Made-Over Dishes

by S. T. Rorer

Beef Croquettes

Chop sufficient cold cooked beef to make one pint; add to it a teaspoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of onion juice, a dash of cayenne, a quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. Put a half pint of milk over the fire. Rub together one tablespoonful of butter and two tablespoonfuls of flour, add them to the hot milk, stir until you have a smooth thick paste; take from the fire; mix with it the meat, and turn out to cool. When cold, form into croquettes. Beat one egg, add to it a tablespoonful of warm water, and beat again. Dip the croquettes first into this, then roll them in bread crumbs, and fry them in smoking hot fat. They may be served plain or with tomato sauce.

Beef Steak Pudding

Cut cold cooked steak into cubes of a half inch. To each pint of these allow a half pint of milk, six tablespoonfuls of flour, two eggs, and two tablespoonfuls of chopped suet. Put the flour into a bowl; beat the eggs, add to them the milk, then add gradually to the flour; make perfectly smooth. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with a layer of the batter, put in the bits of steak, sprinkle over the chopped suet, then a dusting of salt and pepper, and, if you like, a few drops of onion juice; now put over the remaining quantity of the batter, and bake in a moderately quick oven an hour and a half.

Potato Dumplings

Take any pieces of cold cooked meat, chop them fine, season carefully with salt, pepper, chopped parsley or celery. To each pint allow two tablespoonfuls of melted butter. For the crust you may use left-over cold mashed potatoes; if so, add a little milk and stir them over the fire until smooth and hot. If potatoes are boiled for the purpose, add salt, butter and milk, and beat them until light. Line to the depth of one inch, a baking dish, put the meat in the center, cover the top with mashed potatoes, smooth, brush with milk and bake in a moderate oven a half hour.

Gobbits

Scrape and cut into fancy pieces one good-sized carrot and one turnip. Put these into a saucepan, cover with a pint of stock, and cook slowly until the vegetables are tender. Have ready, cut into cubes of one inch, sufficient cold cooked beef to make a quart; add it to the vegetables, simmer a few minutes until the meat is hot; have ready also one cup of rice that has been boiled thirty minutes in clear water, drained and dried. Arrange this in a border around the meat dish. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter and flour into a saucepan; mix. Drain the liquor from the meat and vegetables, which should now measure one pint; if not, add sufficient stock to make a pint; add this to the butter and flour, and stir until boiling. Dish the meat and vegetables in the centre of the rice border. Take the sauce from the fire, add a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of pepper and the yolks of two eggs. Reheat for just an instant, strain over the meat mixture, dust with chopped parsley, and serve at once.

Beef Fritters

Chop sufficient cold cooked beef to make one pint; add to it a teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper. Beat two eggs until light, add to them a half pint of water or stock; stir into this one and a half cups of flour, beat until smooth, add a teaspoonful of baking powder and the meat. Drop this by spoonfuls into smoking hot fat; cook about three minutes, drain on brown paper, and serve either on a folded napkin, or in a dish with tomato sauce.