into two cupfuls of salted boiling water. One half cupful of white
flour may be mixed with the meal. When the mush becomes thick, place
in a steamer and steam six hours. Rinse a pan with cold water, pour in
the mush, smooth the top with hand or spoon wet in cold water, and let
stand in a cold place twelve hours. This is used for frying. Other
cereals may be used in the same way. The sliced mush should be dredged
in flour and cooked in salt pork, ham, or bacon fat in the spider, or
in lard or butter if it is to be served with syrup.
HULLED CORN
This can occasionally be found in city markets, and is a delicious
cereal, eaten hot or cold with milk or cream or sugar.
COLD CEREAL WITH FRUIT
Pack left-over cereal into buttered custard cups, scoop out the
inside, fill with any sort of stewed or fresh fruit cut fine and
sweetened, cover the top with more cereal, and let stand some hours in
a cold place. At serving time turn out and dust with powdered sugar.
Cream may be used if it harmonizes with the fruit.
FRIED CREAM
Bring two cupfuls of milk to the boil, add two tablespoonfuls of
cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, and half a teaspoonful
of salt. Take from the fire and add one egg, well beaten, then pour
into a mould to cool. When cold, cut into slices, dredge with flour,
and fry.
FARINA
Soak over night. In the morning add boiling salted water to cover, and
cook half an hour, stirring constantly. Serve hot or cold with cream
and sugar, or with sugar and fruit.
APPLE FARINA
Stir one half cupful of farina into one quart of boiling salted water.
As soon as mush forms, stir in four tart apples, peeled, cored, and
sliced, and cook until the apples are soft. If the apples lack flavor,
a bit of orange- or lemon-peel, or any preferred spice may be added.
Serve hot or cold with cream or sugar. This will mould well.
FARINA BALLS
Half a cupful of farina, two cupfuls of milk, half a teaspoonful of
salt, a sprinkle of paprika, six drops of onion-juice, and the yolk of
one egg. Cook the farina in the salted milk for half an hour in a
double boiler. When it is stiff, add the egg and the seasoning.
Reheat, pour into a dish, and let cool. When cold, make into small
flat cakes, dip in egg, then in crumbs, and fry. These can be made
ready for frying the day before.
FAIRY FARINA
Mix three tablespoonfuls of farina with three quarters of a
teaspoonful of salt and half a cupful of milk, taken from two cupfuls.
Bring the rest of the milk to a boil with two cupfuls of water and
stir in the farina mixture. Cook slowly half an hour, turn into
individual moulds, and serve cold with sugar and cream.
JELLIED FARINA
One cupful of farina, sprinkled into two and a half cupfuls of boiled
salted milk. Stir till it thickens, then boil half an hour without
stirring. Serve hot or cold with sugar and cream. This will mould
nicely, and may be used with fruit.
FARINA MUSH
Boil one quart of salted milk, and, when boiling, add half a cupful of
farina, stirring constantly. Add a lump of butter and serve with cream
and sugar.
FLUMMERY
One and a half cupfuls of pinhead oatmeal, a saltspoonful of salt, a
tablespoonful of white sugar, two tablespoonfuls of orange-flower
water. Cover the oatmeal with cold water and let it soak twenty-four
hours, then drain off the water, cover again, and let steep
twenty-four hours longer. Strain through a fine sieve, add the salt,
and boil till as thick as mush, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and
the orange-flower water, pour into saucers, and serve hot or cold with
cream and sugar. This recipe dates back to the time of Queen
Elizabeth.
GRITS
One cupful of well-washed grits is slowly added to two cupfuls of
boiling water, and boiled one hour. Soaking over night is an
advantage. If the porridge is too thick, it may be thinned with milk.
Serve hot or cold with cream and sugar.
FRIED GRITS
Pack left-over grits into a wet mould. Turn out, slice, dredge in
flour, and fry.
OATMEAL GRUEL
Mix one tablespoonful of oatmeal in half a cupful of cold water, add
three cupfuls of milk, or of water, or of milk and water, and a little
salt. Cook half an hour in a double boiler, stirring often. Strain if
desired, and serve hot or cold. May be flavored with a bit of
lemon-peel, spice, or orange-flower water. For children and
convalescents.
OATMEAL GRUEL WITH EGG
One cupful of oatmeal and one teaspoonful of salt stirred into four
cupfuls of boiling water. Boil one hour, strain, and pour on to two
eggs well beaten. Reheat until it thickens, and serve with cream and
sugar.
WHEAT GRUEL
Mix one teaspoonful of salt with half a cupful of flour, make into a
paste with a little cold water and cook in a double boiler till smooth
and thick. Thin with milk, if necessary. Strain and sweeten; serve
either hot or cold. May be flavored with spice, lemon-peel, or wine.
BOILED HOMINY
Stir one cupful of well-washed hominy into two quarts of boiling
water. Cook one hour. Use half milk and half water if preferred.
HOMINY BALLS
To a cupful of cold hominy add one tablespoonful of melted butter,
stir well, add enough milk to rub the hominy to a paste, add a
teaspoonful of sugar and one egg, unbeaten. Shape into small flat
balls, dredge with flour, dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry.
These may be prepared beforehand and kept in a cool place till ready
to fry.
FRIED HOMINY
Pack left-over hominy into a mould. When cold, slice, dredge with
flour, and fry, or dip in egg and crumbs and fry.
HOMINY WITH MILK
Soak hominy all night. In the morning cover with boiling salted water
and boil until very tender. Drain off the water, cover with milk, boil
up once more, and serve.
STEAMED HOMINY
Soak hominy over night in an equal measure of cold water. In the
morning add twice as much boiling salted water and boil fifteen
minutes, then put into a steamer and steam six hours.
HOMINY PORRIDGE
Soak a cupful of granulated hominy in four cupfuls of water over
night. Add a teaspoonful of salt, one cupful of milk, and boil one
hour in the morning.
CRACKED WHEAT MUSH
Butter a double boiler inside, put in four cupfuls of water and a
little salt. When boiling add one cupful of cracked wheat which has
been washed in several waters. Boil ten minutes, then simmer three
hours. Serve with sugar and cream.
GRAHAM FLOUR MUSH
Mix one cupful of graham flour with a teaspoonful of salt, and make it
into a paste with cold water. Mix gradually with four cupfuls of
boiling water. Boil half an hour, stirring constantly. Serve with
cream and sugar.
OATMEAL MUSH
Mix one cupful of coarse oatmeal with a little salt, sprinkle into
four cupfuls of boiling water. Boil fifteen minutes, stirring
constantly, in the double boiler. Cover and cook slowly three hours
longer.
RYE MUSH
One quart of boiling water, one teaspoonful of salt, five heaping
tablespoonfuls of rye meal. Sprinkle the meal into the boiling water,
stirring constantly, add the salt, bring to the boil once more, cover,
and cook slowly in the double boiler one hour and a half. Serve with
sugar and cream.
FRIED OATMEAL MUSH
Wet a pan or mould in cold water and pack into it left-over oatmeal.
Twelve hours later, turn out, cut into slices, dredge with flour and
fry, serving with a simple syrup if desired. Any left-over cereal
which does not contain fruit may be used in the same way.
GRAHAM MUSH WITH APPLES
Slice peeled and cored tart apples into graham mush prepared according
to the recipe previously given, as soon as it begins to boil.
MUSH CAKES
Season two cupfuls of left-over cereal with salt and pepper and a few
drops of onion-juice. Shape into small flat cakes with floured hands
and dredge with flour. Fry in ham or bacon fat and serve with those
meats.
MUSH BALLS
Add a tablespoonful of melted butter and two unbeaten eggs to two
cupfuls of hot corn-meal mush. Cool. Shape into small flat cakes,
dredge with flour, and fry brown. These may be prepared the day before
using.
VELVET MUSH
Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter in a double boiler, add two cupfuls
of flour, and stir until it leaves the sides of the kettle; add five
cupfuls of milk, stirring constantly and bringing to the boil at each
cupful. Add a teaspoonful of salt, mix thoroughly, and serve with
sugar and cream.
COLD GRAHAM MUSH WITH FRUIT
Stir chopped dates or figs into graham mush made according to previous
directions, turn into a mould, and cool. The next morning, slice, and
serve with sugar and cream.
STEAMED OATMEAL
Add a quart of cold water and a teaspoonful of salt to a cupful of
oatmeal. Put in a steamer over a kettle of cold water, bring to the
boil gradually, and steam two hours after it begins to cook.
OATMEAL JELLY
Soak one cupful of oatmeal over night in cold water to cover deeply.
Add boiling salted water in the morning and boil several hours, adding
more water as needed. Do not stir any more than necessary. When every
grain is transparent and jelly-like, it is done. It is delicious
served cold, with fruit and sugar, or with sugar and cream.
CREAMED OATMEAL
Boil oatmeal for an hour and a half according to recipes previously
given. Rub through a sieve, cover with hot milk, and cook very slowly
half an hour longer. Serve with sugar and cream.
OATMEAL BLANC MANGE
Bring one quart of milk to the boil, add a teaspoonful of salt, and
stir in one cupful of oatmeal. Boil forty-five minutes, then add two
eggs well beaten just before removing from the fire. Serve hot or cold
with cream and sugar. A bit of grated lemon- or orange-peel, wine, or
spice may be added to the milk.
LIGHT OATMEAL
Cook oatmeal twenty-five minutes according to directions previously
given, then set the dish in a moderate oven for half an hour. The
grains will swell.
BAKED OATMEAL
The day before using, stir two cupfuls of oatmeal into two quarts of
boiling water, salted, and boil ten minutes. Turn into a buttered
earthen dish, cover, and bake slowly two hours. In the morning set the
dish into a pan of boiling water and put in the oven for forty-five
minutes.
MILK PORRIDGE
One tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth with half a cupful or more of
water. Add a cupful of boiling milk, a little salt and spice, and cook
ten minutes or more in the double boiler.
RICE PORRIDGE
One cupful of rice, washed in several waters, and one cupful of
oatmeal. Cook one hour in plenty of boiling salted water, and add a
heaping tablespoonful of butter before serving.
WHEATLET PORRIDGE
One cupful of wheatlet, two cupfuls of boiling water, and one
teaspoonful of salt. Cook slowly for an hour.
CREAMED OAT PORRIDGE
Soak two cupfuls of oatmeal in four cupfuls of water over night. In
the morning, strain and boil the water thirty minutes. Scald a pint
and a half of rich milk, thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed
smooth in a little cold milk, add to the water, with a teaspoonful of
butter and a half teaspoonful of salt. Boil up well and serve with
cream and sugar.
BOILED RICE
(Hop Sing's Recipe)
"Washee lice in cold water bellee muchee. Water boil all ready muchee
quick. Water shakee lice--no burn. Boil till one lice all rub away in
fingers. Put in pan all holee, pour over cold water bellee muchee, set
in hot oven, make dry, eatee all up."
BOILED RICE
(American Recipe)
Wash one cupful of rice in several waters. Sprinkle it, a little at a
time, into eight quarts of slightly salted water at a galloping boil.
Boil steadily for twenty minutes. Drain, toss carefully with a fork,
and dry ten minutes in a hot oven.
BOILED RICE WITH MILK
Cook as above until it has boiled ten minutes, then drain, cover with
boiling milk, and cook slowly ten minutes longer in a covered double
boiler. Uncover, and stand in a hot oven for a few minutes, stirring
occasionally with a fork.
RICE BALLS
One cupful of boiled rice, one half cupful of milk, one egg, one
tablespoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a slight grating of
nutmeg or a sprinkle of cinnamon. Put the milk on to boil, add the
rice and seasoning. When it boils, add the egg, cook till thick, take
from the fire, and cool. Form in to small flat cakes, dip in egg and
crumbs, and fry. These may be prepared beforehand.
STEAMED RICE
Wash a small cupful of rice and put into a double boiler with three
cupfuls of milk and a pinch of salt. Cook until creamy, add a
teaspoonful of butter and three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Fruit may be
added.
SAMP
Cover the samp with boiling water, boil ten minutes, then drain, rinse
in cold water, cover with fresh boiling water and a little salt. Cook
slowly six hours, adding fresh boiling water as needed. Serve hot or
cold with cream and sugar.
CREAM TOAST
Dip slices of toast in boiling water and set into the oven. Stir one
heaping tablespoonful of corn-meal into four cupfuls of boiling salted
milk, and add two tablespoonfuls of butter. When the milk thickens,
stir in the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, boil up
again, pour over the toast, keep in the oven five minutes longer and
serve.
MILK TOAST
Lay slices of toast in cereal bowls, spread with butter, sprinkle with
salt and pepper, pour boiling milk over and serve immediately.
SOFT TOAST
Dip crisp slices of toast for a moment in boiling salted water, pour
over melted butter, set in the oven a moment and serve with cream.
CRUSHED WHEAT WITH RAISINS
Add a handful of stoned and cleaned raisins to crushed wheat mush made
according to recipe previously given, and as soon as it begins to
boil. Raisins are a healthful and agreeable addition to almost any
cereal.
COLD CRACKED WHEAT
Add half a teaspoonful of salt to three cupfuls of boiling water, stir
in half a cupful of cracked wheat. Cook uncovered till the water has
almost disappeared, then add three cupfuls of hot milk. Cover and cook
until the wheat is soft, then uncover and cook until the wheat is
almost dry. Stir carefully now and then while cooking. Turn into
individual moulds to harden, and serve cold with sugar and cream.
SALT FISH
With very, very few exceptions, fish and meats other than salt are not
suitable for breakfast. So many delicious preparations of these are
possible, however, that no one need lament the restriction which
general use has made. The humble and lowly codfish may be made into
many a dainty tidbit,--to make no invidious distinction,--and, for
some occult reason, the taste craves salt in the morning.
BROILED BLOATERS
Scrape and clean the fish, wipe dry and split, laying flat upon a
buttered gridiron. Broil about six minutes, turning frequently. When
brown, pour over melted butter. Serve with lemon quarters and parsley.
YARMOUTH BLOATERS
See Potomac Herring.
CODFISH BALLS
Cut into inch pieces a heaping cupful of salt codfish. Remove the
bones, skin, and put into an earthen dish. Pour boiling water on and
keep hot two hours. Pour off the water, cool, and shred the fish with
the fingers. Add a heaping cupful of hot mashed potatoes. Mix a
teaspoonful of flour with a heaping tablespoonful of butter, add three
tablespoonfuls of boiling water, and cook until thick. Season with
salt and pepper, mix with the fish and potato, and with floured hands
form into eight small flat cakes. Dredge with flour and set away to be
fried the following morning.
CODFISH BALLS--II
Two cupfuls of freshened and shredded fish, two cupfuls of sliced raw
potatoes, one tablespoonful of butter, half a cupful of cream or milk,
two eggs, and a sprinkle of white pepper. Put the potatoes in a pan,
spread the fish on top, cover with cold water, and boil until the
potatoes are done. Drain, mash together, then add the butter, pepper,
milk, and beaten egg. Beat until very light. Shape into round balls
the size of small apples, dredge in flour, and fry until brown in deep
fat.
CODFISH BALLS--III
Prepare as Codfish Balls II, but use twice as much potato as fish.
CODFISH BALLS A LA BURNS
Make codfish balls into flat cakes and just before serving, put a
poached egg on each.
PICKED-UP CODFISH
Pour boiling water on a cupful of salt codfish which has been shredded
and had the bones removed. When the water cools, pour it off and cover
with fresh boiling water. Drain again when the second water cools.
Blend a tablespoonful of butter with a tablespoonful of flour, add a
cupful of milk, and cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Add the
codfish and a teaspoonful of finely minced parsley. Serve on toast and
garnish with hard-boiled egg cut in slices. Sprinkle with black
pepper.
CREAMED CODFISH
Two cupfuls of shredded codfish, three cupfuls of milk, yolk of one
egg, one tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour, two
quarts of water, pepper, and salt. Cover the fish with the water and
set it over a slow fire. When it boils, drain it and cover with the
milk. Bring to a boil again. Have the butter and flour rubbed smooth
with a little cold milk and add to the boiling milk. Stir steadily
till it thickens, then add the beaten yolk of the egg, and cook five
minutes longer. Season with pepper. A little minced parsley may be
added. Half an hour before the fish is shredded it should be put to
soak in cold water, unless it is preferred very salt.
CREAMED ROAST CODFISH
Brush the salt from a whole salted cod with a stiff brush. Place in a
baking-pan and put in a hot oven until brown and crisp. Take out, lay
on a board, and pound with a potato-masher till thoroughly bruised and
broken. Place in the baking-pan, cover with boiling water, and soak
twenty minutes. Drain, place on a platter, dot with butter, and put
back into the oven till the butter sizzles. Take from the oven, pour
over a cupful of cream, garnish with parsley, and serve.
CODFISH A LA MODE
Pick up a cupful of salt cod very fine, and freshen it. Mix with two
cupfuls of mashed potato, two cupfuls of cream or milk, and two
well-beaten eggs. Add half a cupful of melted butter and a little
black pepper. Mix thoroughly, pile roughly in an earthen baking-dish
or casserole, and bake twenty-five minutes in a hot oven. If it does
not brown readily, brush the top with melted butter for the last five
minutes of cooking.
NEW ENGLAND SALT COD
Cut the fish in squares and soak over night. In the morning drain and
rinse, cover with fresh boiling water, and simmer till tender. Spread
on a platter and put in the oven. Make a drawn-butter sauce of one
tablespoonful of butter and two tablespoonfuls of flour cooked till
the mixture leaves the pan. Add one cupful of cold water, and stir
constantly till the sauce is thick and smooth and free from lumps.
Pour over the cod and serve. Minced parsley, a squeeze of lemon-juice,
or a hard-boiled egg chopped fine may be added to the sauce.
BOILED SALTED COD WITH EGG SAUCE
Chop fine a pound of salted cod that has been freshened, boiled, and
cooled. Mix a heaping teaspoonful of corn-meal with one cupful of
milk, and stir over the fire until it thickens, then add one cupful of
mashed potatoes, two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, a teaspoonful
of minced parsley, and two well-beaten eggs. Let it get very hot. Make
the drawn-butter sauce with the egg in it, given in the recipe for New
England Salt Cod, and serve with the sauce poured over.
SALTED COD WITH BROWN BUTTER
Freshen the fish for twenty-four hours. Place over the fire in cold
water and bring slowly to a boil. Put a little butter and a few
sprigs of parsley in a frying-pan. Skim out the fish and put on a
platter in the oven. When the butter is brown, pour over the fish and
serve with lemon-quarters and fresh parsley.
CODFISH CUTLETS
Use the mixture for Codfish Balls II. Shape into cutlet form,--small
tin moulds come for the purpose,--dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in
deep fat. Stick a piece of macaroni in the small end of the cutlet,
and garnish with a paper frill. Serve with lemon and parsley.
BOILED SALT CODFISH
Select a piece of cod that has been boned. Brush the salt from it with
a stiff brush and broil under the gas flame until brown. Lay in a
baking-pan and pour over boiling water to cover. Let stand ten
minutes, drain, and repeat the process. Drain, put on a hot platter,
pour over melted butter, sprinkle with pepper and minced parsley.
FLAKED SALT CODFISH
Soak two pounds of fish over night. In the morning scrub it well,
cover with slices of onion, pour boiling water over, and let it soak
till the water is cool. Skim out, wipe, and broil. Put into a platter,
break with a fork, and pour over a drawn-butter sauce seasoned with
pepper, parsley, and lemon-juice. Keep in a hot oven five minutes
before serving.
CODFISH PUFF
Make the mixture for Codfish Balls II. Add the whites of two eggs
beaten to a stiff froth, folding them in lightly. Butter a stoneware
platter, spread the puff upon it, and bake in a hot oven till well
puffed and browned. Or, cook in a buttered frying-pan till a brown
crust has formed, then fold like an omelet.
CREAMED COD WITH EGG SAUCE
Freshen, boil, and drain, according to directions previously given.
Arrange on a platter and cover with cream sauce, which has minced
parsley and chopped hard-boiled eggs mixed with it.
ESCALLOPED CODFISH
Make a Codfish Puff, sprinkle with grated cheese, and bake brown.
FINNAN HADDIE A LA DELMONICO
Make a cream sauce, using two tablespoonfuls of butter and two of
flour; cook till they bubble, add a pint of milk, and stir till thick
and smooth. Add a pound of Finnan Haddie flaked, and the yolks of two
eggs, well beaten, three hard-boiled eggs cut fine, and a
tablespoonful of strong cheese, grated. Season with black pepper, heat
thoroughly, and serve.
FINNAN HADDIE A LA MARTIN
Make the cream sauce, add the flaked Finnan Haddie, according to the
recipe for Finnan Haddie a la Delmonico, add one half-cupful of
shredded green peppers, let boil up once, and serve on toast.
FINNAN HADDIE FISH BALLS
Prepare as Codfish Balls II.
BROILED FINNAN HADDIE
Parboil, drain, wipe, then skin. Broil, pour over melted butter,
sprinkle with pepper and minced parsley. Serve with lemon quarters.
PICKED-UP FINNAN HADDIE
Cut the fish in convenient pieces for serving. Cover with boiling
water, boil five minutes, drain, and rinse in fresh boiling water.
Arrange on a platter, dot with butter, put in the oven, and when the
butter sizzles, serve.
CREAMED ROAST FINNAN HADDIE
See Creamed Roast Codfish.
BROILED FINNAN HADDIE--II
Soak in cold water half an hour, and in boiling water ten minutes.
Wipe dry, marinade in oil and lemon-juice, and broil as usual.
BAKED SMOKED HADDOCK
Put the haddock into a baking-pan, cover with boiling water, drain,
dot with butter, sprinkle with black pepper, and bake in a hot oven
for ten minutes. Serve very hot.
BROILED SMOKED HADDOCK
Rub with butter, dredge with flour, and broil over clear coals, or
under a gas flame.
FRIED SMOKED HADDOCK
Cover with olive oil and soak over night. Skim out and fry brown in
the oil. Pepper well and serve at once with lemon quarters and a
garnish of parsley.
HERRING BALLS
Partly boil bloaters or herrings, skin, add an equal bulk of mashed
potatoes made from baked potatoes. Add a lump of butter and enough
cream to soften it. Form into balls, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in
deep fat.
POTOMAC HERRING
Those having roe are preferable. Put into a frying-pan with boiling
water to cover, boil five minutes, drain, add a lump of butter, and
return to the fire. When it melts, and the fish is well covered with
it, serve.
KIPPERED HERRING
See Potomac Herring.
BROILED SMOKED HERRING
Soak over night. Pour boiling water over it in the morning; when the
water cools, plunge it into ice water for five minutes, wipe dry, and
broil under a gas flame.
BROILED SALT MACKEREL
Wash in several waters, remove the head and part of the tail. Scrape
the thin black skin from the inside. Put the fish in a pan of cold
water, skin side up, over night at least, and, if very salt, by four
o'clock in the afternoon. In the morning wash in fresh cold water,
wipe dry on a clean cloth, rub with melted butter, sprinkle with
pepper, and broil carefully. It must be watched every moment, as it
burns easily. When brown, serve on a hot platter, dot the fish with
bits of butter, and garnish with parsley and lemon quarters.
CREAMED SALT MACKEREL
Freshen according to directions previously given. Put in cold water,
bring to a boil, then drain. Pour over it half a cupful of cream. Roll
a piece of butter the size of an egg in flour and add to the cream.
Let boil up once and serve.
BOILED SALT MACKEREL