The Century Cook Book Part 44

=PICKLED OYSTERS=

Scald the oysters in their own liquor, with a little water added, till they are plump. Skim them out, and drop into a bowl of cold water; rinse well and put them in gla.s.s jars.

Scald an equal quant.i.ty of the liquor and vinegar with whole peppers, mace, and salt, and when perfectly cold fill the jars up with it. These will keep two or three weeks.

=FRICa.s.sEED OYSTERS=

Drain a quart of large oysters from their liquor, and place them in a covered saucepan with a quarter of a pound of good b.u.t.ter. Set them on the back of the range, and let them simmer gently till the oysters are well plumped out.

Put the oyster liquor in another saucepan with three tablespoonfuls of powdered cracker, and a little pepper. When the oysters are done, remove them from the b.u.t.ter with a fork, and place them on toasted crackers on a hot platter. Add the b.u.t.ter in which they have been cooked to the oyster broth. Let it boil up once. Stir in half a pint of cream, and pour over the oysters.

=STEWED LOBSTER=

Cut a boiled lobster weighing four pounds into small pieces. Thicken a half pint of milk with a teaspoonful of flour and a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter; add a teaspoonful of dry mustard, and a little salt and pepper.

Stew the lobster in this till it is quite tender, and lastly add a tablespoonful of vinegar.

=FISH b.a.l.l.s=

MAINE

Soak over night three quarters of a pound of boneless codfish.

In the morning shred the fish (uncooked) very carefully with a silver fork till it is fine. Add to it a dozen potatoes of medium size, freshly boiled, mashed, and rubbed through a sieve, two beaten eggs, a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, a little hot milk or cream, and a sprinkling of white pepper.

Mold into round b.a.l.l.s, and drop into very hot fat.

=CODFISH AND CREAM=

Shred two thirds of a bowlful of salt codfish, wash it several times with fresh water, drain off the water, and put it into a saucepan with a pint of sweet cream and half a pint of sweet milk. Let it come nearly, but not quite, to the boiling point. Beat together one egg, a tablespoonful of flour, and two tablespoonfuls of sweet milk; add it to the fish, and stir continually until it is done. Put the mixture in a hot dish, and add a large spoonful of b.u.t.ter, stirring it thoroughly.

=OYSTERS ON A CHAFING-DISH=

Put into the chafing-dish four or five tablespoonfuls of the oyster liquor; add salt, white pepper, and a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, and stir till it is scalding hot. Drop the oysters in, a dozen at a time, and cook till they are plump and tender; then skim out and place on slices of hot b.u.t.tered toast; add more oysters as required.

=PILAU=

One half pint of rice; one pint of stock; one half can of tomato. Soak the rice in cold water for an hour. Pour off the water, and put the rice, with the stock and one quarter of a white onion, in a double boiler. Stew till the rice absorbs the stock.

Stew the tomato thoroughly, and season with b.u.t.ter, salt, and pepper.

Mix it with the rice.

Saute in b.u.t.ter to a light color jointed chicken, slightly parboiled, or slices of cold cooked chicken or turkey. Make a hole in the rice and tomato, put in the chicken and an ounce of b.u.t.ter, and stew all together for twenty minutes. Serve on a platter in a smooth mound, the red rice surrounding the fowl.

=SPICED SHAD=

Scale the fish, cut off the heads and tails, and divide them into four pieces.

Chop four or five small onions, and sprinkle a layer on the bottom of a stone jar; on this place a layer of fish, packing closely. Spice with black and cayenne pepper, cloves, allspice, whole peppers, and a little more onion. Then add another layer of fish, and so on till the jar is full. Arrange the roe on top, spice highly, and fill the jar with the strongest vinegar procurable. Place thick folds of paper on the jar under the cover, and bake for twelve hours. The vinegar will dissolve the bones, and the fish can be sliced for a tea-table relish.

=PORK AND BEANS=

NEW HAMPs.h.i.+RE

Soak a pint of small white beans over night.

In the morning pour off the water, pour on a pint of cold water, and set at the back of the range to simmer slowly for three quarters of an hour.

Place the beans in a bean-pot with half a pound of scored salt pork in the middle, half a teaspoonful of dry mustard, salt, white pepper, and a half pint of white sugar. Add water from time to time, as it grows dry, and bake twelve hours.

=A ReCHAUFFe OF COLD MUTTON=

Have the mutton cut very neatly and carefully into slices.

Add to a half pint of gravy or stock a little white pepper, a quarter of a teaspoonful of dry mustard, a quarter of a teaspoonful of curry powder, and three large tablespoonfuls of currant jelly. When this is scalding hot, add a gla.s.s of sherry. Have ready a hot platter with slices of toast. Put the sliced mutton into the sauce long enough to heat through, but not to cook for a moment. Take the slices out with a fork, and place them on the toast; last of all pour the boiling gravy over all, and serve instantly. This preparation will be found delicious--it robs the second-day-of-the-mutton of its terrors.

=CORNED BEEF=

If a round of corned beef is to be eaten cold, as is often the case, it should be carefully and slowly boiled, and left in the pot till the next day. The soaking in the water in which it has been boiled has the effect of making the beef delightfully delicate and tender, and a little less salt in its flavor. No one who has tried this method will be content with any other.

If the beef is to be served hot, what is left can be reheated, and left to cool for the next day's use in the liquor.

=A BEEFSTEAK PIE=

CONNECTICUT

Three pounds of lean rump steak cut thick. Cut it into strips three inches long, and an inch wide. Put it to stew in enough boiling water to not quite cover the meat, and simmer very slowly for half an hour. Add a tablespoonful of parsley chopped fine, a large teaspoonful of sweet thyme, half a teaspoonful of white pepper, and a quarter of a pint of sliced onions. Stew together till the meat is perfectly tender. Rub smooth a tablespoonful of corn starch, and stir it with the gravy until it becomes of the consistency of cream; add a little salt and a tablespoonful of Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce. Place the meat in a deep pudding-dish with alternate layers of cold ham sliced thin and sliced hard-boiled eggs--seven or eight eggs will be required. Add a little grated nutmeg; cover with paste, and bake half an hour.

=EASY CHICKEN SALAD=

Take a two-pound can of Richardson & Robbins's compressed chicken; remove the skin, and cut the chicken into small dice.

Add twice as much celery cut into small pieces, salt to taste, and marinate the whole with a mixture of three tablespoonfuls of vinegar to nine of oil. Have it very cold, and just before serving pour over it a Mayonnaise made by the following receipt. This quant.i.ty is enough for twenty-five persons.

=CREAM DRESSING=

Rub together in a china bowl a large tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, a half teaspoonful of salt, and a half teaspoonful of dry mustard.