"LIVING OFF THE FARM"

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 59, 9 August 1940, Page 39

"LIVING OFF THE FARM"

to me asking for suggestions for interesting meals, comprising mainly ingredients which grow on the farm. For the most part, this means mutton, eggs, cheese and bacon. With plenty of fruit and vegetables. It must be taken into consideration, however, that they wish to economise as far as possible on cheese, bacon and eggs, for these three commodities are all needed for Britain. At the same time, I would point out that although we must send as much as we can spare of these foodstuffs to the Motherland, yet we must be very careful not to cut down too much on real food values, lest we affect the health and stamina of our own people, upon whom the extra hard work of increasing production devolves, As regards eggs, for instance, we could perhaps keep extra fowls in the oldfashioned way, which costs practically nothing-that is to say, the fowls have a free run on the farm, and find a great deal of their own food which is just supplemented by skim milk, curds, and odd scraps, with perhaps a little grain and maize. I know, of course, that scientific poultry farms are the proper thing, but if the farmers keep fowls in the old-fashioned way, that should supply at least their own home needs, leaving the production of the scientific farms for export. The children used to love "gathering eggs" and became quite expert in tracing a laying hen to its secret nest; and as to the fowls. multiplying, how often we have delightedly welcomed the speckled hen, making her appearance with a brood of twelve or fourteen chickens around her, after her discreet disappearance for about four weeks or so. Everybody will remember that fowls really cost nothing in those days, and did supply the needs of the home farm. OME farmers’ wives have written

I am sure that there will be many farmers’ wives who will send in recipes which they have found to be a great help themselves, for Necessity is the Mother of Invention, and farmers seldom get to town to buy beef and sausages, and so get accustomed to "living off the place." Here are some tasty suggestions for using mutton; and we will follow up with cheese and egg dishes as the weeks go by. Although primarily intended for farmers, there is no reason why people in om cannot make these dishes as well. Mock Fowl Simmer a leg of mutton until very tender; leave it standing in the liquid till next day. Then take it out and place it on a big dish, and pour over it, while still hot, plenty of very good, smooth, thick parsley sauce-made in the proper way by melting first the butter in a little saucepan, stirring in the flour, and cooking this together — about equal

quantities of each, then slowly adding milk, or milk and stock mixed, and wellchopped parsley, until the required thickness is obtained. See that the whole of the leg of mutton is thoroughly coated quite thickly with this good sauce, and leave it to get cold in the safe. Then put it on a clean plate, surround with sprigs of parsley, and serve

with salad, and if possible, nice new potatoes. A very delicious dish, and easily prepared beforehand. Savoury Mutton Make a filling-mixture with diced raw potato, some diced turnip, some chopped onion, some chopped lean bacon, finely chopped parsley, breadcrumbs and pepper and salt. Spread this on a boned flap of mutton (not too fat). Roll up the flap, tie it firmly, and place it in a casserole with about a cup of water. Cover and cook slowly for two or three hours. This is very nice served with brown gravy and plenty of hot vegetables. It is a good idea to do two flaps of mutton at the same time, and put one away to have cold with salad. Poor Man’s Goose One way of making Poor Man’s Goose is just to bone a leg of mutton, stuff it

with sage and onion stuffing, and roast it in the ordinary way. This is always popular. It is better known perhaps, as Colonial Goose. The real Poor Man’s Goose is a Gloucestershire dish, and is made from the sheep’s heart and liver. Here is the method: Take a sheep’s heart and liver, 2 Ibs. of potatoes, 2 onions, a teaspoonful of powdered sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Wash the heart and liver well, dry thoroughly, and cut in thick slices. Mix the sage and seasoning. Peel and chop the onions. Grease a pie-dish, and put in alternate layers of potatoes and meat, sprinkling each layer with onions and seasoning. Cover the dish with greased paper and bake in a moderate oven for 144 hours. Bacon is sometimes used as additional flavouring for this dish, and apple sauce adds to its value. Mutton in an Envelope This is a real old English dish. Make a good light suet crust, roll it out to half an inch thick, and in it wrap either a whole or a half leg of mutton. Tie the whole in a floured cloth, pop it into a saucepan of boiling water, and boil steadily for two or three hours, according to the side of the piece of meat.

— -_- When cooked, take off the cloth, and serve it with caper sauce, or onion sauce, nice young turnips, and boiled potatoes, Casseroled Mutton Cut up a neck of mutton into con venient pieces, removing most of the fat. Roll the pieces in well-seasoned flour and fry them in good hot dripping till brown. Transfer them to a casserole, cover with sliced apples, and» sliced onions, add a little water-about’ half filling the dish, or less-put on ‘the lid, and bake for two or two and a-half hours in a moderate oven. Serve straight from the casserole. A little currant jelly spread over the pieces of meat before serving makes it very delicious; and using tomato puree or soup, instead of water, is an excellent idea, Spiced Mutton Pressed Make a brine of salt and water, sufficiently strong to float an egg. Add about a tablespoon of saltpetre boiled in some water with a cup of sugar, Leave the brine until quite cold. Now put in the flanks from the mutton, the tongues, and any odd pieces not used as joints, Leave for a week or ten days, Now (Continued on next page)