Earlier text: Flesh as Food for Man.POTATOE PIE CRUST.—Boil one quart dry, mealy potatoes. The moment they are done mash them, and sift through a colander. Stir thoroughly together one cup Graham flour, and one cup white flour, then add the potatoes, rubbing them evenly through the flour in the same manner as the shortening in common pie crust. Have ready one cup corn meal; pour over it one and one-third cups boiling water, stirring it till all the meal is wet, then add it to the potatoes and38 flour, mixing only till thoroughly incorporated together. No more flour should be added. The molding-board should be well covered with dry flour, however, as it is slightly difficult to roll out. It should be rolled very thin, and baked in a moderate oven. NOTE—It is very essential that the above conditions should all be complied with. Bear in mind that the potatoes must be hot, and mixed immediately with the flour; the water be poured, while boiling, upon the corn meal, and the whole mixed together very quickly and baked immediately. Inattention to any of these requisites will be quite apt to insure a failure. CREAM PIE CRUST.—Take equal quantities of Graham flour, white flour, and Indian meal; rub evenly together, and wet with very thin sweet cream. It should be rolled thin and baked in an oven as hot as for common pie crust. CREAM PIE CRUST (Another form.)—Mix Graham flour with sweet cream, and proceed as above. Canel may be used in the place of Graham flour if preferred. PUMPKIN PIE.—Select a pumpkin which has a deep rich color, and firm, close texture. Stew and sift in the ordinary manner; add as much boiling milk as will make it about one-third thicker than for common pumpkin pie. Sweeten with equal quantities of sugar and molasses, and bake about one hour in a hot oven. NOTE.— Those who will try this method will be surprised to find how delicious a pie can be made without eggs, ginger, or spices of any kind. The milk being turned boiling hot upon the pumpkin, causes it to swell in baking, so that it is as light and nice as though eggs had been used. SQUASH PIE.—This is even superior to pumpkin, as it possesses a richer, sweeter flavor, and is far preferable. It is made in precisely the same manner as pumpkin pie. CUSTARD PIE.—One pint and a half of milk, three eggs, and a large tablespoonful of sugar; maple is preferred by many for its better flavor. SWEET APPLE PIE.—Pare mellow, sweet apples, and grate them upon a grater. A very large grater is necessary for this purpose. Then proceed as for pumpkin pie. SOUR APPLE PIE.—Take nice, tart apples—spitzenbergs are best, although pippins, greenings, russets, etc., are excellent. Slice them; fill the under crust an inch thick; add sugar or molasses, and a spoonful or two of water; cover with a thin crust, and bake three-fourths of an hour in a moderate oven. APPLE PUFFS.—Make a crust the same as for cream pie crust, using rather thicker cream; roll an eighth of an inch thick, and cut out in small round cakes with a common biscuit cutter; take one of these, wet it around the edge, and place in the center a spoonful of apple sauce. Take another and cut with a small cracker cutter a hole in the center about one inch in diameter; place the ring which is left upon the first one, and pinch the edges tightly together. Bake in a quick oven. NOTE.—These, if rightly made, are very nice. Any kind of fruit may be used in place of apple sauce, by stewing it, and simmering down till very little juice remains. BAKED APPLE PUDDING.—Pare, core, and slice about two quarts nice tart apples. Add to them one teacupful of Indian meal, one cup Graham flour, and stir altogether. Pour over them three-fourths of a cup of sugar dissolved in one cup cold water, or sweet milk, stirring till all the flour is wet. Butter or flour a deep basin or pan to prevent sticking, and turn the mixture into it, smoothing it evenly over the top. Then spread smoothly over it a batter made by stirring together half a cup of cold water, or sweet milk, three tablespoonfuls of Indian meal, three ditto of Graham flour, and one tablespoonful sugar. Bake about two hours and a half. NOTE.—This is to be eaten with sweetened cream or a sauce made by stirring into one quart boiling milk, two heaping tablespoonfuls of corn starch, moistened with cold milk, letting it boil for five or ten minutes afterward. Sweeten according to taste. RUSK PUDDING.— One and one-third cups rusk, half a cup sugar, two cups sweet apples, sliced, two quarts milk. Stir together and bake two hours and a half. Baked Indian Pudding.—Two quarts sweet milk, one heaping teacupful of Indian meal, one-third cup40 molasses, one-third cup sugar. When the milk is boiling hard, dip out one-half of it, and into the remainder stir the meal slowly, taking care that no lumps remain in it. Add the rest of the milk, the sugar and molasses, and bake about two hours, or until it is a bright cherry color. Stir once or twice the first half hour, but not afterward. RICE AND APPLE PUDDING.—Boil half a pound of rice in milk till it is soft; then fill the pudding dish half full of apples, which have been pared and cored; sweeten with brown sugar or molasses; put the rice over the fruit as a crust, and bake one hour. APPLE DUMPLINGS.— Make a dough in the same manner as for cream pie crust, roll a little thicker than for pies, and make up the dumplings by putting an apple, pared, cored, and quartered, to each. Steam or bake one hour. GREEN CORN PUDDING.—To one quart of grated ears of sweet corn, add a teacupful of cream, one gill of milk, a tablespoonful of flour, and two ounces of sugar; mix all together, and bake an hour and a half. SWEET APPLE PUDDING.—Pare and core the apples, chop them fine, and stir them into a batter made of sweet cream, or milk, eggs, and flour,—say three eggs to a quart of cream, or milk, and flour enough to make it not very thick; stir well, and bake on buttered tins or pudding dishes. This needs to bake two or three hours. Serve with sweetened cream. CRACKED WHEAT PUDDING.—Boil wheaten grits till quite soft, then dilute the mush with milk to the proper consistency. It should be rather thin; sweeten and bake one hour. IMITATION CORN STARCH PUDDING.—Take one quart of milk; boil two-thirds of the milk and thicken the other third with flour to quite a thick, smooth paste; add the yolks of two eggs well beaten, and stir into the boiling milk—it will cook in a minute; have ready some cups previously wet in cold water, fill them to the required depth with the mixture; when cool enough to turn out without breaking, turn them bottom upwards on a plate.41 The whites of the eggs with white sugar boiled in milk makes a good sauce. POP OVERS.— Two eggs, two cups of milk, two even cups of flour, and a piece of butter a little larger than a nutmeg. Bake in cups, or the gem pans. Serve with sweetened cream. Fruit Pudding.—One quart of Indian meal, one cup of molasses, one cup of fruit, one quart of boiling water or milk. Stir all together, and steam three hours. This is to be eaten with the same kind of sauce as for baked apple pudding. BAKED APPLES.— The best baking apples are moderately tart, or very juicy sweet ones. The former, of ordinary size, will bake in about thirty minutes; the latter in about forty-five minutes. Select for baking, apples of nearly equal size; wipe them dry and clean; put a very little water in the bottom of the baking vessel, and place them in a hot oven. BAKED APPLES (Another Form.)—Take moderately sour apples, cut out the stem and blow end, wash them, fill the cavities with sugar, and place in a pie tin with a little water. When done, take up on plates and dip the juice arising from the apple and sugar over them. They are better than preserves. BAKED APPLES (Another form.)—Pare and core tart apples. Lay the quarters evenly on a pie tin. Bake till done. Slip them carefully into a deep plate and put on them sugar and cream. STEWED GREEN APPLES.—Apples for stewing should be well flavored and juicy. Sweet apples, when stewed, turn more or less dark colored, and hence do not appear as well as tart ones on the table, though some persons prefer them. Pare, core, and quarter; put a little water to them, and boil moderately till soft, and add sufficient sugar to suit taste—more or less, according to the acidity of the fruit. Some cooks flavor them42 with lemon; others with a small portion of peaches or other fruit. Good apples, however, are good enough in and of themselves. BOILED APPLES.— Select tart mellow apples. Boil in water sufficient to cover them, with the addition of sugar or molasses. When tender, remove into a vegetable dish, carefully simmer down the sirup and pour over the apples. STEAMED SWEET APPLES.— Select apples of uniform size, remove the stem and blow end, place in an earthen dish in a steamer, steam until a fork will pass through them easily. They will be very juicy and delicious. STEWED DRIED APPLES.—Select rich, mellow, flavored fruits, which are clear from dark spots or mould. Wash and pick the pieces, boil in just water enough to cover them over a slow fire, without stirring, till partially softened; then add sugar or molasses and continue the boiling till done. Cider Apple-Sauce.—Six gallons sweet cider boiled down to three, add one and a half pounds sugar. This is sufficient for one bushel of apples. Some prefer the apples dried a very little, this keeps them from falling to pieces. CIDER APPLE SAUCE.—Take six quarts sweet apples quartered and cored, pour over them one and one-half pints boiling water, and cook slowly. When about one-third done add one-half cup sugar and three-fourths of a pint of boiled cider or apple sirup, and cook till they can be pierced easily with a fork. NOTE.— These proportions make a much better sauce than where more boiled cider is used. We wish this dish might be brought into more general use. If properly cooked it is excellent. Every one in the country knows how boiled cider is made, but every one in the city is not supposed to, from the fact that it is a commodity rarely met with in the city markets. It is made by taking new, sweet cider fresh from the press, and boiling it down till it is about the consistency of common molasses. It is more wholesome than sugar, and added to apples in this way it is much more palatable. APPLE BUTTER.—Boil cider made from sweet apples down to about the consistency of very thin molasses.43 Pare and core sweet or sour apples, as preferred, sufficient for the quantity of cider, and cook to a pulp. While the cider is boiling hot, add the pulp, and continue boiling, without cessation four hours, or longer, according to the thickness desired. Constant stirring from the time the pulp is added, is necessary to prevent burning. Apple butter made in this way, and boiled down very thick, will keep for years without spices, and is very nice. IMITATION OF STRAWBERRIES.—Take tart apples suitable for eating. Chop not very fine; sprinkle sugar over them and add cream. Sweet apples are good served in this way. This is an excellent dish. PEARS.— Pears may be baked, boiled, or stewed in the same manner as apples. Some varieties of small, early, and sweet pears are very delicious boiled whole without paring, and sweetened with sirup. The large pears are usually selected for baking. UNCOOKED PEACHES.—When we have peaches as good and ripe as all peaches ought to be, the best way to prepare them is this: Peel them; cut the fruit off the stones in quarters, or smaller pieces; fill the dish; sprinkle on sugar, and add cream if desired. BOILED PEACHES.—They should be pared—except when the skins are very smooth, clean, and tender—but not pitted; boiled moderately till sufficiently cooked, and then sweetened. STEWED DRIED PEACHES.—Wash, and soak in cold water over night. In the morning, sweeten and bring to a boil for a few minutes. Blackberries, raspberries, and indeed, all dried fruits, are prepared in the same manner. They should be carefully looked over, washed, and set to soak in cold or tepid water, for two or three hours. Then stew in the same water till soft. Sweeten just before taking from the fire, and, when done, stir in a little flour to thicken the juices. CHERRIES.—Stewing is the only proper method for cooking this fruit. Remove the stalks from the cherries; pick them over carefully, rejecting all unsound44 ones: put them into a pan, with a very little water, and sugar in the proportion of about three ounces to a pound of cherries; simmer them slowly over the fire, shaking the pan round occasionally till done. If a richer article is wanted, take the cherries out with a colander spoon, and keep them in a basin till cold; reduce the sweetened water to the consistency of sirup, and put it over the cherries. QUINCES.—It has been said that quinces commend themselves more to the sense of smell than taste; hence are better to “adorn” other preparations than to be prepared themselves. When stewed till quite tender, and sweetened, they are, however, a very pleasant, yet rather expensive kind of sauce. In the form of marmalade, they are a better seasoning for bread, cakes, or puddings, than butter. GRAPES.—Good, ripe, well-cultivated Delawares, Isabellas, and Catawbas are incomparably superior in dietetic character, without “the interference of art.” What a blessing it would be to the human race if all the vineyards in the world were made to supply wholesome food for children, instead of pernicious poison for adults! CURRANTS.—Green currants, when half or two-thirds grown, are more mild flavored and pleasant than when fully ripe; nor do we find them often disagreeing with ordinary dyspeptics. They require stewing but a short time, and moderately sweetening. The best currants, when quite ripe, may be eaten uncooked, with a sprinkling of sugar. Plums.—These must be managed according to their character and flavor. Many varieties are too sour to be eaten without stewing, and the addition of considerable sugar. Some kinds, however, are sweet and luscious enough to require neither. STEWED CRANBERRIES.—Wash and pick the berries; stew them in just as little water as will prevent their burning, till they become soft; then add half a pound45 of sugar to a pound of the fruit, and simmer a few minutes. STRAWBERRIES.—Serve with sugar and cream. TOMATOES.—Take nice ripe tomatoes, peel and slice, then serve with cream and sugar. This is very nice. TOMATOES—STEWED.—Pour over the tomatoes scalding water, and take off the skins; and when a quantity is to be cooked, slice and put into a kettle without water; warm very slowly at first; stew slowly three quarters of an hour; and while stewing, add, to suit the taste, coarse ground baker’s crackers. Sugar may be added as a seasoning, if desired. For a small quantity, prepare the tomatoes as before, put them into a spider with an equal bulk of broken, fresh, brown bread; add a little water, a very little fresh butter, cover closely, and stew fifteen or twenty minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Tomato Toast.—A very desirable dish is made by toasting brown bread, laying it in a dish, and pouring over it tomatoes stewed as in the first instance, without the addition of crackers. Green tomatoes may be substituted for ripe ones, and are preferred by some persons. Dried Beans.—Pick the beans over carefully, wash them perfectly clean, cover them about three inches deep with cold water, and let them soak all night. Early in the morning place them over the fire, leaving upon them all the water that may remain unabsorbed and adding enough more to cook them in. Let them simmer slowly all the forenoon, but do not allow them to boil. When done if any seasoning is desired, a little sweet cream is sufficient. To bake them, take them from the fire about an hour before they are done, place them immediately in a deep pan, and bake one hour in a very hot oven. NOTE.—Those who will try this method will be surprised to find how much superior it is to the ordinary way of cooking them. BEAN PORRIDGE.—This is made by cooking dried beans in plenty of water till they are quite boiled to pieces. Add cream and a very little flour. BOILED GREEN BEANS.—The common garden, kidney, and Lima beans are all excellent dishes, prepared by simply boiling till soft without destroying the shape of the seed. A little milk or cream may be stirred in when they are cooked sufficiently, if any seasoning is desired. They usually require boiling an hour and a half. STRING BEANS.—When very young, the pods need only to be clipped, cut finely, and boiled till tender. When older, cut or break off the ends, strip off the strings that line their edges; cut or break each pod into three or four pieces, and boil. When made tender, a little cream or milk may be simmered with them a few minutes. SUCCOTASH.—Take green sweet corn and green beans, cut the corn from the cobs, and when the beans have been cooking about three-quarters of an hour add it to them, letting it cook about three-quarters of an hour longer. If any one desires a richer article, a little sweet cream may be added. BOILED GREEN CORN.—The only corn fit for boiling green, is the sweet or evergreen corn. It should be simply husked, the silk removed and the ears plunged into boiling water and boiled from twenty to thirty minutes. STEWED CORN.—Cut the corn from the cob, boil it in just water enough to prevent burning. When done, add a little rich milk or sweet cream, and a trifle of sugar. BOILED GREEN PEAS.—Washing green peas seems to extract much of their sweetness. If care be taken in shelling them they will not need washing. Immediately after shelling them put in boiling water sufficient to cover them, and boil from twenty to thirty minutes. When the pods are fresh and green, if they are washed and boiled in as little water as will cover them47 for fifteen or twenty minutes, and the juice added to the peas, it will improve the flavor. Sweet milk or cream is the only admissible seasoning. Boiled Potatoes.—Wash and trim the potatoes, put them in boiling water, with not more water than is sufficient to cover them; boil moderately until they are softened so that a fork will readily penetrate them; pour off the water and let them stand till dry. All who would have potatoes well cooked must observe the following particulars: Always take them out of the water the moment they are done. Ascertain when they are done, by pricking with a fork, and not leave them to crack open. When cooked in any way, they become heavy and watery by cooking them after they are once softened through. They should be selected of an equal size, or the smallest should be taken up as fast as cooked. The water should not stop boiling, as it will tend to make them watery. Old potatoes are improved by soaking in cold water several hours or over night, before cooking. They should never remain covered after having been roasted or boiled, to keep them hot. MASHED POTATOES.— Pare and wash the potatoes; drop them into water which is boiling very hard; let them boil moderately till done. As soon as they will pierce easily with a fork, pour off the water, place them over the fire again for a couple of minutes till perfectly dry, then mash them till they are entirely free from lumps. If any seasoning is desired, a little rich milk or sweet cream is sufficient. BROWNED MASHED POTATOES.—Prepare the same as mashed potatoes above; turn them immediately into a deep platter or dripping-pan, smooth them evenly and place in a hot oven till browned. POTATOE BALLS.—Take mashed potatoes, either cold or hot, and form them into small round cakes of three-fourths of an inch in thickness. Place them in a hot oven, and let them remain till well browned. STEWED POTATOES.—Cut cold boiled potatoes into48 thin slices, cover with milk or diluted sweet cream, and stew slowly till warmed through. CHOPPED POTATOES.—Place cold boiled potatoes in a wooden bowl; chop them with a chopping-knife till very fine; turn them into a deep platter; add milk till they are nearly covered, and bake in a moderately hot oven half an hour; stir them occasionally at first, then let a nice brown crust form upon them. BROWNED SLICED POTATOES.—Cut cold boiled potatoes into slices one-third of an inch in thickness; lay them on a platter in a hot oven till both sides are moderately browned. BROWNED POTATOES.—Boil potatoes of a nearly uniform size till about two-thirds done; pour off the water; remove the skins; place them in a hot oven, and bake till done. When baked potatoes are wanted in haste, this is a very quick and excellent method. BREAKFAST POTATOES.—Pare and wash the potatoes. Cut them in pieces one-third of an inch in thickness; boil in as little water as possible, so that it will nearly all be evaporated in cooking. When done, add a small quantity of sweet cream or milk thickened with a little flour. BOILED SQUASH.— Winter squash should be pared, cleaned inside, cut into small pieces, and boiled, or steamed, which is better. When done, mash and season with sugar, and it is ready for the table. BAKED SQUASH.—Take winter squash, cut in halves, partially clean them inside, and bake slowly in an oven an hour and a half; then scrape the inner surface and remove the squash from the rind—which has served as a dish in baking—mash and serve for the table. Or, cut the squash into several pieces, clean inside, and bake slowly. Eat the same as bread or baked potatoes. MASHED PARSNEPS.— Wash them thoroughly, and remove the skins by scraping. Split them into halves, or quarters, and boil till tender. When done, mash them the same as potatoes. BROWNED PARSNIPS.— Cold parsnips may be cut into pieces one-half inch in thickness, and browned in the oven the same as potatoes, or fried on a griddle. They are nice for breakfast. STEWED PARSNEPS.—Wash, scrape, and cut the parsnips into thin slices. Stew them in just water enough to prevent their burning. When nearly cooked, add a little boiling milk, and thicken with a small quantity of flour wet with cold milk. Let them simmer fifteen minutes. CARROTS.—Carrots may be boiled, stewed, or browned, in the same manner as parsnips. When stewed they are a favorite dish with many persons. BOILED TURNIPS.—When turnips are sweet and tender, they are best if boiled whole till soft, and then sent immediately to the table. If they are allowed to boil too long they become bitterish. An hour is the medium time. They are less watery and better flavored when boiled with their skins on, and pared afterward. MASHED TURNIPS.—This is the best method of preparing watery turnips, and a good way of cooking all cookable kinds. Pare, wash, and cut them in slices; put them in just enough boiling water to cover them; let them boil till soft; pour them into a seive or colander and press out the water; mash them with fresh milk or sweet cream until entirely free from lumps; then put them into a saucepan over the fire, and stir them about three minutes. STEWED TURNIPS.—Wash and pare your turnips, divide them into small pieces, and slice very thin. Put them into a stewpan with water sufficient to cook them. Cover close, and let them boil till all the water is evaporated. Then add a little salt, with cream or butter. Either is good. BOILED CABBAGE.—Take off the outer leaves; cut the head in halves or quarters, and boil quickly in a large quantity of water till done; then drain and press50 out the water, and chop fine. Cabbage requires boiling from half an hour to an hour. STEWED CABBAGE.—Slice the cabbage very fine, pour over it boiling water, nearly sufficient to cover it. Let it cook quickly till tender. Add boiling milk and thicken with flour wet with cold milk. Let it simmer fifteen minutes. This is excellent. CAULIFLOWER.—Cut off the green leaves; plunge the heads in boiling water and let them cook from twenty minutes to half an hour. Split the heads open and lay them in halves in vegetable dishes, and cover with a sauce made with boiling milk, thickened with flour wet with cold milk, and boiled till well cooked. GREENS.—Spinach, beet-tops, cabbage-sprouts, mustard leaves, turnip leaves, cowslips, dandelions, and deerweed, are all excellent for greens. They all require to be carefully washed and cleaned. Spinach should be washed repeatedly. All the cooking requisite is boiling till tender, and drain on a colander. Lemon juice is the only admissible seasoning. Boiled Beets.—Wash the roots carefully; avoid scraping, cutting or breaking the roots, as the juice would escape and the flavor be injured; put them into a pan of boiling water; let them boil one or two hours according to size; then put them in cold water and rub off the skin with the hand, and cut them in neat slices of uniform size. Good beets are sweet enough intrinsically, and need no seasoning. CHOPPED BEETS.—Boil them whole. Peel and chop fine. Season with butter and a little salt. BAKED BEETS.— Wash the roots clean, and bake whole till quite tender; put them in cold water; rub off the skin; if large, cut them in round slices, but if small, slice them lengthwise. If any seasoning is insisted on, lemon-juice is the most appropriate. When baked slowly and carefully, beet-root is very rich, wholesome, and nutritious. It usually requires baking four or five hours. STEWED ASPARAGUS.—Cut the tender parts of the stalks into pieces of half an inch in length. Wash them; put them in enough boiling water to cook them without burning, and when nearly done add a small quantity of sweet cream or milk thickened with flour.