Everyday Meals For Invalids - A Collection of Tiny Recipes, Tasty and Nourishing, for Every Day in the Year

By May Tremel

Originally published in 1934, this is a clear and practical guide to preparing food for ill and convalescing people. The book is full of useful recipes and practical advice. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Vintage Cookery Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include How To Make A Menu For An Invalid Abbreviations, etc Soups Fish Vegetables Sauces Light Meat Dishes Egg Dishes Beverages Puddings, Sweets, Jellies, Creams Cakes and Biscuits Sandwiches Cheese Dishes Ices Index Keywords: Egg Dishes Cheese Dishes Meat Dishes Cookery Books Convalescing Light Meat Puddings Jellies 1900s Biscuits Sauces Soups Sandwiches Cakes Sweets Beverages Vegetables Abbreviations Artwork Recipes

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vintage Cookery Books
• Release date: Jun 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781528761383

Book preview

PREFACE

THIS little book does not pretend to be a Cookery Book in the ordinary sense of the term. Its aim is to help in a practical way those who are cooking for invalids or convalescents, which is such a very different thing to catering for an everyday, healthy appetite. It often causes much difficulty to know what a light diet or a fish diet comprises, and this little book is written to lend a helping hand; for when the extra work of nursing comes along, it is scarcely the time to have to begin hunting around for suitable food to put before the invalid.

Each recipe is only enough for one person for one meal. It has always been a trial to have to reduce a recipe that fills a quart mould, or feeds a family of six, to the tiny appetite of an invalid. In some cases where the quantity would be too small to cook successfully, or it is advantageous in any way to make more at once, suggestions of how to use the extra amount so that it shall appear something different to the patient are always made.

There are THREE GOLDEN RULES which must never be forgotten when cooking for an invalid.

I. The cooking utensils must be spotlessly clean. Dirty pots and pans are little short of criminal, and no excuse whatever can be found for a cook, whether professional or amateur, who uses or puts away a pan or basin which is not clean.

Pans are always the most easily washed when hot; and if they cannot be washed immediately, water should be stood in them; they should never be put away wet, or with a lid tightly on, for they will soon smell. Chipped enamel saucepans are a source of danger, so are copper pans if the tin has worn off.

II. The doctor’s orders must be implicitly followed, and a little care and thought will easily supply the diet required. The amount of nourishment to be given daily to the invalid must always be borne in mind, and one must never lose sight of the fact that food well and properly cooked is of high value to a patient; whilst if badly cooked, it may do no end of harm. Never say, It’s too much trouble, or It doesn’t matter; it is largely attention to detail in cooking the so-called easy things which makes the difference. For instance, a custard that is allowed to boil and curdle is spoiled; greens that are put into hot water instead of boiling will be unappetising because a bad colour; a cake with too much baking-powder will be dry; milk that is burnt is undrinkable; a steamed pudding that won’t turn out has been mixed too wet, or incorrectly weighed; a jelly or cream that is stiff is worse than one that breaks; a cornflour mould that is not cooked enough is indigestible and horrid; a lumpy sauce is an abomination; frying that is greasy is the last word in bad cooking; over-seasoning, under-seasoning, and a hundred and one other details are all proofs of carelessness, and should be ever and always guarded against.

III. A patient’s appetite must be humoured. Small portions daintily served are the first step in the right direction; the second step is never to repeat a dish; and a good third is to remember that hot food must be hot.

Convalescent patients who may eat anything which is nourishing often will not be persuaded to eat owing to lack of appetite. Many of the following dishes are intended for this class of patient; it is often as highly important to tempt their appetites as it is that of the real invalid.

If a patient is ordered eggs, it does not always mean egg and milk, a boiled egg, or a poached egg; they can be disguised in soups, and sauces, and in puddings; they can be beaten into potatoes and such things as sieved apple; they can be served in lemonade (which is delicious); they can be hidden inside fritter batter, or flavoured with cheese or tomato; they can, in fact, be made to fit the taste of even the most fastidious, and as with eggs, so with everything. All that is needed is a little love and common sense, and the rest will follow.

If this little book in any way carries out the ideals which prompted it, it will help to make those difficult meal-times more possible and profitable to the occupants of the bedroom and the kitchen.

MAY TREMEL.

HOW TO MAKE A MENU FOR AN INVALID

ALWAYS keep in mind the doctor’s point of view, as regards what may or may not be eaten, and the patient’s points of view (for he has two)—what the meal looks like, and what it tastes like. If the dinner is two courses of very light diet, don’t choose milk soup and junket, or onion soup and cornflour pudding, because both will look the same. Let the first be chicken broth or beef tea jelly and then a soft white pudding, or after a white soup choose an egg jelly or a custard pudding or a milk pudding that has been browned in the oven, and perhaps fruit syrup with it.

Don’t one day give two solid courses, and the next two soft ones. Mince, with fruit fool to follow, needs no biting; but fruit fool and junket after a chop, for instance, would be highly desirable, and the next day after mince you could have castle puddings.

Don’t after steamed fish with white sauce have a hasty pudding; have a cornflour mould, with a hot chocolate sauce or a fruit syrup or fool; it will not look as though you had tried to save yourself trouble by cooking two things at once.

Don’t serve fish cakes, or fish in batter, and follow on with apple charlotte or fruit fritters or balloons; baked apples and sponge cake, if you like, or a fruit rice mould; and don’t have rissoles of any sort for supper that day.

When a patient needs feeding up with ordinary diet, surprises are always a success. Finish your meal with biscuit and home-made cream cheese one day; a cream ice the next day will make the patient begin to wonder what will follow on the third day; perhaps an éclair with a cheese cream filling would be acceptable, or cheese straws, biscuits, butter and lettuce.

Sandwiches in daily variety will generally be an extra at tea-time, and not merely eaten in place of something else.

ABBREVIATIONS, ETC.

Soups

WHEN making stock, remember that for first stock you use fresh meat and bone (the meat cut up small and the bone cracked), and only let it simmer to extract the juices; this will take about 5 hours.

For second stock, cooked bones and meat should be gently boiled for about 5 hours to extract the gelatine. Second stock will set into a jelly when cold.

If, just before serving, you find your soup is not quite thick enough, you can always add 1/2 teaspoonful of Brown & Polson’s cornflour, blended with cold milk or stock, and then boil it for 3 minutes. A thick soup should be just thick enough to prevent the vegetables, etc., from sinking to the bottom.

Soups

1/2 pt. Milk

A slice of Onion

A blade of Mace (if liked)

1/2 Egg

Pepper and Salt

Tiny bit of Butter

1/2oz. Flour

An onion which is cut and is to be kept for future use should be wrapped up in paper, as raw onion will breed disease germs.

Put the onion and mace in the milk (keeping out 1 tablespoonful) and bring to the boil, then take out the mace. Mix the 1/2 egg with the flour and stir in the tablespoonful of milk, and be sure there are no lumps; then slowly pour on to it—stirring all the time—the boiled milk, season with pepper and salt, and add the tiny bit of butter, return to the saucepan, and stir carefully over the fire, but do not let it boil or the egg will curdle. Strain and serve at once.

1/2pt. Milk

Slice Onion

1/2 teaspoonful Bovril

1/2oz. (small) Flour

Pepper and Salt

This soup may be made in a double saucepan and kept hot till wanted, only let it simmer, not boil.

Melt the butter, add the flour, and cook, letting it bubble well, stirring all the time, for two or three minutes; add the milk and stir well, so that there are no lumps; then put in the onion and bring to the boil; then add the Bovril and the seasoning, being careful not to add too much salt, as some bottles of Bovril are salty, and so make it unnecessary. Strain and serve. A tablespoonful of cream may be added just before serving.

1 Chicken (small)

1pt. Water (or to cover)

Salt

An asparagus chicken is excellent for this purpose. They come from Holland, but are young and tender.

Wash the chicken, joint and cut the meat up, removing the fat; put it into a double saucepan with 1 pint of cold water, add a pinch of salt, and bring it slowly to the boil, then simmer for 5 hours. Before it has finished cooking add a little more salt; stir well every now and then. If it cooks too fast and reduces, add more water.

Strain the liquid from the bones and the meat (which can have more water added and be boiled for a few minutes, and used for ordinary household cooking). Whilst hot, carefully take away the fat by placing tissue paper on to the liquid and letting it soak up the grease. Repeat this till not one speck is left.

Heated just as it is it makes very good chicken broth.

Small quantities put into tiny moulds which have been rinsed in cold water will set as a jelly; little pieces of hard boiled egg can be added if liked.

1 small Spanish Onion

1/2pt. Milk

1 teaspoonful Yolk of Egg

3 teaspoonfuls Cream

1 teaspoonful of Brand’s Essence can be added with the egg if liked. It must not be boiled.

Cut the onion into slices, put it into the milk, and boil slowly (with the lid on) till it is tender (a out 1/4 or 1/2 an hour). Rub it through a hair sieve, and use all or part for your soup, according to whether it is to be thick or thin. Return the milk to the saucepan with the onion purée, add pepper and salt, and when it boils stir in the cream, letting that boil for a moment, which helps to thicken it a little, then, when just off the boil, pour it on to a little yolk of egg in a basin, stirring all the time, and then strain into a hot basin or plate for serving.

Remember, the egg must not boil or it will curdle, and it is wise to take the trouble to strain the soup to remove any specks from the egg. The strainer can be heated with hot water before being used.

Artichokes or celery can take the place of onions for a change, and Bovril (1/2 teaspoonful) added to soup made with any of the above vegetables, and coloured with browning, gives that variety in both flavour and looks which is of such value with an invalid.

1 or 2 Tomatoes (preferably English)

1 small teaspoonful good Beef Dripping or Butter

1 1/2 gills Milk (or Milk and Chicken Broth, No. 3)

1/2 Yolk of Egg

Pepper and Salt

Pinch of Sugar

2 or 3 teaspoonfuls Cream

Wash the tomatoes; cut into pieces, and put, with the fat, into a small saucepan. When soft, rub them through a hair sieve. Replace this purée into the pan, add the milk, and bring to the boil, then add the seasoning, and do not forget a pinch of sugar to help the flavour. Stir in the cream, and boil for a moment or two. Put the egg yolk into a basin, pour the soup over (just off the boil), stirring all the time, and strain into a hot plate or basin ready to serve.

Brand’s Essence or Valentine’s Meat Juice can be added at the last moment if liked. Just a teaspoonful means more nourishment and scarcely alters the flavour; but it must not be boiled. A small 1/2 teaspoonful of Bovril makes a change if added in the saucepan; or the jelly found under beef dripping.

1pt. Water

1/3 teacupful of Bran

Bran is rich in mineral salts.

Wash the bran, and be sure you only buy the best. Let it simmer for 2 hours with the water in a double saucepan.

Use vegetable (or meat stock) with the bran stock in equal quantities for making soup.

1 teaspoonful Arrowroot

1/2 small Lettuce

Small Potato

1/2 small Leek

1 1/2 gills Water

4 teaspoonfuls Cream

Pepper

Salt

Milk

Croûtons (No. 16)