the water ceases to be discoloured. Now throw the rice
into boiling water, say a quart; let the rice boil gently till it is
tender, strain off the rice and reserve the rice-water for other purposes.
The time rice will take to boil treated this way would be probably about
twenty minutes, but this time would vary slightly with the quality and size
of the rice.
* * * * *
Many years ago we watched a black man boiling rice on board a P. and O.
boat (the _Mizapore_); he proceeded as follows:--He boiled the rice for
about ten minutes, or perhaps a minute or two longer, strained it off in a
sieve, and then washed the rice with cold water, and then put the rice back
in the stew-pan to once more get hot and swell. Of course, this rice was
being boiled for curry, and certainly the result was that each grain was
beautifully separated from every other grain. We do not think, however,
that this method of boiling rice is customary on all the boats of the P.
and O. Company. Of course this method of boiling rice was somewhat
wasteful.
By far the most economical method of boiling rice is as follows; and we
would recommend it to all who are in the habit of practising economy on the
grounds of either duty or necessity. Wash thoroughly, as before, a
teacupful of rice and put it in a small stew-pan or saucepan with two
breakfastcupfuls of water, bring this to a boil and let it boil for ten
minutes, then remove the saucepan to the side of the fire and let the rice
soak and swell for about twenty minutes. After a little time, you can put
a cloth on the top of the saucepan to absorb the steam, similar to the way
you treat potatoes after having strained off the water.
In boiling rice we must remember that there are two ways in which rice is
served. One is as a meal in itself, the other as an accompaniment to some
other kind of food. It will be found in Italy and Turkey and in the East
generally, where rice forms, so to speak, the staff of life, that it is not
cooked so soft and tender as it is in England, where it is generally served
with something else. In fact, each grain of rice may be said to resemble
an Irish potato, inasmuch as it has a heart in it. In Ireland potatoes, as
a rule, are not cooked so much as they are in most parts of England.
Probably the reason of this is, in most cases, that experience has taught
people that there is more stay in rice and potatoes when served in a state
that English people would call "under-done." There is no doubt that the
waste throughout the length and breadth of this prosperous land through
over-cooking is something appalling.
Another very good method of boiling rice is the American style. Take a
good-sized stew-pan or saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Put a cloth
over the saucepan, after first pouring in, say, a pint of water; push down
the cloth, keeping it tight, so as to make a well, but do not let the cloth
reach the water; wash the rice as before, and put on the lid tight. Of
course, with the cloth the lid will fit very tight indeed. Now put the
saucepan on the fire and make the water boil continuously. By these means
you steam the rice till it is tender and lose none of the nourishment. We
can always learn from America.
RISOTTO A LA MILANNAISE.--Take a teacupful of rice, wash it thoroughly and
dry it. Chop up a small onion and put it in the bottom of a small stew-pan
and fry the onion to a light-brown colour. Now add the dry rice, and stir
this up with the onion and butter till the rice also is fried of a nice
light-brown colour. Now add two breakfastcupfuls of stock or water and a
pinch of powdered saffron, about sufficient to cover a threepenny-piece;
let the rice boil for ten or eleven minutes, move the saucepan to the side
of the fire and let it stand for twenty minutes or half an hour till it has
absorbed all the stock or water. Now mix in a couple of tablespoonfuls of
grated Parmesan cheese. Flavour with a little pepper and salt, and serve
the whole very hot.
RICE WITH CABBAGE AND CHEESE.--Wash some rice and let it soak in some hot
water, with a cabbage sliced up, for about an hour; then strain it off and
put the rice and cabbage in a stew-pan with some butter, a little pepper
and salt, and about a quarter of a grated nutmeg. Toss these about in the
butter for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour over the fire, but do not
let them turn colour; then add a small quantity of water or stock, let it
stew till it is tender, and then serve it very hot with some grated cheese
sprinkled over the top.
N.B.--The end of cheese rind can be utilised with this dish.
RICE WITH CHEESE.--Wash some rice and then boil it for ten or eleven
minutes in some milk, and let it stand till it has soaked up all the milk.
The proportion generally is, as we have said before, a teacupful of rice to
two breakfastcupfuls of milk; but as we shall want the rice rather moist on
the present occasion, we must allow a little more milk. Now mix in some
grated cheese and a little pepper and salt, place the mixture in a
pie-dish, and cover the top with grated cheese, and place the pie-dish in
the oven and bake till the top is nicely browned, and then serve.
Some cooks add a good spoonful of made mustard to the mixture. Some
persons prefer it and some don't; it is therefore best to serve some made
mustard with the rice and cheese at table. Unless the mixture was fairly
moist before it was put into the pie-dish, it would dry up in the oven and
become uneatable.
RICE, CURRIED.--Boil a teacupful of well-washed rice in two
breakfastcupfuls of water, and let the rice absorb all the water; put a
cloth in the saucepan, and stir up the rice occasionally with a fork till
the grains become dry and separate easily the one from the other. Now mix
it up with some curry sauce, make the whole hot, and send it to table with
a few whole bay-leaves mixed in with the rice. Only sufficient curry sauce
should be added to moisten the rice--it must not be rice swimming in gravy;
or you can make a well in the middle of the boiled rice and pour the curry
sauce into this.
RICE BORDERS (CASSEROLES).--Casseroles, or rice borders, form a very
handsome dish. It consists of a large border made of rice, the outside of
which can be ornamented and the centre of which can be filled with a
macedoine (_i.e._, a mixture) of fruit or vegetables. As you are probably
aware, grocers have in their shop-windows small tins with copper labels, on
which the word is printed "Macedoine." This tin contains a mixture of
cut-up, cooked vegetables. These are very useful to have in the house, as
a nice dish can be served at a few moments' notice. Mixed fruits are also
sold in bottles under the name of Macedoine of Fruits. Of course, both
vegetables and fruit can be prepared at home much cheaper from fresh fruit
and vegetables, but this requires time and forethought. These mixtures are
very much improved in appearance when served in a handsomely made rice
border, and as the border is eaten with the vegetables and fruit there is
no want of economy in the recipe. Suppose we are going to make a rice
border. Take a pound of rice and wash it carefully if we are going to fill
it with fruit we must boil it in sweetened milk, but if we are going to
fill it with vegetables we must boil it in vegetable stock or water. Add,
as the case may be, sufficient liquid to boil the rice till it is
thoroughly tender and soft. Now place it in a large bowl, and with a
wooden spoon mash it till it becomes a sort of firm, compact paste; then
take it out and roll it into the shape of a cannon-ball, and having done
this, flatten it till it becomes of the shape of the cheeses one meets with
in Holland--flat top and bottom, with rounded edges. You can now ornament
the outside by making it resemble a fluted mould of jelly. The best way of
doing this is to cut a carrot in half and scoop out part of the inside with
a cheese-scoop, so that the width of the part where it is scooped is about
the same as the two flat sides. Make the outside of the rice perfectly
smooth with the back of a wooden spoon. Butter the carrot mould to prevent
it sticking, and press this gently on the outside of the shape of rice till
it resembles the outside of a column in Gothic architecture, then place it
in the oven and let it bake till it is firm and dry. Then scoop out the
centre and put it back for a short time. If the border is going to be used
for a macedoine of vegetables, beat up a yolk of egg and paint the outside
of the casserole with this, and then it will bake a nice golden-brown
colour. Now take it out of the oven and fill it accordingly. It can be
served hot or cold, or it can be filled with a German salad. (_See_
MACEDOINE OF FRUIT; MACEDOINE OF VEGETABLES; SALAD, GERMAN.)
RICE CROQUETTES, SAVOURY.--Boil a teacupful of rice in some stock or water
(about two breakfastcupfuls), till it is tender, and until the rice has
absorbed all the water or stock. Chop up a small onion very fine, fry it
till tender in a very little butter, but do not let it brown; add a small
teaspoonful of mixed savoury herbs, a brimming teaspoonful of chopped
parsley, to the contents of the frying-pan for two or three minutes, and
then add them to the rice. Mix it well together, and let the rice dry in
the oven till the mixture is capable of being rolled into balls. Now take
two eggs, separate the yolk from the white of one, beat up the whole egg
and one white thoroughly in a basin, but do no beat it to a froth; add the
rice mixture to this, mix it again very thoroughly, and then roll it into
balls about the size of a small walnut, seasoning the mixture with
sufficient pepper and salt. Roll these balls in flour, in order to insure
the outside being dry, and roll them backwards and forwards on the sieve in
order to get rid of the superfluous flour. Make some very fine
bread-crumbs from some stale bread; next beat up the yolk of egg with about
a dessertspoonful of warm water. Dip the rice-balls into this, and then
cover them with the bread-crumbs. Let them stand for an hour or two for
the bread-crumbs to get dry, and then fry them a light golden-brown colour
in a little oil. Fried parsley can be served with them.
Instead of bread-crumbs you can use up broken vermicelli--the bottom of a
jar of vermicelli can sometimes be utilised this way. This has a very
pretty appearance. The vermicelli browns quickly, and the croquettes have
the appearance of little balls covered in brown network.
RICE, SAVOURY.--There are several ways of serving savoury rice. The rice
can be boiled in some stock, strongly flavoured with onion and celery, and
when cooked sufficiently tender one or two eggs can be beaten up with it,
pepper and salt added, and the mixture served with grated cheese.
Rice can also be rendered savoury by the addition of chopped mushrooms,
pepper and salt, and a little butter, and if a tin of mushrooms is used,
the liquor in the tin should be added to the boiled rice, but in every case
the rice should be made to absorb the liquor in which it is boiled. Eggs
can again be added, as well as grated Parmesan cheese.
A cheap and quick way of making rice savoury is to mix it with a large
tablespoonful of chutney; make it hot with a little butter, and add
pepper--cayenne if preferred--and a little lemon-juice.
Rice can also be served as savoury by boiling it in any of the sauces that
may be termed savoury in distinction to those that are sweet, given in the
chapter entitled "Sauces."
RICE AND EGGS.--Boil, say half a pound of rice, and let it absorb the water
in which it is boiled. Take four hard-boiled eggs, separate the yolks from
the whites, chop the whites very fine, and add them to the rice with about
a brimming teaspoonful of chopped blanched parsley and sufficient savoury
herbs to cover a sixpence. Put this in the saucepan and make it hot, with
a little butter, and flavour with plenty of pepper and salt. In the
meantime beat the yellow hard-boiled yolks to a yellow powder, turn out the
rice mixture, when thoroughly hot, into a vegetable dish, and put the
yellow powder either in the centre or make a ring of the yellow powder
round the edge of the rice, and serve a little pile of fried parsley in the
middle.
RICE AND TOMATO.--Take half-a-dozen ripe tomatoes, squeeze out the pips,
and put them in a tin in the oven with a little butter to bake; baste them
occasionally with a little butter. In the meantime boil half a pound of
rice in a little stock or water, only adding sufficient so that the rice
can absorb the liquid. When this is done (and this will take about the
same time as the tomatoes take to bake), pour all the liquid and butter in
the tin on to the rice and stir it well up with some pepper and salt. Put
this on a dish, and serve the tomatoes on the rice with the red, unbroken
side uppermost.
MACARONI.--Macaroni is a preparation of pure wheaten flour. It is chiefly
made in Italy, though a good deal is made in Geneva and Switzerland. The
best macaroni is made in the neighbourhood of Naples. The wheat that grows
there ripens quickly under the pure blue sky and hot sun, and consequently
the outside of the wheat is browner while the inside of the wheat is whiter
than that grown in England. The wheat is ground and sifted repeatedly. It
is generally sifted about five times, and the pure snow-white flour that
falls from the last sifting is made into macaroni. It is first mixed with
water and made into a sort of dough, the dough being kneaded in the truly
orthodox Eastern style by being trodden out with the feet. It is then
forced by a sort of rough machinery through holes, partially baked during
the process, and then hung up to dry. Macaroni contains a great amount of
nourishment, and it is only made from the purest and finest flour. It is
the staple dish throughout Italy, and in whatever form or way it is cooked,
except as a sweet, tomatoes and grated Parmesan cheese seem bound to
accompany it.
SPARGHETTI.--Sparghetti is a peculiar form of macaroni. Ordinary macaroni
is made in the form of long tubes, and when macaroni pudding is served in
schools, it is often irreverently nicknamed by the boys gas-pipes.
Sparghetti is not a tube, but simply macaroni made in the shape of ordinary
wax-tapers, which it resembles very much in appearance. In Italy it is
often customary to commence dinner with a dish of sparghetti, and should
the dinner consist as well of soup, fish, entree, salad, and sweet, the
sparghetti would be served before the soup. Take, say, half a pound of
sparghetti, wash it in cold water, and throw it instantly into boiling
salted water; boil it till it is tender, about twenty minutes, drain it,
put it into a hot vegetable-dish, and mix in two or three tablespoonfuls of
grated Parmesan cheese; toss it about lightly with a couple of forks, till
the cheese melts and forms what may be called cobwebs on tossing it about.
Add also two tablespoonfuls of tomato conserve (sold by all grocers, in
bottles), and serve immediately. This is very cheap, very satisfying, and
very nourishing; and it is to be regretted that this popular dish is not
more often used by those who are not vegetarians, who would benefit both in
pocket and in health were they to lessen their butcher's bill by at any
rate commencing dinner, like the Italians, with a dish of sparghetti.
MACARONI--ITALIAN FASHION.--This is very similar to sparghetti, only
ordinary pipe macaroni is used. Take, say, a teacupful of macaroni, wash
it, break it up into two-inch pieces, and throw it into boiling water that
has been salted. Strain it of off, put it in the stew-pan for a few
minutes, with a little piece of butter and some pepper and salt. Add a
tablespoonful of tomato conserve, and serve it with some grated Parmesan
cheese, served separate in a dish.
Some rub the stew-pan with a head of garlic. This gives it what may be
called a more foreign flavour, but this should not be done unless you know
your guests like garlic. Unfortunately, the proper use of garlic is very
little understood in this country.
MACARONI CHEESE.--Some years back this was almost the only form in which
macaroni was served in this country. Macaroni cheese used to be served at
the finish of dinner in a dried-up state, and was perhaps one of the most
indigestible dishes which the skill, or want of skill, of our English cooks
was able to produce. Wash and then boil a quarter of a pound of macaroni
in a little milk till it is quite tender, then put into a well-buttered
oval tin a layer of macaroni, and cover this with a layer of bread-crumbs,
mixed with grated cheese, and add a few little lumps of butter; then put
another layer of macaroni and another layer of bread-crumbs and cheese.
Continue alternate layers till you pile up the dish, taking care to have a
layer of dried bread-crumbs at the top. Warm some butter, but do not oil
it, and pour some of this warm butter over the top of the dish to moisten
them; put the dish in the oven till it is hot through, then take it out and
brown the top quickly with a red-hot salamander. If you leave the macaroni
cheese in the oven too long the dish will taste oily and the cheese get so
hard as to become absolutely indigestible. Any kind of grated cheese will
do for this dish, but to the English palate it is best when made from a
moist cheese similar to that which would be used in making Welsh rabbit.
MACARONI AND EGGS.--Take half a pound of macaroni and throw it into boiling
water that has been salted. In the meantime have ready four hard-boiled
eggs. When the macaroni is nearly tender throw the hard-boiled eggs into
cold water for a minute, in order to enable you to take off the shells
without burning your fingers. Cut the eggs in half, take out the half
yellow yolk without breaking it; cut the whites of the eggs into rings and
mix these rings with the macaroni on the dish. The macaroni and eggs must
be flavoured with pepper and salt, and if possible pour a little white
sauce over the whole. If you have no white sauce add a little cream or a
little thickened milk with a little butter dissolved in it; now sprinkle a
little chopped blanched parsley over the whole and ornament the dish with
the eight half-yolks.
MACARONI A LA REINE.--Boil half a pound of pipe macaroni. Meanwhile warm
slowly in a saucepan three-quarters of a pint of cream, and slice into it
half a pound of Stilton or other white cheese, add two ounces of good fresh
butter, two blades of mace, pounded, a good pinch of cayenne and a little
salt. Stir until the cheese is melted and the whole is free from lumps,
when put in the macaroni and move it gently round the pan until mixed and
hot, or put the macaroni on a hot dish and pour the sauce over. It may be
covered with fried bread-crumbs of a pale colour and browned in a Dutch
oven.
MACARONI AU GRATIN.--Break up a pound of macaroni in three-inch lengths,
boil as usual and drain. Put into a stew-pan a quarter of a pound of fresh
butter, the macaroni, twelve ounces of Parmesan and Gruyere cheese mixed,
and about a quarter of a pint of some good sauce, white sauce. Move the
stew-pan and its contents over the fire until the macaroni has absorbed the
butter, etc., then turn it out on a dish, which should be garnished with
croutons of fried bread. Pile it in the shape of a dome, cover with
bread-raspings, a little clarified butter run through a colander, and brown
very lightly with a salamander.
N.B.--The above two recipes are taken from "Cassell's Dictionary of
Cookery."
MACARONI AS AN ORNAMENT.--Macaroni is sometimes used to ornament the
outside of puddings, either savoury or sweet. Suppose the pudding has to
be made in a small round mould or basin. Some pipe macaroni is boiled in
water till it is tender, and then cut up into little pieces a quarter of an
inch in length. The inside of the mould is first thickly buttered, and
then these little quarter-inch tubes are stuck in the butter close
together; the pudding, for instance a custard pudding, is then poured into
the mould and the mould steamed. When the pudding is turned out the
outside of the pudding has the appearance of a honey-comb, and looks
extremely pretty. The process is not difficult, but rather troublesome, as
it requires time and patience.
MACARONI, TIMBALE OF--This is a somewhat expensive dish. You have first to
decorate a plain mould with what is called _nouilles_ paste, which is made
by mixing half a pound of flour with five yolks of eggs. The mould is then
lined with ordinary short paste, made with half a pound of flour, a quarter
of a pound of butter, and one yolk of egg, mixed in the ordinary way. When
the mould is lined, you have to fill it up with flour, and bake it in a
moderate oven for about an hour. You then take it out, empty out the flour
and brush it well out with an ordinary brush and dry the mould in a very
slack oven. The mould is then filled with some macaroni that has been
boiled tender in milk and flavoured with vanilla and sugar and Parmesan
cheese. The macaroni must be so managed that it absorbs the moisture. The
mould is filled, made hot, and then turned out. It is customary to shake
some powdered sugar over the mould, and then glaze it with a red-hot
salamander.
N.B.--Very few kitchens possess a proper salamander, but if you make the
kitchen shovel red-hot it will be found to answer the same purpose.
MACARONI IN SCOLLOP SHELLS.--Take half a pound of macaroni, wash it, and
throw it into boiling water. Take the macaroni out, drain it, and throw it
into cold water. Then take it out and cut it into pieces not more than
half an inch in length. Take about a quarter of a pound of butter, melt it
in a stew-pan, and add about a cupful of milk, or still better, cream.
Stir it and dredge in enough flour to make it thick, or still better,
thicken it with a little white roux; now add some pepper and salt, about a
quarter of a grated nutmeg, two or three spoonfuls of grated Parmesan
cheese; add the cut-up macaroni and stir the whole well up over the fire
together and fill the scollop shells with the mixture, and throw some
grated cheese over the top. Bake the scollops in the oven till the cheese
begins to brown; then pour a little oiled butter over the top of the
cheese. If made with cream this dish is somewhat rich, but forms an
admirable meal eaten with plenty of bread.
MACARONI NUDELS.--The word nudel is probably derived from French _nouilles_
paste. It is made in a similar manner, or nearly so. French cooks use
only yolk of egg and flour. English cooks use beaten-up eggs, and
sometimes even reserve the yolks for other purposes and make the paste with
white of egg. In any case, the yolks, the whole eggs, or the white without
the yolks, must be well beaten up and then mixed in with the flour with the
fingers till it makes a stiff paste. This paste or dough is then rolled
out with a straight rolling pin--(not an English one)--till it is as thin
as a wafer. The board must be well floured or it will stick. A marble
slab is best, and if you are at a loss for a rolling-pin try an empty black
bottle. It is very important to roll the pastry thin, and it has been well
observed that the best test of thinness is to be able to read a book
through the paste. When rolled out, let each thin cake dry for five or ten
minutes. If you have a box of cutters you can cut this paste into all
sorts of shapes according to the shape of the cutters, or you can cut each
thin cake into pieces about the same size, and then with a sharp dry knife
cut the paste into threads. These threads or ornamental shapes can be
thrown into boiling clear soup, when they will separate of their own
accord. Nudel paste is, in fact, home-made Italian paste, or, when cut
into threads, home-made vermicelli. It is very nourishing, as it is made
with eggs and flour.
MACARONI, SAVOURY.--Take half a pound of macaroni and boil it in some
slightly salted water, and let it boil and simmer till the macaroni is
tender and absorbs all the water in which it is boiled. Now take a
dessertspoonful of raw mustard, _i.e._, mustard in the yellow powder. Mix
this gradually with the macaroni, and add five or six tablespoonfuls of
grated Parmesan cheese and a little cayenne or white pepper according to
taste. Turn the mixture out on to a dish, sprinkle some more grated
Parmesan cheese over the top, bake it in the oven till it is slightly
brown, pour a little oiled butter on the top, and serve.
MACARONI AND CHESTNUTS.--Bake about twenty chestnuts till they are tender,
and then peel them and pound them in a mortar, with a little pepper and
salt and butter, till they are a paste. Next wash and boil in the ordinary
way half a pound of macaroni. Drain off the macaroni and put it in a
stew-pan with the chestnuts and about a couple of ounces of butter to
moisten it, and stir it all together and put an onion in to flavour it as
if you were making bread sauce; but the onion must be taken out whole
before it is served. If the mixture gets too dry, it can be moistened with
a little milk or stock. After it has been stirred together for about a
quarter of an hour, turn it out on to a dish, cover it with a little
Parmesan cheese, bake in the oven till it is brown, and moisten the top
when browned with a little oiled butter.
MACARONI AND TOMATOES.--Take half a pound of macaroni; wash it and boil it
until it is tender. In the meantime take half a dozen or more ripe
tomatoes; cut off the stalks, squeeze out the pips, and place them in a tin
in the oven with a little butter to prevent their sticking. It is as well
to baste the tomatoes once or twice with the butter and the juice that will
come from them. Put the macaroni when tender and well drained off into a
vegetable-dish, pour the contents of the tin, butter and juice, over the
macaroni and add pepper and salt, and toss it lightly together. Now place
the whole tomatoes on the top of the macaroni, round the edge, at equal
distances. It is a great improvement to the appearance of the dish to
sprinkle a little chopped blanched parsley over the macaroni. The tomatoes
should be placed with the smooth, red, unbroken side uppermost.
Macaroni and Cream.--Boil half a pound of macaroni; cut it up into pieces
about two inches long and put it into a stew-pan with two ounces of butter
and a quarter of a pound of grated cheese, composed of equal parts of
Gruyere and Parmesan cheese. Moisten this with about three tablespoonfuls
of cream. Toss it all lightly together till the cheese makes cobwebs. Add
a little pepper and salt and serve with some fried bread round the edge cut
up into ornamental shapes. Carefully made pieces of toast, cut into
triangles, will do instead of the fried bread.
TAGLIATELLI.--Take some flour and water, and with the addition of a little
salt make a paste which can be rolled out quite thin; cut this into shapes
of the breadth of half a finger. Throw them into boiling water and let
them boil a few minutes. Then remove them to cold water; drain them on a
sieve and use them as macaroni; place at the bottom of a dish some butter
and grated cheese, then a layer of _tagliatelli_ seasoned with pepper,
another layer of butter and cheese, and then one of _tagliatelli_, until
the whole is used; pour over it a glass of cream, add a layer of cheese,
and finish like macaroni cheese, browning it in the oven.
OATMEAL PORRIDGE.--Of all dishes used by vegetarians there are none more
wholesome, more nourishing, or more useful as an article of everyday diet
for breakfast than oatmeal porridge. When we remember that the Scotch,
who, for both body and brain, rank perhaps first amongst civilised nations,
almost live on this cheap and agreeable form of food, we should take
particular pains in the preparation of a standing dish which is in itself a
strong argument in favour of a vegetarian diet when we look at the results,
both mentally and bodily, that have followed its use North of the Tweed.
The following excellent recipe for the preparation of oatmeal porridge is
taken from a book entitled, "A Year's Cookery," by Phyllis Browne (Cassell
& Co.):--"When there are children in the family it is a good plan, whatever
they may have for breakfast, to let them begin the meal either with oatmeal
porridge or bread-and-milk. Porridge is wholesome and nourishing, and will
help to make them strong and hearty. Even grown-up people frequently enjoy
a small portion of porridge served with treacle and milk. Oatmeal is
either 'coarse,' 'medium,' or 'fine.' Individual taste must determine
which of these three varieties shall be chosen. Scotch people generally
prefer the coarsest kind. The ordinary way of making porridge is the
following--Put as much water as is likely to be required into a saucepan
with a sprinkling of salt, and let the water boil. Half a pint of water
will make a single plateful of porridge. Take a knife (a 'spurtle' is the
proper utensil) in the right hand, and some Scotch, or coarse, oatmeal in
the left hand, and sprinkle the meal in gradually, stirring it briskly all
the time; if any lumps form draw them to the side of the pan and crush them
out. When the porridge is sufficiently thick (the degree of thickness must
be regulated by individual taste), draw the pan back a little, _put on the
lid_, and let the contents simmer gently till wanted; if it can have two
hours' simmering, all the better; but in hundreds of families in Scotland
and the North of England it is served when it has boiled for ten minutes or
a quarter of an hour; less oatmeal is required when it can boil a long
time, because the simmering swells the oatmeal, and so makes it go twice as
far. During the boiling the porridge must be stirred frequently to keep it
from sticking to the saucepan and burning, but each time this is done the
lid must be put on again. When it is done enough it should be poured into
a basin or upon a plate, and served hot with sugar or treacle and milk or
cream. The very best method that can be adopted for making porridge is to
soak the coarse Scotch oatmeal in water for _twelve hours_, or more (if the
porridge is wanted for breakfast it may be put into a pie-dish over night,
and left till morning). As soon as the fire is lighted in the morning it
should be placed on it, stirred occasionally, kept covered, and boiled as
long as possible, although it may be served when it has boiled for twenty
minutes. When thus prepared it will be almost like a delicate jelly, and
acceptable to the most fastidious palate. The proportions for porridge
made in this way are a heaped tablespoonful of coarse oatmeal to a pint of
water.
"It is scarcely necessary to give directions for making--
"BREAD AND MILK, for everyone knows how this should be done. It may be
said that the preparation has a better appearance if the bread is cut very
small before the boiling milk is poured on it, and also that the addition
of a small pinch of salt takes away the insipidity. Rigid economists
sometimes swell the bread with boiling water, then drain this off and pour
milk in its place. This, however, is almost a pity, for milk is so very
good for children; and though recklessness is seldom to be recommended, a
mother might well be advised to be reckless about the amount of her milk
bill, provided always that the quantity of milk be not wasted, and that the
children have it."
MILK PORRIDGE.--Take a tablespoonful of oatmeal and mix it up in a cup with
a little cold milk till it is quite smooth, in a similar way as you would
mix ordinary flour and milk in making batter. Next put a pint of milk on
to boil, and as soon as it boils mix in the oatmeal and milk, and let it
boil for about a quarter of an hour, taking care to keep stirring it the
whole time. The fire should not be too fierce, as the milk is very apt to
burn. Flavour this with either salt or sugar.
RICE AND BARLEY PORRIDGE.--Take a quarter of a pound of rice and a quarter
of a pound of Scotch barley and wash them very thoroughly. The most
perfect way of washing barley and rice is to throw them into boiling water,
let them boil for five or ten minutes, and then strain them off. By this
means the dirty outside is dissolved. Next boil the rice and barley gently
for three or four hours, strain them off, and boil them up again in a
little milk for a short time before they are wanted. It will often be
found best to boil the barley for a couple of hours and then add the rice.
A little cream is a very great improvement. The porridge can be flavoured
with pepper and salt, but is very nice with brown sugar, treacle, or jam,
and when cold forms an agreeable accompaniment to stewed fruit.
WHOLE-MEAL PORRIDGE.--Boil a quart of water and gradually stir in about
half a pound of whole-meal; let it boil for about a quarter of an hour, and
serve. Cold milk should accompany this porridge.
LENTIL PORRIDGE.--To every quart of water add about six tablespoonfuls of
lentil flour; let the whole boil for about a quarter of an hour, and
flavour with pepper and salt.
HOMINY.--Take a teacupful of hominy, wash it in several waters and rub it
well between the hands, and throw away the grains that float on the top,
the same as you do with split peas, pour the water off the top, then strain
it off, and put it in a basin with a quart of water, and cover the basin
over with a cloth; put it by to soak overnight, should it be required for
breakfast in the morning. The next day put it in an enamelled stew-pan
with about a teaspoonful of salt, and let it simmer gently over the fire,
taking care that it does not burn. It is best to butter the bottom of the
saucepan, or if you have a small plate that will just go inside you will
find this a great protection. Let it simmer gently for rather more than an
hour. Stir it well up and flavour it with either sugar or salt, and let it
be eaten with cold milk poured on it on the plate, or with a little butter.
* * * * *
The hominy should simmer until it absorbs all the water in which it is
boiled. As a rule a good teacupful will absorb a quart.
HOMINY, FRIED.--This is made from the remains of cold boiled hominy. When
cold it will be a firm jelly. Cut the cold hominy into slices, flour them,
egg and bread-crumb them, and then plunge them into some smoking hot oil
till they are of a nice bright golden colour. They are very nice eaten
with lemon-juice and sugar, or they can be served with orange marmalade.
FRUMENTY.--Take a quarter of a pint of wheat, wash it thoroughly, and let
it soak for twelve hours or more in water. Strain it off and boil it in
some milk till it is tender, but do not let it get pulpy. As soon as it is
tender add a quart of milk, flavoured with a little cinnamon, three ounces
of sugar, three ounces of carefully washed grocer's currants, and let it
boil for a quarter of an hour. Beat up three yolks of eggs in a tureen,
and gradually add the mixture. It must not be added to the eggs in a
boiling state or else they will curdle. A wineglassful of brandy is a
great improvement, but is not absolutely necessary. The wheat takes a long
time to get tender, probably four hours.
SAGO PORRIDGE.--Wash the sago in cold water and boil it in some water,
allowing about two tablespoonfuls to every pint; add pepper and salt and
let cold milk be served with the porridge.
MILK TOAST.--This is a very useful way of using up stale bread. Toast the
bread a light brown, and if by chance any part gets black scrape it gently
off. Butter the toast slightly, lay the toast on the bottom of a
soup-plate, and pour some boiling milk over it. Very little butter should
be used, and children often prefer a thin layer of marmalade to butter.