FOR THE HOME.

Thames Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 20421, 24 September 1938, Page 4

FOR THE HOME.

SELECTED RECIPES.

HOUSEWIFE’S PROBLEM. A question that is continually ton flouting the housewife is the mattei of preparing new dishes for the dailj menu. Below are some selected re eipes that should prove helpful:— RIPE CUCUMBER PICKLES, Three lbs pared ripe cucumbers, lime water, (5 cupsful sugar, 2 quarts water, 2 cupsful vinegar, 2 tablespoonsful cinnamon, 2 tablespoonsful cloves, 2 tablespoonsful allspice, 1 tablespoonful mace. Cut the cucumbers in lengths and soak in lime water for three hours. Drain and soak in fresh water for 1 hour. Make a syrup by boiling together the water and 4 cupsful of sugar. Drain the cucumber and cook

rapidly in the syrup 30 minutes. Add 2. cupsful of sugar, vinegar, and the spices, tied in a bag and cook until the cucumbers are transparent. Remove the spice bag, pack in hot jars, and seal. Brown sugar may be used. TOMATO CATSUP. Ten lbs tomatoes: 1 cupful vinegar; 3 teaspoonsful salt; J cupful sugar; f teaspoonful ground mustard; 2 teaspoonsful paparika; 3 medium sized onions, sliced; 2 large sweet peppers; h tablespoonful whole cloves; 3 2ineh pieces cinnamon stick; 4 tablespoonful all-spice; 3 teaspoonful celery seed.

Select ripe tomatoes. Wash, cut in pieces, throwing away discoloured parts. For each 10 lbs tomatoes, allow the above quantities of ingredients. Cook tomatoes, onions and seed-

ed and sliced peppers for 30 minutes, then rub through a fine seive. Cook till slightly thickened. Add vinegar, sugar, paprika, mustard, celery seed and salt. Tie spices in muslin and cook all together, stirring frequently till the right consistency. Fill sterilised bottles with catsup. Seal and store in a dark, cool place. Makes 1 to 2 quarts of catsup. BANANA SPONGE. 8 ripe bananas, 1 lemon, 11 pints cold water, 4oz loaf sugar, loz best leaf gelatine, 2 eggs. Peel the fruit and mash it smoothly, rub some of the lemon rind on the sugar and add that, also the juice of half a lemon. Dissolve the gelatine in the w r ater. Add this to the banana mash, and stir over a fire until the sugar and gelatine are perfectly melted, lift it off, leave till nearly cold, then whisk it well. Beat the eggwhites stiffly, whip that into tlio sponge, pour it all into a well rinsed mould, and let it set on ice.

WHAT TO DO. When the fruit sinks to the bottom of a cake, it may be for any one of tlio following reasons: 1. Tlio mixture may be too- moist and not sufficently stiff. 2. The mixture may havo been allowed to stand some time be-

fore being put in a tin and thence into tlio oven. The moment tlio mix-

ture is completed it should be at once placed in a tin and immediately introduced to the oven. 3. If fho oven is not hot enough the fruit will also sink. When making cakes, the best .materials should be chosen. Currants, well washed drained, dried in a cloth, put by the fire, and then rubbed in flour. Sultanas should bo well picked over, and raisins stoned and pulled in half. Flour must bo sifted and quite dry. Sugar very fine without any lumps. Butter warmed, then beaten to a cream with the hand or a wooden spoon.