Reform Cookery Book Part 5

_(The Largest Health Food Dealers in the World.)_

Asparagus Cream

is prepared in the same way, putting tender cooked asparagus in place of the celery.

Celery or Asparagus Quenelle

is made much in the same way. To every teacupful celery or asparagus pulp allow 2 cupfuls fine white bread crumbs. Beat up two or three eggs, add, and mix well. Steam in large or small moulds, or divide into spoonfuls, shape round, and poach in boiling water, stock, or milk. Serve with cooked tomatoes or sauce, or they may be put in tureen with clear or white soup.

Many toothsome variants of the foregoing recipes will suggest themselves as one goes along, so that it is needless to detail each at length. Thus, fritters, moulds, quenelles, &c., may be varied at pleasure by subst.i.tuting cauliflower, the white of spring onions or leeks, &c., for the celery or other ingredients mentioned. By the way, we do not appreciate the food value of leeks as much as we ought. A dozen or so of the thickest

Leeks Stewed or Steamed

in milk or stock, and served with the liquor made into a white sauce, is a dish as delicious as it is wholesome and blood-purifying.

Needless to say, everything should be the best of its kind and absolutely fresh. To ensure this we should make a point of using as far as possible those which are in season at the time, as however well preserved they may be, vegetables, especially the finer sorts, lose in flavour and wholesomeness every hour between the garden and pot.

Substantial Savouries.

We come now to the more substantial savouries which form the staple part of the ordinary family dinner. These, along with soup and pudding, will furnish an excellent three-course meal, and where time--or appet.i.te--is limited, as in the rush to and from school or business, two sources will be found ample.

German Lentil Stew.

Among the various pulse foods, of which there are fifty or sixty different kinds, though only some half-dozen are at all well-known, German lentils are one of the most valuable. In this country they are but little used, but they only need be known to be heartily appreciated. As far as my experience goes, every one who has once sampled them is loud in their praises. Even in those households where meat is used they might come as a change and variety, and help to solve the problem of that typical, much-to-be-pitied housekeeper who so pathetically wished there might be "a new animal" discovered!

Well, "to return to our"--ahem--lentils. These German or Prussian lentils are quite different from the ordinary yellow kind. They are green or olive coloured, much larger, and of a flat tabloid shape. They are exceedingly savoury, and--if that is any recommendation--so "meaty" in flavour that it is almost impossible to convince people that they are quite innocent in that respect. They are usually sold at about double the price of yellow lentils, and even then are very cheap; but this is a fancy price, charged because of their being a novelty, and I may say that I get the very finest quality, perfectly clean and free from grit, at the extremely low price of 2d. per lb.

To make a stew, which is the basis of a number of other dishes, take 1/2 lb.

German lentils and scald for a minute or two in boiling water to make sure that they are thoroughly clean. Drain, and put in good-sized saucepan with plenty of fresh boiling water, and allow to simmer _very gently_ for an hour. In another stewpan melt 1 oz. b.u.t.ter, and into that shred very finely two or three onions. Cover, and cook 10 to 15 minutes to bring out the flavour. They may brown or not as preferred, but there must not be the least suspicion of burning. Turn the lentils into this pan, add some chopped celery if at hand--it is very good without, but to my taste most dishes are improved by celery--and allow to simmer an hour longer. See that there is plenty of water--there should be a rich brown gravy. Add seasoning to taste of salt, pepper, Jamaica pepper, parsley, &c. A few tomatoes may be added, or carrots, turnips, &c. A few ozs. macaroni, par-boiled in salted boiling water and added an hour or less before, will make one of the many pleasing varieties of this dish. Serve like a mince, garnished with sippets of toast or fried bread, or toasted Triscuits.

Savoury Pot-Pie.

Line a pudding basin with suet paste [Footnote: See pastry.], and fill in with lentils cooked as above, and tomatoes, or any vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, cauliflower, beetroot, &c., to keep the mixture from being too heavy, for whatever may be thought to the contrary, there is a much larger proportion of solid nutriment to the bulk in pulse foods than in the "too, too solid flesh" which we esteem so highly. And, at the risk of wearying readers with reiteration, I must say again that herein lies the danger. Quite a number of people have told me that they would like such foods, but _they_ could not take enough to keep up their strength, and were reproachfully incredulous when, ignoring the gentle insinuation as to _other_ people's capacity, I told them the great difficulty was to take little enough! But we must finish the pot-pie. Put a thin round of paste on the top. Wet the edges and press together, tie down with greased paper, and steam 2 to 3 hours. Turn out and send to table with suitable hot garnish.

The same paste may be made into little b.a.l.l.s or flat cakes and put to cook with lentil stew, but great care must be taken to see that there is plenty gravy, and that they cook very gently, for if they "catch" ever so slightly they are spoiled. All danger of this can be avoided by steaming in a basin or jar instead of cooking in open pan.

Savoury Brick.

Take about 2 teacupfuls cooked German lentils--not too moist. Put in a basin and add a cupful fine bread crumbs, and a cupful cold boiled rice or about half as much mashed potatoes. Add any extra seasoning--a little ketchup, Worcester sauce, Marmite or Carnos Extract, &c.--also a spoonful of melted b.u.t.ter. Mix well with a fork and bind with one or two beaten eggs, reserving a little for brus.h.i.+ng. Shape into a brick or oval, and press together as firmly as possible. Brush over with beaten egg, put in b.u.t.tered tin, and bake for half-an-hour. Or it may be put in saucepan with 1 oz.

b.u.t.ter or Nut b.u.t.ter that has been made very hot. Cover and braize for 10 minutes. Turn and cook for another 10 minutes. Add a little flour and seasoning to the b.u.t.ter, and then a cupful boiling water, stock, or diluted "Extract," and allow to simmer a little longer. Serve with garnish of beetroot or tomatoes.

This can also be made into a delicious

Cold Savoury.

Bake or braize as above. Remove to the ashet on which it is to be served.

Allow to get quite cold, then glaze. [Footnote: See Glaze.]

Sausages

are made of the same ingredients as savoury brick. Pound well in a basin, so as to have all the materials nicely blended, or put in a saucepan over gentle heat, and mash well with a wooden spoon. See that the seasoning is right. Some chopped tomatoes and mushrooms are an improvement, also some grated onion, ketchup, and "Extract." These should be put in saucepan with a little b.u.t.ter until lightly cooked, then the lentils, &c., should be added, the whole well mixed and turned out to cool. When quite cold, flour the hands and form into small sausages. Brush over with beaten egg and fry, or put on greased baking tin and bake till a crisp brown. They may need a little basting, or to be turned over to brown equally.

The filling for

Sausage Rolls

is compounded exactly as above, but should be rather moister, and have more b.u.t.ter added to prevent their being too dry. Have quant.i.ty required of rough puff pastry. [Footnote: See Pastry.] Roll out and divide into 9 or 10 4-inch squares. Put a little sausage meat in centre, wet the edges and fold over. Press the edges lightly together with pastry cutter, if you have one, brush all over with beaten egg except the edges. Place on oven plate and put at once in hot oven. Bake 20 to 30 minutes. They may be served either hot or cold, but are best hot. They can easily be re-heated in oven at any time.

Fifes.h.i.+re Bridies

may have the same filling put in plain short crust, or raised pie-crust, rolled very thin and cut in oval or diamond shapes. Fold over, and turn up the under edge all round. Brush over with egg and bake--if raised pie crust--in rather a slower oven.

Rissoles.

Roll out rough puff or short crust very thin, stamp out into rounds, put a little of the mince on one, wet edges and put another on top, press very firmly together, brush over with egg and fry in deep, smoking-hot fat.

German Pie.

Take an ordinary pie-dish, such as used for steak pie. Have one or two large Spanish onions half-cooked, remove the centres, and put in pie-dish.

This will serve both to keep up the paste and to hold gravy. Fill up the dish with partially stewed German lentils, and either sliced tomatoes or pieces of carrot and turnip first fried in a little b.u.t.ter. There should also be plenty of chopped onions put in the bottom of the dish, which should be b.u.t.tered. Fill nearly up with well-seasoned stock, "Extract," gravy, or water, cover with rough puff paste, and bake for an hour or longer, according to size. There should be a hole in top of pastry, covered with an ornament, which could be lifted off, and some more gravy put in with a funnel. Serve very hot. If to be used cold, a little soaked tapioca should be cooked with it, or some vegetable gelatine might be dissolved in the gravy.

By way of variety, a few force-meat b.a.l.l.s may be put in; also mushrooms when in season.

Haricot Pie

is made much the same as above, subst.i.tuting b.u.t.ter Beans or Giant Haricots for the German lentils. They should be soaked all night and nearly cooked before using. Put in a layer of beans, sprinkle in a little tapioca, then put a layer of sliced tomatoes and repeat. Fried beetroot may be used instead of tomatoes, and crushed vermicelli or bread crumbs instead of tapioca.

Haricot Raised Pie,

which is very good to eat cold for pic-nic luncheon, &c., is made as follows:--Soak 1/2 lb. large beans all night, when the skins should come off easily, and put to stew or steam with b.u.t.ter, shred onions, and a very little stock or water till soft, but not broken down. Set aside to cool.