TO MAKE ARROWROOT.
1855. INGREDIENTS.--Two teaspoonfuls of arrowroot, 3 tablespoonfuls of
cold water, 1/2 pint of boiling water.
_Mode_.--Mix the arrowroot smoothly in a basin with the cold water, then
pour on it the _boiling_ water, _stirring_ all the time. The water must
be _boiling_ at the time it is poured on the mixture, or it will not
thicken; if mixed with hot water only, it must be put into a clean
saucepan, and boiled until it thickens; but this is more trouble, and
quite unnecessary if the water is boiling at first. Put the arrowroot
into a tumbler, sweeten it with lump sugar, and flavour it with grated
nutmeg or cinnamon, or a piece of lemon-peel, or, when allowed, 3
tablespoonfuls of port or sherry. As arrowroot is in itself flavourless
and insipid, it is almost necessary to add the wine to make it
palatable. Arrowroot made with milk instead of water is far nicer, but
is not so easily digested. It should be mixed in the same manner, with 3
tablespoonfuls of cold water, the boiling milk then poured on it, and
well stirred. When made in this manner, no wine should be added, but
merely sugar, and a little grated nutmeg or lemon-peel.
_Time_.--If obliged to be boiled, 2 minutes. _Average cost_, 2d. per
pint.
_Sufficient_ to make 1/2 pint of arrowroot.
MISS NIGHTINGALE says, in her "Notes on Nursing," that arrowroot
is a grand dependence of the nurse. As a vehicle for wine, and
as a restorative quickly prepared, it is all very well, but it
is nothing but starch and water; flour is both more nutritive
and less liable to ferment, and is preferable wherever it can be
used.
BARLEY GRUEL.
1856. INGREDIENTS.--2 oz. of Scotch or pearl barley, 1/2 pint of port
wine, the rind of 1 lemon, 1 quart and 1/2 pint of water, sugar to
taste.
_Mode_.--After well washing the barley, boil it in 1/2 pint of water for
1/4 hour; then pour this water away; put to the barley the quart of
fresh boiling water, and let it boil until the liquid is reduced to
half; then strain it off. Add the wine, sugar, and lemon-peel; simmer
for 5 minutes, and put it away in a clean jug. It can be warmed from
time to time, as required.
_Time_.--To be boiled until reduced to half. _Average cost_, 1s. 6d.
_Sufficient_ with the wine to make 1-1/2 pint of gruel.
TO MAKE BARLEY-WATER.
1857. INGREDIENTS.--2 oz. of pearl barley, 2 quarts of boiling water, 1
pint of cold water.
_Mode_.--Wash the barley in cold water; put it into a saucepan with the
above proportion of cold water, and when it has boiled for about 1/4
hour, strain off the water, and add the 2 quarts of fresh boiling water.
Boil it until the liquid is reduced one half; strain it, and it will be
ready for use. It may be flavoured with lemon-peel, after being
sweetened, or a small piece may be simmered with the barley. When the
invalid may take it, a little lemon-juice gives this pleasant drink in
illness a very nice flavour.
_Time_.--To boil until the liquid is reduced one half.
_Sufficient_ to make 1 quart of barley-water.
TO MAKE BEEF TEA.
1858. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of lean gravy-beef, 1 quart of water, 1
saltspoonful of salt.
_Mode_.--Have the meat cut without fat and bone, and choose a nice
fleshy piece. Cut it into small pieces about the size of dice, and put
it into a clean saucepan. Add the water _cold_ to it; put it on the
fire, and bring it to the boiling-point; then skim well. Put in the salt
when the water boils, and _simmer_ the beef tea _gently_ from 1/2 to 3/4
hour, removing any more scum should it appear on the surface. Strain the
tea through a hair sieve, and set it by in a cool place. When wanted for
use, remove every particle of fat from the top; warm up as much as may
be required, adding, if necessary, a little more salt. This preparation
is simple beef tea, and is to be administered to those invalids to whom
flavourings and seasonings are not allowed. When the patient is very
low, use double the quantity of meat to the same proportion of water.
Should the invalid be able to take the tea prepared in a more palatable
manner, it is easy to make it so by following the directions in the next
recipe, which is an admirable one for making savoury beef tea. Beef tea
is always better when made the day before it is wanted, and then warmed
up. It is a good plan to put the tea into a small cup or basin, and to
place this basin in a saucepan of boiling water. When the tea is warm,
it is ready to serve.
_Time_.--1/4 to 3/4 hour. _Average cost_, 6d. per pint.
_Sufficient_.--Allow 1 lb. of meat for a pint of good beef tea.
MISS NIGHTINGALE says, one of the most common errors among
nurses, with respect to sick diet, is the belief that beef tea
is the most nutritive of all article. She says, "Just try and
boil down a lb. of beef into beef tea; evaporate your beef tea,
and see what is left of your beef: you will find that there is
barely a teaspoonful of solid nourishment to 1/4 pint of water
in beef tea. Nevertheless, there is a certain reparative quality
in it,--we do not know what,--as there is in tea; but it maybe
safely given in almost any inflammatory disease, and is as
little to be depended upon with the healthy or convalescent,
where much nourishment is required."
SAVOURY BEEF TEA.
(_Soyer's Recipe_.)
1859. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of solid beef, 1 oz. of butter, 1 clove, 2
button onions or 1/2 a large one, 1 saltspoonful of salt, 1 quart of
water.
_Mode_.--Cut the beef into very small dice; put it into a stewpan with
the butter, clove, onion, and salt; stir the meat round over the fire
for a few minutes, until it produces a thin gravy; then add the water,
and let it simmer gently from 1/2 to 3/4 hour, skimming off every
particle of fat. When done, strain it through a sieve, and put it by in
a cool place until required. The same, if wanted quite plain, is done by
merely omitting the vegetables, salt, and clove; the butter cannot be
objectionable, as it is taken out in skimming.
_Time_.--1/2 to 3/4 hour. _Average cost_, 8d. per pint.
_Sufficient_.--Allow 1 lb. of beef to make 1 pint of good beef tea.
_Note_.--The meat loft from beef tea may be boiled a little longer, and
pounded, with spices, &c., for potting. It makes a very nice breakfast
dish.
DR. CHRISTISON says that "every one will be struck with the
readiness with which certain classes of patients will often take
diluted meat juice, or beef tea repeatedly, when they refuse all
other kinds of food." This is particularly remarkable in case of
gastric fever, in which, he says, little or nothing else besides
beef tea, or diluted meat juice, has been taken for weeks, or
even months; and yet a pint of beef tea contains scarcely 1/4
oz. of anything but water. The result is so striking, that he
asks, "What is its mode of action? Not simple nutriment; 1/4 oz.
of the most nutritive material cannot nearly replace the daily
wear and tear of the tissue in any circumstances." Possibly, he
says, it belongs to a new denomination of remedies.
BAKED BEEF TEA.
1860. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of fleshy beef, 1-1/2 pint of water, 1/4
saltspoonful of salt.
_Mode_.--Cut the beef into small square pieces, after trimming off all
the fat, and put it into a baking-jar, with the above proportion of
water and salt; cover the jar well, place it in a warm, but not hot
oven, and bake for 3 or 4 hours. When the oven is very fierce in the
daytime, it is a good plan to put the jar in at night, and let it remain
till the next morning, when the tea will be done. It should be strained,
and put by in a cool place until wanted. It may also be flavoured with
an onion, a clove, and a few sweet herbs, &c., when the stomach is
sufficiently strong to take those.
_Time_.--3 or 4 hours, or to be left in the oven all night.
_Average cost_, 6d. per pint.
_Sufficient_.--Allow 1 lb. of meat for 1 pint of good beef tea.
BAKED OR STEWED CALF'S FOOT.
1861. INGREDIENTS.--1 calf's foot, 1 pint of milk, 1 pint of water, 1
blade of mace, the rind of 1/4 lemon, pepper and salt to taste.
_Mode_.--Well clean the foot, and either stew or bake it in the
milk-and-water with the other ingredients from 3 to 4 hours. To enhance
the flavour, an onion and a small quantity of celery may be added, if
approved; 1/2 a teacupful of cream, stirred in just before serving, is
also a great improvement to this dish.
_Time_.--3 to 4 hours. _Average cost_, in full season, 9d. each.
_Sufficient_ for 1 person. _Seasonable_ from March to October.
CALF'S-FOOT BROTH.
1862. INGREDIENTS.--1 calf's foot, 3 pints of water, 1 small lump of
sugar, nutmeg to taste, the yolk of 1 egg, a piece of butter the size of
a nut.
_Mode_.--Stew the foot in the water, with the lemon-peel, very gently,
until the liquid is half wasted, removing any scum, should it rise to
the surface. Set it by in a basin until quite cold, then take off every
particle of fat. Warm up about 1/2 pint of the broth, adding the butter,
sugar, and a very small quantity of grated nutmeg; take it off the fire
for a minute or two, then add the beaten yolk of the egg; keep stirring
over the fire until the mixture thickens, but do not allow it to boil
again after the egg is added, or it will curdle, and the broth will be
spoiled.
_Time_.--To be boiled until the liquid is reduced one half.
_Average cost_, in full season, 9d. each.
_Sufficient_ to make 1-1/4 pint of broth.
_Seasonable_ from March to October.
CHICKEN BROTH.
1863. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 fowl, or the inferior joints of a whole one; 1
quart of water, 1 blade of mace, 1/2 onion, a small bunch of sweet
herbs, salt to taste, 10 peppercorns.
_Mode_.--An old fowl not suitable for eating may be converted into very
good broth, or, if a young one be used, the inferior joints may be put
in the broth, and the best pieces reserved for dressing in some other
manner. Put the fowl into a saucepan, with all the ingredients, and
simmer gently for 1-1/2 hour, carefully skimming the broth well. When
done, strain, and put by in a cool place until wanted; then take all the
fat off the top, warm up as much as may be required, and serve. This
broth is, of course, only for those invalids whose stomachs are strong
enough to digest it, with a flavouring of herbs, &c. It may be made in
the same manner as beef tea, with water and salt only; but the
preparation will be but tasteless and insipid. When the invalid cannot
digest this chicken broth with the flavouring, we would recommend plain
beef tea in preference to plain chicken tea, which it would be without
the addition of herbs, onions, &c.
_Time_.--1-1/2 hour.
_Sufficient_ to make rather more than 1 pint of broth.
NUTRITIOUS COFFEE.
1864. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 oz. of ground coffee, 1 pint of milk.
_Mode_.--Let the coffee be freshly ground; put it into a saucepan, with
the milk, which should be made nearly boiling before the coffee is put
in, and boil both together for 3 minutes; clear it by pouring some of it
into a cup, and then back again, and leave it on the hob for a few
minutes to settle thoroughly. This coffee may be made still more
nutritious by the addition of an egg well beaten, and put into the
coffee-cup.
_Time_.--5 minutes to boil, 5 minutes to settle.
_Sufficient_ to make 1 large breakfast-cupful of coffee.
Our great nurse Miss Nightingale remarks, that "a great deal too
much against tea is said by wise people, and a great deal too
much of tea is given to the sick by foolish people. When you see
the natural and almost universal craving in English sick for
their 'tea,' you cannot but feel that Nature knows what she is
about. But a little tea or coffee restores them quite as much as
a great deal; and a great deal of tea, and especially of coffee,
impairs the little power of digestion they have. Yet a nurse,
because she sees how one or two cups of tea or coffee restore
her patient, thinks that three or four cups will do twice as
much. This is not the case at all; it is, however, certain that
there is nothing yet discovered which is a substitute to the
English patient for his cup of tea; he can take it when he can
take nothing else, and he often can't take anything else, if he
has it not. Coffee is a better restorative than tea, but a
greater impairer of the digestion. In making coffee, it is
absolutely necessary to buy it in the berry, and grind it at
home; otherwise, you may reckon upon its containing a certain
amount of chicory, at least. This is not a question of the
taste, or of the wholesomeness of chicory; it is, that chicory
has nothing at all of the properties for which you give coffee,
and, therefore, you may as well not give it."
THE INVALID'S CUTLET.
1865. INGREDIENTS.--1 nice cutlet from a loin or neck of mutton, 2
teacupfuls of water, 1 very small stick of celery, pepper and salt to
taste.
_Mode_.--Have the cutlet cut from a very nice loin or neck of mutton;
take off all the fat; put it into a stewpan, with the other ingredients;
stew _very gently_ indeed for nearly 2 hours, and skim off every
particle of fat that may rise to the surface from time to time. The
celery should be cut into thin slices before it is added to the meat,
and care must be taken not to put in too much of this ingredient, or the
dish will not be good. If the water is allowed to boil fast, the cutlet
will be hard.
_Time_.--2 hours' very gentle stewing. _Average cost_, 6d.
_Sufficient_ for 1 person. _Seasonable_ at any time.
EEL BROTH.
1866. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of eels, a small bunch of sweet herbs,
including parsley; 1/2 onion, 10 peppercorns, 3 pints of water, 2
cloves, salt and pepper to taste.
_Mode_.--After having cleaned and skinned the eel, cut it into small
pieces, and put it into a stewpan, with the other ingredients; simmer
gently until the liquid is reduced nearly half, carefully removing the
scum as it rises. Strain it through a hair sieve; put it by in a cool
place, and, when wanted, take off all the fat from the top, warm up as
much as is required, and serve with sippets of toasted bread. This is a
very nutritious broth, and easy of digestion.
_Time_.--To be simmered until the liquor is reduced to half.
_Average cost_, 6d.
_Sufficient_ to make 1-1/2 pint of broth.
_Seasonable_ from June to March.
EGG WINE.
1867. INGREDIENTS.--1 egg, 1 tablespoonful and 1/2 glass of cold water,
1 glass of sherry, sugar and grated nutmeg to taste.
_Mode_.--Beat the egg, mixing with it a tablespoonful of cold water;
make the wine-and-water hot, but not boiling; pour it on the egg,
stirring all the time. Add sufficient lump sugar to sweeten the mixture,
and a little grated nutmeg; put all into a very clean saucepan, set it
on a gentle fire, and stir the contents one way until they thicken, but
_do not allow them to boil_. Serve in a glass with sippets of toasted
bread or plain crisp biscuits. When the egg is not warmed, the mixture
will be found easier of digestion, but it is not so pleasant a drink.
_Sufficient_ for 1 person.
TO MAKE GRUEL.
1868. INGREDIENTS.--1 tablespoonful of Robinson's patent groats, 2
tablespoonfuls of cold water, 1 pint of boiling water.
_Mode_.--Mix the prepared groats smoothly with the cold water in a
basin; pour over them the boiling water, stirring it all the time. Put
it into a very clean saucepan; boil the gruel for 10 minutes, keeping it
well stirred; sweeten to taste, and serve. It may be flavoured with a
small piece of lemon-peel, by boiling it in the gruel, or a little
grated nutmeg may be put in; but in these matters the taste of the
patient should be consulted. Pour the gruel in a tumbler and serve. When
wine is allowed to the invalid, 2 tablespoonfuls of sherry or port make
this preparation very nice. In cases of colds, the same quantity of
spirits is sometimes added instead of wine.
_Time_.--10 minutes.
_Sufficient_ to make a pint of gruel.
INVALID'S JELLY.
1869. INGREDIENTS.--12 shanks of mutton, 3 quarts of water, a bunch of
sweet herbs, pepper and salt to taste, 3 blades of mace, 1 onion, 1 lb.
of lean beef, a crust of bread toasted brown.
_Mode_.--Soak the shanks in plenty of water for some hours, and scrub
them well; put them, with the beef and other ingredients, into a
saucepan with the water, and let them simmer very gently for 5 hours.
Strain the broth, and, when cold, take off all the fat. It may be eaten
either warmed up or cold as a jelly.
_Time_.--5 hours. _Average cost_, 1s.
_Sufficient_ to make from 1-1/2 to 2 pints of jelly.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
LEMONADE FOR INVALIDS.
1870. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lemon, lump sugar to taste, 1 pint of boiling
water.
_Mode_.--Pare off the rind of the lemon thinly; cut the lemon into 2 or
3 thick slices, and remove as much as possible of the white outside
pith, and all the pips. Put the slices of lemon, the peel, and lump
sugar into a jug; pour over the boiling water; cover it closely, and in
2 hours it will be fit to drink. It should either be strained or poured
off from the sediment.
_Time_.--2 hours. _Average cost_, 2d.
_Sufficient_ to make 1 pint of lemonade. _Seasonable_ at any time.
NOURISHING LEMONADE.
1871. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2 pint of boiling water, the juice of 4 lemons,
the rinds of 2, 1/2 pint of sherry, 4 eggs, 6 oz. of loaf sugar.
_Mode_.--Pare off the lemon-rind thinly, put it into a jug with the
sugar, and pour over the boiling water. Let it cool, then strain it; add
the wine, lemon-juice, and eggs, previously well beaten, and also
strained, and the beverage will be ready for use. If thought desirable,
the quantity of sherry and water could be lessened, and milk substituted
for them. To obtain the flavour of the lemon-rind properly, a few lumps
of the sugar should be rubbed over it, until some of the yellow is
absorbed.
_Time_.--Altogether 1 hour to make it. _Average cost_, 1s. 8d.
_Sufficient_ to make 2-1/2 pints of lemonade. _Seasonable_ at any time.
TO MAKE MUTTON BROTH.
1872. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of the scrag end of the neck of mutton, 1
onion, a bunch of sweet herbs, 4 turnip, 1/2 pints of water, pepper and
salt to taste.
_Mode_.--Put the mutton into a stewpan; pour over the water cold and add
the other ingredients. When it boils, skim it very carefully, cover the
pan closely, and let it simmer very gently for an hour; strain it, let
it cool, take off all the fat from the surface, and warm up as much as
may be required, adding, if the patient be allowed to take it, a
teaspoonful of minced parsley which has been previously scalded. Pearl
barley or rice are very nice additions to mutton broth, and should be
boiled as long as the other ingredients. When either of these is added,
the broth must not be strained, but merely thoroughly skimmed. Plain
mutton broth without seasoning is made by merely boiling the mutton,
water, and salt together, straining it, letting the broth cool, skimming
all the fat off, and warming up as much as is required. This preparation
would be very tasteless and insipid, but likely to agree with very
delicate stomachs, whereas the least addition of other ingredients would
have the contrary effect.
_Time_.--1 hour. _Average cost_, _7d._
_Sufficient_ to make from 1-1/2 to 2 pints of broth.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
_Note_.--Veal broth may be made in the same manner; the knuckle of a leg
or shoulder is the part usually used for this purpose. It is very good
with the addition of the inferior joints of a fowl, or a few
shank-bones.
MUTTON BROTH, QUICKLY MADE.
1873. INGREDIENTS.--1 or 2 chops from a neck of mutton, 1 pint of water,
a small bunch of sweet herbs, 1/4 of an onion, pepper and salt to taste.
_Mode_.--Cut the meat into small pieces, put it into a saucepan with the
bones, but no skin or fat; add the other ingredients; cover the
saucepan, and bring the water quickly to boil. Take the lid off, and
continue the rapid boiling for 20 minutes, skimming it well during the
process; strain the broth into a basin; if there should be any fat left
on the surface, remove it by laying a piece of thin paper on the top:
the greasy particles will adhere to the paper, and so free the
preparation from them. To an invalid nothing is more disagreeable than
broth served with a quantity of fat floating on the top; to avoid this,
it is always better to allow it to get thoroughly cool, the fat can then
be so easily removed.
_Time_.--20 minutes after the water boils. _Average cost_, 5d.
_Sufficient_ to make 1/2 pint of broth. _Seasonable_ at any time.
STEWED RABBITS IN MILK.
1874. INGREDIENTS.--2 very young rabbits, not nearly half grown; 1-1/2
pint of milk, 1 blade of mace, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, a little salt
and cayenne.
_Mode_.--Mix the flour very smoothly with 4 tablespoonfuls of the milk,
and when this is well mixed, add the remainder. Cut up the rabbits into
joints, put them into a stewpan, with the milk and other ingredients,
and simmer them _very gently_ until quite tender. Stir the contents from
time to time, to keep the milk smooth and prevent it from burning. 1/2
hour will be sufficient for the cooking of this dish.
_Time_.--1/2 hour. _Average cost_, from 1s. to 1s. 6d. each.
_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 meals. _Seasonable_ from September to February.
RICE-MILK.
1875. INGREDIENTS.--3 tablespoonfuls of rice, 1 quart of milk, sugar to
taste; when liked, a little grated nutmeg.
_Mode_.--Well wash the rice, put it into a saucepan with the milk, and
simmer gently until the rice is tender, stirring it from time to time to
prevent the milk from burning; sweeten it, add a little grated nutmeg,
and serve. This dish is also very suitable and wholesome for children;
it may be flavoured with a little lemon-peel, and a little finely-minced
suet may be boiled with it, which renders it more strengthening and more
wholesome. Tapioca, semolina, vermicelli, and macaroni, may all be
dressed in the same manner.
_Time_.--From 3/4 to 1 hour. _Seasonable_ at any time.
TO MAKE TOAST-AND-WATER.
1876. INGREDIENTS.--A slice of bread, 1 quart of boiling water.
_Mode_.--Cut a slice from a stale loaf (a piece of hard crust is better
than anything else for the purpose), toast it of a nice brown on every
side, but _do not allow it to burn or blacken_. Put it into a jug, pour
the boiling water over it, cover it closely, and let it remain until
cold. When strained, it will be ready for use. Toast-and-water should
always be made a short time before it is required, to enable it to get
cold: if drunk in a tepid or lukewarm state, it is an exceedingly
disagreeable beverage. If, as is sometimes the case, this drink is
wanted in a hurry, put the toasted bread into a jug, and only just cover
it with the boiling water; when this is cool, cold water may be added in
the proportion required,--the toast-and-water strained; it will then be
ready for use, and is more expeditiously prepared than by the above
method.
TOAST SANDWICHES.
1877. INGREDIENTS.--Thin cold toast, thin slices of bread-and-butter,
pepper and salt to taste.
_Mode_.--Place a very thin piece of cold toast between 2 slices of thin
bread-and-butter in the form of a sandwich, adding a seasoning of pepper
and salt. This sandwich may be varied by adding a little pulled meat, or
very fine slices of cold meat, to the toast, and in any of these forms
will be found very tempting to the appetite of an invalid.
1878. Besides the recipes contained in this chapter, there are, in the
previous chapters on cookery, many others suitable for invalids, which
it would be useless to repeat here. Recipes for fish simply dressed,
light soups, plain roast meat, well-dressed vegetables, poultry, simple
puddings, jelly, stewed fruits, &c. &c., all of which dishes may be
partaken of by invalids and convalescents, will be found in preceding
chapters.
DINNERS AND DINING.