The Virginia Housewife Part 11

TO MAKE CROQUETS.

Take cold fowl or fresh meat of any kind, with slices of ham, fat and lean--chop them together very fine, add half as much stale bread grated, salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, a tea-spoonful of made mustard, a table-spoonful of catsup, and a lump of b.u.t.ter; knead all well together till it resembles sausage meat, make them in cakes, dip them in the yelk of an egg beaten, cover them thickly with grated bread, and fry them a light brown.

TO MAKE VERMECELLI.

Beat two or three fresh eggs quite light, make them into a stiff paste with flour, knead it well, and roll it out very thin, cut it in narrow strips, give them a twist, and dry them quickly on tin sheets. It is an excellent ingredient in most soups, particularly those that are thin.

Noodles are made in the same manner, only instead of strips they should be cut in tiny squares and dried. They are also good in soups.

COMMON PATTIES.

Take some veal, fat and lean, and some slices of boiled ham, chop them very fine, and season it with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and a small quant.i.ty of parsley and thyme minced very fine; with a little gravy make some paste, cover the bottoms of small moulds, fill them with the meat, put thin lids on, and bake them crisp; five is enough for a side dish.

EGGS IN CROQUETS.

Boil eighteen eggs, separate the yelks and whites, and cut them in dice; pour over them a sauce a-la-creme, _(see sauce a-la-creme,)_ add a little grated bread, mix all well together, and let it get cold; put in some salt and pepper, make them into cakes, cover them well on both sides with grated bread, let them stand an hour, and fry them a nice brown; dry them a little before the fire, and dish them while quite hot.

OMELETTE SOUFFLE.

Break six eggs, beat the yelks and whites separately till very light, then mix them, add four table spoonsful of powdered sugar, and a little grated lemon peel; put a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter in a pan; when melted, pour in the eggs and stir them; when they have absorbed the b.u.t.ter, turn it on a plate previously b.u.t.tered, sprinkle some powdered sugar, set it in a hot Dutch oven, and when a little brown, serve it up for a desert.

FONDUS.

Put a pint of water, and a lump of b.u.t.ter the size of an egg, into a sauce pan; stir in as much flour as will make a thick batter, put it on the fire, and stir it continually till it will not stick to the pan; put it in a bowl, add three quarters of a pound of grated cheese, mix it well, then break in two eggs, beat them well, then two more until you put in six; when it looks very light, drop it in small lumps on b.u.t.tered paper, bake it in a quick oven till of a delicate brown; you may use corn meal instead of flour for a change.

A NICE TWELVE O'CLOCK LUNCHEON.

Cut some slices of bread tolerably thick, and toast them slightly; bone some anchovies, lay half of one on each toast, cover it well with grated cheese and chopped parsley mixed; pour a little melted b.u.t.ter on, and brown it with a salamander; it must be done on the dish you send it to table in.

EGGS A-LA-CREME.

Boil twelve eggs just hard enough to allow you to cut them in slices--cut some crusts of bread very thin, put them in the bottom and round the sides of a moderately deep dish, place the eggs in, strewing each layer with the stale bread grated, and some pepper and salt.

SAUCE A-LA-CREME, FOR THE EGGS.

Put a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, with a large table-spoonful of flour rubbed well into it in a sauce pan; add some chopped parsley, a little onion, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a gill of cream; stir it over the fire until it begins to boil, then pour it over the eggs, cover the top with grated bread, set it in a Dutch oven with a heated top, and when a light brown, send it to table.

CABBAGE A-LA-CREME.

Take two good heads of cabbage, cut out the stalks, boil it tender, with a little salt in the water--have ready one large spoonful of b.u.t.ter, and a small one of flour rubbed into it, half a pint of milk, with pepper and salt; make it hot, put the cabbage in after pressing out the water, and stew it till quite tender.

TO MAKE AN OMELETTE.

Break six or eight eggs in a dish, beat them a little, add parsley and chives chopped small, with pepper and salt; mix all well together, put a piece of b.u.t.ter in a pan, let it melt over a clear fire till nearly brown; pour in the eggs, stir it in, and in a few minutes it will be done sufficiently; double it, and dish it quite hot.

OMELETTE--ANOTHER WAY.

Break six eggs, leave out half the whites--beat them with a fork, and add some salt and chopped parsley; take four ounces of fresh b.u.t.ter, cut half of it in small pieces, put them in the omelette, put the other half in a small frying pan; when melted, pour in the eggs; stir till it begins to set, then turn it up round the edges; when done, put a plate on and turn the pan up, that it may not break--the omelette must be thick, and great care must be taken in frying; instead of parsley, you may use any kind of sweet herb or onion chopped fine, anchovy minced, rasped beef, ham or tongue.

GAs.p.a.cHO--SPANISH

Put some soft biscuit or toasted bread in the bottom of a sallad bowl, put in a layer of sliced tomatos with the skin taken off, and one of sliced cuc.u.mbers, sprinkled with pepper, salt, and chopped onion; do this until the bowl is full; stew some tomatos quite soft, strain the juice, mix in some mustard, oil, and water, and pour over it; make it two hours before it is eaten.

EGGS AND TOMATOS.

Peel the skins from a dozen large tomatos, put four ounces of b.u.t.ter in a frying pan, add some salt, pepper, and a little chopped onion; fry them a few minutes, add the tomatos, and chop them while frying; when nearly done, break in six eggs, stir them quickly, and serve them up.

TO FRICa.s.sEE EGGS.

Boil six eggs for five minutes, lay them in cold water, peel them carefully, dredge them lightly with flour, beat one egg light, dip the hard eggs in, roll them in bread crumbs, seasoned with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg; cover them well with this, and let them stand some time to dry--fry them in boiling lard, and serve them up with any kind of rich, well seasoned gravy, and garnish with crisped parsley.

SAUCES.

FISH SAUCE, TO KEEP A YEAR.