The Rural cook book

Delicate Fishballs. — Boil the quantity of codfish that would be required, changing the water once that it may not be too salt. While the fish is hot pick it very fine, so that it will be feathery. It cannot be done fine enough with a fork, and should be picked by hand. At the same time have hot boiled potatoes ready, mash them thoroughly and make them creamy with milk and a good-sized lump of butter. To three cupfuls of mashed potatoes take 1½ cupful of fish; the fish should not be packed down. Beat one egg lightly and stir into the other ingredients and season to taste. Beat the mixture well together and until light, then mold it into small balls, handling lightly and before frying roll the balls in flour. Fry them in smoking hot fat until a gold color, Mexican Codfish. — Fry to a pale yellow one small onion, chopped fine, in three tablespoonfuls of butter; add two tablespoonfuls of flour, half 3 green pepper, chopped fine, and one cupful of stewed and sifted tomato pulp. When the sauce reaches the boiling point, add half a pound of salt codfish, which has been freshened for 24 hours in cold water and slowly simmered until it will readily separate into flakes. Codfish Mound. — Make one quart of good mashed potatoes without any salt; add a pint of picked boiled codfish. Season with pepper; beat well together, make into a mound with a depression in center on a baking dish, and set in the oven to brown. When brought to the table, pour a few tablespoonfuls of cream sauce in center of mound, and garnish with hard-boiled egg. Serve with boiled beets and, if desired, salt pork or bacon cut into tiny squares and fried crisp, which, with the fat fried out, is poured into a gravy bowl. This makes a hearty and satisfying Biscay Salt Cod. — Bone two pounds of salt cod and soak in cold water for 12 hours. Place in a saucepan, cover with salt water and let heat gradually to boiling point; then add fresh water and let boil again. Take out and drain. Chop two onions and one green pepper quite fine ;ind cook for five minutes in butter or oil. Add one sliced tomato or half-cupfui of stewed tomatoes, one clove of garlic and a small chili pepper. Add to these three pints of broth a small bunch of parsley, three tablespoonfuls of tomato catsup and a pint of small potatoes (peeled) or the same quantity of potato balls. Cook until the potatoes are just done, add the cod and cook five minutes longer. Salt Codfish Chowder. — Cut one-fourth pound of salt pork into bits and Iry out the fat in a frying pan ; in this brown two medium-sized onions, sliced. Wash and drain a pound of codfish, cut or picked into bits; cover with cold water and set on back of range to heat, but not boil. ■ After two hours add a pint and a half of potatoes pared and sliced, and a dash of pepper. Add a cupful of water to the onions and pork and strain over the potatoes. When the potatoes are tender add one cupful each of scalded cream and milk. Pour the chowder over six crackers broken into halves and serve.