One-room cookery

Dice the potatoes, cucumber and beetroot. Stone and cut up the olives ; fillet the anchovies if necessary and chop into pieces; mix all the ingredients together and dress with mayonnaise. Serve piled on a bed of lettuce. $7 SOFT BOILED Put enough water in a saucepan to cover the eggs, bring to the boil. Lower the eggs very gently into the water, boil for three minutes for a lightly boiled egg and 4 minutes for a well-set egg. Alternatively the eggs can be put into cold water and gradually brought to the boil, the timing starting from the moment the water begins to boil. HARD BOILED Put the eggs in enough cold water to cover, bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes. After the first 2-3 minutes the eggs should be turned so that the yolks are set in the centre of the egg. Remove the eggs from the pan, crack the shells and place in cold water till required. This prevents black rings forming round the egg yolk. POACHED Poaching may be done either in a saucepan or frying pan. Put sufficient water in the pan to cover the egg and add 1 teaspoonful of salt. Break the egg into a cup and be quite sure it is fresh. Drop gently and quickly into the pan of boiling water and cook for about 24 minutes with water just under the boil. Carefully lift out and drain, then serve on buttered toast. Eggs may also be poached or “‘ steamed ” in a poacher. Grease the small containers of the poacher with butter or cooking fat. Break an egg carefully into each, season, place over the pan of boiling water, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes until the white is set. FRIED Put a small quantity of fat into the frying pan. Break egg into cup. Allow the fat to melt in the pan, but do not let it become smoking hot. Drop in the egg and cook slowly until set, basting the egg with the hot fat. BACON AND EGG When doing bacon and egg, place the bacon in a cold frying pan, cook gently until transparent, then turn on to other side and cook until the fat becomes crinkly. Draw to one side of the pan away from the heat and fry the egg in the fat that has come from the bacon. GRILLED BACON AND EGG Utensils required : grill tin, perforated slice. Melt a little fat in the grill tin. Break egg into this ; carefully replace trivet with bacon on top. Cook underneath grill until bacon is ready. If egg is not quite done put pan on top of grill and cook for a further minute or two. SCRAMBLED EGG Utensils required : saucepan. 2 eggs; 1 tablespoon milk ; 4 oz. butter or margarine ; seasoning ; buttered toast. Beat eggs, add milk and seasoning. Melt butter in a saucepan, add beaten eggs. Cook over a gentle heat until the mixture thickens, stirring all the time. Serve on hot buttered toast. To vary this dish, chopped ham, bacon, fish, peas, tomatoes or grated cheese can be added to the beaten eggs before cooking. SAVOURY OMELETTE Utensils required : frying pan, slice. 2 eggs ; good pinch mixed herbs ; 1 teaspoon chopped parsley ; seasoning ; 4 oz. butter or margarine. Beat eggs and add seasoning. Heat fat in frying pan until it has turned brown. Pour in beaten eggs. Stir briskly with a fork until the mixture begins to set. Allow to settle. Fold over and turn out. SPANISH OMELETTE Utensils required : omelette or frying pan, Slice. 2 eggs; 1 rasher bacon; 1 cooked potato ; skinned tomato ; aa little chopped onion ; a little fat ; seasoning. Cut potato, tomato and bacon into cubes. Melt fat in omelette pan, and add these. Cook until bacon is done. Beat eggs and add seasoning. Pour beaten eggs over vegetables in pan, stir well and allow to set. When just set place pan underneath grill to set other side of omelette. Ww a joe wae