Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches by Eliza Leslie Published: 1840
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PREPARATIONS FOR THE SICK.
CHICKEN JELLY.
Take a large chicken, cut it up into very small pieces, bruise the
bones, and put the whole into a stone jar with a cover that will
make it water tight. Set the jar in a large kettle of boiling
water, and keep it boiling for three hours. Then strain off the
liquid, and season it slightly with salt, pepper, and mace; or
with loaf-sugar and lemon juice, according to the taste of the
person for whom it is intended.
Return the fragments of the chicken to the jar, and set it again
in a kettle of boiling water. You will find that you can collect
nearly as much jelly by the second boiling.
This jelly may be made of an old fowl.
BREAD JELLY.
Measure a quart of boiling water, and set it away to get cold.
Take one-third of a six cent loaf of bread, slice it, pare off the
crust, and toast the crumb nicely of a light brown. Then put it
into the boiled water, set it on hot coals in a covered pan, and
boil it gently, till you find by putting some in a spoon to cool,
that the liquid has become a jelly. Strain it through a thin
cloth, and set it away for use. When it is to be taken, warm a
tea-cupful, sweeten it with sugar, and add a little grated lemon-peel.
ARROW ROOT JELLY.
Mix three table-spoonfuls of arrow root powder in a tea-cup of
water till quite smooth, cover it, and let it stand a quarter of
an hour. Put the yellow peel of a lemon into a skillet with a pint
of water, and let it boil till reduced to one half. Then take out
the lemon-peel, and pour in the dissolved arrow root, (while the
water is still boiling;) add sufficient white sugar to sweeten it
well, and let it boil together for five or six minutes. It may be
seasoned (if thought necessary) with two tea-spoonfuls of wine,
and some grated nutmeg.
It may be boiled in milk instead of water, or in wine and water,
according to the state of the person for whom it is wanted.
RICE JELLY.
Having picked and washed a quarter of a pound of rice, mix it with
half a pound of loaf-sugar, and just sufficient water to cover it.
Boil it till it becomes a glutinous mass; then strain it; season
it with whatever may be thought proper; and let it stand to cool.
PORT WINE JELLY.
Melt in a little warm water an ounce of isinglass; stir it into a
pint of port wine, adding two ounces of sugar candy, an ounce of
gum arabic, and half a nutmeg grated. Mix all well, and boil it
ten minutes; or till every thing is thoroughly dissolved. Then
strain it through muslin, and set it away to get cold.
SAGO.
Wash the sago through two or three water, and then let it soak for
two or three hours. To a tea-cupful of sago allow a quart of water
and some of the yellow peel of a lemon. Simmer it till all the
grains look transparent. Then add as much wine and nutmeg as may
be proper, and give it another boil altogether. If seasoning is
not advisable, the sago may be boiled in milk instead of water,
and eaten plain.
TAPIOCA.
Wash the tapioca well, and let it steep for five or six hours,
changing the water three times. Simmer it in the last water till
quite clear, then season it with sugar and wine, or lemon juice.
GRUEL.
Allow three large table-spoonfuls of oatmeal or Indian meal to a
quart of water. Put the meal into a large bowl, and add the water,
a little at a time, mixing and bruising the meal with the back of
a spoon. As you proceed, pour off the liquid into another bowl,
every time, before adding fresh water to the meal, till you have
used it all up. Then boil the mixture for twenty minutes, stirring
it all the while; add a little salt. Then strain the gruel and
sweeten it. A piece of butter may be stirred into it; and, if
thought proper, a little wine and nutmeg. It should be taken warm.
OATMEAL GRUEL.
Put four table-spoonfuls of the best grits (oatmeal coarsely
ground) into a pint of boiling water. Let it boil gently, and stir
it often, till it becomes as thick as you wish it. Then strain it,
and add to it while warm, butter, wine, nutmeg, or whatever is
thought proper to flavour it.
If you make the gruel of fine oatmeal, sift it, mix it first to a
thick batter with a little cold water, and then put it into the
sauce-pan of boiling water. Stir it all the time it is boiling,
lifting the spoon gently up and down, and letting the gruel fall
slowly back again into the pan.
PANADA.
Having pared off the crust, boil some slices of bread in a quart
of water for about five minutes. Then take out the bread, and beat
it smooth in a deep dish, mixing in a little of the water it has
boiled in; and mix it with a bit of fresh butter, and sugar and
nutmeg to your taste. Another way is to grate some bread, or to
grate or pound a few crackers. Pour on boiling water, beat it
well, and add sugar and nutmeg.
BARLEY WATER.
Wash clean some barley, (either pearl or common) and to two ounces
of barley allow a quart of water. Put it into a sauce-pan, adding,
if you choose, an equal quantity of stoned raisins; or some lemon-peel
and sugar; or some liquorice root cut up. Let it boil slowly
till the liquid is reduced one half. Then strain it off, and
sweeten it.
GROUND RICE MILK.
Mix in a bowl two table-spoonfuls of ground rice, with sufficient
milk to make a thin batter. Then stir it gradually into a pint of
milk and boil it with sugar, lemon-peel or nutmeg.
BEEF TEA.
Cut a pound of the lean of fresh juicy beef into small thin
slices, and sprinkle them with a very little salt. Put the meat
into a wide-mouthed glass or stone jar closely corked, and set it
in a kettle or pan of water, which must be made to boil, and kept
boiling hard round the jar for an hour or more. Then take out the
jar and strain the essence of the beef into a bowl. Chicken tea
may be made in the same manner.
MUTTON BROTH.
Cut off all the fat from a loin of mutton, and to each pound of
the lean allow a quart of water. Season it with a little salt and
some shred parsley, and put in some large pieces of the crust of
bread. Boil it slowly for two or three hours, skimming it
carefully.
Beef, veal, or chicken broth may be made in the same manner.
Vegetables may be added if approved. Also barley or rice.
MUTTON BROTH MADE QUICKLY.
Cut three chops from the best part of a neck of mutton, and remove
the fat and skin. Beat the meat on both sides and slice it thin.
Put into a small sauce-pan with a pint of water, a little salt,
and some crust of bread cut into pieces. You may add a little
parsley, and a small onion sliced thin. Cover the sauce-pan, and
set it over the fire. Boil it fast, skim it, and in half an hour
it should be ready for use.
WINE WHEY.
Boil a pint of milk; and when it rises to the top of the sauce-pan,
pour in a large glass of sherry or Madeira. It will be the
better for adding a glass of currant wine also. Let it again boil
up, and then take the sauce-pan off the fire, and set it aside to
stand for a few minutes, but do not stir it. Then remove the curd,
(if it has completely formed,) and pour the clear whey into a bowl
and sweeten it.
When wine is considered too heating, the whey may be made by
turning the milk with lemon juice.
RENNET WHEY.
Wash a small bit of rennet about two inches square, in cold water,
to get off the salt. Put it into a tea-cup and pour on it
sufficient lukewarm water to cover it. Let it stand all night, and
in the morning stir the rennet water into a quart pitcher of warm
milk. Cover it, and set it near the fire till a firm curd is
formed. Pour off the whey from it, and it will be found an
excellent and cooling drink. The curd may be eaten (though not by
a sick person) with wine, sugar, and nutmeg.
CALF'S FEET BROTH.
Boil two calf's feet in two quarts of water, till the liquid is
reduced one half, and the meat has dropped to pieces. Then strain
it into a deep dish or pan, and set it by to get cold. When it has
congealed, take all the fat carefully off; put a tea-cupful of the
jelly into a sauce-pan, and set it on hot coals. When it has
nearly boiled, stir in by degrees the beaten yolk of an egg, and
then take it off immediately. You may add to it a little sugar,
and some grated lemon-peel and nutmeg.
CHICKEN BROTH AND PANADA.
Cut up a chicken, season it with a very little salt, and put it
into three quarts of water. Let it simmer slowly till the flesh
drops to pieces. You may make chicken panada or gruel of the same
fowl, by taking out the white meat as soon as it is tender,
mincing it fine, and then pounding it in a mortar, adding as you
pound it, sufficient of the chicken water to moisten the paste.
You may thin it with water till it becomes liquid enough to drink.
Then put it into a sauce-pan and boil it gently a few minutes.
Taken in small quantities, it will be found very nutritious. You
may add to it a little grated lemon-peel and nutmeg.
VEGETABLE SOUP.
Take a white onion, a turnip, a pared potato, and a head of
celery, or a large tea-spoonful of celery seed. Put the vegetables
whole into a quart of water, (adding a little salt,) and boil it
slowly till reduced to a pint. Make a slice of nice toast; lay it
in the bottom of a bowl, and strain the soup over it.
ONION SOUP.
Put half a pound of the best fresh butter into a stew-pan on the
fire, and let it boil till it has done making a noise; then have
ready twelve large onions peeled and cut small; throw them into
the butter, add a little salt, and stew them a quarter of an hour.
Then dredge in a little flour, and stir the whole very hard; and
in five minutes pour in a quart of boiling water, and some of the
upper crust of bread, cut small. Let the soup boil ten minutes
longer, stirring it often; and after you take it from the fire,
stir in the yolks of two beaten eggs, and serve it up immediately,
In France this soup is considered a fine restorative after any
unusual fatigue. Instead of butter, the onions may be boiled in
veal or chicken broth.
TOAST AND WATER.
Toast some slices of bread very nicely, without allowing them to
burn or blacken. Then put them into a pitcher, and fill it up with
boiling water. Let it stand till it is quite cold; then strain it,
and put it into a decanter. Another way of preparing toast and
water is to put the toasted bread into a mug and pour cold water
on it. Cover it closely, and let it infuse for at least an hour.
Drink it cold.
APPLE WATER.
Pare and slice a fine juicy apple; pour boiling water over it,
cover it, and let it stand till cold.
TAMARIND WATER.
Put tamarinds into a pitcher or tumbler till it is one-third full;
then fill it up with cold water, cover it, and let it infuse for a
quarter of an hour or more.
Currant jelly or cranberry juice mixed with water makes a pleasant
drink for an invalid.
MOLASSES POSSETS.
Put into a sauce-pan a pint of the best West India molasses; a
tea-spoonful of powdered white ginger; and a quarter of a pound of
fresh butter. Set it on hot coals, and simmer it slowly for half
an hour; stirring it frequently. Do not let it come to a boil.
Then stir in the juice of two lemons, or two table-spoonfuls of
vinegar; cover the pan, and let it stand by the fire five minutes
longer. This is good for a cold. Some of it may be taken warm at
once, and the remainder kept at hand for occasional use.
It is the preparation absurdly called by the common people a
stewed quaker.
Half a pint of strained honey mixed cold with the juice of a
lemon, and a table-spoonful of sweet oil, is another remedy for a
cold; a tea-spoonful or two to be taken whenever the cough is
troublesome.
FLAX-SEED LEMONADE.
To a large table-spoonful of flax-seed allow a tumbler and a half
of cold water. Boil them together till the liquid becomes very
sticky. Then strain it hot over a quarter of a pound of pulverized
sugar candy, and an ounce of pulverized gum arabic. Stir it till
quite dissolved, and squeeze into it the juice of a lemon.
This mixture has frequently been found an efficacious remedy for a
cold; taking a wine-glass of it as often as the cough is
troublesome.
COCOA.
Put into a sauce-pan two ounces of good cocoa (the chocolate nut
before it is ground) and one quart of water. Cover it, and as soon
as it has come to a boil, set it on coals by the side of the fire,
to simmer for an hour or more. Take it hot with dry toast.
COCOA SHELLS.
These can be procured at the principal grocers and confectioners,
or at a chocolate manufactory. They are the thin shells that
envelope the chocolate kernel, and are sold at a low price; a
pound contains a very large quantity. Soak them in water for five
or six hours or more, (it will be better to soak them all night,)
and then boil them in the same water. They should boil two hours.
Strain the liquid when done, and let it be taken warm.
RAW EGG.
Break a fresh egg into a saucer, and mix a little sugar with it;
also, if approved, a small quantity of wine. Beat the whole to a
strong froth. It is considered a restorative.
SODA WATER.
To forty grains of carbonate of soda, add thirty grains of
tartaric acid in small crystals. Fill a soda bottle with spring
water, put in the mixture, and cork it instantly with a well-fitting cork.
SEIDLITZ POWDERS.
Fold in a white paper one drachm of Rochelle salts. In a blue
paper a mixture of twenty grains of tartaric acid, and twenty-five
grains of carbonate of soda. They should all be pulverized very
fine. Put the contents of the white paper into a tumbler not quite
half full of cold water, and stir it till dissolved. Then put the
mixture from the blue paper into another tumbler with the same
quantity of water, and stir that also. When the powders are
dissolved in both tumblers, pour the first into the other, and it
will effervesce immediately. Drink it quickly while foaming.
BITTERS.
Take two ounces of gentian root, an ounce of Virginia snake root,
an ounce of the yellow paring of orange peel, and half a drachm of
cochineal. Steep these ingredients, for a week or more, in a quart
of Madeira or sherry wine, or brandy. When they are thoroughly
infused, strain and filter the liquor, and bottle it for use. This
is considered a good tonic, taken in a small cordial glass about
noon.
ESSENCE OF PEPPERMINT.
Mix an ounce of oil of peppermint with a pint of alcohol. Then
colour it by putting in some leaves of green mint. Let it stand
till the colour is a fine green; then filter it through blotting
paper. Drop it on sugar when you take it.
Essence of pennyroyal, mint, cinnamon, cloves, &c. may all be
prepared in the same manner by mixing a portion of the essential
oil with a little alcohol.
You may obtain liquid camphor by breaking up and dissolving a lump
in white brandy or spirit of wine.
LAVENDER COMPOUND.
Fill a quart bottle with lavender blossoms freshly gathered, and
put in loosely; then pour in as much of the best brandy as it will
contain. Let it stand a fortnight, and then strain it. Afterwards,
mix with it of powdered cloves, mace, nutmeg and cochineal, a
quarter of an ounce of each; and cork it up for use in small
bottles. When taken, a little should be dropped on a lump of
sugar.
LEAD WATER.
Mix two table-spoonfuls of extract of lead with a bottle of rain
or river water. Then add two table-spoonfuls of brandy, and shake
it well.
[Footnote: These remedies are all very simple; but the author
knows them to have been efficacious whenever tried.]
REMEDY FOR A BURN.
After immediately applying sweet oil, scrape the inside of a raw
potato, and lay some of it on the place, securing it with a rag.
In a short time put on fresh potato, and repeat this application
very frequently. It will give immediate ease, and draw out the
fire. Of course, if the burn is bad, it is best to send for a
physician.
FOR CHILBLAINS.
Dip the feet every night and morning in cold water, withdrawing
them in a minute or two, and drying them by rubbing them very hard
with a coarse towel. To put them immediately into a pail of brine
brought from a pickle tub is another excellent remedy when feet
are found to be frosted.
FOR CORNS.
Mix together a little Indian meal and cold water, till it is about
the consistence of thick mush. Then bind it on the corn by
wrapping a small slip of thin rag round the toe. It will not
prevent you from wearing your shoe and stocking. In two or three
hours take it off, and you will find the corn much softened. Cut
off as much of it as is soft with a penknife or scissors. Then put
on a fresh poultice, and repeat it till the corn is entirely
levelled, as it will be after a few regular applications of the
remedy; which will be found successful whenever the corn returns.
There is no permanent cure for them.
WARTS.
To remove the hard callous horny warts which sometimes appear on
the hands of children, touch the wart carefully with a new pen
dipped slightly in aqua-fortis. It will give no pain; and after
repeating it a few times, the wart will be found so loose as to
come off by rubbing it with the finger.
RING-WORMS.
Rub mercurial ointment on the ring-worm previous to going to bed,
and do not wash it off till morning. It will effect a cure if
persevered in; sometimes in less than a week.
MUSQUITO BITES.
Salt wetted into a sort of paste, with a little vinegar, and
plastered on the bite, will immediately allay the pain; and if not
rubbed, no mark will be seen next day. It is well to keep salt and
vinegar always in a chamber that is infested with musquitoes. It
is also good for the sting of a wasp or bee; and for the bite of
any venomous animal, if applied immediately. It should be left on
till it becomes dry, and then renewed.
ANTIDOTE FOR LAUDANUM.
When so large a quantity of laudanum has been swallowed as to
produce dangerous effects, the fatal drowsiness has been prevented
when all other remedies have failed, by administering a cup of the
strongest possible coffee. The patient has revived and recovered,
and no ill effects have followed.
GREEN OINTMENT.
Take two or three large handfuls of the fresh-gathered leaves of
the Jamestown weed, (called Apple Peru in New England,) and pound
it in a mortar till you have extracted the juice. Then put the
juice into a tin sauce-pan, mixed with sufficient lard to make a
thick salve. Stew them together ten or fifteen minutes, and then
pour the mixture into gallipots and cover it closely. It is
excellent to rub on chilblains, and other inflammatory external
swellings, applying it several times a day.
TO STOP BLOOD.
For a prick with a pin, or a slight cut, nothing will more
effectually stop the bleeding than old cobwebs compressed into a
lump and applied to the wound, or bound on it with a rag. A scrap
of cotton wadding is also good for stopping blood.
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