The Community Cook Book Part 8

Cut two pounds of the upper round of beef into inch squares, dredge them with salt and pepper and roll them in flour. Put into a saucepan some b.u.t.ter and some drippings, or a little suet, and let it fry out, using enough only to cover the bottom of the saucepan; when the grease is hot, turn in the pieces of meat and let them cook until well browned on all sides; watch and turn them as soon as browned, then draw the meat to one side of the pan and add a tablespoonful of flour; let the flour brown, and add a cupful of stock or water, and stir it until it comes to a boiling point; then add a teaspoonful of salt, one-half teaspoonful pepper, one-half teaspoonful kitchen bouquet, one carrot cut into blocks, and one teaspoonful onion; cover the saucepan, and let it simmer, not boil, for an hour. Serve a border of rice around the ragout.

ROAST BEEF.

Clean roast by wiping with a wet cloth. Place on a rack in oven, add suet to baste with. Cook a six-pound round roast an hour and twenty minutes; a three-rib roast one and one-half hour. Use no water.

ROUND STEAK.

Cover round steak with raw, chopped onions and bacon. Roll and tie. Put into deep kettle, sear or brown. Cover with water and pot roast for two hours. Boil down and thicken the gravy.

SMOTHERED OR POT-ROASTED BEEF.

Take four or five pounds of the middle of the rump, the flank or the round. Wipe with a clean, wet cloth and sear all over by placing in a hot frying pan and turning until all the surface is browned. Put it in a kettle with one-half pint of water, and place it where it will keep just below boiling point. Add just enough water now and then to keep meat from burning. Have close-fitting cover to keep in the steam. Cook until very tender. Serve hot or cold.

SPANISH STEAK.

Get round steak one and one-fourth inch thick. Cook the same as veal cutlets, only instead of using soup stock use one cup strained tomato juice and a little onion; a few mushrooms add to the flavor.

TURKEY DRESSING.

Cut crust off a loaf of bread, cut loaf in small bits, season with salt, pepper, sage, tablespoonful melted b.u.t.ter; beat one egg, add cup of milk and wet dressing.

VEAL BIRD.

Make a dressing of bread crumbs, melted b.u.t.ter, salt, pepper, and, if desired, a little sage. Cut veal cutlets into pieces about the size of palm of hand. Put a spoonful of dressing into each piece, roll, and fasten with a toothpick. Put in a pan with a cup of hot water or stock, cover and bake. Arrange around a platter or chop plate. Fill center with a pound of peas. This is delicious cooked in a fireless cooker.

VEAL CUTLETS.

Get a thick cutlet, one and a half inch thick, second cut with little round bone; have it scored on both sides. Then chop it all over on both sides with the edge of a china plate, until the meat is very ragged.

Salt and pepper it, and rub flour into both sides until it will hold no more. Put two heaping tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter in a skillet and when hot put in the cutlet. Brown on both sides a golden brown, then add one cup of soup stock, or one cup boiling water, pouring it into the skillet.

Let simmer one hour.

VEAL LOAF.

Three pounds of raw veal chopped very fine, b.u.t.ter size of an egg, three eggs, three tablespoonfuls cream or milk. Mix the eggs and cream together. Mix with the veal four pounded crackers, one teaspoonful black pepper, one large tablespoonful salt, one large teaspoonful sage.

Mix well together and form into a loaf. Bake two and one-half hours, basting with b.u.t.ter and water while baking. Serve cut in thin slices.

VEAL LOAF.

Three pounds of veal chopped fine, one-half pound salt or fresh pork, one cup powdered crackers, one cup water, two eggs, three teaspoonfuls salt, three teaspoonfuls sage, one teaspoonful pepper. Bake in rather quick oven.

VEAL PIE.

Crust for veal or chicken pie, two teacups flour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, one teaspoonful salt, two tablespoonfuls shortening; beat one egg and fill the teacup with milk, add to flour. Boil veal in cold water until quite tender, keep out a quart of the broth after it is cooked. When two-thirds done put in the salt.

Gravy for Pie.

Two tablespoonfuls melted b.u.t.ter, three tablespoonfuls flour; mix well, add salt and pepper, one cup cream, slightly warm; stir in the quart of broth after thickening is added. Cook about fifteen minutes, stir, but do not boil. Put meat and gravy in baking dish, cover with dough and bake twenty minutes.

EGGS

Eggs should be kept in cool places. If a recipe calls for just the white of an egg, the yolk may be kept from hardening by putting in a cup of cold water. Eggs may be cooked soft in two ways: Pour boiling water over the egg and cover them from five to ten minutes. Second method: Put eggs into cold water, and when water bubbles they are cooked.

BAKED EGGS.

Twelve hard-boiled eggs, one-half pint cream, b.u.t.ter size of an egg, one teaspoonful fine chopped parsley, one tablespoonful flour, salt and pepper. Mix cream, b.u.t.ter, flour and parsley. Cook till thick. Slice eggs, after each layer of eggs one of bread crumbs; cover with sauce, then bread crumbs, and bake till brown.

CHEESE OMELET.

Four eggs, four tablespoonfuls cold water, one-fourth teaspoonful salt, three level tablespoonfuls grated cheese, two level tablespoonfuls melted b.u.t.ter. Put b.u.t.ter in saucepan, separate whites from yolks. For omelet do not beat yolks too long, only until lemon color. To yolks add water and salt. Beat whites and pour yolks over whites; fold and cut with a spoon. _Do not beat._ Pour in saucepan, loosen with a knife around edges, cook until it sets. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and put in oven for two or three minutes. Serve very hot. Old English dairy cheese is the best.

EGG CUTLETS.

Heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter. When hot, stir in two heaping tablespoonfuls flour, one-half pint of milk, and stir until smooth and well cooked; chop three hard-boiled eggs, and stir in after taking from the fire. Season with salt, pepper and one-half teaspoonful of onion juice; also add parsley. Put away until cold, mold and roll in cracker crumbs, and fry in abundance of hot fat. This may be used for meat croquettes, subst.i.tuting chopped meat, cooked, for eggs.

EGGS SHIRRED IN TOMATOES.

Cut circular pieces out from the stem end of round tomato and remove part of the pulp. Season with salt and pepper; also with onion, juice and parsley, if liked. Break an egg into each tomato and put in a slow oven until each egg is set. Serve on hot b.u.t.tered toast.

POACHED EGGS.

Partly fill a shallow pan with boiling water. Break eggs singly into a saucer, sliding each as broken into the boiling water. Keep pan where water will not quite boil. With a spoon baste the water over the yolk until it is covered thinly with white. Remove each egg with a skimmer, trim off ragged edges, and serve on b.u.t.tered toast.

SHIRRED EGGS.

Shirred eggs are a pleasant change from the usual boiled eggs for breakfast. Drop each egg carefully into a b.u.t.tered ramikin, season with pepper, salt and a small lump of b.u.t.ter. Set ramikin in a shallow pan filled with water, place in moderate oven and cook until whites are firm.

SOFT BOILED, OR STEAMED EGGS.