Hot Tea Dishes are Important for Cold Days

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 4, 16 October 1950, Page 397

Hot Tea Dishes are Important for Cold Days

By

ANNA M.

CHAPMAN, Rural Sociologist,

Department of Agriculture, Dunedin.

IT is important to have a hot, interesting, and appetising meal ready for the children when they come home from school on the many cold evenings throughout the year. The men on coming in from their outside work also enjoy something hot and substantial for tea. THE dish can be very nutritious and, with careful planning, can help to provide a well-balanced diet for the family. If the earlier meals of the day have been lacking in some necessary food—for example, eggs, cheese, or milk—this can be made up by having a tea dish made principally from foodstuffs which have been lacking, or if protein, for instance, is insufficient in the day’s menu, this can be augmented by having a cheese or fish dish for tea. It is necessary in an economically run home to use up left-overs. These can be made into attractive dishes so that they in no way resemble left-overs and are still appetising and of nutritive value in the diet. Of the recipes given, the majority are easily and quickly prepared, and many of them, especially those using leftovers, can be made earlier in the day, requiring only heating through before the meal. Several of the recipes contain a white sauce, buttered crumbs, or tomato sauce, so the basic recipes for these are given first. The white sauces are classified according to their degree of. thickness into four different types varying from No. 1 which is very thin to No. 4 which is very thick. The method of preparing all the thicknesses of white sauce and that for tomato sauce are the same. WHITE SAUCE

TOMATO SAUCE a cup of tomato puree (sieved) 2 tablespoons of fat a cup of water 2 tablespoons of flour or I cup of tomato juice a teaspoon of salt

Method of preparing all the sauces: Melt the fat in a saucepan,, add the flour and salt, and stir well until they are thoroughly blended (1 to 2 minutes). Remove the saucepan from the heat, add about a third of the liquid, and stir until the ingredients are well blended. Return the . saucepan to the heat and as the mixture begins to thicken add another third of the liquid quickly, blend until it is smooth, and then add the remaining liquid. Heat the sauce until it is boiling, stirring it slowly, and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes. Buttered Crumbs Crumb stale but soft bread with a grater. Melt a small amount of butter or clean fat in a small pan. Stir in the crumbs. When the buttered crumbs are coated with fat but not brown use them as a topping or covering for dishes which are to be browned in the oven. Soups Cream of Pumpkin Soup 4 cups of No. 1 white 2oz. of celery sauce Vegetable liquid to 1 tablespoon of salt make vegetables up I Jib. of pumpkin to 4 cups Jib. of onions [['holographs on- this page by Campbell Photography

Dice the vegetables and cook them in boiling salted water, sieve ■ them, and add sufficient vegetable stock to make 4 cups of vegetable puree. Reheat the puree and then add it gradually to the hot white sauce, stirring all the time. Season the soup if necessary and serve it hot with croutons and chopped parsley. Lentil Soup 3 cups of. No. I white 3J.oz. of onion sauce 5 cups of water or Boz. of lentils stock 2oz. of celery h tablespoon of salt 3ioz. of carrot i teaspoon of pepper Wash the lentils and prepare the vegetables. Dice the vegetables, add the stock or water and the lentils, and cook until they are tender. Put the mixture through a fine sieve and make it up to 5 cups with extra water or stock. Reheat the puree. and add it to the hot white sauce, stirring all the time. Season the soup if necessary and serve 'it with croutons and parsley. Fish Chowder lib. of .white fish If cups of diced 3 cups of cold water carrot 2 slices of salt pork 2 cups of milk or bacon 2 teaspoons of salt I diced onion 4 water biscuits 4 diced potatoes Wash the fish and cut into cubes, placing the bones and skin in a pot with cold water. Place the pot on the heat and cook the contents for 20 minutes. Strain the liquor from the bones and skin. Cut the pork into small pieces and fry it with the diced onion. Drain the pork and onions well and add them to the hot liquor. Add the vegetables and the diced fish to the liquor. Cook the soup for 20 minutes. Add the milk and the water biscuits, which have been broken into small pieces, and simmer the chowder for

another 5 minutes. Serve hot in a soup plate with chopped parsley. Vegetables _ Casserole of Cauliflower I small cauliflower 2 teaspoons of melted I cup of tomato sauce fat 1 cup of grated 3oz. of spaghetti cheese 1 cup of buttered breadcrumbs Wash and cook the cauliflower. Cook' the spaghetti. Prepare . the tomato sauce and add to it the grated cheese. Stir the sauce until the cheese is melted and then pour the sauce over the cauliflower and spaghetti, these having been placed in alternate layers in a casserole. Cover the top of the mixture with buttered crumbs and brown it in the oven. Bread Tests for Fat Temperatures To test fat temperatures if a thermometer is not available, use a lin. cube of stale bread and note the number of seconds taken to brown it. Temperature Seconds Use Degrees F. to brown 375 60 . Cutlets, apple fritters, uncooked mixtures 385 40 Croquettes, cooked mixtures 395 20 Potato chips Potato Croquettes I cup of hot, well- 1 teaspoon of grated mashed potatoes onion 1 tablespoon of fat I egg Q for croquette (melted) mixture and i for A shake of pepper coating) 2 teaspoon of chopped I tablespoon of water, parsley breadcrumbs (for j. teaspoon of salt coating) j teaspoon of celery salt Mix the ingredients in the order given, using only half of the egg. Beat

the mixture thoroughly and cool it. Shape the mixture into cylinders and dip them into fine, dry breadcrumbs, then into the egg and water mixture (half an egg diluted with 1 tablespoon of cold water), and then dip them into crumbs again. Stand the crumbed cylinders in a cool place for j hour and then fry them in deep fat at 385 degrees F. until they are golden brown. Drain the croquettes well and serve them with tomato sauce. Savoury Spinach lib. or 2 bunches of 1 teaspoon of pepper spinach 2 cups of tomato 1 cup of cooked meat sauce 2 tablespoons of onion J. cup of cheese juice 1 cup of .cooked rice 1 teaspoon of salt Cook the rice. Wash and cook the spinach, chop it finely, and to it add the finely chopped meat, cooked rice, onion juice, and seasoning. Place the mixture in a greased casserole, pour the tomato sauce over it, and bake it in the oven until it is thoroughly hot. Sprinkle it with grated cheese before serving it. Apple Fritters I cup of flour 2 teaspoons of baking | cup of milk powder I egg 2 tablespoons of s teaspoon of salt sugar I tablespoon of fat Apples Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl; combine the beaten egg, milk, and the melted fat. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir (as little as possible) until the flour is dampened. Peel and core the apples and slice them., into rings l/3in. thick. Dip the rings into the batter and fry them in deep fat at 375 degrees F. until they are cooked and golden brown. Drain well. Dust with icing or.castor sugar and serve hot. Fish Fish Balls I cup of cooked flaked i teaspoon of salt fish A shake of pepper I cup of hot mashed I egg G for fish-bail potatoes mixture and I for I teaspoon of melted coating) fat I tablespoon of water,< 1 teaspoon of onion breadcrumbs (for ~ juice . coating) Mix the ingredients in the order given, using only half the egg, and beat the mixture thoroughly. Cool the mixture and shape it into balls. Dip these into fine breadcrumbs, then into the egg and water mixture (half an egg diluted with 1 tablespoon of water), and then into the breadcrumbs again. Stand the balls in a cool place for g hour and then fry them in deep fat at 385 degrees F. until they are golden brown. Serve the fish balls with tomato sauce or slices of lemon.. Celery and Fish Casserole Jib. of fish (groper or I cup of tomato sauce cod) (the flour and fat 1 head of celery of which have been 1 teaspoon of salt increased to 3 tablei teaspoon of pepper spoons) 1 cup of buttered breadcrumbs Steam the fish and, when it is cooked, flake it. Wash the celery, cut it into small pieces, and cook it until it is tender. Place the flaked fish and the cooked celery in a casserole and over them pour the tomato sauce. Cover with a layer of buttered breadcrumbs and bake the casserole in the oven until it is brown and is heated through.

Fish Souffle

| cup of cooked A shake of pepper flaked fish I cup of No. 3 white 3 eggs sauce Separate the yolks and the whites of the eggs. Bgat the yolks until they are thick and lemon-coloured and add the beaten yolk to the cooled white sauce; Add the fish to the sauce and egg yolk and then fold the mixture into the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour the souffle into an ungreased dish and then stand the dish in a pan of "hot water and bake in a moderately slow oven at 350 degrees F. for 45 to 60 minutes. Savoury Sausage, Apple, and Onion Savoury IJIb. of sausage meat A shake of pepper lib. of apples • Jib. ,of onions J teaspoon of salt Saute the finely chopped onions lightly. Peel and slice the apples. Partly cook the sausages in the oven to remove some of the fat. Place a layer of apples in a casserole, then a layer of sausage meat, and then a layer of onions and bake in a moderate oven for J hour. Baked' Beans (with Tomato) Jib. of haricot beans Stock 6oz. of fat bacon A shake of pepper Jib. of tomato juice . I teaspoon of salt _ or bottled tomatoes Soak the beans overnight. Place layers of beans, bacon, and seasoning alternately in a dish,' cover with the stock or water, and cook in a moderate oven for 4 to 6 hours. Serve with thickened tomato juice. Cheese Casserole i cup of diced salt J tablespoon of pork or bacon melted butter J cup of cooked diced I cup of tomato juice potatoes 2 tablespoons of flour J cup of diced onion I teaspoon of salt J cup of boiled rice 3 tablespoons of . grated cheese Cook the pork or bacon in a frying pan until it is a light brown. Add the potato and onion and fry until they are brown. Mix the flour to a thin paste with a little of the tomato juice, pour this into, the remainder of the tomato juice, which has been heated, and stir until it boils and thickens. Add the cheese and pour over the vegetables. Turn the mixture into a greased baking dish and cover it with rice and butter. Place a lid on the dish and .bake in a slow oven for 30 minutes. Red Bunny and Cole Slaw 2J cups of tomato A shake, of pepper puree 2 eggs soz. ,of cheese Jib. of cabbage I cup of No. 4 white J. cup of salad sauce dressing To the white sauce add the tomato puree, the beaten eggs, and the grated cheese. Cook the mixture in a pot over hot water, stirring it all the time until it thickens. Serve it hot on toast or crackers with cole slaw. " To prepare cole slaw wash the cabbage, slice it very ; finely, and mix it well with salad . dressing. Liver and Bacon Casserole 1 (with Apples) I Jib. of liver. J teaspoon of salt lib. of bacon . A shake of pepper lib. of apples. J cup of waterJib. of onions v

Wipe the liver with a damp cloth or wash it if necessary. . Drain, cut the liver into pieces, flour them lightly, and put them into a greased casserole. Cover the liver with a mixture of chopped apple and onion, add the salt and pepper, and top with the bacon cut into small pieces. Add the water to the dish, place the lid on the casserole,. and bake it in the oven for 1| hours at 350 degrees F. To make the bacon crisp remove the lid of the casserole for the last 20 minutes of baking. ' , Sausage and Apple Casserole 2 cups of tomato 4 cups of thinly.sliced puree and partly boiled J teaspoon of pre- potatoes pared mustard 6 apples II teaspoons of salt I lib. of sausage meat Pour the thick tomato puree into a casserole. Stir in the prepared mustard and the salt and then add the thinly sliced and partly cooked potato. Peel, core, and slice thinly large, firm apples, place the apple slices on' top of the potato already, in the casserole, and then spread the sausage meat on top of the apple slices. Cover the dish and bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes until the sausage meat is crisp. If the sausage meat is inclined to be fatty, partially cook it first to remove the excess fat. Bacon, Tomato, and Onion Pie I pint of bottled lib. ofsoft breadtomatoes ' crumbs lib. of onions I tablespoon of 3 or 4 rashers of butter or dripping bacon I teaspoon of salt Partially fry .the bacon. Grease a pie dish and fill it with alternate layers of crumbs, partially cooked sliced onions, tomato, and bacon, and finish with a layer of buttered crumbs. Bake

the pie in a hot oven until it is heated through and the top is brown. Eggs Tetrazzini 3 eggs 4oz. of chopped onion 3oz. of spaghetti 1 cup of tomato sauce Slightly fry- the chopped onions. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water. Hard boil the eggs, and cut them into thirds. Add the. tomato sauce, onions, and eggs to the spaghetti and heat thoroughly in a double boiler.' Apple Hot Pot 1 fib. of apples ’ I teaspoon of salt IJIb. of potatoes A shake of pepper Jib. of onions Water ; soz. of cheese Place layers of sliced onion, potato, and seasoning in a casserole and add sufficient water barely to cover the vegetables, and bake them. in a moderate oven for 1| hours. Add the sliced apples and grated cheese to the dish and bake it for a further j hour or longer until the apples are cooked. Spaghetti Ring 2 tablespoons of Boz. of cooked chopped green spaghetti pepper (can be 3 eggs omitted if not , I cup of tomato soup available) I teaspoon of Worces2 tablespoons of tershire sauce chopped onion I teaspoon of salt 2 tablespoons of A shake of pepper butter ' lib. of grated cheese Cook the green pepper and the onion in the butter. Add the cooked and strained spaghetti, the beaten eggs, the Worcestershire sauce, the tomato soup, the seasonings, and the cheese. - Pour the mixture into a greased ring mould and bake in' the oven for 1 hour at 325 degrees F. Remove the spaghetti ring from the mould and fill the centre with hot cooked peas, beans, or some other vegetable, or mixture of vegetables.

No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 Butter or good 1 tablespoon 2 tablespoons 3 3 tablespoons 4 tablespoons tablespoons fat Flour . . 1 tablespoon 2 tablespoons 3 3 tablespoons 4 tablespoons tablespoons Salt i teaspoon i teaspoon 2 ' I teaspoon 2 teaspoon teaspoon Milk 1 cup 1 cup 1 1 cup 1 cup cup