The Story of Crisco

by Marion Harris Neil

January 23

Barley Soup Corned Beef
*Ladies' Cabbage Fried Celery
Beet Salad
Cheese Crackers
Arrowroot Pudding with Stewed Fruit
Coffee

*Ladies' Cabbage—Cut small, hard head cabbage into halves; remove core and harder portions, chop remaining part quite fine. Throw this into kettle of boiling salted water, boil uncovered for 30 minutes; drain in colander. Put cabbage back in saucepan, add 2 tablespoons Crisco, 1 tablespoon flour; dust flour over cabbage; stir carefully with wooden spoon, and add 1/2 pint of milk, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 saltspoon of white pepper. Stand this on back part of stove to simmer 10 minutes; send to table.

January 24

Blue Points Brown Bread Sandwiches
Broiled Squabs
Potato Croquettes
*Cauliflower au Gratin
Asparagus Salad
Cheese Fingers
Spanish Cream
Coffee

*Cauliflower au Gratin—Boil 1 large cauliflower, drain it, and break sprigs apart. Arrange in layers in Criscoed baking dish, sprinkling each layer with cheese, seasoning it with pepper and salt, and little melted Crisco. When dish is filled pour on 1 cup white sauce, sprinkle top with crumbs and cheese, and let bake 15 minutes to brown.

January 25

Sardines on Toast, Caper Sauce
*Risotto Peas
Fried Canned Tomatoes
Lettuce and Hard-Cooked Eggs
Jellied Prunes Whipped Cream
Gold Cake
Coffee

*Risotto—1/2 pound rice, 1 small onion, 4 tablespoons Crisco, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 pint tomato sauce, about 1 pint good stock, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon saffron.

Wash rice in several courses of water, drain and dry. Peel and chop onion. Melt Crisco in stewpan; when hot add onion, fry over gentle fire until light fawn color, then add rice; shake pan over fire for a few minutes, so as to fry rice a little. Next add seasoning, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and saffron; moisten with little stock, and add more as rice begins to swell. When stock is used up, gradually add sauce. When rice is tender mix in grated cheese. It is then ready to serve. In preparing this dish remember that rice should be well done, and should be neither too dry nor too moist.