Cook one-fourth pound of macaroni and then cool and chop fine. Place in a bowl and add
One onion, chopped fine, One red pepper, chopped fine, Four bunches parsley, chopped fine, Yolks of two eggs, Two cups of cream sauce, One and one-half teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika.
Beat to mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Serve at once.
RICE
Rice is extensively cultivated in the Orient and supplies the princ.i.p.al food to nearly one-half the population of the entire world.
There is every reason why rice should be a daily article of diet in planning the menu. It is more nutritious than the potato and it digests more readily. When properly cooked and served it is an ideal starchy food.
Unpolished rice contains all the nutritions of the grains, which is approximately 6 per cent. fat, 8 per cent. protein, 79 per cent.
carbohydrates. The polished variety contains an average of 88 per cent. nutrition. Polished rice has been robbed of its vital life-giving elements.
Rice is graded for size and condition and then prepared for the trade.
It is known as fancy head rice, choice, prime, good, medium, common and screenings. Patna rice, the small slender, well-rounded grain, is in great demand in the East, with the j.a.pan, Siam, Java, Rangoon, and Pa.s.sein varieties closely following. In this country the Carolina, j.a.pan and Honduras are popularly in demand.
The Carolina rice is a large sweet-flavored grain of good color and appearance. j.a.panese rice is a thick-bodied, soft-grained variety.
Honduras variety is the slender, well-shaped grain.
The preparation of rice for the markets involves, first, the threshing, and second, the milling, which removes the husks, and, third, the polishing to produce the pearly white gloss which so many folks think is very desirable.
Polished rice has been robbed of nearly all its fat and mineral content, and thus its food value is lowered and it is deprived of its flavor.
The rice dishes, as prepared in the Oriental countries, are made from fancy unpolished head rice and they form some of the main dishes.
The Oriental first washes his rice in several waters, rubbing it vigorously between the hands. This thoroughly cleanses it. Now, to follow this method, have a saucepan containing boiling water and then add the rice slowly, so that the water continually boils. Cook until tender and then remove the lid from the saucepan and cover the rice with a cloth to absorb the moisture. Set in a warm place for five minutes. This will give the saucepan containing a ma.s.s of delicious, fluffy rice, each grain distinct and separate.
Now, if you carefully measure both your rice and then the water, it will not be necessary for you to drain off the excess water and thus lose the valuable mineral and fat content.
HOW TO COOK RICE AMERICAN STYLE
Place in a double boiler two and one-half cups of boiling water and then add one teaspoon of salt. Now add slowly one-half cup of well-washed, unpolished rice. Cover and cook until the rice is tender and the water absorbed. Remove the lid and then cover the rice closely with a clean napkin and cook for five minutes. This will fluff each grain of rice.
It is now ready to serve, either as a vegetable to replace the potato or prepared into many delectable dishes that our Oriental neighbors relish so keenly.
j.a.pANESE RICE
Wash and chop fine two medium-sized leeks and then cook tender in one-half cup of water. Drain. Now add
Two cups of cooked rice, One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of soy.
Mix thoroughly and then dish on a hot baking dish. Cover with slices of hard-boiled eggs. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and garnish with slices of smoked salmon. Place in the oven for a few minutes to heat. Soy may be purchased at fancy grocers.
INDIAN RICE
Add three cups of cooked rice to
One quart of chicken stock, One onion, grated fine, One and one-half teaspoons of salt, One-half teaspoon of paprika, One-half teaspoon of curry powder.
Cook fifteen minutes, and serve very hot, garnish with finely chopped parsley.
CREOLE RICE
Chop one large onion and one green pepper fine, and then place in a saucepan and add
One cup of canned tomatoes rubbed through a sieve, One-half cup of cold boiled ham chopped fine.
Cook slowly for ten minutes and then add
Three cups of cooked rice, Two teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika.
Mix thoroughly and then heat until very hot and serve. Cold roast pork may be used to replace the ham.
ITALIAN RICE
Place three tablespoons of vegetable cooking oil in a frying pan and add four tablespoons of well-washed rice. Toss until the rice is well brown and then add
One and one-half cups of boiling water, Three onions, chopped fine, One green pepper, chopped fine, One cup of strained canned tomatoes.
Cook until the rice is soft and then add
Two teaspoons of salt, One and one-half teaspoons of paprika, One-half cup of grated cheese.
Stir until well blended and then serve, garnished with finely chopped parsley.
BELGIAN RICE b.a.l.l.s
Place two cups of cooked rice in a bowl and add
One-half cup of currants, One-half cup of sugar, One well beaten egg, One teaspoon of vanilla.
Mix and then form into small b.a.l.l.s, about the size of an orange. Dip into beaten egg and then roll in fine bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown in hot fat. Serve with crushed and sweetened fruit.
SWEDISH RICE PUDDING
Place in a baking dish
One quart of milk, Six tablespoons of well-washed rice, Two-thirds cup of sugar, One teaspoon of vanilla extract, One-half teaspoon of salt, Two tablespoons of b.u.t.ter, broken into tiny b.a.l.l.s.
Bake in a slow oven for one hour and stir two or three times.