Anna Potatoes
Peel, wash and drain 4 good-sized, sound, raw potatoes. Slice them with a Saratogachip potato machine. If none is at hand, slice them as fine as possible. Grate 2 ounces of Parmesan or Swiss cheese. Heat 2 tablespoons Crisco in a small frying pan, remove pan from fire and cover bottom with light layer of potatoes. Mix teaspoon salt with 2 saltspoons white pepper, sprinkle a little over potatoes, spread a little cheese over potatoes, and place few bits Crisco over cheese. Arrange another layer of potatoes--and so on till all are employed. Cover pan, place on moderate fire for 5 minutes. Turn them over with cake turner; let them cook again 3 minutes, then place in hot oven for 10 minutes. Turn on hot dish and serve.
Spinach, Martha Trim off stalks of 3 quarts fresh spinach, discarding stale leaves if any. Thoroughly wash and drain, plunge in gallon boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt and boil for 10 minutes. Take them up with skimmer, drain on sieve, press out all water, chop finely, place in saucepan. Cut 3 slices bread in 1/3 inch square pieces, place on plate, pour over them 1 tablespoon vinegar, then brown them in small frying pan with 1 tablespoon melted Crisco to golden color, add them to spinach, with 2 hard-cooked eggs cut into 8 pieces each, 1 tablespoon Crisco, salt, sugar, grated nutmeg to taste, and 4 tablespoons cream. Mix well with wooden spoon and cook 10 minutes, lightly mixing once in a while, dress on vegetable dish and serve.
Mackerel, Cold, Vinaigrette Select fine mackerel; clean, leaving head on, wrap in piece of cheesecloth, and boil in strong solution of vinegar and water until tender, taking care that it does not cook too long. 15 to 25 minutes should be sufficient. Make a vinaigrette sauce with 1/2 cup tarragon vinegar, 1 cup melted Crisco, 1 teaspoon made mustard, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon chopped shallots, and 2 teaspoons chopped capers. Put vinegar into basin, add mustard, little salt, stir in Crisco and chopped ingredients. Mix well together, lay mackerel, after removing from cloth, on long platter, pour over vinaigrette sauce and let marinate thoroughly, putting in refrigerator as soon as cool. Serve ice cold in bed of parsley, garnished with lemon slices, and pass vinaigrette sauce with it.
Puree, a I'Indienne 2 large apples, 4 tablespoons Crisco, 1 large onion, 1 large carrot, 1 turnip, white 2 leeks, 1 stalk celery, sprig parsley, 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon cocoanut, juice 1/2 lemon, 1 tomato, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon curry paste, 1/2 cup cream, some boiled rice, and 2 quarts of water.
Melt Crisco, cut up all vegetables (prepared) into rough pieces, fry them a little in hot Crisco, add also curry powder, and fry it. Do not peel apples; simply wipe, cut up and add with vegetables. When fried for 7 minutes, add all ingredients except cream, simmer till soft, then rub all through fine sieve, return to pan to reheat, and gently add cream. Serve rice on paper mat, as croutons are served with most soups.