Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-02-23

SUITABLE DISHES
FOR THE MEAGER
DAYS OF LENT
Occasional Abstinence From
Meat Is Good For
fha P1J.y
the Body


Turing Lent it is interesting to
seek out the derivation of the
word and the origin of the fast
which is now SO very light as hardly
to deserve the name. Long ago it real
ly meant privation. Even still in some
parts people do not taste meat from
one end of the forty days to the other,
but we, degenerate and soft Christians
as we are, think it a terrible hardship
even to lessen the amount of meat
which we eat and deprive ourselves of
even little.
The word Lent" is of Teutonic ori-
gin and originally meant spring,
though now it is exclusively used to
designate the penitential season that
stretches for forty days before Easter,
the beginning regulated by the time
| at which that festival occurs. 1t was
ordained to commemorate Christs fast
in the wilderness and to prepare the
| heart OF man for the great feast which
is of primary Importance to the Chris
tan; but the method in which the fast
should be observed differs in every
| country.
Throughout the Orient, with some
few exceptions, six weeks of prayer
and fasting We're preparatory to the
exceptionally severe fast maintained
during Holy Week, but the Oriental
custom was to fast only five days of
each week, Saturday and Sunday be-
ing exempt
At later date the wish to realize
the exact number of forty days led to
the practice of beginning Lent on Ash
! wednesday, but the Church of Milan
even TO this day, adheres to the more
! primitive arrangement. Some people
abstain from eating any sort of crea-
| ture that has life, while others of all
living creatures, eat only fish. Still
! others eat birds as well. because of the
| Mosaic account of the creation that
| olrds, too, sprang from the water.
Others abstain from eating fruit COW
cred with a hard shell or skin and
| from eggs.
At one time Christians were expect
ed to pass twenty-four hours without
| food of any kind during Holy Week,
while the more austere subsided upon
one meal daily for the entire forty
days. In the early centuries the use
/ of both meat and wine was forbidden.
In Germany dispensations known as
| Butterfreife were granted to persons
unable to fast, and instead they do
mated aims and contributions, which
| built many fine structures, such as
the steeple of the Rhine Cathedral,
for this reason known as the Butter
tower. The general prohibition of
| eggs and milk during Lent perpetual
ed the custom of making a gift of
eggs at Easter and of eating pancakes
on Shrove Tuesday.
f, Apart from the spiritual benefits to
be derived from fasting it is distinctly
wholesome after the indoor life of
winter, the late hours, the heavy rich
| n NJ In
else and all their consequent evils, and
so let us not be too quick about dis
pensing ourselves from at least the
abstinence from meat specially as it
is quite possible to have many sub
stantial and economical dishes as sub
stitutes.
Here are a few meager receipts all
of which have been tested by friend:
Lentil and Carrot Stew
One-half pound lentils.
Two tablespoonful thickened milk.
| Three carrots.
Two large onions.
| Two ounces margarine or butter.
| Seasoning.
Wash the lentils overnight and let
them steep for twelve hours or more.
Then simmer in q pint of water until
quite tender, add the carrots and
onions, cut into small pieces. Stir in
the butter and steam until the vege-
|
milk over them and serve in a ring of
| mashed potatoes or rice.
| Macaroni Soup
One quart fish stock, or milk and
water
One teaspoonful cornstarch
| Two ounces macaroni.
Two onions.
Seasoning.
| One-half cup cream.
Cook the onions until soft and rub
through sieve into the stock, thicken
with the cornstarch, add the maca-
roni, broken small. and cook until it
/ is tender. Season we'll, and, lastly. be-
fore serving. stir i~ the cream. This
addition is an improvement, but not
necessary.
Onion Savory
! Four onions.
| Three cold potatoes.
| Three ounces butter
Three ounces grated cheese.
One egg.
| Onc-half cup milk.
One ounce breadcrumbs.
| Seasoning.
Boil the onions until tender, break
them up with a fork; add the cheese,
butter, milk. the egg we'll beaten, and
| beat all together well. Season and add
the potatoes cut into neat rounds. Put
| in a well-greased fire proof dish and
| cover with the breadcrumbs dot
over with butter and bake in a quick
oven until brown.
Vermicclli Pattics
Four ounces vermiceli.
Two ounces grated cheese
One-half pint white sauce
One ounce margarine.
Seasoning.
| Pastry.
Boil the vermicelli into small pieces,
cook until quite tender and mix 1t with
the margarine. sauce and seasoning
Line the patty tins with pastry and
bake: fill with vermicelli and reheat in
Ia moderate oven.
Eggs With Black Butter
Fry the eggs in margarine, allowing
scant tablespoonful to every two
eggs, take them out and add vinegar
and seasoning to the margarine, al
lowing an equal quantity. Put the eggs
on neat rounds of toast and pour the
sauce over, serve very hot, garnished
with finely chopped parsley.
MORE THAN GOOD "RESOLVES"
NEEDED TO GET OUT OF DEBT
In the March Woman's Homo Com