VEGETABLES.
WHILE no claim is made that all vegetables are improved through paper
bag cookery, experiments prove that quite a number can be successfully
cooked by the paper bag process. Vegetables of strong flavor as a rule
are best cooked in a large quantity of water and are not recommended for
paper bag cookery; only the more delicate vegetables that need to have
their flavors conserved. Dried peas, lentils and beans are excellent
cooked in paper bags but require a longer preliminary soaking than is
usual with other methods of cooking.
=Asparagus.=--Trim and scrape as for boiling; wash very clean. Tie in
bundles and put into a buttered bag with a little salt and a quarter
cupful of water. Seal and cook from thirty-five to forty minutes in a
hot oven.
=Asparagus With Cheese.=--Boil two bunches of asparagus twelve minutes
in salted water. Drain, but save the water. Put the asparagus in a
buttered bag or in one of the oval wooden dishes, scattering grated
Swiss or Parmesan cheese between the layers. Turn over all a cup of the
water in which the asparagus was boiled, sprinkle the top of the scallop
with a little cheese and a few buttered bread crumbs. Seal the bag and
cook fifteen minutes in a moderate oven.
=Lima Beans.=--Add to a quart of shelled Lima beans three tablespoonfuls
of butter or vegetable oil, a quarter pound of diced bacon or ham, a
little minced parsley or other seasoning herbs, and a teaspoonful of
flour. Put in a greased bag with a cupful of water, seal and cook an
hour in a moderate oven.
=String Beans, Oriental Style.=--String the beans, cut in two
lengthwise, then break in inch pieces. To every pint of beans, which
should be young and tender, allow one cupful boiling water, two
tablespoonfuls vegetable oil, one small onion sliced, and a half cupful
tomato. Salt and pepper to taste. Put all in greased paper bag and cook
forty-five minutes. A wooden cookery dish can be employed to advantage.
=Boston Baked Bean Cakes.=--These are made of left-over baked beans.
Heat with a little water to moisten, rub through a colander, season with
salt, pepper and mustard. Put a tablespoonful of pork drippings or
butter in a frying pan, and cook in it, when hot, a tablespoonful of
minced onion, taking care not to let it blacken. Add to the beans, make
into cakes and lay in well-greased bag. Cook twenty minutes and serve
with tomato sauce.
=Bean Croquettes.=--Soak one pint white pea beans or the little brown
Mexican frijoles over night in cold water. In the morning cook until
soft in water to which a saltspoonful of soda has been added, changing
the water after it first comes to a boil. Rub through a colander, then
add to the pulp one cup grated bread crumbs, one tablespoonful minced
parsley, two tablespoonfuls melted butter, two eggs well beaten, one
small onion grated and salt and pepper to season. Mix thoroughly, shape
into cylinders, dip in beaten egg, then in cracker dust and put in
buttered bag. Seal and cook ten minutes in hot oven.
=German Cabbage.=--Take two small hard heads of red cabbage and cut in
slices half an inch thick, discarding the hard stalk and veins. Put onto
a greased wooden cookery bowl two rounding tablespoonfuls of melted
butter or vegetable oil, then add the cabbage, sprinkle with a level
teaspoonful of salt, three tablespoonfuls of vinegar and one onion
chopped fine. Put in bag, seal, and put in oven. Bake one hour with only
one burner on after the first ten minutes.
=Cabbage Hot Slaw.=--Chop a small hard head of cabbage fine and salt it
lightly. Let stand half an hour then put in wooden bowl with two
tablespoonfuls of butter. Put in bag, seal, and cook slowly in the oven
for twenty minutes. No water is necessary, as the salt will draw out the
juices of the cabbage so it will have moisture enough. At the end of
twenty minutes take up with a hot dish, add a teaspoonful of flour that
has been stirred in a little cold water, then cooked until thick with a
half cupful of cream. Lastly, add one tablespoonful of pure vinegar and
serve at once.
=Carrots.=--Wash and scrape a half dozen tender carrots. Slice thin and
season with salt, pepper and a good tablespoonful of butter. Add a half
cupful good stock, put in a well-greased bag, seal and cook thirty-five
minutes.
=Carrot Saute.=--Scrape and cook young carrots in boiling salted water
until tender. Cut in halves lengthwise, roll in fine cracker crumbs,
then in egg and cracker again, and put in well-greased bag. Bake fifteen
minutes, sprinkle with fine chopped parsley and serve very hot.
=Stuffed Eggplant.=--Select purple fruit and of small size. Halve them,
sprinkle them with salt, turn them cut side down on a fine sieve, put a
heavy plate on them and let them drain for an hour. Wipe dry, take from
each a tablespoonful of the center, chop it fine and for each
tablespoonful allow the same amount of bread crumbs, a teaspoonful of
chopped onions, olives and vegetable oil, with a little salt and a
dusting of paprika. Mound this dressing on each half, arrange the halves
in a buttered bag, pour in water to the depth of an inch, add a generous
piece of butter, salt and pepper, and place the bag in a hot oven;
twenty minutes should be sufficiently long to cook the eggplant
thoroughly.
=Lentil Cutlets.=--Soak one cupful dried lentils all night with a cupful
dried lima beans. In the morning drain, add two quarts of water, a stalk
of celery and half an onion sliced. Cook until soft, remove the
seasonings and rub through a puree sieve. Add one cupful stale bread
crumbs, one beaten egg, the juice of a half lemon and seasonings to
taste. Melt a heaping tablespoonful of butter in a small saucepan, add
to it a tablespoonful flour and pour on, when blended, a third of a cup
of milk. Let the mixture cook until thick and smooth, then add to the
lentil mixture and set aside to cool. Shape into small cutlets, dip in
beaten egg, then in fine cracker crumb, put in a well-buttered bag and
bake twenty minutes. Serve with a tomato sauce.
=Mushrooms.=--Choose fine fat mushrooms, cut the stem close, peel and
wipe delicately with a damp cloth. Sprinkle lightly with salt and lay in
a well-greased bag together with a big tablespoonful of butter rolled in
flour and a half cupful of rich cream. Seal and cook twelve minutes in a
hot oven.
=Baked Onions.=--Parboil for fifteen minutes Bermuda or Spanish onions,
chill in cold water, then if very large cut in halves, otherwise, cut a
little wedge out of the hearts and fill the cavity with butter or
vegetable oil. Put in the well-greased bag, adding a little water and
more butter or oil, seal and cook twenty minutes.
=Stuffed Baked Onions.=--The next time you have a roast leg of lamb or
mutton, try baked onions prepared in this way as an accompaniment: Take
large onions, preferably Spanish or Bermudas, peel, cut a slice from the
top of each, and with a small spoon scoop out about half the pulp. Put
this in a dish, mix with it an equal quantity of bread crumbs, well
flavored with chopped parsley, sweet marjoram, salt and pepper. Moisten
the whole lightly with cream and a little melted butter; mix well, fill
the onion cavities with the stuffing, crown with a slice of bacon for a
cover, put in a bag and bake one hour in a moderate oven.
=Onions With Cheese.=--Skin large Spanish onions and boil until quite
soft. Press through a sieve and put into a well-buttered wooden baking
dish. Season with salt, pepper and plenty of butter, add a little stock
or milk, grate a little cheese over them, put in bag and bake to a
golden brown.
=Parsnips.=--Scrape and parboil some parsnips. Cut in two lengthwise.
Season with pepper and salt, roll in melted butter, dripping or olive
oil. Flour again and place in a well-greased paper bag. Seal up and bake
in a hot oven on a wire rack for half an hour. They should be a golden
brown.
=Green Peas.=--Shell the peas, put into a well-buttered bag with a
little salt to season, a little sprig of green mint and a half cupful of
water. Seal and cook twenty-five minutes. Slit open the bag, pour its
contents into a hot dish, season well with butter and serve.
=Stuffed Peppers.=--In preparing peppers for stuffing, select those of
uniform size, wash and plunge in boiling water for about ten minutes;
then drop into cold water to keep them green; cut off the stem ends and
scoop out the seeds and inside of the peppers; fill with any of the
following stuffings or a combination of your own devising.
Stuffing No. 1. Wash half a cup of rice; cover with boiling water and
cook rapidly for ten minutes; then turn into a sieve to drain. Peel
three large tomatoes, removing the seeds and cutting the pulp in small
pieces. When fresh tomatoes are out of season, their equivalent in
canned may be used. Mix the rice and tomatoes together; add two
tablespoonfuls of olive oil or melted butter and season with salt. Fill
the drained peppers with the mixture, sprinkling a few buttered crumbs
over the top and replace the covers. Oil the peppers on the outside, and
set in a buttered bag. Turn enough stock into the bag to come half way
up the sides of the peppers (if you have no stock use hot water in which
a tablespoonful of kitchen bouquet has been dissolved and several slices
of onion and carrot added), and bake in a moderate oven three-quarters
of an hour. Rice that has been left over from dinner may be used,
leaving the tomatoes out and seasoning with chopped celery, parsley,
salt and pepper. When done, dish on a hot platter and pour a rich brown
sauce over them, scattering a little minced parsley over the top. A
wooden cookery dish is advised here.
Stuffing No. 2. For eight good sized peppers take a pint of chopped
meat, veal or chicken, or veal mixed with sausage, a cupful of soft
bread crumbs and a cup of stock, gravy or water in which a spoonful of
beef extract has been dissolved. Season with an even teaspoonful each
of salt and pepper and half teaspoonful each summer savory, thyme and
sage. Mix well, fill the peppers, sprinkle fine buttered bread crumbs
over them at the end where the stuffing is exposed, put in a buttered
bag and bake until well browned. This will take about a quarter of an
hour. Serve with chicken or roast beef, and with or without a sauce.
=Peppers With Creamed Fish.=--Parboil the peppers ten minutes, then fill
with creamed fish of any kind, which may be seasoned with a
tablespoonful of sherry. Then sprinkle with a layer of fine crumbs, dot
with butter, bag, and brown lightly in a quick oven. Creamed carrots,
cauliflower, sprouts, and many other vegetables may be baked in the
pepper cups and served either as a vegetable or an entree. Filled with
potatoes au gratin and browned they are a delicious accompaniment for
chops and steaks.
=Baked Irish Potatoes.=--Scrub thoroughly and rinse as many good sized
potatoes as will be required. Make a few slits in them but do not peel.
Place in the paper bag with a tablespoonful of water, close tightly and
cook from thirty-five to fifty minutes, according to size.
=Baked Potatoes Without Their Coats or Jackets.=--Select as many
potatoes of the same size as desired. Peel and let them stand in salted,
cold water for ten minutes. Then drain without drying and place in a
greased bag,--bacon fat is good for these potatoes--and cook in a hot
oven, without disturbing, for forty-five minutes if small, one hour, if
large. They will have a crisp, brown coat, every part of which can be
eaten.
=Potatoes en Surprise.=--Choose potatoes of smooth shape, not too large
and of even size. Scrape out from the top of each a space large enough
to hold the yolk of an egg. Salt and pepper the nest, drop in a tiny bit
of butter, then the egg yolk, follow with a thin slice of bacon just
large enough to cover the egg and set in greased paper bag. If necessary
to keep them upright cut a thin slice from the bottom of each potato,
add a spoonful of cold water, seal, set in a hot oven and cook for
thirty minutes.
=Potatoes Farci.=--A new and very delicious way of serving stuffed
potatoes is as follows: Wash large potatoes and bake in bag until nearly
done; take from the oven and nearly cut off one end, leaving the skin
for a hinge and a bit of potato for a lid. Pull out the undone heart
with a fork and in its place lay shavings of smoked bacon, peppered and
tightly rolled after having been laid for an instant on a hot frying
pan; close the potato and set in the oven to finish cooking.
=Sauer Kraut.=--Put enough to serve six people in one of the largest
size wood cookery dishes, salt and season to taste, add a half cupful of
water, put in bag, seal, and bake one hour in moderate oven.
=Waldorf Sauer Kraut.=--Soak the sauer kraut in cold water until just
palatably salt. Put into greased paper bag on a wooden cookery dish with
a little bacon, pickled pork or sausage, add a half cupful of hot water
and cook about twenty minutes. Drain, put in a hot dish with or without
the meat as desired and serve. When boiled sauer kraut is cold it may be
chopped and reheated in a buttered bag with butter, gravy or a white
sauce.
=Sweet Potatoes and Bacon.=--Peel boiled sweet potatoes, fasten a slice
of bacon around each, using a wooden tooth pick to hold in place. Put in
buttered bag with a spoonful of water, and bake ten minutes.
=Sweet Potato Straws.=--Cut potatoes in slices lengthwise, peel, then
cut into straws. Dip in bacon fat or melted butter, put in buttered bag,
seal, and cook fifteen minutes. Take out on soft paper to absorb any
grease, dust lightly with salt and serve.
=Sweet Potato en Brochette.=--Peel and cut in half inch, uniform slices.
Put on skewers in groups of four, place in boiling water and parboil ten
minutes. Drain, brush over with vegetable oil, sprinkle with brown
sugar, put in greased bag and bake twenty minutes in moderate oven.
=Spinach.=--Pick over carefully, thoroughly wash, then put into a bag,
leaving the vegetable quite damp. Add a little salt, seal and cook
thirty minutes. Before lifting the bag from the oven slide a pan under
it, and prick the bottom of the bag so the water will drain out. Dish,
adding butter to season and serve.
=Summer Squash in Butter.=--Cut into narrow strips and season with salt
and pepper. Put into well-greased bag, add a generous lump of butter and
cook about half an hour.
=Stuffed Summer Squash.=--Boil in lightly salted water until tender. Cut
off the top and scoop out the inside. Mix well with seasoned and
buttered crumbs, chopped onion and grated cheese. Fill the shell,
sprinkle the top with buttered crumbs, put in bag and bake until brown.
=Stuffed Tomatoes With Cream.=--Mix together three-quarters of a cupful
of cold-chopped chicken or veal, three tablespoonfuls of soft bread
crumbs, a tablespoonful of melted butter, one teaspoonful of chopped
parsley, half a teaspoonful of salt and quarter teaspoonful of paprika.
Wash and wipe six medium-sized tomatoes, take a small piece from the
stem end, carefully remove a portion of the pulp, and fill the hole with
the stuffing; place in a buttered bag and cook for thirty minutes in a
moderate oven. Remove to a hot platter, whip three tablespoonfuls of
rich cream, add to it two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, and pour a
small portion over each tomato.
=Turnips.=--Peel and slice your turnips and put them in a well-greased
bag with a light seasoning of salt, a lump of butter barely dusted with
flour, and enough thin stock to half cover them. Seal and cook in a
moderate oven for an hour more or less according to the tenderness of
the vegetable. Empty into a hot dish and if not rich enough add more
butter, and dust with black pepper and salt.
=Turnip Balls.=--Peel fine grained turnips, then cut into balls, using a
vegetable scoop. Put into a well-greased bag with a light seasoning of
salt, a little sugar, a dusting of pepper, a tablespoonful of butter or
vegetable oil and a quarter cupful of hot water, seal, and cook half an
hour until tender, but not brown. Take up, add a half cupful hot cream
sauce, stir lightly in it, sprinkle with minced parsley and serve very
hot.
=Stuffed Vine Leaves or Dolmas.=--Choose tender vine leaves and scald
them, after which roll a little of the following stuffing in each leaf,
making it round and firm so that the stuffing will not come out when the
balls are boiled. Chop three onions, put a teacupful of good salad oil
in a stewing-pan, and, when it is boiling hot, throw in the chopped
onion. As soon as this begins to cook, add a small cupful of Carolina
rice, some chopped parsley and mint, salt and pepper and a tablespoonful
of currants and mix well on the fire till the rice begins to brown.
Then take a vine leaf in your left hand and wrong side upward and put a
little of this prepared rice into it. Put some of the coarse vine leaves
at the bottom of the paper bag and arrange each little ball beside its
neighbor, packing them rather tightly. When this is done, put in
sufficient water just to cover the dolmas, add a little oil, seal the
bag and bake till the rice is soft and the water is all absorbed. This
is a very delicate and characteristic dish, but will be a failure if the
vine leaves are not tender or the oil is rancid. Serve with lemon.