One-room cookery

Fry the chopped onions and tomatoes together in the fat. When the onions are light-brown, add the water or mixed milk and water. Thoroughly crumble the bread and add to the soup. Season. Allow the mixture to simmer gently for about 20 minutes, then pass through a sieve. Add the grated cheese and serve. Add a little more liquid if the soup is too thick. QUICK SUMMER SOUP Utensils required : saucepan. 2 pints water or vegetable stock ; 3 meat cubes ; 1 tablespoon sago ; 4 tomatoes ; seasoning. Skin and pulp the tomatoes. Dissolve the meat cubes in the water or stock and boil up. Sprinkle in the sago and simmer for about ten minutes until cooked, then add the tomatoes and cook for another five minutes. Season to taste and serve. BRUNOISE (VEGETABLE) SOUP Utensils required : saucepan. 1 medium carrot ; 1 small turnip ; 4 parsnip ; 1 small leek ; 2 fingerlengths celery ; 4 oz. margarine ; 1} pints boiling water ; seasoning. Prepare and shred root vegetables ; chop leek and celery finely. Melt the margarine in a saucepan, add the vegetables and replace lid. Cook very gently for ten minutes, shaking occasionally. Pour on the boiling water and season. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Toast, or cubes of crisply-fried bread, are often handed with soup. TO CHOOSE Freshness is the most important quality of the fish. See that the flesh is firm, the eyes bright, the gills red and the fish well covered with scales. The spots on plaice should be bright red. Salmon should be a good pink colour. TO PREPARE WHOLE FISH Remove any black skin by rubbing with salt. With kitchen scissors cut off head, tail and fins. Scrape off scales with knife. Cut slanting cuts on both sides of the fish. Wash thoroughly and dry in a clean cloth. GRILLING Utensils required : grill tin, perforated spoon. Remove trivet from grill tin. Grease grill pan. Place fish in the tin with a few knobs of fat on top. Cook underneath the grill until brown and the flesh opaque, then place on top of the grill to cook the under-side. A whole fish, enough for one, will take about 5-7 minutes to grill. When done the flesh is quite white and will come away from the bone easily. Slices of fish are grilled in the same way, except cuts are not made on the fish before cooking. Tomatoes may be cooked on an enamel plate at the same time as the fish by placing these on top of the grill while the fish is underneath and vice versa. Fish suitable for grilling include :— Small whole plaice; Dover and witch soles; slices of cod; fresh and frozen salmon ; halibut; turbot; herrings; kippers ; bloaters. FRYING Utensils required : frying pan, perforated spoon. The following method of shallow frying is quite suitable for either fillets, slices or whole fish. Heat some butter or clarified margarine—a piece the size of a walnut will be enough—in a frying pan until it is foaming. Place the fish, which should be quite dry, in the pan, and fry on both sides until golden brown. When the fish is nearly ready, add a little lemon juice and chopped parsley. POACHING Utensils required : one saucepan, lid to fit, perforated spoon. This is a very good way of cooking when there is no grill. Heat a little milk, just enough to cover fish. For a fillet, season, fold in three, place in the boiling milk and reduce the heat. Put the lid on the pan and simmer gently until cooked. A fillet of fish will take about 10 minutes. The milk can be made into a sauce. STEAMING Utensils required : saucepan, 2 enamel plates, perforated spoon. Season fish with salt, pepper and lemon juice. If fillets, fold in three with skin side inside. Place on a greased plate, cover with a piece of greased paper and then with a saucepan lid or another enamel plate. Place over a pan of boiling water. Cook about 20 minutes, or until the fish is opaque all through. Serve with a sauce.