AFTER THE HOLIDAYS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 February 1940, Page 8

AFTER THE HOLIDAYS

REMNANT DISHES. i Remnants of ham and possibly poultry to be eaten up. the remains of Christmas cakes and puddings which are not popular immediately after Christmas, though they might be greatly appreciated a little later, picnic hampers to be prepared, stores of provisions to get ready for the boys’ cruise, special meals for holiday guests —the housewife's problems after the festive day really seem quite as numerous as thej’ were before it. Here are a lew ideas that may help. Storing Cakes and Puddings. If unbroken, these will, of course, keep well for weeks and months if made fairly rich and well stored. But even broken pieces can be successfully kept to make a welcome reappearance later. Part of a large Christmas pudding should be broken up and pressed down with a spoon into a smaller greased basin. Tie with greased paper and steam for two hours. Remove the ' paper and when cold tie down with another piece of dry greaseproof paper. Spread Ihe cut edges of part of a Christmas cake with a little soft marzipan made by mixing together equal parts of ground almonds and castor sugar and binding with white of egg. Wrap in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin. Mincemeat containing brandy will keep for seme time if stored in a cool, dark, airy place. But it will not keep well-if it does not contain any spirit. Jellied Veal Loaf. This is excellent either for a meal at home, or to take for a picnic or "on holiday.” One knuckle of veal, half an onion, one carrot, three sticks of celery, two rashers of bacon, salt and pepper; three hard-boiled eggs, two gherkins, sufficient boiling water to just cover veal. Place veal in boiling water with carrot, onion, celery and bacon, and simmer until tender. Remove veal from the liquid and cool both. When veal is nearly cold, cut into cubes, or chop it’finely. Remove fat from liquid reheat the liquid, and stir the veal into it. Carefully decorate the bottom and sides of mould or loaf tin with thin slices of hard-boiled egg and rounds of gherkin. Cover with a little of the liquid and leave till set. Pack cooled veal mixture into mould, cover - with piled paper, and chill thoroughly. Serve on glass dish, and garnish with lettuce, slices of tomato and cucumber.

Ham Cakes. These are good to take for a picnic and are a tasty way of using left-over ham. Take soz. of ham, lib. of cooked potato, one small onion, chopped parsley, pepper and salt, tomatoes, French dressing. Peel the onion and put through the mincer with the cooked ham and half a pound of cooked potatoes. Mix together and. add a little chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Form into cakes and fry for a few moments on each side in very hot dripping. Leave to get cold and serve with a salad of slices of potato and tomatoes dressed with French dressing. Useful Luncheon Dish. This is good to use up remnants of cold poultry—or ordinary meat can be used. Allow a slice of toast to each person. Mince the meat, flavour with salt, pepper, and mix with a spoonful or two of any cold vegetable and tomato sauce. Spread mince on the toast, leaving a hollow in the middle; break the egg into this hollow, season, and bake in a moderate oven until white is set. Served with a salad, this makes a useful luncheon dish. Ham Kedgeree. Take half a cup rice, 2oz. of ham (chopped), three sprigs of parsley, one onion (grated), salt and pepper, loz. of butter, two hard-boiled eggs (sliced). Wash the rice and boil it for fifteen minutes in a large pan of salted water and strain. Melt the butter and add the rice, eggs. ham. grated onion, and salt and pepper. Mix carefully without mashing the rice. Wash the parsley. squeeze it dry in a cloth, and chop it finely. Heap the rice on a hot plate and garnish with parsley. Serve at I once. Strawberry Charlotte. Make a “greengage" jelly and pour into a .wet mould. When nearly set, place strawberries round the edge, 8 pieces of angelica (in star shape) in Ihe centre. Allow to set. Take one box of strawberries and squash with a fork, adding J cup of sugar and mixing well. Melt loz. leaf of gelatine in one gill of water over the fire and add to Ihe strawberry mixture, then stir in 1 pint of whipped cream. Line the sides of the mould (on top of the yellow jelly) with sponge fingers, and fill the centre with the strawberry mixture. Allow to set, turn on to a glass dish and decorate with whipped cream roses and strawberries.