*A SALT-FISH DINNER. Outside New England a salt-fish dinner is hardly known, and even in that section it is rarely served in such perfection in the interior as it is in the towns bor- dering on the coast. To the uninitiated it may seem to be a very insignificant meal ; but to those who know what it really is, few dinners are more attractive. The preparation of a salt-fish dinner calls for care and skill. The materials should be of the very best. Codfish is the only suitable fish to use, and dunfish is better than white ; the process of curing the former being preferable to that of curing white fish, and the result being a darker and richer fish. But whichever fish is used, the treat- 566 MISS PARLOA'S KITCHEN COMPANION. ment is the same. The fish never should be cut before cooking. Preparation of the Fish. A genuine salt-fish dinner is composed of a whole salt cod, beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, salt pork, butter, hard-boiled eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. The night before the dinner is to be served, wash the fish care- fully. It is best to use for this purpose a brush such as is used for scrubbing hams. Cut off the fins and tail. Put the fish into a large pan, skin side up ; and soak it over night in sufficient water to cover it. The next day place the fish, skin side up, in a fish- kettle or in a large pan. Place on the fire where the water will heat slowly to the boiling-point without actu- ally boiling ; then set back where it will keep hot for five or six hours. If care be taken not to let the fish boil, it will break into soft, rich, gelatinous flakes when served ; but if it be boiled, it will be dry, thready, and hard. Cooking the Beets. Beets may be boiled without washing. When they are washed the little roots are apt to be broken, and the juices escape. This impoverishes the vegetables and spoils the color. The time of cooking depends upon the age. When they are small and young they may be cooked in less than an hour, but as the season advances the time must be increased. In September, October, and November they should be cooked for two hours ; in December and January they will require about three hours' cooking; and in the spring four hours' will be none too much. They need steady, gentle boiling. When they are done, pour off the hot water, and cover them with cold water. Rub off the skin, and slice them. They may be seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter, or served without any seasoning. SPECIAL ARTICLES. 567 What to Do with the Other Vegetables. The carrots should be scraped, sliced lengthwise, and then cut into pieces about three inches long. Let them stand for an hour or more in cold water ; then boil for an hour in plenty of water. Pour off the water, and add to each quart of carrots one level table-spoonful of sugar, two table-spoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, and one gill of stock or boiling water✪ Carrots. Let the carrots boil till they absorb all the moisture.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

*A SALT-FISH DINNER. Outside New England a salt-fish dinner is hardly known, and even in that section it is rarely served in such perfection in the interior as it is in the towns bordering on the coast. To the uninitiated it may seem to be a very insignificant meal ; but to those who know what it really is, few dinners are more attractive. The preparation of a salt-fish dinner calls for care and skill. The materials should be of the very best. Codfish is the only suitable fish to use, and dunfish is better than white ; the process of curing the former being preferable to that of curing white fish, and the result being a darker and richer fish. But whichever fish is used, the treat- ment is the same. The fish never should be cut before cooking. Preparation of the Fish. A genuine salt-fish dinner is composed of a whole salt cod, beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, salt pork, butter, hard-boiled eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. The night before the dinner is to be served, wash the fish carefully. It is best to use for this purpose a brush such as is used for scrubbing hams. Cut off the fins and tail. Put the fish into a large pan, skin side up ; and soak it over night in sufficient water to cover it. The next day place the fish, skin side up, in a fishkettle or in a large pan. Place on the fire where the water will heat slowly to the boiling-point without actually boiling ; then set back where it will keep hot for five or six hours. If care be taken not to let the fish boil, it will break into soft, rich, gelatinous flakes when served ; but if it be boiled, it will be dry, thready, and hard. Cooking the Beets. Beets may be boiled without washing. When they are washed the little roots are apt to be broken, and the juices escape. This impoverishes the vegetables and spoils the color. The time of cooking depends upon the age. When they are small and young they may be cooked in less than an hour, but as the season advances the time must be increased. In September, October, and November they should be cooked for two hours ; in December and January they will require about three hours' cooking; and in the spring four hours' will be none too much. They need steady, gentle boiling. When they are done, pour off the hot water, and cover them with cold water. Rub off the skin, and slice them. They may be seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter, or served without any seasoning. What to Do with the Other Vegetables. The carrots should be scraped, sliced lengthwise, and then cut into pieces about three inches long. Let them stand for an hour or more in cold water ; then boil for an hour in plenty of water. Pour off the water, and add to each quart of carrots one level table-spoonful of sugar, two table-spoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, and one gill of stock or boiling water. Let the carrots boil till they absorb all the moisture.

Records on this page

CarrotsPotatoesOnions

Miss Parloa's kitchen companion