Foods and home making

Potatoes supply carbohydrates, some calcium, and vitamin C, but they contain very little vitamin A. Other foods need to be used with meat and potatoes to supply vitamin A and more calcium. Milk furnishes both vitamin A and calcium. You will remember that milk has been proved to be the best source of calcium. (See page 268.) A combination of meat, pota- toes, and milk makes a good group. There are vegetables other than potatoes which along with milk make good additions to meat. Dr. Mary Swartz Rose, who is an authority on diet, says : “It should be borne in mind that meat needs supplement- ing always by milk and vegetables to give the calcium and vitamins which it lacks.” 1 What are meat extenders ? We have learned two very impor- tant facts about meat : (1) only a small amount of meat is neces- sary, and (2) milk and vegetables should be used with meat. It would seem then that dishes in which meat is combined with vegetables and milk would be very desirable. In such dishes, less meat is used than when meat is served in the form of roasts and steaks. Vegetables take the place of part of the meat. They are said to extend the meat. Dishes containing meat and vegetables or cereals are called meat extenders. Meat extenders are usually economical dishes. Let us learn how to prepare a meat extender : 1 From page 420 of The Foundations of Nutrition by Mary Swartz Rose, by per- mission of the Macmillan Company, publishers. BEEF STEW 1 pound beef, cut into pieces 3 tablespoons flour 1 onion sliced 1§ quarts hot water 2 teaspoons salt 2 cups carrots, cut into cubes 2 cups turnips or rutabagas, cut into cubes 2 cups celery cut in small pieces 2 cups potatoes, cut into cubes Dinner 380 One of the tough cuts should be used for stew. Have the butcher cut the meat into small pieces. Remove the fat from the meat. Heat the fat in a frying pan so the meat may be browned in it. Add the onion to the fat. Sprinkle the flour over the meat. Brown the floured meat and onion in the fat. Then cautiously add the hot water. Cover the meat and cook at sim- mering temperature for 2 hours or more. The meat may be cooked on top of the stove in the frying pan. It is well to place an asbestos mat underneath the pan. Another way to cook the meat is to place it in the oven in a covered pan. If a heat-regulated oven is used, set the tem- perature at 275° F. Use only 1 quart water when the meat is cooked in the oven. If the meat is very tough, it may need to cook longer than 2 hours. Add the salt and vegetables except the potatoes to the meat and cook for about \ hour. Then add the potatoes and cook until the latter are tender. If it is desired to have the stew thicker, thicken it with 2 tablespoons of flour as directed for gravy on page 369. Serve hot. Yield : p serv- ings. What are the characteristics of veal ? Veal is the meat of a calf about two months old. Because the animal is young, veal differs in color and flavor from beef. Veal is lighter in color than beef. It is dull pink. Good veal is firm. If too young an animal is used, the flesh is flabby. Veal does not have so pronounced a flavor as beef. It is thought to be more diffi- cult to digest than beef.