The Washington times., 1920-02-19
Appetizing
GruUies
BY Loretto G. Lynch.
An Expert on Domestic Science and
Problems OF the Home.

brOObcbnS OF the Homo.
~ NE OF the things that bother
the average young house
wife is the making of good
gravies and sauces. Almost any
dish is improved by a good gravy
or sauce. And when folks tell you
they prefer foods without gravy or
sauce you may be quite certain
that the gravies and sauces they
have had have been mighty poor
ones.
Gravy. rich brown in color. Is
very simple to make and is a won
derful addition to a slice of roast
meat, especially IL the meat is
bit lacking in flavor. Before plac-
ing the meat in the roasting pan,
dredge the bottom Of the pan with
-four. When this flour browns, not
burns, add the hot water with
which the meat is to be basted
every ten minutes or so. The fat
of the meat will melt and run into
this Drowned -four and water as
the process Of roasting proceeds.
When the roast is done, remove
1t to a platter and place the roast
ing pan directly over the flame.
Add a cup or more of hot water and
carefully dredge in enough white
-four, stirring constantly the while,
to thicken the gravy to the desired
consistency. Strain the gravy
through a piece of cheese cloth
placed over wire strainer.
Onion juice or onion salt, celery
salt, or any variety OF ground pep
per may be added as desired. A
preparation for both browning and
seasoning gravy may be purchased
in convenient form at many Of the
shops. These preparations are,
however, a bit expensive for most
housewives. By browning -four on
. pan and adding water and sea-
sonings to 1t, q very similar prepa-
ration may be made at home. 1t
should be strained and bottled and
kept in the refrigerator for a week
at time.
A host of sauces suitable for serv-
ing with fish. shellfish, meat or spa
ghetti may be made from the toma-
to. There are several commercial
forms of the tomato which appear
on the market. Besides the familiar
canned tomato, one may purchase
concentrated tomato in the form OF
canned soup and then there is the
tomato paste so familiar in the Ital-
ian household.
In all the recipes which follow II
is necessary to have a standard half
pint measuring cup and both table
and tea spoons and to take all
measurements absolutely level. A
sauce especially, is doomed to fail
ure unless accuracy is used in meas
uring. Here Is a simple tomato
sauce:
Tomato (canned or stewed). IL
cups onion, / slice; butter, 2 table
spoons; -four. 2 tablespoons: salt, n
teaspoon
Cook the onion and tomato slowly
for ten or twelve minutes. In an
other small saucepan rub together
butter and -four. Strain the hot to-
mato on to this and cook, stirring
constantly until the sauce boils.
Add salt and pepper.
If a more spicy sauce Is desired,
cook two whole cloves, a tiny bit OF
bay leaf and a sprig OF parsley in
the tomato with the onion. Spanish
sauce. so liked by the average man,
adds greatly to foods like boiled
beef or spaghetti or rice which lack
flavor.
To make this easily. add half a
cup OF water, small onion finely
chopped, and a half n chopped pep
per to a small can OF concentrated
tomato soup. A tablespoon OF
chopped pimento, II on hand, Is
also a pleasing addition. Cook very
slowly until the green pepper Is
tender. Serve without straining.
White sauce may be made by
various methods, but the average
beginner will find the following
recipe both simple and satisfactory:
Flour, 2 tablespoons: salt, Il tea
spoon; butter, 2 tablespoons; pep
per. X teaspoon; milk, cup.
In small saucepan place the
butter. Hold II about twelve inches
above the flame until II mclts Then
add the -four and mix well. Add the
milk and put the saucepan directly
over a low flame. stir constantly
until the sauce boils. Add salt aud
pepper.
white sauce Is used for Scream
ing" various foods. Cooked potato
cut into cubes may be heated In this
sauce and termed creamed potatoes.
Carrots, onions, string beans, spin
ach. cubed chicken, or cooked fsh
may Be mired with white sauce