The Art of Living in Australia Part 54

BANANA AND ORANGE SALAD

Peel and slice up some ripe bananas and oranges, removing the pips from the oranges, but saving the juice. Take a deep gla.s.s dish, lay at the bottom some bananas, then a layer of oranges. Sprinkle well with sugar, then some more bananas and oranges and sugar, until all the materials are used up. Cover and let it stand for an hour, then serve as a sweet.

COSMOPOLITAN SALAD

Take any fruits in season, such as oranges, mandarins, pa.s.sion fruit, apricots, nectarines, pineapples, bananas, &c. Peel and slice them up, and put them into a gla.s.s dish in layers, with plenty of sugar between each layer. Stand in a cool place for an hour covered over, and it is ready to serve.

POTATO SALAD

Slice up some cold boiled potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley. Mix the oil and vinegar together in the proportion of two of oil to one of vinegar; pour this over, let it stand for an hour, and serve.

VENETIAN RICE

* 1/2 lb. Rice--1d.

* 1/2 lb. Cheese--2d.

* 1 pint Stock *

* 1 oz. b.u.t.ter *

* Pepper and Salt--1d.

* Total Cost--4d.

* Time--Three-quarters of an Hour.

Boil some rice, or take any cold rice that may be left, put it into a saucepan with the stock, and simmer till the stock is absorbed. Grate up some dry, hard pieces of cheese, stir them in with the b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt. Cover down by the side of the fire for about half an hour; pile on a dish, and serve.

TOMATOES AND EGGS

* 4 Eggs--4d.

* 1/2 pint Tomato Sauce--2d.

* Fried Bread *

* 1 teaspoonful Parsley--1d.

* Total Cost--7d.

* Time--5 Minutes.

Take some thick tomato sauce and pour it on to a hot dish. Poach the eggs carefully and lay them on the sauce. Garnish with parsley and fried bread, and serve hot.

MACARONI CHEESE

* 2 oz. Macaroni--1 1/2d.

* 1/2 pint White Sauce--1 1/2d.

* 3 oz. Dry Cheese *

* Pepper and Salt--1d.

* Total Cost--4d.

* Time--10 Minutes.

Put the macaroni into boiling salt and water, and boil for half an hour or until soft; strain off the water and cut into pieces about 1 1/2 inch long. Make the sauce by directions given elsewhere. Mix in half the cheese and some pepper and salt. Take a dish in which it can be served, and lay at the bottom some macaroni; then some sauce and a little of the dry cheese. Continue in this way till all the materials are used up, leaving plenty of dry cheese for the top. Put in the oven for five or ten minutes till a nice colour. Serve hot.

MAYONNAISE

* 2 Eggs--2d.

* 1 gill Oil--2d.

* 1/2 gill Vinegar *

* Salt--1/2d.

* Total Cost--41/2 d.

* Time--Three-quarters of an Hour.

Put the yolks of the eggs into a basin, sprinkle over the salt, begin to stir them with a wooden spoon, dropping in the oil very slowly. The sauce must be kept thick, and the oil added very slowly.

When it is quite thick and smooth, pour in the vinegar slowly, and it is ready for use. This is considered the finest of all salad dressings.

If made some time before it is required for table, it must be kept cool. It ought to stand in ice, and the vinegar should be added just before serving. It may be used for any kind of salad instead of the ordinary dressing.

HINTS ON SALAD

Salads form such a pleasant item in the menu, particularly during the hot season, that they should be regarded as a daily dish. There are no sc.r.a.ps of fish, poultry, meat, or cold boiled vegetables, but what can be turned to account in this way. If these are utilised, a great variety can be obtained at a very trifling cost; in fact these dainty t.i.t-bits can often be made of food that otherwise would be thrown away.

Cold cauliflowers, beans, peas, and potatoes are particularly nice in salads.

FISH SALAD