Good Things to Eat, as Suggested by Rufus. Rufus Estes
add six peppercorns, one-half inch blade of mace and a bit of bay leaf the same size. Fry one sliced onion in one level tablespoonful butter or beef fat until slightly colored, add this to the tomato, and simmer until the tomato is quite soft, and the liquor reduced one-half. Stir in one-fourth teaspoon of soda, and when it stops foaming turn into a puree strainer and rub the pulp through. Put the strained tomato on to boil again and add an equal amount of corned beef liquor, or enough to make three pints in all.
Melt one heaped tablespoon butter in a smooth saucepan, add one heaped tablespoon cornstarch, and gradually add part of the boiling soup. Stir as it thickens, and when smooth stir this into the remainder of the soup. Add one teaspoon salt and one-fourth teaspoon paprika. Reserve one pint of this soup to use with spaghetti. Serve buttered and browned crackers with the soup.
VEGETABLE BROTH—Take turnips, carrots, potatoes, beets, celery, all, or two or three, and chop real fine. Then mix with them an equal amount of cold water, put in a kettle, just bring to a boil, not allowing it to boil for about three or four hours, and then drain off the water. The flavor will be gone from the vegetables and will be in the broth.
VEGETABLE SOUP—Take one-half a turnip, two carrots, three potatoes, three onions and a little cabbage. Run through a meat chopper with coarse cutter and put to cook in cold water. Cook about three hours. If you wish you can put a little bit of cooking oil in. When cooked add one quart of tomatoes. This will need about six quarts of water.
The most nutritious soups are made from peas and beans.
VEGETABLE SOUP (without stock)—One-half cup each of carrot and turnip, cut into small pieces, three-fourths cup of celery, cut fine, one very small onion sliced thin, four level tablespoons of butter, three-fourths cup of potato, cut into small dice, one and one-half quarts of boiling water, salt and pepper to taste. Prepare the vegetables and cook the carrot, celery and onion in the butter for ten minutes without browning. Add the potato and cook for three minutes longer, then add the water and cook slowly for one hour. Rub through a sieve, add salt and pepper to taste, and a little butter if desired.
WHITE SOUP—Put six pounds of lean gravy beef into a saucepan, with half gallon of water and stew gently until all the good is extracted and remove beef. Add to the liquor six pounds of knuckle of veal, one-fourth pound ham, four onions, four heads of celery, cut into small pieces, a few peppercorns and bunch of sweet herbs. Stew gently for seven or eight hours, skimming off the fat as it rises to the top. Mix with the crumbs of two French rolls two ounces of blanched sweet almonds and put in a saucepan with a pint of cream and a little stock, boil ten minutes, then pass through a silk sieve, using a wooden spoon in the process. Mix the cream and almonds with the soup, turn into a tureen, and serve.
WINE SOUP—Put the yolks of twelve eggs and whites of six in an enameled saucepan and beat thoroughly. Pour in one and a half breakfast cupfuls of water, add six ounces of loaf sugar, the grated rind and strained juice of a large lemon, one and one-half pints of white wine. Whisk the soup over a gentle fire until on the point of boiling, removing immediately. Turn into a tureen, and serve with a plate of sponge cakes or fancy biscuits. (This soup should be served as soon as taken from fire.)
CHESTNUT SOUP—Peel and blanch the chestnuts, boil them in salted water until quite soft, pass through a sieve, add more water if too thick, and a spoonful of butter or several of sweet cream, season to taste, and serve with small squares of bread fried crisp in butter or olive oil.
FISH
BOILED CODFISH, WITH CREAM SAUCE—Take out the inside of a cod by the white skin of the belly, taking care to remove all blood. Place the fish in a kettle with salted cold water; boil fast at first, then slowly. When done take out and skin. Pour over it a sauce made as follows:
One-fourth pound butter put into a stewpan with one tablespoonful of flour, moistened with one pint of cream or rich milk, and salt and pepper, and also one teaspoonful essence of anchovies. Place the pan over the fire and let thicken, but not boil.
BOILED MACKEREL—Prepare and clean some mackerel. Put in water and boil until they are done. When cooked, drain and put the mackerel on a hot dish. Blanch some fennel in salted water. When it is soft drain and chop finely. Put one tablespoonful in half pint of butter sauce. Serve in a sauce boat with the fish.
BOILED SALMON WITH SAUCE TARTARE—Scrape the skin of the fish, wipe, and if you have no regular fish kettle with a perforated lid, tie in a piece of cheesecloth and place gently in a kettle of boiling salted water. Push the kettle back on the fire (where it will simmer gently, instead of boiling hard) and cook, allowing about six minutes to the pound. Remove carefully, drain, and chill. If the fish breaks and looks badly take out the bones, flake, pile lightly on the platter and pour the sauce over it. This may be a hot sauce Hollandaise or a cold sauce tartare.
BROILED MACKEREL—Draw and wash the mackerel. Cut off heads and rub over with salt and leave for an hour. Rub a gridiron with olive oil, lay the mackerel on it and broil over a charcoal fire. Place some chopped parsley and onions on a hot dish, with the hot fish, squeezing over the mackerel a little lemon juice. Serve hot.
BROILED MACKEREL, WITH BLACK BUTTER—Take some mackerel, open and remove bones. Season with butter, pepper, and salt. Place the fish on a gridiron and broil over a clear fire. Put a part of the butter in a saucepan and stir it over the fire until it is richly browned, squeezing into it a little lemon juice. Place the fish on a hot dish, arrange some sprigs of parsley around it, and pour over it the butter sauce, and serve hot.
CODFISH CONES—When it is not convenient to make and fry fish balls try this substitute. Pick enough salt codfish into shreds to measure two cups and let stand in cold water for two or more hours, then drain dry. Make a sauce from one cup of hot milk, two level tablespoons each of flour and butter, and cook five minutes. Mash and season enough hot boiled potatoes to measure two cups, add the sauce and the fish and beat well with a fork. Shape in small cones, set on a butter pan, brush with melted butter and scatter fine bread crumbs over. Set in oven to brown.
CODFISH HASH—Take a cup of cooked cod, pick in pieces and soak in cold water for twelve hours. Boil some potatoes and add them to the finely chopped fish, a little at a time. Put in a saucepan with some butter and stir. Let it cook gently.
FINNAN HADDIE FISH CAKES—The finnan haddie parboiled with an equal quantity of mashed potatoes, season with melted butter, salt and pepper, add a beaten egg, and mold into cakes.
FISH, EAST INDIA STYLE—Peel two medium-sized onions, cut into thin slices. Put in a stewpan with a small lump of butter and fry until lightly browned. Pour over them some white stock, judging the quantity by that of the fish; one ounce of butter, little curry powder, salt, lemon juice, a little sugar, and cayenne pepper. Boil the stock for fifteen or twenty minutes, then strain into a stewpan, skim and put in the fish, having it carefully prepared. Boil gently, without breaking the fish. Wash and boil half a cup of rice in water, and when cooked it should be dried and the grains unbroken. Turn the curry out on a hot dish, garnish with croutons of fried bread. Serve hot, with the rice in separate dish.
FISH EN CASSEROLE—One of those earthen baking dishes with close-fitting cover of the same ware and fit for placing on the table is especially useful for cooking fish. For instance, take two pounds of the thick part of cod or haddock, both of which are cheap fish. Take off the skin and lay in the casserole. Make a sauce from two cups of milk heated, with a good slice of onion, a rounding tablespoon of minced parsley, a small piece of mace, a few gratings of the yellow rind of lemon, half a level teaspoon of salt, and a little white pepper. Cook in the top of a double boiler for twenty minutes. Heat one-quarter cup of butter in a saucepan, add three level tablespoons of flour, and cook smooth, turn on the hot milk after straining out the seasonings. Cook until thick and pour over the fish. Cover and bake half hour, then if the fish is done