With a very sharp knife, cut neat fillets from the breast of a plump chicken; brush each fillet over with oiled b.u.t.ter, put into a greased bag, and cook fifteen minutes.
INVALID"S WHITING.
Choose a good-sized but not coa.r.s.e whiting; have it filleted; roll up each fillet and put them into a thickly b.u.t.tered bag with one tablespoonful of milk. Cook ten minutes.
INVALID"S PORRIDGE.
This may be cooked in a b.u.t.tered bag alone, or cooked in a dish enveloped in a bag. Both methods are excellent. For the first, take a pint of milk and add when boiling enough rolled oats to make a batter; add salt to taste, and put into a well b.u.t.tered bag and cook twenty minutes. If a dish be used, the porridge may be made thinner, and must be cooked longer, about thirty minutes. If the ordinary medium oatmeal be used, it must be soaked in cold water overnight, in a pie-dish. Next morning, add as much more water as will be needed, add a little salt.
Put the dish into a greased bag and cook forty-five minutes. This porridge is not suitable for invalids, but is excellent for children.
BREAKFAST DISHES.
There are a great many breakfast dishes, besides ham and eggs which are very much nicer cooked in a paper bag.
LIVER AND BACON
is one. Cut a calf"s or sheep"s liver into thin slices, flour both sides, sprinkle with salt and pepper; put into a thickly b.u.t.tered bag and cook for about ten minutes. Meanwhile, have ready as many thin rashers of bacon as there are slices of liver and put them in a bag five minutes before the liver is done. Dish both together on a very hot dish and serve immediately.
BROILED KIDNEYS.
This is another very savoury breakfast dish. Foreign kidneys answer very well; skin them, cut in halves, and wrap each half in a thin rasher of fat bacon. Put them on a skewer to keep them in position, place in a b.u.t.tered bag, and cook fifteen minutes.
A GERMAN BEEFSTEAK
is very nice for a hearty breakfast eater. Mince finely half a pound of steak, removing skin, gristle, and fat; mix well with a finely minced onion, half a teaspoonful minced parsley, and pepper and salt to taste.
Flatten into an oblong shape, sprinkle on each side with flour, put into a well greased bag, and cook twenty minutes. Then cut a hole in the bag, drop in an egg, and cook three minutes longer.
SAUSAGE ROLLS
are also very good. Take four or five pork sausages, and wrap each when skinned in an oblong piece of pastry, short crust or puff pastry according to taste. Put into a well b.u.t.tered bag and cook twenty minutes.
RISSOLES
make a nice change for breakfast, and are easily and quickly made. Roll out some light, shortcrust paste. Have ready some finely minced cooked meat, nicely seasoned, and mixed to a thick paste with gravy which has been thickened with flour. Put a little heap of this at regular intervals on half the pastry, cover with the other half and cut out each rissole with a pastry-cutter, pressing the edges well together. Put into a well greased bag, and cook twenty minutes.
BACON AND MUSHROOMS
are a favourite country dish. Half a pound of freshly gathered mushrooms should be trimmed, peeled, wiped, and put into a b.u.t.tered bag with half a dozen thinly cut rashers of bacon, and a piece of b.u.t.ter rubbed together with a dessertspoonful of flour, a little salt and cayenne pepper. Cook thirty minutes.
SURPRISE SAUSAGES.
Half a pound of sausage-meat is rolled into the shape of an egg, and a cupful of cold mashed potato is mixed with a well beaten egg and a little salt and pepper. Cover the sausage-meat completely with the potato mixture, brush over with the beaten yolk of an egg, roll it in fine bread-crumbs, highly seasoned; put the whole into a greased "Papakuk" bag and cook fifteen minutes.
BAKED HAM
Take a corner or gammon of bacon, or a small picnic ham; make a paste of flour and water and completely cover the ham with it, rolled out to about half an inch in thickness. Put in a greased bag and cook in a moderate oven, allowing thirty minutes to the pound. When done, paste and skin come away easily and the flavour and aroma are exquisite.
COD"S ROE
makes a nice breakfast dish. It is first boiled or steamed until thoroughly done. When quite cold, cut in thick, firm slices, brush over with oiled b.u.t.ter, dredge thoroughly on both sides on flour, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put into a well b.u.t.tered "Papakuk" bag, and cook twelve minutes.
EGG CUTLETS.
Chop rather finely three hard-boiled eggs, add two tablespoonfuls of fine bread-crumbs, one of grated cheese and a little pepper and salt; mix well and bind with the beaten yolk of two eggs. Shape into cutlets, put into a thickly b.u.t.tered "Papakuk" bag, and cook ten minutes.
EGG SAVOURY.
Chop four hard-boiled eggs, mix with two rashers of fat bacon cut in dice, pepper, salt, and a sprinkle of sweet herbs; put a slice of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan, add two tablespoonfuls of flour and stir together. Add slowly a gill of milk and stir till it boils. Then add the eggs and bacon and stir together till it is a thick ma.s.s. Turn out on a plate, and when cold form into b.a.l.l.s. Put these into a thickly b.u.t.tered bag and cook ten minutes.
CURRIED EGGS
are excellent, and very simply made. Hard-boiled eggs are cut in slices and put into a well greased "Papakuk" bag; a thick white sauce is made, and a dessertspoonful of curry powder is stirred in. This is added to the eggs, and the bag put into a hot oven for six minutes.
CREAMED EGGS
are delicious. A shallow tin is well b.u.t.tered, thickly sprinkled with seasoned bread-crumbs, and two or three eggs carefully broken in. Cover with more bread-crumbs, put bits of b.u.t.ter over the top, pour in a tablespoonful of cream, or if cream cannot be afforded, a little milk thickened with cornflour and a morsel of b.u.t.ter. Slide this into a well greased bag and cook twenty minutes.
Cheese savouries are particularly good, cooked paper-bag fashion. One of the most generally approved is
CHEESE STRAWS.
Mix together four ounces of b.u.t.ter, four ounces of self-raising flour, four ounces of grated cheese, a little cayenne, a pinch of salt, and a well-beaten egg. Roll out, cut into thin strips, and into one or two rings. Put inside a b.u.t.tered bag, cook fifteen minutes, and serve with several straws inside each ring.
CHEESE _FONDUE_.
Well b.u.t.ter a dish, put into it half a pint of milk, half a cup of fine bread-crumbs, quarter of a pound of dried cheese grated, one ounce of b.u.t.ter, and one well beaten egg; season with salt and pepper, put into a greased bag, and cook forty-five minutes.
CHEESE PASTRY