Countess Vera Serkoff

PUTTING THE JOINT INTO THE BAG.

This sketch shows how joints must be placed in the paper bag. The bag should rest on the table; lift the uppermost edge, and your food or joint can be slipped in.

Paper-bag cookery should appeal especially to the caterer for a small family. The difficulty of providing suitable joints for households of three or four persons is very great. A small piece of sirloin or half leg of mutton dries up to nothing when cooked in the ordinary way, and loud are the complaints that the flavour and juiciness of a large joint is not to be had under ten to twelve pounds of meat. Yet, if the housewife invests in the large, juicy joint desired, she finds it a very expensive business. One day's dinner hot and one cold is all that is really relished. Then follow the monotonous hash, the grill, the fried-up pieces, till everybody is tired of the eternal warmed-up dinners. If it is summer, probably a third of the expensive joint goes bad before it can be eaten up.

Cooked in a paper bag, however, the small joint is full as juicy and savoury as the eighteen-pound sirloin can be, while a dainty piece of loin of lamb is a delicacy which must be tasted to be realised.

LOIN OF LAMB.

Two pounds and a half or three pounds of loin of lamb will make a sufficient dinner for a small family of three or four persons, and leave enough cold to serve for supper. Wipe the meat over with a cloth dipped in hot water, and then with a clean dry cloth. Loin of lamb or mutton, being a fat joint, it is better not to grease the bag. Prepare a nice veal stuffing and lay it along the inside of the loin, drawing the flap over and skewering it to keep it in position. Put the meat in a good-sized bag; have the oven well heated; place the bag on the grid. Ten minutes later turn the gas about half-way down, and let it cook forty minutes longer, when it will be done to a turn, and be a rich golden brown.

SIRLOIN.

A piece of sirloin weighing between three and four pounds would not be worth eating if cooked in the ordinary way, but cooked in a paper bag it is a morsel for the gods. The bag must be greased and the joint lightly rubbed over with a little dripping. Forty-five minutes, ten with the gas fully turned on, should be sufficient for a joint weighing four pounds and under, unless liked very well done, when an extra ten minutes will not be found too much. If liked really underdone, it will be just right in forty minutes.

SHOULDER OF LAMB.

A small shoulder weighing three pounds or very little over is remarkably delicate, just the right size for a small household, and, cooked in a paper bag, is delicious. The butcher should be directed to bone it, and the cavity should be filled with a good forcemeat. Grease the joint over, but not the bag, and roast for fifty minutes, the gas being full on for the first fifteen.

ROAST VEAL

is peculiarly adapted for paper-bag cooking, and a small fillet of veal makes a capital dish. The centre bone is taken out and the hole left slightly enlarged. The stuffing to fill this must be rather rich—a breakfastcupful of fine bread-crumbs, one ounce of grated suet, two rashers of fat, streaky bacon, finely minced, two or three oysters chopped coarsely, a tablespoonful of minced parsley, salt and pepper to taste, the zest of a lemon, and a well beaten egg. This must be firmly pushed into the cavity, and the joint then rubbed over with plenty of bacon dripping. Grease the bag thickly both inside and out. If the fillet weighs three pounds it will take an hour to cook, the gas fully on for ten minutes, then reduced one-half to finish.

ROAST PORK.

For a small family, a part of the loin should be purchased, a little stuffing of sage and finely minced onion introduced, and the joint cooked in a slightly greased bag, allowing twenty-five minutes to each pound. A roast leg of pork is also particularly well flavoured cooked in a paper bag. Stuffing may be introduced under the knuckle skin, or a savoury pudding (see chapter V.) may be cooked along with it. Both joints should be rubbed over with pure salad oil before being put into the bag.

ROAST CHICKEN

is a dainty morsel cooked in a paper bag. Nicely stuffed, it is rubbed over with butter and put into a well greased bag. Forty minutes is sufficient for a chicken. A large fowl will be tender and beautifully cooked in an hour.

GRAVY AND DRIPPING.

This is a very serious question. Many people are so devoted to gravy that, to quote Mrs. Todgers, in Martin Chuzzlewit, “a whole animal wouldn't supply them,” and they will undoubtedly be disappointed in the amount of gravy got from a paper-bagged joint. In this method of cooking, the gravy stays in the meat, and that is what renders it so delicious, so juicy, so full of flavour. The meat which is dry and flavourless in proportion as its rich juices have been extracted, is the meat which yields most gravy. Therefore, paper-bagged joints yield very little gravy, and to add any water to the few spoonfuls of rich, strong gravy they do yield would be to spoil the flavour utterly. When the bag is opened, the small quantity of gravy and dripping within must be poured into a basin, the fat skimmed off, and the remaining gravy added to some gravy made from stock, and kept hot in readiness, poured into the gravy-boat and sent to table.

There will be very little dripping, for the same reason as there is very little gravy, but the mellowness of fat cooked in a paper bag is quite indescribable, therefore the scanty supply can be no very great drawback.

TINNED FOODS.

Tinned foods fill a very important part in housekeeping. It is a great convenience to have some tins of various preserved foods in the store-room for use in emergencies. The butcher may fail to call, a downpour of rain prevent a shopping expedition, or guests may unexpectedly arrive on a “finish-up” day, that institution so dear to the heart of the thrifty housewife, who so contrives the fragments of the larder that they form a sufficient meal for the household without leaving a crumb over. In all such emergencies it is very comforting to know that the larder is well furnished with tinned foods of reliable brands.

Then, again, tinned foods are the great stand-by of people living in apartments. There is little accommodation for storing food, and it is not pleasant to keep meat, even for a few hours only, in the room where one sits; in summer it becomes an impossibility. The landlady may be obliging enough to offer the use of her safe, but there are obvious drawbacks to this arrangement. Therefore, tinned foods are frequently brought into use, and prove very handy to the lonely woman in lodgings, or the small family living in apartments. Still tinned foods are not very appetising. Served cold, they neither look tempting nor taste savoury, especially on a winter's day; heated in the tin they acquire an unpleasant “tinny” flavour, re-cooked as stews, or put into a hot oven, they lose all flavour and nutritive value. So utterly do they lose their distinctive taste that it is impossible to tell beef from mutton, rabbit from chicken. It is in such cases that paper-bag cookery proves itself invaluable. A dish specially to be recommended is

MINCED STEAKS.

It is put up in tins costing elevenpence halfpenny each, and one tin will make an ample dinner for four or five persons, or provide several meals for one. The method of cooking is simplicity itself.

Well grease a good-sized bag, both inside and out, turn the mince out of the tin into the bag, with no additions of any kind. Put into a hot oven for fifteen minutes. Serve with a border of cooked rice (see chapter IV.), and any vegetable preferred. This is a delicious dish, the flavour and juice so well preserved by the method of cooking that it cannot be distinguished from mince made from rump steak.

ROAST BEEF

is rather insipid served cold from the tin, and is flavourless re-cooked in the tin. Turned out, however, thickly spread with roast-beef dripping, put into a thoroughly greased bag, laid in a very hot oven for fifteen minutes, and served on a hot dish with small paper-bagged tomatoes (see chapter IV.), it is exceedingly nice.

ROAST MUTTON

is prepared in the same manner, but small onions cooked in paper bags may be substituted for the tomatoes.

TINNED RABBIT

is best served as curry. Well grease a paper bag. Turn the rabbit out of the tin (it will probably be rather broken and the flesh be separated from the bones), and put into the bag in neat pieces. Add two finely minced onions, a cooking apple cut in dice, the juice of half a lemon, and a teacupful of stock, browned and thickened and with a dessertspoonful of curry powder stirred smoothly into it. Fifteen minutes in a hot oven will be sufficient for this.

TINNED CHICKEN

is very nice curried like the rabbit. Or it may be fricasseed. Turn it out of the tin, add a teacupful of white stock, thickened with arrowroot and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little ground mace or nutmeg, a finely minced onion, a few young carrots, and turnips cut into dice, and a few green peas. Put into a well-greased bag and lay in a hot oven for fifteen minutes.

BAKED MUTTON IN CRUST.

This is a particularly delightful way of cooking mutton, for it retains all the juice and flavour of the meat, and is exceedingly light and digestible.

Choose a nice solid piece of mutton, the fillet end of the leg is the best. Make a good suet crust, using beef suet and water; roll it out to about a quarter of an inch in thickness; it must not be too thin. Keep it a square shape, and make it large enough to contain the meat and completely cover it. Place the meat in the centre of the crust, which neatly fold over it, pinching the opening well together after damping, and sprinkle flour over it. Then thickly grease a paper bag large enough to hold it easily, and gently slide it in. If the meat weighs about four pounds it will take about an hour and a half to cook, the oven being very hot at first, and the heat reduced by half after ten minutes. This dish is extremely nice, the meat particularly juicy and tender, and the crust superior in flavour to that cooked in any other way.

THE HOMELY IRISH STEW

is admirable cooked in a paper bag. Buy two pounds of small neck of mutton chops, trim nicely and take away excess of bone and fat. Cut two or three small onions into rather thin slices, and two pounds of potatoes into thick slices, sprinkle meat, onions, and potatoes with herbs finely rubbed to powder, salt and pepper to taste, add a large breakfastcupful of water. Fasten the bag very securely, and cook in a hot oven for one hour. Turn into a very hot dish.

HARICOT STEAK.

Take a pound and a half of good steak, with no gristle or sinew in it. Cut into neat pieces about two inches square. Chop an onion finely, cut several tomatoes in slices and add these, also some green peas, and young carrots and turnips cut in dice. Rub a teaspoonful of “Bisto” smooth with a little water, and add it to a breakfastcupful of water. If any sour milk is at hand, a tablespoonful of this will be a great improvement. Tie together a bay leaf, a few sprigs of parsley and thyme, and put this in also. Put all the materials into a good-sized paper bag, which has been well greased, fasten very carefully, and cook in a hot oven for forty-five minutes.

STEAKS.

It has been said that a steak grilled over an open fire is the perfection of steak, but that is merely because steak cooked in a paper bag has not yet become known. Well grease a paper bag, put in a pound of rump steak cut in a thick slice, and put on the grid in a hot oven for about fifteen minutes.

CHOPS

are daintier and more savoury done in a paper bag than in any other way. Choose loin chops, trim them very nicely, and lay side by side in a well greased bag. Put in a hot oven and cook for about fifteen minutes.

BEEF OLIVES.

A pound of beefsteak cut into neat slices, longer than broad, makes a nice dish of beef olives. Mix a nice stuffing of two ounces of grated suet, two of bread-crumbs, a tablespoonful of minced parsley, a little ground mace, pepper and salt to taste, and a well beaten egg. Spread each olive with this, roll up, tie with string, lay tidily in a greased bag, put in a hot oven and cook for forty-five minutes. Serve on a very hot dish, with a pat of MaÎtre d'hÔtel butter placed on each olive.

BEEFSTEAK PUDDING.

Make a nice suet crust with finely chopped or shredded suet, self-raising flour, and water. Roll it out to a medium thickness, and cut it in two. Shape both pieces into a neat round. On the one round lay a pound of steak cut into small pieces rather larger than dice; add two sheep kidneys cut small, season with salt, pepper, a finely minced onion, a tablespoonful of flour; add a teaspoonful of vinegar or lemon juice, and a tablespoonful of water. Cover with the other piece of crust, pinching the edges well together. Put into a greased bag, and cook in a hot oven for about forty-five minutes.

IMITATION HARE.

Mince one pound of beefsteak with half a pound of raw fat bacon, add half the quantity of bread-crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, a teaspoonful of anchovy sauce and a well beaten egg. Form into a neat shape, slide into a greased bag, and cook forty minutes.

A CARPET BAG.

This is an uncommon and very delicious dish. Choose a large thick steak in one piece and of equal thickness all over. Cover it thickly with small plump oysters, roll it up, secure each end, put it into a greased bag, and cook it in a very hot oven for forty-five minutes.

INDIAN CURRY.

Cut the meat, mutton, steak, or poultry into small pieces; peel and chop an onion very finely, mix with the juice of half a lemon, pepper and salt to taste; add a cup of sour milk, in which a dessertspoonful of curry powder and one of flour have been mixed smooth; put it into a large bag, and cook for forty-five minutes.

PAPER-BAGGED RABBIT.

Cut the rabbit into neat joints, add a bunch of sweet herbs, two finely chopped onions, three cloves, three whole allspice, half a teaspoonful of black pepper, a thinly cut piece of lemon rind, two tablespoonfuls of mushroom ketchup, and two rashers of fat bacon cut in dice. Add a teacupful of stock, thickened and browned, and put into a well greased bag. Cook in a hot oven for forty minutes, if the rabbit is young and tender. If not, an hour will not be too much.

KIDNEYS

are delicious cooked in a paper bag. Take four sheep's kidneys, cut in two, take out the core. Wrap each kidney in a thin slice of fat bacon. Put into a well greased bag, and cook in a hot oven for twelve minutes.

KIDNEY STEW.

Skin and trim the kidneys, remove the core, cut into quarters. Roll each piece in flour, highly seasoned with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and a little dry mustard. Place in a greased bag with a tablespoonful of minced onion, half as much minced parsley, and a teacupful of stock, browned and thickened. Thirty minutes in a hot oven will cook this.

LIVER AND BACON.

Cut a pound of sheep's liver into small pieces, dip each in seasoned flour, wrap round with a very thin piece of fat bacon; put into a greased bag with two tablespoonfuls of water and a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Cook from fifteen to twenty minutes.

MINCE COLLOPS.

Mince one pound of beefsteak very finely, dust with a little flour and season with salt and pepper. If liked, a finely minced onion may be added. Put this in a greased paper bag with half a teacupful of water, and cook for twenty-five minutes.

SAUSAGES.

Put a pound of pork sausages into cold water for five minutes. Then take them out and strip off the skins. Put them in a lightly greased bag, and cook them for twelve minutes. As a pleasant variety, two or three tomatoes, skinned and cut in halves, may be cooked in the same bag, and are excellent. Other savoury breakfast dishes are: —

ANGELS ON HORSEBACK.

Take some very thin slices of bacon, lay an oyster on each, secure, and put in a well buttered bag. Six minutes will cook these nicely.

HAM AND EGGS.

The national breakfast dish is greatly improved by being cooked in a paper bag. The required number of rashers are put into a bag in a hot oven, and after six minutes a hole is cut in the paper and the eggs dropped carefully in. As soon as they are set, which will be in a few minutes, the dish is ready for serving.

EGGS.

Eggs put into a bag with a cup of water, and placed in a hot oven for four to five minutes, are superior to those cooked in a saucepan.

DRESDEN PATTIES.

Take some slices of stale bread and cut out rounds of about two inches in diameter. Scoop out the centre to form a deep cavity. Dip these in a thick batter. Have ready a mixture of minced cooked chicken and ham, stirred to a thick paste with white sauce. Fill the rounds with this, put into a buttered bag, and cook ten minutes.

SAVOURY EGGS.

Put into a paper bag as many eggs as may be required, add a cupful of water, and put into a hot oven for fifteen minutes. Take out and drop into cold water. When cold shell and cut them in halves lengthways; take out the yolks, and pound them with minced ham, minced parsley, salt, pepper, and butter. Return the mixture to the whites, press firmly together, brush over with oiled butter, put into a greased bag, and return to the oven for five minutes.

SCOTCH EGGS.

Proceed with the eggs as in the previous recipe, but cut the cooked eggs in halves across, not lengthways. Have ready sausage-meat mixed with a raw beaten egg. Lightly flour the halves of the eggs, and wrap each half in sausage-meat, rolling into the shape of a ball. Put into a buttered bag, and cook twelve minutes.

POTATO SURPRISE.

Take six raw potatoes, wash and peel them, and scoop out a good deal of the inside; fill with nicely minced meat (cooked or raw), chopped parsley, salt, pepper, a little butter, and a tablespoonful of tomato sauce. Put into a greased bag, and cook from thirty to forty-five minutes, according to size.

SCOTCH WOODCOCK.

Take a dessertspoonful of Yarmouth bloater-paste, a tablespoonful of cream, a piece of butter the size of an egg, the beaten yolks of two eggs, and a little cayenne pepper. Mix all very thoroughly, put into a buttered bag, and cook five minutes. Have ready hot buttered toast cut in strips. Spread each strip with the paste and serve very hot.

EPIGRAMS.

This is a very savoury breakfast dish and easily made. Cut neat slices from a cold leg of mutton. Spread them with Strasbourg meat or any nicely flavoured potted meat that may be at hand. Make a very thick batter with four ounces of flour, one tablespoonful of oil (or oiled butter), pepper, salt, a gill of milk, and an egg. Press two slices together, thus making a sandwich, dip into the batter, and place in a well buttered bag. Do this with all the pieces, arranging them side by side in the bag, but a little apart, that they may not run together in the cooking. Slide cautiously on to the hot grid, without disturbing them, and cook fifteen minutes. Serve on a very hot dish and immediately, for they lose their lightness very quickly.