However excellent the cooking, there comes a time in every household when there is a general desire for something different – a change in the menu, some dish that will arouse fresh interest and discussion. The wise housewife will therefore got acquainted with the products which come into this country from other lands and which are to be found in most large towns – especially where there is a foreign quarter.
The Italian products, for example, include many little-known species of macaroni and other pastes. One very large variety of Italian paste is especially delicious if the central hollow is filled with a meat or savoury filling.
The Greek products, too, include many delicious finds. In this contribution from Greece come young marrows cooked whole, and “lady’s fingers” – a most succulent vegetable to add to the menu. Black Greek olives have a flavour all their own, and are eagerly sought after by lovers of olives.
The “delicatessen” shops display a wonderful array of good things. In tins there are anchovies, fillets of herring, and many other such savoury morsels, whilst sausages of many varieties, such as liver, garlic, salami, and many others can be procured by the slice as desired.
Foreign vegetables and fruits
More and more are “unusual” vegetables coming to the fore, and once the tastiness of the aubergine or egg plant has been put to the test, for example, it will be adopted as a general favourite and frequently asked for. It can be cooked in many different ways – generally with onion and tomato, – and has a flavour quite of its own. Sweet potatoes again are well worth trying, as are celeriac, the green and red peppers, and sweet corn.
Nor must the fruit varieties be forgotten. The grapefruit especially has made itself popular in this country during this year, its “clean” refreshing taste being most desirable. Grapefruit marmalade is now obtainable at most shops, and as it is sweeter than orange marmalade it makes a popular addition to the tea-table.
From South Africa come many delicious fruit preserves. Cape gooseberry jam is delicious with brown bread and butter, and can be used for tarts, pastries, and so on with great success. Fig jam, pineapple jam, and peach and pineapple conserve are also amongst the popular South African products. From Australia, too, come delicious jams and bottled fruits, a great novelty in this country being the passion fruit, of which it is claimed that it includes the flavour of every other kind at fruit.
Plank cookery
Apart from new varieties of foods, however, change can be introduced by means of new methods of cooking, and for a real change nothing is better than the introduction of the “‘plank” – a culinary idea which has come to us from the United States. Special planks made of well-seasoned oak can be procured for cooking purposes. The food is cooked and served directly on the plank, and has a most delicious flavour.
Meat, fish, or vegetables can be thus cooked, in many cases the meat or fish being placed in the centre of the plank and the accompanying vegetables arranged around – all being cooked together in the oven. A “plank” has a grooved surface leading to a shallow well at one end, which conserves the juices of the meat and vegetables.
Practically all kinds of meat which can be baked or braised will be successfully cooked on a plank, especially steak, veal, ham, chops, chicken or fish. Plank cookery develops a “succulent” flavour and is certain to be appreciated in any household to which it is introduced.
These are but some of the ways in which the housewife may steer clear of “ruts” and keep her household happy and contented and well pleased with the food that is served.
