The household cook book

SUET. — Cut fresh suet in small pieces and cover them with water; let them remain in the water bath 24 hours, but change the water once during the time; this removes the peculiar tallowy taste. Now drain well and put in an iron kettle with \ teacup of milk to each pound of suet; let it cook very slowly till the fat looks clear and is light brown, and till all sound of cooking has ceased. Loosen the pieces from the bottom of the kettle to prevent scorch- ing, but avoid stirring; let it stand till partly cooled, then pour into cups to become cold. It smells as sweet as butter, and can be used in place of it for many purposes. The fat left in the pieces may be pressed out and used in various ways. HASH AND CROQUETTES. > I /HE dinner table should be liberally supplied with both meat \\ f and vegetables, as it is the principal meal of the day. This "SJ I '^ should be done so that each member of the family can be gen- erously helped, remembering that a family stinted in food, no matter how finely dressed, or housed, 'can never be in a healthful condition; it also provides for unexpected guests. The remainder of the dinner, if at noon, can be sliced cold, and served with the supper if needed, or minced the next morning for hash. Hash is also a fine accompaniment on the supper table in cold weather, when hungry children come from school. The meat for dinner need not be of the most expensive joints, for the cheaper cuts are quite as nutritious, and, if properly cooked, can be made very palatable. HASH AND MINCED MEATS. Under this head are included recipes for mincing and re=warm- ing in an appetizing manner, cold meat of all kinds, fish, etc., etc. This minced meat is usually combined with vegetables, or bread, ei- ther in crumbs, or toasted slices, and forms a series of dishes, both economical and agreeable to the palate. The French term Salmis {Salmy by foreign cooks) is used more particularly to designate minced game re=warmed in various ways, but in plain English it is simply hash. In making hash, and in re-warming any kind of cold meat, do not confound the term re= warming with re=cooking; to re= cook meat is to harden it, and the secret of good hash is to make it just piping hot, and no more. HASH. — One of the most common forms in which cold potatoes and meat left from yesterday's meal appears, is — hash. Not 1 per- son in 10 knows how to put it together appetizingly. Chop fine such bits of cold meat as you may have, add a double quantity of potato, chopped fine also, mix well, season with pepper and salt to taste; 8 minutes before you wish to serve the dish, melt a tablespoon of but- ter in a spider, and, when hissing hot, put in the hash and press it down well and evenly all around. At the end of the time specified, have a heated plate ready, turn it over the spider, tip the latter upside down with the plate beneath, and send your steaming "' hash cake " 176 HASH AND MINCED MEATS 177 to the table. This " hash " can be varied indefinitely. Some prefer a larger portion of meat, others not so much. Occasionally a flavor- ing of chopped onion may be added, or a spoonful of any good catsup or sauce to give piquancy. And sometimes for a change, mix as di- rected, flour your hands well and form into balls, and fry light brown in plenty of hot lard.