The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 8, 1906

A Few for the Housewife

Speaking of Cooking and Dishes – How About These?

A Few New Ones Peculiarly Fitted For the Monotony of the Lenten Repasts

There is no season of the year more difficult for the housekeeper than the extreme end of winter and the very first spring days,when fresh vegetables are still expensive, everyone is tired of canned vegetables, and meats have grown monotonous. As a result of the rich, heavy foods of the winter the systems are clogged and cry for a change and rest, even as do tired brains and hands. To keep Lent is doubtless a good and safe way to clean one’s system, by eating less meat and ctting (sic) off all rich desserts. However, there are a great many appetizing rules for Lenten dishes which go also a long way towards breaking away from the monotonous diet of the fag end of winter. A few new ones are given which have been obtained from various reliable sources.

Lenten Dishes.

French Potato Soup – For an average sized family take four good-sized potatoes to two quarts of water. let the potatoes cook away in the water, and this forms the stock for the soup. When this is done, add two large potatoes, three for four onions, and a heaping tablespoonful of butter to each puart (sic) of liquid. Let all this cook together until the potatoes and onions are thoroughly done. Season well with salt, black pepper and a dash of red.

Sardines on Toast – This makes an excellent luncheon dish. Put the sardines on a hot riddle and just heat through, an (sic) then place on hot toast. Serve with raw onion chopped very fine. The onion may be put in lettuce leaves arranged around the platter.

Boston Baked Apples – Wipe and core the apples and cut out the blossom but in coring be careful to cut entirely through the apple. Fill the center with heavy brown sugar, pressed down lightly and heaped up. Put a little water in the pan with the apples. Prick them and bake carefully until done. The sugar should form a thick syrup, which in serving should be poured around the apples. Eat with cream.

Rice and Tomatoes – Cold boiled rice will make a good foundation for a Lenton luncheon dish. To one large cupful of stewed tomatoes add two small or one large onion cut fine. let these cook with a little butter until the onion is thoroughly done. Put the rice into a buttered pudding dish, pour over it the onions, tomatoes and mix all together. Cover with bread crumbs and bake only a few minutes or ia (sic) will be too dry.

Orange Marmalade – This is the season of the year when orange marmalade can be made quite cheaply. Peel one dozen oranges, cutting the peel in little strips with a pair of every pound of sliced fruit and peel add three pints of cold water. Let this stand over night and in the morning  boil about two hours or  until tender. Then weigh and to every pound of fruit add one and a half pounds of granulated sugar (scant weight) and the juice of two lemons. An addition of the peel of four grapefruit, cut in strips and previously boiled in several waters until the very bitter taste is extracted is an improvement. The grapefruit peel should be weight with the other fruit with the same proportion of sugar.

Prune Tapioca – Wash one-half cupful of tapioca and soak it over night in three cupfuls of cold water. In the morning put both the water and tapioca in the double boiler and cook for one hour. Before this, wash the prunes and put them in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover them. Let them simmer gently until they absorb the water. Turn out to cool and remove the stones. When the tapioca has cooked an hour, stir in one-half teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of lemon juice, and one-half cupful of sugar. Spread a layer of it in the bottom of a baking dish, sprinkle with prunes, next with another layer of tapioca, and so on, leaving the last tapioca. Bake an our and serve partially cold.

(Editor’s note: In the [very unlikely] event that I get the ambition to try any of these recipes, I will post a picture of the result and give a review of the experience.)

Tags: 1906, Lent, recipes