990 
Oic RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 18, 1917. 
Things to Eat 
' Some New England Fish Dinners 
By a New England Housewife 
As cod is nil over-popular fish to in¬ 
landers a satisfactory meal may be en¬ 
joyed by the following means: I>oil a 
fresh cod in salted water 20 minutes, 
remove bones; and serve with this gravy: 
One quart milk; butter, size of walnut, 
pepper, salt; thicken with cornstarch to 
the consistency of cream ; beat the yolk 
of one raw egg; stir in and cook 15 min¬ 
utes in a double boiler; add two hard- 
boiled eggs, chopped quite fine. Serve 
very hot with boiled or baked potatoes 
in their jackets. 
Escalloped fish is a rather .savory dish 
for people who are ever on the alert for 
variety in “brain food,” and for economj' 
in left-overs. Take a layer of sliced po¬ 
tatoes, previously cooked, add a layer of 
fish (not too thick, as cod naturally con¬ 
vinces one that “a little goes a long 
way”), and season with butter, pepper, 
salt' and one tablespoonful of the cream 
sauce. Add an onion, chopped, and bake 
till slightly brown. If you have no cream 
sauce, substitute milk and crackei'S. 
Codfish with Vegetables.—Freshen, 
boil and flake a piece of cod. Put in a 
buttered pudding dish first, a layer of 
fish, a layer of mashed potatoes, a layer 
of mashed parsnips, etc. Sprinkle the 
top with cracker crumbs, dots of butter; 
add a little hot milk. Serve hot when 
baked a little brown, with egg sauce. 
Baked Fresh Salmon.—Wash and clean 
thoroughly a small .salmon, rub with but¬ 
ter, pepper and salt; put slices of an 
onion inside and over the fish, and pour 
over it one pint of tomatoes. Bake in a 
inoderate oven, basting freiiuently. Turn 
out on a hot platter and garnish. This is 
an Oregon recipe. 
Baked Salmon Loaf.—One can salmon, 
four tablespoonfuls bread crumbs, four 
tablespoonfuls butter, pepper, salt to 
ta.ste; one egg slightly beaten. Bake in 
li loaf with strips of bacon across the top. 
Serve with creamed onions. 
The following may be baked one-half 
hour or steamed one hour: One can sal¬ 
mon, one-half cup cracker crumbs, one 
cup milk, one egg slightly beaten, salt 
and pepper. Bake in loaf, turn out on 
hot platter, with one pint of seasoned 
cream sauce and one cup peas. 
Salmon Souffle.—One can flaked sal¬ 
mon, one cup bread, or cracker crumbs 
soaked in two ciqis milk, salt, pepper, 
juice of one lemon, lightly beaten yolks 
of three eggs. T,ast, fold in stiffly beaten 
whites. Bake in a moderate oven 25 
minutes. Serve with creamed potatoes. 
Here is a meal which my men folks 
greatly enjoy, a home dish: Freshen, 
boil and flake a piece of cod. Mash new 
boiled potatoes, arrange a layer of pota¬ 
toes, cod, salt and pepper, and serve 
very hot with “quantities” of cream. 
Macaroni baked with tomato soup and 
grated cheese, is a A’ery good side dish to 
serve with it. However Avell seasoned, 
the meal is not complete without the real 
old Block Island johnny cakes, the kind 
never heard of by many visitors, but how 
quickly one forgets the high price of meal 
after the fii’st johnny cake is sampled! 
One cup meal, pinch salt, one tea¬ 
spoonful sugar, mix ; add boiling water to 
right consistency, beat till smooth; one- 
half cup flour; milk; to fry about one- 
fourth to one-half inch thick. I fear if 
the genuine white Khode Island meal is 
unobtainable the cook will meet Avith lit¬ 
tle success. In any case she needs pa¬ 
tience as after a few years of married 
life I have just “got the knack.” The 
secret is a hot griddle and quite sIoav fry¬ 
ing and the flattering reward, “Believe me, 
you certainly have the hang on johnny- 
cakes. I used to think our hired girl was 
the only cotik, but uoav— why, she is in 
the shade.” Is it any wonder some cooks 
have the severe cases of swelled heads? 
Hints.—Either fry fish in oil or lard. 
Butter is not good. 
Lemon juice or slices of lemon are best 
served with fish as the acid corrects and 
balances the strong fishy taste. 
To freshen salt fish cover with plenty 
of cold water, allow to heat gradually on 
the back of the range, then when hot pour 
off the water and repeat. Then remove 
fish and skin, bone and flake. Always 
simmer slowly salt fish.—From an old 
cook book. MKS. C. H. L. 
Rhode Island. 
Canning Leghorn Cockerels 
E. H. K.’s inquiry on page 805. re¬ 
garding the disposition of "White Leg¬ 
horn cockerels, leads me to believe that 
perhaps others might benefit by our ex- 
jierience in canning them. Last October 
we began killing five or six at a time, 
boiling until the meat came from the 
bones. The large bones were removed. 
The meat was packed in glass fruit jars, 
Avhich had been sterilized in hot water. 
The cans were filled to the top with the 
gravy and .sealed. When cool they were 
placed on the cellar bottom until late in 
November, and then were put up on the 
fruit shelf. We used the last can about 
IMay 15, and it was just as good as if 
fresh. There was no loss. 
I'lie meat is worth more in the home 
than the prices received for young 
chickens or oven broilers if sold at .a time 
when they are plentiful. Having the 
meat on the shelf is most convenient. 
One is not obliged to kill in snowy Win¬ 
ter weather, and also, some feed is saved. 
When Ave compare the prices of tinned 
chicken Avith our cost of production Ave 
find ourselves aAvay on the right side of 
the book. The Avhole thing is so simple 
that Ave Avonder Avhy Ave haA'e not as yet 
seen it in print or heard of anyone doing 
it. No sugar is required as Avith fruit 
and it Avould seem an economical propo¬ 
sition for anyone Avho keeps chickens. 
Hover, N. .T. K. av. s. 
Cooking a Woodchuck 
I Avas very glad to read hoAV some one 
else recognizes the meat Amine of the 
Avoodchuck. Being a vegetarian the 
Avoodchuck is perfectly clean as food : as 
he eats many different herbs he has a 
peculiar spicy flavor, like game. Pre¬ 
pared in the German Avay, like a hare it 
tastes a great deal better than any rab¬ 
bit or Belgian hare I have ever tasted, 
also, having small bones it has a great 
deal more meat than either above-named 
animals. I came to knoAV its food A’alue 
in this Avay; I had a boarder Avho 
brought me a Avoodchuck he had killed, 
and asked me to cook it for him. He 
dressed it, removing also the fatty glands, 
mentioned in the article in Tin*; R. N.-Y. 
The folloAving manner is the Avay I 
cook it: 
I cut off the head and soft parts of the 
body, leaving only the firm meat, the fore 
and hind legs and back. After taking 
off the fine skin of these jiarts. too, I 
lard them richly Avith salt pork. Then 
I melt a good lump of butter in the roast¬ 
ing pan and lay the woo^lchuck into the 
melted butter doAvn on its larded back, 
and broAvn it nicely. I Avatch the butter 
so it does not get dark, and add a big 
ladleful of sour cream which I let be¬ 
come a golden broAvn. Then I turn the 
woodchuck over on the other side. Noav 
Avith the ladle I pour sour cream all over 
the lardi'd back and legs, and one cup of 
boiling Avater into the pan. I add, at 
this point, the salt by sprinkling it all 
over the meat. Then I begin to baste 
with the gravy. Frequent basting makes 
the success of the roast. Noav and then 
I add a little more cream and a little 
more boiling Avater. 
When the meat is done it is laid on a 
hot platter and kept hot. The pan I put 
on top of the stoA'e, add more boiling 
Avater, to get plenty of gravy, and flour 
stirred smooth into some moi-e sojir 
cream; mix it Avell Avith the gravy and 
Avhen sufficiently blended I pour this hot, 
smooth, thick gravy over the meat and 
into the gravy boat and serve. No more 
Avood for the Avoodchuck to chuck after 
that, and it is a dish good enough to re¬ 
member. The head and trimmings, Avith 
the heart and liver can be stcAved like 
an ordinary rabbit steAA'. So can the 
Avhole animal for that matter. It may 
also be stuffed Avith chicken, raisin or tur¬ 
key stuffing and roasted American 
fashion. As for the skin, my mother Avore 
a pair of moccasins made of Avoodchuck 
skins for three years. 
MKS. TIIKKESK 'SCIIAVEXK. 
(’onnecticut. 
Baking Canned Fruit 
There is sometimes a neAV idea, or per¬ 
haps an idea which is so sIoaa^ about 
spreading that it is new to some after 
it becomes gray with age to others; 
therefore as I have never seen it in print, 
I will tell you about a scheme for can¬ 
ning fruits as it Avas told to my Avife 
recently. The idea is this: Sterilize the 
cars, fill them Avith fruit, nothing else, 
init on the coA'ors, set the cans in pans 
of Avater, put them in the oven of the 
cooking range, or oil stove, bake them 
two or three hours, until thoroughly 
cooked. Remove from the oven, put the 
rubber rings on and close tight. When 
cool put them away for the future. Thei-e 
you have it, young or old. ucav or an¬ 
cient. Is it Avorth trying? 
MILES H. I)E LONG. 
Salting and Smoking Fish 
There have been many questions this 
year about preserving fi.sh. At many 
points along the ocean fish have been 
plentiful and cheap. The papers have 
contained stories about fishermen Avho 
threw fish back into the water in order 
to hold up prices. At any rate there 
is a demand for information, and it is 
brought out in the following: 
AVill yon advi.se me as to the smok¬ 
ing and salting of fish? Just what con¬ 
sistency should the brine be for salted 
fish, and how would one go to Avork to 
snudve fish so as to keep it for the Win¬ 
ter? G. B. P. 
Ossining, N. Y’. 
To preserve fish for Winter use it may 
either be preserved in a brine or first 
salted and then smoked. It must be re¬ 
membered. hoAvever, that fi.sh, and es¬ 
pecially the varieties of fresh-Avater fish 
that are common enough to be salted at 
this time of year contain a very large 
percentage of moisture, and are not so 
firm and solid as they are earlier in the 
year. Therefore, more care must be ex¬ 
ercised in curing them, and they must 
be kept in a cool, Avell ventilated place 
or decomposition may occur. For cur¬ 
ing and packing in brine the fish should 
be Avashed in cold water and the head 
and entrails removed, after Avhich they 
should be thoroughly rubbed inside and 
out Avith fine salt and packed in earth¬ 
en jars or clean, SAveet barrels that have 
ncA’cr contained vinegar or kerosene. 
After the fish have romaiped in this salt 
over night brine composed of 15 pounds 
of .salt, four ounces of saltpeter and four 
gallons of Avater to each hundred iiounds 
of fish should be poured oA'er them. 
This should be Aveiglited doAvn Avith a 
wooden block or clean stone, so that the 
brine entirely covers the fish, and the 
jiir should be kept in a cool, AA-ell-ven- 
tilated cellar. 
For curing and smoking fish, clean as 
above, and pack in salt so that each fish 
is completely surrounded by the salt and 
alloAA'cd to remain there for 15 to 20 
day.s, after which they may be hung in 
the smoke-house and given a heavy smok¬ 
ing Avith hickory wood. After the smok¬ 
ing the fish should hang so that no tAA'o 
fish touch for at least the first three 
days, after Avhich they may be placed in 
a dry, ivell-ventilated place for future 
use. 
A Nourishing Skim-milk Soup 
During the milk strike of last Winter 
a great deal Avas said about .skim-milk, 
the use of it in the family. The board of 
health does not alloAV the u.se of this 
milk at iire.sent. In the bulletin from 
the Department of Agriculture, “Let 
Nothing Spoil.” Food Thrift Series. No. 
.”, there is a recijie for a soup from skim- 
milk that is very nourishing and very 
good to knoAV about at this time : 
Milk and Vegetable Soup: One quart 
skim-milk, one cui) bread crumbs, or tAVO 
large slices .stale bread, one sliced onion. 
Small amount spiiiach or outer leaves let¬ 
tuce (not more than four ouncs). salt. 
Cut A'egetables into small pieces and cook 
Avith the bread crumbs in milk in a 
double boiler. If a large quantity is pre¬ 
pared .for use in a school, for example, 
put A'egetables through a meat chopper. 
In this Avay slices of bread can be ground 
Avith the vegetabb'S, in order to absorb 
the juice. Why does the board of health 
not permit such good food to be used? 
Connecticut. L. E. S. 
New Canning Plan 
I have just run across a canning pro¬ 
cess that Avhile it looks queer, still the 
man telling me got it direct from the 
user, Avho claims it is reliable and he 
never loses anything. It looks as 
though he operates a lot of baby silos 
in his home. KnoAving both parties I 
cannot help believing it. His stateinent 
is: Gather all the snap or bu.sh beans you 
need, Ava.sh them Avell and i>ut in a clean 
zinc Avashtub; fill the tub Avith clean 
Avater from the hydrant. Take the jars, 
luit on rubbers, and put jar under Avater 
shaking out all air, do same Avith the 
covers. I’se the hands and jiack the 
jars full and tight Avith beans and then 
l)ut on cover, screwing it on as tight as 
jiossible, Avhile still under the Avater. It 
appears -the process hinges on the ab¬ 
solute exclusion of air from beginning to 
end. Nothing Avas said about using any 
salt. A. 1’. 
This is a ucav one. and Ave print it 
for its novelty. It might bo tried on a 
small scale but of course Ave do not rec¬ 
ommend it. 
Beef Fat for Shortening 
1)0 any of the readers try out beef- 
fat for shortening? Hoav do they do it 
and is it satisfactory? Sister spent a 
Aveek recently on a farm in Connecticut, 
and her hostess Avas u.sing this beef fat. 
ami liked it very much. When the can 
of cottonseed oil Avas gone, si.ster bought 
six iiounds of beef fat at_ 11 cents a 
pound: the butcher sold it for exactly 
Avhat he could get for it as grease. Sister 
removed skin and Avaste, then tried it out 
in the oven of the oil stove. She had 
about five pounds of fat, as aa'cII as we 
could judge and the “cracklings” made 
some exceilent ginger cookies and some 
cornbread. You do not have to use as 
much of this fat as you do of lard ; use it 
the same as cottonseed oil. But it can be 
used in place of butter in cream gravies 
and other things, and has exactly the 
good taste that butter gives. Sister had 
her oven a bit too sloAV and kept the pans 
of fat in too long, so the resulting short¬ 
ening is a bit broAA’i). This is her first 
atteinjit and she would like to hear from 
others who have used it. E. s. K. 
