Left Over Technique

Southland Times, Issue 25362, 14 August 1935, Page 5

Left Over Technique

Commonly and crudely referred to, in most households, as “left-over or “bitsa”—left-over food is always subjected to the ribald comments of the family, who, because on the whole, it is badly treated, usually make all kinds of objections to eating up what they term “the scraps.” . . These “scraps” of food remaining from the previous meal are in no wise less appetizing or valuable than the food eaten at the meal, and, properly treated, will make up all kinds of attractive dishes, though, it is true that twice-cooked food is never quite so nourishing. Meat souffles and some good tisn dishes may help to solve the problem of what to do with the left-over joint or fish for the housewife who likes to vary her menu. Cold Meat Souffle.

Ingredients: Three or four cold Jamb chops (or other cold meat), a little ham or bacon, 2 eggs, 1 small onion, breadcrumbs, 1 cup white sauce, salt, pepper, chopped parsley. Method: Remove meat from the

bones and chop finely; also chop the ham and bacon. Make the white sauce; add to it the meat and flavourings, also suffeient breadcrumbs to make two cupfuls of the mixture. Stir in the yolks of eggs, then the stiffly-beaten whites folded in. Turn into a greased souffle mould or piedish. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and bake 20 to 30 minutes. Serve very hot.

Left-over Poultry. (Chicken and Rice.)

Ingredients: Scraps of cold cooked chicken or other poultry, hard-boiled eggs, cooked rice, little butter, pepper and salt, white sauce or gravy.

Method: Mince the pieces of chicken. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in halves, remove yolks; mix with the minced chicken, butter, pepper and salt, and a little milk or cream to bind. Fill the hollows in the whites with the mixture. Serve on a border of rice (if cold, cooked rice, reheat by boiling for a few minutes), pour sauce or gravy over and serve hot. Fish Cakes. Ingredients: Any left-over cold cooked fish, 2 or 3 cooked potatoes, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, lemon-juice, little milk or egg glazing, breadcrumbs, frying fat. Method: Remove skin and bones from the fish and flake it with a fork. Mash the potatoes and rub through a sieve. Mix the potatoes, fish, salt and pepper, chopped parsley, lemon-juice, using a little milk or egg to bind the mixture. Turn on to a plate. Sprinkle a little flour on the board; take about one tablespoon of the mixture at a time and shape into flat cakes with a large knife. Lift into egg glazing, then into breadcrumbs, and wet fry a golden brown. Serve hot, garnished with lemon and parsley. Covered Fruit Tart.

Ingredients: Peaches or any leftover stewed fruit. Boz short pastry for a 6in sandwich tin. (If a larger tin is used, the quantity must be increased.) Method: Make the pastrv, using Boz flour, 1 level teaspoon baking powder, pinch salt, 4oz butter or fat, about 3 tablespoons water. Turn the pastry on to a floured board, cut in halves. Roll the larger half out about one inch larger than the tin. Grease the tin; lift the pastry in; add the fruit (if peaches, remove the flesh from the stones); brush the edges of the pastry with water; roll the other half of pastry about the same size as the top of the tin. Lift on, trim and pinch edges together-, glaze, and cook in a moderate oven about 20 minutes. Cabinet Pudding. (Stale Sponge Cake.) Ingredients: Slices of stale sponge cake, 2 or 3 eggs, .? pint milk, 2oz raisins, loz peel, few cherries, few drops essence, 1 tablespoon sugar. Method: Grease a pudding mould, decorate with rings of cherries. Arrange slices of cake and layers of fruit alternately. Beat eggs, add sugar and flavouring. Pour into the mould, cover with greased paper, and steam one hour. Stale Bread. For brown crumbs, dry the crusts and crumbs very slowly in the oven; then roll with a rolling-pin till very fine and rub through a sieve. Store in jars or bottles and use for sprinkling over ham, scallops or for coating. For white crumbs, dry thoroughly without browning, roll and sift as for brown crumbs. Use for puddings, covering fish, rissoles, croquettes, etc. Stale bread may also be used for fried or toasted croutons for savories, garnishes for soups, bread and buttei custards, charlottes, etc.