Principles of cooking

Lamb Chops. — Select rib or loin chops and remove the skin and some of the fat. If all the fat is removed, the chops will be dry and tasteless. Have the frying pan smoking hot, and place a small piece of the fat from the meat on a fork and rub the pan with it. Remove the fat and place the chops in the pan. When one side is seared over, turn the chops and sear the other side, turn frequently to prevent burning, and cook at a lower temperature after the first few minutes. Cook long enough so that the chops will not be rare,—from eight to twelve minutes, depending on the thickness of the cut. When done, season with salt and pepper; serve immediately. Mutton and pork chops are cooked in the same way. Veal Cutlets. — Cut the cutlets in pieces for individual servings. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip in crumbs or flour, egg, and crumbs, and fry in bacon fat, lard, or butter, until well browned. Cook slowly so that the cutlets will be cooked throughout. Pour Brown or Tomato Sauce . over, and simmer twenty minutes. Brown Sauce. — Brown one fourth cup of butter; add one fourth teaspoon of chopped onion and brown; add three tablespoons of flour and stir until browned; add one and one half cups of boiling water and cook until it thickens. Add one fourth teaspoon of salt, one eighth teaspoon of pepper. (One half cup of mushrooms or one fourth cup of capers may be added.) Tomato Sauce. — (See p. 95.) Fried Chicken. — Cut a young chicken in pieces ready to serve. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and flour. Place in a deep pan; add one fourth cup of butter, cover the pan, place in a hot oven, and cook from twenty to thirty minutes. Turn several times to cook evenly. ee _ Another method is to place the chicken in the frying pan, add the butter, and fry slowly for fifteen to twenty minutes. Serve with White Sauce made from the butter which remains in the pan. TouGHER CuTs — PRINCIPLE Two Hamburg Steak.— Pass one pound of round steak through a meat chopper; add one small onion chopped fine, one fourth teaspoon of salt, one eighth teaspoon of pepper, and one beaten egg. Mix thoroughly and shape into about six balls. Fry slowly in a small amount of bacon fat ‘or salt pork, or some of the fat from the meat. Cover the frying pan, and cook ten to fifteen minutes, turn to prevent burning. Boiled Leg of Mutton. — Remove the skin from the mutton, as the skin gives the meat a strong flavor if cooked, on the meat. Place the meat in a kettle, cover with boiling water, and boil about fifteen minutes. Reduce the heat and let the meat simmer from two and one half to three hours, depending on the size of the leg. When nearly done, add salt and pepper. Serve with mint or caper sauce. Mint Sauce. — One half cup of mint chopped fine; add two tablespoons of sugar, three tablespoons of vinegar, three tablespoons of boiling water, one eighth teaspoon of salt. Let it boil for three minutes, and then remove from the stove and let it stand for fifteen minutes. Meat in Casserole. — Cut round beef steak or shoulder of mutton into one and one half inch pieces, and brown in a hot frying pan in beef or bacon fat. When the meat is seared, place it in the casserole and brown an onion in the fat. Add onion and fat to the meat, and cover with water. g Place the cover on the casserole, put it in the oven, and let the meat cook slowly for two hours. Cut one cup of car-. rots and two cups of potatoes into balls or slices, add to the meat; add one half teaspoon of salt and one eighth teaspoon of pepper, and cook until the potatoes are done. Serve from the casserole.