RECIPES FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 145, 20 June 1931, Page 20 (Supplement)

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK.

THE ONCE DESPISED LIVER AND BACON.

(By A FRENCH CHEF.) The once despised liver and bar cm now has its place beside poulet a la reine and other erstwhile exclusive occupants of the bill of fare, even at our most exclusive and epicurean hotels. It no longer belongs to the lower ranks of food products and it justly deserves all the honours that can be heaped upon it, for the true food worth of liver, along with that of the heart muscles, kidney, and other glandular organs, has put this type of meat among those that should be placed at the top of the list of valuable foods. And there are many reasons for this. Nutrition specialists will tell you that the proteins contained in heart muscle, in liver, and in kidney, are somewhat superior in quality, that is, in power to build goo-1 body tissues, to those of muscle meal, and compare very favourably with those of milk in nutritive value, and these are considered very superior indeed. These glandular tissues are all rich in vitamin. Of these, liver is the best source of this vitamin, so essential for growth promotion, for vigour, and vitality for the maintenance of healthy skin and hair, to establish resistance to disease, and to promote longevity. Such being the case, it behoves us to include this important food in our dietary at frequent intervals, and in order to lend variety and avoid monotony \j learn and serve it in a variety of appetising dishes. Foie de Veau Braise (Braise Liver). One of the nicest methods of preparing and cooking liver is the followings Cut the liver in thin slices. Put two tablespoonfuls 6alad oil or other fat in a saucepan and two or three slices of bacon cut in dice, a teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley, a bunch of spring onions cut in slices, and four or five large mushrooms cut in slices, and seasoned with salt and pepper. Lay the slices of liver on top of this, then another layer of bacon, onions, and mushrooms, and so on, until the liver is all URed. Cover and simmer over a slow fire until the liver is cooked, and serve with its own gravy. If desired, the gravy may be thickened by adding a tablespoonful of butter and flour creamed together and diluted with a little hot gravy. Serve with moulds of spinach and plain boiled or mashed pota*'-'''*. Foie de Yeau a la Uormande. Ingredients: Eight potatoes, 6 slice* liver, 6 slices bacon, 1 quart sauerkraut, small beets. Wash the potatoes, cook, mash. Add one-fourth to $ cup hot milk, 1 teaspoonful salt, 2 to 4 tablespoonfuls butter, and 1 egg. Mix well and beat until fluffy. Fill a ring mould. Turn out on a fire-proof platter and put in the oven to brown. Broil the bacon and saute the liver. Heat the small beets in a little butter and vinegar and nut the sauerkraut in the bacon fat in which the liver was cooked. Mix well and heat. Fill the ccutre of the potatoes ring with the hot sauerkraut and arrange the liver, bacon and beets on the outside. This, accompanied by a tomato and lettuce salad, with green pepper dressing, and a dessertspoonful of jelly fruits, with marguerites and green pepper relish, or mustard pickle and rolls and butter, makes m delicious and ■wholesome lunch menu.

Foie de Yeau a l’Espagnol. Half a pound liver, six or eight slices bacon, one onion, juice one lemon, one large tomato sliced. Cut the liver in pieces the size of an oyster. \Vra each piece in a slice of bacon.. Put in a casserole. Add the minced onion and lemon juice, and top w*ith the slices of tomato. Sprinkle well with salt. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve on slices of hot buttered toast. Strain the sauce of the whole. Garnish with halves of .vieJ carrots, parsnips or baked banana. Foje de Yeau au Riz Espagnol. Half a cup rice, cooked in three to five quarts of water, two tablespoonfuls salad ail, three large onions, peeled and sliced, two green peppers cleaned and sliced, one pound liver, quarter of a pound sliced bacon. Clean the rice and cook in the water until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water. While the rice is cooking, heat the salad oil, and add the onions and green peppers and cook till tender. Add the rice, and continue cooking until it is brown, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Try out the bacon and remove the brown paper. Slice the liver, dip in flour, and cook in the bacon fat. When the rice is brown, remove it to a casserole, arrange the liver and bacon on top. This dish, followed by a plain lettuce or cabbage salad, dressed in French dressing, accompanied with hot rolls and followed by a fruit dessert, makes a delicious and wholesome luncheon, rich in iron and vitainine. If desired, it may be preceded by a tomato bisque, or a clear tomato bouillon.

SOUFFLES. Souffles are delicious and easily digested, no trouble to prepare, and practically cook themselves while the first course of the meal is being eaten. Here are a few excellent souffle recipes: Vanilla Souffle.—ln a casserole, melt a small dessertspoonful of fresh butter, blend it with l£oz flour, add gradually a quarter pint warm milk, stir to a smooth paste with a few drops of vanilla essence. When slightly cooked, add three yolks of eggs, three ounces sugar, a email pinch of salt, and finally, the very stiffly beaten whites of eggs. Add only a quarter of the egg-white at first, and beat it thoroughly to get a perfectly smooth paste, and then stir the rest in lightly. Put into a wellbuttered fire-proof dish, and bake twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Serve immediately when done. Use new laid eggs only. The whites must be very stiff. If your dish is shallow, tie a band of buttered paper round it to prevent the mixture from running over. The souffle should rise well, and be nicely browned on the top. The quantity given will be sufficient for four persons. Chocolate souffle is made exactly like the vanilla and two ounces of grated chocolate are added to and dissolved in the milk.

Almond Souffle. —Leave out the vanilla and add one ounce of ground almonds, and a few drops of almond essence as well. Macaroon Souffle.—Add to the mixture one and a half ounces of crumbled macaroons before stirring in the beaten whites.

Lemon Souffle.—lnstead of vanilla add grated lemon-rind and a few drops of lemon juice. Orange Souffle.—Substitute orange juice nnd rind of lemon. Add two or three drops of maraschino.