[Kitchen Witch]

DECEMBER

1.?English Plum Pudding.

Soak 1 pound of stale bread in hot milk; then add 1/2 pound of sugar, 1 pound of seeded raisins, and 1 pound of currants all dredged with flour, 1/4 pound of chopped citron, 1 pound of finely chopped beef suet, 1 nutmeg grated, 1 tablespoonful of cinnamon, cloves and mace mixed together, a pinch of salt, 1 glass of wine and 1 glass of fine brandy. Mix with the yolks of 8 eggs and the whites beaten to a stiff froth. Pour the mixture into a wet cloth dredged with flour; tie well and let boil five hours. Serve with wine sauce.

2.?Swedish Rice Pudding.

Mix 3/4 cup of rice in 1 quart of milk; add 1 cup of sugar, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoonful of vanilla. Pour into a pudding-dish. Put bits of butter over the top and let bake in a moderate oven until done. Serve cold.

3.?Portugal Soup.

Boil 2 pounds of beef and 2 pig's feet in 4 quarts of water; season with salt and pepper. Let boil well. Add 1 head of lettuce, 1/2 head of cabbage, a few thin slices of pumpkin, 2 carrots and 1 clove of garlic, all cut fine, and 1 herb bouquet. Let all cook until tender; then add 1/2 can of peas. Remove the meat; cut into thin slices; season, and serve with the soup.

4.?Chinese Salad.

Mix 2 dozen cooked oysters with 3 truffles, and 2 cooked potatoes cut into shreds; season with salt and pepper. Add all kinds of chopped herbs, and moisten with white wine. Line the salad bowl with crisp lettuce leaves; fill with the mixture; sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Pour over a mayonnaise dressing and garnish with anchovy fillets.

5.?Egyptian Salad.

Mix highly seasoned cold cooked rice with some grated onion, chopped parsley and chives; add 2 dozen fine cut French sardines. Put on crisp lettuce leaves in a salad bowl and cover with a mayonnaise dressing Garnish with thin shreds of red beets, and serve.

6.?English Dumplings.

Beat 3 yolks of eggs with 1 tablespoonful of sugar; add 1/2 cup of finely chopped suet, 1/2 cup of currants, 1/2 teaspoonful of salt and a little nutmeg. Sift 1 cup of flour with 1 heaping teaspoonful of baking-powder; mix well with the beaten whites of the eggs. Make into dumplings the size of an egg; let steam. Serve hot with lemon sauce.

7.?Irish Pancakes.

Mix 1/2 pound of sifted flour with 2 beaten eggs, a pinch of salt, a pint of milk and 1/2 ounce of melted butter. Mix well to a smooth pancake batter and fry in hot lard to a delicate brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve hot.

8.?English Cream Pudding.

Line a well-buttered pudding-dish with a rich puff-paste and bake. Then beat 1 cup of butter with 1/2 pound of pulverized sugar. Add the grated rind and juice of a lemon and beat well with the yolks of 6 eggs; add the whites beaten to a froth. Fill the pudding-dish with the mixture and bake until done.

9.?Bavarian Roast Turkey.

Clean and season a fat turkey. Stuff with 3 raw potatoes, 2 apples and 1 onion grated. Mix with a lump of butter and 1 cup of bread-crumbs; add 1 egg. Season with sage, thyme, salt and pepper; then put in a dripping-pan. Pour in 1 cup of water and dredge with flour. Let bake in a hot oven until done.

10.?Jewish Stewed Cabbage.

Shred a red cabbage very fine. Heat 2 tablespoonfuls of drippings in a pan; add the cabbage; cover and let stew with 2 apples, and 1 onion chopped fine. Then brown 1 tablespoonful of flour in hot butter; add 1/2 cup of water mixed with vinegar. Season with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Pour the sauce over the cabbage; let simmer ten minutes. Add 1/2 cup of red wine; let boil up and serve hot.

11.?Venison a la Francaise.

Season venison steaks with salt, pepper and lemon-juice. Put in a saucepan with 2 tablespoonfuls of hot butter. Add 1 onion, 2 bay-leaves, 1 clove of garlic and a sprig of parsley minced fine. Let brown; then add 1/2 can of mushrooms, some thyme chopped fine and a glass of claret. Cover and let simmer until tender. Serve with toasted croutons and currant jelly.

12.?Italian Macaroni.

Boil macaroni in salted water until tender. Drain. Then heat 2 tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan; add the macaroni, 1/2 cup of chopped boiled tongue, 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms, 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Cover, let get very hot. Then mix a highly seasoned tomato-sauce with a small glass of wine; let boil up and pour over the macaroni. Serve hot with roast veal.

13.?Russian Stuffed Tongue.

Take fresh beef-tongue; make an incision with a sharp knife and fill with chopped onions, bread-crumbs, a lump of butter, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Sew up and let boil until nearly done. Remove the skin. Then stick cloves all over the tongue, and let cook until tender. Add 2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar and 1 tablespoonful of butter. Serve, garnished with sliced beets, olives and sprigs of parsley.

14.?Hungarian Dumplings.

Mix 2 eggs with 1 tablespoonful of water, a pinch of salt and enough sifted flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out on a well-floured baking-board as thin as possible. Cut into three-inch squares and fill with the following mixture: 1 cup of cottage cheese; mix with 1 tablespoonful of butter, 2 beaten eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Fill the dumplings, press the edges well together. Boil some milk, seasoned with a pinch of salt and sugar to taste. Lay in the dumplings and boil until done. Serve with the sauce.

15.?German Stewed Fish.

Clean the fish. Cut into large slices; salt well and sprinkle with black pepper and let stew with sliced onion, some celery and parsley. Add a few slices of lemon; let cook fifteen minutes to the pound; then mix 1 tablespoonful of flour with 2 tablespoonfuls of butter; add to the fish. Let cook five minutes more and serve hot or cold.

16.?French Stuffed Partridge.

Clean, singe and draw young partridges. Season and stuff each bird with chopped oysters well seasoned, and sprinkle with parsley. Put a small piece of butter in each bird; place the birds in a baking-pan; cover with thin slices of bacon; add a little hot water and bake in a hot oven until done. Serve with toast.