500 Recipes for Suppers and Snacks [antikvár]

Meals on a TrayThere are a number of recipes in this book which are suitable to serve on a tray or eaten with just a fork, but this chapter contains dishes that are particularly easy to manage. When planning fireside trays, the food will look more interesting if it is cooked in individual portions. Where one main dish is given you may like to divide it into serving portions before cooking and, of course, it will take less time to cook this way.When serving fish dishes for television snacks, be ultra careful about removing bones since the half light could cause a serious accident, particularly in the case of elderly or the younger members of your family. Do not try and balance too many dishes on the tray at one time. It is easier to have the next course waiting in the kitchen or on a side table or trolley ready to be served.Fish cakescooking time: 10 minutes, plus time In cooking potatoes and fish you will need:8 oz. mashed potatoes 1 egg 8 oz. cooked fishsalt(cod, hake or other pepper white fish) to coat:flourcrisp breadcrumbs1 eggto fry:2oz. lard or oilPut the well mashed potatoes into a basin. ; Add the fish and mix thoroughly with a fork. 1 Add the beaten egg, salt and pepper. [ Form into about 8 flat round cakes. 1 Roll these cakes in a little flour, then brush lightly with beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs. Pat well to remove excess crumbs. I Heat the fat in a frying pan and when a faint haze is seen, fry quickly on one side and then the other.' Drain on crumpled tissue paper for about 2 minutes in a warm place and serve at once.VariationsFish and shrimp cakes - add 2 oz. chopped shrimps or chopped prawns.Fish and tomato cakes - bind with the pulp of 2 or 3 skinned tomatoes instead of egg. Tuna fish cakes - bind the contents of a medium can of tuna fish with the potatoes, add a little of the tuna liquid from the can and the beaten egg. This can be flavoured with chopped parsley and chopped chives.Using a white sauce - many people prefer to bind the cakes with a thick white sauce made from 1 oz. margarine, 1 oz. flour and i pint milk. Use this instead of the egg in the fish cakes in this case.Economical fish cakes - to be more economical you could use J egg in muting the fish cakes and the other half for brushing them on the outside.Salmon fish cakes - use either canned sahnon or cooked fresh salmon.With gherkin or cacomber - for an unusual sharp flavoiu*, add a little finely chopped gherkin or cucimiber to the fish and potato mixture.New flavourings for fish cakesCurried fish cakes - fry a teaspoon of chopped onion in a little butter or margarine, then work in a teaspoon curry powder, and add to the other ingredients.Devilled fish cakes - fry a teaspoon chopped onion in a little butter or margarine, then add i teaspoon curry powder, i teaspoon Tabasco sauce and a few drops chilli sauce if wished. Add this mbcture to the other ingredients. To make a tray meal - arrange the fish cakes on hot plates and garnish with chopped parsley. Do not serve wedges of lemon, since these are difl&cult to handle on a tray, but squeeze a little lemon juice over the fish cakes just before serving.Serve with either small wedges of tomato and shredded lettuce in a crisp salad or with fried sliced mushrooms, fried sliced tomatoes, and creamed spinach.Tomato sauce or tartare sauce are also good accompaniments (see page 84).