Gruels

Sick persons almost invariably have a natural antipathy against all "sick dishes," and this repugnance is perhaps, most decided against gruels of all kinds. When gruels are served to an invalid, they should be carefully selected with the nature of the complaint in view. Thus, in excessive disorder of the bowels, oatmeal gruel should never be given, but instead a flour gruel.

Oatmeal Gruel, No. I

When much oatmeal gruel is to be required, it will prove an economy of time to cook the oatmeal into mush, as previously described in this book, making sure that it is very thoroughly done. Place it in a bowl, and cover tightly. When gruel is needed, place some of the mush in a frying-pan, add milk sufficient to thin it to the desired consistency, and boil slowly for five minutes, stirring all the time. Add salt, and serve.

Oatmeal Gruel, No. 2

One quart of boiling water. .

One table-spoonful of raw oatmeal.

One-half tea-spoonful of salt.

Place the water in a frying-pan, add the oatmeal, and cook for two hours in a slow heat. Season with the salt, and strain or not, as the physician may direct. To serve, fill a cup two-thirds full with the hot gruel and fill the balance with cream or milk, stirring both well together before taking to the patient.

Indian Meal Gruel

One quart of boiling water. One-half tea-spoonful of salt. Two table-spoonfuls of meal. One table-spoonful of flour. Four table-spoonfuls of cold water.

Place the meal and flour in the cold water, rub them smooth, and stir the paste into the boiling water. Stir well, and when the gruel boils, set it back where it will simmer gently for two hours. Add the salt, cook for half an hour longer, and serve with cream or milk, the same as in the preceding recipe.

Flour Gruel

This is particularly useful in the summer troubles of little children. Place a pint of flour in a cloth, tie it tightly, put it in a kettle of boiling water, and let it boil four or five hours. When the cloth is untied, the gluten of the flour will be found in a mass on the outside of the ball. Remove this, and the inside will be found a dry powder, which is very astringent. Grate from the ball, wet the powder in cold milk, and stir it into a pint of boiling milk, using as much of the powder as will thicken the milk to a palatable porridge. Add salt, and serve hot.

Flour Gruel, No 2

One pint of boiling milk. One-half tea-spoonful of salt One table-spoonful of flour. Four table-spoonfuls of cold milk.

Stir the cold milk and the flour together, and when they are well mixed, add them to the boiling milk. Cook in a double boiler for twenty minutes, season with the salt, strain, and serve hot.

This gruel may be made more nutritious by adding half a cupful of raisins to the milk when it is put on to boil. These also are strained off.

Graham Gruel

One pint of boiling water. One-half tea-spoonful of salt. Four table-spoonfuls of cold water. One table-spoonful of graham meal.

Make the same as the preceding, omitting the raisins, and boiling for thirty minutes instead of twenty. Serve with cream or milk, the same as the flour gruel.