CHAPTER VI.

CEREALS, NOODLES AND DUMPLINGS.

BUCKWHEAT GROATS.

Wash one cup of buckwheat groats several times with cold water, add about six cups of boiling water and two teaspoonfuls of salt. Boil rapidly for 20 minutes or until it thickens, then allow it to cook 50 to 60 minutes longer on the stove or in the oven. Serve with hot cream. Cooked or soaked dried prunes may be eaten with it, or added to the mush just before serving. Buckwheat is a winter food. People who suffer from eruptions on the skin after eating buckwheat should let it alone.

STEEL CUT OATS.

Prepare the same as buckwheat groats. Rolled oats may be used instead.

ROLLED OATS WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE.

Boil two cups of rolled oats with a quart of water and a teaspoon of salt for 20 minutes. Cover and set in the oven, or cook on the stove for about 40 minutes. Remove from the fire, add a piece of butter and a few drops of lemon juice. Serve on soup plates, pour over it cranberry sauce, prune or apricot jam. Eat raw celery or nuts at the end of the meal. It is good for dinner or breakfast.

RYLAX WITH PRUNE JAM.

Prepare like the foregoing. Omit the lemon. Serve with prune jam, celery or nuts, or with hot cream.

Cereals are the most perfect products of the vegetable kingdom, and make fairly well balanced foods. They are deficient in fat, with the exception of corn and oats.

ROLLED WHEAT.

Prepare and serve like rolled oats. Cranberries, prunes, apricots, or apple sauce, are all good additions. The yolk of an egg may be added to the wheat when mixing it with butter.

RAW ROLLED OATS.

Soak one-half cup of Quaker rolled oats with a scant cup of warm salted water. Let it stand for several hours or over night. When ready to serve put it into a dish of warm (not hot) water for 20 minutes. Then add some raisins, dates or dried prunes and serve with or without cream. The dried fruit should be soaked for a short time in a small amount of water. A teaspoonful of nut cream may be substituted for two ounces of cream.

RAW ROLLED WHEAT OR RYLAX.

Soak each separately as in the foregoing or take equal parts of each. Dried soaked currants are an excellent addition to wheat and rye where the very sweet fruits are not desirable. Cream is a more necessary addition to wheat and rye than to oats.

BRAN MUSH.

Bring one and one-half to two cups of water to a boil, add one-half teaspoonful salt. Drop in one shredded wheat biscuit and one-half cup of bran. Mix all well and boil one minute. Serve with hot cream.

BRAN AND RYE MUSH.

Put one-half cup of rylax into boiling salt water, and cook 20 minutes. When done, moisten one-half cup of bran with a little hot water, and mix with the rye mush. Serve with hot cream.

RAW WHOLE WHEAT.

Soak one-half cup of whole wheat in three-quarters or one cup of warm water over night. Keep the water warm, if possible. A small amount of salt may be added. Serve with cream and dates, or with bananas, carrots, or nuts.

Oats are rich in fat and lime, and like wheat and rye belong to the most perfect foods. A fireless cooker is a convenient apparatus for the preparation of oats and wheat. They should be thoroughly cooked for at least half an hour before setting them into the fireless cooker.

BOILED WHOLE WHEAT.

Soak some whole wheat over night. Boil for several hours with sufficient water and salt. Serve like the foregoing.

POLENTA (Italian Dish).

Stir some yellow corn meal into boiling, salted water in an iron pot. Boil for about 40 minutes and stir well to prevent burning. Eat with a fork, and serve with cheese for breakfast or dinner.

RICE FLOUR. No. 1.

Mix a cup of rice flour with cold water, then add three or four cups of boiling water while stirring. Boil 15 to 20 minutes. Before removing from the fire, add some dried currants, which have been soaked for a while. Put on a soup plate, and pour over it some hot cream.

RICE FLOUR. No. 2.

Use pure rice flour, or one-half cornstarch and one-half rice flour. Prepare as number one. Before serving, mix with a piece of butter and the yolk of one or several eggs, and flavor with vanilla, lemon or bitter almonds. Put on a soup plate, and pour over it hot cream.

CORN MEAL MUSH.

Stir one and one-half cups of corn meal into four cups of boiling salted water; cook 30 minutes; finish like foregoing. Use lemon for flavoring.

BARLEY.

Soak a cup of pearl barley over night in soft water, and the next day boil it in 5 or 6 cups of water for two hours or longer. Flavor with onion, if desired, and if it does not become thick enough, dissolve a little rice flour with cold water, and add it to the barley ten minutes before removing from the fire. Serve with cream or with lettuce for breakfast or dinner.

Rye is richer in minerals and contains less starch than wheat. It is not superior to wheat, but it is one of the oldest and most perfect foods, and is the staff of life to some of the healthiest and strongest races of the old world. It is laxative, and because of this it is more suitable for certain individuals than for others.

BREAD AND MILK.

Bring some fresh, whole or skimmed milk to a boil, pour on dried black bread or crusts, and add a little salt. Let it stand for 10 minutes and serve on soup plates.

CRACKER AND MILK.

Prepare like the foregoing, or pour one cupful of boiling salted water over one large unleavened cracker, let stand 5 minutes. Then add one cupful of hot milk and serve.

DIRECTIONS FOR BOILING RICE.

Wash one cup of rice, and pour into seven or eight cups of boiling, salted water. Boil rapidly until the grains burst; then cover and put into a hot oven or on a platter, and cook for 20 or 30 minutes. Remove from the fire and add a piece of butter and the yolk of an egg, or serve the rice with hot cream. Dried currants, raisins, apricots or prunes may be mixed with the rice. If eaten in place of mush, pour the rice on soup plates, and add hot cream.

MILK RICE.

Allow a pint of water and a pint of fresh milk to come to a boil with vanilla or cinnamon, and put into it three or four tablespoonfuls of Japan or Carolina rice, which has been soaked for several hours. Boil rapidly until the starch granules burst, then boil slowly for 40 minutes longer. If it is not thick enough, mix a little cornstarch in cold water, and add to the rice when nearly done. The yolk of one or more eggs may be added before serving, if desired. It may be eaten plain in the form of a thick gruel or with a fruit sauce. It will serve as a whole meal for children, morning, noon, or evening. A few nuts, or some celery, may be eaten at the end of the meal.

Baked and boiled cereals are more nutritious than bread. In the fermenting process which takes place in rising bread, valuable substances such as lime and salts are lost. It is rendered more acid, and therefore unfit for food for people with weak stomachs. If yeast bread is combined with foods which render the fluids of the stomach alkaline, it is less harmful.

LIGHT RICE WITH EGG.

Wash two tablespoonfuls of rice, boil rapidly in one pint of water with a little salt until the grains burst. Then boil slowly in the oven or on the stove (uncovered) until the rice is dry. Remove from the fire and add one teaspoonful of butter, the yolk of one egg and a few drops of lemon juice. Serve plain with two soda crackers or one small round zwieback.

RICE CREAM.

Cook one cup of rice like plain, water rice with a stick of cinnamon, or vanilla. When done, add the yolks of several eggs and a piece of butter, or some hot cream and two tablespoonfuls of sugar, or one-half cup of soaked currants or raisins. Stir over the fire until it boils again. Serve hot or cold with fruit sauce.

ALMOND RICE.

Cook rice with water as directed for boiling rice. When done, remove from the fire, and mix with it some almond butter stirred smooth with a little water. Some dried currants or apricots previously soaked may be mixed with the rice. In combination with a dish of lettuce it will serve as a whole meal. A few whole almonds may be eaten at the end of this meal.

APPLE RICE.

Boil rapidly for 30 minutes one-half cupful of rice with 3 cupfuls of water and a little salt. Peel three medium sized apples, cut them into small pieces after removing the cores, and add to the rice with one tablespoonful of sugar. Cook on the stove or in the oven until the apples are tender. Remove from the fire, add a piece of butter, and serve with eggs or cheese.

Rice, although low in protein and fat, is one of the most easily digested of all cereals, and is especially suitable for brain workers and people of sedentary habits.

CHERRY RICE.

Prepare like apple rice, and use ripe black cherries, or canned cherries. Omit the juice. A tablespoonful of sugar may be added to the fruit while boiling. It is necessary to have the rice boiled in sufficient water, and long enough to allow each grain to burst before the fruit is added, or the acid of the fruit will prevent the rice from softening. Butter alone, or butter and the yolk of an egg, should be added when acid or sub-acid fruits are mixed with cereals. Serve with sterilized cream or with eggs, or eat nuts at the end of the meal.

CURRANT RICE.

Prepare like cherry rice. Add fresh ripe or dried currants in place of cherries. Serve with sterilized cream or with fried or boiled eggs.

RHUBARB RICE.

Prepare like the foregoing. Use sterilized rhubarb which has been cooled. Serve with sterilized cream.

TOMATO RICE.

Prepare like apple rice. Use one-half to one cupful of strained, canned tomato juice. Omit sugar. An onion may be boiled with the rice, if desired. Serve with fried eggs and greens.

BROWN RICE.

Brown the rice in butter to a light yellow color. Add sufficient boiling water and salt, and boil one-half hour or longer. Dried mushrooms may be added, if desired. Serve with eggs.

CARROT RICE.

Put some rice to boil in water with salt. Cut young French carrots into small pieces and add; both will be done about the same time. Add finely chopped parsley and a piece of butter. Serve with peas puree.

People who have a tendency to high blood pressure and those who suffer from intestinal indigestion should eat sparingly of macaroni and other white flour preparations.

MACARONI WITH CREAM.

Break up some macaroni and put in a saucepan, adding boiling water and a little salt. Boil for 30 minutes, and add more water if necessary. Dissolve some rice flour in a little cold water and thicken the macaroni, then cover and bake in an oven for 30 minutes or longer. Heat some rich cream in another saucepan and mix with the macaroni, and serve. Flavor with a little pepper, or finely chopped parsley.

NOODLES.

Beat two eggs with two large tablespoonfuls of water and a little salt. Mix with sufficient white flour to make a stiff paste. Put some flour on a wooden board, knead the dough and add more flour until hard and dry; then roll out as thin as possible, dry in the sun or on a table, and cut into fine strips. Boil in salted water for half an hour. Serve with tomatoes, grated Swiss cheese and lettuce.

DUMPLINGS.

LIGHT FLOUR DUMPLINGS.

Cream a tablespoonful of butter, and add to it a whole egg and the yolk of one egg, some salt, nutmeg, chopped parsley, and two tablespoonfuls of flour. Stir well for several minutes. Form small dumplings with a spoon, put into hot soup and boil eight minutes.

POTATO DUMPLINGS. No. 1.

Cream a tablespoonful of butter, add to it three yolks of eggs, a cup of cold grated potato, and one cup of dry bread crumbs. Flavor with lemon rind, salt and nutmeg, and mix the beaten whites of two eggs with it. Roll out into small dumplings, and boil eight minutes in soup or water.

POTATO DUMPLINGS. No. 2.

Mix two cups of cold grated potato with two-thirds of a cup of flour and one-half cup of creamed butter, adding the yolks of four eggs, the whites of two eggs, and salt and flavoring. Mix well and form dumplings. Boil in hot water for about 15 minutes.

BREAD DUMPLINGS. No. 1.

Put some stale white bread or rolls to soak in cold water and press out as dry as possible. Add a tablespoonful of creamed butter, the yolks of two or three eggs, salt and nutmeg. Add the beaten whites of two eggs. Form dumplings with a spoon and boil in water, soup or fruit juice until they swim on top. Serve with stewed prunes or apricots.

BREAD DUMPLINGS. No. 2.

Remove the crust from one-third of a loaf of milk bread and soak the soft part in cold water for 5 minutes. Put into a clean cloth and force out the water. Cream three tablespoonfuls of butter, or melt some fat, mix the bread and stir it very smooth. Let it cool, and add the yolks of four eggs, salt, a little mace, some finely chopped parsley, and onion, if desired. Then beat the whites of two eggs, mix with the mass and form dumplings with a dessert spoon. Put them into the boiling soup and cook for about 5 minutes or until they swim on top.

BAKED CORN MEAL DUMPLINGS.

Boil in two cups of milk or water two cups of white corn meal with a tablespoonful of butter, stirring all the time, until the mass is very thick. Let cool. Flavor with lemon rind and nutmeg, and mix with three or four well beaten eggs. Shape into dumplings with a spoon, turn in rye nuts or bread crumbs, and bake in butter. Serve with sugar and cinnamon, or with apricot or apple sauce.

MIXED DUMPLINGS.

Mix over the fire one and one-half cupfuls of flour with two cupfuls of milk and a large tablespoonful of butter, until it does not stick to the saucepan. Let it cool, add the yolks of four eggs, salt, cinnamon, a tablespoonful of sugar, one-half cupful of finely cut fried bread crust, then the beaten whites of eggs. Form medium sized dumplings with a tablespoon, and boil in salted water for 5 or 6 minutes. Serve with stewed pears, cranberries or prunes. They are also good with sauerkraut.

FLOUR DUMPLINGS. No. 1.

Mix one cupful of flour with one-half cupful of melted butter, one cupful of hot water, and some salt. Stir well on a hot stove until no more lumps appear. Cool a little, then mix with several yolks of eggs, and flavor with mace, chopped parsley or other spices. Dip a spoon in hot water and form dumplings of the desired size. Put into boiling salt water or on top of stewed fruit, and boil 6 to 10 minutes, or until they rise. The spoon must be dipped into hot water each time before forming a dumpling. Serve with peas or stewed fruit.

FLOUR DUMPLINGS. No. 2.

Mix one cup of white corn meal and one cup of flour with a little cold water, and stir it into boiling milk. Let it soak for five minutes or until it is thick. Then add a piece of butter, salt, and flavoring; let cool, mix with several yolks of eggs, and shape dumplings with a spoon, and put into boiling soup or blackberry juice. Boil about 10 minutes, or until they swim on top.

FLOUR DUMPLINGS. No. 3.

Mix some white flour, or three-fourths white and one-fourth rice flour, with baking powder and salt. Shorten with butter and fat like dough for pie. Roll out, enclose some apples and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or longer.

FLOUR DUMPLINGS. No. 4.

Mix some flour with baking powder and salt. Stir to a light paste with cold water, adding several eggs or yolks of eggs. Boil with stew or in water.