Transcriber's Notes:
The spelling and punctuation of the original have been preserved.
Obvious punctuation errors and misprints have been corrected.
Blank pages have been deleted.
Text in Italics is indicated between _underscores_ whereas text in
Bold is indicated between =double hyphens=.
Text in small capitals has been replaced by regular uppercase text.
* * * * *
FAST-DAY COOKERY
OR
MEALS WITHOUT MEAT
HOUSEHOLD BOOKS.
=HINTS on COOKERY=, and Management of the Table. Translated from the
French by MARY HOOPER. Crown 8vo. Price 1s. 6d.
=THE ECONOMICAL COOK.= A Book of Recipes for every Season of the Year.
By P. O. P. Fcap. 8vo. Price 1s.
=WASHING, CLEANING, and REMOVING STAINS.= By an Experienced Housewife.
Fcap. 8vo. Price 1s.
=CHILDREN.= By I. L. RICHMOND, with a Preface by SARAH TYTLER. Fcap.
8vo, paper. Price 1s.
A book for all mothers, being a series of short practical papers on
the care and home training of young people; with full directions for
nursing them through their ordinary diseases, and teaching them how
to preserve their health; also plain instructions how to cater for a
family and to prepare their meals, including inexpensive menus for
dinner, breakfast, and supper.
GRIFFITH FARRAN & CO., LIMITED, LONDON.
_And all Booksellers._
FAST-DAY COOKERY
OR
MEALS WITHOUT MEAT
BY
GRACE JOHNSON
AUTHORESS OF "ANGLO-INDIAN AND ORIENTAL COOKERY"
LONDON
GRIFFITH FARRAN & CO.
NEWBERY HOUSE, 39 CHARING CROSS ROAD
1893
[_The Rights of Translation and of Reproduction are reserved._]
PREFACE
Encouraged by the kindly manner in which the Press has dealt with my
"Anglo-Indian and Oriental Cookery," and at the repeated request of
friends, I am writing this little book.
In its compilation, I have had in view both the Anglican and Roman
communions.
There are many who keep the Fasts and Abstinences prescribed by their
Church, and there are many more who would do so if their food was
served up and cooked in a healthy way. As a rule, fish and vegetables
are very little understood in this country, and even in the houses of
the better class one sees little else than the eternal boiled and fried
fish. As to vegetables, they are out of it altogether. If this be the
case where money is no object, how much harder is it for those who are
obliged to make the most of everything?
I do not pretend to teach in this little book, only to give a few novel
and useful recipes that most housewives will find really good and
economical, and also to show that a non-flesh diet can be and is both
healthy and appetising.
The book will be found useful by others than those for whom it is
specially written, and most of the recipes will be practicable at all
times of the year.
A word in conclusion to the careful housewife in getting tinned fish.
Always get the _best_ brand; it is not wise to go in for cheap goods in
this line.
I cannot speak too highly of Edwards' Desiccated Soups. They make
delicious soups of themselves, and in conjunction with other things
they have no equal. Their tomato is simply invaluable; I would not be
without it for anything.
To those who find pastry indigestible I would recommend them to try
"Coombs' Eureka Flour"; it makes delicious pastry, and requires no
baking powder, and it has the advantage of being thoroughly digestible.
I have mentioned how to use all these in most of the recipes. I have
not made any pretence to make this what is called a high-class cookery
book; my aim and object is to bring it within the range of most people,
while many of the dishes are good enough for any high-class table, and
would be found a welcome and novel addition.
GRACE JOHNSON.
FAST-DAY COOKERY.
_SOUPS._
1. Oyster Soup.
Open one dozen oysters, preserve the liquor.
Put into a pan two ounces of butter, with an onion and one bead of
garlic chopped very fine; let these cook till they are a golden
colour, then add one and a half pints of milk, and one and a half
pints of water, and the liquor of the oysters, twelve cloves, twelve
peppercorns, three bay-leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in a bowl
three ounces of fine florador to the consistence of cream, and when the
soup comes to a boil, stir it in, and then let it boil for about ten
minutes. Let it simmer after this very gently for half an hour, strain
through a wire sieve, then add the oysters, a grate of nutmeg, the peel
of a lemon grated; let it simmer for twenty minutes. Serve hot.
2. Lobster Soup.
Cut up an onion into thin rings, chop two beads of garlic, and fry
these a golden brown in two ounces of butter, with twenty-four cloves,
twelve peppercorns, and three bay-leaves. Add one and a half pints of
water, let it simmer gently for half an hour, then add two packets of
Edwards' Desiccated White Soup; let it simmer half an hour longer, and
strain. Then add either one pint of milk, or sixpence worth of cream,
the rind of a lemon grated, quarter of a nutmeg grated, salt and pepper
to taste; put it on the fire to warm through. Well pound the flesh of a
fresh lobster, or the _very best_ brand of tinned lobster, and pass it
through a wire sieve into the soup, stir well, and thoroughly heat it.
Serve with fried bread cut into small dice shape.
3. Scallop Soup.
Cut up an onion into rings, two beads of garlic, and fry in two ounces
of butter a golden colour. Add one and a half pints of water, the same
of milk, twenty-four cloves, twelve peppercorns, a sprig of tarragon,
three bay-leaves, a stick of celery, two-penny packet of Edwards' White
Soup; let them simmer for one hour.
Chop up about half a dozen scallops, strain the soup through a wire
sieve, add the scallops, pepper and salt to taste, and a grate of lemon
peel. Serve very hot with fried bread cut into little dice.
4. Cockle Soup.
Cut up an onion into thin rings, and chop two beads of garlic, fry in
two ounces of butter with twenty-four cloves a delicate brown, then add
two tablespoons of tarragon vinegar, two tablespoons mushroom ketchup,
two teaspoons of Chili vinegar, and three pints of water; thicken
with two ounces of flour that has been rubbed smooth in a bowl to the
consistence of cream; then add a stick of celery, a pinch of thyme,
parsley, basil and sage. Let these simmer for one hour; add pepper and
salt to taste, and strain through a sieve. Lastly, add one pint of
_picked_ cockles, with their liquor. Serve hot.
5. Eel Soup.
Boil two pounds of eels, that have been skinned and cleaned, in two
quarts of water. Add a bunch of sweet herbs, two-penny packet of
Edwards' White Soup, one onion stuck with cloves, two beads of garlic,
two ounces of butter, pepper and salt to taste, one small tea-cup of
tomato conserve. Let it simmer gently for one hour, strain through a
sieve, take the flesh of the fish off the bones, pass it through a
sieve into the soup. Serve hot, with nicely toasted bread cut into neat
pieces.
6. Haddock Soup.
Boil a smoked haddock in about three pints of water, add to it an onion
cut into quarters, two beads of garlic, twenty-four cloves, a stick of
cinnamon, a blade of maize, a bunch of sweet herbs, twelve peppercorns;
boil gently for one hour; strain through a wire sieve, bone the fish,
and remove the skin, pass the flesh through the sieve into the soup,
thicken with half a penny packet of pea flour, rubbed smooth in a
little water, add a little tomato pulp if liked, and two ounces of
butter. Serve hot with fried bread cut into dice.
7. Skate Soup.
Well skin and wash two pounds of skate--the cheaper parts are the best
for soup--boil in three pints of water for about two hours very gently.
Cut up an onion into thin rings, chop two beads of garlic, and fry in
two ounces of butter a delicate golden colour; now add the soup to this
with one pint of milk, three bay-leaves, twelve cloves, a blade of
mace, and a stick of cinnamon, pepper and salt to taste. Let it simmer
for half an hour, strain through a wire sieve, take the meat of the
fish, and put neat pieces of it in the soup. Serve hot with toasted
bread cut into neat pieces.
8. Cod Soup.
Take a cod's head and shoulders, boil it gently in two quarts of water
for one and a half hours.
Cut up an onion into rings, chop two beads of garlic, and fry in two
ounces of butter and twenty-four cloves a nice brown, then add the fish
liquor, three bay-leaves, a bunch of sweet herbs, pepper and salt to
taste; thicken the soup with one packet of pea flour rubbed smooth in
a bowl with a little water, stir well, then add one teaspoon of Chili
vinegar, one tablespoon of tarragon vinegar, and one tablespoon of
mushroom ketchup; strain, and serve with fried bread cut into dice.
9. Salt Herring Mullagatawny.
Cut up an onion into rings, chop three beads of garlic, fry in two
ounces of butter with twenty-four cloves a nice brown, then add one
tablespoon of the best currie powder, stir, then put in two quarts of
water. Cut up three red herrings, salted ones, into pieces, add it to
the rest; let it simmer gently one hour; strain, put it back into the
pan, and add two packets of Edwards' Tomato Soup, and three bay-leaves.
Take the nicest bits of the fish, free from skin and bone, and put them
in the soup; let it simmer an hour longer, take out the bay-leaves, and
serve with a separate dish of boiled rice.
10. Welk Soup.
Cut up an onion into thin rings, chop two beads of garlic, fry in two
ounces of butter with twenty-four cloves a nice brown, add two quarts
of water and one quart of welks, picked, three bay-leaves, a bunch of
sweet herbs, a carrot cut into thin slices, a turnip cut into thin
slices, and a few sticks of celery chopped small. Boil gently for two
hours; strain, pulp the vegetables through a sieve, and return the
soup and vegetables into the pan. Add one packet of Edwards' Tomato
Soup, pepper and salt to taste; simmer for half an hour. Serve hot
with toasted bread cut into dice. The welks can be eaten with vinegar,
pepper, and salt, separately, if liked.
11. Bread Soup.
Boil two large onions in one pint of water, with twenty-four cloves,
and a blade of mace, and twenty-four peppercorns. Let it boil till the
onions are quite soft, then pass it through a sieve. Add two pints of
milk, half a pound of bread crumbs passed through a sieve, pepper and
salt to taste, and two ounces of butter; stir, let it come to the boil,
and serve.
12. Onion Soup.
Boil one pound of onions till quite soft. Pass them through a sieve,
mix with them two ounces of butter, three pints of milk, and pepper and
salt to taste.
13. Pea Soup.
Boil one pint of the best peas in two quarts of water and a mite of
soda till they are quite soft. If the peas get too thick add a little
more water; when quite soft, pass them through a sieve into a nice
_purée_. Cut up an onion in thin rings, then chop it _very_ small, also
two beads of garlic, fry in two ounces of butter a golden brown. Then
add twenty-four cloves, a carrot cut into thin slices, and a turnip cut
into thin slices, and the _purée_; let it simmer gently till the carrot
and turnip are soft, and then again strain it. Add pepper and salt to
taste. Serve with dried powdered mint, and fried bread cut into dice.
14. Green Pea Soup.
Boil one pint of dried green peas in two quarts of water with a mite of
soda till the peas are quite soft. If the water evaporates add a little
more; pass the peas through a wire sieve. Now chop up an onion _very_
small, also two beads of garlic, fry in two ounces of butter a golden
colour. Add your peas, then a whole carrot, a whole turnip, and two
sticks of celery; simmer gently till the vegetables are soft, remove
the vegetables, add pepper and salt to taste, and serve the _purée_
with dry powdered mint and fried bread cut into dice.
15. Turnip Soup.
Boil four large turnips till quite tender. Pass them through a sieve,
add three pints of milk and put them on one side, cut up an onion into
rings, chop two beads of garlic, and fry in two ounces of butter a gold
colour. Add twelve cloves, twelve peppercorns, a piece of green ginger,
and three bay-leaves. Then put in your turnip _purée_, pepper and salt
to taste. Simmer gently for half an hour; strain and serve.
16. Vegetable Marrow Soup.
Boil a vegetable marrow till quite tender. Pass it through a sieve,
add pepper and salt to taste, and three pints of milk. Warm it up
thoroughly and melt into it two ounces of butter. Serve with toast cut
into nice shapes.
17. Potato Soup.
Cut up an onion into rings, chop two beads of garlic, fry and add
two ounces of butter a nice golden colour, add twelve cloves, twelve
peppercorns, three bay-leaves, one carrot cut into slices, one turnip
cut into slices, a stick or two of celery chopped, one pound of
potatoes peeled and cut into slices, and one quart of water and one
quart of milk. Boil gently till all the vegetables are tender enough;
pass them through a sieve; if the _purée_ is too thick add a little
more milk; warm up thoroughly. Add pepper and salt to taste, and serve
with fried bread cut into dice.
18. Haricot Bean Soup.
Boil a half pint of haricots in two quarts of water, with a mite of
soda, one onion, one carrot, one turnip, two sticks of celery chopped.
When quite tender pass all through a sieve. Add two ounces of butter,
pepper and salt to taste, and two tablespoons of tomato conserve. Serve
with fried bread cut in dice.
19. Lentil Soup.
Boil one pint of lentils in two quarts of water to a pulp. Cut up an
onion, chop two beads of garlic, and fry in two ounces of butter with
twenty-four cloves a nice gold colour. Add the lentils to this, put in
salt to taste, and just before serving a squeeze of lemon juice.
20. German Lentil Soup.
Boil one pint of German lentils in two quarts of water, with a mite of
soda. When quite soft pass through a wire sieve; stir into the _purée_
two ounces of butter, pepper and salt to taste. Serve with fried bread
cut into dice.
21. Tomato Puree.
Cut up an onion into rings, chop two beads of garlic, and fry a pale
brown in two ounces of butter. Add twenty-four cloves, and two pounds
of tomatoes cut up in quarters. Let it simmer gently till the tomatoes
are quite soft; strain through a sieve. Add one pint of water, pepper
and salt to taste; let it boil up, and put in a tablespoon of butter
rolled in as much flour as it will take up; stir well. A few drops of
tarragon vinegar are a great improvement.
22. Mixed Vegetable Soup.
Boil in two quarts of water a turnip cut up, a carrot cut up, three
sticks of celery cut up, two leeks, and a small cauliflower cut into
sprigs. Boil till quite soft. Pass it all through a sieve. Cut up an
onion, chop two beads of garlic, and fry in two ounces of butter a
pale golden colour. Add your vegetable _purée_, and pepper and salt to
taste. Serve with fried bread cut into dice.
23. Florador Soup.
Cut up an onion into rings, chop up two beads of garlic, fry in two
ounces of butter with twenty-four cloves a nice gold colour. Add three
pints of milk; let it boil up very slowly. Have ready a quarter of a
pound of fine florador, mixed with almost one pint of cold milk, nice
and smooth like cream. Add this to the boiling milk; stir all the time,
so that it does not stick or get lumpy. Let it get thick, and strain.
Just before serving add a few drops of tarragon vinegar.
24. Barley Soup.
Cut up an onion into rings and chop fine, chop two beads of garlic, and
fry in two ounces of butter a golden brown. Add two quarts of water,
three ounces of pearl barley, one carrot cut into slices, a turnip cut
into slices, three sticks of celery chopped; boil till the barley is
quite tender. Add pepper and salt to taste, a few drops of tarragon
vinegar, a few drops of clove vinegar, and a tablespoon of mushroom
ketchup. Serve with toast cut into neat pieces.
25. Mullagatawny Soup.
Cut up an onion into thin rings, chop two beads of garlic, and fry in
two ounces of butter a golden brown, with twenty-four cloves; then add
one tablespoon of the best of currie powder; fry a minute; add three
pints of water. Rub smooth with a little water one packet of pea flour;
add this to the boiling soup. Now add one penny packet of Edwards'
Tomato Soup; let it simmer gently for half an hour; just before serving
add the juice of half a lemon, and salt to taste. Serve with a separate
dish of boiled rice.
26. Spinach Puree.
Clean, wash, and pick two pounds of spinach. Put it in a pan with
one pint of water, boil till it is quite soft, pass it all through a
sieve, add three ounces of butter, and pepper and salt to taste. If the
_purée_ is too thick, add a little more warm water. Serve with fried
bread cut into dice. This is a very simple but delicious _purée_.
27. Sorrel Puree.
Clean, pick, and wash two pounds of sorrel. Cut up an onion into rings,
chop two beads of garlic, and fry in three ounces of butter a golden
colour. Now add the sorrel. Let it get quite soft, and pass it through
a wire sieve, liquor and all; add as much hot water as will make the
_purée_ a nice consistence for soup. Pepper and salt to taste. Serve
with fried bread cut into dice.
28. Artichoke Puree.
Peel two pounds of Jerusalem artichokes, and boil them till quite soft.
Pass them through a wire sieve; add three pints of milk; let it come to
the boil, then add three ounces of butter. Pepper and salt to taste.
Serve with fried bread. This is a delicious soup, and very nutritious.
29. Carrot Puree.
Scrape and wash four large carrots; cut them into quarters, and boil
till quite soft; pass them through a sieve; cut up an onion into rings;
chop up two beads of garlic, and fry these with twenty-four cloves a
nice brown in two ounces of butter; then add the carrot _purée_, two
and a half pints of water, three bay-leaves, a stick of cinnamon, a
blade of mace, one packet of Edwards' White Soup. Pepper and salt to
taste. Let it simmer gently for an hour. Strain again, and serve with
fried bread cut into dice. A few drops of tarragon is an improvement.
30. Pearl Sago Soup.
Boil a quarter pound of pearl sago in two quarts of water till quite
clear, and as thick as possible; then add two packets of Edwards'
Tomato Soup, one onion stuck with cloves, a roll of lemon peel, two
white beads of garlic, three bay-leaves, and three ounces of butter.
Simmer gently for one hour. Before serving remove the onion, garlic,
peel, and bay-leaves. Add a few drops of tarragon vinegar, one
tablespoon of Worcester sauce, and two of mushroom ketchup, salt and
pepper to taste.
N.B.--I have made some of these soups very thick on purpose, so that
there may be more substance in them. They can, moreover, be made
thinner or thicker as desired by either omitting or adding hot water.
_SAUCES._
I give but few, but these are novel to a certain extent. The white
butter sauce alone can be varied in many ways, either savoury or
sweet. If for sweets, the salt and savouries left out, and sugar and
flavouring as desired put to it. Any cook with very little trouble can
do this, and it does not require extraordinary skill to vary these
sauces according to what is required.
1. White Butter Sauce.
Put into a pan half a pint of milk, with two ounces of butter; let it
gradually come to the boil.
Have ready a tablespoon of flour rubbed down in a little cold milk. Add
this to the boiling milk, stir, and let it thicken, add salt to taste.
This is more delicate than the ordinary melted butter.
2. Onion Sauce.
Boil two large onions, stick two or three cloves into them. When quite
soft, pass them through a wire sieve, and add the pulp to a sauce, as
No. 1.
3. Parsley and Butter Sauce.
Pick some parsley in neat bunches, wash and clear of grit, dry
thoroughly in a cloth, chop _very_ fine, and add about two tablespoons
to the sauce No. 1. Let it simmer very gently for a few minutes till
the parsley is cooked; stir occasionally, that it does not burn or get
lumpy.
4. Egg Sauce.
Boil two eggs for ten minutes, then throw them in cold water; shell and
chop fine; add to sauce No. 1. A little Nepaul pepper is an improvement.
5. Sauce Piquant.
Cut up a small onion, chop two beads of garlic, and fry in two ounces
of butter with twelve cloves, twelve peppercorns, and three bay-leaves.
Add half a pint of milk. Let it slowly come to the boil.
Have ready one tablespoon of flour mixed smooth with a little cold
milk, stir into the boiling milk, strain, let it cool a little; now
add the yolk of an egg well beaten, a little Nepaul pepper and salt
to taste. And lastly, chop up some tarragon and a little chervil that
has been soaked in vinegar for a week previously. Add this _very_
carefully, a little at a time, so that the sauce does not curdle. This
sauce is a great favourite.
6. Bread Sauce.
Boil a small onion till very tender, pass it through a sieve; add to it
half a pint of milk, two tablespoons of bread crumbs passed through a
sieve, two ounces of butter, a few peppercorns, and salt to taste.
7. Celery Sauce.
Cut up the white part of a bead of celery very small. Boil in just
enough water to get it quite soft. Then add to this two tablespoons of
cream, two ounces of butter, and a little flour mixed smooth in some
cold milk, just to thicken it, salt to taste. Some like a little grated
lemon peel and nutmeg.
8. Oyster Sauce.
Chop up half a dozen oysters and mix them with their liquor with sauce
No. 1--a little grated nutmeg and lemon peel added.
9. Shrimp Sauce.
Pick and clean one pint of pink shrimps. Mix them with sauce No. 1.
10. Lemon Sauce.
Sauce No. 1. When a little cool, add the yolk of an egg well beaten,
the rind of half a lemon grated, a pinch of Nepaul pepper and nutmeg.
11. Anchovy and Butter Sauce.
Sauce No. 1, with the addition of enough Anchovy sauce to flavour
nicely, and a pinch of Nepaul pepper.
12. Jerusalem Artichoke Sauce.
Sauce No. 1, with half a pound of artichokes boiled till tender and
passed through a sieve, added to it a good pinch of Nepaul pepper.
13. Brown Onion Sauce.
Chop up an onion very small, also one bead of garlic. Fry these in
three ounces of butter, with one tablespoon of flour, till it is quite
brown. Add half a pint of water, stir, and boil it up for about ten or
fifteen minutes. Strain, and add pepper and salt to taste, and a little
mushroom ketchup.
14. Piquant Brown Sauce.
Cut up an onion into rings; chop up two beads of garlic. Fry these in
three ounces of butter and a tablespoon of flour till quite brown. Add
rather less than half a pint of water, two tablespoons of vinegar,
one tablespoon of tarragon vinegar, one tablespoon of chervil, one
tablespoon of clove, salt to taste, and a pinch of Nepaul pepper.
Strain and serve.
15. Tomato Sauce.
Cut up a small onion into thin rings, chop a bead of garlic, and fry in
two ounces of butter a pale yellow. Cut up three good-sized tomatoes,
and let it all simmer together till quite soft. Pass it all through a
fine wire sieve. Add enough water to make half a pint of sauce. Thicken
with a little butter rolled in flour. Salt to taste and a few drops of
tarragon vinegar.
16. Mushroom Sauce.
Cut up a very small onion, chop one bead of garlic, and fry in three
ounces of butter, to which add a tablespoon of flour. Fry till brown.
Add half a pint of water, stir, and let it thicken. Strain. Add salt
and Nepaul pepper to taste, and about six good-sized mushrooms that
have been peeled and picked and chopped. Let it simmer for about ten
minutes very gently, and just before serving add a tablespoon of
mushroom ketchup and a squeeze of lemon.
17. Brown Lemon.
Cut up an onion into rings; chop up two beads of garlic. Fry in three
ounces of butter, with one tablespoon of flour, a nice brown. Add half
a pint of water, let it thicken, and then strain it. Add the grated
peel of half a lemon, the juice of a whole one, and salt and Nepaul
pepper to taste.
18. Brown Parsley.
Cut up an onion into thin rings, chop two beads of garlic, and fry in
three ounces of butter, with a tablespoon of flour, till quite brown.
Add half a pint of water, let it thicken, and strain. Then add two
tablespoons of finely chopped green parsley, salt and Nepaul pepper to
taste.
19. Cocoa-nut Sauce.
Cut up an onion into thin rings, chop two beads of garlic, also two
bay-leaves; fry these in three ounces of butter with twelve cloves
and a tablespoon of flour; let it get quite brown. Add the milk of a
cocoa-nut and enough water to make it half a pint; let it thicken, and
strain, then add two tablespoons of scraped cocoa-nuts, salt and Nepaul
pepper to taste. This is very good with boiled fish.
20. Beet-root Sauce.
Cut up an onion into rings, chop one bead of garlic, fry in three
ounces of butter with one tablespoon of flour. Add somewhat less than
half a pint of water, two tablespoons of vinegar, one of tarragon
vinegar, one of chervil vinegar, one teaspoon of Chili vinegar, and
salt to taste. Strain, and then add to it a small beet-root passed
through a wire sieve.
_FISH IN VARIOUS WAYS._
I have not given recipes for plain boiling and frying; most cooks know
how to do this perfectly well, and it would only be repeating what is
in other books. I will only add that most of the sauces poured over
plain boiled fish seem to change its character entirely; for instance,
boiled fillets of skate smothered in onion sauce taste very much like
white meat. Some of the brown sauces, too, poured over good firm
fleshed fish, seem very much like chicken or rabbit.
I have put all the fish recipes together, both those suited to
_entrées_ and the more substantial. I have done this because it is
rather a difficult matter to arrange how the different dishes are to be
served. Some are quite content with an _entrée_ after the soup; others
want something more substantial to take the place of the usual joint;
they can, however, have fish pies, baked fish, boiled fish, fried fish,
etc., which answer the purpose very well, and the lighter dishes can be
used as _entrées_, and some even as savouries. A dinner of four or five
courses can easily be had from these recipes.
1. Eel Pie.
Clean and skin two pounds of eels; cut them into pieces two inches
in length, put them in a pie dish thus: a layer of fish, then sliced
onions, a few cloves, and sliced tomatoes, some sliced hard-boiled
eggs, and so on till the dish is full. Mix some salt and Nepaul pepper
to taste, in a little warm water, say a _small_ tea-cup; pour it over
the fish. Cover with a nice crust either light or short, and bake a
nice brown. Serve with a nice frill round the dish.
This is a very substantial and delicious dish. The short crust is more
digestible and satisfying than the light, but this is a matter of
individual taste.
2. Eel Stew.
Clean and skin two pounds of eels; cut them into two-inch pieces. Chop
one onion and two beads of garlic very small, fry in three ounces of
butter with one tablespoon of flour till it is a nice brown; add half
a pint of water and let it thicken; strain, then add the eels to the
sauce. One tablespoon of tarragon vinegar, one tablespoon of cloves,
one tablespoon of chervil, Nepaul pepper and salt to taste, the grated
rind of half a lemon, and a little grated nutmeg. A few turned olives
and button mushrooms considerably improve it, but where expense is an
object these may be left out.
3. Salt Fish and Egg Pie.
Get a good dry salt fish about three pounds. Soak it all night in
water, then put it in the oven till soft enough to handle, remove all
skin and bone, and make into nice large flakes; put a layer of this in
a pie dish, then a layer of sliced onions, a few cloves, a sprinkling
of lemon thyme, some sliced hard-boiled eggs, and so on till the dish
is full. Now mix half a cup of water with half a cup of good thick
tomato conserve, add Nepaul pepper to it to taste; pour it over the
pie, and cover with either a light or a short crust, and bake a nice
brown.
4. Salt Fish and Potato Pie.
Treat the fish as in previous recipe. Peel and boil two pounds of
potatoes, mash them thoroughly, and mix them with the fish. Three
hard-boiled eggs chopped fine, one tablespoon of chopped onion, three
ounces of butter, and a teaspoon of herbs as for veal stuffing. Mix all
thoroughly together, then put it in a well-greased pie dish, smooth it
down, and score it with a fork, put a few dabs of butter over it here
and there, and bake a nice brown.
5. Haddock and Potato.
Get a good sized smoked haddock; put it in the oven for a few minutes
till it is cooked enough to handle, remove the skin and bone, flake it,
and mix it with mashed potatoes, three ounces of butter, the grated
peel of half a lemon, a little lemon thyme, some grated nutmeg, and
salt and Nepaul pepper to taste. Put it in a greased pie dish; smooth
the top, and score it with a fork, and bake a nice brown.
6. Skate Fricassee.
Cut up an onion into rings, chop one bead of garlic, fry in two ounces
of butter with twelve cloves and two bay-leaves, a pale yellow. Add
half a pint of milk, draw it aside, and let the milk cook very gently
ten minutes; strain. Now mix smooth a tablespoon of flour with a little
cold milk; pour it into the other just as it is boiling up; stir till
it thickens. Add one pound of filleted skate, the grated rind of half
a lemon, a grated nutmeg; let it cook gently till the fish is done.
When a little cool, _i.e._, when it is off the boil, add the yolk of an
egg well beaten, and salt and Nepaul pepper to taste. Stir well, and
thoroughly warm it, taking care the egg does not curdle; it is best to
put the pan into a larger one containing hot water; this prevents the
curdling of the egg. Serve this with a dish of mashed potatoes, or
potato snow. It is a delicate and delicious dish and, skate being very
nutritious, it is well suited for an invalid.
7. Skate Stew (Brown).
Cut up an onion into thin rings, chop two beads of garlic, and fry,
in three ounces of butter with one tablespoon of flour and twelve
cloves, a nice brown, quite a rich colour, then add half a pint of
water, a blade of mace, a stick of cinnamon, the grated rind of half a
lemon, three bay-leaves; stir, and let it thicken well, then add two
tablespoons of mushroom ketchup, Nepaul pepper and salt to taste; let
it simmer very gently for half an hour; strain, put it back in the pan,
and add one pound of nicely crimped skate to the sauce; let the fish
cook very gently until done, which will take from twenty minutes to
half an hour. Serve with sippets of fried bread and parsley round the
dish.
8. Brown Oyster Stew.
Make the sauce just the same as in preceding recipe, only add the juice
of the oysters to it; strain, and add the oysters themselves. A few
drops of tarragon and Chili vinegar are an improvement, and the juice
of half a lemon. This is a delicate dish, and much liked.
9. Lobster Cutlets.
Well pound the flesh of a good fresh lobster in a mortar (the best
brand of tin lobster will answer as well), mix with it about two ounces
of butter, one small cup of bread crumbs, salt and Nepaul pepper to
taste, the grated rind of a lemon and half a nutmeg grated, mix all
together with two well beaten eggs; form into cutlet shapes, and egg
and bread crumb them, fry a golden brown in boiling fat or butter. Lay
them on a sieve to drain off any fat there may be. Serve neatly on a
dish, and decorate with fried bread and parsley.
10. Oyster Cutlets.
Stew one dozen oysters in their own liquor gently, till tender enough
to chop very small; mix with them one cup of bread crumbs, some grated
nutmeg and lemon peel, salt and pepper to taste; bind all together
with a well-beaten egg or two, form into cutlets, and fry in butter a
pale yellow; drain on a sieve. Serve with fried sippets of bread and
parsley round them. These are very delicious and simple.
11. Oysters Fried on Toast.
Take as many oysters as you need, dip each into well beaten egg, and
then into bread crumbs, fry in butter a golden colour, sprinkle with
pepper and salt.
Have ready as many pieces of fried bread, cut out with a round cutter,
as you have oysters, lay an oyster on each; garnish the top with a
sprinkling of chopped green parsley and a piece or two of lemon cut in
dice shape.
12. Irish Cutlets.
Remove the skin and bone from any cold fish you may have remaining;
well pound the flesh in a mortar; add one cup of bread crumbs, salt
and Nepaul pepper to taste, a teaspoon of chopped onion, a teaspoon
of chopped parsley, mix all well together with one or two well beaten
eggs, shape into cutlets, sausages, or rounds, and fry a pale golden
colour.
Serve neatly garnished with parsley, and slices of lemon on a stand of
potato.
13. Smoked Haddock Croquets.
Get a good sized smoked haddock, put it in the oven a few minutes, pick
out all bones and skin, pound the flesh in a mortar, add one teaspoon
chopped onion, one teaspoon of herbs as for veal stuffing, the grated
rind of half a lemon, pepper and salt to taste, one tea-cup of fine
bread crumbs; mix well, bind all with one or two well beaten eggs, form
into croquets, egg and bread crumb them, fry in butter a delicate gold
colour. Serve round a wall of mashed potatoes; garnish with parsley and
fried bread.
14. Baked Fish.
Get a good sized gurnet, stuff it with the following mixture; tie it
carefully round with tape (string cuts the fish), put it in a baking
tin, cover over with little dotes of butter here and there and a
sprinkling of salt and pepper. Put it into the oven, and bake till well
done; remove the tape carefully, so as not to spoil the look of the
fish. Ornament with tufts of parsley, and serve with a dish of mashed
potatoes, or fried potato chips.
Fish Stuffing.
One cup of fine bread crumbs, three ounces of butter well worked in,
one teaspoon of herbs, as for veal stuffing, pepper and salt to taste,
the yolks of two eggs. Mix all well together, and stuff the fish neatly.
15. Baked Smoked Haddock.
Get a good sized haddock, stuff it with the following mixture, and
proceed as in above recipe.
Fish Stuffing.
One tea-cup of fine bread crumbs, two well boiled onions chopped and
mashed to pulp, three ounces of butter, a small quantity of sage to
taste chopped _very_ fine, pepper and salt to taste. Mix all well
together, and stuff the fish.
16. Curried Haddock.
Put a smoked haddock in the oven for a few minutes; free it of bone and
skin and set it aside.
Cut up an onion very small, also two beads of garlic chopped, two
bay-leaves chopped; fry in three ounces of butter with twenty-four
cloves a nice brown, then add one tablespoon of best currie powder;
stir; and, lastly, add the fish. Stir well, and keep frying till the
fish is almost dry. Serve with a separate dish of plain boiled rice.
17. Curried Lobster.
Cut up an onion, two beads of garlic, two bay-leaves, and fry, in two
ounces of butter with twenty-four cloves, a nice colour, then add one
tablespoon of best currie powder. Let it all fry for two or three
minutes, then add two tablespoons of tomato pulp, a blade of mace, and
a cup of water; let it simmer gently for one hour, then just before
serving add salt to taste, and a squeeze of lemon, and the contents of
a best brand tin of lobster. Serve with a separate dish of boiled rice.
18. Curried Eel.
Cut up an onion, two beads of garlic, two bay-leaves, and fry in two
ounces of butter and twenty-four cloves a nice brown; then add one
tablespoon or a little less of best currie powder; stir; then add one
cup of water, and a two-penny packet of Edwards' Tomato Soup. Let it
simmer gently for one hour. Then add one pound of eels that have been
nicely skinned and cleaned. Let the fish thoroughly cook in the sauce,
and about five minutes before it is ready add the milk of a cocoa-nut.
Serve with a dish of plain boiled rice.
19. Devilled Eels.
Well clean and skin one pound of eels, cut into two-inch lengths, roll
in flour, sprinkle well with salt and Nepaul pepper. Fry in butter
a nice colour. Serve, neatly heaped one on the other, with bits of
parsley in between. Fried or mashed potatoes is the right accompaniment
for this dish, or plain boiled rice.
20. Fish and Potato Cutlets.
Mash some potatoes, take any cold fish, free it of skin and bone. Mix
them together with one teaspoon of chopped onion, one teaspoon of herbs
as for veal stuffing, salt and pepper to taste, the grated rind of half
a lemon. Form into cutlet shape, egg and bread crumb them, and fry a
nice golden brown. Decorate with fried parsley.
21. Filleted Hake.
Get one pound of filleted hake. Chop up an onion very small, mix with a
teaspoon of herbs, chopped parsley, lemon thyme and basil, and pepper
and salt to taste. Sprinkle each fillet with this rather thickly, then
roll it up and tie with a tape. Now put it aside. Cut up an onion, two
beads of garlic, two bay-leaves, fry in two ounces of butter a nice
yellow, then add one tea-cup of water and one packet Edwards' Tomato
Soup. Let it simmer gently twenty minutes. Add your fillets, and let
them cook in the sauce. Before serving untie the tape with great care.
22. Filleted Herrings.
Bake as many hard solid herrings as you require in vinegar, with a
pinch of Nepaul pepper and salt, and two or three bay-leaves. When
done, split each fish down the back, remove the bone, and then sprinkle
with some chopped onion and green parsley, and put it together so that
it looks as before. Serve cold, with a nice sauce made of equal parts
of olive oil and vinegar. This is very nice served with salads of any
kind.
23. Filleted Skate.
Get one pound of fillets of skate or crimped skate. Sprinkle them with
a little chopped onion, parsley and a hard boiled egg chopped; pepper
and salt to taste. Roll the fish up, and tie with tape.
Cut up an onion into rings, chop two beads of garlic and fry in two
ounces of butter a nice brown. Add two tablespoons of tomato pulp,
one tea-cup of water, twelve cloves, twelve peppercorns, and two
bay-leaves. Let it simmer gently half an hour, then add the skate, and
cook it in the sauce. Before serving, remove the tape and the bay
leaves.
24. Baked Mackerel.
Get some fine mackerel, sprinkle it over with Nepaul pepper and salt,
chopped onion, two bay-leaves, two beads of garlic chopped fine, then
pour over all one cup of tomato pulp. Bake in the oven till the fish is
done. Dish the fish very neatly, and strain the liquor over them.
25. Cod Steak.
Take some good sized pieces of cod, but not too large, roll them in
flour and fry a nice colour. Then fry some onions as for beef steak,
and smother the fish with them.
This is liked very much by children.
26. Curried Cutlets.
Free some cold haddock of bone and skin. Pound the flesh in a mortar.
Mix with it one dessertspoon of chopped onion, two beads of chopped
garlic, one teaspoon of best currie powder. Mix well. If not quite
sufficiently firm to handle, stir in a well beaten egg. Form into
cutlets, and fry in butter a nice colour. Serve with a separate dish of
plain boiled rice or as a kedgree, as per recipe given.
27. White Cutlets.
Well pound any cold white fish you may have in a mortar. Add the grated
peel of half a lemon, half a nutmeg grated, pepper and salt to taste.
Mix well. Then add a well-beaten egg to bind the mixture, form into
cutlets or flat cakes, and poach in milk till set. Serve with shrimp
sauce over.
28. Fish and Tomatoes.
Get some red or grey mullet. Plain boil, and serve them in the middle
of the dish. While hot melt some butter over them, and sprinkle with
pepper and salt. Then surround them with small baked tomatoes all round
the dish. Sprinkle over all some finely chopped parsley. Serve with
potato snow.
29. Fish Mould.
Well pound the flesh of some nice white fish. Mix with it one cup of
bread crumbs, one teaspoon of herbs as for veal stuffing, three ounces
of butter, the grated rind of half a lemon, some grated nutmeg, Nepaul
pepper and salt to taste. Well beat four eggs. Mix all together, put
in a plain buttered mould, and bake till set. Turn out on to a paper.
Garnish with parsley and slices of lemon and tomato.
30. Lobster Mould.
Well pound the contents of a tin of lobsters. Mix with one cup of
bread crumbs, one teaspoon of herbs, the grated peel of half a lemon,
some grated nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste, three ounces of butter.
Well beat three eggs. Mix together, and put into a plain well-buttered
mould. Steam till quite set. Turn out on to a round dish. Pour over a
shrimp sauce.
N.B.--I have always said butter for all my fish dishes, as the butter
imparts a better flavour, and in these days it can be had so cheaply;
but if lard and dripping is substituted by those who do not object to
their use, it answers quite as well.
_EGGS IN VARIOUS WAYS._
1. Tumbled Eggs.
Put on half a pint of milk, with a piece of butter the size of a
walnut. Well beat up four eggs, add one teaspoon of finely chopped
onion, a little Nepaul pepper and salt to taste. Stir into the milk;
keep stirring all the time till it gets thick. Then lay it on nicely
buttered toast, and serve neatly dished and decorated with parsley.
2. Baked Eggs.
Well grease a pie dish. Break into it as many eggs as you require,
taking care not to break the yolks. Sprinkle over the top a light layer
of bread crumbs, and pepper and salt to taste. Put some dabs of butter
here and there over it, and bake a nice golden colour. This dish,
though simple, is tasty and satisfying.
3. Fricasseed Eggs.
Have ready some hard-boiled eggs. Shell them, and cut them in quarters.
Place them in a dish neatly. Now throw over them a white butter sauce,
as per sauce recipe No. 1. Sprinkle over some Nepaul pepper and salt to
taste. These should be eaten with toast sent to table separately.
4. Dry Egg Currie.
Chop four hard-boiled eggs very fine. Put them aside. Chop up one
onion, two beads of garlic, very fine. Fry in three ounces of butter,
with twelve cloves, a nice brown. Then add a tablespoon of best currie
powder. Fry all together a few minutes, and then add the minced eggs.
Stir well, and let all the moisture absorb. Add salt to taste, and a
squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with a separate dish of boiled rice or
kedgree, as per recipe given.
5. White Egg Currie.
Have ready some hard-boiled eggs; shell them and cut them in half. Put
them aside. Chop one onion and two cloves of garlic small, and fry in
three ounces of butter with twenty-four cloves a pale yellow, then add
one dessertspoon of the best currie powder, the milk of a cocoa-nut,
and one small tea-cup of rich thick cream. Let it simmer gently for
about half an hour. Strain it, and then add salt to taste, a squeeze of
lemon, taking great care not to curdle the cream, and lastly, add the
eggs. Warm thoroughly through. Serve with a separate dish of rice.
6. Egg Zeste.
Chop up six hard-boiled eggs small. Mix with them one teaspoon of
chopped onions, one teaspoon of chopped parsley, one bead of garlic,
_very_ fine, Nepaul pepper and salt to taste, the grated rind of a
small lemon, and lastly, the strained juice of the lemon. This is very
nice eaten with salads of any kind, or between bread and butter as a
sandwich.
7. Baked Eggs with Cheese.
Butter a pie dish, sprinkle it well over with grated Parmesan cheese, a
dust of Nepaul pepper and salt. Now break in six eggs, cover over with
grated cheese, a dust of Nepaul pepper and salt, and bake a nice golden
brown.
8. Plain Omelette.
Beat up the yolks of three eggs with two ounces of butter quite smooth.
Add to it pepper and salt to taste, and a tablespoon of milk. Now beat
the whites to a stiff froth, and stir them thoroughly into the mixture.
Put in just a small pat of butter into a thoroughly clean frying-pan.
Pour in your mixture, and let it set and get a bright golden yellow.
Turn over neatly, lay it in a napkin, and garnish with parsley. The
chief secret is a clean pan and a perfectly clear fire, which must not
be too fierce.
9. Omelette with Herbs.
Just as previous one. Only add to the mixture one teaspoon of chopped
onion, and one teaspoon of parsley. Fry the same as above, and serve on
a napkin.
10. Eggs with Tomatoes.
Well butter as many Darrol moulds (plain ones) as you require, break an
egg into each, carefully, add a dust of pepper and salt, put a wee dab
of butter on top, and bake in the oven till nicely set. Have ready as
many nice round red tomatoes as you have eggs, put them in a greased
baking-tin, put a small dab of butter on each, dust them with pepper
and salt, and bake them till soft. Now dish with an egg and a tomato
alternately, and sprinkle over all some chopped parsley. This is a
simple but pretty and tasty dish.
11. Egg and Mushroom Souffle.
Boil one ounce of semolina in one cup of milk till quite thick, take
it off the fire, stir into it while hot a piece of butter the size of
a walnut; let it get cool. When nearly cold, stir in three well beaten
eggs, yolks and whites separately, the whites beaten to a stiff froth.
Add Nepaul pepper and salt to taste. Well butter a plain border mould,
fill the mixture in, let it bake till well set and of a nice colour.
Have ready some mushrooms, prepared thus--pick and skin them, and fry
them in plenty of butter, and pepper and salt, till quite soft and
done. Turn out your _soufflé_ on to a paper, and fill in the centre
with the fried mushrooms; sprinkle over the whole a little chopped
parsley. Serve very hot.
12. Egg Balls.
Boil some eggs hard, take out the yolks, pound them in a mortar, mix
with equal proportion of fine bread crumbs passed through a wire sieve,
add a teaspoon of fine chopped onion, one bead of garlic, one teaspoon
of parsley, one ounce of butter; mix well; bind the mixture with well
beaten raw egg, form into balls, fry a nice brown, and serve strung on
skewers.
13. Egg Cutlets.
Chop some hard-boiled eggs fine. Mix them with an equal quantity of
fine bread crumbs. Add pepper and salt to taste. Bind the mixture with
well beaten raw eggs. Form into nice shaped cutlets, and fry in butter
a bright golden yellow. Serve neatly, and garnish with fried parsley
and sippets of bread.
14. Surprise Eggs.
Boil as many eggs as you need hard. Cut a very small piece off the
pointed end, so that the egg can stand, and then cut off as little
as possible of the end--just enough to be able to take out the yolk
nicely. If the white is very thick, thin it with a sharp knife, but be
_very_ careful not to spoil the shape. Pound the yolks in a mortar.
Mix with them one or two anchovies also pounded, a bit of butter,
some Nepaul pepper, a few fine bread crumbs. Mix well together, form
the mixture into little balls, and proceed to fill the whites of the
eggs, so that it looks somewhat like the yolk inside. Now have ready
a nice salad made of lettuce, endive, tarragon, and chervil, chopped
very fine, and looking like a bed of moss. On this set the eggs, and
ornament with chopped beet-root. This is a very pretty dish, and
exceedingly tasty, and suitable for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
15. Stewed Eggs.
Have a nice, tasty brown sauce, as No. 17. Put to it as many
hard-boiled eggs as you want, cut in half some turned olives, and a few
button mushrooms. Let it warm thoroughly through, and serve, ornamented
with fried sippets of bread.
_LENTILS, RICE, AND MACARONI IN VARIOUS WAYS._
1. Lentil Moulds.
Boil half a pint of lentils in one pint of water till quite soft and
mashed up; if more water is required, add a little drop; chop up an
onion very small, two beads of garlic chopped, a pinch of lemon thyme,
the grated rind of half a lemon, two eggs well beaten, pepper and salt
to taste. Mix well together, butter some plain Darrol moulds, put the
mixture in and bake till set, turn them out on to a paper, garnish with
parsley, sippets of fried bread and hard-boiled eggs in quarters.
2. Lentil Cutlets.
Boil some lentils as in previous recipe, flavour in the same way, mix
with them one tea-cup of bread crumbs, form into cutlets, fry in butter
a nice colour. Dish neatly, and pour over them a tomato sauce, as per
recipe No. 15.
3. Plain Dhàl.
Boil some lentils plain, put them aside, now cut up an onion, two beads
of garlic, and fry in three ounces of butter with twenty-four cloves
a pale yellow, then put in your lentils, and two bay-leaves. Let it
simmer gently for about one hour; the lentils must not be thick; salt
to taste. Serve with a separate dish of plain boiled rice, and slices
of lemon, to squeeze over it.
4. Lentil Currie.
Boil some lentils plain, put them aside. Now cut up an onion, two beads
of garlic, and two bay-leaves; fry in three ounces of butter with
twenty-four cloves a nice brown, then add one tablespoon of the best
currie powder, stir, and then put in your lentils; let them simmer
gently for one hour; add salt to taste, and a small cup of tomato pulp.
Serve with a separate dish of plain boiled rice.
5. Haricot Bean Pie.
Boil one pint of haricot beans till quite soft, put a mite of soda in
the water to soften it, when quite done drain and set aside.
Cut up an onion into rings, chop up two beads of garlic; fry these in
three ounces of butter with twenty-four cloves a nice golden colour.
Now add one teaspoon of the best currie powder, and one cup of tomato
pulp. Mix well, then add Nepaul pepper and salt to taste, a few drops
of tarragon vinegar; put in your beans, and mix well. Turn out in a pie
dish, and let them cool. Cover with a nice homely short crust, and bake
a nice golden brown. This pie is nutritious, and really nice.
6. Haricot Bean Stew.