Versatile Ground Meat Works Menu Magic
Reading edition
Ground meat is the basis for a great variety of popular dishes. It’s a top favorite, from savory sausage patties for a hearty breakfast to a glamorous meat loaf for a festive dinner party. Whatever the menu, the economy, simplicity of preparation and versatility in serving explain the universal appeal of ground meat to homemakers.
Ground beef, veal, pork or lamb, or a combination of these, provides a meat dish for every taste. With the meat as the foundation of the recipe, other ingredients are often added to introduce flavor variety.
SEASONINGS TO CHOOSE. Basic proportions for the more common seasonings are 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 2 to 4 tablespoons chopped onion for each pound of meat. Sage, thyme, marjoram, cayenne pepper, celery salt, Chili powder, curry powder, paprika, mustard, cloves and nutmeg are some of the commonly used herbs and spices. When experimenting with new combinations, it is advisable to use these seasonings cautiously until the proportions which have the greatest flavor appeal are discovered. A good rule to follow is ⅛ teaspoon per pound of ground meat for the stronger seasonings, ¼ teaspoon per pound of ground meat for the more mild seasonings.
OTHER INGREDIENTS TO ADD. Toasted or plain 21 enriched white, whole wheat or rye bread; cracker crumbs; and rolled oats, rice or other cereals may be combined with the ground meat. Grated or mashed potatoes or carrots, peas, and grated apple are also occasional ingredients. The proportion of these foods added to the ground meat may vary but should be kept relatively small for the best meat flavor. Enough liquid—milk, water, vegetable juices, soup stock, canned or cooked tomatoes, tomato catchup—will be needed to moisten the mixture, and egg is necessary to hold the ingredients together.
WAYS TO SERVE. Meat loaves and meat balls are perhaps the most usual ways in which ground meat mixtures are served. To add variety, the meat mixture may be baked in large or individual ring molds, muffin pans, or in various shapes for individual loaves. Potatoes, green peppers, onions, egg plant and squash are a few of the vegetables that lend themselves to a meat stuffing. Ground meat and vegetable combinations are often prepared as fritters. Ground meat mixtures (principally meat with herbs or spices for seasoning) appear on the menu as meat patties; meat sauces for macaroni, spaghetti, noodles and rice; meat drumsticks; fillings for meat pies or tarts; toppings for meat shortcakes, and as favorite casserole dishes.
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Barbecued Pork Chops
Rib Chops
MENU IDEA Barbecued Pork Chops Buttered Rice Broccoli Cucumber Salad Corn Meal Muffins Butter or Margarine Jelly Roll Beverage
6 pork rib or loin chops, cut 1 inch thick 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons prepared mustard ¼ cup chopped onion ½ teaspoon ground cloves 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cup juice from apple, peach, bread and butter or sweet pickles 1 cup catchup
Brown chops in frying-pan. Season with salt and pepper. Mix flour and mustard to make a smooth paste. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Pour mixture over chops, cover closely and cook slowly for 1 hour. 6 servings.
Smoked Ham Slice—Apricot Glaze
Smoked ham slice
MENU IDEA Ham Slice-Apricot Glaze Mashed Potatoes Asparagus Lettuce-Tomato Salad Hot Biscuits Butter or Margarine Ice Cream Brownies Beverage
Smoked ham slice, cut 1 inch thick 1 No. 303 can apricot halves ½ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon allspice ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Drain apricots and save juice. Set regulator to broil. Place ham slice on broiler rack and insert broiler rack and pan so the top surface of the meat is 2 to 3 inches from the heat. Sprinkle with spices and broil until nicely browned, about 10 minutes, basting occasionally with apricot juice. Turn, sprinkle ham with remaining spices, continue broiling, basting with apricot juice until done, about 10 minutes. Five minutes before ham slice is done, arrange apricot halves, cut surface down, on ham and continue broiling until ham is done and apricots are lightly browned. Spoon basting liquid over ham and apricots before serving. 4 to 6 servings.
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RECIPES FOR PORK LEFTOVERS
Ham-Noodle-Mushroom Casserole
2 cups cubed cooked ham 1 8-ounce package broad noodles Water 1 3-ounce can mushrooms 3 tablespoons butter or margarine ¼ cup enriched flour 2 cups milk (or milk and mushroom liquid) ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon chopped pimiento 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, if desired
Cook noodles in boiling salted water until tender. Drain. Cook mushrooms in butter or margarine until lightly browned. Remove mushrooms, add flour and mix well. Add milk gradually and cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Add salt, pepper, pimiento, parsley and ham. Arrange the cooked noodles in a greased 1½-quart casserole. Add ham mixture, arrange mushrooms on top. Bake in a moderate oven (350° F.) for 45 minutes. 6 to 8 servings.
Swiss Salad
2 cups cubed cooked pork 1 cup cooked peas ½ cup French dressing ½ cup diced celery ½ cup walnut meats, broken 6 lettuce leaves Paprika Mayonnaise 2 hard-cooked eggs 6 stuffed olives
Marinate meat and peas in French dressing and chill. Add celery and nuts and arrange on lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with paprika and dot with mayonnaise. Cut each egg into 6 slices. Remove egg yolk from egg slices. Arrange the white rings around the salad. Cut each olive into 4 slices. Overlap 2 olive slices inside each ring of egg white. Press the egg yolks through a sieve and sprinkle over the salad. 4 to 6 servings.
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Lamb Cuts and Cooking Methods
Lamb Shoulder Chops
ROAST: Rolled and cushion-style shoulder; crown roast; loin roast; boneless sirloin; leg; breast and loaf.
BROIL: Shoulder, rib, loin and English chops; steaks; patties; liver and kidneys.
PANBROIL: The same cuts as prepared by broiling. Cuts cooked by this method are cut thinner than those cooked by broiling.
PANFRY: Shoulder chops; rib and loin chops; steaks; patties; liver and kidneys.
BRAISE: Shoulder chops; breast; riblets; steaks; neck slices; shanks and cubes.
COOK IN LIQUID: Neck; riblets; shanks; stew meat; hearts and kidneys.
Other Facts About Lamb
Lamb comes from a young animal and practically all cuts may be cooked by roasting, broiling or panbroiling. These cuts may be served medium or well done. Lamb neck, shanks and breasts should be braised or cooked in liquid until well done. The “fell” or paper-like covering, should not be removed from the leg of lamb because the leg, with “fell” on, will roast in less time, hold its shape better and be juicier; the “fell” is removed from chops and steaks. Lamb, at its best, should be served hot or cold ... never lukewarm. Frozen lamb cuts may be stored at 0° F. or lower, 6 to 9 months.
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