Mix the meal with flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, beat the eggs until they are light, add the milk and eggs to the other ingredients. Beat the whole until it is smooth and light—about one minute. Finally adding the melted crisco or lard; pack into shallow, greased pan and bake in a hot oven for twenty-five minutes.
LXIV
Hussein Kahn Alai
(Minister to the United States from Persia)
CHIRIN POLOW
Necessary materials: One pound of rice (Carolina rice is most suitable); one spring chicken; the peel of four oranges; four ounces of sugar; half a pound of salt; two grams of Spanish saffron; two ounces of almonds; half a pound of butter.
Method of cooking the rice: If the dish is required for a luncheon at one o’clock, it will be necessary, the night before, to rinse the rice three times in water, rubbing it each time with the palms of the hands. Change the water each time.
Next soak the rice in tepid water, letting the water stand three inches over the rice. Pour the half pound of salt on the rice and let it stand until 11 a. m. of the next day.
Into a two gallon caldron pour six quarts of water and let it boil. As soon as it boils pour out slowly and with care the water in which the rice has been soaking since the night before. Empty the rice into the boiling water. Cover the caldron and increase the heat. As soon as the caldron containing the rice begins to boil remove the cover and stir the rice gently with a flat spoon. Then replace the lid and let the contents of the caldron boil again. Repeat the stirring process three times. Next drain the rice in a sieve, shaking it to remove all adherents of salt and starch. Now melt a quarter of a pound of butter in a large cup of water. Pour half of the melted butter into a one-gallon caldron and gently empty the rice into the caldron in such a way that it will spread uniformly without sticking together in rice balls. Place the caldron in a hot oven. Close the oven and after five or six minutes see if the caldron is hot; if it is, bring it out gently and pour the remainder of the melted butter over the rice and replace in the oven. Now reduce the heat until the caldron gives a hollow sound when rapped with the fingers; this will indicate that the rice is sufficiently cooked.
Preparation of the almonds: Boil the almonds for a few minutes until the skins fall off and the almonds become white. Cut the almonds into four quarters perpendicularly.