The home cook book

The best pieces for roasting are the porterhouse, rib, and sirloin. Place the meat in a baking-pan on a wire frame which comes for that purpose, and sprinkle it lightly with pepper. Have salted water in the bottom of the pan and an onion cut in half. Turn the meat two or three times while roasting, baste every ten minutes, in order to have the meat juicy, and allow fifteen minutes to every pound. Serve with gravy. ROAST BEEF GRAVY Brown some flour a light color, dissolve two tablespoons or more of the browned flour in cold water, stir smooth, and add to the gravy water used in basting. Boil slowly, stirring Dripping-Pan with Basting Ladle constantly until the gravy is slightly thick. If there be any lumps, strain through a strainer. It is then ready for use. ROAST BEEF STEW Slice cold roast beef in thin pieces. Cut oflf all the fat except a very little that may cling to the pieces. Slice, wash, and lay in an iron frying-pan four or five medium-sized onions cut in thin slices. Cover with enough water to boil tender. When done, put in the beef, add whatever cold gravy you have left from the roast beef. Add water enough to cover the meat. Pepper and salt carefully to taste, add one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and three of tomato catsup. Let this boil slowly one hour, then thicken it with flour dissolved in cold water stirred very smooth. Pour into the middle of the stew some of the mixed flour. Stir very quickly with the back of a large spoon to prevent lumping. Boil up and serve hot. SCALLOPED BEEF Meat for scalloping may be either minced or cut in small slices. Put a layer in a greased baking dish and season it to your taste with salt and pepper, adding minced onion if you wish and covering the layer with gravy. Next strew fine breadcrumbs and lay over them small bits of butter, and sprinkle grated cheese. If you have material repeat the layers. Bake in a hot oven till the top layer of breadcrumbs is brown, and serve with a tomato sauce, with pickles or with horseradish. TO COOK SMOKED BEEF Have the smoked beef cut very thin. Put the quantity needed in a granite frying-pan. Cover with cold water. As soon as it comes to boil, pour off the water. Cover with milk, add a little salt and a very little pepper. Taste for seasoning. Have ready flour and water mixed smooth, allowing a tablespoon of flour to a cup of milk. Pour gradually into the middle of the hot milk. Stir well with the back of the spoon at first, and stir again to mix. Let boil slowly, stirring constantly until the milk thickens. When thick enough take off the fire and add a tablespoon of butter. Serve in a hot dish. CREAMED DRIED BEEF Have half a pound of dried beef sliced thin. Break it in small bits. Let it stand five minutes in cold water which is gradually growing lukewarm, then drain. Put it in a saucepan and add a pint of milk. As the milk heats add slowly two large spoons of flour dissolved in half a cup of cold water. Cook till the milk thickens. Take from the fire, stir in a beaten tgg, tip on a hot platter, drop small pieces of butter over the whole, sprinkle with pepper, and serve hot. STEWED BEEF OR VEAL TONGUE