The home cook book

hot platter round broiled ham or broiled bacon. Make a sauce or gravy by pouring off nearly all the fat of the drippings, and then pouring into the saucepan half or three-quarters of a cup of milk. Let boil up and pour over the tomatoes. STEWED TOMATOES Take fine red tomatoes all of a size and pour over them boiling water to loosen their skins. Slip off the skins and lay the tomatoes in a dish with a little butter, salt, and pepper sprinkled over them. Set them in the oven and cook fifteen minutes. Then turn the tomatoes, add a little more butter, a dredging of flour, a small cup of milk to seven or eight tomatoes, and cook slowly till the tomatoes are done. The later cooking may be either in the oven or on the back of the stove. CANNED STEWED TOMATOES Pour the contents of a quart can of tomatoes in a sauncepan. Season with one full teaspoon of salt, one full teaspoon of sugar, and two dashes of pepper. Tomatoes vary as to acid. Taste as you season. They must not be at all sweet, merely a blending of all three seasonings. They require enough salt for a lively flavor, just enough pepper to taste after waiting a second, the right flavor not coming at once. Add one large tablespoon of butter. Set the saucepan on a cooler part of the stove, where in boiling the tomatoes will not stick to the bottom. Boil steadily, and slowly, half an hour, uncovered, stirring and watching carefully. At the end of that time put the saucepan in another with hot water in it. Add two slices of stale bread crust broken in coarse pieces. Stir in. Cover, and cook steadily again for another half hour. If not ready to serve, more cooking will do no harm. After setting them in the hot water, no more watching will be needed. Tomatoes require very thorough cooking to be perfect. If there are any left for next day, add a little water, if too thick, and heat, standing in the water. They are quite as good as when fresh cooked. STUFFED TOMATOES Select large, round, firm tomatoes. From four of these remove the hearts, taking care not to break the shells or skins. Have a tablespoon of boiling butter in a saucepan and to this add one minced onion and the minced hearts of the tomatoes. Add one teacup of minced cold meat, also one cup of cracker crumbs. Brown these well, seasoning with minced garlic, a teaspoon of minced parsley, a pinch of thyme and rosemary, half a teaspoon of salt and some red pepper. When browned, stir into it two raw eggs. Stuff the tomatoes, lay them in a shallow baking dish, pour round them some canned tomato juice, and bake one-half hour in a moderate oven. DICED TURNIPS Cut the turnips before cooking into dice, or with a vegetable scoop into little balls the size of a small marble. Boil till tender. Serve hot in a dish after pouring over the dice or balls melted butter seasoned with paprika or cayenne and chopped parsley.