Variety with Eggs

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 4, Issue 8, 1 February 1926, Page 52

Variety with Eggs

Specially Written for <c Uhe Ladies’ dMirror” &y E. N. TODHUNTER cA Qraduate in c 3ffome Science in the University of Otago

pGGS are among the most valuable foods we have, yet too often the busy housewife confines herself to the use of eggs in cakes, or, perhaps, a fried egg at breakfast. The wise cook knows that eggs are an excellent substitute for meat, that they are a good building food for the invalid, and that an egg every day for the two or three-year-old child goes far toward supplying him with the right kind of food for his body needs. What is it, then, that makes eggs so important? They are rich in muscle and flesh-building material which the scientist calls protein. They are among the very best sources of iron which is necessary for the blood, and which protects against anaemia. They contain vitamine A, which is necessary, particularly to help stimulate growth in the young child, and to build up resistance to disease. T7 ' GGS are a concentrated form of food and should be combined with vegetables, cereals (as bread), or some food to give bulk. They are similar in food value to meat and fish, and can very well replace them in the day’s menu. One pound of eggs, or nine medium-sized ones, are equal to one pound of meat. They are more suitable for children than meat, as they contain a better type of food material for growth. Used as suggested in the following recipes, eggs make nourishing and attractive luncheon or tea dishes. They are simple and easy to prepare, and do not take long to cook. The flavour of eggs is such that it goes well with vegetables, and the woman who knows the value of eggs, milk and vegetable combinations knows where to look for her tonics. She knows that the vitamins, iron and cellulose supplied by these foods are the valuable body regulators and are worth far more to her than medicine from the chemist. W' GGS should be bought when cheap and plentiful, and preserved so that they can be used all the year round, even when the market price is high. They may be preserved by coating them with fat or some prepared mixture, or by placing them in water glass. Such eggs may be used in all the familiar ways. If boiled, the end should be pricked, as the pores have been sealed up by the preservative, and unless there is some outlet the shell will burst when cooking. The method of cooking eggs, though it seems so simple, is very important, and is so often wrongly done. The muscle building, or protein material in the egg, coagulates and hardens with heat, as is seen in ed at a high temperature, as at the the “setting of the white.” If cook-

boiling point of water, this protein becomes hard, tough and indigestible, but if cooked at a low temperature for a longer time, it sets to a tender jelly-like consistency, which is readily digested. OOFT Cooked —Three eggs, one pint of water. —Bring the water to the boil, place the eggs in the water, and immediately remove the saucepan to the side of the fire. Let the eggs cook in the hot water for eight minutes. This is much better than letting the water boil, as the eggs are more digestible. If more eggs are cooked, increase the water in the proportion of one cup to each egg- i*Jj TT ARD-Cooked Eggs. Prepare as above, but allow to remain in the water at side of stove, and with the water kept just below the boiling point for thirty minutes. pOACHED Eggs.—Use a shallow pan. Have enough boiling salted water in it to cover the eggs when dropped in. Crack the eggs and drop the contents gently into the simmering water. Cover the pan with a lid of some kind and draw to the side of the fire. Let stand five to seven minutes, and then remove with a skimmer and serve on buttered toast, A muffin ring or plain round pastry cutter placed in the pan and the egg dropped into it keeps it a nice round shape. A little chopped parsley or dash of red pepper on the top of the egg gives colour, and makes a more tempting service. P GGS Poached in Milk. Proceed as above, but have hot milk in the pan instead of boiling water. Serve on toast and pour the milk over the eggs. This is a nice dish for the invalid or for children. "DARED Eggs.— cups milk, two tablespoonfuls flour, two tablespoonfuls butter, half teaspoon salt. Make into a sauce. Pour into a shallow buttered pie dish. Crack four eggs and drop their contents into the sauce. Bake in a moderate oven until the eggs are set. Use for a tea dish. OTUFFED Eggs.—Cut four hardcooked eggs in halves crosswise. Remove yolks, mash and add two tablespoonfuls grated cheese, one teaspbnful vinegar, quarter teaspoonful mustard, salt and pepper. Add melted butter to mixture. Refill the whites. Place on a serving dish, pour over them one cup white sauce, cover and reheat or place on chopped lettuce leaves and serve cold with salad dressing. Or put the halves together again and wrap in grease proof, wax

paper and put in the schoolboys’ lunch box or the picnic basket. Note.—lf the eggs are to be used cold, plunge them into cold water immediately after removing from the stove, and the shell will be more easily removed. pGGS and Spinach on Toast (best iron tonic). —Butter six slices of brown bread toasted. Cover each slice of toast with hot cooked and seasoned spinach. Make a hollow in

nest break an egg, being careful to keep the yolk whole. Dot with butter 1 and season. Put in a moderate oven • ten minutes, or until the egg is firm. ; Serve at once. p'URRIED EGGS. —Three hardcooked eggs, two tablespoons t butter, two tablespoons flour, one- > quarter teaspoon salt, one-quarter i teaspoon curry powder, one cup milk, 1 pepper, one cup cooked rice. Melt i the butter, add flour and seasonings,

the centre of the spinach. Place a hot poached egg on each piece of toast in the spinach nest. Dot with butter, season and serve at once. Especially good for children. A U Cratin Eggs on Toast (a -Gi- good luncheon or tea dish). — Six slices toast, six tablespoonfuls grated cheese, six hard-cooked eggs, one cup white sauce (seasoned). — Slice cooked eggs into quarter-inch slices lengthwise. Butter the toast. Place sliced egg on each piece of toast, pour white sauce over each, sprinkle with cheese. Set in oven to melt the cheese. Serve at once. T)OTATO Nests and Baked Eggs * (a luncheon dish).On a buttered dish or pyrex pie plate make nests of hot potatoes. This is a good way to use left-over potatoes- In each

and slowly stir the milk into it, cook three minutes. Slice the eggs and heat them in the white sauce. Serve hot with a border of cooked rice around it. pGG Cutlets.—Three hard-cooked eggs, one oz. butter, one oz. flour, one-half cup milk, salt and pepper to season, a little lemon juice, half a teaspoon curry powder. Melt the butter, add flour and all seasonings, add milk gradually, stirring all the time, cook three minutes. Chop the eggs and add to the sauce. When cold turn on to a floured board and shape into cutlets. Dip into beaten egg and then into fine bread crumbs, and fry in deep fat to a golden brown. Serve hot. A good breakfast or luncheon dish. Note: All measurements are level.