Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book

Apple Fritters, — Core and pare three or four apples, but do not break them. Cut them in slices one third of an inch thick, leaving the opening in the centre. Sprinkle with sugar, lemon, and spice. Dip each slice in the fritter batter and fry in hot fat. Drain, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Vegetables for fritters, such as celery, salsify, or parsnip, should be boiled till tender, then drained and cut into small pieces ; then stir them into the fritter batter. io8 The Boston Cook Book. OATMEAL, INDIAN CORN, AND OTHER G-RAINS USED AS FOOD. Oatmeal is highly nutritious, being richer in nitrogen than any other grain ; but as it does not contain a tough, adhesive gluten, like wheat, it is not easily made into fermented bread. Its nitrogenous matter resembles casein more than gluten, and is called avenin (from avena^ the oat). It is used as a mush or porridge, eaten with sugar and milk. It is rich in food for muscle and brain, useful for children and laboring people, but irritating to many people whose digestive powers are weak. Groats, or Grits, are oats from which the outer husk and inner flinty cuticle are removed. Indian Corn is used in man}' forms. Some varieties which contain a large proportion of sugar, are eaten green from the cob as a vegetable. The whole grains, hulled, are eaten as samp ; broken grains of various sizes, as hominy ; the ground grains, as either coarse or fine meal. Meal grows musty very quickly when ground by the old process, owing to the moisture of the corn and the heat of the stones. In the new-process, or granulated, meal the corn is first dried for two years, then ground into coarse grains like sugar. Indian corn is also used in the form of a very fine powder, called cornstarch. Corn meal, when cooked, is best made into small loaves or cakes and eaten hot. It is rich in nitrogen, and contains more fat than the other grains. This causes it to attract the oxj-gen from the air, and spoil rapidly. It should be purchased in small quantities. It is better adapted to strong laboring people, as it is very heating for persons with weak digestion. The Boston Cooh Book. Rye meal and flour are used, more especially in New England, in the form of bread and mush. Rye is sweeter than wheat, and makes a moist bread which can be kept for some time without becoming hard and unpalatable. Rye should be purchased in small quantities, kept in a cool, dry place, sifted and examined thoroughly before using. Barley is used in soups and sometimes in gruels. It cannot be made into good bread, as it has too little gluten. It is nutritious, being rich in phosphates. It contains starch and mucilage, and, in the form of gruel, makes a soothing drink in fevers. The husk is removed, the grains are ground and polished, and then it is termed pearl barley. Buckwheat has less flesh-forming, and more heat-giving elements than wheat. It is therefore suitable onty when used in cold weather and b}^ those who labor hard or exercise freely. It is used principall}^ in the form of griddlecakes. Rice contains very little of the flesh-forming element. It has more starch and less fat than any other grain. It is cheap, and is largely used by people in very hot chmates. It should always be used with milk, eggs, or some fatty substance. Oatmeal Mush.