Clayton's Quaker Cook-Book Part 10

Eggs Ought Never be Poached.

Poached eggs are always tasteless, and also unhealthy, owing to the alb.u.men going into the water into which they are dropped, giving it a white and milky appearance--taking away a portion of the richness which should remain in the egg, rendering it indigestible, and of course, unwholesome.

Sunnyside Roast.

Select a good, tender piece either of beef or mutton--veal and pork can also be nicely roasted in the same way--place in your iron saucepan or pot one tablespoonful of good lard or half as much b.u.t.ter, and an onion, cut fine; let your onion fry to a light brown, and put in your meat, first having washed, dried and salted it. Put the cover on and let stand until it is pretty well browned; then add water, unless in danger of burning. Add only enough water, from time to time, to keep it from burning; turn it frequently so that it may brown on all sides. When tender, it will come forth brown and juicy. Just before serving, see that there is enough water for gravy; if there is not, you can take out the meat and add enough, but not too much, hot water, and then pour it over the meat.

Clayton's Spanish Omelette.

Chop into dice 1/4 pound of breakfast bacon, a small tomato, 4 mushrooms, mince very fine a small onion; add pepper to taste, put in a frying pan and cook slowly until the lean is done; take off and put in a warm place to keep hot. This is sufficient for 6 eggs.

Plain Omelette.

Beat the yolks and white of 8 eggs separately until light, then beat together; add a little salt and 1 tablespoonful cream. Have in the pan a piece of b.u.t.ter, and when boiling hot pour in the omelette and shake until it begins to stiffen; then let it brown. Fold double and serve hot.

Clam Fritters.

Sift into an earthen dish 3 spoonfuls flour and 1/2 teaspoonful baking powder; add to this a little of the clam juice, 1/2 a cup of cream and 2 eggs, well beaten. Mince a pint of clams and mix with the batter. Put 2 or 3 spoonfuls of lard into a frying-pan, and when boiling, drop in the batter, by spoonfuls, to fry; after frying a minute, take from the pan, drain and serve.

Fried Tripe.

If the tripe is boiled tender, cut in pieces 2 inches square, season with salt and pepper and dip in a batter made of eggs, milk and flour, and fry in sweet lard, or drippings from roast or corned beef.

Ringed Potatoes.

Peel large potatoes, cut them round and round as you would pare an apple; fry in the best lard until a light brown; sprinkle with salt and serve hot.

New Potatoes Boiled.

Wash and rub new potatoes with a coa.r.s.e towel, drop in boiling water, and boil until done, taking care that they are not over boiled. Have ready, in a saucepan, some milk or cream with b.u.t.ter, a little chopped parsley, pepper and salt; drain the potatoes, add them to the cream with a teaspoonful of corn-starch, soaked in a little milk; let it come to a simmer, and serve at once.

Fried Tomatoes.

Take large smooth tomatoes, cut them in slices 1/2 an inch thick, dip in bread crumbs or cracker dust and fry a light brown, in half lard and half b.u.t.ter.

Squash and Corn.--Spanish Style.

Take 3 small summer squashes and 3 ears of corn; chop the squashes and cut the corn from the cobs. Put into a saucepan a spoonful of lard or b.u.t.ter, and when very hot an onion; fry a little; add the corn and squash, 1 tomato and 1 green pepper, cut small, and salt to taste. Cover closely and stir frequently to prevent scorching.

Pickles.

To make mixed pickles, cut small cuc.u.mbers crosswise in about 4 pieces; onions, if not very small, in 2, and peppers, if the ordinary size, in 4 pieces. Should you have green tomatoes, cut them small. Use a less amount of onions and peppers than cuc.u.mbers; mix all together with a few bay leaves. Next, take a tub or keg, and, having covered the bottom with fine salt, put on a layer of pickles, adding alternate layers of each, leaving that of salt on top. Cover with a cotton cloth, and lay on a stone or wooden weight. Let them remain three days; then take out, rinse in cold water, but do not soak, and put them in a basket or sack to drain for twelve hours. Have ready plenty of California wine vinegar, made hot, but not boiling, adding the following--cloves, allspice, green ginger, and whole mustard seed, with 1 coffee-cup sugar. When the vinegar is at scalding heat pour over the pickles and cover.

Nice Picklette.

Take 4 nice cabbages, chopped fine; 1 quart onions, chopped fine; 2 quarts--or sufficient to cover the mixture--best wine vinegar, adding two tablespoonfuls each of ground mustard, black pepper, cinnamon, celery salt, 1 of mace, and 1 coffee-cup sugar. Pack the cabbages and onions in alternate layers, with a little fine salt between, and let stand until next day; then scald the vinegar with the spices and sugar, and pour over the cabbages and onions. Repeat this the next day; and on the third, heat the whole scalding hot, let it cool, and put in jars, when it is fit for use at once.

Pickled Tripe.

Pickled tripe is very nice--and that sold by John Bayle, in the California Market, which is cleaned by steam process, and is quite tender and unsalted is a superior article. To prepare for pickling, cut in pieces about four inches square, say five or six pounds. Put into a kettle; cover with boiling water, adding a handful of salt; let stand fifteen minutes; take out and drain, keeping warm. Mix one-fourth water with the best wine vinegar--to which add cloves, allspice and mace, with 1 teacupful sugar; heat, and pour over the tripe, and set away to cool.

Tripe prepared in this way is the best for broiling or frying.

To Cook Grouse or Prairie Chicken.

The best way I have found for cooking this delicious game bird is, first, after cleaning, to cut off the wings and legs, as, with the back, these parts are of little account; next, split the birds in the centre, taking out the breast-bone, and you have two heavy pieces; if the bird is large, divide again; do not wash, but wipe with a damp cloth. Season with pepper and salt, and broil with b.u.t.ter quite rare; then lay in a porcelain-lined pan, with b.u.t.ter and currant or grape jelly, adding a little cayenne pepper, and a small quant.i.ty of port or white wine.

[Venison steak may be cooked in the same manner.]

Brains and Sweet-Breads.

When properly prepared the brains of calves and sheep form a very inviting dish. Lay fresh brains in cold, salted water for fifteen minutes; then put them in boiling water, and parboil for ten minutes.

After cleaning off the outer membrane--for frying--split them, and season with salt and pepper, and run them through egg, beaten with a little milk; roll them in cracker-dust, and fry to a light brown in equal parts of sweet lard and b.u.t.ter.

For stewed brains, cut half the size for frying and put in a stewpan, with a lump of b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt, a little water or soup-stock, and one-half an onion, chopped fine and stewed tender. Add this, and cook slowly for a few minutes, when put in two or three spoonfuls of milk or cream, and a little white wine or juice of lemon.

[Sweet-breads may be cooked in the same manner.]

Stewed Spare-Ribs of Pork.

Cut the ribs in pieces of a finger's length and the width of two fingers. Put in the kettle with two onions, salt and pepper, and cover with cold water. Let them stew slowly for two hours, and then put in 3 potatoes, 2 purple-top turnips, which have been peeled and cut, and left in cold water at least two hours; also add two tomatoes. This stew must have plenty of gravy, which can be made by working a little flour and b.u.t.ter with a few spoonfuls of rich milk, cooking five minutes.

[An Irish stew may be made in the foregoing manner by subst.i.tuting ribs of mutton.]

Broiled Oysters.

In order to broil oysters properly, take those of the largest size, drain, and dry in a cloth, and lay carefully on a nice wire gridiron that will hold them tight; sprinkle slightly with salt and pepper, and put them over a good clear fire for a short time, and turn, taking care not to broil too much; serve with the best b.u.t.ter on a hot dish.

Pumpkin or Squash Custard.

Take enough pumpkin or squash to make 1 quart when cooked; and after it is boiled or steamed, rub through a sieve, and work in 3 eggs well beaten, with rich milk sufficient to make the proper consistence, adding sugar to taste; season with ginger and allspice, and bake in cups or dishes to a nice brown. May be eaten hot, but is better cold.