Household cookery

Method, — Wash lentils until clean in cold w^ater, put w^ith water and vegetables into a pan, boil till tender, pour on to a wire sieve, and rub pulp through with a w^ooden spoon. Melt butter in a pan, mix in flour, add milk slowly, then add soup, and stir till it boils. Season with salt and pepper, and serve. Fish is a valuable and wholesome article of food. Though less nourishing and stimulating, it is more easily digested than butchers' meat ; it also provides an agreeable change in our diet. W/iite Fish^ such as soles, plaice, whiting, cod, etc., are suitable for invaUds, as they are more digestible, though not so nourishing as oily fish. Salmon, mackerel, eels, fresh herrings, etc., contain oil, and are therefore much stronger and richer food than white fish. To Choose Fish, — The eyes should be bright, clear, and full, flesh firm and stiff ; when pressed with the fingers should leave no impression; gills red. It should have little or no smell. To Clean Fish, — Remove scales by scraping with a sharp knife from head to tail. Take out the inside, not making too large an opening; wash thoroughly and dry. Fish must not be left in water; this wastes the juices. To Ski?i Fish, — In round fish, loosen the skin near the head, and draw skin down from head to tail. In flat fish, cut with a sharp knife across the tail ; loosen skin at the edges, then insert the finger and thumb and work up on each side of the fish, using a little salt to prevent it slipping ^ take the fish in one hand, and with the other draw skin off towards the head. Fillet fish by cutting down the centre of the back from head to tail ; Hft the flesh carefully off* on each side of the backbone, holding the blade of the knife close to the bone. lO Boiled Salmon A piece of salmon. Salt (i tea-spoonful to each Boiling water. quart). Method, — Scale and clean the fish, roll in^a buttered cloth, place in a pan of boiling salted water. Simmer gently, allowing 8 to 10 minutes for each pound of fish. When done, dish it nicely, garnish with parsley, and serve with lobster, cream, or shrimp sauce. Sliced cucumber should be served with this dish. Boiled Cod 2 or 3 lbs. of cod. Salt and vinegar. Method, — Scale the fish, wash, dry, and rub well with salt. Put into a pan of boiling water, with i table-spoonful of salt to 2 quarts of water, and 2 table-spoonfuls of vinegar. Simmer gently, allowing 7 to lo minutes to each pound of fish. Drain thoroughly, and serve on a folded napkin. Garnish with parsley and cut lemon, serve with lobster or shrimp sauce. Sole a la Creme I sole. I pint of milk. Blade of mace. Small bay-leaf. I oz. butter. A few drops of lemon-juice. I oz. flour. Method. — Fillet the fish, remove the dark skin, divide the fillets in half lengthways, and roll up or tie each one. Put the bones into a very clean saucepan with the milk, mace, and bay-leaf, and stew gently about 20 minutes, then strain. Melt the butter in the pan, mix in flour, add the strained milk, slowly stirring till it boils, then season. Put the fillets into this sauce and simmer very gently for 15 minutes. Place the fillets on a hot dish, add a few drops of lemon-juice to the sauce, then cover the fillets completely with the sauce. Garnish ^^dth cut lemon and stifiiy whipped white of egg. Sprinkle over a little finely chopped parsley.