Food and Cookery
ANDERSON
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
Food and Cookery
THEIR RELATION TO HEALTH
A Handbook for Teachers and Pupils for
Use in Cooking Classes and
Demonstrations
Revised Edition
By H. S. ANDERSON
Instructor in cooking in the Training School for Nurses
Loma Linda, California
Loma Linda, Cal.
The College Press
1911
Copyright 1911 by the College Press
Loma Linda, Cal.
PREFACE
The author of the present work, having been for several
years employed as cook in many of the leading hotels and
clubs of some of the largest cities of the Middle West and
the Pacific Coast, as well as being for the past five years
connected with the Loma Linda Sanitarium, is well prepared
to speak of the subject here discussed. His position as ex-
perimental cook and teacher of cooking in the Nurses'
Training School has also shown the importance of getting
out something that may serve as a guide to teachers in pre-
senting this subject before classes. Hence the present work
is largely designed to serve as a manual for those who may
be called upon to teach the subject in sanitariums and other
educational institutions; and with this idea in view, a com-
plete list of twelve lessons, so arranged as to cover in an
outline way all the more important points of the subject,
constitute a valauble feature of the book.
The First Edition having been all sold in less than a year,
and the many warm commendations received for it, have
encouraged the publishers to issue this thoroughly revised
and enlarged edition, with the hope that it may be of as-
sistance to those who are struggling to bring the teaching of
this subject in our sanitariums and elsewhere into full ac-
cord with sound principles.
THE PUBLISHERS.
CONTEXTS
INTRODUCTION Page 9
Foods, their Uses in the Body
Food Economy
Suggestive Course of Lessons
Preparation of Food
Essentials to Success
BREAD 24
UNFERMENTED BATTER BREADS ... 25
Whole Wheat Puffs
Corn Bread 1
Corn Bread 2
Hoe Cake
Hot Cakes
UNFERMENTED DOUGH BREADS .... 28
Cream Rolls
Whole Wheat Sticks
Fruit Crisps 1
Fruit Crisps 2
German Sticks
Cocoanut Crisps
Walnut Sticks
FERMENTED BREADS, YEASTS .... 30
White Bread
Whole Wheat Bread
Graham Bread
Rye Bread
Fruit Bread, Buns, Rolls
Graham Buns
O vj U JL O .......... OO
Cream of Tomato
Cream of Corn
Cream of Green Peas
Cream of Potato
Cream of Lettuce
Julienne
Potage St. Germain
Fruit Soup
GRAINS, NUT FOODS, ENTREES .... 41
LEGUMES 42
Stewed Lima Beans
Lima Bean Puree
Red Beans Creole
Savory Lentils and Rice
Lentil and Rice Patties
Legume Cutlets
. Croquettes of Scotch Peas
Baked Corn Nut Pie
Cream Noodles
Spanish Rice
Nut Cero Stew with Dumplings
New England Stew
Protose and Rice Timbales
Baked Macaroni and Olives
Macaroni au Gratin
Macaroni and Rice Croquettes
Baked Spaghitti
Nut Roast
Baked Dressing
Steamed Rice
Browned Rice
GRAVIES, SAUCES 50
Brown Sauce 1
Brown Sauce 2
Brazil Nut Sauce
Cream Sauce
Celery Sauce
Nut Sauce
Tomato Sauce
VEGETABLES 52
New Peas
Baked Ear Corn
String Beans
New Asparagus
Asparagus Tips and New Peas
Stewed Tomato
Scalloped Tomato
Summer Squash
Baked Squash
Breaded Egg Plant
Stewed Salsify
Cauliflower au Gratin
Baked Cream Corn
Roasted Potato
Scalloped Potato
Dauphine Potato
SALADS AND DRESSINGS 57
VEGETABLE, LETTUCE, AND TOMATO
Jellied Tomato
Stuffed Beet Salad
Salad Russe
Potato Salad
Celery Salad
Cole Slaw
Celery and Nuttolene Salad
DRESSINGS
Mayonaisse Dressing
Boiled Dressing
Cream Dressing
FRUIT SALAD 59
Stuffed Date Salad
Fruit BasKet
Fruics and Nuts
k ruit Mold
Date and Apple
SAUCES
Fleurette Sauce
Lemon Sauce
DESSERTS 61
Sago Fruit Mold
Prune Pudding
Strawberry Whip
Strawberry Dessert
Banana Loaf
Banana Snow
Flaked Rice and Fruit Mold
Vegetable Gelatin
Orange Jelly
Berry Mold
Jellied Apple
PIES .......... 65
Pie Crust
Apple Pie
Prune Pie 1
Prune Pie 2
PUDDINGS 66
Banana Tapioca Pudding
Cream Tapioca Pudding
Grape Blanc Mange
Cream Rice Pudding
CAKES 67
Layer Cake 1
Layer Cake 2
Walnut Loaf Cake
ICINGS, FILLINGS
White Icing 1
White Icing 2
White Icing 3
Orange Filling
TOASTS, BREAKFAST DISHES .... 70
Strawberry Toast
Blackberry Toast
Prune Toast
Cream Peas on Toast
Walnuc Lentils on Toast
Tomato Toast
Scrambled Eggs with Tomato
INVALID DIETARY 71
Barley Water
Rice Water
Oatmeal Gruel
Cornmeal Gruel
Gluten Gruel
Flaxseed Tea
Fruit Egg Nogg
Cream Egg Nogg
Lemonade
Orangeade
FRUIT ICES, ICE CREAM 74
ICES
Strawberry
Blackberry
Apricot
Pineapple
Grape Fruit
Lemon
ICE CREAM
CANNING, PRESERVING 76
Fruits
Vegetables
COMBINATIONS, MENU MAKING .... 79
SUGGESTIVE MENUS 83
FOOD AND COOKERY
Foods, Their Uses in the Body
"To care for the body, by providing for it food that is
relishable and strengthening, is one of the first duties of the
householder." When men and women study how to supply
the needs of the body intelligently, they place themselves on
vantage ground. We all have in the beginning a certain
vital force from which to draw. To know how to husband it
properly is the most essential thing in preserving health.
By taking food into the body the system is nourished and
built up. Disease results if this food is improper in quantity,
or poor in quality, or if it is poorly prepared for assimilation.
There is a constant breaking down of the tissues of the body;
every thought of the mind, every movement of a muscle,
involves waste, and this waste is repaired from our food.
It is highly important, then, that everyone should be able to
choose those foods which best supply the elements needed to
make good blood, which in turn imparts life and strength, to
nerve, muscle, and tissue.
Grains contain the food elements most evenly distributed.
Wheat is considered a perfect food, and the representative
of all foods, containing properties which so nearly represent
the constituent parts of the body structure as to indicate a
special Providence in providing it for the human race. Grains
are very nutritious, and when cooked under a high degree of
heat, as in baking, they are very easily digested and assimi-
lated. When they are cooked by the process of boiling or
steaming, they require several hours cooking in order to
render them digestible.
In the olive, as in the various nuts, we find nature's store-
house of fats. These, when properly prepared, supply the
place of animal oil and fats.
Fruits are used not so much with a view of supplying nutri-
10 Foods, Their Uses in the Body
ients as for other purposes; the organic acids and essential
oils, with the easily digestible form in which the nutrients
are present, are factors which give fruits a high value in the
dietary. These acids and essential oils impart palatibility to
the food, and assist functionally in the digestive process.
Figs and prunes contain chemical compounds that are laxa-
tive in character.
In our study of the purposes which the various food ele-
ments serve in the vital economy, and of the foods best
adapted to the accomplishment of these purposes, valuable
help is given us in a practi -al knowledge of the composition
of the various food materials, which enables us to arrive at
an idea of the real value of the food in question. See Plate I.
In speaking of food, we understand something which is
capable, upon being taken into the body, of either repairing
its waste or of furnishing it with material from which to
produce heat and muscular work. This brings to view the
two main functions of food in the Jx>dy. By the former
function, food provides for the conservation of the material
of the body; by the latter, conservation of bodily energy is
maintained. Substances which are unable to help in the one
or the other of these directions can not be called food.
Examples of such non-foods are to be found in extractives
of meat, tea, coffee, spices, etc. These have no nutritive
value whatever.
All foods are made up of one or more of three distinct
classes of organic compounds, known as proteid or albuminous
substances, carbohydrates and fats, and different inorganic
salts. Tnese substances are spoken of as the "nutritive
constituents" of food, and may be separated into four divi-
sions:
1. The proteid or nitrogenous substances are represented
in the food by the casein in milk, the curd of the milk being
very highly nitrogenous; the gluten of the wheat; the albu-
men in the white of egg, which is the purest form of proteid;
Foods, Their Uses in the Body 11
the legumen in peas and beans; and the myosin of lean meat.
2. The carbohydrates are represented by the starches and
sugars in the various foods.
3. Fats, as olive oil, butter, the oil found in the olive,
nuts, and to some extent in most articles of food.
4. The inorganic substances, as water and mineral mat-
ters.
The chief office of proteid matter is to provide for the
growth and repair of the material of the body. The carbo-
hydrates and fats furnish the fuel for the body. They yield
the heat that keeps it warm and the energy that enables it
to work. The mineral matters are required by the body for
the building of the bones and the teeth.
The changes which food undergoes in the body are essen-
tially changes due to oxidation. Latent heat is just as surely
found in the food we use as in wood and coal. They are both
waiting to be oxidized, that they may be converted into heat
and energy.
The latent energy in different foods has been determined
by their oxidation, outside the body, in the aparatus known
as the bomb Calorimeter. "The amount of heat given off in
the oxidation of a given quantity of any material is called its
'heat combustion,' and is taken as a measure of its latent
and potential energy." Now the calorie is the unit measure
or standard of heat production, and means the amonnt of
heat necessary to raise the temperature of one kilogram of
water 1 C., or about one pint of water 4 F. Careful obser-
vation by Atwater, Rubner, Chittenden, and others, has
shown that the heat value of one gram of each of the three
chief nutritive constituents of food when taken into the -tis-
sues is as follows:
l a gram of proteid yields 4 calories
1 " " carbohydrates yields 4 calories
1 " " fats yields 8.9 calories
Bulletin No. 142, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture.
a. 28.3 grams equals 1 ounce.
12 Foods, Their Uses in the Body
As the ounce is made the standard or unit in calculating
weight, so the calorie is the standard of heat production.
By the figures in the column at the right hand side of chart
(Plate I.), are represented the total amount of calories or food
units contained in one pound of each of the various foods
under consideration. The building material proteid is
represented by the red color, and the carbohydrates by the
green, etc.
The vital part of all tissue is proteid. Without proteid the
body would waste away, for the wear and tear of tissue must
be made good. Though there is no article of diet, except
sugar and pure fat, into which proteid matter does not enter
to a greater or less degree, yet there are foods which con-
tain an unusually high per cent of proteid, known as proteid
foods. These are the peas, beans, lentils, nuts, eggs, and
meat.
The fact that proteid matter is an essential element for
the growth and repair of the body tissues, has a tendency to
lead people to believe that they might be benefited by the
consumption of large quantities of proteid foods; when the
fact is, the body can use only a limited amount for the
development and repair of tissues. Although proteid matter
is capable of yielding a certain amount of heat on oxidation, it
is inferior for this purpose to carbohydrates and fats; because,
on being burned in the body, it yields certain deleterious pro-
ducts which throw upon the liver and kidneys an unnecessary
amount of labor that overtaxes them and lays them liable to
attacks of disease. Many of the ailments so prevalent to-day,
as rheumatism, gout, gastro-intestinal disturbances, indiges-
tion and liver troubles, have been found to be closely asso-
ciated with the habitual overeating of proteid foods.
There is wisdom in a diet that shall provide an abundance
of carbohydrates and fats, proteid being added only in suffi-
cient amounts to meet the needs of the body for nitrogen
and for the development of fresh muscle fibers, etc. Care-
ful experiments have demonstrated that the body is best sus-
Food Values
( Nitrogenous PROTEID Tissue-forming Substances
Organic j Kl . (CARBOHYDRATES) ... . p. v
(Non-nitrogenous j FATS energy
Inorganic Salts - - Mineral Matters, Water
Foods, Their Uses in the Body 13
tained in health, and strength and endurance promoted, by a
diet which contains a proportion of one ounce of proteid
matter to from ten to twelve ounces of carbohydrates and
fats.
A study of the composition of the various foods will enable
us to see the wise provision made for man in the diet
appointed for him in the beginning. Man in adding to his
diet flesh meats with their exceedingly high per cent of pro-
teid, besides other objectionable features connected with its
use, finds himself grappling with a problem whose only solu-
tion is to be found in a study of cause and effect.
In the diet appointed in the beginning, man is guarded in
this respect; as in nature, we find the various food elements
better balanced to meet the needs of the body. The numer-
ous exhaustive works of to-day, written on the subject of
diet and the needs of the body, are designed to fill a long
felt want. They are the response of thinking men to a
world's great need. To meet this great need, God has sent
us a message of health reform which comprehends man's
complete restoration, physically and spiritually. A quotation
from Ministry of Healing, gives a key to the divinely
appointed plan: "In His written Word and in the great
book of nature, He has revealed the principles of life. It is
our work to obtain a knowledge of these principles, and by
obedience to cooperate with Him in restoring health to the
body as well as to the soul." p. 115
The accompanying diagram, (Fig. L) will help to bring
before our minds the Bible picture of our original home, and
of God's tender care over His erring children in giving them
light and hope through all the different phases of their rebell-
ion and apostasy; and it shows that He is actually leading
them back step by step to Eden restored. He who created
man and Who understands his needs, appointed Adam his
food, as it is written, "Behold, I have given you every herb
yielding seed, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree
yielding seed; to you it shall be for food." Gen. 1:29. A.
Foods, Their Uses in the Body 15
R. V. After the fall, when the ground was cursed for man's
sake, the herb of the field was added to his diet.
Then we are brought down to the time of the flood, when
all vegitation was destroyed by water, God permitted man to
eat flesh. Next we find the people of God down in the land
of Egypt where they were in heavy bondage, after which the
Lord brought them out with a strong hand and by an out-
stretched arm to make them the depositaries of His holy law,
and through them it was designed that all the world should
come to a knowledge of the true God. Their health was
jealously guarded, and they were given a fleshless diet.
God desired to make them His peculiar treasure above all
people; but they cried for flesh, so He permitted them to eat
clean flesh.
Then we come down to the end of the Jewish dispensation,
at the time when the gospel was preached to the Gentiles,
saying, "Ye are the temple of God." "There shall in no
wise enter into it anything unclean."
In ancient time, a distinction between things clean and
things unclean was made in all matters of diet. This was no
arbitrary distinction, for the things prohibited were unwhole-
some, and the fact that they were pronounced unclean taught
the lesson that the use of injurious foods is defiling.
To the chosen people of God, the laws relating to both
physical and spiritual well being were made plain, and on
condition of obedience He assured them: "The Lord will
take away from thee all sickness." Deut. 7. 15 "And ye
shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread
and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst
of thee." -Ex. 23:25. These promises are for us to-day.
The same principle which directed in giving these sanitary
laws and regulations in times of old, and which has been the
foundation in every true reform to the present time, is no
less powerful to-day, and is summed up in these words:
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do,
16 Foods, Their Uses in the Body
do all to the glory of God." -1 Cor. 10: 31. This principle, if
heeded, will guide in all matters of diet and hygiene, as in
every act of life. It will preserve us from intemperance in
all its varied forms. "Every practice which destroys the
physical, mental or spiritual energies, is sin. The laws of
nature, as truly as the precepts of the decalogue, are divine;
and only in obedience to them can health be recovered and
preserved."
There is great need to-day of that education that not
merely teaches right methods in the treatment of the sick,
but which encourages right habits of living, and spreads a
knowledge of right principles. The desire of God for every
human being is expressed in these words: "Beloved, I wish
above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health,
even as thy soul prospereth. " 3 John 2. Every "Thou shalt
not," whether in physical or moral law, implies a promise.
If we obey it, blessing will attend our steps, and we will
know the meaning of the promise of God to His people which
says, "I am the Lord that healeth thee." Ex. 15:26.
Food Economy
"Economy is not saving, but wisely spending." Ruskin
When we have ascertained that a food is rich in nutritive
constituents, and that it is of a nature to be easily digested in
the stomach, we have still to find whether the nutriment it
yields is obtained at a reasonable cost. When one realizes
that the market price of a food is no indication of its real
money value, the practical importance of such a test is more
convincingly felt, because in the market one usually pays for
flavor and rarity, not for nutritive qualities. To the work-
ing classes, who spend on an average fifty per cent of their
wages for food supply, such knowledge is of special value.
By a study of the chemical analysis of various foods bought
for a particular sum, this test may be applied without diffi-
culty. See Fig. 2.
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18 Food Economy
It will be seen that for energy (calories) , grains lead the
way, for instance, nearly ten times as much nourishment
can be obtained for twenty cents worth of wheat flour as for
the same amount invested in trout or eggs; even more value
is obtained for the same money when invested in cornmeal.
In the matter of protied material, the legumes come first,
while most of the grains contain proteid in a liberal propor-
tion.
When the flesh of animals is used as food, there is great
danger of excess of proteid material. Besides being of a
stimulating character, it contains no carbohydrate to offset
the large per cent of proteid. One advantage of using food
of vegetable origin, is that in their growth vegetables secrete
no poisons; whereas, in all animals the very process of life
consists in the breaking down of tissues and the formation of
various poisons. These poisons are in the flesh when the
animal is killed, and no amount of cooking can remove them.
Thus, by taking our food in the vegetable form, we avoid
burdening the system with such a quantity of harmful substan-
ces, which must be eliminated from the system only at a great
sacrifice to the vital organs. Many people seem to be under
the impression that bodily strength and health are dependent
upon the use of flesh meats. A quotation again from Min-
istry of Healing, throws much light on this question, and
points out in a simple manner the advantages to be had in a
simple and natural diet above that of a more complex nature.
"It is a mistake to suppose that mucular strength depends
on the use of animal food. The needs of the system can be
better supplied, and more vigorous health can be enjoyed,
without its use. The grains, with fruits, nuts, and vegetables,
contain all the nutritive properties necessary to make good
blood. These elements are not so well or so fully supplied
by a flesh diet. Had the use of flesh been essential to health
and strength, animal food would have been included in the
diet appointed man in the beginning.
"When the use of flesh food is discontinued, there is often
Food Economy 19
a sense of weakness, a lack of vigor. Many urge this as
evidence that flesh food is essential; but it is because foods
of this class are stimulating, because they fever the blood
and excite the nerves, that they are so missed. Some will
find it as difficult to leave off flesh-eating as it is for the
drunkard to give up his dram; but they will be the better for
the change.
' 'When flesh food is discarded, its place should be supplied with
a variety of grains, nuts, vegetables, and fruits, that will be
both nourishing and appetizing.' 1 Ministry of Healing.
It would seem that the use of flesh meats must be doubly
objectionable now, since disease in animals is so rapidly
increasing. Those who use flesh as food little know of what
they are eating. Tuberculosis, cancer, and other fatal dis-
eases are communicated by the use of contaminated meat.
True reform always replaces an evil with something better.
So, in the matter of diet, nature presents to us a field of bound-
less wealth, the Creator's choice for us, a plenteous store to
choose from, and at prices within the reach of every creature.
There is a rhyme that beautifully expresses this truth with
its resultant tribute:
"Eat life from Life's fresh growing garden,
Drink life from its myriad store,
Give life, and its flow
E'er increasing will go
Again to your open door."
Health reform, as any other true reform, is a matter of
education, and must be progressive; vital principles are
involved in which are treasured up wisdom of the highest
order for every seeker after health and truth. There has
recently been formed throughout the United States a number
of different societies for the purpose of studying the best
means of providing for the table foods which do not harbor
pestilence and disease, and for studying the development of
the culinary art in the home in harmony with right principles.
Thus it is plainly seen that the minds of thinking people are
20 Food Economy
being awakened to see the importance of exercising sound
judgment and good common sense in the matter of the care
and preservation of health.
The following course of lessons is in no way intended as a
complete guide to hygienic cookery. Of the great variety
of ways in which the grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables may
be prepared into dishes that are healthful and nourishing,
only a few of the most practical can be taken up in this
course. One of the main objects is to give some of the
general principles essential to success in this work, followed
by practical illustrations of methods used. For home and
class work this course consists of a series of sixteen lessons,
two lessons each week, each session occupying two hours.
Eight pupils constitute a class, at which time practical work
is done. Due recognition is given to the study of the nutri-
tive value of foods, their digestibility, combinations, etc.,
also menu-making and the general principles involved in the
making of the same.
This suggestive course of lessons, designed especially for
demonstration and field work, may be modified by the
instructor according to convenience to the occasion, or to
the length of time given for class periods. A previous study
of the recipes and instructions following will help to make
the work very simple and easily understood when the hour
comes for class.
Food Economy 21
Suggestive Course of Lessons
Lesson 1. Corn Bread, Baked Lima Bean Puree, Whole-
wheat Sticks, Strawberry Whip.
Lesson 2. Juleinne Soup, Corn Nut Pie, Germea Sticks,
Sago Fruit Mold.
Lesson 3. Cream of Tomato, Hoe Cake, Prune Pudding,
Nut Cero and Potato Stew with Dumplings.
Lesson 4- Salads, Lettuce and Tomato, Cold Slaw, Celery
Salad, Stuffed Beet Salad, Jellied Tomato Salad, Potato
Salad. Dressings, Mayonnaise, Boiled Dressing, Cream
Dressing.
Lesson 5. Noodles, Fruit Crisps, Cream of Potato Soup,
Banana Loaf.
Lesson 6. Egg Nogg, Gruels, Strawberry Toast, Browned
Rice, Cream Peas on Toast.
Lesson 7. Layer Cake, Frosting, Macaroni with Olives,
Grape Blanc Mange.
Lesson 8. Vegetable Gelatin, Orange Jelley, Strawberry
Jelley, Jelley Apple, Pie Making (Crust) Apple, Prune.
Lesson 9. Fruit Salads, Stuffed Date Salad, Fruit Basket,
Fruit and Nuts, Apple and Date, Fruit Mold.
Lesson 10. Legume Cutlets, Brazil Nut Sauce, Fruit Soup,
Macaroni and Rice Croquettes.
Lesson 11. New England Stew, Nut Roast, Tomato Sauce,
Cream of Green Peas, Walnut Sticks.
Lesson 12. Baked Dressing, Brown Sauce, Potage St.
Germain, Lentil and Rice Patties, Cream Tapioca.
22 Essentials to Success
Preparation of Foods
The manner of preparing our food has much to do with
our usefulness in this life, and with the building of our
characters. The health of the family may be safeguarded
by a careful, well-ordered diet, and this subject should appeal
to every thinking mother. As a science, cooking is one of
the most essential in practical life, and more than this it is
one of the fine arts. Our aim should not be simply to arrange
some concoction to appeal to a perverted appetite, without^
any consideration of its digestive qualities. Our cooks need
education in making foods that nourish. Imperfect know-
ledge of cooking leads to diseases of every kind; and both
children and adults suffer as a consequence.
The object sought in cooking is two-fold; first, to render
the food more digestible; second, to develop its flavors,
making it more palatable and inviting. No indifference
should be manifested in the preparation of food. If the food
eaten is not relished, the body will not be so well nourished.
Food should be prepared in such a manner that it will be
appetizing as well as nourishing. A glance at Plate I. will
show us the foods which contain the highest per cent of nutri-
tive value. Vegetables contain a small amount of nutriment.
They are valuable, however, for their flavors and for the large
quantity of organic fluid and mineral matter which they con-
tain. Combined with grains and nuts, they furnish the needed
bulk to the food. The grains make a highly nutritious food,
and with nuts and fruit, make a perfect and ideal diet.
Essentials to Success
The pre-requisite to success in this work is similar to that
in any other kind of work, viz., "Plan, then work out your
plan.' 1 Take the preparation of the first recipe given for
whole wheat puffs, for an example.
The first step to be taken is to see that the fire is built in
time, so the oven will be of the proper temperature when the
Essentials to Success 23
batter is ready. Use only heavy iron gem pans, which should
be put in the oven to heat while the batter is in preparation.
Have all the ingredients measured, and the needed utensils
all at hand before starting to conbine the articles for bread.
This is very essential in all baking; especially so in making
aerated breads, cakes, etc. Another point that needs to be
emphasized is the need of accurate measurments. There are
some simple things which an experienced cook can make with-
out taking the trouble to measure, but how often we hear
the remark made of "good luck" or "bad luck "with a recipe.
Now there is no such thing as "luck," for the simple reason
that every effect has its cause, and this is as true in cooking
as in other kinds of work. If we have a good recipe and
follow it exactly, using exact measurements, there is no
reason why we should not get the same results each time.
The ordinary kitchen cup, holding one-half pint, with
divisions indicating the half, third, and fourth parts of a cup-
ful, is generally taken as the standard. Unless otherwise
stated, a cup, tablespoon, or teaspoon of liquid or dry materials
means a measure that is "level full.''' In dry measure this is
best accomplished by filling the measure full and running the
blade of a knife over the top with the edge outward to make
it level. Care should be taken not to pack the ingredients;
for this reason, weighing is always considered the safest,
although not always as convenient as measuring.
It might be well to state here that there are many measur-
ing cups on the market, sold as one-half pint cups, that
hold quite a little more than that amount. Care should be
exercised in getting a cup measure which holds one-fourth of
a quart. If a larger one is used, allowance must be made.
When oil is called for in a recipe for shortening or for
cooking, the refined cottonseed oil is generally used. Being
tasteless and odorless, it can be used with good success where
free fat is necessary. Dairy butter may be used in the place
of these fats in most instances, using a little more of the
butter than when the pure fat is used. There is, however,
24 Bread
great danger of disease through the use of butter. The per
centage of turberculous cattle in herds from which our pub-
lic milk supply is derived, is astounding. As the cream rises
to the surface of the milk, the tubercle bacilli lodged therein
find access to our foods and to oar tables through the use of
butter. Milk when used should b^ thoroughly sterilized.
This can be accomplished by putting the milk into a double
boiler and heating it to a temperature of 160 F., and keeping
it at that temperature for ten minntes, then setting the
inner part of the boiler, with milk, into cold water to cool.
By this method the milk is not chemically changed, as it is
when boiled, and there is less danger of contracting disease
through its use.
As a guide in measuring, the following table will be help-
ful, and may be followed with good results.
3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon
2 tablesp ons of sugar or liquid - 1 ounce
16 tablespoons 1 cup
4 cups - 1 quart
4 cups sifted flour 1 pound
2 cups sugar, water, and most liquids "
Bread
Bread is the most important article of diet, and deserves
more attention than it receives. Considering the convenien-
cies which exist everywhere, and the widespread knowledge
of breadmaking, it seems unnecessary and wrong to find poor
bread on the table. Home made bread requires care and
attention; and then you have the real staff of life.
Breads may be divided into two classes : 1. Unfermented-
made light by the introduction of air into the dough or batter;
2. Fermented made light by a ferment, yeast being usually
employed. Space will not permit at this time to speak of
the ill effects on the system following the use of bi-carbon-
ate of soda and baking powders in breadmaking; it may suffice
to say that they are extremely harmful and unnecessary.
Bread 25
"Soda causes inflammation of the stomach, and of ten poisons
the entire system. " Air may be incorporated into a batter by
beating. The use of eggs will aid in the process; because
the white of egg, on account of its viscous nature, readily
catches air and helps convey it into the batter. The follow-
ing recipe for wholewheat puffs will help to illustrate these
principles.
Unfermented Batter Breads
Wholewheat Puffs. While it has been quite customary in
making this bread to allow one egg to each dozen puffs, with
the addition of a little cream to the milk, it will be found
that by using an average of one and one-half eggs to each
dozen puffs, and omitting the cream, the expense in most
cases is about the same as when the cream is used, and it
makes the puffs very light and fine grained. The inexperi-
enced find very little trouble in making nice light bread by
this method.
1J cups pastry flour, J cup wholewheat flour, 1 cups
milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 eggs separate.
Sift the white flour and salt into mixing bowl, add the
wholewheat flour unsifted. Separate the eggs, add the milk
and yolks to the flour, and stir until smooth with a wire
batter whip. Beat the whites stiff and dry, pour the batter
gradually into the beaten whites, folding it in by running a
batter whip from the edge or side of the bowl down through
the center and lifting it up so the batter will drop off into
the bowl; repeat until it is thoroughly mixed, but do not stir.
Remove the irons from the oven and set them on the edge of
the stove; rub them with an oiled cloth or brush to prevent
sticking. Pour the batter from a pitcher into the molds,
filling them just barely full. Bake in a moderately hot oven
twenty to thirty minutes.
A few dried currants or seedless raisins, washed and dried
in a towel, may be sprinkled into each mold just before putt-
ing them into the oven, if desired.
26 Bread
Bran Puffs. 1 cups pastry flour, | cup bran, 1 cups milk,
1 teaspoon salt, 3 eggs.
Make a batter of the flour, bran, salt, milk, and yolks,
and finish the same as for wholewheat puffs.
Puffs may also be made by using one egg to two cups of
milk, and enough strong bread flour to make a batter so
thick that, when the batter whip is lifted out, the batter
which flows from the whip will pile up slightly in the bowl
instead of making a hole in the batter. Do not separate the
egg. Mix the milk, egg, salt, and flour, and beat for a few
minutes until it is perfectly smooth and free from lumps,
then turn into hot oiled gem irons, and bake until nicely
browned, about thirty minutes or more.
Corn Bread. The best cornmeal is that made from the
Eastern corn, well matured, and not ground too fine. If other-
wise, it has a tendency to be sticky when made into bread,
and will not give good satisfaction.
No. 1. 1 cup cornmeal, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon
sugar, 1 teaspoons salt, 1J cups boiling water, 1 tablespoon
cold water, 2 eggs separate.
Sift the meal, flour, salt, and sugar into mixing bowl. Put
one and one-fourth cups water in a small saucepan on the fire,
and as soon as it comes to a good boil, set it on the table and
add the tablespoon cold water, and immediately pour most
of the hot water on the cornmeal, reserving about one-fourth
cup, stir smooth, and add as much of the one-fourth cup
water remaining to make a batter that will pile well in the
bowl but not be stiff. Beat the eggs separately, have the
whites very stiff, then fold the yolks into the whites. Pour
the cornmeal batter into the beaten eggs, fold it in with a
batter whip, and with a large spoon remove from the bottom
or sides any cornmeal adhering to it, mix it lightly yet
thoroughly, then pour it into an oiled baking pan, having it
about one inch or one and a half inches deep. Bake in a
moderately hot oven about thirty minutes. The reason for
Bread 27
adding a little cold water before pouring the hot liquid on
the cornmeal, is because in pouring boiling hot water on
cornmeal it is very likely to scald it too much and form a
paste. In this manner it will absorb too much water and can
not be made dry and mealy. Thus the necessity of having
the water boiling hot before adding the cold water so as to
get the right temperature. The hotter the water, the more
water the meal will take up. By taking this precaution, the
process is quite simple, and it makes a fine grained light
bread.
No. 2. 2 cups meal, J cup flour, 2J cups boiling milk, 2
teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 eggs separately.
Sift the meal, flour, sugar, and salt into mixing bowl; heat
the milk in a double boiler and pour most of the hot milk on
the cornmeal. Stir smooth, add as much of the remaining
milk to make a batter as for No. 1., beat eggs separately,
fold yolks into whites, then pour on the corn batter and fold
it into the eggs, and bake the same as in the above recipe.
Hoe Cake. No. 1. 1 cup cornmeal, 2 tablespoons flour, 1J
cups milk; 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs separ-
ately.
Put the milk on the stove to heat in a double boiler. Sift
the meal, flour, salt, and sugar together into a mixing bowl.
As soon as the milk is boiling hot, pour one cupful of it on
the cornmeal and stir smooth; add as much of the remaining
one-fourth cup to make a batter that will not run, but that
will pile up high in the bowl, it should not be stiff.
Beat the eggs separately, fold the yolks into the stiffly
beaten whites, then pour on the scalded meal, folding it into
the eggs with a batter whip, then from the side of a large
spoon drop it onto an oiled baking sheet in oblong shapes
and bake on the top grate in a hot oven until a nice brown.
By using one tablespoon oil, or its equivalent one-fourth
cup cream only one egg need be used.
28 Bread
Hot Cakes. 1 cup coarse zwieback crumbs, \ cup flour,
1 teaspoon salt, 2J cups separated milk, 4 eggs.
Heat the milk to about 140 F., and pour it over the crumbs.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, separate the eggs, and
add enough milk to the yolks to take up the flour, making a
thick smooth batter. Add this batter to the crumbs, mix
well, beat the whites stiff and dry, fold the whole batter
into the whites. Bake on an oiled soapstone griddle.
Unfermented Dough Breads
The earliest forms of bread were "unleavened breads."
This term has been applied to hard breads, such as the "pass-
over cakes" of the Israelites, and other breads in the form
of thin cakes, sticks, etc. These hard breads are without
doubt the most wholesome, because they encourage thorough
mastication; being free from any chemical or ferment, they
are very easily digested in the stomach. Care should be
exercised in making this dough that the flour and water be
mixed in just the right proportion. If the dough is too soft,
the sticks or crackers will be very hard. A "cracker dough"
must be a stiff dough, so that quite a good deal of pres-
sure must be put on it in order to roll it out. All these breads
should be baked in a medium oven, should be well done, but
not browned very much. When they will break off crisp,
they should be taken out of the oven.
Cream Rolls. If cups pastry flour, J cup rich cream, \
cup cold water, teaspoon salt.
Sift the flour and salt together into a mixing bowl, add the
water to the cream and mix well. Then pour the wetting on
the flour all at once, and draw in the flour from the sides of
the bowl through the center so as to get the moisture evenly
distributed through the flour, but do not stir it into a batter
in which some of the flour will be watersoaked and the rest
hardly moistened. Work it into a dough for a few minutes
on a slightly floured board. Roll it out to about one-third
inch in thickness, and cut it into long strips about one-third
Bread 29
inch wide. Roll them on a board and cut them into two and
one-half inch to three inch lengths. Lay them in a baking
pan, leaving a little space between them, and bake in a med-
ium oven until crisp and a light brown.
Wholewheat Sticks. 1 cup pastry flour, \ cup whole-
wheat flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, \\ tablespoons oil, J cup
cold water.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, add the oil and rub the
flour between the hands to distribute the oil evenly; then add
the water all at once and mix as for cream rolls; knead on
a board for a minute, and roll out into one-third inch thick-
ness. Cut it with a dull knife into long strips about one-
third inch wide, then cut crosswise into sticks about three
inches in length. Bake in a medium oven until just crisp
and a very light brown in color.
Fruit Crisps No. 1. If cups pastry flour, 3 tablespoons
sugar, | teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons oil, cup water, cup
ground sultana raisins or figs.
Sift the flour and salt into mixing bowl; add the oil and
rub it well into the flour; add the water all at once and mix
as for whole wheat sticks. Roll it out into a long thin sheet
as for pie crust. Have the raisins or figs previously washed
and dried in a clean towel, put through a fine mill, lay on a
well floured board and roll out in a thin sheet so as to cover
half of the dough; recover with the other half and roll out
quite thin so it will be pressed well together; cut it into
squares, crescents or diamond shapes, prick them through with
a fork, and bake in a very quick oven. Fruit sugars burn at
a very low degree of heat, so the crisps should bake only
until the crust is baked. If the fruit is allowed to cook it
will harden.
Fruit Crisps No. 2. Use mixture for cream rolls. Roll
out very thin and finish as for No. 1.
Walnut Sticks. \\ cups of pastry flour, cup wholewheat
flour, cup chopped walnut meats, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1J
30 Breads
tablespoons of oil, i teaspoon of salt, and J cup of water.
Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl, add the
oil and the nut meats, mix as for wholewheat sticks. Bake
in a medium oven until they will just break off crisp and be a
very light brown.
Germea Sticks. 1 cup germea, If cups pastry flour, cup
cold water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 3 tablespoons
oil.
Put the germea into a mixing bowl by itself and pour over
it cup cold water, that it may soak up while the balance
of the recipe is in preparation. Sift the flour, salt and sugar
into a bowl, add the oil, and rub the flour and oil between
the hands until well mixed, then add the wetted germea and
work it into a dough, knead it for a minute or two, then roll
out and finish the same as for wholewheat sticks.
Cocoanut Crisps, Wafers, Etc. Take the proportions given
for making cream rolls, and add | cup of shredded cocoanut
to the flour. Mix it into a dough as for cream rolls, roll out
quite thin, and cut with a biscuit cutter or into any desired
shape. Prick well with a fork and bake in a medium hot
oven until crisp and a very light brown.
Fermented Breads
Weight for weight, bread must be considered one of the
most nutritious of foods. The fact that more than three-
fifths of it consists of solid nutriment and less than two-fifths
water, gives it a special place in the list of foods, and with
it there is no animal food and but few cooked vegetable foods
that can make a comparison.
In the study of the chemical composition of bread we find
that two- thirds of the volume of a good loaf of bread is made
up of gas, and of the solid part less than forty per cent con-
sists of water. Of the chemical constituents necessary for
proper nutrition, bread yields a large proportion of carbo-
hydrates, a liberal amount of proteid and mineral matter,
and a small amount of fat, making it one of the most nutri-
tious and well-balanced articles of diet.
Breads 31
"The common use of superfine white flour in bread making
is neither healthful nor economical." While the white flour
products have a greater total nutritive value, they are really
an impoverished food; for in rejecting the germ and the bran,
the miller discards some of the most useful constituents of
wheat. With the germ, proteid and fat are lost; and the
bran being impregnated with mineral matter, when separated
from the wheat leaves the bread void of these substances
which are so necessary for the building of bone, brain, and
nerves. To the natural taste there is something lacking,
Fig. 3.
Chemical composition of a loaf of wholewheat bread
something not satisfying in the white bread, but which is
found in that made from the whole grain. This leaves a
craving which many attempt to satisfy with rich pastries,
meat, spices, and condiments. Fine flour bread is also a fre-
quent cause of constipation and other unhealthful conditions.
In order to make good bread it is necessary to have good
flour. The strength of a flour is determined by the quantity
of gluten it contains. Gluten is the chief form of the proteid
of wheat. Its elastic qualities when mixed with water, and
acted upon by yeast, allow the gas formed to expand with-
out danger of escape. The best flour generally proves to
be the most economical, for while it costs more than inferior
82 Bread
grades, it is in reality cheaper, because a given quantity of
good flour makes more and better bread than the same
quantity of poor flour. The best bread flour is of a cream
white color, and when a handful is taken and squeezed it
should not retain the imprint of the fingers, but should fall
like dry sand. Ordinary pastry flour when handled in this
way will retain its shape in the hand, remaining in one lump.
Quick rising bread, that is, bread which is brought out in
five or six hours, requires more yeast than bread which is
allowed to rise over night, but is generally more satisfactory;
for the more times bread is allowed to rise, the lighter and
finer grained it will be; but some of the wheat flavor will be
destroyed. This is the reason that ordinary baker's bread is
always lacking in that sweet, nutty, wheat flavor, which so
characterizes home made bread, and which makes it so satis-
fying. The idea, therefore, to be kept before us in bread
making, is to produce an article rich in nutritive elements,
toothsome, and easily digestible.
Fermented bread is usually made by mixing to a dough,
flour, water, salt, and yeast, a small amount of sugar being
added to hasten fermentation. The dough is then kneaded
until it is elastic to the touch and does not stick to the board;
the object being to incorporate air and to distribute the
yeast uniformly. It is then covered and allowed to rise until
it doubles its bulk and does not respond to the touch; or
when tapped sharply with the fingers, it gradually but stub-
bornly begins to sink down. This will require all the way
from three to three and one-half hours, and it is best accom-
plished at a temperature ranging from 75 to 85 F. It is
then pressed down in the center and worked together a little,
turned over in the bowl and allowed to rise again until about
half its former bulk. This will take about three-quarters of
an hour or more. It is then turned out on a lightly floured
board and kneaded a few minutes, to break the air bubbles
and to distribute evenly the gas formed. Then it is molded
into loaves, put into pans, and allowed to rise until it doubles
its bulk, when it is ready for baking.
Breads 33
Bread should never be allowed to rise until it begins to fall
of itself. At this stage it has risen too much and borders on
sourness. There are three stages of fermentation; namely,
alcoholic, acetous, and putrefactive. Bread should be baked
during the alcoholic stage. If fermentation is allowed to go
on after the yeast has done its work, bacterial action begins
which results in sour bread. It is very important to know
when the bread is sufficiently light after it has been placed
in the pans. It should never be allowed to rise to its limit
before it is put into the oven; but should continue to rise for
the first ten to twelve minutes after it has been put into the
oven. It is better to bake the bread a little too soon, than to
allow it to rise too much. If it rises too much, it will be
course grained and tasteless. If the bread should in any wise
get too light in the pans, it may be molded over and allowed
to rise again.
To test the lightness of the dough in the pans, press the
loaf gently with the finger, and if it responds quickly to the
touch, it may be allowed to rise more. If it responds slowly
it should be put into the oven immediately.
Wholewheat or graham bread must not be allowed to go
quite so far in the process of fermentation as white bread.
Because of the bulkiness of the whole grain, the gas escapes
more easily than from that made with a strong gluten flour.
Graham and wholewheat bread should be watched closely
during the different stages of development, as they rise and
get light in less time than white bread. Where wholewheat
flour is made from good hard wheat, that is, wheat which is
grown where the summers are short and not too hot (as
Dakota and Minnesota), the best bread is made from the
whole grain using no white flour, or a very little. The dough
is a little harder to handle, but you have the sweet wheat
flavor. The mineral substances contained in wheat which
are so essential to health are then retained in the bread, add-
ing much to its flavor.
For those who can not use the grain in this form, it is well
84 Bread
to use a little rye and oatmeal with the white flour, about
one-third or one-fourth part rye and oatmeal to two or three
parts best bread flour.
The western wheat, also that grown farther south, is a soft
wheat and does not of itself make good bread, but must be
combined with a strong gluten flour. It is very often that
graham or wholewheat flour is made from this kind of wheat;
then it can only be used in bread making in the proportion
of one part graham or wholewheat to two parts strong white
bread flour, or about these proportions.
Bread is also made by setting a sponge at the beginning,
making a batter of the water, yeast, and flour, and letting it
rise until the batter gets charged with the yeast, then add-
ing any other ingredients, as fruit and shortening for fruit
bread, the shortening for buns, or the cracked grain for
coarse bread; and then working it all into a dough. Ordin-
ary white bread, wholewheat, and graham, are often made
by the same process. A sponge is sufficiently light when it
appears frothy and is full of bubbles. It will not rise much.
The time required will vary with the quantity and quality of
yeast used, and the temperature of the room where it is set
to rise.
As a general rule,* with the best quality of bread flour,
three measures of flour to one of water are required to make
a dough of the proper consistency. For wholewheat or
graham bread, a little less flour is used to the same amount
of liquid. Buns and fruit bread which must be of a softer
dough, require still less flour, as may be seen later.
The most convenient yeast is that sold as compressed yeast.
It should be used only when fresh, which may be determined
by its light color and absence of dark streaks. When com-
pressed yeast is not obtainable, very good results are
secured by the use of the following recipe:
Two cups sliced raw potatoes, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 cake
dried yeast.
Bread 35
Add enough cold water to cover the sliced potatoes, and
cook well done. Mash them through a colander, and add
enough hot water to make one and one-half quarts in all.
When cool, add the sugar and the yeast cake (which in the
meanwhile has been dissolved in one-half cup of water), and
mix well, cover tightly,' and let it stand in a warm room over
night. In the morning it should be lively and covered with a
white foam.
For Ordinary Bread white, wholewheat, etc., use IJcups
liquid yeast and f cup water to 6 cups good flour. For buns,
fruit bread, etc., the yeast is used a very little stronger than
for ordinary bread: 1 cups liquid yeast to | cup water. To
keep this yeast, put it into a glass or stone jar, cover well,
and keep it in a dark cool place.
White Bread. 6 cups best bread flour, 1 pint water,
ounce compressed yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon oil,
1 tablespoon salt.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and make it hollow in the
middle; dissolve the yeast in the warm water, add the salt,
sugar, and oil, and pour into the flour. Take out from the
side a good handful of flour to be used on the board, draw in
the flour with a large spoon and make it into a dough, turn
out on a floured board; rub off all the particles of dough
sticking to the sides and bottom of the dish, and knead until
it is elastic to the touch and does not stick to the board,
using just as little flour as possible to keep the bread from
sticking to the board. By keeping the bread in motion con-
tinuously, very little flour will be needed. The kneading of
white bread will take about twenty minutes or more. Oil the
bowl and drop bread in, turn it over in the bowl so it leaves
the top oiled, which will help to keep a crust from drying on.
Cover well and let it rise until it doubles its bulk and does not
respond to the touch, using the test given above. This will
take about three hours or more, then knock it down in the center
and work it together, turn it over in the bowl, and let it rise
until it is about one-half more than its former bulk, then
36 Breads
turn it out on a slightly floured board and work it together
for a few minutes. Divide it into three pieces, knead each
loaf into a hard ball, flatten down and roll the dough up into
a hard roll, and drop it into an oiled bread tin. In molding the
bread into loaves, it is very important that each loaf be well
worked together. If the bread is put into pans in soft loaves,
that is, soft because they were not worked enough, the bread
will rise flat on top instead of rounded, and will be apt to
fall when put into the oven. After being put into pans,
brush over the top of each loaf with oil to keep a crust from
drying on.
Bread should be baked in a quick oven to begin with. The
oven should not be so hot as to burn the outside of the loaf
before the inside of the loaf is cooked, but should be of such
a temperature that the bread may rise for the first ten min-
utes or more, and then have sufficient crust to hold it up,
when the fire should be closed up to hold a steady heat until
the bread is done. For the small loaves, forty to forty-five
minutes is generally sufficient; for the larger ones or those
of ordinary size, one hour to an hour and a quarter. A well
baked loaf may be lifted from the pan and placed upon the
palm of the hands without burning it. This should always be
the case when bread is well baked and the moisture evapor-
ated. When done remove from the pans and lay on the side
on a wire rack to cool. If brushed over the top with warm
water just after taking them out of the oven, the crust of
the bread will keep softer and it will give it a nice color.
Wholewheat Bread. 3 cups white bread flour, 2 cups
wholewheat flour, 1 pint water, ounce yeast, 1 tablespoon
sugar, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon salt.
Mix the dough the same as for white bread, only that it is
not to be kneaded so long as white bread; work it enough to
mix well, kneading it lightly, and put it into an oiled dish,
cover, and finish the same as for white bread, only it needs
a little closer watching and must not be quite so light in the
pans as white bread. The wholewheat and graham flour
Breads 37
used in these recipes are made from the Western soft wheat
mixed with a strong gluten white flour.
Graham Bread. Same as wholewheat bread, except that
graham flour is used instead of wholewheat.
Rye Bread. Mix as for graham bread, except that rye
flour is used instead of graham. With a little care more rye
flour may be used, about equal quantities of rye and white
flour.
Fruit Bread, Rolls, Buns, Etc. 5 cups of bread flour, If
cups water, \ ounce yeast, cup sugar, \ cup oil, 1 tablespoon
salt, 2 cups sultana raisins, 2 eggs.
The eggs may be omitted if desired. Sift the flour, salt,
and sugar into a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water
(about 105 F.), add the beaten eggs, and pour it on one side
of the flour in the bowl. Draw in enough flour to make a
batter that will drop from a spoon, quite thick; cover, and
let it rise until very light and full of bubbles, about one and
a half to two hours. Then add the oil and beat it into the
sponge until no oil is visible, care being taken not to get the
dry flour mixed with oil, for "yeast does not readily absorb
greased flour.' 1 When the oil is worked into the sponge, add
the raisins, previously scalded and warm. Draw in the flour
and work it into a dough. Turn out on a well floured board,
and dust with flour to keep it from sticking to the hands;
fold it over and work it together until well mixed, about ten
minutes or more, then cover and let it rise to full proof as
for white bread, using the same test for lightness. Then
knock it down and work it well together, and let it rise again
until it is about two-thirds its former bulk, then it is ready
to be molded and put in pans. Finish the same as for white
bread.
The same dough may be made into buns or rolls, and if a
finer grain is desired than this the dough may be pounded
back the second time, letting it rest a half hour before mak-
ing it into buns. This dough must always be a soft dough.
$8 Soups
Graham Buns. 3 cups bread flour, 1 cups graham flour,
If cups water, ounce yeast, J cup oil, 2 teaspoons salt,
cup sugar.
Sift the white flour, salt, and sugar, into a mixing bowl,
dissolve the yeast in the warm water, pour on one side of
the white flour, and make a sponge as for fruit bread.
When light and full of bubbles, add the oil and mix into the
sponge by beating with a large spoon; add the graham flour
and mix all into a dough. Have the board well floured to
begin with, as this must be a very soft dough. Turn out the
dough, sprinkle it over with a very little flour to keep it from
sticking to the hands. Pat it down with the hands, fold it
over and work it together until it is well mixed, using just
enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the board.
Return the dough to the bowl, then cover it and let it rise
until it is light, using the same test as for wholewheat bread;
then knock it down in the center, turn it over in the bowl
and let it rise until about one-third more than its former
bulk, or for about twenty minutes; then turn out on a floured
board, work together very lightly, mold and roll out into
buns about one and one-half ounces in weight each, lay quite
close together in an oiled pan, and let them rise until they
respond very weakly to the pressure of the fingers; bake in
a quick oven.
Soups
Soups are usually divided into two classes:
1. Broths, or thin soups, to which may be added cooked
grains or vegetables cut in various shapes and sizes for garni-
ture, and to give variety and flavor. While these thin soups
are lacking in nutriment to be found in those made of more
solid foods., they are valuable, however, for the stimulating
effect they have on the gastric juice, and when taken at the
beginning of the meal, and in small quantities, they aid in
the digestion of the more solid foods.
Soups 39
2. Those which usually have as their basis cooked vege-
tables, grains, or legumes, forced through a strainer and
diluted with the liquid in which they were cooked, or with
milk or cream, or both. Like all other foods, soups require
the action of the saliva for digestion, and when eaten slowly
with some dry foods as sticks or crutons, are both appetizing
and nourishing.
Cream of Tomato. 1 cup tomato pulp, cup thin cream, 1
tablespoon flour, salt to taste.
Heat the cream in a double boiler. Bring the tomato to
boil in another sauce pan, thicken each slightly with the flour
braided smooth in cold water; then set on the edge of the
stove and pour the tomato into the prepared cream, season
to taste and strain again through a fine strainer and serve.
By thickening the cream and tomato slightly before mixing,
the curdling, which is such a frequent cause of disappoint-
ment in making this soup, is largely avoided.
Cream of Corn. cup corn, 1J cups milk, i cup rich cream,
1 tablespoon flour.
Grind the corn through a fine mill; put it into a double
boiler with the milk, and heat to boiling point; braid the
flour smooth in cold milk or water, stir into the corn, and
let it cook twenty minutes; mash through a strainer and fin-
ish with the cream; add salt to taste, and serve.
Cream of Green Peas. can of green peas, & cup water,
1 cup milk, cup rich cream.
Add the water to the peas, and heat it to the boiling point,
then mash them through a colander. Heat the milk and
cream separately in a double boiler. Force the peas through
a colander, add the hot milk and cream, season, and strain
through a fine strainer. Fresh peas are far the best for this
soup when in season.
Cream of Potato Soup. 1 cups sliced raw potato, 1J cups
cold water, 1 green onion, 1 cup thin cream, salt to taste.
Add the cold water to the sliced potato, onion, and salt,
40 Soups
and boil until the potato is well done. Force it through a
fine colander. Have the cream heated separately in a double
boiler, and pour into the potato; salt to taste, strain through
a fine strainer, finish with chopped parsley if desired, and
serve.
Juilenne. cup potato, $ cup carrot, J cup turnip, cup
cauliflowerlets, 2 stalks celery, 1 ripe tomato, 1 small onion,
2 cups water, 2 cups bean broth, chopped parsley.
Cut all the vegetables except the cauliflower into thin
shreds of about one-half inch lengths. Add the carrot, turnip,
celery, onion, and salt to the water, and when they are just
barely done add the cauliflowerlets, potato, and tomato and
cook until all is thoroughly done, but avoid mashing them up.
Finish with a little chopped parsley, and serve.
Potage St. Germain. 1 cup sliced raw potato, can green
peas, cup celery, 1 tablespoon onion, 2 cups water.
Add the sliced potato, celery, onion, and salt to the water,
and boil until potatoes are well cooked. Add the peas, bring
to a boil, mash up well with an egg beater, and force through
a fine strainer; serve with crutons.
Fruit Soup. 1 cup blackberry or strawberry juice, cup
water, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoons sago, sweeten
to taste.
Heat the liquid to the boiling point in a double boiler, wash
the sago and drain well from the water, stir into the fruit
juice; let it cook in double boiler until the sago is transparent.
When served cold, drop a choice ripe berry into each bowl
on dishing up.
When making cream soups from fresh vegetables as lettuce,
cauliflower, celery, onion, etc., the vegetable is simply used
as a flavor, the body of the soup being made from a mixture
of potato, water and onion, and the vegetable added for
flavor and garniture. Thus, by being able to make one of
these soups, others can be made by substituting different
vegetables for flavor and change. As an illustration we give
the following one:
Grains, Nut Foods, Entrees 41
Cream of Lettuce. 1 cups sliced raw potato, 1 cups cold
water, 1 large head lettuce shredded, 1 round tablespoon onion,
1 cup milk, cup thick cream, salt to taste.
Pat the sliced potato, onion, water, and salt on to cook,
and when the potato is about done, add the shredded lettuce
and let it boil rapidly for about ten minutes or more. Have
the milk and cream heated in another vessel. Mash the
potato and lettuce through a colander, adding the hot milk
and cream as it goes through. Put again through a fine
strainer, serve with croutons or small bits of shredded and
wilted lettuce. Very green, or outside leaves of lettuce are
bitter, and should not be used for soup, but should be first
removed.
Grains, Nut Foods, Entrees
In seeking to provide a balanced diet, a few suggestions
may be helpful. In the first place, flesh foods contain a very
high per cent of proteid matter, with no carbohydrates; thus,
in a given quantity eaten, too much proteid is the inevitable
result. This high per cent of proteid, as stated in the pre-
ceding chapter, is productive of no good, and is a cause of
positive harm. Therefore, it should not be our aim to bring
the per cent of proteid up to that contained in meat; this
would only tend to defeat one of the main objects of health
reform, that of providing a balanced diet. Our aim should
be to provide a diet that will take into consideration the
main functions of food in the body.
The comparison between the body and the locomotive engine
serves as an illustration for studying the fuel value of foods.
While iron is essential to keep the engine in repairs, the
greatest demand, however, will be for fuel with which to heat
the boiler. So in the vital economy; proteid like the iron is
essential for the growth and repair of tissue and the body
waste; but beyond this it is inferior to carbohydrates and
fats, and as different kinds of wood and coal are capable of
giving off different degrees of heat, and also giving off that
U Legumes
,
heat in longer or shorter periods of time; so different food
stuffs work in about the same way. Also different kinds of
coal, after being burned, leave a residue of clinkers to be
raked out of the furnace; so with the overeating of proteid
foods, there is an extra amount of work for the kidneys to
rid the system of accumulated poisons.
Then we should remember that fresh vegetables are by no
means the most nutritious food, for, as may be clearly seen,
water enters largely into their composition. Some, in leaving
off flesh foods, make a mistake in making vegetables, as roots
and tubers, the principal article of diet. These vegetables,
combined with grains and nuts, will give a well balanced diet.
The legumes are a highly nutritious food, and when properly
prepared may be used in a variety of ways in making dishes
that are wholesome and pleasing to the taste. They are.
however, a heavy food, and for people leading sedentary
lives, they should not be indulged too freely. Grains, com-
bined with nuts and nut foods and some vegetables, as corn,
peas, tomatoes, etc., will give a great variety to the bill of
fare of dishes that are simple, healthful, and nourishing.
The various nut foods on the market, composed chiefly of
grains and nuts, contain the nutritive elements of food in a
very concentrated form, and should not be eaten too freely,
but should be combined with other foods. A few examples
of how they may be made into appetizing dishes will be given
in some of the following recipes. Other nut foods of a simi-
lar nature may be used in the place of the ones given, if
desired.
Legumes
The most common representatives of this family which are
used as foods are the various kinds of beans and peas, also
lentils. Taking the world over, legumes are, next to cereals,
the most valuable and the most extensively used among
vegetable foods. They are found in all climates and countries.
The lentil is one of the most ancient of food plants. It has
Legumes 43
been grown from early times in Asia and the Meditarranean
countries.
Many people with weak digestion often experience distress
after eating boiled beans or peas. By removing the hulls in
their preparation this is largely overcome, and in this man-
ner they may be made into a variety of ways that are appe-
tizing as well as nourishing. When they are known to be
old, they should be soaked over night before cooking.
Stewed Lima Beans. Pick the beans over, wash them
thoroughly, and lift them out from the water to remove any
small pieces of grit that may be on the bottom of the kettle.
Put them on the fire in cold water, add one teaspoonful of
vegetable oil to each cup of beans, and let them boil gently,
after boiling begins, until they are thoroughly done; salt
should be added after they have boiled a half hour or so, to
give them flavor.
Lima Bean Puree. Drain the beans well, and mash them
through a colander to remove the hulls. If they are very
soft, set them in the oven to dry out a little, to about the
consistency of a mealy mashed potato. To two cups lima
bean puree add one-fourth cup rich cream, salt to taste, put
in fireproof baker, mark on the top with a knife, brush over
with milk or cream, and put upon the top grate of the oven
to brown, and send to table. This mixture may be shaped
into croquettes or cutlets and baked, then served with a
gravy. The recipe given above for stewed lima beans may
be taken as a guide in cooking most of the legumes, of which
the following will be simply variations from this rule.
Stewed Red Beans, Creole. 1 cups red beans, 6 large
whole or 2 cups stewed tomatoes, 2 round tablespoons minced
onion, 1 tablespoon oil, salt, 1 small clove garlic.
Prepare the beans as for stewed lima beans, put the oil,
the onion and garlic on the stove in a small saucepan and
cook a few minutes, but do not brown the onion. Add this
to the beans with salt, and cook until extra well done, then
44 Legumes
have the ripe tomatoes peeled and quartered, add them to
the cooked beans, and let them cook for ten minutes after
boiling begins, or longer. Season with celery salt, dish up
with a little chopped parsley on top.
Savory Lentils and Rice. 1 cup lentils, 2 cups boiled rice,
1 round tablespoon minced onion, 1 tablespoon minced celery
or J teaspoon celery salt, a sprinkle of sage, 1 cup stewed
tomatoes.
Wash and prepare the lentils as for the stewed red beans,
add cold water and put on to boil. Make the oil quite hot,
drop in the minced onion and celery for a few minutes, and
then add it to the lentils, cook until well done with salt to
taste, then add the tomato, and boiled rice, and a little sage,
let it boil up well and serve with a sprinkling of parsley on
top; a little rich cream may be used to finish, if desired.
Lentil and Rice Patties. 1J cups boiled rice, 1 cup lentil
puree, 1 egg, J cup cream, salt and sage to taste.
Mix all the ingredients, and divide into portions about the
size of a large egg. Form into small cakes about two-thirds
of an inch thick, lay in an oiled baking pan, brush over with
cream or milk, and bake on the top grate of a hot oven until
a light brown, serve with a tomato or cream sauce.
Legume Cutlets. 1 cup lima bean puree, 1 can green peas,
cup zwieback crumbs, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon thick cream, or
1 teaspoon oil, salt to taste.
Bring the peas to boil on the stove and drain well (saving
the broth for gravy), mash them through a colander, and set
into the oven to dry out a little so it can be handled, mix all
the ingredients with the egg beaten slightly, then divide as
for lentil rice patties, but instead of making them round, roll
them out in the shape of a long cork, only that one end be
pointed, bend the point to one side to give it a curve, flatten
down with knife to about two-thirds inch thick, mark on
top with knife, brush over with milk or cream, and bake the
same as lentil rice patties. Serve with cream sauce flavored
with the broth of green peas and a little of the pulp, if desired.
Legumes 45
Dried peas are generally of two kinds, the green split
peas, called "Scotch peas" and the yellow peas, known as
"English split peas."
Croquettes of Scotch Peas. 1 cup pea puree, cup soaked
stale bread, 3 tablespoons rich cream, 2 teaspoons minced
onion, salt to taste.
Put the cream and onion into a sauce pan on the stove, and
reduce down to about one-third. Mix all the ingredients well,
roll into round balls about the size of a large egg, form into
squares with a knife, having them about one inch thick, one
inch wide, and one and a half inches in length; mark on the top
with a knife. Brush over lightly with milk or cream, and
bake on the top grate in a hot oven.
Baked Corn Xut Pie. 1 cup corn pulp, cup warm milk,
^ cup cream, J cup light colored zwieback crumbs, cup diced
nuttolene, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon chopped onion, salt and celery
salt to taste.
Heat the milk to about 120 F. and pour over the crumbs;
grind the corn through a fine mill and add to the crumbs with
the egg slightly beaten, and salt and celery salt to taste;
mix well. Put the onion and cream into a small sauce pan
and reduce to about half its quantity of liquid, add the diced
nuttolene, salt to taste, and when hot through remove from
the fire. Fill a small baking pan half full of the mixture,
sprinkle over it the nuttolene, then recover with the corn
mixture. Bake in a medium oven until set and a nice brown;
let it stand fifteen minutes, then cut into squares and dish up.
Cream Noodles. 2 eggs, cup flour, J cup thin cream, salt
to taste.
Beat one fair sized egg slightly, add the flour all at once,
mix well with a heavy spoon, turn out on a floured board,
and knead a few minutes; divide into three pieces, roll out
into thin sheets, have them well floured, and let them lie to
dry out a little, then cut them into long strips about one
and one-half inches in width, they are then cut crosswise
into fine shreds. Have salted water boiling hot, sprinkle
46 Legumes
in the noodles; if they are put in all at once they will stick
together. Let them cook fifteen minutes, drain and return
to the sauce pan, cover and set on the edge of the stove,
add the cream, and when all is hot add the beaten egg, mix
well and do not let boil; just heat enough to thicken so it
will dish up on the plate and not run; salt to taste.
Spanish Rice, i cup uncooked rice, cup cold water, f cup
tomato pulp, i cup rich cream, 1 tablespoon diced onion, 1
tablespoon diced celery, 1 teaspoon browned flour, J teaspoon
sage, salt to taste.
Brown the rice in a small pan on the stove or in a hot oven
until a golden brown, wash and put it into the inner part of
a double boiler. Add the water and salt and set on a good
fire and let it boil rapidly until the water is almost evapor-
ated and the rice looks dry, then set into the outer part of
double boiler and let steam. Put the finely diced onion and
celery with the cream into a small sauce pan, and let it reduce
down until the fat of the cream nearly separates; then add
the tomato pulp, sage, and browned flour, bring to a boil,
salt to taste, and pour it over the rice; mix well and let it
cook twenty minutes, or until it will just pile nicely when
dished up, and not run. Sprinkle with chopped parsley on
top, or serve a sprig on the side of each order.
Nut Cero Stew with Dumplings. 1 cups raw potato cubes,
1 round tablespoon chopped onion or more, 2 cups cold water,
1 teaspoons salt, f cup rich cream, i cup flour, 2 eggs,
pound nut cero cut into large cubes.
Put one-half cup of cream into a small sauce pan and bring
to a boil, when it comes to a good boil add the flour all at
once, and stir smooth; cover and let cook on the edge of the
stove five minutes, then remove; when cool add the eggs
one at a time, stir the batter until the egg disappears and
the batter is smooth; add the remaining egg and work it like-
wise into the batter; beat the batter well with the spoon
that it may be perfectly smooth. Have the potato cut into
one- half inch cubes, add the cold water, onion, and salt; and
Legumes 47
when the potato is nearly cooked through, drop in the batter
by spoonfuls, scraping it off the spoon so it will drop in one
piece into the boiling stew. Cover, and let cook about ten
minutes. Have one tablespoon lightly browned flour and a
bit of sage braided smooth in cold water, turn into stew,
season with salt to taste. Celery salt may be added if desired;
then add the nut cero which is cut in large cubes, and the
remaining cream. Shake the sauce pan so as to mix well;
let stand on the edge of the stove to draw for ten minutes;
dish up on a platter, having a dumpling on top. Sprinkle
over a little finely chopped parsley, and serve.
New England Stew. 2 cups potato, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup
turnips, 1 cup pearl onions, 2 teaspoons oil, salt to taste, 1
tablespoon flour.
Select if possible young and tender vegetables, peel them
and cut them into quarters or eights according to their size,
so each piece has about the same appearance and size. Put
the carrot, turnip, and onion, on to cook in cold water and
salt, add the oil and let cook until the vegetables are quite
tender, then add the potato and cook until well done, braid
the flour smooth in cold water, and stir into one side of the
vegetables in such a way as not to break them up. Two
cups cabbage may be cooked with the coarse vegetables, if
desired. Dish up with chopped parsley on top.
Protose and Rice Timbales. f cup cooked rice, cup rich
milk, \ cup diced protose, 1 tablespoon grated onion, 1 egg,
2 small stalks finely chopped celery, sage and salt to taste.
Beat the egg slightly, add the milk, mix all the ingredients,
and fill individual molds, set into baking pan containing a
little water and bake in the oven until set, let it stand ten
minutes then run the point of the knife around the edge, turn
out on a platter, and pour a large spoonful of celery or tomato
sauce over the top, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Baked Macaroni with Olives. \ cup uncooked macaroni, J
cup chopped ripe olives, 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 2 table-
spoons tomato, 1 cup of the water in which the macaroni was
48 Legumes
cooked, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons flour, salt
and celery salt to taste.
Break the macaroni into one-half inch lengths and drop
into boiling salted water, cook until it is well done; put the
oil in a small pan on the stove, and when hot add the flour
and stir until well browned, then add the onion and chopped
olives. Let them cook five minutes, then add one cup maca-
roni water, and two tablespoons tomato; let it boil ten min-
utes. Have the macaroni well drained, and while hot put it
into the gravy, turn into a baking dish, grate a few fresh
bread crumbs over the top, and with a spoon press them
down onto the gravy so they become moistened through;
bake until a nice brown.
Macaroni Au Gratin. Break the macaroni into one inch
lengths and drop into boiling salted water, and let cook until
well done. Pour into a colander and let it drain well, after
which put it into a granite baking pan and pour over enough
cream sauce to barely cover it; mix it well and grate some
fresh breadcrumbs on top to give it a good color. Sprinkle
over a little thin cream, and with a large spoon press the
crumbs down so they become softened by the liquid, and will
brown without burning. Bake in a medium oven about thirty
to forty minutes, or until a nice brown.
Macaroni and Rice Croquettes. 1 cup cooked boiled rice,
1J cups cooked macaroni, 1 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoons
flour, 1 round tablespoon onion, 1 egg, J cup potato water or
milk, salt and celery salt to taste, and chopped parsley.
Put the oil in a small saucepan on the fire, and when hot
add the flour and onion, and stir for a few minutes, then
add the hot liquid and stir into a paste, add the beaten egg and
stir over the fire until it thickens, then set on table, salt to
taste and a little celery salt, add the rice, macaroni, and
chopped parsley, mix well; when cool form in the shape of a
large cork, lay on board and flatten slightly with the blade
of a knife, leaving it about three-fourths inch thick, brush
over with a little cream, and bake in a hot oven. One fourth
Legumes 49
cup rich cream cooked down may be used instead of the oil, if
desired.
Baked Spaghetti. 1 cup spaghetti raw, J cup cream,* 2 eggs,
salt.
Break the spaghetti up into one inch lengths and drop into
salted boiling water and cook well done, then pour into col-
ander and let drain. Beat two eggs and add the cream
and salt to taste. Pour over the spaghetti and mix well, put
into a baking dish and grate a few fresh bread crumbs over
the top, and press them down with a spoon so they get moist-
ened, bake in a quick oven to a nice brown.
Nut Roast. 2 cups zwieback crumbs, J cup nut butter, 1
tablespoon grated onion, salt and sage to taste, cup hot
water, 1J cups cold water.
Dissolve the nut butter in the hot water, add the cold water,
salt, sage, and onion, then the crumbs, mix well; oil a bread
tin, fill about one-half full and press together, brush over with
milk and bake thirty minutes or more. Let stand ten minutes
before serving, then slice and serve with tomato sauce.
When it is cold it may be sliced and reheated in the oven and
makes a nice breakfast dish in this manner.
Baked Dressing. 1 pint soaked stale bread, 2 tablespoons
minced onion, 2 tablespoons minced celery, 2 tablespoons
vegetable oil, 1 egg, teaspoon sage, and salt to taste.
Soak the stale bread in cold water until soft through, pour
into a colander and let drain; press lightly between the hands
leaving it very soft. Put the onion, celery, and oil into a
small sauce pan, set on the edge of the stove and let it sim-
mer a few minutes, but do not let brown at all. Mix all the
ingredients lightly, not breaking the bread up too fine, just
enough to mix well. Put into an oiled baking pan and bake
one-half hour or more. One-fourth cup of finely chopped wal-
nuts will give the dressing a nice flavor and color, if desired.
To dish up, lay the protose on a carving board, put a spoon-
ful of dressing on the platter, lay a slice of protose on top,
50 Gravies and Sauces
and pour a spoonful of gravy over all. Serve with a sprig
of parsley at one end.
Steamed Rice. 1J cups cold water, \ cup rice, teaspoon
salt.
Wash the rice well and put it into the inner cup of a double
boiler, add the salt and water and put on the stove, bringing
to a boil; let it continue to boil slowly until the water is re-
duced so the rice looks dry; then set it into the outer boiler
and let steam forty minutes. If a double boiler is not at
hand, let the rice cook down as above, and set on the back of
the stove to dry out, having the sauce pan well covered.
Browned Rice. \ cup of rice, 1J cups cold water, 1 teaspoon
salt.
Brown the rice in a small pan on the top of the stove or in
a hot oven, stirring so it will not burn, until a golden brown;
wash and drain it as dry as possible, put into the inner part
of the double boiler, add the water and set on the stove, and
let it boil until the rice appears dry and the liquid mostly
evaporated; then set into the outer boiler to steam thirty
minutes to one hour.
Gravies and Sauces
Brown Sauce No. 1. cup thick cream, 1 tablespoon
onion, 4 tablespoons well browned flour, \\ cups potato water
or bean broth, 2 tablespoons tomato, salt to taste.
Cook the cream and onion in a sauce pan until the oil nearly
separates from the cream, then add the browned flour, stir
a few minutes, and add half of the liquid and beat smooth,
add the remaining liquid and let it cook ten minutes, salt to
taste, strain and serve.
Brown Sauce No. 2. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 2J table-
spoons flour, 2 tablespoons tomato, 1 round tablespoon onion
chopped fine, 1 cup bean broth, cup hot water.
Put the oil into a pan on the stove, when hot add the flour
and keep stirring until quite brown. Then add the onion and
Gravies and Sauces 51
stir over the fire about five minutes, then add the hot water
and stir smooth, add the bean broth and tomato, let it cook
ten minutes, strain and serve.
Olive Sauce. Add eight chopped ripe olives to the onion
and make the same as brown sauce No. 2.
Brazil Nut Sauce. 5 brazil nuts ground fine, 4 tablespoons
flour, 1J cups potato water.
Brown the flour in a pan on top of the stove, when it is of
a light golden color add the nuts and stir through the flour
for five minutes, add half of the liquid and stir smooth, add
the balance of the water and let it cook fifteen minutes.
Salt to taste, strain and serve.
Cream Sauce. 1 cup milk, J cup cream, 3 tablespoons flour.
Heat the milk and cream in double boiler to boiling point,
braid the flour smooth in cold milk and stir into the hot milk.
Let cook twenty minutes. Salt to taste.
Celery Sauce, f cup celery, \ cup rich cream. | cup hot
water, 2 tablespoons light browned flour, salt to taste.
Wash crisp white celery with a brush to remove grits.
Split once or twice lengthwise, then shred very fine, add the
cream and let it cook down slowly until the oil nearly separ-
ates from the cream, then add the boiling water and salt
and let cook ten minutes. Braid the light brown flour smooth
in cold water or milk, stir it into the celery and let simmer
until quite thick.
Nut Sauce. Dissolve one heaping tablespoon nut butter
in a little hot water or milk, and add to the cream sauce.
Tomato Sauce. 1 cup tomato pulp, 2 teaspoons vegetable
oil, one round teaspoon chopped onion, 1 tablespoons browned
flour, salt and celery salt to taste.
Put the oil in a small stewpan on the fire, when hot add
the onion and stir a few minutes but do not brown, add the
browned flour, stir smooth, then add the tomato, stir smooth
and let boil up well, season with salt and celery salt, and
strain through a fine strainer.
52 Vegetables
Vegetables
Vegetables may be divided into two great classes: -
1. The coarse or fibrous vegetables, comprising the roots,
tubers, bulbs, stems, and leaves.
2. The finer vegetables, as tomatoes, squash, corn, green
peas, shelled beans, etc.
Vegetables, like all starchy foods, should be put to cook in
boiling water, the object being to soften the cellulose as well
as to swell and burst the starch grains. While there is
scarcely any other food more universally used by rich and
poor alike in making up a part of their daily bill of fare, yet
how often the vegetable is spoiled in cooking. Vegetables
should always be cooked thoroughly done. Served in the half
cooked condition so often met with, they are unpalatable
and indigestible; while on the other hand coarse vegetables
should be cooked in plenty of boiling water, and should be
removed from the fire when done. Longer cooking makes
them insipid in taste, and with too little water in cooking
they turn a dark color. Salt should be added the last half
hour of the cooking to give flavor. Green vegetables, as
peas and string beans, when young and tender, should be
cooked in just enough water to cook them well done and pre-
serve their flavor. To retain the green color in the new
vegetables, the cover must be left off while cooking and they
should cook steadily after they are put on and not be allowed
to stop cooking or simmering until they are done. Young
tender vegetables, as lettuce, tomatoes, watercress, etc.,
served in the uncooked state, are valuable for the water
and potash salts they contain, also for the stimulating effect
they have on the appetite.
New Peas. Shell the peas as soon after picking them as
possible, drop into cold water, and skim off any dry leaves
or imperfect ones that will come to the top; then dip them
out of the water with the hands so as to leave any grit there
may be in them on the bottom of the dish; drop them into
Vegetables 53
boiling water enough to cover them if tender, add salt and
let them cook until well done and the liquid reduced to one-
third its original quantity. If desired, they may be thickened
slightly with flour braided smooth in cold water, and a little
cream added just before serving.
Baked Ear Corn. Select tender, well filled ears of corn,
draw back the husks and remove the silk, wipe with a clean
cloth; recover again with the husk and tie a string around
the small end to keep the husks from opening and exposing
the ear to too much heat. Lay in baking pan and bake in
good oven from one-half to three-quarters of an hour. When
done, remove the husks, lay on platter and serve immediately.
A few of the inner husks may be left around each ear of
corn and sent to the table. Corn cooked in this way is much
sweeter and of a richer flavor than when boiled. When corn
is boiled, it should be dropped into boiling water; then when
it has come to a good boil, set it on edge of the stove to draw
for fifteen to twenty minutes. Too much cooking hardens
corn and makes it tough and unpalatable.
String Beans should be picked while they are young and
tender. Break them between the hands so as to remove any
stringy fiber, also the ends. Put one teaspoon of vegetable
oil into a sauce pan on the stove, and when quite hot add one
pint of string beans which have previously been washed;
stir over the fire for a minute, then add enough boiling water
to cover them; add salt to season and let them boil quite
rapidly until well done. If more water is added, it should be
boiling hot.
New Asparagus. Put them into a deep pan of water and
wash well, that sand and grit may sink to the bottom; change
the water and lift them out, tie them in bundles of about
three portions each; lay on a board and trim off the root
stems, leaving the stalks about four inches in length; drop
them into boiling salted water and cook till they are tender,
then set the sauce pan on the table until ready to serve; lift
out and drain, lay on platter, cut and remove the strings,
and send to the table. Serve with rich cream sauce.
54 Vegetables
Arparagus Tips and New Peas. Cut the tender part of
cooked new asparagus into one inch lengths; cook the peas
separately, and when done add enough rich cream to season
them well; when it comes to a boil, thicken slightly with a
little flour braided smooth in cold milk or water; add the
asparagus tips and shake together to mix well and not break
them up.
Stewed Tomato. Pour boiling water over ripe tomatoes
and let remain about thirty seconds, then drain, remove the
skin and the stem with the hard green part adhering to it,
and cut into quarters. Put into a sauce pan with about one
teaspoon vegetable oil to each cup of tomato, and salt to
taste, bring to a good boil and serve.
Scalloped Tomato. If the tomatoes are fresh, then prepare
them as for stewed tomatoes, and when they come to a good
boil, drain off most of the juice to be used for soups or gravies.
Dust the bottom of an oiled baking pan quite thickly with
cracker or zwieback crumbs, then a layer of tomatoes about
one-half inch deep or more, then sprinkle over a little vege-
table oil or rich cream which has been reduced down about
half. Of the oil, if used, take one tablespoon to each two
cups tomato. Sprinkle a little salt over it, then repeat,
covering the tomatoes with a thin layer of crumbs, then a
good layer of tomato, season the same as before, sprinkle a
few crumbs on top and press them down with a spoon to
moisten them, set in the oven and bake to a nice brown.
Summer Squash. When young and tender, summer squash
needs only to be washed and quartered. Steam until tender,
press between two colanders, or in cheese cloth until quite
dry. Mash and season with salt and cream. When the
squash is older it must be peeled and have the seeds removed
before cooking.
Baked Squash. Steam the squash until about half done,
lay the pieces out on a board so they can be sprinkled with
salt to season. Dip them first in flour, then in rich cream,
lay them close together in an oiled baking pan and pour
Vegetables 55
over them a little cream so they get well moistened, cover
them by turning another pan over them and bake one-half
hour, then remove the pan on top and bake to nice brown.
They are very good when moistened with the liquor in which
they have been boiled, using oil to season instead of cream.
Breaded Egg Plant. Cut the egg plant into slices about
three-fourths of an inch thick. Peel the slices and drop them
into boiling salted water, and cook barely half done; it will
take only a few minutes, then drain, and when cool dip each
piece into cream, then into lightly colored zwieback crumbs.
Lay the pieces close together in an oiled baking pan, and
sprinkle enough cream over them to moisten the crumbs well.
Bake in a medium oven until a nice brown and well done. It
is better to cover them during the first twenty minutes of
baking, then they will keep their moisture better. When
cream is not obtainable, dip the vegetable in beaten egg
diluted with a little milk or water, and oil the pieces over
the top slightly.
Stewed Salsify or Vegetable Oyster. Wash the salsify,
then take them one at a time and scrape them, dropping them
immediately into cold water to keep them from turning a
dark color. When they are thus prepared, lay a few of them
at a time on a board and slice with a f rench knife very thin.
Drop them into boiling water enough to barely cover them.
(The water should reduce down so there is just enough left
to make the sauce for them). When done, thicken them
slightly with a little flour braided smooth in cold water. Let
them boil up, then add one-fourth cup rich cream to each
pint of salsify.
Cauliflower Au Gratin. Remove all the green leaves from
the cauliflower and divide it into bouquets or pieces about
the size of a large hen's egg. Wash well and drop into boil-
ing salted water and cook until it is tender; care should be
taken not to cook it too long, then it will break up. As soon
as it is done, drain and lay the pieces in an oiled baking pan;
pour over it enough cream sauce to barely cover it, then
56 Vegetables
grate a few fresh bread crumbs over the top and press them
down with a spoon so they become moistened with the cream
sauce; sprinkle a little milk or cream over the top and bake
until a light brown.
Baked Cream Corn. 1 cup corn pulp, cup rich milk, 1
e gg & CU P 1'ght colored zwieback crumbs, teaspoon salt, a
little celery salt.
Warm the milk to about 120 F., pour it over the crumbs
and let them soak. Have the corn ground through a fine
mill. Mix all the ingredients, put into an oiled baking pan,
put a teaspoon of milk or cream over the top to give it a
nice color. Bake until set and a nice brown.
Roasted Potatoes. Choose medium sized potatoes; peel
them and lay them in a baking pan, sprinkle with a little salt
and dredge with flour; brush them over the top with an oiled
brush, and pour on water so the potatoes are nearly covered;
set in the oven and bake about one hour and a quarter or
more; the liquid should cook down just enough to leave a thin
gravy to pour over the potato on dishing it up.
Scalloped Potato. Slice some peeled raw potatoes into thin
slices, put into an oiled granite baking pan about one inch
deep of sliced potatoes, sprinkle with salt, then with lightly
browned flour, repeat the process again, then pour on enough
water to cover the potatoes; the pan should not be quite full,
or it will boil over in the oven; set the pan into the oven, and
bake about one hour and a half. Milk may be used in place
of water, if desired.
Potatoes Dauphine. 2 cups mashed potatoes, 2 tablespoons
thick cream, yolk 1 egg, teaspoon salt.
Boil the potatoes, drain well, and mash them through a
colander. Return them to the sauce pan and set on the edge
of the stove. Add the cream to the yolk, beat slightly, and
pour into the potato; beat well with a wooden spoon; the
potato should be hot so it will dry out and not be too soft.
When partly cool turn out on a board slightly floured, and
Salads and Dressings 57
divide into pieces about the size of an egg; mold into leaf
shape, diamond shape, squares or patties. Mark on the top
with the edge of a knife, lay in an oiled baking pan, leaving
a little space between them. Brush them over the top with
a little milk or cream, and bake on the top grate of a hot
oven until a light brown in color.
Salads and Dressings
Salads, composed chiefly of green tender vegetables or
fruits and nuts, and served with a dressing, are valuable as
a means of supplying fat; they are also valuable for their
acids and mineral salts, and being made into a variety of
dishes that are palatable and attractive looking, serve as an
appetizer or relish.
Mayonnaise Dressing. Yolk of 2 eggs, 1 cup olive oil, 1
tablespoons or more lemon juice, J teaspoon salt.
Beat the yolks and salt, add a half teaspoon of lemon juice;
beat well and add the oil drop by drop to begin with, then
increase as it gets started, adding now and then a little lemon
juice to thin the dressing to the proper consistency. Ingre-
dients should all be cold.
Boiled Dressing. cup cream, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon corn
starch, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, salt to taste.
Heat the cream in a double boiler, braid the starch smooth
in a little cold milk and stir it into the boiling cream, cover
and let it cook ten minutes or more. Beat the egg quite
well and add the lemon juice, then pour the hot cream slowly
into the beaten egg, stirring meanwhile so as not to curdle
the egg, return the mixture to the double boiler and let cook
a few minutes, stirring meanwhile, but do not boil, salt to
taste and let cool.
Cream Dressing. 1 cup rich cream, cup lemon juice, 2
tablespoons sugar.
Mix the sugar and lemon first. Have the cream beaten
until it begins to thicken a little, then mix with the lemon
and sugar and use immediately.
58 Salads and Dressings
Lettuce and Tomato. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a plate;
have a ripe tomato peeled and cooled, lay on the lettuce, run
a sharp knife across the middle of the tomato, cutting it
nearly in two, then crosswise, so the four quarters will fall
back and yet hold together underneath. Drop a spoonful of
mayonnaise dressing in the center of the tomato and serve.
Jellied Tomato. 1 cup tomato pulp, cup lemon juice,
1 tablespoon sugar, J teaspoon celery salt, 2 teaspoons grated
onion, salt to taste, | cup vegetable jelly.
Mix all the ingredients, and after pouring a small quantity
of the liquid into an individual mold, press a thin slice of ripe
tomato to the bottom of the mold, then pour on the liquid,
filling the mold about three-fourths full; let set, and when
cool turn out on lettuce leaf, serve with mayonnaise dressing.
Celery and Nuttolene Salad. cup diced celery, cup
diced nuttolene, 1 teaspoon grated onion, 1 hard boiled egg
chopped fine, and chopped parsley to taste.
Dilute with boiled cream dressing or mayonnaise, dish up
by filling a wetted mold to shape it, and turn out on a lettuce
leaf, serve with a teaspoon of dressing on top.
Stuffed Beet Salad. Select small red beets of uniform size,
boil in salted water until tender, rub off the dry skin and
scrape out the center, being careful not to break the shell;
cut the centers into small cubes, to which add an equal
quantity of finely diced celery and chopped hard boiled egg.
Season with dressing and refill the shell, serve on a bed of
crisp lettuce with a teaspoon of dressing on top.
Salad Rus.se. cup diced celery, 1 cup cooked green lima
beans, 1 cup diced lettuce, 1 hard boiled egg diced, grated
onion and salt to taste.
Cut the cooked beans into small dice, mix all the ingredients;
season with boiled dressing or mayonnaise; serve on lettuce
leaf.
Potato Salad. Boil potatoes with skins on in salted water,
or better, bake them if convenient, when cold peel the pota-
Fruit Salad 59
toes and run a knife through them lengthwise to split in two,
then crosswise dividing them into quarters, then slice them
very thin, and season as follows:
1 cups sliced potato, 1 sliced green onion or more, 1 hard
boiled egg, chopped parsley, salt and celery salt to taste.
Chop the egg quite fine, mix all ingredients and dilute with
boiled cream dressing; dish up on lettuce leaf and sprinkle a
little fresh parsley on top of each order.
Celery Salad. Choose crisp white stalks of celery. Shred
them very fine with a french knife, add a little grated onion,
salt to taste, dilute with boiled dressing or cream dressing,
and sprinkle chopped parsley on top when dished up.
Cole Slaw. Choose cabbage that is fresh and crisp, remove
outside leaves, cut in two lengthwise through the stem,
remove the stem and shred very fine, let stand in ice water
for half an hour, drain well and season with the following
dressing:
Two tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1
teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons grated onion, salt to taste.
Pour over cabbage and mix well; sprinkle chopped parsley
over when dished up. Boiled or cream dressing may be used
in place of the one given, if desired.
Fruit Salad
Lemon Sauce. | cup lemon juice, & cup pineapple juice, 2
teaspoons corn starch, J cup sugar.
Braid the corn starch smooth in cold water, and when the
juice and sugar comes to a boil, stir in the starch; let cook
in a double boiler a few minutes, then let cool.
Fleurette Sauce. cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons lemon
juice, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoons corn starch, 1 egg.
Heat the orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar to boiling
point. Thicken it with the starch which has been diluted
with cold water; let it cook in a double boiler for ten minutes,
have the egg beaten quite well and pour the hot mixture
60 Fruit Salad
slowly onto it, stirring briskly to prevent cooking the egg,
return to the fire for a few minutes, stirring the meanwhile,
but do not let boil; let cool.
Stuffed Date Salad. Remove pits from well washed dates,
and refill each with a half walnut meat, press together, put
into a salad bowl and dilute with lemon juice. Serve on let-
tuce leaf with a tablespoon of lemon sauce poured over.
Fruit Basket. Select medium sized well colored oranges,
hold the oranges between the thumb and first finger, let the
side of the orange rest on the table, while with a small pointed
knife start in the center of the orange and run the blade
point first about two inches into the center of the orange,
then again in such a manner that when followed all the way
round the orange will part in two halves, leaving the edge
ruffled with small points of peel like the teeth of a coarse
saw. Run the point of a knife around each half near the
peel, then with a teaspoon dip out the fruit in one piece.
Cut the orange center into small cubes, to which add equal
quantities of diced bananas and pineapple and a few straw-
berries. Dilute with fleurette sauce; fill the orange shells,
having them well rounded with the fruit, serve on a white
plate with two or three small orange leaves for garniture,
and a teaspoon of sauce on top.
Fruit and Nuts. cup diced oranges, cup diced bananas,
\ cup diced apples, \ cup finely chopped walnuts.
Mix the fruits and season with fleurette sauce, dish up on
a lettuce leaf with a liberal quantity of chopped nuts sprinkled
on the top.
Fruit Mold. Cook apples or pears with a few thin slices
of lemon to flavor and sweeten to taste, when cold drain off
the liquor, and to each cup of juice add three tablespoons of
lemon juice and one cup of vegetable jelly. Pour into the
bottom of a large salad bowl a small quantity of the liquid;
then quickly line the bottom and sides with dates cut into
strips, the cooked fruit, and with bananas or pineapple, or
both. Have the bananas cut into strips and set upright
Desserts 61
along the sides. Berries may be used for garnish, if at hand.
Fill in the center with fruit, then pour over the liquid to
cover, and when set it may be turned out on a plate or plat-
ter and dished up at the table. A little red fruit juice may
be poured around for a border, or jellied raspberry juice may
be minced fine and piled around.
Date and Apple Salad. Select small well colored sweet
apples, core them and cut a slice off one end, then hollow out
the center by using the apple corer or a teaspoon, being care-
ful not to break the shell. Cut the apple thus removed into
small cubes, and to each cup of diced apple add one-third cup
diced dates, season with lemon sauce, refill the apple with
the mixture. Make a funnel out of small lettuce leaf and
press it down in the top of the apple, fill it with a spoonful
of lemon sauce, set the apple on a lettuce leaf and serve.
Desserts
The most wholesome desserts are those furnished us by
nature which require no preparation, as fruits, either fresh
dried or cooked, and nuts. Fruits and grains combined make
nice desserts, and may be prepared in a variety of ways.
By the use of vegetable gelatin (agaragar), fruit and fruit
juices may be molded into attractive looking desserts that
are toothsome and inviting. Vegetable gelatin goes much
further than animal gelatin, and its vegetable origin guar-
antees absolute freedom from unwholesome and diseased pro-
ducts. Being free from any flavor of its own, it requires
much less flavoring material, leaving the natural fruit flavors
unimpaired, and "there is nothing about it to suggest hoofs
and horns."
The body requires a certain amount of sugar to keep it in
working condition. To meet this demand nature has made
provision in the fruits or fruit sugars, honey, etc. There are
some people, however, who can not eat fruit; for such it may
be well to take sugar in some form. But, as a rule, far too
62 Desserts
much sugar is ordinarily used in food. "Sweet breads, sweet
cakes . . . perpetuate indigestion and make dyspeptics. "
However, when people have been accustomed to use these
freely, sound judgment should be exercised.
The free use of milk and sugar taken together is especially
harmful, and should be avoided. Their place should be sup-
plied by a variety of fruits and nuts, with preparations of
fruits and grains served in an appetizing manner. For those
who like a simple cake now and then, the following recipes
have been prepared. These cakes, being free from any
chemical, should be baked a little more slowly than those in
which baking powder is used. Just a moderate steady oven
will bring these cakes out light and porous.
Sago Fruit Mold, f cup blackberry juice, cup water,
cup sago, cup sugar.
Wash the sago and have it well drained, bring the liquid
and sugar to the boiling point in a double boiler. Wash the
sago and drain, add to the hot liquid and stir well; cover and
let steam until the sago is transparent, then turn into wetted
molds and let cool; when cold and set, turn out on sauce dish
and serve with cream or crushed fruit sauce.
Prune Pudding. Soak dried prunes over night. Cook them
for two or three hours with a few slices of lemon added to
give them flavor. Drain and save the juice separately; put
the prunes through a colander to remove the pits, sweeten
with honey or sugar, if needed, and flavor with vanilla. Trim
the crust off thinly from a loaf of fruit bread, and cut into
slices about one-half incti thick. Line a granite baking pan
with the bread, pour over enough juice to soak up the bread,
cover with the prune pulp about one-half inch deep, repeat
the process leaving the prune pulp for the top; set into oven
until it gets just barely hot through, so it will set; cool and
cut into squares and serve with a teaspoon of whipped cream
on top.
Strawberry Whip. 1 cup strawberries, white of 1 egg, \
cup sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
Desserts 63
Choose well ripened strawberries, wash them and remove
the stems, put all the ingredients into a bowl, then beat with
a wire egg whip until light and fluffy, which will take twenty
minutes or more.
Pile lightly on a dish, and pour a border of crushed fruit
or red fruit juice unsweetened around the whip on each dish.
Strawberry Dessert. Take a toasted rice biscuit and lay it
on a sauce dish, pour a large tablespoon or more of cream
over it to soften it slightly, then drop a large spoonful of
strawberry whip on top, in such a manner as to have the
dessert piled high and narrow on the dish. Garnish on top
with a large ripe berry or a spoonful of crushed berries and
serve.
Ra pberries or blackberries may be used instead of straw-
berries.
Banana Loaf. Take two large ripe bananas and press them
through a fine colander, add one tablespoon of pineapple
juice, mix well. Lay a toasted granose biscuit on a sauce
dish and pour over it enough pineapple juice to moisten it,
then cover with a thick layer of the banana pulp. Lay
another biscuit on top, and moisten as before with pineapple
juice, spread on lightly the banana mixture and place a
tablespoon of whipped cream on top and serve.
The pineapple juice will keep the banana from turning a
dark color.
Fruit Pyramid. J cup berry juice (strawberry preferred),
cup water, 2 tablespoons germea, sweeten to taste.
Heat the liquid in a double boiler to boiling point, stir in
the germea, and let steam for one-half hour, pour into wetted
molds. (It is best to make this dessert in the morning if it is
to be eaten at dinner, for it takes a long time for it to jelly.)
Turn on a dish and serve with cream or a fruit sauce.
Banana Snow. | cup banana pulp, 3 tablespoons sugar,
2 teaspoons lemon juice, a few drops vanilla, white of 1 egg.
Mix all the ingredients and beat with a wire egg whip
until very light, about twenty minutes to one-half hour; pile
64 Desserts
on a sauce dish. It may be garnished with a red strawberry
cut in quarters and placed on top, or with a little jelly.
Flaked Rice and Fruit Mold. Take strawberries or black-
berries, and if they are the fresh berries crush a few with
enough sugar to sweeten all, and mix them with the berries
to be used. Lay in a pan toasted rice flakes about one-third
of an inch deep; cover with the berries about the same thick-
ness, then again with flakes, and finish with berries on top;
sprinkle over it a few flakes and set a pan of equal size on
top and press gently for one hour. There should be just
enough juice to soak up the flakes well, the pan should be
set inside a larger one, so that if the juice runs over it does
not run on the table or floor, when set, cut into squares and
serve with whipped cream or crushed fruit sauce. Canned
berries may be used if fresh ones can not be obtained'.
Vegetable Gelatin (Agaragar). Put one ounce of agaragar
to soak in warm water for one hour. Drain well and put into
a kettle, to which add one quart of boiling water. Let it
boil about ten minutes after boiling begins or until clear.
Strain through cheese cloth and it is ready for use. One
ounce will solidify three quarts of liquid, inclusive of the
water in which the gelatin is cooked.
Orange Jelly. 1 cups orange juice, cup water, f cup
sugar, | cup lemon juice, 1 cup vegetable jelly.
Mix all the cold ingredients, add the vegetable jelly, mix
well, pour into molds immediately, add a few thin slices of
orange and let set. When cold turn out and serve with a
little red fruit juice around each mold.
Berry Mold. 1 cups of strawberry or blackberry juice,
| cup lemon juice, J cup sugar, 1 cup vegetable jelly.
Mix all the ingredients and mold immediately.
Jellied Apple. Core and peel medium sized sweet apples,
sprinkle a little sugar over them, add enough water to keep
them from burning, cover and bake until thoroughly done,
and let cool. Take one cup of apple or pear juice sweetened
Desserts 65
to taste, add one and one-half tablespoons lemon juice and
one-half cup vegetable jelly; put a little red jelly or cherry
in the cavity of the apple, press to the bottom of the indi-
vidual mold, pour over it just enough liquid to cover, and let
set; turn out on a dish and serve with red fruit sauce or
crushed fruit around. The apples may be left in the pan in
which they were baked and the liquid poured over them all.
When cool cut into squares and serve.
Pie Crust. 1 quart pastry flour, f cup vegetable oil, f cup
cold water, | teaspoon salt.
Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, add half of the
water to the oil and beat until it thickens, making a present
emulsion, add the remaining water and when mixed well pour
all at once on the flour; draw in the flour from the sides of
the bowl with a large spoon, mix well, turn out on a floured
board and work together, handling as little as possible.
Apple Pie No. I. Roll out and line a pie plate with crust,
have apples peeled and thinly sliced, fill the plate with the
sliced tart apples rounding it up well, dust with flour, and if
the apples are not tart a little water may be added, sprinkle
over one-third to one-half cup of sugar, according tq the tart-
ness of the apple. Wet the edges of the crust, roll out a top
crust, cover and press the edges well together, mark by
pressing the teeth of a table fork gently against the edge
all the way around; puncture the top crust in several places
to let out the steam to keep them from boiling over in the
oven.
Apple Pie No. 2. Roll out pie crust and fit it into the bot-
tom of the tins, trim the edges, prick the bottom and sides
through with a fork and bake until crisp and light brown.
To two and one-fourth cups apple pulp, add three tablespoons
of lemon juice and one of vegetable jelly, sweeten to taste,
fill the crust shells and let set.
Prune Pie No. 1. Soak dried prunes over night, put on in
cold water with a few slices of lemon, and cook for about
three hours, when cool rub through a colander to remove the
66 Desserts
pits. Stir it with an egg whip to mix it evenly with the
liquid in which it was cooked; and to two and one-half cups
of prune pulp thus made add four tablespoons lemon juice,
one-third cup of honey or sugar, and one cup vegetable jelly;
flavor with vanilla, mix well and fill the pie crust shells and
let set.
Prune Pie No. 2. Drain the cooked prunes well, rub them
through a colander to remove the pits, leaving them as dry
as possible, put into a granite pan and set in the oven to dry
out partly, when the moisture is quite well evaporated, remove
from the oven and add just a little lemon juice and vanilla to
flavor; fill the previously baked shells with the prune pulp.
Beat the white of an egg stiff, flavor with a few drops of
lemon juice, spread over the prune and brown slightly in a
quick oven.
Banana Tapioca Pudding. cup tapioca, 1 cup boiling
water, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 thin slices lemon, vanilla flavor,
3 well ripened bananas.
Soak the tapioca for one hour or more, drain off the water,
if any, put into a double boiler, pour over it one cup of boil-
ing water, and let it steam until transparent. Have the
bananas sliced quite thin, add the sugar and vanilla and let
stand one-half hour; when the tapioca is cold add the bananas,
mix well but avoid breaking them up too much; serve with
cream.
Cream Tapioca. 2 cups milk, J cup tapioca, 3 tablespoons
sugar, 1 egg, vanilla flavor.
Wash the tapioca, drain and let stand a half hour. Heat
the milk in the double boiler, and when hot stir in the tapioca;
let steam until clear, stirring it now and then, as it takes a
considerable time. When the tapioca is done, pour it slowly
into the beaten egg, then return the mixture to the double
boiler and cook until the egg begins to thicken, stirring con-
stantly. Pour into a dish and let cool.
Cream Rice Pudding. 1 pint of rich milk, J cup uncooked
rice, J cup seeded raisins, a sprinkling of grated lemon rind,
vanilla flavor, 1 tablespoon sugar.
Desserts 67
Wash the rice and put it into a granite baking pan; add
the milk, lemon rind, and a pinch of salt, set on the top of
the stove to cook; when the rice is about half done add the
raisins and sugar, and set in a medium oven, cover and bake
until it begins to thicken slightly, remove from the oven and
let cool. This pudding should be soft and creamy and will
dish up nicely if brought out of the oven at just the right
time.
Cirape Blanc Mange. 1 cup grape juice, 1| cups water, J
cup sugar, 5 tablespoons cornstarch.
Put the water, grape juice, and sugar into the inner part
of a double boiler and set on the stove. When it comes to a
good boil stir in the cornstarch, the latter having been dis-
solved in a little cold water. When it boils up, set into the
outer part of boiler and let steam ten minutes, then pour
into wetted .molds. When cool turn out on a dish and serve
with cream. .
*j.
Layer Cake No. 1. 4 eggs, jjf cup sugar, 1& cups flour, 2
tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon oil, vanilla flavoring.
Put the eggs, water and sugar into a round-bottom bowl,
set on the edge of the stove where it is not too hot, and beat
continuously with a wire batter whip until the mixture will
pile nicely in the bowl when it runs from the whip. Then
set it on the table, add the oil and flavoring, then half of the
flour. Fold it in with a large spoon, then add the remaining
flour and fold in lightly yet thoroughly. Pour into two oiled
cake-tins and bake in medium oven about twelve to fifteen
minutes.
Layer Cake No. 2. 1J cups pastry flour, 4 tablespoons corn
starch, 1 scant cup sugar, 3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon
vegetable oil, teaspoon lemon, 4 eggs separately, vanilla
flavor.
Measure the flour and starch and sift them together through
a flour sifter to mix them thoroughly. Add the water and
oil to the sugar, mix well with a spoon so the sugar becomes
well dissolved, and set.it on the stove to heat while the eggs
68 Desserts
are being beaten. The sugar, water, and oil should be allowed
to boil up well, so that the oil will be completely emulsified
and does no longer float on the top; it should not be allowed
to stand and boil too long, for then it will cook down to a
thick syrup. As soon as the oil is emulsified set it to one
side to keep hot till the eggs are ready. Beat the yolks with
a Dover beater till light and lemon colored, add the lemon
juice and vanilla flavor, and set aside. Beat the whites stiff
and dry, then fold the yolks into the whites; when well blended
pour slowly the hot syrup into the eggs, folding it in with a
wire batter whip or a large spoon, which causes the eggs to
rise and get light. Care should be taken not to pour in the
hot liquid so fast as to cook the eggs. Lastly, sprinkle over
about half the flour, and fold it in with a large spoon, then
add the remaining flour and fold it in likewise until all is well
blended, but avoid stirring it, for that would break down the
lightness of the batter; pour it into two oiled cafce tins, and
bake in a medium slow oven for fifteen to twenty minutes.
Walnut Loaf Cake. 2 eggs, cup pastry flour, \ teaspoon
lemon juice, 1 tablespoons water, J cup chopped walnut
meats, J scant cup sugar, vanilla flavor.
Have the flour measured and sifted, separate the eggs,
beat the yolks with Dover egg-beater until light and lemon
colored; add the water, lemon, vanilla, and sugar, and stir
only enough to mix well, add about one-fourth of the flour
and mix evenly, not stirring very much, only enough to make
a smooth batter. Add a dash of salt to the whites and beat
them stiff and dry. Pour the batter slowly into the whites,
folding it in by running a batter whip or large spoon down
the side of the bowl through the center and lifting it straight
up and allowing the mixture to drop back into the bowl;
repeat until all is well blended, but do not stir. Add the
remaining flour and the chopped walnut meats and fold it in
evenly with a spoon, turn out into an oiled bread tin and bake
in a medium slow oven about twenty-five to thirty-five min-
utes. The damper of the stove should be closed up to keep
Desserts 69
a slow steady heat for any loaf cake which requires such a
long time to bake. This may be frosted over with a white
frosting and sprinkled with chopped nuts, if desired.
White Icing No. 1. 1 cup sugar, cup water, 1 teaspoon
lemon juice, white of 1 egg.
Dissolve the sugar in the water and let it boil until it
threads, have the white of the egg beaten quite stiff, add
the lemon juice, and pour in gradually the hot syrup, stirring
the meanwhile; add the vanilla, a few drops, and continue
beating until the mixture is light and creamy, then it is ready
to use.
It would be well for the inexperienced in boiling this syrup
to take a bowl of cold water, and while the sugar is boiling
drop a teaspoon into cold water, and when it stays together
and can be handled, then test the syrup by lifting the spoon
from it and let the syrup run off until it threads. It should
never be allowed to cook so long that it will harden when
put into cold water.
White Icing No. 2. 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon
lemon juice, white 1 egg, a few drops vanilla flavor.
Beat the white of the egg, add the sugar, lemon juice, and
flavor, and beat until creamy.
Icing No. 3. A simple icing can be made by adding
powdered sugar to orange juice to the consistency to spread
on cake, cover the same as when using boiled icing. Many
prefer this icing to that made with white of egg, as it will
not dry out nearly so quick as the boiled icing.
Orange Filling. J cup boiling water, juice of four oranges,
grated rind of 1 orange, J cup sugar, cup flour.
Bring liquids and rind to the boiling point, braid the flour
smooth with cold water and stir into the liquid; let it cook a
few minutes and let cool.
If desired, the yolk of one egg may be added and stirred
over the fire until it thickens, then set immediately off the
fire to cool.
70 Toasts and Breakfast Dishes
Toasts and Breakfast Dishes
Toasts are especially nice for breakfast. They are a light
food, yet appetizing and nourishing.
Strawberry Toast. Bring fresh strawberries to boiling point
with enough sugar to sweeten, using very little water. When
done dip a piece of zwieback into juice to soften a little, lay
the toast on a platter and cover well with strawberries, pour
a spoonful of juice over all and serve. The juice may be
thickened a little with cornstarch, if desired, before dishing
up.
Blackberry Toast. Cook the berries until just done, add a
little sugar, mash them through a fine strainer to remove the
seeds. Dip a piece of zwieback into the liquid to soften,
then thicken the berry pulp with a little cornstarch braided
smooth in cold water. Let it cook slowly for a few minutes,
and dish up as for strawberry toast.
Prune Toast Rub well cooked prunes through fine colander,
add enough of the prune juice to make it of the consistency
to spread on toast and not run off; reheat and dip a slice of
zwieback in hot milk or prune juice to soften, lay on a platter
and cover with the prune pulp.
Cream of Peas on Toast, f cup green pea pulp, \ cup thin
cream, salt to taste.
Bring peas to boil, drain off liquor; mash the peas through
colander, having them separate from the liquid in which they
were heated, add the hot cream and salt to taste. Reheat;
dip a piece of zwieback in milk to soften, lay on a platter and
cover with cream peas which should be thick enough not to
run off.
Walnut Lentils on Toast, f cup lentil puree, \ cup or more
thin cream, cup finely chopped walnuts, salt to taste.
Cook lentils well done, drain and mash them through col-
ander, moisten with the hot cream, salt to tase, add wal-
nuts; reheat and dish up as cream peas on toast.
Invalid Dietary 71
Tomato Toast. Dip a slice of zwieback into hot milk or
tomato juice, lay on a platter and cover with a spoonful of
tomato sauce.
Scrambled Eggs with Tomato. Scald and peel two medium
sized ripe tomatoes, cut them into quarters, put them in a
small covered sauce pan, add a Itttle salt and boil a few
minutes, turn them into a colander and drain off the juice.
Put a tablespoon of cream into a small pan, or have the
pan oiled; when hot, break in two eggs, stir them quickly so
they may cook evenly; when they are soft cooked add the
tomatoes, mix lightly and serve immediately.
Invalid Dietary
While the greater part of this work has been devoted to
the contriving of meals usual in the average household and
under ordinary circumstances, yet we must know how to
supply the needs of the weak or suffering. A few recipes
will be given under this head, for a few liquid foods may
often be used where the more solid foods can not be retained
or assimilated.
Food for the sick should be such as will furnish the most
nourishment with the least tax upon the digestive organs.
While it should generally be of a simple nature, it should be
cooked with the greatest care, and served in the most invit-
ing manner.
The temperature of the food will also have a marked influ-
ence on digestion, therefore it should be a rule to have hot
foods served hot, and cold foods served cold.
The tray should be covered with spotless linen, should be
carefully laid, and should not have the appearance of being
overcrowded.
The breakfast tray especially should be made as attractive
as possible. A few bright flowers will make it look cheery
and inviting. While many of the foregoing recipes may be
used for the sick, as toasts, fruits, breads, soups, etc., the
following will come under a special head, as liquid foods.
72 Invalid Dietary
Barley Water. 2 tablespoons barley, 1 quart cold water.
Wash the barley and let it soak for an hour in a quart of
cold water. Set on the stove and let boil until it is reduced
to one cup of liquid; serve plain or season with a little cream,
if desired.
Rice Water. 2 tablespoons rice, 2 cups cold water, a few
grains salt, cream or milk, if desired.
Wash the rice and put into the cold water, heat gradually
to the boiling point, and let it continue to cook until the rice
is soft. Strain, reheat the rice water, add a little milk or
cream, if desired.
Oatmeal Gruel. 3 tablespoons oatmeal, 2 cups boiling
water, a few grains of salt.
Stir the oatmeal into the boiling water, and let it boil until
it begins to thicken slightly, then set into a double boiler
and let it cook two hours or more. Strain through a fine
strainer and dilute it with a little hot water if it is too thick.
Reheat and season with cream, if desirable. A gruel should
be so thin that it will pour easily from a spoon.
Cornmeal Gruel. 3 tablespoons cornmeal, 2 cups water, a
few grains of salt.
Prepare the same as oatmeal gruel.
Gluten Gruel. 4 tablespoons gluten meal, 1 cup of boiling
water, a few grains of salt.
Sift the gluten slowly into the boiling water, stirring con-
stantly to avoid having it form into lumps. Let it boil until
the desired thickness is obtained. A little cream may be
added before serving, if practicable.
Flax Seed Tea. 2 tablespoons flax seed, 2 cups boiling
water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
Wash the flax seed in cold water, drain well, add the boil-
ing water and let boil slowly for one hour. Strain, add the
lemon and a very little sugar, if desired, and serve.
Fruit Egg Nogg. One egg separately, one-third cup fruit
juice. The amount of sugar needed will vary according to
Invalid Dietary 78
the acidity of the fruit. Orange egg nogg will require about
one tablespoon sugar. Other juices, as grape, berry, or
prune will require very little sugar, if any. A teaspoon of
lemon juice should be added to the latter juices. Beat the
whites stiff with a Dover egg beater, and take out one table-
spoon of the whites to be kept for a garniture for. the top of
the glass. Beat the yolks and stir in the fruit juice and
sugar. Mix well, then stir all into the beaten whites, and
pour into a glass and serve with the tablespoon of beaten
white on top.
Cream Egg Nogg. cup thin cream, 1 egg, 4 or 5 drops of
vanilla.
Beat the egg separately, add the cream and vanilla to the
yolks, then pour the mixture into the beaten whites, mix
well and serve in glass with a spoonful of beaten white on
top.
Lemonade. 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons sugar, f cup water.
Cut the lemon into halves, cut off a thin slice to be served
in the glass, press out the juice, add sugar and water, mix
well, serve in glass with half slice of lemon floating on top.
Orangeade. 1 orange, 2 tablespoons sugar, cup water.
Make same as for lemonade, except omit the garniture of
the sliced orange in the glass.
It is a very common error to serve the sick with fresh made
toast of bread which has been quickly browned on both sides
and served hot. This makes the bread practically as indigest-
ible as fresh baked bread. Zwieback may be heated, served
dry or moistened with hot milk or water, and being thoroughly
dextrinized, it is very easily digested and assimilated.
Eggs, when cooked and served to the sick, should as a rule
always be soft cooked, poached, or soft boiled, curdled or
scrambled with a little milk.
While it does not prove to be the best policy to prescribe
the exact amount of calories of the different elements of
74 Fruit Ices and Creams
nutrition for individuals, yet one should have a practical
knowledge of the requirements of the human body, and
should supply food that is relishable and strengthening. By
lowering the vitality, whether through one extreme or the
other, the way is open for disease to enter the body. We
should therefore aim to supply good, simple, wholesome,
nourishing food, that will fortify the body against the attacks
of disease.
Fruit Ices and Creams
Fruit ices when eaten at proper times may be used by
most people, and in hot weather they are cooling and refresh-
ing. The mixture of large quantities of milk and sugar,
used in the manufacture of ice creams, makes a bad combi-
nation. Large quantities of milk and sugar taken together
create poisons in the system. Fruit ices and ice cream are
often recommended by physicians for particular cases. The
following suggestions on the use of ices and ice creams by a
physician of long practical experience will be a help to the
nurse or mother.
"Fruit Ice is a very useful article of food for those who are
suffering with a gastritis where there is an absence of hydro-
chloric acid. It has the effect of reducing the inflammatory
condition and at the same time supplies the patient with nu-
trition. It is not a good plan to take fruit ice in connection
with a large meal, as it lowers the temperature of the stom-
ach, and the latter can not perform its functions until it has
reached its normal temperature again.
"Ice Cream is a useful article of food for a person who is
suffering with gastric ulcer and inflammation of the stomach,
due to excess of hydrochloric acid, as it is both nutritious
and cooling to the stomach.
"The combination of sugar and milk does not seem to do any
particular damage under these conditions, for the large amount
of hydrochloric acid seems to neutralize any evil effects. It
Fruit Ices and Creams 75
is not a useful article of food for an individual with a normal
stomach. The materials used should be of the best quality,
for frequently we have severe ptomain poisoning from eat-
ing an inferior quality of ice cream."
Strawberry Ice. 2 cups strawberries, cup sugar or more,
\ cup water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Wash and remove the stems from well colored ripe berries.
Put them into a bowl, sprinkle over the sugar, cover and let
stand one hour, then mash them well, add the water and
press through a fine strainer or cheese cloth to express as
much juice as possible, add the lemon juice and freeze, using
about one part salt to three or four parts ice. Too much
salt will make a coarse grained ice. The beaten white of an
egg may be added, if desired.
Blackberry or Raspberry Ice is made the same as straw-
berry ice, using blackberries and raspberries instead of
strawberries.
Apricot Ice. 1 cup stewed apricot pulp, 2 tablespoons
lemon juice, J cup water, sweeten to taste.
Stew the apricots with enough sugar to sweeten, when
cool mash them through a fine colander, add lemon juice and
water and freeze. A little more sugar may be required; the
amount needed will depend somewhat on the acidity of the
fruit.
Pineapple Ice. 1 cup canned grated pineapple, cup water,
3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sugar.
Add cold water and sugar to the pineapple and let it stand
half an hour, then add the lemon juice and water and freeze.
Or the juice may be pressed out through a strainer before
freezing it, if desired.
Grape Fruit Ice. cup grape fruit juice, \ cup boiling
water, cup sugar or more.
Add the sugar to the boiling water and bring to a good
boil; when cool, add the grape juice and freeze.
76 Canning, Preserving, Etc.
Lemon Ice. J cup lemon juice, cup boiling water, J cup
sugar or more.
Make the same as grape fruit ice.
Ice Cream. \ cup milk, % cup rich cream, 6 drops vanilla
or more, 1 tablespoon sugar.
Put the milk into the freezer, and when it has become
about half frozen add the cream (whipped quite thick),
sugar, and vanilla; mix well and freeze. By having the
cream previously whipped and adding it as above, the ice
cream will have a more velvety appearance than it would by
mixing it all at once.
Canning, Preserving, Etc.
The great secret of canning lies in complete sterilization.
All fruits and vegetables, as well as the water we drink and
the air we breathe, are teeming with minute forms of life
called bacteria or molds or germs. These germs are the sole
cause of decomposition or rotting, and are the only causes of
spoilage we have to deal with in canning.
The exclusion of air from canned articles is not necessary
provided the air is sterile and free from germs.
Fruits
Fruits are usually slightly acid, and in general do not sup-
port bacterial growth, but are more commonly fermented by
yeasts. In order to retain the natural flavor of the fruit lit-
tle sugar should be used, and the fruit should be cooked only
long enough to insure its preservation. It is unnecessary to
boil the syrup previously. The sugar may be dissolved in
cold water in right proportion to the kind of frait used, and
poured over the fruit in the jars. The fruit should be per-
fectly sound and not overripe. It should always be sorted;
ripe fruit and hard fruit should never be cooked in the same
jar. All stewpans, strainers, glass jars, and tops should be
put on in cold water, heated to the boiling point, and then
boil for ten minutes before using. The quantity of sugar used
Canning, Preserving, Etc. 77
will vary with the kind of fruit used, and somewhat with the
locality in which it is grown. The following proportion is
taken as an average, more or less sugar may be used as the
case may require:
SYRUPS, -
Apricots, 2^ quarts water to 1 quart sugar
Peaches, 3 " " " 1 "
Pears, 3 to 4 " " " 1 "
Plums, sour 1J " " " 1 "
Berries may be canned by this method, using about two
pounds of sugar to ten pounds of berries, add the sugar to the
stemmed and washed berries, let stand one hour, fill jars and
cook the same as for ripe apricots. Most people prefer to
bring the berries to boil on top of the stove with sugar
needed, and fill them into hot glass jars and seal them.
Apricots. Preferably canned whole. Wash and pack into
glass jars, put on the rubber ring, and fill with syrup. Screw
the covers on loosely, and set the jars into a boiler with a false
bottom in it to keep the jars from resting on the bottom of
the kettle. Pour cold water into the boiler until the jars are
about two thirds immersed in water. Heat gradually to the
boiling point, and let boil for ten minutes after boiling begins.
Then remove the cover from one jar and stick the point of a
knife into the fruit, if it is quite tender, set the jar into a
shallow pan of hot water and run the blade of a silver knife
down the side of the fruit to let the foam rise to the top; fill
to overflowing with boiling syrup and screw the top on tightly.
Tarn up side down on the table to make sure there is no leak.
Let it remain thus until next day, then wipe the jar with a
damp cloth and set the fruit in a cool, dark place.
Peaches. Use free-stone peaches. Peel and cut them in
halves, removing the stones, except that a few may be put
into each jar for flavor. Pack the fruit into jars, and finish
the same as for apricots.
Pears. Peel and cut the fruit into halves. Remove the
78 Canning, Preserving, Etc.
seeds, etc., and proceed in the same way as for peaches.
Plums. Wash and peel the plums, saving out the small
ones and the peel for jelly. Pack the fruit into jars and fin-
ish the same as apricots.
Jelly. To each fifteen pounds plums and peel, add about
two quarts cold water, and set on the stove, care being taken
not to burn them. When they are thoroughly done, pour
into a bag or cloth in which the mesh is not woven too closely
together, and hang up to drip. To each quart of juice thus
made add one quart of sugar and bring to boil; skim, and let
it continue to boil for thirty minutes, if only one quart of
juice; forty minutes, if one gallon; and about fifty minutes
to one hour for five to ten gallons. Take glasses out of hot
water and fill, let them stand forty-eight hours, then pour
over them enough hot parafine to cover.
If plums are picked just after a rain or heavy dew, they
will contain much more water than otherwise, then they will
require less water, and it is always safest to boil a small
quanity first as a test before making a large quatity of jelly.
Vegetables
The spoiling of vegetables is due primarily to bacteria.
Being much more resistant to heat than yeasts, they re-
quire longer cooking than fruits. While the parent bac-
teria may be destroyed by a temperature of boiling water,
the seeds or spores retain their vitality at that temperature
for a long time, and upon cooling will germinate and begin
their destructive work. Therefore it is found necessary, in
order to completely sterilize a vegetable, to heat it to the
boiling point and keep it to that temperature for one hour,
for two or three successive days.
String Beans. Break the ends off, remove strings, wash,
drain, and pack them into cans provided for that purpose.
Make a solution of one ounce salt to two and one-half quarts
water, and pour it on the beans, filling the cans four-fifths
full. Solder tightly, and when they have boiled one hour,
Combinations, Menu-Making 79
puncture the end to let out the steam, then in five minutes
resolder and let remain until next day, when they should be
boiled one hour more, and on the third day repeat the boil-
ing. They may then be stored. They need not be punc-
tured except after the first cooking.
Corn. Secure young corn. Scour down the rows and
press out the pulpy material; add enough salted water to
make it quite soft, using a preparation of one ounce salt to
one and one-half quarts water, and finish the same as string
beans. A very little sugar should be added to the corn, also
to green peas, which are canned by the same method.
Combinations and Menu-Making
The art of planning and combining is one of no small im-
portance to the housewife or cook. The very best foods may
be combined or served in such combinations as to bring dis-
tress to the digestive organs, and produce weakness instead
of strength.
Because human beings differ so much and their needs are
so varied, it is impossible to lay down any set of rules on
diet for all alike. But there are general principles by which
everyone may be guided in matters of diet, and which, if
heeded, can accomplish more for the individual or family, in
maintaining a healthy condition of the body, than all the
doctor's prescriptions.
It is therefore important for those who have to plan for
the family to have a working knowledge of the principles
which guide and direct in making out a balanced menu. In
the first place there should not be a great variety at any
one meal. Several articles of food at the same meal work
up fermentation, and the food does not nourish the system.
While perhaps all can not eat the same foods (and it might
be well always to plan so there can be some individual choice
in the matter of foods to be eaten), yet a very common er-
ror, and one that is so often committed with none but the
best intentions, is that of loading the table down with every
80 Combinations, Menu-Making
possible variety of food. True, the same dishes prepared in
the same way should not appear on the table meal after
meal, and day after day. The food should be varied, and
the cook should plan to have different foods served in differ-
ent ways so as to have the table always looking fresh and
inviting.
A great variety at one meal encourages overeating, bring-
ing distress and feebleness in its train. Overtaxation of the
digestive organs is a bad form of dissipation, and is said to
be the caut>e of more disease, whether directly or indirectly,
than is caused by all alcoholic dissipation combined, the lat-
ter very often being due to the former.
There is no little truth in the statement made by an Eng-
lish surgeon, Dr. Abernethy, that, "One-fourth of what we
eat keeps us; the other three-fourths we keep at the peril of
our lives. " While this statement may seem to some to be
somewhat exaggerated, yet it is a well known fact that most
of us eat more than we really need for the proper sustenance
of the body; and when carried to the extreme, the energies
of the body are dissipated in ridding the system of a dead
weight of surplus material. While the cook can not be held
responsible for the course of individuals in these matters,
yet it is within his power not only to plan the meal in such a
manner as to encourage right habits and thus alleviate suf-
fering, but, being guided by sound principles, can make the
work educational in character. Soft foods, several articles
of food at the same meal, and hasty eating or bolting of
food, all lead to overeating.
Then again it is not well to eat fruit and vegetables at the
same meal. Fresh fruits are very easily digested in the
stomach, a sweet apple being digested in the stomach in from
one hour to one hour and a half, while many of the coarser
foods require from three to four hours or more for their
digestion in the stomach. When these are taken together,
the fruits, mixed with other foods, are kept in the stomach
for such a long period of time that they ferment, and the
Combinations, Menu-Making 81
formation of vinegar or alcohol is the result. Acid fruits
and coarse vegetables, as roots and tubers, are an especially
bad combination. Many people, who think a certain food
does not agree with them, often learn that the trouble is not
with the food, but with the combination in which they have
been taken. Tne finer vegetables, known as the fruity
vegetables, as squash, tomatoes, peas, corn, etc., can be
used by most people where a fruit dessert or fresh fruit is
served, and these principles should be taken into considera-
tion in all our planning.
Grains, fruits, and nuts are a good combination; also grains,
or cereals, vegetables, and nuts. It might be well to say
that while grams and fruits are a good combination, it should
be remembered that to pour acid fruits over rice, bread, or
any starchy food to soften it, not only hinders the flow of
saliva, but the acid of the fruit so neutralizes the saliva as
to hinder the digestion of the food in the stomach. If starchy
foods be thoroughly masticated first, and the fruit eaten
afterwards, then the food will be in a condition to be easily
acted upon by the digestive juices. The free use of milk
and sugar taken together works untold harm and should be
avoided. Milk and acid fruits are a bad combination, and
should not be taken together.
Then there should be a simplicity about the preparation of
food; a nicety that should appeal to the finer instincts of
people. Complex mixtures and highly seasoned foods ought
to be an insult to a healthy, normal stomach.
Nature has provided an abundance of natural flavors in the
different foods which do not irritate the delicate organs of
digestion, but which have a pleasing effect. Food should be
prepared and served in an appetizing manner, and should
appeal to the sense of sight as well as to that of taste. The
sight and smell of pleasing food starts the flow of the digest-
ive fluids, while disagreeable odors and sights hinder it.
Many people make themselves sick by thinking continu-
ously about what they eat, and fearing lest it may not agree
with them. The secret of good digestion is thorough mas-
tication; this is the part over which we have control. This
settled, together with the proper combination and prepara-
tion of food, we are to choose those things that experience
and sound judgment tell us are the best suited to our indi-
vidual cases, and eat them with joy and a thankful heart,
and then forget all about the rest. Nature will do her part
faithfully if left unencumbered.
In making out a well balanced menu, there is need to con-
82 Combinations, Menu- Making
sider not only the properties of the food but its adaption to
the eater. rood can be eaten freely by persons engaged in
physical labor which must be avoided by those whose worn, is
chiefly mental. Ihen again, we should always plan so that,
as far as combination is concerned, we shall set before people
foods that combine well together. Suppose, for instance,
we should have vegetable soup first; most people will no
doubt partaKe of it when it is set before them. Then we
have already started them on a vegetable dinner; now, should
we have a fruit salad or fruit dessert, with perhaps other
coarse vegetables, it is very apparent there is a lack of
judgment on the part of the one responsible. Such mistakes
can be avoided without inconven ence when making out the
plans, by putting a c/eam of peas, or tomato, or other li.\e
soup, instead of the vegetable, whenever fiuit is taken into
the combination. While it is true that people need not par-
take of everything before them, yet there are some things
most people will use, and these things should always betaken
into consideration while making out the plans. We should
always plan so that the soup, the relishes, and the dessert,
if any, shall harmonize as far as combination is concerned;
and if fruit, as fruit salad or fruit dessert, is used, there
should be at least one of the finer vegetables, as tomatoes,
squash, corn, etc., to choose from; and at another time, when
fruit is omitted from the menu, we may plan a good vegeta-
ble dinner, in which any of the coarser vegetables may be com-
bined with some dish in the form of grains, legumes, or nut
food.
In seeking to supply foods that will give proper nourish-
ment to the body, we should avoid the extremes in both direc-
tions; on the one hand that which tends toward an impover-
ished diet, and on the other hand that which brings into one
meal too many heavy, highly concentrated foods. Fresh vege-
tables, especially the coarse vegetables, contain a large pro-
portion of water in their composition. These vegetables of
themselves would fail of supplying proper nutrition to the
body. But when served with the more solid foods, as grains,
legumes, nuts, or nut foods, they furnish bulk to the food,
and are rich in mineral matter. Perhaps one of the more
solid foods, rich in nutritive value, together with other vege-
tables prepared in a simple manner, would give variety and
amnle choice for most people.
The following: suggestive menus will help to illustrate the
working out of some of these principles.
Suggestive Menu
BREAKFAST
STRAWBERRIES STEWED PRUNES
WHOLEWHEAT PUFFS
BROWNED RICE CORN FLAKES
WALNUT LENTILS ON TOAST
CREAM HONEY
CEREAL COFFEE
DINNER
CREAM OF GREEN PEAS
OLIVES SLICED TOMATO
RICE AND MACARONI CROQUETTES
BAKED POTATO SUMMER SQUASH
WHOLEWHEAT BREAD
CONCORD GRAPES APPLE PIE
LUNCHEON
APPLES RED RASPBERRIES FRESH FIGS
CREAM TOAST
TOASTED GRANOSE BUSCUIT WHOLEWHEAT STICKS
CRACKERS
NECTAR CEREAL COFFEE
Suggestive Menu
BREAKFAST
SLICED BANANAS CANTALOUPE
POACHED EGG
BAKED POTATO
CORN BREAD TOASTED RICE BUSCUIT
CREAM OLIVE OIL MELTOSE
CEREAL COFFEE
DINNER
LETTUCE AND EGG CELERY HEARTS STUFFED DATE SALAD
NEW ENGLAND STEW
MASHED POTATO BAKED EAR CORN
FRUIT BREAD
MIXED NUTS PRUNE PUDDING WITH CREAM
WATERMELON
LUNCHEON
PEACHES STEAMED FIGS APPLE SAUCE
RICE GRUEL PUFFED WHEAT BERRIES FRUIT CRISPS
CREAM HONEY
YOGURT CEREAL COFFEE
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