The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-08-03
CREOLE SUMMER COOKERY
Dishes That Tempt the Appetite and Do
Not Overhead.

FROM the st. Louis Republic
During the hot weather one Graves ONLY
lightest food, cooling and nourishing. As
Louisiana Creoles live where three-fourths of
the year is at simmering point they have nat
urally knowledge of how to keep COOL They
reach old age with unimpared vitality, usually
vivacious and healthy. Their diet in summer
is of the lightest. Tante Marie insists that
'eggs mex too warm, madam; mex six in sum-
mer. Eat plent' rice, plent fruit, plent
salade, is her pointed advice, and so you live
through the long hot days, when the air ouivers
with heat and the white earth lies parched and
fainting beneath the scorching rays of the sun,
and find that you are not uncomfortable or in
disposed.
In summer, when ochra and tomatoes are
cheap and plentiful, Tante Marie gives us at
least thrice a week, if not oftener, dish of
her favorite "gumbo." l give a practical re-
ceipt for the famous compound, nutritious pal
atable, and seasonable. Here ochra is quoted at
twenty cents per quart in the market. 1t is of
course cheaper in the South, but at that price
the dish will not be found expensive
A good piece of lean veal, about pound and
half or two pounds will be found ample for
several plates; wash in cool water dry thor
oughly, and cut into pieces about two inches
square; three medium sized tomatoes peeled
and cut into bits, medium sized onion peeled
and chopped fine; few sprgs of parsley, also
finely chopped, half Of a long scarlet pepper
pod, orhalf dozen small pea size, also chopped
thin slice of lean ham, chopped; three or four
dozen ochra pods--cut off tips and stems and
slice round, not too thick. The medium size,
not too stringy, are best, although the large
pods can be used to better advantage in gumbo
than when the vegetable is served boiled
AL these ingredients can be prepared in the
morning, and set aside, excepting the meat
which had best be washed and cut lust before
needed, in earthenware or china bowls; never
use tin, as 1t sometimes gives a metallic taste
and always blackens. About three hours before
meal time put on the fire a large porcelain
lined or granite iron soup pot-never iron it
surely blackens the gumbo. Place in this a
heapng tablespoonful of sweet lard, and let it
get very hot before putting in any of
the ingredients. Then put the veal, the
onions, the ham, the tomatoes etc.
and salt to taste, all in together and stir yipor-
ously until the mass becomes a fine brown and
seems well fried. Care should be taken to keep
from the least scorch, as that spoils both look
and taste of the whole dish. The compound
should assume an oily, mucilaginous appear
ance, OF rich color, and, Of course, very thick
Have ready kettle of boiling water and pour
on about two quarts, stirring well; then set back
where constant slow bubble and simmer NAV
be keptup but no possibility of burning, though
occasionally keeping the pot well covered, and
II the soup seems too thick add a cup of boiling
water once or twice, as needed. Gumbo, as
Tante Marie serves it, is thick and oleaginous,
with most appetizing and delicious odor, and
OF rich brown color, never thin or pale. She
often adds in season the kernels from a couple
of ears of green corn, handful of lima beans
or few string beans cut into bits.
If chicken gumbo is preferred, fat chicken
is cut up, as for frying, laid in cool salted
water and wiped dry before being put into the
hot lard, and the veal is omitted The fowl is
allowed TO fry few moments before adding the
ingredients, which can be essentially the same
and the process is then the same, stirring and
colorlng before turning on the boiling water.
Iante Marie cooks rice in such way as would
astonish the many who regard that wholesome
dish as a pasty, starchy, nOndescript vegetable,
to be mashed and powdered with sugar and
famed with nutmeg. Her rice is dry and snow
white, yet each grain mashes easily between
thumb and finger. To cook rice properly ii
should never be stirred while boiling, nor indeed
at all, but shaken about. A certain amount
will stick to the utensil, but by pouring cold
water into the pot as soon as the rice is taken
out it sOftens and can then be easily removed.
Wash through two waters and then just cover
with cold water add a little salt, and let it boil
fast, but not furously, until it swells and the
water is boiled off 1t can be turned into
mould and set into hot place to dry, or the
lid closed tightly and the vessel set back on the
stove, watching that it does not burn. In sery-
ing gumbo put spoonful Of rice in each soup
plate and the gumbO over il. With a salad,
little fresh fruit, and cup Of cafe aOir the aV-
erage Creole family makes q dinner that is nu-
irCous and satisfying, if not Of a variety, at
ieasI dellclously appetizing and far more health
tul during the heated term than the piled dishes
OF smoking vegetables, the dish of fried meat,
ana The terrible pie of our own households,