HOW WE COOK IN TENNESSEE

one can tomatoes or eight or ten fresh ones, fonr Irish potatoes, pepper and salt to taste. Boil three hours or longer. Before serving bone the chicken and cut up in small pieces, returning it to the stew. A few strips of breakfast bacon cut very thin adds to the taste. Add the corn one-half hour before the stew is done, as it will grow tough if cooked longer. This stew should be very thick when done. Squirrel stew may be made the same way. — Mrs. S. W. Tucker.

Squirrel Stew. — Make the same as chicken stew, using four squirrels to a pot of stew.

Squirrel Stew for Twenty Gallons. — Twenty squirrels, five pounds pork, half bushel tomatoes, half bushel potatoes, three quarts okra, six large onions, eight red peppers, three pack- ages corn starch, ten dozen ears corn, three pounds butter, salt and pepper to taste. Boil four or five hours, stirring often. — Mrs. Keavis.

Vegetable Soup. — Small soup bone. Start the soup bone to boil in a gallon of water. Crumb two or three biscuits (owing to size) into this water. Take four medium sized Irish potatoes cut in pieces, one pound can of tomatoes, half cup of macaroni broken fine, half cup of okra cut in thin slices, one pint of corn. Put vegetables in a pan and cook until soup water has been reduced by boiling to about one-half gallon, then put in the vegetables and cook until thoroughly done, stirring often. Just before taking up soup put in one-half cup of sweet milk, stirring in well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. — Mrs. T. H. Temple.

Gumbo. — One quart tomatoes, one chicken, or two pounds of beef, one onion, three-quarters of a pound of ham, lump of butter, one and one-half pints chopped okra, two tablespoons rice, salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Cut the chicken in small pieces and roll in flour and brown it well in butter. Put it into a soup kettle with the ham, onion and three pints of water and let cook slowly for one-half hour, then add okra, tomatoes and

12 HOW WE COOK IN TENNESSEE.

rice. Boil one and one-half hours. Season to taste and serve. —Mrs. W. S. Keller.

Gumbo. — Cut and joint into small pieces a large, prefer- ably, a full grown chicken and generally use two or three sets of giblets. Wash and drain dry in a tea towel and set aside till ready for it. Put in a deep iron skillet a large spoon of lard ; when very hot add two tablespoonf uls of flour. Stir con- stantly till of a rich brown, then put in a medium sized onion, sliced and cut fine. When that is brown, put in the chicken which you let fry with an occasional stir, so that it neither sticks or burns, for ten minutes, add a quart can of tomatoes, or a dozen fresh ones, skinned and cut into pieces. Let the whole stew three or four minutes, then transfer to an iron soup pot. Put to this four quarts of cold water, salt and pepper to taste. After boiling hard set back on the stove and let it boil slowly for four hours. About one hour before serving put in two quarts of okra. Served with boiled rice. — Mrs. W. S. Keller.

Crab Gumbo. — Take one dozen large crabs, one cup of but- ter, and two or three onions. Wash the crabs, taking care to get them free from sand ; take off the feelers and gills and divide the crabs into quarters ; brown the onions in the butter with two tablespoonfuls of flour. Put in the crabs with about a handful of chopped ham. Fill up the pot with three quarts of cold water. Just before serving sift in about two tablespoonfuls of file. Do not let it boil after the file is put in. Serve with rice.

Gumbo. — Fry two fowls, old ones are best, with parsley, onions, pepper, salt, and lard or bacon. Put these into the pot with water sufficient for the soup, and boil until the flesh drops off the bone. Just before taking off the fire, add your oysters, and a few minutes after a tablespoonful of gumbo powder, or file ; scraps of ham or fried sausage are an improvement. The gumbo does not require boiling after the file is put in.

Okra Gumbo. — Cut up one chicken, sprinkle with flour, and