IN THE KITCHEN

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 33, 2 November 1929, Page 22

IN THE KITCHEN

THE SPRING SALAD. The most tempting way of administeriug green stuffs is iu the form of salads, and the housewife who has mastered the delicate but not difficult art ot composing them attractively deserves well of her family. Half the charm of a salad is iu its appearance; so be sure always to give it a tempting frame. Choose a glass or crystal bowl in preference to a flowered one, and pay great attention to the garnishing, also to the dressing. It may be garnished with hard-boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, be'etroot, nasturtiums (if in season) and many other things that will go to the making of a pretty dish. Care must be taken that the greens for a salad are as fresh as possible. If at all stale and dead looking, immerse them in cold water for an hour or two to reiresn and make them crisp. • Then wash and drain them thoroughly by swinging them gently in a clean cloth. They must be thoroughly drained before the sauce -is added, or it will be watery and thin. In any case, do not add the dressing until just about to serve the salad. Much the better plan indeed is to serve the dressing separately, allowing each person to help him or herself from a jug to match your bowl. Many persons consider young spring onions, cut up small a nice adjunct to a salad, but before these are added the housewife should consult the tastes of those for whom she caters. They will often be abjured by even those who like them, by reason of the unpleasant after-effects on the breath. . , One of the great advantages of salads, outside the question of health, is that if you have any left-overs of fish, chicken, ham or indeed any cold meats, you can by combining them with the greens, furnish forth a dainty luncheon or supper dish which,is certain to be approved. Say you have some remains of roast or boiled chicken or fowl—not sufficient in itself for a meal. Try extending it in the form of

• A Chicken Salad; —Trip neatly the remains of a chicken or fowl, and cut into small pieces, adding a little bam if liked. Wash, dry and slice the lettuces and place in a salad bowl. Leave a depression in the centre into which place the meat. Pour over it a well-made mayonnaise dressing. Garnish the edges of the salad with hard-boiled eggs cut in rings, sliced cucumbers, tomato, beetroot, or as your taste directs. , Instead of cutting the egg in rings, a pretty idea is to rub ■the yolks through a strainer, chop the whites finely, and arrange on the salad border—yellow or white alternately in little heaps. Acceptable to nearly everyone is a well-made lettuce salad to which you can give endless variety by combining with it other vegetables cooked and raw, such as green peas, string beans, asparagus. celery, etc., when -in season — either as a garnish or for the body of the salad. Thus, sameness is obviated. Lettuce Salad:—Shred or cut the lettuce up finely; place in the salad bowl and garnish daintily. The mayonnaise sauce is better served separately. If served with the salad it should be poured round —not over.

From a recently-published New Zealand cookery book some good recipes and suggestions for salad-making are as follow: Tomato and Cucumber Salad : —Drop the tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds to remove the skins; slice carefully and put into the salad bowl. Peel and slice the cucumbers, thinly. Ring the tomatoes with the cucumber slices. Sprinkle with.salt, pepper and a sparse

amount of vinegar. May also be served on a bed of lettuce. Use mayonnaise dressing if liked. Fish Salad :—Any firm fish can be used. Take half a pound or so of cold cooked fish, two hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, salad dressing.’ Wash and dry the lettuce, and arrange it on a pretty dish. Quarter the eggs and put them round. After removing the skin and bones, flake the fish into neat pieces and lay*it on the salad. Pour a good thick mayonnaise dressing over and' serve. This is nice served on individual plates. Crayfish Salad: —To half a pound of cut-up crayfish allow two tablespoonsful of lemon juice. Put in a cool pla'ee till ready for use. Serve on tender lettuce leaves (a leaf for each individual with the fish on it). Sprinkle a little salt, and pour a good mayonnaise dressing over it.- Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Or the fish may be made the basis of a good ordinary lettuce salad. Fruit Salad :—One dozen ripe bananas, one pineapple, three or more, oranges, two lemons, passion fruit. A tin of peaches, apricots or pears when these fruits are not in season may be used. See that you get them in heavy syrup which you can use in the salad. Cut the pieces small, and mix with the rest of the fruits. Slice the bananas thinly, chop up the pineapple, shred the oranges, and scoop out the passion fruit. 'Add the grated rind of one orange, and the juice of two lemons. If you arc not using tinned fruit sprinkle powdered sugar over the mass as your taste dictates. Top with sweetened whipped cream and decorate with coloured jelly or chopped nuts; or the cream may be served separately. (Any fruits in season may be used.)

A CENTENARIAN. When Mrs. Travers (or Macintyre), widow of General James Travers, an' Indian Mutiny V.C., celebrated her 100th birthday at her home, Bridge of Allan, Scotland, among the congratulations she received was the following letter sent on behalf of the King and Queen from Sandringham (says the “Morning Post”): — “It has been brought to the notice of the King and Queen that to-morrow (Saturday) you will celebrate your hundredth birthday, and I am desired to convey to you Their Majesties’ sincere congratulations and best wishes on the attainment of this venerable age. The King and Queen are much interested to hear of the distinguished military record of your family, and realise how very proud you must be that your husband and brother were awarded the Victoria Cross. Their Majesties trust that the remainder of your long and active life may be blessed with happiness and tranquillity.” Mrs. Travers’s younger brother, the late Major-General Donald Macintyre, was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1872 for gallantry in the expedition against the Looshais; Other members of Mrs. Travers’s family rendered distinguished military Service. She had no children. OVERSEAS NOTES. Donna Rachele, the wife of Mussolini, is a home lover, and takes no active part in her husband’s public affairs. One of a large family, she spent her childhood in the Appenine Hills, where she worked to assist her widowed mother and endured many privations. During her husband’s meteoric career she has remained unobtrusively in the background, caring for her children and attending to the duties of her. home. She keeps only two maids and personally secs her two boys to school each day. Donna Rachele, it is said, has a personality of great charm.

AMERICAN INTEREST IN NEW ZEALAND. “One thing I can say,” said Miss Bathie Stewart, the lecturer-entertainer, of Auckland, “is that after several months’ residence in California, I never heard people comment so much on the English as I hear people in New Zealand commenting on Americans. To me they were a kindly, hospitable people, and showed immense interest in my efforts to tell them something about New Zealand —its history, the Maori songs and customs, and scenic attractions—at the various women’s clubs. They simply swarmed round me and wanted to know lots of things about New Zealand that I could tell them. Never once did I perceive any anti-English prejudice in their talk or manner. As far as I was concerned, it simply did not exist.” Miss Stewart will be remembered as the young lady who supervised the “talkie” prologue to the New Zeaknd picture, “Under the Southern Cross, seen here a few weeks ago. BRUSHES AND BROOMS Brushes and brooms that have become very dirty can be cleaned by moving the head about vigorously in boiling soapsuds to which a generous amount of borax -has been added. Rinse well in tepid water, then in cold salted water. The salt not only removes any dirt which has escaped the soap, but also renders the bristles hard yet pliable, and therefore more effective for brushing and collecting dirt. Brushes of the softer variety that have become damaged through standing on their heads can be restored by holding the bristles over the steam from a boiling kettle. After steaming, rub the hand gently over the surface of the bristles; this will encourage them to rise still more. Tack a piece of some woollen material round the woodwork of the heads of brushes and brooms; this will prevent the chipping or scratching of furniture. When not in use, all brushes and brooms should be kept off the floor. Tie a piece of string round the handle of each and suspend from a nail. If this method is adopted, there will be no danger of the tips of bristles becoming slanted through resting on the floor. ♦ o » THE CURVE ROOM Why is it, asks an overseas authority, that we are so slavishly devoted to angularity in our homes? With curves expressed by nature in everything around us, and even our bodies free from any angles, we still surround ourselves with straight Jfnes. Perhaps a room dominated by curves would be restful to the nerves as being more in accordance with nature. Or would it give one a feeling of giddiness? The room may have a domed ceiling, and, while its four walls might have to be parallel, the corners and the junctions of the walls and ceilings could be rounded in a very pronounced manner. Curved lines should dominate the design of all furniture. The fronts of the drawers oval instead of flat, for example, perhaps a circular door to a cupboard; and, if possible, an entrance door.

Windows, tables, chairs and rugs offer no difficulties, and the scheme of wall decoration could be made to accentuate the effect of the whole.

A curve room would cost a good deal of money to build and furnish if the idea was carried out thoroughly, logically and practically, but the reality might prove far more restful nnd pleasing than some of the modern buildings with their cubist inspiration.