Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/102

 purposely for carrying a dinner. It was about the size of a three quart tin billy, made in the same shape—but in two parts—which fitted together in the middle. The bottom held meat and vegetables, the top pudding, &amp;c. The day I saw it the woman had in the bottom tray a slice of cheese, which was frizzling away with a slice of toast laid over it. In the top she had meat and vegetables. At the bottom of the tin there was a hollow for a red hot iron. This it was that made her cheese cook. The idea was so simple and yet so convenient, that I could not resist stopping to inquire all about it. Her husband had been a tinsmith himself, and he had made it. But I should not think one would cost more than a couple or three shillings to make.

For a simple dinner cut some cold meat into small pieces, salt and pepper it, and dredge a little flour over it while on the board. Slice a small onion or two or three eschalots. Put this on to stew in a small saucepan with a cup of water. Let it simmer gently. Peel two or three potatoes, cut them into halves or quarters, if large perhaps one will be enough; add them to the stew an hour before it is needed, and cut a small cabbage into quarters, remove the outer leaves from one leaving only the white heart, place this on top of the meat, &amp;c., with a little pinch of salt, and let all cook till time to remove; add water or gravy as required. In this way the meat and vegetables are kept separate, yet all cooked together.

Cabbage is a favorite vegetable with the poorer classes, particularly with the Irish. One of their ways of cooking it is with bacon or pickled pork. Cut a few slices of bacon—let them be pretty thick. Put them into a stewpan with some water. Wash and cut up a small cabbage, put about a quarter in with the bacon, and let both stew together. When nearly done pour two tablespoonsful of vinegar over the cabbage.

Mutton Chops.—Take a couple of mutton chops, trim off some of the fat, and put them into the stewpan with a carrot cut into dice, an onion sliced, and celery or any other vegetable in season. Salt and pepper. Let this stew in about as much water as will cover it and very slowly; if too fast, the mutton will harden. When nearly done, chop up some pickles and add them, and blend a tablespoonful of flour with milk, and so thicken the gravy.

Thick Soup.—Many men get tired of meat and vegetables in the hot weather; then thick soups are a change, and easily made. First make some good stock by boiling down some meat or bones. The bones of a roast of beef or a leg of mutton, if broken up, make excellent stock. Do not put too much water on; it will be too weak. Slice up three or four potatoes, an onion, and any other vegetable you choose. Flavour with pepper and salt, toast a slice of bread very brown, without burning, and lay it on the top. Let all boil together till the potatoes are dissolved; then remove the bones. Strain, or rather press, the soup through the collandercolander [sic], put on to boil for another minute, and it is ready to serve. I need not give any recipes for these; they can be varied according to the circumstances of the cook. Almost anything can be introduced—rice, sago, barley, &amp;c., &amp;c.

Cheese makes another nice change, either cooked or not, with toast or without. The following is a simple