Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-08-29
HOMEMAKERS COLUMN.
Correspondence on topics Of interest tothe lAdie
q solicited. Address: Editor HoMEnAKERs
CoLUnN, Oxford Democrat. Paris. Maine.
Tomatoes VariousIy- Cooked.

notes about the preparation of odd
dishes. Your foreign restaurateur is
flattered when patron summons him,
praises the cooking and asks for the
recipe. Some of the foreign tomato
methods are as follows:
ALA PORTUGUESE.
This nation makes a whole meal of its
stewed tomatoes. A quart of ripe
tomatoes are peeled and sliced in a
stew pan, over which two Bermuda, or
one Spanish onion, is also thinly sliced.
Cover and cook gently in the liquor
which the tomatoes form for twenty
minutes, shaking the pan from time TO
time to prevent burning; now season
with salt and pepper and pour in pint
of good gravy, cook twenty minutes
longer and add pint of steamed rice.
When the latter is thoroughly hot, dish
all together and, if too dry, send to table
with bowl of thickened brown gravy.
From this l conceived the idea of
cooking whole tomatoes in brown gravy
until tender enough to lift without break
ing. Lift with fork, lay on squares of
toast, and pour the gravy around after
slightly thickening.
BAKED, MEXICAN STYLE.
Choose large, firm and not over-ripe
tomatoes. Cut slice off the top; re-
move the pulp, rejecting the seeds as far
as possible, and mix the pulp with equal
quantities of cold roast veal and boiled
ham minced fine, and well-browned
ead-crumbs; season with red pepper,
minced onion, parsley and little mus
tard, with tablespoonful of oil for
every three tomatoes. Stuff the shells
with this mixture, bake for an hour in a
moderate oven. and serve on squares of
toast sprinkled with chopped cress and
parsley. For my own taste, prefer to
substitute butter for the oil, and make
the mixture very hot before filling the
shells.
Alta delightful little French restaurant,
where you must shut your eyes to the
coarseness of the china and cutlery, the
stuffing for baked tomatoes is sometimes
composed of the pulp, minced mush.
rooms, shalloe the yoke of one egg for
every four tomatoes, and enough thick
ened brown sauce to bring it to the right
consistency. This is at times varied
with suggestion of garlic, with hard
boiled eggs or anchovies substituted for
the mushrooms.
LA CREOLE.
In removing the pulp leave the divi-
sions which held it and fill with hot
steamed rice, well seasoned, to which
finely chopped sweet green pepper has
been lavishly added. Put bits of butter
on top, bake, and, when done, pour a
well-thickened tomato sauce around.
A L'ITALIENNE.
Stuff with finely chopped shallots,
chicken-livers, parsley, grated Parmesan
cheese and bread-crumbs; the livers
must be first cooked, and the shallotS
lightly fried in oil; bind with one egg
yolk for six tomatoes, and wet to the
right consistency. A Sicilian cook adds
to this mixture little finely minced raw
ham.
SPANISH TOMATO SALAD.
Cut the tops from large, ripe and firm
tomatoes, sprinkle the cut surface light
ly with salt, and lay with this side down
on an earthen dish; leave for several
hours in cool place, then slice very
thin and arrange in bowl, alternately,
with Spanish onion shaved as thin as
possible. Dress with oil, pepper, salt
and lemon juice.
A delicious salad is made of tender,
crisp cabbage, shredded very fine and
covered with slices of tomatoes prepared
as above but quarter of an inch thick.
Young green onions, tops and all, are
also nice with sliced tomatoes. The
plain salad dressing is used for the lat
ter salad, while with the cabbage and
tomato mayOnnaiSe is equally suitable.
BY draining the tomatoes in this way, a
certain acid juice which is considered
unhealthy runs out.
1t was on a hot August day at little
hostelry beside the lake, aud just under
the shadow of the tall gray towers of the
castle of Pierrefonds, that ate my first
boiled tomato, and much amused was
when the garrulous little Frenchwoman
told me that it was l'Americaine, hav-
ing been taught her by a compatriot OF
my own. Ten miles on our wheels from
Compeigne, with only cup of chocolate
and half yard more or less of French
bread before starting, had brought us as
hungry as wolves to our resting place.
Tomatoes, as prepared below, were serv.
ed instead of soup. Choose smooth to.
matoes of an even size; lay side by side
in a saucepan and cover with sailed
boiling water; when the skin cracks on
top and they can be easily pierced with a
fork, lift out with a skinner, laying
each on piece of toast, thin and brown
and we'll buttered, in small deep dish
with sharp knife score them across the
top in the form of Greek cross; season
with salt, pepper, tritle of sugar and a
generous bit of butter. At the table the
skin can be easily laid back with a
fork or spoon, but any attempt to re-
move it beforehand will destroy the
symmetry of the dish.
Small tomatoes broiled whole are a
unique dish. Cut slice from the stem
end and lay on wire gridiron with tina,
side down; brush over lightly with
melted butter, turn frequently; the skin
will shrivel and brown, but must moi
blacken. Dish on thin bits of toast and
season as above.
Large tomatoes may be halved, dredg-
ed with flour, basted with melted butter
and broiled, when they are delicious
garnish for steaks, chops or outlets; or,
they may be sliced, dipped in melted
butter, and then dredged with flour,
pepper and salt before broiling.
| 4, .toxra1 bu Con Eronoion0 1oAu
who is only plain American, they are
superior to those cooked after any other
method with WHICH l am familiar
Plunge ripe, fresh tomatoes in boiling
water long enough to loosen the skins,
and then peel and drain thoroughly be.
fore slicing, to avoid the wateriness
which is too often the fault of the fresh
cooked fruit; to quart of tomatoes add
two minced ,shallOts and one minced
sweet green pepper; cook for half an
hour; If there is too much juice, drain
off some of it and save for soup, season
to taste with salt, pepper, butter, and a
trihe of sugar;;swet teaspoonful of flour
! in cold water till smooth, and stir in at
the last; boil hard for two minutes and
serve.
Here is an odd way of baking toma.
toes: Make a half-pint of bechamel
sauce, using large spoonful of butter
stirred smooth over the fire with one OF
flour; dilute with half pint of chicken
or veal stock; season with salt, pepper
and tablespoonful each of parsley and
onion, the latter lightly fried; stir thick
with bread-crumbs and fill the cavities
of eight large tomatoes; place in bak-
ing dish, dot with butter, dredge with