72. As has been shown, meat is both an expensive and a perishable food.
Therefore, some use should be made of every left-over bit of it, no
matter how small, and it should be disposed of quickly in order to
prevent it from spoiling. A point that should not be overlooked in the
use of left-over meats, however, is that they should be prepared so as
to be a contrast to the original preparation and thus avoid monotony in
the food served. This variation may be accomplished by adding other
foods and seasonings and by changing the appearance as much as possible.
For instance, what remains from a roast of beef may be cut in thin
slices and garnished to make an attractive dish; or, left-over meat may
be made very appetizing by cutting it into cubes, reheating it in gravy
or white sauce, and serving it over toast or potato patties. Then there
is the sandwich, which always finds a place in the luncheon. The meat
used for this purpose may be sliced thin or it may be chopped fine, and
then, to increase the quantity, mixed with salad dressing, celery,
olives, chopped pickles, etc. An excellent sandwich is made by placing
thin slices of roast beef between two slices of bread and serving hot
roast-beef gravy over the sandwich thus formed. Still other appetizing
dishes may be prepared from left-over beef as the accompanying
recipes show.
73. MEXICAN BEEF--An extremely appetizing dish, known as Mexican beef,
can be made from any quantity of left-over beef by serving it with a
vegetable sauce. Such a dish needs few accompaniments when it is served
in a light meal, but it may be used very satisfactorily as the main dish
in a heavy meal.