Foods and home making

POTATO VOLCANO 6 potatoes 2 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons salt $■ teaspoon pepper Milk, preferably top milk — about \ cup 1 egg Welsh rabbit Pimiento and parsley for garnishing Scrub and pare the potatoes. Put 1 pint water in a saucepan. Add £ teaspoon salt. Heat the water ; when it boils, add the potatoes. 258 Luncheon or Supper Cover and boil gently until the potatoes are tender. Drain the watei from them. Mash the potatoes, add the butter and seasonings and enough milk to moisten. Beat the egg. Add 3 tablespoons of it to the mashed potato. Beat the mixture until it is light. Pile the potatoes high on a buttered glass pie dish or on an oven- glass platter. With a spoon, make a well about the size of a tumbler in the center of the potato mound. Better Homes and Gardens Figure 87. Potato Volcano When you have completed this interesting dish, the Welsh rabbit will suggest the lava of a volcano; the pimiento, fiery rocks; the sprigs of parsley, the shrubs that dare to grow at the base of this turbulent mountain. Although this is a novel dish, it is very good. Moreover, it is easy to serve, for it is placed on the table in the same dish in which it is baked. The hot glass dish or platter should be placed, of course, on a hot-dish mat, or on another dish, to protect the dining table. To the remainder of the egg, add 1 teaspoon water. Pour the di- luted egg over the potato. Put the pie dish or platter into a very hot oven — joo° F. Bake until the points of the potato are browned. Remove from the oven, pour hot Welsh rabbit into the well or cavity. Around the “ crater of the volcano” put bits of chopped pimiento. Place sprigs of parsley at the base of the “ volcano.” Serve at once. Yield : 6 servings. The Main Luncheon Dish 259 CHEESE CUSTARD 1 pint milk 1| cups soft bread crumbs 2 eggs 1\ teaspoons salt | teaspoon paprika \ pound American cheese grated or cut into small bits Break the eggs into a mixing bowl. Beat them. Add the other ingredients. Stir to mix. Butter 6 custard cups or 1 baking dish. Pour the mixture into the buttered dishes. Place the latter in a pan containing hot water. Bake in a moderate oven — 350° F. — until a knife inserted in the custard comes out clean. This usually takes about 1 hour. Dash paprika over the top of the custards. Serve at once in the dishes in which the custard was baked. Yield : 6 servings. What are legumes ? What is their composition ? Peas and beans are seeds growing in pods. Lentils also are seeds which grow in pods. This group of vegetable foods — beans, peas, and lentils — is known as legumes. The seeds, both green and dried, of these leguminous plants as well as the pods of some kinds of beans are used as food. All legumes contain pro- teins. Dried legumes are rich in proteins. Let us study the composition of navy beans as shown in Figure 88. The dried legumes are among the cheapest protein- rich foods. How should dried legumes be cooked? We learned that it was advisable to soak dried fruits in water before cooking. Dried legumes also should be soaked in water. Legumes are usually soaked in water over night or for at least six hours. Then the legumes should be cooked in water for a long time. Because of the long time needed to cook them dried legumes should boil gently or cook at simmering temperature. Long rapid boiling breaks up these vegetables.