Poultry Cookery

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 79, Issue 5, 15 November 1949, Page 519

Poultry Cookery

IN New Zealand, where poultry is eaten less than in some other countries, housewives' tend to reserve it for a Christmas treat. In this article Edith G. McNab, Rural Sociologist, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin, provides some general information about choosing, preparing, and cooking poultry and gives a variety of recipes, so that choice of a method of cooking need not be restricted to the usual stuffed roast fowl. An article in this issue by W. L. Mclver, Poultry Instructor, Hamilton, deq.ls with plucking, drawing, and trussing fowls.

IF poultry is to be bought, the housewife needs to go shopping with some knowledge of how to judge the age and tenderness of a bird. Old birds are likely to be tough. Choice of cooking methods is governed to a x considerable extent by the age of the bird. The feet and legs of a young bird are soft and smooth, and with age the legs become coarser and scaly. The skin of an old bird is coarser than that of a young one. The best test for age is to press the end of the breastbone furthest from the head; if 'the bird is young, there is a decided “give” in the bone, but the end of an old bird’s breastbone is quite hard and rigid. In ducks and geese the hardness of the. windpipe increases with age, so the windpipe of an old bird is less easily indented when pressed. Freshness can be judged by the condition of the feet, eyes, skin, and flesh: The feet should be moist and soft rather than hard and dry; the eyes should be bright and full, not shrunken; the skin should be clear, unbruised, and unbroken; and skin and flesh, should be soft yet firm and not flabby. A plump, compact, well-fleshed bird has a higher proportion of meat to bone than a bird with long bones. About an eighth of the weight of a bird is lost in dressing and about another fifth in drawing, so the weight of a dressed and drawn bird is about two-thirds of its live weight.

Preparation and Stuffing As the flesh is protected by a skin outside and a membrane inside, a fowl may be washed, but it should not be soaked in water. The simplest way is to allow a stream of water to run through the body cavity and then dry the bird. ' The type of stuffing depends on the type of poultry. The mild flavour of chicken and turkey should not be masked by too strong a flavour in the stuffing. Duck and goose flesh is naturally fatmuch more so than that of chicken and turkey— a dry stuffing soaks up fat during cooking. For ducks and geese sharply-seasoned or tart fruit stuffings are best. ' Breadcrumbs form the .foundation for most stuffings. Salt, pepper, herbs, and perhaps nutmeg are added. Onion which has been chopped and browned in fat may also be added. Fat is the usual binding ingredient, but if the poultry is to be served cold, slightly-beaten egg as a binding helps the stuffing to hold its shape. Other additions to stuffings may be ham or bacon (for fowl,, turkey, and rabbit), oysters (for fowl and turkey), sausage (for turkey and rabbit), and apple or orange (for duck or goose). When a bird is being stuffed the cavity. should be not quite filled, for the stuffing swells during cooking. The bird should be trussed as directed in the Poultry Instructor’s article. Openings must be well secured so that the stuffing does not escape. If they are sewn up, the thread is removed after the bird has been cooked and before it is sent to the table. •

Cookery Methods As with other meats, too high a temperature increases the loss of weight during cooking and decreases the tenderness and juiciness of poultry. Therefore a bird should be cooked at a temperature below browning point for most of the time, or below boiling point if it is being cooked by moist heat. Young, very tender poultry may be fried, for this method of cooking supplies fat, which tends to be lacking in young birds. More mature but still young birds may be roasted. If there is any doubt about thetenderness of a bird for roasting, it may be pot roasted, or it may be partly cooked for 20 minutes in a pressure cooker or by being simmered- in salted water for 2 hours, then stuffed,

and the cooking finished by roasting. Older birds may be boiled, braised, or cooked in a casserole. Recipes Rabbits may be cooked by any of the methods described in the following recipes for poultry. Stuffed Roast Fowl 2 cups of soft bread- I teaspoon of salt crumbk I teaspoon of pepper 2oz. of chopped suet I teaspoon of mixed 2 tablespoons of herbs chopped parsley T' I slightly-beaten egg J teaspoon of grated Milk to mix lemon rind This yields enough stuffing for a medium-sized bird. For a large bird the recipe may be increased to 3 cups of breadcrumbs, with the other ingredients in proportion. Oyster stuffing is suitable for a special occasion. The recipe is:— 2 cups of soft bread- 1 teaspoon of salt crumbs f teaspoon of pepper 1 cup of melted fat 1 teaspoon of herbs (butter if available) I beaten egg Mix all the ingredients together and' add an equal bulk of oysters. These quantities make enough stuffing for a large. fowl. After securing the openings so that the stuffing cannot escape, truss the bird to improve the appearance, make carving easier, and reduce the risk of burning. Place the bird breast side up in the roasting pan, and either rub it with, oil or fat and baste it from time to time or place some slices of fat bacon over the top. Do not cover the pan. Turn the fowl over for the last 20 minutes of cooking. Either begin cooking at 450 degrees F. for 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 300 degrees for the rest of the time, or roast the bird for the whole time at 325 to 350 degrees. Allow 20 to 25 minutes per pound of dressed weight, for cooking. The time may range from la hours for a small bird to 2 hours for a fully-grown fowl.

Roast Goose with Apple and Raisin , ' Stuffing j> cup of diced salt 1 cup of chopped pork or bacon parsley _ ■ I cup of chopped 6 medium-sized tart celery apples, diced I cup of chopped 2 tablespoons of salt onion 1 tablespoon of 7 cups of soft bread- pepper crumbs I cup of seedless 1 cup of sugar raisins Fry the bacon, remove it from the pan, and cook the celery, onion, and

parsley in the fat for 3 minutes. Remove the vegetables. Put* the apples in the pan? sprinkle them with the sugar, and cook them slowly until they are glazed. Mix all the ingredients. If more liquid is needed, use egg and milk. This makes enough stuffing for a 10 to 121 b. bird. After securing the openings and trussing the bird, roast it as directed for roast fowl,, allowing 20 to 25 minutes per pound. .

i Stuffing for Turkey ; 2lb. of lean pork or 1 teaspoon of herbs bacon I teaspoon of salt 1 cup of soft bread- J teaspoon of pepper crumbs Mince the meat and. mix all the ingredients, moistening them with a little stock. These quantities make enough for a medium-sized turkey. Boiled Fowl and Chicken Sauce The fowl may be left whole or cut up. Half cover it with salted boiling water and simmer it, closely covered, for 2 to 3 hours, or . even longer if the bird is old. The boiled fowl may be served with chicken sauce or it may be used for chicken fricassee, chicken pie, creamed chicken, or other recipes using cooked fowl. The stock may be used for sauce or soup. The recipe for chicken sauce is:— 2 cups of chicken 4 tablespoons of fat stock (chicken fat or 4 level tablespoons of butter) flour Seasoning

Brown the flour slightly in the fat. Add the stock gradually, stirring well until the sauce thickens and comes to the boil. The sauce may be varied by cooking the flour in the fat without browning it and adding 2 hard-cooked eggs cut in , Jin. slices to the finished sauce. . Fricassee of Fowl Use a boiled fowl which has been cut up before being cooked. Drain the pieces and keep the stock for the gravy. Roll each piece in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and fry them in a little fat until they are brown. Make gravy by browning flour in fat (3, tablespoons of flour and 3 tablespoons of fat for each cup of liquid) and adding stock gradually, stirring well to avoid lumps. Season the gravy and simmer the browned pieces of meat in if until they are quite tender.

APRONS for MOTHER and DAUGHTER DAUGHTER

GAY aprons for the housewife and : her little helper bring brightness to the routine of household tasks. An apron such as this mother's requires a . piece of material 34-in. wide by 22in. long, two strips 4 jin. by I9in. for a waistband, and two ties 3in. by 28jin. Shape one long edge ,of the waistband strips with three curves, the centre one 4in. deep and the side ones. 3in. deep, sloping to at the ends.. Place the right sides together .and stitch along the shaped edges. Make up the ties and join them to the band ends. Hem 22in. of the sides of the apron. - Make three . pleats' each side of the top to fit the waistband and insert the band'. Hem the. lower, edge. Cut a pocket in flowerpot shape and sew down three sides. Make a sunflower sin. across and two leaves and sew them, to the apron. The child's apron is made from a duster 24in. square, a piece of contrasting material Idin, by lOin., and three buttons. Cut a piece of duster 2l|in. by 13-jin., a waistband I2in. by 3in., two ties 9|in. by 3in., and two straps Idin, by Ijin. Gather along one long side of the apron. Fold the waistband in halves lengthwise and insert the gathers. Sew the ties folded in halves and stitched to the waistband ends. For the bib cut two constrasfing heart ' shapes 7in. by' din. and four pocket, heart shapes from 4in. squares. Stitch the hearts together in pairs and turn them to the right side. Sew the point of the bib to the centre of the waist. .. Sew on the- pockets. Hem the shoulder straps and stitch them to the bib. ‘Make buttonholes at. the other ends. Stitch a buttonhole at the end of the right tie and a button on the left tie. Stitch a button on' the ties to correspond with the shoulder straps.

Chicken Pie Meat from I boiled 2 tablespoons of fat fowl (chicken fat, bacon 1 medium-sized sliced fat, or butter) onion 2 tablespoons of flour 2 cup of chopped 2 cups of stock celery (can be I egg, cooked hard omitted if not .and sliced available) Sait and pepper Cook the vegetables in the chicken stock, strain them, and add them to the cut-up meat. Cook the flour in the fat and make a sauce with the stock. Add seasoning, meat, and vegetables, bring the mixture to the boil, and pour it into a greased casserole. Top it with the egg slices and arrange rounds of scone dough on top while the chicken mixture is still hot. Bake the pie in a hot oven (42.5 degrees F.) for 15 to 20 minutes. To make the scone mixture for the pie crust mix 2 cups of sifted flour, 4 level teaspoons of baking powder, 2 level teaspoons of fat, and J teaspoon of salt with about 2/3 cup of milk. Creamed Chicken 4 tablespoons of flour • I cup of chicken 4 tablespoons of stock butter 2 cups of cooked and 11 teaspoons of salt diced chicken 1 teaspoon of pepper Buttered toast I cup of milk Parsley Make a sauce by cooking the flour in the fat and stirring in the milk and chicken stock gradually. Add the chicken and seasoning and heat the mixture. Serve it on the hot toast, sprinkled with chopped parsley. Fried Chicken Cut a young fowl in serving pieces, wash them in cold water, and drain them, but do not dry them. Sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper, dredge them thickly with flour, and fry them in bacon fat in a heavy pan until they are well browned and tender. If the fowl is not young, cover the pan closely after browning the meat and cook it until it is tender, or boil it until it is almost cooked and then fry it. Serve the chicken with white sauce, made by the same method as that described for creamed chicken from 4 tablespoons of fat, 4 tablespoons of flour, 2 cups of top milk, and seasonings. A. " ' Fried Rabbit or Duck with Orange Sauce

2 young . rabbits cut I cup of milk in. serving pieces I cup of flour 2 egg yolks, slightly I teaspoon of salt beaten 1 cup of fat ■ Combine the egg yolks and milk and stir them gradually into the flour and salt until the mixture is smooth. - Dip each piece of meat in the batter and fry the pieces in the fat in a heavy pan. After browning them, reduce the heat and continue the cooking with the pan uncovered for another 30 to 40 minutes. Turn the pieces frequently. Serve the rabbit or duck with the following sauce:; a teaspoon of grated 2 tablespoons of flour orange rind I tablespoon of brown I cup of orange juice sugar i teaspoon of salt Mix the flour, seasonings, and sugar to a smooth paste with | cup of water. Add the orange juice hot, stirring well, and cook the sauce until it is thickened, stirring all the time. Add the grated rind.

Heading photograph by* Sparrow Industrial Pictures Ltd.