TOPICS FOR WOMEN

Waipawa Mail, Volume LXVIII, Issue 60, 16 February 1940, Page 4

TOPICS FOR WOMEN

SALUTE THE FRYING PAN.

SIMPLE AND TASTY DISHES. Salute the frying-pan, for how often has it rescued us from difficulties in emergency! How many delicious and simple dishes has it not provided: Sausages, eggs and bacon, fried potato cake, tomatoes .... Yes, but what else. Today we may well examine our frying-pan dishes: we shall be astonished at their paucity. And yet the frying-pan provides some of the simplest forms of cooking, as well as great economy in ingredients and in fuel, too. Let us make a note of some not-too-familiar frying-pan recipes:—■ FISH A LA MEUNIERE. This very easy French method was described in an article about a' year ago, but to-day we can be brief, writes Ambrose Heath in 1 ‘ The Queen.” The method is to season the fish with salt and pepper and roll it in flour. It is then fried golden on each side, and when it is dished up a little lemon is squeezed over it, with a pinch or two of finely chopped parsley, a little more butter is put into the pan, cooked until it is a light brown and smells nutty, and then poured over the fish which is served piping hot. This method applies to any small whole fish, and to fillets or cutlets of larger fish. The garnish can be varied in a number of ways, including the following:— Shrimps and minced mushrooms; shrimps, capers, and soft roes fried in the same way; capers and slices of raw lemon; mushrooms alone; or the fish can be fried in olive oil instead of butter. All excellent dishes, and by the way an admirable manner of dignifying, for example the humble cod steak, or still humbler herring. SOLE MURAT. This is one of the masterpieces of the frying-pan and very delicious. For each fillet allow a small raw potato cut in little cubes and half a tinned artichoke bottom. Cut the fillet diagonally into thin strips, and roll them in seasoned flour. Fry the cubes of potato in a little butter, then add the fish and fry this too. and lastly the artichoke cut in pieces, and toss them all together. Pour them into a dish, sprinkle with a little lemon juice and chopped parsley, put a little more butter in the pan, cook it until it is just turning brown, and pour it quickly over the dish. Mushrooms can be used, but these should first be lightly fried. Steaks, cutlets, chops, all these have come to us from the fryingpan, and although a great deal is to be said for grilling, the flavor of a fried steak is often to be preferred, especially if it is one of those little tournedoes, of which the French are so fond. Here, of course, there are limitless garnishes to brighten the dish, and they can be found in any cookery book. But in my opinion, another triumph of the frying-pan is in a dish like this one of veal cutlet, not really at all expensive in spite of the cost of a little cream. ESCALOPE DE VEAL A LA CREME.

Beat the veal cutlet as thin as you can, and season it lightly with salt and white pepper. Melt a little butter in the frying-pan, and fry the cutlet or cutlets in it until lightly brown on each side, then take them out and keep them warm on a plate. Now pour a little cream (three or four tablespoonfuls would be enough for two) into the pan, and stir and scrape until the cream boils and thickens a little and becomes a beautiful coffee-color. Dish the cutlets quickly (if there is any juice that has come to them while they were waiting, add this to the sauce), and pour the sauce over them. Mashed potato is, I think, essential with this delicate dish, which contains the ■whole flavor of veal, and perhaps some very delicately-flavored vegetable, too; nothing strong like cabbage or sprouts; perhaps a good tin of peas at this time of year would be as suitable as anything. ESCALOPE DE VEAL PERSELLEE.

This is a delicious variant of the ordinary veal cutlet as we know it. In this case they are coated, after “egging” and before frying, with a mixture of breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, to which (for the discriminating) the faintest breath of garlic has been added. VEAL CUTLET MODENESE.

Another variation. The cutlet is egg-and-breadcrumbed and fried in the usual way, but it is served covered with tomato sauce to which has been added a little veal gravy, chopped lightly-fried onion, and small dice of cooked lean bacon. POTATO HASH.

Peel some potatoes and chop them up fairly small. Melt a little butter in the frying-pan, and when it is smoking, put in the potato, seasoning with salt and pepper and pressing down so that the layer is as thin as possible. Put a plate on the top, and cook on a moderate heat until the bottom is bTown and they are soft and buttery. CINNAMON APPLES. Peel some eating apples, cut them in thinnish quarters, and take out the core. Cook them slowly in butter in the frying-pan, turning now and again until soft and browned. Now sprinkle over them some brown sugar and a. little powdered cinnamon, cook them a trifle longer, and serve. SPANISH FRITTERS. Cut some stale white bread into crustless rounds the thickness . of your little finger, and soak them in a little milk in which you have powdered cinnamon and castor sugar. When well soaked, drain and dry a little, then fry them golden on each side on a little butter, and hand with hot jam.

FRIED HAM AND CHEESE.

Make a sandwich with a thin slice of ham and of cheese between two thin slices of bread. Dip the sandwiches in milk, then egg-and-bread-crumb, and fry in a little hot olive oil. GREEN NOT TABOO. BALLET AND SUPERSTITION. Superstitions are not the same all the world over—which has been proved by the purchases of members of the de Basil Russian Ballet during their stay at Bombay and Colombo, states the “Sydney Morning Herald.” Most of the girls of the company bought dress lengths and Indian scarves, green being the favorite color. And green is generally thought to be taboo in the theatre. But in Russia, green is the color of hope and success—and though these girls now share some of our English customs, they will not share our superstition about green. Olga Morosova, Madame Tchinarova, Tamara Grigorieva, and Lara Obidenna were among those who bought dress lengths—all green run with a silver thread. But though the girls do not share our superstition about green, they do believe in black cats. The whole company has adopted a kitten which watches their rehearsals with sucfi interest at 206 Pitt street. And most of them now have koala bears to act as lucky mascots, too. RIGID RULES. FOR BOTTLING FRUIT. Here are a few important rules to observe when bottling fruit or vegetables:— The fruit should be just ripe (better to be under-ripe than over-ripe). Grade fruit according to size and ripeness. Strain syrup through a muslin (makes and keeps syrup clear). Use sterilised jars with no chips (this would cause fermentation). Rubber bands to be quite new (not last season’s). To pack the fruit well in wetted jars and arrange it with wooden spoon or pick. Always have false bottom in steriliser in order to keep jar away from direct heat.

To unscrew the top just a little (about half a turn) before sterilising. If screwed too tight would prevent the escape of steam, and bottles burst. After sterilisation is completed, remove bottles one by one, place on wooden surface, and screw down tightly. Turn upside down till next day. If any of the bottles are leaking, they must be resterilised, and the bands and tops adjusted. Acid fruits, such as pears, apples, plums, etc., must be covered with a weak solution of salt and water immediately after cutting until they are ready to place in bottles, as this prevents the action of enzyme, which causes oxidisation or discoloration. A FACIAL STEW. VEGETABLES FOR BEAUTY. There are many uses for the humble potato besides the paramount one of nutrition. For example a Sydney writer states that the staple vegetable will not only remove all traces of shine from the skin, but will also give it a soft and velvety texture. First bathe the face for five minutes with lukewarm water, dry with a soft towel, and then, while the skin is still moist cut a potato in halves, and massage the skin with the cut end of the potato. As the moisture from the potato is absorbed by the skin, slice a thin layer from the cut end, and apply again. When the skin has absorbed as much juice as possible, allow it to dry and remain on until the morning. In the morning wash with tepid water. Onions are one of the best beautifiers it is possible to procure, and if your skin is sallow or muddy you cannot do better than to eat plenty of these vegetables. Radishes passed through a mincer and finely grated can be eaten as a sandwich with bread and butter. This vegetable will help keep wrinkles at bay, and people who are fond of radishes usually have a youthful skin. KNITTED GIFTS. A FEW SUGGESTIONS. Here are some gift suggestions, all of which may be made at home. Elderly people in particular will welcome a knitted cover for a hot water bottle. You can make it out of any odds and ends of knitting wool. Knit two oblongs to fit the bottle. Blanket stitch the two sides and bottom to form a bag, and blanket stitch closely round the open top. Knit two tabs about an inch wide and two inches long, with a buttonhole at the end of each. Sew these to one side of the top, and sew two buttons on the other side. A patchwork pram cover is an ideal gift for a baby. Make it in two colors, such as blue and white, or pink and blue. Knit squares about three inches by three inches, until you have enough to stitch together to form a cover. You can use any knitting pattern you like, though garter stitchismost_effective^______ “HUSBAND AND WIFE’S HANDBOOK.” By Dr. Hubert Alcott. A Concise Treatise on a subject of vital importance to all married persons, and those intending to marry. Together with our booklet of appliances. These two books posted under plain wrapper for postal note 1/- (or stamps). CHEMISTS’ SUPPLIES CO.,

D»pt. W.M., Box 1178, Christchurch.

THE MAKING OF MUSTARD.

One of the minor miseries of the housewife is the continual remixing of mustard, which quickly dries in the pot, so that, waste apart, the pot is troublesome to wash, and then fresh mustard has to be mixed all over again. A way of avoiding this is to invest in a small, square-shaped bottle of ready-mixed mustard. This, being corked when not in use, keeps moist and fresh until every scrap is used up. The bottle should not then be thrown away, but should be refilled with new mustard mixed as follows : To the dry mustard add enough vinegar to make all into a solid mass. Then add milk, stirring well all the while, till the consistency is just right. Again you will have a full bottle of the condiment ready for all occasions and usable till it is finished —an indefinite period determined by consumption and not by waste from drying.