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| Cookbook Series - Part 1 |
Good News - August 1961
At Last! -- here we begin a monthly series which will be combined finally to form the long-awaited COOK BOOK! Working with our Home Economics Department at Ambassador, under the direction of Mrs. Van der Veer, are Mrs. Mary E. Hegvold of Pasadena, previously Associate Professor of Foods and Nutrition at the Univ. of Tennessee and West Tennessee Nutrition Consultant, and Mrs. Isabell F. Hoeh. We hope to have the Cook Book ready in two to three years -- but, in the meantime, Church members will have it available month by month in the Good News!
DO YOU long for tasty foods on hot summer days, yet are discouraged by the thoughts of food preparation which would add to your heat problems? Well, don't give up! It is possible to have appealing, interesting meals during the summer season without having to create a boiler-room atmosphere in your kitchen.
Too often the solution to this problem is sought in the form of prepared foods from the store. Whether you realize it or not, in doing this you pay far more than necessary for the foods. No small part of the cost goes to finance someone else's labor for preparing them. Besides being hard on our grocery allowance, this method is generally less nutritious. And it is far below the general quality of foods you could prepare by forethought and planning.
Prepare in Advance
In summer months it is often advisable to prepare portions of our evening meal in advance in the cooler morning period of the day. With only a minimum of effort and heating up of the kitchen you can have your evening meal ready to be eaten.
There are several types of menu items which lend themselves well to this method of planning. Some of these are (1) main dishes which are prepared on top of the stove, such as meat, fish, poultry and dried beans; (2) stews; (3) soups; (4) salads, such as tuna, potato, kidney beans and poultry; (5) fresh vegetables; (6) fresh fruits and fruit drinks.
Many of these -- such as the cooked main dishes, stews, soups and fruit drinks -- may be completely prepared in advance of the meal for which they are to be used. The other foods suggested should be only partially prepared prior to the time of day for which you intend to use them. This is in order to cut down on the chances for food spoilage and also to insure getting the most food value from the fresh fruits and vegetables.
Use Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
During their summer growing season fresh fruits and vegetables offer opportunities for a wide variation in our menus. In their raw state these foods may be used alone or in combinations. Colorful relish plates can be made from such raw vegetables as radishes, celery, green peppers, cauliflower, green onions, broccoli, tomatoes, turnips and carrots.
Fresh ripe fruits are appetizing served whole or in combinations of two or more as a salad or as a fruit cup for dessert. Fresh fruits and vegetables may be cleaned in advance and kept in the refrigerator until time to serve them. If the vegetables or fruits are to be used in a salad it is generally better to chop, dice or grate them just prior to time to eat them. This procedure of preparation helps you to get more food value from the fruits and vegetables. These foods retain their full nutritive value when left whole. When they are cut into small pieces a loss of vitamins results -- hence if they are to be cut into small pieces do this just before you are ready to serve them.
Hot summer weather provides an ideal atmosphere for breeding bacteria which are a cause of food poisoning. As a safeguard against food spoilage be especially careful in the handling of certain types of foods during the hot weather season. Foods needing this cautious attention include meats, particularly ground meat; seafood; poultry; main dishes made with cream sauces; egg-milk mixtures such as custards, puddings, and sauces; egg and salad dressing mixtures such as potato salad, macaroni salad and similar combinations; cream style foods and soups.
Fast Cooling Important
These foods may be entirely or partially prepared in advance of the time for them to be used only if certain precautions are taken in so doing. If this is not possible then these types of food should be used as soon as they are prepared. Any leftovers need to be REFRIGERATED IMMEDIATELY if you plan to use them again. If you are preparing the foods in the morning for use at the evening meal they should be COOLED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE after removing them from the stove. This may be done by placing the cooking utensil in a pan of ice water or ice cubes and letting it remain just till the food is cool. During this time the food should be covered to hold in the flavors and as a protection against anything that might fall into it. As soon as the prepared dish is cool it should be immediately placed in the refrigerator and kept there until time for serving.
If the dish being prepared in advance is a protein food -- such as meat, fish, poultry or eggs -- which is to be used in combination with a cream sauce, PREPARE AND COOL the protein portion and the sauce separately. When the two parts of the dish ARE COOL then blend them and refrigerate. This procedure makes the cooling process more rapid and reduces the likelihood of spoilage.
If refrigeration is not available these foods should be prepared as close as possible to the time for them to be eaten. Under such conditions only the amounts that can be eaten at one meal should be cooked at a time.
SUMMER MAIN DISHES
GROUND BEEF offers a number of possibilities as a main dish in a form other than plain hamburgers. The following ground beef recipe is a basic one which could make its appearance on your table in a variety of ways. The type of preparation used involves only the top of the stove -- no heating of the oven which continues giving off heat after you have finished using it. This recipe may be made in advance, cooled rapidly, and stored in the refrigerator until mealtime.
Some serving suggestions are (1) on toasted buns or bread, topped with grated natural cheddar cheese if desired; (2) on mashed potatoes; and (3) in a bowl as the meat course of a regular meal.
To balance the meal, add a cooked vegetable, a raw vegetable salad, milk or fruit juice beverage and fresh fruit in season -- and you have a hearty meal, with a minimum of effort.
Barbecue-style Ground Beef
1 lb. ground LEAN beef
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery (2 large stalks)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 10 1/2 oz. can condensed tomato soup
1 or 2 tablespoons barbecue or chili sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Wash and chop celery, green pepper and onions.
Put the tablespoon of oil into a hot skillet, then spread the ground meat over the bottom of the skillet.
When meat is browned on the under side, stir in the chopped vegetables and cover the skillet. Turn heat fairly low, let the mixture steam until vegetables are tender.
Add tomato soup, barbecue sauce and other seasonings, replace cover and simmer for 20 or 30 minutes. (Good canned barbecue and chili sauces may be purchased at most grocery stores. Watch the labels for the kind of fat used in them, if any. Used sparingly, these sauces can add zest to many meat and egg dishes.)
Remove from heat and SERVE IMMEDIATELY or cool rapidly over ice water or ice cubes, refrigerate and serve later. For later use take it from the refrigerator just prior to time to use it, reheat and serve.
On steamy days when you want to keep cooking of meat dishes to a bare minimum, tuna offers an ideal solution to your problem. It can be used in a variety of ways -- especially in tuna vegetable salad. Such a dish requires no cooking. When prepared in this manner the tuna and vegetables give you one dish for the whole main course of your meal -- meat, cooked vegetable, and raw vegetables all combined.
To round out the meal you may add potatoes or corn on the cob, bread, butter, milk or fruit juice and raw fresh fruit. This will offer you a simple meal, yet one that is attractive, filling and nutritious.
Tuna-Vegetable Slaw
1 6 1/2 or 7-ounce can solid-pack tuna
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup quick-cooked frozen or fresh green peas
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup minced green pepper
1/4 cup diced carrot
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Prepare all of the vegetables, shredding the cabbage at the last as cabbage changes flavor quickly after being cut. Mix them lightly with the salt.
Open the can of tuna and drain off excess liquid if there is any. Break the tuna into chunks and turn out onto the vegetables.
Stir the mayonnaise to cream, then blend the lemon juice into it. Pour it over the tuna and vegetables and toss lightly to mix. Serve immediately. If allowed to stand this salad becomes watery. Enough for 4, or 6 if some are small children.
If you do not happen to have meat on hand to provide protein for your meal, then have a dish that includes milk, eggs, or cheese. For the summer months a cold plate with slices of cheese such as Swiss, mild cheddar, and sharp cheese bordered by stuffed eggs provides an attractive main dish for your meal. With this you could serve a cooked vegetable, sliced tomatoes, tossed green salad and top off the meal with fruit in season.
We often brand soup as a winter food, but it need not be. If you happen to have a small amount of several raw vegetables that need to be used it is an ideal way to use them all at once. Besides, soup is a food that may be prepared in the morning, cooled rapidly, refrigerated, reheated and served at the evening meal. Cheese sandwiches go well with vegetable soup. The cheese contributes protein to the menu. They, too, may be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator until mealtime. Since the soup already furnishes a variety of vegetables it is not necessary to have a vegetable salad. With this kind of meal a fresh fruit salad on crisp lettuce, or a fruit cup dessert made of mixed fresh fruits is better.
Italian Vegetable Soup
3 tablespoons brown rice
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups hot water 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon powdered dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (if desired)
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 cups canned tomatoes or tomato juice or 3 cups diced fresh
tomatoes
1 cup frozen or fresh shelled peas
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (if desired)
Put the rice into a teacup, pour the boiling water on it, cover and set aside. (Rice as it is packaged today does not need washing.)
Prepare the carrots, celery, onion and green pepper.
Pour the oil into a 2-quart or large pot and place over low heat. Add the vegetables that were prepared and stir to coat them with the oil. Put a lid on the pot and leave to steam for 15 or 20 minutes. They should not become hot enough to brown.
Add the hot water, salt, thyme, pepper and the rice -- plus the water in which it was soaked -- to steamed vegetables. Increase the heat to bring the soup to a fast simmer. Let cook while preparing the next ingredients to be added.
When you have shredded the cabbage, add it and let cook about another 15 minutes. Then add the frozen or fresh shelled peas and the parsley and cook 5 to 8 minutes more. If fresh tomatoes are being used, add them at the same time. If canned tomatoes or tomato juice are used, add them after peas and parsley have cooked and bring the soup to a simmer. Canned tomatoes have already been cooked in the canning process.
If you desire a zesty soup, add the prepared mustard also. Before adding it to the soup, mix a teaspoon of water with it so that it blends in smoothly.
More water and salt may be added to this soup if a thinner soup is better liked.
For a more economical soup, green split peas may be substituted for the fresh or frozen peas. Pour a cup of boiling water onto 1/3 cup of split peas, cover and leave to soak just as with the rice. Add them when the cabbage is added as they cook more quickly than rice does.
If desired, parmesan cheese may be sprinkled on top of the bowls of soup as it is served. Serves 6.
A hearty soup -- such as the next vegetable-bean soup -- is almost a complete meal by itself. Served with a dessert-type salad made of shredded carrots, diced apples and raisins, it makes a satisfying and filling meal.
Vegetable-Bean Soup
1 1/2 cups dried small white or lima beans
2 quarts cold water
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
3/4 cup shredded or finely sliced green pepper
1 1/2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cold water
3 cups milk
Wash the beans, place them in a large pot and add the cold water. Let soak overnight.
In the morning add the salt and place the pot of beans with the water in which they soaked over low heat. Simmer (do not boil) until the beans are nearly tender.
Add the prepared raw vegetables and simmer about 30 minutes longer or until the vegetables are done.
Add the tomatoes and bring to the simmering point again.
Mix the flour and cold water to a smooth paste and stir it quickly into the simmering soup.
After the soup has cooked a few minutes to thicken, add the milk and heat to serving temperature.
If desired, 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter may be added. Serves 8 or 10 persons.
Hot weather and something cool to drink seem to go together. All too often beverages which provide little more in value than something to satisfy the taste are used as summer-time thirst quenchers. We can please our thirst and at the same time provide our bodies with more than empty calories. There are unsweetened fruit juices on the market which may be blended with fresh fruit juices and honey to make appealing drinks. These juice drinks are tasty and contain food values that the usual bottled drink or prepared punches do not.
Honeyed Fruit Punch
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups unsweetened grape juice
2 cups water
6 tablespoons honey
Mix thoroughly. Chill or serve over ice cubes. Serve cold. Yield: 8 servings.
(To be continued next issue)
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