HINTS AND RECIPES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 264, 6 November 1937, Page 3

HINTS AND RECIPES

SOMETHING TO INTEREST THE HOUSEWIFE Apples for apple sauce need not be peeled; wipe them well, cut up without peeling, add water, and cook till thoroughly soft. Then rub the pulp througn a coarse sieve. Hall-a-pounci of butter, lard, or dripping to one pound of flour is sufficient for ordinary pastry. For puff pastry equal quantities should be used. When making jam, add one teaspoonful of glycerine to each pound of fruit. This will prevent crystallisation and the jam will keep better. When bamboo furniture becomes dirty, scrub it with lukewarm lather, to which has been added a handful of salt. Rinse in cold water. Do not make wetter than is necessary. Carpets may be brightened and cleaned by being rubbed with a cloth dipped in warm water into a quart of which two raw potatoes have been scraped and allowed to stand for ten minutes before straining. Save odd pieces of soap to make into soap jelly. A teacuplul of pieces makes about a pint of jelly. Cut the pieces small, place in a wide-mouthed jar, and add half a teaspoonful of powdered ammonia and a pint of boiling water. Stir until the soap is dissolved, and leave till cold. A tablespoonful of the jelly is enough to make a good lather in a gallon of warm water. When cooking greens put a piece of toasted bread on the top of the water; this will prevent the odour of cabbage cooking penetrating all over the house. Parsley and other herbs may be preserved by hanging them up to dry, or by drying in a cool oven. Put into a paper bag or a glass bottle, and store in a dry cupboard until required.

Don’t forget to press the seams of a dress, etc., as they are finished when you are dress-making. If, for example, you press the side seams of a skirt when they are made, you will find it easier to get the bottom hem finished off correctly. If your mayonnaise is inclined to curdle, add a few drops of cold water to it and mix very gently. This will soon put things right. Furniture painted with flowers, or any painted furniture, should be cleaned with rain water without soap. Afterwards a very little vaseline should be rubbed over the surface of the furniture. A final polish with a silk handkerchief is beneficial. When Steaming a Pudding A steamed pudding is lighter than a boiled one, but a steamer may not always be available for the purpose. A similar effect is gained by placing the pudding in the saucepan with just I sufficient water to come halfway up the basin, placing the lid on the saucepan and keeping the whole at simmer ing till cooked. Of course, the ( pudcung should be covered with a greased paper. , When Making Toast J To make good toast, turn the bread frequently as it is being toasted. If v you like toast crisp, cut the bread in thin slices. Toast quickly, but be careful not to overdo it. Bread cut in . thick slices and toasted too slowly is J heavy and tough. c To Preserve Brushes r New brushes and brooms should be 1 soaked in cold water before being c used. This will swell the wood round r the bristles, which will be prevented from coming out. To keep brushes c and brooms in good condition they x should be plunged once a fortnight e into very hot soapsuds. This keeps the 1 oristles tough. After use all brooms * should be hung up handles downwards to prevent hair and bristles bein'’ flattened on the ground. ° t

Ways of Cooking Vegetable Marrows

To Steam.—Peel, cut the marrow into good-sized pieces, remove the seeds, and put the marrow into a steamer. Sprinkle with salt, and steam i to i hour, according to the age of the marrow. Serve coated with white sauce. Marrow in Casserole.—Skin and remove the seeds from the young marrow and cut in small pieces. Peel and fry an onion (sliced) in butter, and when just slightly brown put in the pieces of marrow and let them brown. Put the onion and marrow into a casserole with about half a pound of small young mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed; season with salt and pepper, add a little stock, and simmer slowly till done, which will be about an hour. Thicken the liquor with a little flour, and serve with sippets of toast. Scalloped Marrow.—This is a good way of using up cold cooked marrow. Mash it well, pile in greased scallop shells or small dishes, season with salt and pepper, and coat with a good white sauce. Sprinkle well with breadcrumbs and grated cheese, and bake in a sharp oven till it is brown. Marrow with Tomatoes. Ingredients: 1 marrow, loz butter, 1 heaped dessertspoonful chopped parsley, 3 peppercorns, 4 or 5 tomatoes, 1 teaspoonful of cornflour, seasoning to taste. Peel the marrow and cut into pieces, removing the seeds. Put these into a pan of boiling water with the peppercorns and a teaspoonful salt. Melt the butter in a small pan, and stir in the flour smoothly; add the tomatoes, thinly s/iced and as much seasoning as you need. Stew these gently together, stirring well, to the consistency of sauce. When the marrow is tender, drain it carefully and place in a hot dish, and pour over it the tomato sauce into which you have stirred the parsley at the last minute. Serve very hot.

Marrow and Mince.—Take a small vegetable marrow, as the flesh is firmer than that of a large overgrown one, peel it, and cut into rounds, and place the pieces in a colander over a pan of boiling salted water. Cook till tender, but not soft enough to break. Drain carefully on a hot cloth, remove seeds, but do not make a hole quite through the rounds. Put them on a hot dish, squeeze a little lemon juice over, fill and pile over neatly with mince made from finely chopped meat, ham, etc., and heated in thick sauce, scatter a little parsley over, pour the sauce around, and place in the oven for a minute or two to get quite hot before serving, with toasted sippets neatly arranged on the dish.