Twenty-Five Cent Dinners for Families of Six Part 5

=Frying Batter.=--This batter will do nicely for chicken, fish, clams, cold boiled parsnips, or fruit of any kind, of which you wish to make fritters. The oil is added to it for the purpose of making it crisp.

Many persons object to the use of oil in cooking, from a most foolish prejudice. It is a pure vegetable fat, wholesome and nutritious in the highest degree; and the sooner our American housewives learn to use it in cooking the better it will be for both health and purse. I do not mean the expensive oil, sold at fine grocery stores for a dollar a bottle, but a good sweet kind which can be bought at French _epicerie_ or German _Delicatessen_ depots for about two dollars and fifty cents a gallon. Make the batter by mixing together four heaping tablespoonfuls of flour, (cost one cent,) a level teaspoonful of salt, the yolk of one egg, (cost one or two cents,) two tablespoonfuls of oil, (cost one cent,) and one gill of water, or a quant.i.ty sufficient to make a thick batter; just as you are ready to use it, beat the white of the egg, and stir it into the batter; the cost will be three or four cents, and the use of it will double the size and nicety of your dish.

=Chicken Broth.=--Heat the broth in which the fowl for Sunday dinner was boiled, and when it is at the boiling point throw in quarter of a pound of rice, or fine macaroni, which will cost three or four cents, and boil it about twenty minutes, or until tender; see if the seasoning is right, and serve it hot.

=New York Cooking School Frica.s.see.=--Prepare a fowl weighing about three pounds, (cost three shillings,) as directed in the receipt for =Roast Fowl=; cut it in neat joints, fry it quickly in one ounce of sweet drippings, (cost one cent,) till brown; cover it with boiling water, add one teaspoonful of salt, and quarter of a level teaspoonful of pepper, and stew it gently until tender, keeping it covered closely; when it is about half done, add to it some dumplings made as follows:

=Suet Dumplings.=--Make into a stiff paste, with about two gills of cold water, half a pound of flour, (cost two cents,) quarter of a pound of chopped suet, (cost two cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, and the same quant.i.ty of baking powder sifted with the flour; drop the paste into the frica.s.see from a teaspoon dipped in cold water, and let them boil with it; these dumplings cost less than five cents, and are nice with any stew, soup, or frica.s.see.

=Rabbit Curry.=--Choose a tender rabbit or hare, which will cost at the market about twenty cents, and which if young will be plump, and have a short neck, thick knees, and fore paws whose joints break easily; hang it by the hind legs, and skin it, beginning at the tail, and ending at the head, wipe it carefully with a damp cloth to remove the hairs; take out the entrails, saving the brains, heart and liver, rinse out the carca.s.s with a cup of vinegar, (cost two cents,) which you must save, and cut it in joints; lay the rabbit in a deep frying pan, with two ounces of drippings, (cost two cents,) one cent's worth of onion sliced, a teaspoonful of salt, ten whole cloves, and quarter of a level teaspoonful of pepper; fry it gently for twenty minutes; then add one cent's worth of parsley, the vinegar, half a level tablespoonful of curry, and one tablespoonful of flour mixed with half a teacupful of water, and simmer all gently for fifteen minutes, keeping the pan closely covered. When the rabbit is first put upon the fire, put quarter of a pound of rice, (cost four cents,) into two quarts of boiling water with one tablespoonful of salt, and boil it until the ends of the grains begin to crack open; turn it from the pot into a colander, drain it, shake it back into the pot, and cover it to keep it hot until the rabbit is done; then send it to the table with the rabbit, but on a dish by itself. The RABBIT CURRY AND RICE will cost about twenty-eight cents.

=Rabbit Pie.=--Prepare a rabbit, or hare, (cost twenty cents,) as for the CURRY, and after you have jointed it, roll each piece in flour, salt and pepper mixed; slice two cent's worth of onions, peel and slice three cents' worth of potatoes, and put these into a pudding dish in layers with the rabbit, season with a teaspoonful of salt, and quarter of a level teaspoonful of pepper, add half a pint of cold water, cover the pie with a plain paste, made as for SUET DUMPLINGS (cost five cents,) and bake for one hour and a quarter. These quant.i.ties will cost about thirty cents, and make a large pie.

=Pickled Shad.=--In season fine large shad can be bought for twenty-five cents, and each one will be enough for two hearty meals. Thoroughly clean a fresh shad; cut it in pieces about three inches square, lay it in a deep baking dish, or earthen crock, seasoning it well with two tablespoonfuls of salt, one level teaspoonful of pepper, one dozen whole cloves, two bay-leaves broken, and a bit of lemon or orange peel, if you have it; pour over it enough vinegar to cover it, tie an oiled or b.u.t.tered paper over the top of the dish or crock, and bake the shad five hours in a moderate oven. The action of the pickle will be to entirely soften the bones of the fish, so that every part of it will be eatable.

One half of it will cost about fifteen cents; and with the addition of five cents' worth of bread or potatoes, will make a hearty dinner for twenty cents.

=Pork Pie.=--Cut in two inch pieces two pounds of pork tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, (cost ten cents,) roll them in flour, season them with two teaspoonfuls of salt, quarter of a level teaspoonful of pepper, and one teaspoonful of curry, put them in a deep baking pan or dish with two cents' worth of onions, and three cents' worth of potatoes, peeled and sliced, add half a pint of cold water, and bake the pie slowly for one hour and a quarter. It will cost about fifteen cents made as above; or a suet crust, made as directed for SUET DUMPLINGS, may be added for five cents more. If the taste of curry is not liked it may be omitted.

=Pork Chops.=--Buy at a packing house two pounds of shoulder chops, (cost sixteen to twenty cents,) roll them in flour, pepper, and salt, put them into a hot frying pan, and fry them brown, cooking them at least twenty minutes. Meantime boil one quart of potatoes, (cost three cents,) in boiling water and salt, and chop fine one pickle, (cost one cent.) When the chops are done, take them up, and keep them hot, while you make the gravy by pouring into the frying-pan half a pint of boiling water, and adding to it the chopped pickle, a tablespoonful of flour mixed smooth with half a cup of cold water, and salt and pepper to taste. Boil it up once, pour it over the chops, and serve them hot with the potatoes.

The dinner will cost about twenty-five cents.

=Roast Pork and Apples.=--Season two pounds of shoulder chops, (cost twenty cents, or less,) with salt and pepper, and powdered sage, and put them in a deep baking dish with one quart of potatoes, (cost three cents,) two cents' worth of onions, and two cents' worth of apples, peeled and sliced; add half a pint of cold water, and bake two hours in a moderate oven.

The dish will cost twenty-seven cents, or less.

=Stewed Sausage.=--p.r.i.c.k a pound and a half of sausages, (cost eighteen cents,) lay them in hot water for three minutes, roll them in flour, put them in a hot frying pan, and fry them brown; take them up and fry about half a loaf of stale bread sliced, in the same pan; put this on a platter, lay the sausages on it, and pour over them a gravy made as follows; after taking up the sausages, pour into the pan half a pint of boiling water, season it to taste with salt and pepper, thicken it with one tablespoonful of flour mixed smooth in half a cupful of cold water, add to it one chopped pickle, boil it up, and pour it over the sausages and bread. The seasoning and flour will cost two cents, the bread three, and the whole dish about twenty-three cents. If you serve it with a quart of plain boiled potatoes it will cost twenty-five or twenty-six cents.

=German Potatoes.=--Carefully wash one quart of potatoes, removing any defective part, cut a slice from the top of the potatoes, take out a little of the inside, chop it fine, mix it with half a pound of highly seasoned sausage or mincemeat, (cost six cents,) fill it into the potatoes, put on the piece you first cut off, and bake them for about three quarters of an hour in a quick oven. Serve them as soon as they are soft. Ten cents will cover the entire cost, and they will make a very hearty and nutritious meal, especially if the meat used is pork.

=Brain and Liver Pudding.=--You can generally buy a pig's brain and haslet at the slaughter house for about ten cents; wash them thoroughly; slice the heart, liver, and lights, and fry them light brown in a cents' worth of drippings. Put the brain over the fire in cold water with a tablespoonful each of salt and vinegar, let it boil for fifteen minutes, and then lay it in cold water to get hard. Make a suet crust, as directed for SUET DUMPLINGS, (cost five cents,) roll out a cover for the pudding, line the edges of the dish two inches down with it, and put any bits you may have remaining, into the dish in layers with the haslet and brain sliced; season the pudding with one level tablespoonful of salt, one onion chopped, and half a level teaspoonful of pepper; cover it with the suet crust, and bake it for about an hour in a moderate oven. Serve it hot. The pudding will make a very hearty dinner, at a cost of about fifteen cents.

=Broiled Kidneys.=--Mix together in a deep plate the following ingredients, which will cost about three cents; one ounce of b.u.t.ter, half a level teaspoonful of pepper, one teaspoonful each of mustard, and any table sauce or vinegar, and as much cayenne as you can take up on the point of a small pen-knife blade; toast half a loaf of stale bread, (cost three cents,) cut in slices one inch thick; wash, split, and broil one pound of pig's or sheep's kidneys, (cost ten cents or less;) while the kidneys are broiling dip the toast in the first named seasonings, lay it on a hot dish, and lay the kidneys on it as soon as they are broiled; season them with salt and pepper, and serve them hot with one quart of plain boiled potatoes, (cost three cents.) The cost of the entire dinner will be less than twenty cents.

=Tripe, Curry and Rice.=--Thoroughly wash two pounds of tripe, (cost sixteen cents,) boil it until tender, about one hour, in plenty of water and salt; then lay it on a clean, dry cloth to drain; put half a pound of rice, (cost five cents,) into the same water, and boil it fast for twenty minutes; cut the tripe in pieces two inches square; slice two cents' worth of onions, frying them in two ounces of drippings, (cost two cents,) season with one teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a level teaspoonful of pepper, and one tablespoonful of vinegar, add to the tripe, and cook all together for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Just as you are ready to serve it, stir in one teaspoonful of curry, which, with the other seasonings, will cost two cents. Drain the rice in a colander, shake it into a dish, and send it to the table with the tripe. The dinner will cost twenty-seven cents, and be very satisfactory.

=Liver Polenta.=--Boil one pound of yellow Indian Meal, (cost four cents,) for half an hour, in two quarts of boiling water with one ounce of drippings, (cost one cent,) stirring it occasionally to prevent burning; meantime fry in one ounce of drippings, (cost one cent,) a sheep's or pig's haslet, (cost five cents,) well washed and sliced; when the meal has boiled half an hour, put it into a greased baking dish with the haslet, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper; bake it for twenty minutes in a quick oven, and serve it hot.

The dish, which is palatable and nutritious, costs less than twelve cents.

=a la Mode Beef.=--This is one of the compound dishes which are mentioned in the beginning of this chapter, and will serve as a basis for at least two good dinners. Unless there is an unusual rise in the price of meat, you can buy the round of beef for a shilling a pound at the market or provision house; in the middle of the week choose four pounds in a solid, thick piece; cut half a pound of fat pork, (cost six cents,) into strips half an inch square; thrust the steel you use for sharpening knives into the meat, in the direction of the grain, and put the strips of pork into the holes you make; cut up five cents' worth of carrot, turnips, onion, and parsley, lay them in the bottom of an earthen crock or deep bowl, with two tablespoonfuls of salt, and one teaspoonful of pepper; put the beef on them, and pour over it one pint of vinegar, and enough water to just cover the meat; the vinegar and seasoning will cost five cents.

Turn a plate over the meat, and put a clean stone on it to keep the meat under the pickle; turn the meat every day, keeping it in a cool place.

Sunday morning, as soon as breakfast is over, put the meat, pickle, and vegetables, over the fire in a clean pot, and let them stew, _uncovered_, until the pickle is all evaporated and the meat is nicely browned; then sprinkle over it two tablespoonfuls of flour, and let that brown, turning the meat over occasionally; then add enough boiling water to cover the meat, put on the pot cover, and set it where it will simmer gently for at least three hours. During the last half hour boil one quart of potatoes, (cost three cents,) in plenty of boiling water and salt. When the meat is done take it upon a platter, strain the gravy over it, and serve it hot with the boiled potatoes. About half of it will be enough for dinner, and will cost, with the potatoes, thirty-five cents.

=Meat Patties.=--Chop the remainder of the _a la mode_ BEEF; make a suet crust, (cost five cents,) as directed for SUET DUMPLINGS, roll it out quarter of an inch thick, cut it out with a round tin cutter, lay a tablespoonful of the mince-meat on each round, wet the edges of the crust, and fold it over in the shape of an old-fashioned turn-over; pinch the edges together, put the patties on a floured baking-pan, and bake them about half an hour in a moderate oven. When you put them in the oven, put one quart of potatoes, (cost three cents,) to boil in boiling water and salt. When both potatoes and patties are done serve them together; the dinner will cost about thirty cents.

=Boiled Mutton.=--The shoulder of mutton can be bought at the market for about six cents a pound. Choose one weighing not over four pounds, (cost twenty-four cents,) wipe it with a clean, damp cloth, put it into three quarts of boiling water with a tablespoonful of salt, one cents' worth of soup greens, a level teaspoonful of pepper, and boil it gently fifteen minutes for each pound, skimming it as often as any sc.u.m rises.

About one hour before it is done pare one quart of turnips, cut them in quarters, and boil them with the mutton. Wash one quart of potatoes, pare off a ring from each, and boil them in boiling water. Serve them with the mutton and turnips, saving the broth from the mutton for BREAD BROTH for breakfast. The potatoes and turnips will cost five cents, and the proportionate cost of the mutton will be twelve cents; so the dinner will cost seventeen cents. The remains of the mutton must be saved for MUTTON _rechauffee_, as the basis of the next day's dinner.

=Mutton= _rechauffee_.--Prepare and boil one quart of potatoes, (cost three cents;) slice the best part of the mutton remaining from the day before, saving all the sc.r.a.ps and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, dip each slice in a beaten egg, or a little milk, (cost one cent,) roll it in bread crumbs, dried and sifted, as directed on page 25, and fry them in sweet drippings.

Serve the meat and potatoes together; they will cost about fifteen cents.

=Mutton Kromeskys.=--Cut cold mutton in half inch dice; chop one ounce of onion, and fry it pale yellow in one ounce of sweet drippings, (cost one cent;) add one ounce of flour, and stir until smooth; add half a pint of water, two tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley, one level teaspoonful of salt, one level saltspoonful of white pepper, half a saltspoonful of powdered herbs, as much cayenne as can be taken up on the point of a very small penknife blade, and the chopped meat; the seasonings will cost about one cent; stir until scalding hot, add the yolk of one raw egg, (cost one cent,) cook for two minutes, stirring frequently; and turn out to cool on a flat dish, slightly oiled, or b.u.t.tered, to prevent sticking, spreading the minced meat about an inch thick; set away to cool while the batter is being made.

=Plain Frying Batter.=--Mix quarter of a pound of flour, (cost one cent,) with the yolks of two raw eggs, (cost two cents,) a level saltspoonful of salt, half a saltspoonful of pepper, quarter of a saltspoonful of grated nutmeg, one tablespoonful of salad oil, (which is used to make the batter crisp,) and one cup of water, more or less, as the flour will take it up; the batter should be stiff enough to hold the drops from the spoon in shape when they are let fall upon it; now beat the whites of the two eggs to a stiff broth, beginning slowly, and increasing the speed until you are beating as fast as you can; the froth will surely come; then stir it lightly into the batter; heat the dish containing the meat a moment, to loosen it, and turn it out on the table, just dusted with powdered crackers; cut it in strips an inch wide and two inches long, roll them lightly under the palm of the hand, in the shape of corks, dip them in the batter, and fry them golden brown in smoking hot fat. Serve them on a neatly folded napkin. They make a delicious dish, really worth all the care taken in preparing them. The seasoning, crackers, and what fat is used in frying, will not cost over four cents, for you must strain the fat, and save it after you fry your KROMESKYS; if you use either bread or potatoes with them, the dinner will not cost over twenty cents.

=Epigramme of Lamb.=--This is one of my favorite dishes, which I learned to make the first winter I had a Cooking School, and I believe that nearly every one who tries it will share my opinion of it. Choose as tender a two-pound breast of mutton as you can buy for about six cents a pound, boil it in two quarts of water about three quarters of an hour, or until you can easily pull out the bones, taking care to put it into boiling water, with a tablespoonful of salt, and skim it as often as any sc.u.m rises; when it is done, strain and save the pot-liquor for BREAD or RICE BROTH, pull out the bones from the breast of mutton, lay it between two platters, and put a flat iron on it until it is cold. Then cut it in triangular pieces, taking care not to waste a sc.r.a.p, roll the pieces in a beaten egg, (cost one cent,) and dried bread crumbs prepared as directed on page 25, and fry them as you would the KROMESKYS in the previous receipt.

Use the pot-liquor in which it was boiled, with quarter of a pound of rice, for the next morning's breakfast. The cost of both dishes will not exceed twenty cents.

=Roast Veal.=--The shoulder of veal can usually be bought at the market for eight cents a pound. Choose a fresh one weighing about seven pounds, and costing about sixty cents; from this we shall make three dishes, namely: ROAST VEAL, BLANQUETTE OF VEAL, and VEAL AND HAM PATTIES.

Therefore the proportionate cost for the ROAST VEAL will be twenty cents. Have the butcher chop off the fore leg quite close up to the shoulder, and cut it in neat slices about one inch thick; these you must sprinkle with salt and pepper, and keep in a cool place, together with the blade bone, until the next day, for the BLANQUETTE. Have the shoulder boned, saving the blade; stuff it with the following forcemeat.

=Forcemeat for Veal or Poultry.=--Steep four ounces of dry bread, (cost two cents,) in warm water, and wring it dry in a clean towel; chop one cent's worth of onion and fry it light yellow in one cent's worth of drippings, add the bread to it, season it with one level teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a level teaspoonful each of pepper and powdered thyme, or mixed spice, and stir these ingredients over the fire until they are scalding hot; then stir in one egg, and use the stuffing; the cost will be about five cents.

After stuffing the shoulder, lay it in a dripping pan with one cent's worth of soup greens, and put it in a hot oven to brown it quickly; when it is brown take it out of the oven, season with salt and pepper, baste it with a little sweet drippings, return it to the oven, and bake it thoroughly fifteen minutes to each pound. Meantime wash one quart of potatoes, (cost three cents,) pare a ring off each one, and boil them in plenty of boiling water and salt. When the veal is done take it up on a hot dish, pour half a pint of boiling water in the dripping pan, sc.r.a.pe it well, and strain the contents; set this gravy again over the fire to boil while you mix a tablespoonful of flour, in half a cup of cold water; stir this smoothly into the gravy, boil it for five minutes, and serve it with the roast veal and boiled potatoes.

Be careful to save all that remains from the dinner, towards making the VEAL AND HAM PATTIES; the proportionate cost will be about thirty cents.

=Blanquette Of Veal.=--Put the pieces of veal saved for this dish into enough cold water to cover them, together with a tablespoonful of salt and one cent's worth of soup greens, the onion being stuck with ten cloves; skim occasionally whenever any sc.u.m rises, and simmer until the meat is tender, which will be in half or three quarters of an hour; then take up the meat in a colander, and run some cold water over it from the faucet; strain the pot-liquor, and let it boil again; mix together over the fire one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, (cost two cents,) and two of flour; when they are smooth add one quart of the boiling broth to them, season with a teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a level teaspoonful of white pepper, and quarter of a nutmeg grated; mix the yolks of two eggs, (cost two cents,) with about a cupful of the broth, and stir them into the rest; then put in the veal, and heat and serve it, with a quart of boiled potatoes, (cost three cents.) The dinner will cost about thirty cents.

=Veal and Ham Patties.=--Chop the remains of the ROAST VEAL (cost twenty cents,) with quarter of a pound of lean ham, (cost four cents,) weigh both, and mix with them an equal weight of dried bread, soaked in warm water, and wrung dry in a clean towel; season with salt, pepper, and powdered herbs, or SPICE SALT to taste, moisten with any cold gravy you have saved from the ROAST VEAL, and fill it into little turnovers, or patty pans lined with a suet crust, made as directed on page 53, for SUET DUMPLINGS, (cost five cents.)

The dinner will cost about thirty cents.

CHAPTER IX.

CHEAP PUDDINGS, PIES, AND CAKES.

Good puddings are nutritious and wholesome, and an excellent variety can be made at a comparatively small expense. Pies, as they are usually made, with greasy and indigestible pastry, are positively unhealthy; if they are made with a plain bottom crust, and abundantly filled with ripe fresh or dried fruit, they are not so objectionable. Rich cake is always an extravagance, but some of the plainer kinds are pleasant additions to lunch and supper; we subjoin a few good receipts.

=Swiss Pudding.=--Sift together half a pound of flour, (cost two cents,) one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, and one of salt; rub together four ounces of granulated sugar, (cost three cents,) and two ounces of b.u.t.ter, (cost four cents,) and when they are well mixed, so as to be granular but not creamy, add the flour gradually until all is used; make a hollow in the middle of the flour, put into it one egg, half a teaspoonful of lemon flavoring, and half a pint of milk, (cost of these ingredients four cents;) mix to a smooth paste, put into a well b.u.t.tered and floured mould, and set this into a large pot with boiling water enough to come two-thirds up the side of the mould; steam the pudding three quarters of an hour, or until you can run a broom splint into it without finding the pudding stick to the splint. Turn the pudding out of the mould, and send it to the table with the following sauce:

=Cream Sauce.=--Stir together over the fire one ounce each of flour and b.u.t.ter, (cost two cents;) as soon as they are smooth pour into them half a pint of boiling milk, (cost two cents,) add two ounces of sugar and half a teaspoonful of lemon flavoring, (cost two cents,) and use with the pudding as soon as it boils up. The sauce and pudding will cost about twenty cents.

=College Puddings.=--Mix well together eight ounces of dried and sifted bread crumbs, (cost three cents,) two ounces of very finely chopped suet, (cost two cents,) two ounces of currants, two eggs, and two ounces of sugar, (cost together five cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, three grates of nutmeg, and sufficient milk to moisten, about one cents'

worth; make the puddings up in little round b.a.l.l.s, roll them first in sifted bread crumbs; next dip them in beaten egg, and then roll them again in bread crumbs; fry them in plenty of hot fat, and serve them with sugar dusted over them. Five cents will cover the cost of frying them; and a nice dishful will cost you about eighteen cents.

=Cream Rice Pudding.=--Wash four ounces of rice, (cost three cents,) through two waters, put it into a baking dish with three ounces of sugar, and a teaspoonful of flavoring, (cost three cents,) pour in one quart and a pint of milk, (cost twelve cents,) and put it into a moderate oven to bake an hour and a half, or until it is of a creamy consistency. This pudding is very delicate and wholesome, and costs fifteen cents.

=Half-pay Pudding.=--Carefully wash and dry a quarter of a quarter of a pound of Zante currants, (cost three cents,) stone the same quant.i.ty of raisins, (cost three cents,) and chop an equal amount of suet, (cost two cents;) mix them with eight ounces of stale bread, (cost three cents,) three tablespoonfuls of mola.s.ses, half a pint of milk, and a teaspoonful each of spice, salt, and baking powder, (cost four cents.) Put these ingredients into a mould which has been well b.u.t.tered and floured, and steam them about three hours. If by any mischance the top of the pudding is watery, you can remedy it by putting it into a hot oven for ten or fifteen minutes to brown. When you are ready to use it, turn it from the mould and send it to the table with some CREAM SAUCE. This is an excellent plum pudding, and costs only about twenty cents, including sauce.

=Bread Pudding.=--Slice a five cent loaf of bread, spread it lightly with two cents' worth of b.u.t.ter, and lay it in a baking dish; break one egg, (cost one cent,) into a bowl, add to it two ounces each of flour and sugar, (cost two cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, and a pint of milk, (cost four cents;) mix, flavor to taste, pour over the bread, and bake the pudding about half an hour in a quick oven. It will be very nice, and cost about fifteen cents.