The victory cookery book

Do not despise salt herrings (Government pickled herrings), for they are very nourish- — ing. They should be stewed or steamed. | When boiled they break up to a mash. They must not be soaked too long—12 to 24 hours is enough for the recipes are: Scotch herrings. Fish is valuable food; the herring, mackerel, salmon, eels are rich in fat, and are more nutritious than white fish, irre- ‘spective of price. The sole and turbot are not more nutritious than cod, haddock or hake. They are considered finer fish, are more in demand, and consequently the prices are higher, but the fish of the highest food value for money spent is the herring, fresh or pickled. The following recipes are chiefly foreign, and such as cannot be found in ordinary cookery books. They make a_ pleasing change from the plain boiled (which, as has been explained, is an extravagant method of cooking) or fried (there is seldom enough fat to spare for frying) generally served in this country. Fish Pie (Delicious Hot or Cold) Materials—Fresh herring or mackerel, 1 lb. cod-fish, 2 oz. bread, 8 oz. mashed potato, 4 oz. rice flour, 4 oz. self-raising flour, a few slices of onion, little lemon juice, spice, salt, pepper and nutmeg, 1 gill of milk, 1 table- | spoonful salad oil. Method.—Fillet a fresh herring or small mackerel. Place the slices of onion in a small saucepan, arrange the herring and roe on the ~ top, sprinkle with lemon juice, add a little spice and salt, cover with a lid and “‘ sweat ”’ (that is cook gently) until done. Remove bone and skin from the cod-fish and then pass it through a mincer. Soak the bread in ~ | the milk and boil it. Separate the best parts © of the herring and the roe, which reserve for later use, and remove all bones. All the remainder of the fish and the onion, also the ~ lemon juice, place with the cod and bread panada. Season well with salt, pepper and — spice, and just a grate of nutmeg. Mix all, — and pass through the mincer once or twice, — so that the whole is perfectly mixed. Makea | paste of the mashed potato, salad oil and salt, and mix thoroughly. Now add the rice — flour, which mix well with the potato, then — add the self-raising flour, and mix the whole _ to a stiff paste. Water will only be required — if the potatoes are very dry. Be careful, however, not to add too much, or the paste will be doughy after baking. Grease a raised pie- -tin, line it with the — paste by placing a piece of dough in the centre of the pie-tin and working it up against the sides to an equal thickness all over. © Place a layer of fish preparation in the bottom of the dish, arrange the filleted fish and roe on this, cover with fish farce, and repeat until three-quarters full. Roll out the paste for the top, and cut it out with a cutter to the size required. Place it on the top, press the sides well together, cut away excessive paste, fringe the edges and make a hole in the centre. Leave for 1 hour and then cook in a.hot oven for 20 minutes to bake the crust. When this is done bake very slowly to cook the inside. For 1 lb. filling, 1 hour in all is required; for a larger or smaller, pro rata. When the pie is to be served cold, prepare a fish jelly by adding gelatine to a fish stock sufficient to form a _ cutable jelly. Pour this into the pie by the centre hole when cooked, and let it set. For patties, cut the roe and fillet up and mix with the fish preparation which is called ‘‘ farce.” | -- This is, as the reader will have observed, quite an inexpensive dish, yet it is one often sold at a high price by first-class caterers. This proves that it is skill and not expensive material which is the first necessity in the kitchen.