The Myrtle Reed Cook Book

VII

Slice large tomatoes, cut circles of bread to fit, and toast or fry the bread. Lay a slice of tomato on each piece, put a pimola in the centre, curl an anchovy around it and border with stiff Mayonnaise, using the pastry bag and tube. Serve ice cold.

VIII

Beat together two eggs, a tablespoonful of melted butter, a teaspoonful of anchovy sauce, and salt and cayenne to season. Add three tablespoonfuls of grated cheese and one tablespoonful of flour wet with cream. Spread thickly upon small slices of toast and bake until brown.

IX

Chop two hard-boiled eggs fine, mix to a smooth paste with melted butter, season with anchovy essence, and serve on small circles or squares of buttered toast.

X

Spread strips of toast with caviare rubbed to a smooth paste with butter, sprinkle with chopped watercress, and serve cold.

XI

Heat caviare with enough cream to moisten, spread on rounds of fried or toasted bread, and sprinkle with hard-boiled egg-yolks rubbed through a fine sieve. Garnish with cress.

XII

Spread thin rounds of toasted rye-bread with caviare, seasoned with lemon-juice. Lay a slice of hard-boiled egg on each one and serve with a garnish of parsley.

XIII

Spread thin squares of toast with caviare seasoned with lemon-juice, sprinkle with minced parsley, and border with chopped hard-boiled eggs. Garnish with lemon and parsley.

XIV

Chop fine, olives, pimentos, and cucumber pickles. Season caviare with lemon-juice and spread upon circles of fried or toasted bread. Cover with a thin layer of the chopped mixture.

XV

Spread butter upon thin round slices of rye-bread or Boston brown-bread and lay a thin slice of cucumber, which has been dipped in French dressing, on each piece. Remove the yolk from slices of hard-boiled egg, lay the ring of white on the cucumber, and fill the centre with caviare.

XVI

Season caviare with lemon-juice and spread upon rounds of toasted bread. Lay an oyster on each piece and serve on a plate with a garnish of cress and lemon.

XVII

Mix caviare to a cream with lemon-juice and spread on buttered toast cut into squares or diamonds. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs, chopped finely, and sprinkle with minced onion. Skinned and boned anchovies may be used instead of caviare.

XVIII

Heat a can of caviare with a little melted butter, season with lemon-juice and cayenne, and serve on small squares of hot buttered toast.

XIX

Fry small rounds of bread in butter, drain and cool. Chop watercress very fine, rub it to a paste with butter and spread on the toast. Sprinkle with salt and paprika, cover with caviare seasoned with lemon-juice, and serve with a garnish of cress.

XX

Spread thick rounds of fresh bread with butter and anchovy paste, cover with crab-meat, sprinkle with minced green pepper, press firmly, and serve with a garnish of cress.

XXI

Rub to a smooth paste the yolks of hard-boiled eggs and an equal quantity of skinned and boned sardines, seasoning with lemon-juice. Spread on narrow strips of buttered toast and serve either hot or cold.

XXII

Drain and skin boned sardines. Sauté in butter, season with salt, cayenne, and lemon-juice, and serve hot on small strips of buttered toast.

XXIII

Drain, skin, bone, and mash sardines. Rub to a smooth paste, moistening with melted butter and lemon-juice. Spread on small circles of bread, lay a ring of hard-boiled egg-white in the centre, fill the space with minced olives and surround with the sifted yolk. Serve with cress or parsley.

XXIV

Toast small slices of rye-bread and spread with sardines, pounded to a paste and rubbed smooth with butter. Arrange alternate rows of chopped hard-boiled egg yolks and whites, garnish with parsley and serve.

XXV

Rub boned and skinned sardines to a paste with butter and the yolks of hard-boiled eggs, seasoning with chopped pickle and parsley, lemon-juice, and mustard. Spread the paste on rounds or strips of fried bread, lay a skinned and boned sardine on each piece, heat thoroughly and serve.

XXVI

Spread rounds of fried bread with anchovy paste and cover with Mayonnaise to which has been added chopped capers, olives, and onion. Garnish with cress and serve cold.

XXVII

Fry small rounds of bread, spread with anchovy paste, lay a slice of tomato on each and serve ice cold, garnishing with cress or parsley.

XXVIII

Sprinkle rounds of fried bread with grated cheese, heat until the cheese melts, and serve very hot.

XXIX

Spread rounds of fried bread with caviare seasoned with lemon-juice, lay a slice of hard-boiled egg on each one, and sprinkle with chopped cress.

XXX

Rub chopped ham to a smooth paste, moistening with cream, milk, or melted butter. Spread on small rounds of fried bread, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and cayenne, and brown in a hot oven.

XXXI

Spread small strips of bread with butter and sprinkle with salt and paprika. Cover with grated cheese, bake until the cheese softens, and serve immediately.

XXXII

Butter small rounds of toast, cover with thin slices of Swiss cheese or sprinkle with grated Swiss cheese, brown in the oven, and serve hot.

XXXIII

Spread grated cheese on small rounds of bread seasoned with salt and cayenne, and bake until the cheese is melted. The bread may be spread with French mustard before the cheese is put on.

XXXIV

Rub two chicken livers to a smooth paste with butter, seasoning with salt and paprika, spread on rounds of fried bread, and serve hot.

XXXV

Mix equal quantities of minced cooked chicken, ham, or tongue with a little very thick Cream Sauce. Season with curry-powder and lemon-juice. Spread on small rounds of toast and serve hot, or make sandwiches of toast with the mixture between.

ONE HUNDRED SIMPLE SOUPS

BEEF SOUPS

BARLEY SOUP

Cook one cupful of barley slowly until soft. Drain, and add to beef stock made according to any preferred method. Serve very hot.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Soak two cupfuls of black beans in cold water over night. In the morning, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water. Boil until tender, add four cupfuls of beef stock, and two cupfuls of boiling water. Rub through a fine sieve, return to the fire, and bring to the boil. Season with salt, pepper, and a wineglassful of sherry. Cut into slices one lemon, and two hard-boiled eggs. Put into a tureen, pour the hot soup over, and serve.

BOSTON SUMMER SOUP

Cook together one cupful of peas and one cupful of tomatoes. Rub through a sieve, and add to four cupfuls of beef stock. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold stock. Simmer fifteen minutes, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and three tablespoonfuls of cooked peas. Season with salt and pepper, reheat and serve.

CREOLE SOUP

Half a can of tomatoes, three tablespoonfuls of rice, one half can of okra, and a red pepper, added to two quarts of beef stock. Simmer until the rice is cooked. Blend together two tablespoonfuls of flour, mix with a little cold stock, pour into the soup, and stir until it thickens. Season with salt and serve at once.

ENGLISH SPINACH SOUP

Cook half a peck of spinach, rub through a fine sieve, add six cupfuls of strong beef stock, season with salt, pepper, sugar, and mace, thicken with butter and flour, bring to the boil, and serve immediately.

ENGLISH TOMATO SOUP

Add one can of tomatoes to four cupfuls of beef stock, and simmer together for an hour, with a small onion cut fine. Rub through a sieve, reheat, season with salt, pepper, and sugar, and thicken with a tablespoonful of butter, rubbed smooth with a tablespoonful of flour, boiled in the soup, while stirring. When thick, add three tablespoonfuls of cold boiled rice, reheat, and serve with croutons.

ITALIAN ONION SOUP WITH CHEESE

Slice four large onions very thin, fry brown in butter, and add to four cupfuls of beef stock. Put into an earthen pot and arrange slices of toast on top, liberally sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve from the dish with one slice of toast for each person.

JULIENNE SOUP

Cut into thin, match-like strips carrots, turnips, and celery, having half a cupful of each. Cover with boiling water, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft. Add to two quarts of boiling beef stock.

SOUP OF MIXED VEGETABLES

One cupful each of chopped onion, carrot, celery, and tomatoes; one-half cupful each of chopped turnip, parsnip, and cabbage. Fry the onions and carrot in a little butter, then add four cupfuls of boiling water and four cupfuls of beef stock. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt, pepper, sugar, and minced parsley.

NOODLE AND TOMATO SOUP

Add a five-cent can of tomato paste to three pints of boiling beef stock. Season to taste, and cook in it noodles made according to directions given elsewhere. Serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese.

QUICK BEEF SOUP

Cook together in two quarts of water for half an hour, half an onion, three stalks of celery, and a sliced carrot. Season with salt, pepper, and mace. Strain, and add to the water two tablespoonfuls of extract of beef. Stir until dissolved, reheat and serve.

RICE AND CURRY SOUP

Melt in a saucepan two tablespoonfuls of butter, add a chopped onion, and a tablespoonful of chopped raw ham. Fry for three minutes. Add one tablespoonful of curry powder and two tablespoonfuls of flour. Mix thoroughly, add three quarts of beef stock, boil for one hour, skim, and press through a fine strainer into another saucepan. Add a pint of rice which has been cooked in stock, reheat, skim, and serve.

SPANISH ONION SOUP

Chop fine five onions and fry brown in butter, adding a teaspoonful of sugar. When brown, pour over eight cupfuls of hot beef stock. Add a bay leaf, half a dozen pepper-corns, and a tablespoonful of minced parsley. Simmer fifteen minutes, strain, and serve with dice of fried or toasted bread.

VEAL SOUP

Put a knuckle of veal into three quarts of cold water, with a teaspoonful of salt, and a tablespoonful of uncooked rice. Simmer gently for four hours, take from the fire, and strain through a colander. Beat the yolk of one egg with a cupful of milk, add a teaspoonful of butter, and strain the hot soup upon it, stirring constantly. Pour into the tureen and serve immediately.

WREXHAM SOUP

One pound of lean beef chopped fine. Peel and slice one large carrot, one large turnip, six small onions, a stalk of celery, and two cupfuls of tomatoes. Tie up in a muslin cloth a small bunch of parsley, six cloves, six pepper-corns, and a sprig of thyme. Put all these ingredients into a bean-pot, with a tablespoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of sugar and a pinch of pepper. Cover with five pints of cold water, and bake very slowly for five hours. Take out the bag of spices, and serve the soup with croutons.

BISQUES AND PURÉES

BISQUE OF CLAMS

Reheat four cupfuls of veal stock, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of butter, blended with two tablespoonfuls of flour, and rubbed smooth in the stock, while boiling. Add a small can of minced clams with their liquor, or twenty-five clams, chopped very fine. Season to taste, add two cupfuls of boiling cream, and serve immediately.

CRAB AND TOMATO BISQUE

Blend together two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour. Add one quart of cold milk, and cook slowly until it thickens, stirring constantly. Add one cupful of cooked crab meat, two cupfuls of stewed and strained tomatoes, a pinch of soda, and salt and pepper to season. Boil up once and serve.

PURÉE OF ASPARAGUS

Cut the tops from two bunches of asparagus, and set aside. Boil the stalks in salted water until tender, and rub through a sieve. Add the pulp to three pints of boiling beef stock, and season with salt, pepper, and butter. Simmer fifteen or twenty minutes. Stir in three tablespoonfuls of cream, strain the soup, add the cooked asparagus tips, and serve. This soup may be thickened if desired.

PURÉE OF GREEN PEAS

Boil four cupfuls of green peas in salted water with an onion, a small bunch of parsley, and two sprigs of mint. Rub through a colander and reheat. Add a cupful of veal stock, season with salt, pepper, and sugar, and thicken with one tablespoonful of butter blended with one tablespoonful of flour, and rubbed smooth in the soup, while boiling. Serve with croutons.

PURÉE OF KIDNEY BEANS

Soak over night two cupfuls of red kidney beans. Drain, and cook slowly until very soft in enough beef stock to cover. Rub through a coarse sieve. Add one-half cupful of salt pork, cut into dice and fried until brown and crisp, two onions, one carrot, and a tablespoonful of powdered sweet herbs. Add four cupfuls of beef stock, and simmer for an hour. Strain, add two tablespoonfuls of sherry or claret, reheat, and serve.

PURÉE OF PEAS AND RICE

Rub through a sieve one cupful of cooked peas, and one cupful of cold boiled rice. Mix with six cupfuls of boiling beef stock, thicken with butter and flour, according to directions previously given, and serve very hot.

PURÉE OF TOMATOES

Boil together for half an hour one can of tomatoes, and one large onion, chopped fine. Run through a sieve, return to the fire, and season with pepper, salt, and sugar. Blend together two tablespoonfuls of butter, and one tablespoonful of flour. Add two cupfuls of cold milk, and cook until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of soda. Reheat, add half a cupful of cracker crumbs, and serve immediately.

PURÉE OF TOMATOES AND MACARONI

Cook together for an hour, one can of tomatoes, a sprig of parsley, a teaspoonful of celery seed, a teaspoonful of sugar, a blade of mace, a bay-leaf, and a small onion chopped fine. Rub through a coarse sieve, add two cupfuls of beef stock, season with salt and pepper, and thicken with one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, rubbed together and boiled in soup, while stirring. When thickened add one cupful of cooked macaroni, cut into small bits.

CHICKEN SOUPS

CHICKEN BOUILLON

Cut up a chicken, cover with cold water, add a small onion sliced, a stalk of celery cut fine, and a small bunch of parsley. Simmer until the meat falls from the bones, strain through cheese-cloth, cool, skim, reheat, season with salt and pepper, and serve in cups.

CHICKEN SOUP

Select an old fowl and cut it in pieces. Put into the soup-kettle, with a sliced carrot, two onions, two cloves, and water to cover. Simmer for three or four hours, and strain. Reheat the liquor, add one cupful each of washed rice and meat of the chicken, a small turnip chopped, and a blade of mace. Simmer for three hours, rub through a sieve, season to taste, and serve.

CHICKEN AND TOMATO SOUP

Cut up a chicken, fry in butter with an onion, and a slice of ham chopped fine. Add two quarts of beef stock, two cupfuls of water, a small bunch of parsley, a tablespoonful of powdered sweet herbs, and salt and pepper to season. Add a can of tomatoes and cook until the meat falls from the bones. Remove the bones, chop the meat fine, reheat, and serve.

CREAM OF CHICKEN

Melt one tablespoonful of butter, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, and, when thoroughly blended, three cupfuls of chicken stock. Season to taste, add one cupful of boiling cream, and serve.

CREAM OF CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS

Prepare Cream of Chicken according to directions given above, and add one cupful of cooked asparagus, which has been rubbed through a sieve. Add the asparagus tops, cooked separately, and serve with unsweetened whipped cream.

CREAM OF CHICKEN AND BARLEY

Prepare Cream of Chicken according to directions given above, and add one cupful of barley which has been cooked in chicken stock. Add more cream if too thick.

CREAM OF CHICKEN AND CELERY

Chop fine one head of celery, and boil until soft in four cupfuls of chicken stock. Rub through a sieve, reheat, thicken with two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, boiled in the soup, while stirring, season to taste, add two cupfuls of boiling cream, and serve.

CREAM OF CHICKEN AND NOODLES

Prepare Cream of Chicken according to directions given above, and add one cupful of cooked noodles. Season with grated Parmesan cheese.

CREAM OF CHICKEN AND OYSTERS

Prepare Cream of Chicken according to directions given above, and add one cupful of cooked oysters with their liquor. Season with minced parsley and lemon-juice.

CREAM OF CHICKEN AND SAGO

Prepare Cream of Chicken according to directions given above, and add one cupful of sago which has been cooked in chicken stock. Dilute with boiling cream if too thick, and serve with whipped cream in each plate.

CREAM OF CHICKEN AND VERMICELLI

Prepare Cream of Chicken according to directions given above, and add one cupful of broken vermicelli, which has been cooked in chicken stock. Season with minced parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese.

CREAM CHICKEN BOUILLON

Prepare Cream of Chicken according to directions given above, thicken with one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, add one cupful of boiling cream, and serve in cups with a tablespoonful of unsweetened whipped cream on each cup.

CREOLE CHICKEN GUMBO

Cut up a chicken, and fry brown in ham or bacon fat. Cover with three quarts of cold water, and boil until the chicken is tender. Add the corn cut from three large ears, or half a can of corn, two sliced tomatoes, two potatoes cut into dice, six pods of okra, and half a cupful of cold boiled ham chopped fine. Boil until the chicken falls to pieces, take out the bones, and serve.

EGG AND CHICKEN SOUP

Reheat six cupfuls of chicken stock, add half a cupful of cold boiled rice, and two hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine. Thicken with one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, rubbed smooth in the boiling soup, season with salt, pepper, and minced parsley, and serve.

GERMAN CHICKEN SOUP

Reheat six cupfuls of chicken stock, add one cupful of cooked tapioca, and one cupful of milk. Season to taste. Thicken with the yolks of two eggs beaten smooth with one cupful of cream, stir until eggs are cooked, and pour the hot soup over the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth.

GIBLET SOUP

Reheat four cupfuls of chicken stock. Add the finely minced cooked giblets of two chickens, and salt, pepper, and parsley to season. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls each of butter and browned flour, rubbed smooth in the boiling soup. Add two hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped, and serve.

HUNGARIAN CHICKEN SOUP

Chop fine, two cupfuls of cold roast chicken. Fry in butter, dredge with flour, add four cupfuls of chicken stock, one cupful of white wine, a bay-leaf, a sprig of thyme, and a small bunch of parsley. Simmer for an hour, rub through a sieve, and reheat. Add one-half cupful of chicken cut into dice, a shredded green pepper, which has been fried in butter, and a cupful of barley which has been cooked in chicken stock. Season to taste, and serve.

JELLIED CHICKEN BOUILLON

Cut up a large chicken and break the bones. Cover with cold water, and simmer for four hours. Cool, skim, and strain, season to taste, reheat, and add one-half package of gelatine, dissolved in cold water, for each quart of soup. Stir until the gelatine is thoroughly mixed with the hot liquid, strain through cheese-cloth, pour into cups, and set on ice.

MOCK CHICKEN GUMBO

Chop fine a quarter of a pound of cold cooked ham, and fry in butter with an onion. Add a can of chicken, half a cupful of stewed tomatoes, a can of okra, one cupful of chicken stock, and boiling water to cover. Boil for fifteen minutes, and thicken with a tablespoonful each of butter and flour, blended with a little cold stock. Season to taste, and serve with boiled rice.

CREAM SOUPS

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS

Prepare according to directions given for Cream of Celery, using two cupfuls of asparagus. Add a tablespoonful of whipped cream and a few of the cooked asparagus tops to each plate of soup.

CREAM OF BARLEY

Prepare according to directions given for Cream of Celery, using one cupful of cooked barley and an extra cupful of milk. Season with curry powder, celery salt, and minced parsley.

CREAM OF CELERY

Melt one-fourth of a cupful of butter, and add one-fourth of a cupful of flour. When thoroughly blended, add two cupfuls of cold milk, cook and stir until thick. Cook a large head of celery, cut fine, in boiling water until tender, and rub through a sieve. Measure the pulp and add enough of the water in which it was cooked to make two cupfuls. Add to the thickened milk, season with salt and pepper, and if too thick, dilute with boiling milk, or stock, to the proper consistency.

CREAM OF CLAMS

Prepare according to directions given above, using two cupfuls of minced clams with their liquor instead of the celery.

CREAM OF CORN AND TOMATO

Prepare according to directions given above, using one cupful each of corn and tomato pulp.

CREAM OF CRABS

Prepare according to directions given above, using two cupfuls of cooked crab meat. Season with lemon-juice and sherry.

CREAM OF MUSHROOMS

Prepare according to directions given above, using either fresh or canned mushrooms. Season with celery salt and parsley.

CREAM OF OYSTERS

Prepare according to directions given above, using two cupfuls of minced oysters with their liquor. Season with minced parsley.

CREAM OF PEAS

Prepare according to directions given above, using fresh or canned peas and enough of the water in which they were boiled to make two cupfuls. Put a tablespoonful of whipped cream into each plate.

CREAM OF TOMATO

Prepare according to directions given above, using two cupfuls of stewed tomatoes, and a small pinch of soda. Season with minced parsley and grated onion.

CREAM OF VERMICELLI

Prepare according to directions given above, using one cupful of cooked vermicelli, and an extra cupful of milk. Season with celery salt, curry powder, grated onion, and minced parsley.

FISH SOUPS

CLAM BROTH

Scrub the clams in cold water. Place over the fire in an iron kettle, and heat until the shells open. Strain the broth through two thicknesses of cheese-cloth, season to taste, and serve.

CLAM BOUILLON

Prepare according to directions elsewhere given for Oyster Bouillon, cooking a chopped onion and a bay-leaf with the clams.

CREAM CLAM BOUILLON

Prepare Clam Bouillon according to directions given above, and add one pint of boiling cream just before serving. Serve in cups, with whipped cream.

CLAM SOUP

Reheat one quart of clam broth, season with parsley, salt, red pepper, and grated onion. Add one cupful and a half of minced clams, and thicken with one tablespoonful of butter and two tablespoonfuls of flour, blended with a little cold broth. Stir while cooking. Add one pint of boiling cream, and serve.

CLAM AND OYSTER SOUP

Chop a pint of oysters. Heat with their liquor, add a pint can of minced clams, and one quart of milk. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, season with salt and pepper, minced parsley, powdered mace, and grated onion. Serve with crackers.

CRAB GUMBO

Melt one tablespoonful each of butter and lard, add a minced onion, a clove of garlic, chopped fine, half a pound of minced raw veal or beef, half a cupful of chopped ham, a bay-leaf, and a small red pepper. Dredge with flour, add a quart of water, simmer for two hours, and strain. To the strained liquor add the meat of six crabs, one cupful each of rice and okra, and another quart of water. Simmer for an hour, adding more water if necessary, and serve without straining.

FRENCH FISH SOUP

Thicken three quarts of fish stock with three tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour. Stir while cooking. Add a tablespoonful of minced parsley, two wineglassfuls of sherry, a pinch of powdered mace, a grating of nutmeg, and white and red pepper to season. Add one pint each of cooked oysters and scallops, reheat, and serve immediately with croutons.

GERMAN FISH SOUP

Chop fine four onions, and fry brown in olive-oil. Add two cupfuls of canned tomatoes, three bay-leaves, a tablespoonful of powdered sweet herbs, a bunch of parsley, pepper and salt to season, and six cupfuls of stock. Boil for thirty minutes, rub through a sieve, and reheat. Add six small slices of fish, and simmer until the fish is firm. Season with curry powder, add a wineglassful of white wine, and thicken with four tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold stock. Serve with croutons.

OYSTER BOUILLON

Bring to the boil in their own liquor a quart of oysters. Skim out the oysters, chop fine, and return to the liquor. Add a quart of water, a teaspoonful of celery seed, and a tablespoonful of butter. Simmer for half an hour, strain through cheese-cloth, season with salt and pepper, and serve at once.