Silver Screen (Nov 1936-Apr 1937)

58 Silver Screen for January 1937 THIS month I've been browsing around New York's famous foreign eating houses; dipping into stacks of yelloAved clippings; poking my nose generally into other people's business in my search for unusual, easy to make recipes of dishes all of you have at some time or other felt the urge to prepare. And what an exciting time it has been! Here are the recipes for 3 Syrian dishes the average American never gets ^\•hich were instantaneous successes with me. And they are easy enough for a child to make. HOMMOSS Soak hommoss (a vegetable very like our chick peas) overnight, then boil about 2 hours, salting to taste and adding water when necessary. Run through nut grinder attachment of meat grinder till it is fine and ivithout grain. Add a cup of tachin dressing (this can be bought in cans), half a cup of ^^'ater, and a cup of lemon juice (strained) for each half pound, dry \veight of hommoss. Chill. Serve with 2 tbsps. olive oil over top of each portion. Hommoss keeps indefinitely. BABA GANNOUGE Peel and slice a medium egg plant, and steam in top of a double boiler till it can be mashed with a fork. Beat well. Add a cup of tachin dressing, half cup of lemon juice, half cup of -water. Salt to taste. Mix thoroughly. .Serve with parsley and olive oil. RICE PELAFF Soak unwashed rice (1 cup) in hot ^vater for 2 hoins. Tlien wash thoroughly in cold ^^•ater. Melt quarter |)Oun(l butter and cook rice in it for 1 minuu-. Add lamb broth until it covers rice !)) more than half an inch. Cook over slow fire 30 minutes, or until rice has taken up all the broth and is thoroughly dry. .At a certain iini in New York's CHiinatown I had one of the most delightful of Cantonese dishes. It is one of ihc simplest \vays of preparing chicken but it has a neverto-bc-forgoticn flavor. WAT GAT Take a broiler— about 21/2 or 3 poundsclean and place in a |)ot greased wiih vegclabic oil over sltnv rnc, mining lo \'enl binning, lor ahoul lo minulcs Soak and seed i (iniicc Iimil; ihc icd, ilrv,, Cultivate A Taste For Foreign Dishes It May P rove A.lmost As Exciting As A Trip Around The V/orlJ. By RutK Oortin Maxine Jennings likes to experiment with unusual recipes. sweet Chinese prune. Slice i ounce Chinese mushrooms, 3 ounces bamboo shoots, 2 ounces gum choy (a long, yellow very dry \egetable) to size of water chestnuts, of Avhich you use 3 ounces. Mix together and fry a golden brown with a little broth to which has been added salt, pepper and soy sauce to taste. Stuff browned chicken ■with vegetables, replace in pot and brush with butter brush dipped in soy sauce. 'When bird begins to look dry pour in some kind of broth. It should not take more than 40 minutes to cook chicken but your fork is a good indicator. Medium oven 350° F. Mexico contributed this next recipe, which I picked up a few years ago in Hollywood. You can buy Enchaladas readymade, in cans, but not so good as those you can make with this very easy recipe. ENCHALADAS Take 2 cups flour, 2 tbsps. cornmeal, 1 tsp. salt and enough water to make a thin batter. Have your grocer grind three poimds of either beef and veal or beef and chicken. Boil this meat until well done. Make a sauce of 2 cans hot tomato sauce, and an equal amiount of -water in ^vhich boil 1 tbsp. cumin seed. Add sauce, a dash of red pepper, mustard and salt. Thicken if necessary. Keep meat filling and sauce hot and bake cakes size of a large pan, as needed. Lay on plate, put 2 tbsps. meat on one side of cake and flap other side to cover meat. Cover with sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and garnish with parsley or lettuce and olives. If you like Chili Con Came you can buy it in compact brick form, add a little \vater and cook to desired consistency, 'i'ou'll find it not only economical but quickly pre]5ared and quite as tasty as if von had spent an hoiu" or more in its ]ireparation. •Mong the Texas border arid in Oklahoma T have eaten what is called "Chili 3 \Vavs." Il is nolliing more than Chili poured o\'er well (ddked s|):iglu-lli but it is delightful. Russi.i — in particular a cozy resiainant o\er neai llie Fast River in New York C'ilv — is ri'sponsible for these two perfectly grand dishes. BLINTCIIIKY 2 eggs 2 tbsps. sugar i<J ( up flour Hair cup of milk I/, Isp. sail Collage cheese Sour cream Heal eggs unlil liglu ami add milk. Mi\ sugar, salt, and flour together and stii quickly into liquid, being sure to get out all lumps. Have ready a hot, well buttered frying pan. Pour in enough batter to cover bottom (about 3 tbsps.). Shake well over fire until it spreads out into a thin layer. ^Vhen brown on bottom and firm to touch on top, turn out on a towel and put a generous tablespoonful of cottage cheese in center. Roll up at once turning ends under. Serve with sour cream. 1 small onion I cup of carrots 1 cup of tomatoes 2 tbsps. butter Half cup of celery 1 tbsp. vinesrar BORSCHT 2 qts. ineat stock 2 cups of shredded cabbage Salt and pepper 2 cups minced beets 2 potatoes minced Sour cream Mince onion and fry until brown in butter. Add to meat stock -ivith other vegetables. Simmer 2 hours. Season with vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve and add to each plate 2 tbsps. sour cream. And from one of England's far-flung frontiers comes— INDIAN CURRY 1 small apple 2 tbsps. butter, more if necessary 2 tsps. curry powder 1 tsp. lemon juice 2 tbsp. chopped onion 3 clo\ es or pinch of powdered cloves Peel and cut up apple and onion. Put into frying pan -ivith butter. Bro^vn. Squash into a paste. Add curry powder, clo\es and lemon juice. Simmer slowly 10 minutes. Your curry mixture is no^v ready and can be used with rice, baked sausage, fish or eggs. Cold lamb or any left over meat makes an excellent curry simply by mixing ■ivith a little rice water and meat gravy and cooking for 10 minutes. Serve with filajor Grc\'s Chutnev. .\ grand climax to this r,-star assortment of foreign dishes is this cake from France. GATEAU AUX NOIX 5 ounces finely chop]5ed walnuts 2 oinices fine dry bread crumbs Grated rind 1 small lemon Pinch of salt Pinch po-wdered mace ounces sugar I'j ts]). finely ground clo\es 5 egg yolks 5 egg whites, stifllv beaten Cream beaten yolks -with sugar, add chopped nuts and other ingredients one by one, and lastly fold in beaten whites. Mix ihoroughly. Bake in loaf cake pan in slow oven-about 275° F.— for ii/, hours. Make cake day before wanted. Jirst before serving, cut into thin slices, spread each with whipped cream, and ]ilace I hem one on top the olhei unlil cake is built up again.