Fifty-Two Sunday Dinners Part 23

CAFe NOIR--ICED TEA

CONSOMMe WITH BREAD STICKS

(For recipe see Page 149.)

BOILED CORNED BEEF WITH VEGETABLES

Select five or six pounds from the plate or the brisket; wash carefully in cold water, drain; place in kettle and cover with boiling water, let boil five minutes and--if very briny--drain, rinse off sc.u.m with hot water and again cover with boiling water; heat to boiling point and simmer until meat is tender (about six hours). Remove beef from liquor, keep covered in a warm place. Skim off some of the fat from liquor. Add carrots washed, sc.r.a.ped and cut in quarters. Let cook fifteen minutes, then add small white onions and turnips pared and cut in quarters, one head white cabbage cut in quarters (stalk cut out). Wash, pare and cut uniform-sized potatoes in quarters, parboil five minutes, then drain and add to other ingredients. Cook beets in a separate vessel. When vegetables are soft, arrange meat in center of hot serving platter and surround with carrots, turnips, onions and cabbage. Sprinkle vegetables with finely chopped parsley, serve beets in separate dish. Pa.s.s horseradish, mustard and vinegar.

DANDELION SALAD

Gather the dandelion when young and tender. That which is cultivated is well bleached and very tender. Wash thoroughly in several waters, cut off the roots and outside leaves. Drain dry on a cloth or in a wire basket. Arrange in salad bowl. Cut thin sweet bacon in tiny shreds crosswise and saute in frying pan until crisp; sprinkle bacon over dandelion. To the fat in pan (there should be one-third cup), add one-fourth cup vinegar diluted with two tablespoons water. Heat to boiling point and pour over dandelions; toss leaves with a fork until well mixed with dressing; serve at once.

FROZEN STRAWBERRIES--No. 2

2 quarts cream.

2 cups sugar.

Few grains salt.

2 cups strawberry juice and pulp.

PROCESS: Wash and hull strawberries (about three boxes); sprinkle with one cup sugar, cover closely and set aside in a cool place for two hours. Mash and squeeze berries through cheese cloth. Mix remaining cup sugar and salt with cream; turn into freezer and, when half frozen, add strawberries and finish freezing. Serve with Strawberry Sauce.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1 cup sugar.

1/3 cup water.

2 cups strawberry pulp.

PROCESS: Make a syrup by boiling water with sugar three minutes (after mixture begins to boil), cool slightly and add strawberry pulp. Chill thoroughly and serve.

SPANISH LAYER CAKE

1/3 cup Cottolene.

1 cup sugar.

Yolks 2 eggs.

1/2 cup milk.

1-7/8 cups pastry flour.

3 teaspoons baking powder.

1 teaspoon cinnamon.

1/4 teaspoon cloves.

1/4 teaspoon salt.

Whites 2 eggs.

PROCESS: Cream Cottolene, add sugar gradually, stirring constantly. Mix and sift flour, baking powder, spices and salt; add to first mixture alternately with milk. Cut and fold in stiffly beaten whites of eggs.

Bake in two well-greased, square, layer cake pans. Spread with a thick layer of raspberry between layers. Cover top with frosting or dredge with powdered sugar.

[Sidenote: _May_

_Fifth Sunday_]

Menu

CREAM OF RICE SOUP

FLANK STEAK STUFFED AND BRAISED

BOILED RICE DANDELION GREENS WITH BACON

ASPARAGUS SALAD

STRAWBERRY SHORT CAKE

CAFe NOIR

CREAM OF RICE SOUP

1 cup rice, well washed.

1-1/2 quarts cold water.

1 onion sliced.

1 green pepper cut in shreds.

2 cups hot cream or milk.

1/4 cup b.u.t.ter.

2 tablespoons flour.

Salt, cayenne and nutmeg.

1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley.

PROCESS: Heat water to boiling, season with salt and add rice, onion and green pepper (discarding seeds and veins). Cook until rice is soft; rub through a sieve. Melt b.u.t.ter in a saucepan, add flour, stir to a smooth paste, add cream slowly, stirring constantly. Add seasonings and cook over hot water ten minutes. Combine with rice mixture, continue cooking five minutes. Turn into hot soup tureen and sprinkle over with parsley.

FLANK STEAK STUFFED AND BRAISED

Select a flank steak weighing about two and one-half pounds. Have the butcher peel off the superfluous fat and tissue and score both sides diagonally in opposite directions. Remove the steak from paper when it comes from market and lay it flat on meat board, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread over it a thin layer of stuffing, (see Page 154), roll lengthwise, very compactly, sew the overlapping edge securely, also the ends. Sprinkle roll with salt, pepper and dredge with flour. Place meat in pan with enough Cottolene to brown it richly, turning roll until it is richly browned all over. Then remove to Dutch oven or ca.s.serole; rinse dripping pan with a little boiling water, pour over meat and surround with two cups stewed and strained tomato pulp, one onion thinly sliced, one green pepper shredded (after removing seeds and veins), two sprays parsley, the half of a small bay leaf and two tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Cover closely, place in oven and cook meat very slowly about three to four hours. Remove meat to serving platter. Dilute four tablespoons flour with cold water to the consistency to pour, add to sauce in pan, stir until well blended, season with salt and pepper; let simmer ten minutes, then strain around meat. Garnish with sprays of parsley or cress.

DANDELION GREENS

Remove the roots, carefully pick over (discarding all tough and wilted leaves) and wash dandelion leaves in several waters; to the last water add salt to free leaves from insects and vermin. It will require one peck of leaves to serve a family of six. Cook leaves in plenty of boiling salted water until tender; drain at once and chop fine. Dress with b.u.t.ter and pepper; cut thin slices of bacon in shreds crosswise, try it out and pour over dandelions. (There should be one-third cup bacon fat.) The shreds of bacon are an attractive garnish; hard-cooked eggs may also be used as a garnish. Cut them in eighths or rings.

Vinegar is sometimes added. Serve hot.

STRAWBERRY SHORT CAKE