Mrs. Wilson's Cook Book Part 61

for flavoring and then lift and set the thighs and breast aside for future use. Pick the meat from the back of the carca.s.s and add to two and one-half cups of the stock. Season and thicken slightly. Now place the legs and wings in a ca.s.serole dish and add

One cup of peas, The prepared gravy, Four boiled onions.

Cover with a crust of plain pastry and bake in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.

FRICa.s.sEE CHICKEN

Draw and singe and cut the chicken. Wash and place in a deep saucepan and cover with boiling water. Bring to a boil and add

One onion, One small carrot, Two branches of celery.

Cook slowly until tender and then thicken the gravy. Dumplings may be added if desired.

ROAST CHICKEN, SPLIT STYLE

Prepare the chicken as for roasting. Do not fill. Rub well with shortening and then pat in plenty of flour. Place in a roasting pan and roast until tender; baste frequently with hot water.

ROAST DUCK

Singe and draw the duck and then remove the neck and add to the giblets and cook until tender. Wash and then drain the duck. Now prepare a filling by soaking sufficient stale bread in cold water.

When pressed dry it will measure two and one-half cups. Rub through a sieve. Now place five tablespoons of shortening in a saucepan and add

One cup of chopped onion, One green pepper, chopped fine, The prepared bread, Three tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, One level teaspoon of thyme.

Cook slowly, turning frequently until the onions are tender, adding more shortening if necessary to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan. Then season with salt and pepper. Cook and then fill into the duck. Dust with flour and then roast in a moderate oven, allowing thirty minutes for the duck to start cooking and twenty minutes to the pound.

MACARONI

Macaroni is to the Italian cook the starchy content of the meal; just as the Irish and sweet potato are our common starchy foods. The thrifty Italian and French housewifes have found that by addition of meat, cheese and eggs for flavoring, they can serve their families substantial and attractive foods at a minimum cost.

The average American consumer of pastes and macaroni has no idea of the number of styles or forms--of which there are over a hundred--into which this wheat product is made. They range from the lasagnes, which are the short, flat pieces one and two inches wide, cut and frequently moulded by hand, to the fideline, which are the long, thin threads, the finest of which are many times smaller than vermicelli. Between these two extremes there is a great variety, which includes the alphabet and many fancy designs.

MACARONI MILIEUSE

Wipe with damp cloth and cut in one-inch blocks one pound of shin beef. Roll in flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Place in a deep saucepan and add

Three pints of cold water, Two onions cut fine, One medium-sized carrot cut in dice.

Bring to a boil and cook gently until the meat is tender. Now add

One-half cup of tomato aux fines herbes, Two teaspoons of salt, One and one-half teaspoons of paprika, Six ounces of prepared macaroni.

Bring this mixture to a boil and then cook until the macaroni is well heated. Pour on a large platter and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

TO PREPARE MACARONI

The macaroni may be broken into pieces one and one-half inches long, or it may be cooked whole. In all recipes the macaroni must first be prepared as follows:

Grease the bottom of a deep saucepan and then add two quarts of boiling water. Let boil for two minutes and then add the macaroni.

Stir for a few minutes and then cook for fifteen minutes. Turn into a colander and drain. Then blanch under the running cold water for three minutes. Let drain. It is now ready to use in any number of ways.

Greasing the saucepan prevents the macaroni from sticking to the bottom, while it is cooking.

The Italian prepares a seasoning as follows:

Wash two leeks, Six branches of parsley, Two green or red peppers, Four branches of celery.

Pare

Six onions, Tiny bit of garlic.

Place in a chopping bowl and chop very fine. Now place in one-half cup of vegetable cooking oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Cook slowly until soft and then add one small can of tomato paste. Blend well and then pour in a bowl or jar and set in a cool place. This mixture will keep in the refrigerator or in a cool place for one week in summer time and from ten to twelve days in winter. This mixture is called tomato aux fine herbes.

Small portions of meat that would be insufficient to serve alone can be utilized in making these dishes. When making gravy, prepare enough so that a cup or more may be set aside to use in the macaroni dishes.

Bones, gristle and meat joints left on the serving platter may all be made into stock, from which the various gravies can be made.

The Italian cook uses a small piece of meat for flavoring, usually chopping it in small pieces.

MACARONI CUSTARD

Place in a saucepan

Two cups of milk, One and one-half cups of water, Six level tablespoons of cornstarch.

Dissolve the starch in the water and add the milk. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Remove from the fire and add

Yolks of two eggs, One cup of sugar, One and one-half teaspoons of vanilla.

Beat to mix and then pour over six ounces of macaroni prepared as given in the method for preparation. Add one-half cup of raisins and then bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Place the whites of two eggs in a bowl and add one gla.s.s of jelly. Beat until the mixture holds its shape; then pile on top of pudding.

MACARONI AU GRATIN

Cook one-half pound of macaroni as given in the method of preparing.

Place in a baking dish and then make three cups of cream sauce, using

One and one-half cups of milk, One and one-half cups of clear stock, One-half cup of flour.

Blend well and then pour over the macaroni. Sprinkle the top with fine bread crumbs and grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes.

POTATOES

This nutritious tuber is said to have saved the Irish people from famine, and it is fitting that this variety of potato should bear that name. The potato was unknown to Europe before the venturesome expedition of the fifteenth century to the Americas, where it was found to be used freely by the natives of both continents.