LIBRARY RECEIVED MAY2 -1916 ...... "' THE STATE COLLEGE OF WAS~Ill.~Jillfl1rltnt fA,rlculture. PULLMAN, WASHINGTON

DEPARTMENT OF EXTENSION W. S. Thornber, Director

The State College of 'Vashington a nd· U. S. Department of Agriculture Co-operating

Series I. FEBRUARY, 1916 No. 14 I. MEAT By MARY E. SUTHERLAND Extension Specialist in Home Economics, State College of Washington

Beef is the meat of the ox or cow and is the most used and nutritious of all animal foods. The best beef is obtained from a steer from three to four years old, although the producer can make a greater profit at the end of two years. Beef .should hang at least two weeks, to ripen and develop flavor, before it is used; should be of a bright red uniform color, and marbled with fat that is yellowish. The flesh should be firm and elastic to the touch. Meat should be removed from the paper as soon as it comes from the market and kept in a cool place. Always wipe meat with a damp cloth. Much used muscles absorb much food material, making rich juicy meat. This is, however, tougher than that of the parts less used, because the connective tissue and fiber increase as well as the contents of the mu.:;cle tubes. The tender cuts are firm grained and should be well mottled with fat. In an effort to supply t he demand for the more tender cuts of meat to his "would-be" fastidious customers, the average butcher finds himself overstocked with the cheaper grades and consequent loss follows. The cheaper grades are not always the most economical, the housewife must consider the amount of refuse, weight of bone, amount of fat on the outside, etc., amount of fuel required for cooking, etc. Probably not one family in a thousand is familiar with the delicious sour roast of the Ger­ mans, the Swiss steak, or the numerous ways in ·which an English cook handles a plain round steak to give it the flavor of an American porterhouse. Meats and vegetables may be combined into palatable dishes which are more economical than meat alone. The fireless cooker and casserole are aids in solving this problem. To utilize the cheap cuts of meat in palat­ able dishes the housewife must have a knowledge and also a stock of good seasonings at hand. Bay leaves, cloves of garlic, bottle of onion juice, . }

bottle of celery extract or salt, cloves,· sage, nutmeg, paprika, etc. When­ ever possible use fresh materials raised in your own garden. Place of Meat in the Diet.-Authorities seem to agree in the estimate that in the United States about one-third of the total expenditure for food materials is for meat. They also agree that when the total expenditure is one-sixth for meat the dietary will be more economical and also better balanced. Cheaper Cuts for Long Cooking.-Following are some of the recipes recommended: Rolled Flank of Beef, or Rolled Round of Beef.-Flank steak or 1.% lbs. of thinly cut round steak; two or three small pieces of suet; one onion, sliced; 14 cup of carrot, cubed; two cups stock or water. Wipe the meat, trim the edges, pound the round steak on both sides. If using flank steak, cut slashes across the fibers of the meat. Spread with stuffing, roll and tie. Sprinkle the roll with salt and pepper, dredge with flour and brown on all sides in hot drippings, lay in on the onion and carrot in a pan with suet on top. Pour the water or stock into the pan, cover tightly and cook slowly in the oven or on top of the stove. For round steak, cook slowly, covered, for half hour or more in a moderate oven, then uncover and cook half an hour. For flank steak, cook slowly, covered, for two hours or more in a moderate oven, uncover last half hour. Serve with brown gravy made by thickening the liquid in the pan. Stuffing for Roll of Beef.- 2 cups soft stale bread 2 tsp. melted butter 14 tsp. onion juice 2 tbsp. chopped parsley 2 tsp. celery or 1-6 tsp. celery salt %, tsp. salt 14 to % cup hot water 1h tsp. pepper Mix ingredients in the order given and add the hot water. Beef Loaf.-2 lbs. of beef cut from lower part of round or shin meat; 1 tbsp. chopped parsley; % lb. fat salt pork or 3-inch cube suet; 14 tsp. pepper; %, tsp. onion juice; 1 tsp. salt; 114 cup bread crumbs; % cup milk. Wipe the meat with a cloth. Put through a food chopper with salt pork. Add the seasonings; knead; add the crumbs, if wished, a well­ beaten egg and tablespoonful of lemon juice and, gradually, the milk. Knead until spongy. Shape into a loaf. Spread surface with suet. Dredge with flour, season with salt and pepper. Bake 40 minutes. Baste with boiling water to which 1 tbsp. of suet has been added. Set this meat loaf pan in a larger pan about one-third full of boiling water. This mix­ ture may be steamed two hours. Directions for Stewing.-Select the tough pieces of meat for stews. Keep in mind that a cheap piece of meat which contains much refuse may be much less economical than a higher priced one, all of which is eatable. Cuts which may be used are usually selected from beef, lamb, mutton or veal; such as the plate, navel, neck, shoulder, lower part of the round, skirt steak, aitch bone, etc. A stew is a method of preparing meat by extract- ing juice to flavor gravy, and retaining the juice in the remainder by searing the meat. Wipe the meat and cut into suitable pieces for serving. l\Ieanwhile divide into two portions, add one portion to cold water and heat to the boiling point. Sear the other portion by browning in a little fat in a frying pan. Then add it to the water and meat. The whole should be cooked slowly for 3 hours, or until the meat is tender. Meat with some bone and fat makes a richer stew than one made with lean meat. Onions, turnips, carrots, parsnips and potatoes ar~ the vegetables com­ monly used in stews. The vegetables should be cut into half-inch cubes or .quarter-inch slices and added the last hour of cooking. The potatoes should, however, be parboiled five minutes, then added to the stew, allow­ ing twenty minutes for the cooking. Sweet herbs, parsley, a bit of bay leaf, one or two cloves, celery salt, or catsup may be added to give variety. Salt and pepper are the usual .seasonings. A nice way is to cook the veg­ etables separately. Beef Stew.-2 lbs. beef; 3 tbsp. flour; water; 1 turnip; 1 carrot; 2 onions, sliced; 4 potatoes, salt and pepper; ~ bay leaf. Prepare according to above directions. Braised Beef.-31h lbs. chuck roast; 1 small. carrot, sliced; 1 turnip, sliced; 2 small onions, sliced; 1 doz. pepper corns; flour, salt and pepper; water to cover. Wipe meat and dredge with flour. Put some Crisco in a frying pan; when in· a blue heat put the meat in the hot fat and brown all the surfaces. Add pepper corns, vegetables and seasonings. Add 3 cups of boiling water, or enough ' to about cover the meat. Cover the pan and cook the meat in a moderate oven for about four hours. Baste fre­ quently. Thicken the liquid, season to suit and serve with the meat. German Pot Roast.-3 lbs. beef, cut from top of shin or from a rib or second cut of shoulder clod. Wipe with a piece ·of cheese cloth wrung out of cold water, rub over with salt and sprinkle with pepper. Roll in flour and sear the entire surface in hot fat. Place in casserole dish or porcelain­ lined covered kettle. Add 1 cup hot water, 1 bay leaf, and 2 slices of onion placed under the meat; cover and cook 4 hours, adding more water as needed and turning three times during the cooking. If done in a casserole dish, bake in the oven; if in either of the other vessels mentioned cook on top of stove. Sliced carrots, potatoes and parsley may be used as garnishes. Broiled Steak.-Wipe meat with damp cloth and trim off superfluous fat. Rub the wire broiler with 'small piece of fat. Place meat in broiler and broil over a clear fire, turning every 10 seconds for the first minute. . After first minute turn occasionally until well cooked on both sides. Steak one inch thick requires from five to eight minutes. Mock Duck.-One flank steak, which may cost from 20c to 25c; or one thinly cut round steak; 2 or 3 small pieces suet; 1 onion; 14 carrot cubed if desired; 2 c. stock or water. Wipe meat, trim edges, cut or slash on both sides; spread with stuffing; roll and tie; . sprinkle well with salt and pepper, dredge with flour and sear on all sides with hot drippings. Lay upon the onion and carrot in a pan with suet on top. Pour water or stock into pan, cover tightly and cook slowly in the oven or on top of the stove~ For flank steak cook 2 hours or more, slowly, and uncover the last lh hour~ Swiss Steak.-A very good method of preparation for tough steaks. Pound flour into both sides of a piece of round steak: Season well and saute ·or sear well in very hot suet drippings vntil a good brown crust is formed. Then add sufficient water to barely cover, and simmer slowly for from 1 to 1lh hours. It may be necessary to add a little water occasional­ ly. When ready to serve there should be just enough liquid to moisten. meat thoroughly. This may be cooked in the oven and modified by using tomato juice instead of water and placing three thin slices of onion and a small piece of bay leaf on top of the ·meat. Pressed Veal.-Cook a shank of veal until very tender so that the meat can be easily picked to pieces. Let the water cook down until about 1 cup of the liquid remains. Pick the veal apart, season with salt, pepper and sage. Pour over this the liquid from the vessel in which the meat was cooked. Mix thoroughly and pack closely in a pan of proper shape to make nice slices when the meat is cold. When set, cut in thin slices and serve. LEFT-OVERS General Directions.-The usual mixture consists of two parts of meat to· one part of well seasoned thick white sauce. Use 2 tbsp. of mixture for each croquette. Shape into balls, cylinders, etc. Put a heap of fine crumbs on a plate. Bread an egg, add a tbsp. of water, beat slightly. Roll the shaped croquette mixture in the crumbs,. dip in egg, then in crumbs again. Fry in hot vegetable fat in which a cube of bread will brown in 40 seconds until a light brown and drain on s9ft paper. Garnish with parsley, etc. Meat Croquettes-2 cups chopped meat; few grains cayenne; few drops onion sauce; lhtsp. salt; 1 cup white sauce; yolk of egg; pepper. Mix in order given and fry according to directions.

\Vhite Sauc~.-2 tbsp. butter or Crisco; 4 tbsp. flour; 1 c. liquid; lh tsp. salt; few grains pepper. Melt butter in sauce pan; add flour, salt and pepper; add milk or white stock and stir until smooth. Meat Souffle.-Add 1 cup finely chopped meat to lh cup hot medium white sauce; season and add the beaten yolks of 2 eggs; remove from the fire, cool, cut and fold in the whites of two eggs beaten stiff. Turn into a buttered baking dish, place in a pan of water and bake from 40 minutes to one hour. Casserole of Rice and Meat.-Line a mold with cooked rice, fill center with chopped cold meat highly seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, celery salt, onion juice and lemon juice ·(any or all of these seasonings may be omitted except the salt and pepper), and moisten with stock or gravy. Cover meat with rice and then cover whole dish and steam 3 0 to 4 5 min­ utes. Serve on a platter in which meat is surrounded with brown gravy or tomato sauce.