sieve, and work into them, in a bowl, 1 gill of cream and the yolks
of 3 eggs; add pepper, salt, and nutmeg to taste, and some parsley
finely chopped. When they are well mixed and smooth, take them up
by tablespoonfuls, roll each in a ball, flatten it, and flour it
slightly. Lay them all in a sautépan with plenty of butter melted,
and cook them slowly. Turn them over when one side is done, and serve
hot as soon as both sides are coloured.
(_e_) Cut very thin slices right across the largest potatoes; lay the
slices in flat layers on a small plate that will bear the heat of the
oven. Spread fresh butter freely over the potatoes; then add another
layer, and so on until the potatoes are about 4 in. high. Give ½ lb.
fresh butter to 2 large potatoes. Bake until the potatoes are tender,
about ½ hour, in a quick oven.
(_f_) Fried.--Pare some potatoes so as to give each the form of a
cylinder, then cut each cylinder in slices ⅛ in. thick. By this means
all the pieces of potato will be the same size. Dry them thoroughly
in a napkin; put them in the frying basket, and fry them a light
colour in plenty of lard; drain, sprinkle freely with salt, and serve.
(_g_) Rissoles.--Take cold meat, veal or ham, cut it small and season
with pepper, salt, cut pickles, and a little parsley; moisten with a
little stock. Mash some potatoes and make them into a paste with the
yolks of 1 or 2 eggs. Put some of the seasoned meat on one half, and
fold over like a puff. Fry a light brown.
(_h_) Stewed.--Rub a saucepan with a clove of garlic, put 2 oz.
butter into it, and when it is melted add 6 potatoes, peeled, and cut
in quarters. Put in a little hot water, pepper and salt to taste, a
small quantity of grated nutmeg, some minced parsley, and the juice
of ½ lemon. Let the whole stew slowly till the potatoes are quite
done.
(_i_) Cakes.--The following is an old country recipe for potato
cakes: 1 lb. mashed potatoes, 2 oz. butter, 1 lb. flour, ½ teacupful
cream, a pinch of salt, and 1 egg; roll out the cakes thin, and bake
in a quick oven.
(_j_) Mashed.--Boil some potatoes, and pass them through a coarse
hair sieve. Put them into a saucepan with a good lump of butter, and
salt to taste; add a little milk, and work them well with a spoon on
a slow fire for some minutes, adding small quantities of milk as they
get dry.
(_k_) Calecannon.--Potatoes and greens mixed together, is an
agreeable mixture and forms a pleasant change. The greens and
potatoes are boiled separately, the former squeezed, when
sufficiently dressed, quite dry and chopped up very fine; the latter
mashed, the chopped greens added to them, with butter, pepper, and
salt to taste, and the yolk of 1 egg or more. A pudding dish should
be well buttered, the mixture put into it, and placed in a hot oven
for about 6-7 minutes; the contents of the basin then turned out and
served on a vegetable dish.
_Pumpkin._--Take a slice of pumpkin, remove the rind, and cut the
pulp into large dice, having first removed the pips. Put them into
a saucepan with a piece of butter, pepper and salt to taste, and a
little water. Let it stew slowly till quite done, then either mash it
up with a spoon or pass it through a sieve. Mix a little flour and
butter into a saucepan, add the pumpkin pulp and a little milk or
cream, also a pinch of sugar and a little grated nutmeg. Work it well
on the fire, and serve with sippets of bread, fried in butter, round
it.
_Red Cabbage._--(_a_) Wash, trim, and cut up a large cabbage into 5
or 6 slices. Put them into boiling water for ¼ hour; then stew them
gently in broth till quite tender; drain, and serve with reduced
brown gravy, flavoured with a dash of lemon juice or vinegar. If
very small, they may be dressed whole in the same manner. (_b_) A
Flemish recipe: Wash and trim a cabbage, put it into a saucepan, with
sufficient cold water to cover it; let it come gradually to the boil,
then add 4 or 5 apples peeled, cored, and quartered, a small piece
of butter, pepper and salt; stew gently till quite tender, strain,
add to the liquor a thickening of butter and flour, 1 teaspoonful
vinegar, and 1 of currant or gooseberry jelly. Dish the cabbage with
the apples round it, and the sauce over. (_c_) Having well washed the
cabbage, shred it very small, and put it, with a slice of ham minced,
into a stewpan with some melted grease (from the pot-au-feu), add
an onion stuck with cloves, pepper and salt; simmer gently--tossing
frequently--till quite tender. Just before serving remove the onion
and cloves, add the yolks of 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoonful vinegar; serve
very hot with fried sausages.
_Salsify._--(_a_) Boiled.--Scrape the roots, cut them in short
lengths, and throw them into vinegar and water as they are being
done. Boil them till tender in salted water, drain them, toss them
into a saucepan with a piece of butter, a little lemon juice and some
minced parsley, add salt, and serve.
(_b_) Fried.--When boiled, split each piece in half, and steep them
for ¼ hour in tarragon vinegar with pepper and salt, then drain, dip
them in batter, and fry them in hot lard. Serve with fried parsley.
(_c_) Scolloped.--Boil the salsify as in (_a_), cut them into pieces
½ in. long. Add some cream to the sauce instead of lemon juice and
parsley, with pepper and a little anchovy sauce; put in the salsify,
give them a toss in the sauce, then put them into scollop shells,
squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on each, sprinkle plenty of
breadcrumbs over, and put the shells in the oven to brown.
_Scorzonera._--(_a_) Roots should be prepared by washing, scraping,
and topping, as are carrots; then put them in cold water tied in
small bundles, and boiled till tender, in the same way as asparagus,
serve on toast with butter sauce; this for plain boiling.
(_b_) Fried.--Prepare as in (_a_), and boil till tender; then
dip in a batter made as follows: Beat 2 eggs with ¼ lb. flour, 1
saltspoonful baking powder, and 1 teacupful water until as smooth as
possible, adding the water by degrees; season with salt and pepper.
This batter is very good for frying any vegetables.
(_c_) With Cheese.--Mix some grated Parmesan with butter which has
been melted in white sauce, or plain cream, as preferred. Boil the
scorzonera roots, and lay them neatly in a dish, pour over the sauce,
which has been thoroughly heated, but not allowed to boil, sprinkle
it well all over with grated Parmesan, then brown it in the oven, or
with a salamander.
_Seakale._--(_a_) Trim it and tie it up in bundles, and lay them
in plenty of salted water, boiling fast; when quite done, drain
them well, and serve with a plain salad dressing in a boat, or with
white sauce over. _Salad Dressing_: 1 pinch of salt, 1 of pepper, 2
tablespoonfuls olive oil, 1 of tarragon vinegar, and 1 teaspoonful
mustard. Take the ingredients in the above proportions, and beat them
smooth. _White Sauce_: Put into a saucepan, with 1 pint white stock,
a small onion, one clove, a blade of mace, and a faggot of herbs;
boil for 1 hour, strain, thicken with 1 dessertspoonful arrowroot,
boil up again, and add by degrees ½ pint cream.
(_b_) Choose short, thick kale, trim it carefully and tie it in
bundles, boil in water with plenty of salt; when tender, drain
it carefully and lay it in a dish on toasted bread dipped in the
water the kale has been boiled in; serve with melted butter sauce.
Finely grated cheese sifted over the kale is considered by many
an improvement. In this case the kale should be browned with a
salamander before being sent to table.
_Sorrel._--Pick and wash a quantity of sorrel, put it into a saucepan
with a little water and some salt, when thoroughly done drain off all
the moisture and pass the sorrel through a hair sieve. Amalgamate a
piece of butter and 1 tablespoonful flour in a saucepan on the fire,
put in the sorrel and stir well for some minutes, then add pepper and
salt to taste, and the yolk of 1 egg beaten up with a little cold
stock and strained.
_Spinach._--(_a_) Pick and wash perfectly clean 2-3 lb. spinach, put
it into a saucepan with a little water, and let it boil till quite
done. Turn it out on a hair sieve to drain, throw the water away, and
pass the spinach through the sieve. Put a good lump of butter into a
saucepan with a pinch of flour, mix well, add the spinach, pepper and
salt to taste, and a little milk; stir well and serve.
(_b_) Mashed.--Pick and wash the spinach very carefully, and then put
it into boiling salted water, and boil 10 minutes, or until quite
tender; drain, then pass it through a hair sieve, season with pepper,
salt, and put it into a stewpan with a piece of butter and a few
tablespoonfuls of cream or Béchamel sauce; stir over the fire until
quite hot, and serve either with cutlets, fricandeau, grenadins,
poached eggs, &c., or in a vegetable dish with fried sippets of bread.
_Tomatoes._--(_a_) Baked.--Cut 6 tomatoes in halves, remove the
pips, and fill the inside with a mixture of breadcrumbs, pepper, and
salt, in due proportions; place a small piece of butter on each half
tomato, and lay them then close together in a well-buttered tin. Bake
in a slow oven about ½ hour, and serve. They may be eaten hot or cold.
(_b_) Forced.--Prepare the following forcemeat: 2 oz. mushrooms
minced small, 2 shallots, likewise minced, a small quantity of
parsley, a slice of lean ham chopped fine, a few savoury herbs,
and a little cayenne and salt. Put all these ingredients into a
saucepan with a lump of butter, and stew all together until quite
tender, taking care that they do not burn. Put it by to cool, and
then mix with them some breadcrumbs and the well-beaten yolks of 2
eggs. Choose large tomatoes as nearly of the same size as possible;
cut a slice from the stalk end of each, and take out carefully the
seeds and juice; fill them with the mixture which has already been
prepared, strew them over with breadcrumbs and some melted butter,
and bake them in a quick oven until they assume a rich colour.
(_c_) Meat Pudding.--Cover the bottom of a pudding dish with
breadcrumbs; put on them a layer of underdone meat, cut in thin
slices; then a layer of tomatoes, peeled and also sliced; to 1 pint
add 1 even tablespoonful sugar; then a few bits of butter, pepper,
salt, and a little onion if agreeable; then breadcrumbs, meat, and
tomatoes, repeating until the dish is full; put over all a layer of
breadcrumbs, and bake until a light brown. Serve hot.
(_d_) Stuffed.--Dip some tomatoes in hot water, peel them, cut them
in half, and remove the pips. Rub a baking sheet with shallot, butter
it well, and lay the tomatoes in it, filling each half with the
following composition: 2 parts breadcrumbs, 1 part ham finely minced,
and, according to taste, parsley and sweet herbs also finely minced,
and pepper and salt. Put a small piece of butter on each half tomato,
and bake them ¼ hour. Have ready some round pieces of buttered toast;
on each of these put a half tomato, and serve.
_Truffles._--First prepare the sauce. Put into a small clean stewpan
2 oz. butter, set on the stove, and slice into it 1 onion, 1 carrot,
and a little lean ham cut into squares, fry altogether of a light
brown. Now stir into these 1 dessertspoonful flour, add 1 bay leaf,
a sprig of thyme, a few sprays of parsley, 3 cloves, a small blade
of mace, a little salt and cayenne, and ½ pint of stock. Mix well
together with a wooden spoon, and set on the fire to simmer ½ hour,
taking off the scum as it rises. Next cut from a square loaf a thick
slice of bread; it should be quite 1 in. thick. Scoop out the middle,
so as to make a hollow about half-way through the bread, and fry in
plenty of clean lard to a golden brown. Drain on a sieve and keep
warm. Now wash 6 large truffles, and cut into thin slices, put them
into a sautépan or frying pan, with a little butter and a small
quantity of minced parsley and onion, fry gently about 10 minutes,
taking care they do not get dry when done. Place the truffles in the
hollow of the bread, strain the sauce over, put some of the ham on
the corners of the bread, and sprinkle a little chopped hard-boiled
eggs over the truffles. This makes a very pretty and savoury dish
for the second course, and is a good way of finishing a bottle of
truffles that may have been required for any other purpose.
_Turnips._--(_a_) Boiled.--Take small new turnips, peel, and boil
them in salted water; drain them thoroughly. Melt 1 oz. butter in a
saucepan, add to it 1 dessertspoonful flour, pepper, salt, grated
nutmeg, and a small quantity of milk or cream; put in the turnips;
simmer gently a few minutes, and serve.
(_b_) Mashed.--Take new or old turnips, pare them, and put them to
boil in salted water; when done drain them, squeeze out the water
from them, and pass them through a hair sieve. Put the pulp into a
saucepan with a piece of butter, pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg;
stir well, and moisten with a little milk or cream. Then work them
with a spoon on a slow fire until sufficiently dried up.
_Turnip Tops._--(_a_) When green vegetables are scarce, many people
find desirable dishes made from turnip tops, if properly and
presentably cooked. The growth of these turnip tops may be forced
by placing the roots in a greenhouse, hot frame, or any warm place,
when the tops will soon be seen to begin to sprout, and will prove
far more delicate and edible than the ordinary turnip tops grown in
a garden or field from turnips. When the tops are quite small and
almost white (which they will be if the roots are covered over with
straw) they may be dressed to resemble seakale, with white sauce,
and will be found very delicious, having no strong turnipy flavour.
When grown larger and the leaves are green, the stalks get fibrous
and stringy; the leaves should then be stripped off and boiled with
plenty of water. When sufficiently done, strain and squeeze off the
water as much as possible, mince them fine, and put them through a
sieve as is done with spinach. Serve very hot with sippets of fried
toast, or with gravy if preferred.
(_b_) Take a quantity of turnip tops, picked clean and washed, put
them in a saucepan with a little water. When thoroughly done put
them on a hair sieve to drain. When all the water is thoroughly
drained from them, pass them through the sieve. Mix in a saucepan
1 tablespoonful flour with about 1 oz. butter, add the turnip-top
purée, stir well, put in pepper and salt to taste, and serve hot in a
dish garnished with fried sippets of bread, and lay on the top ½ doz.
poached eggs. Fill a shallow sautépan with water and sufficient salt,
add a little vinegar, a few peppercorns, and some leaves of parsley.
When the water is on the point of boiling (it should never be allowed
to boil) break 2 or more eggs into it (according to the size of the
pan), and put on the cover. When done, take them out carefully, brush
them clean on both sides with a paste brush, and cut each egg with a
round fluted paste cutter, so as to get them of a uniform shape.
_Vegetable Marrow._--(_a_) Parboil 2 moderate-sized marrows, cut in 4
lengthwise, drain them carefully, and dispose them on a well-buttered
dish, previously well rubbed with shallot or slightly rubbed with
garlic. Sprinkle plenty of grated Parmesan over them, pepper and
salt, and grated nutmeg; put a few pieces of butter on the top, and
over all a good sprinkling of very fine baked breadcrumbs. Bake about
20 minutes, and serve in the dish.
(_b_) Stuffed.--Pound to a paste in a mortar, slightly rubbed
with garlic, equal parts veal and ham; then pass them through a
wire sieve, and return them to the mortar. Work into the paste
thus obtained ¼ its bulk of butter, and about the same quantity
of breadcrumbs, with the yolks of 1 or more eggs, according to
quantity. Add some minced parsley, and according to taste, pepper,
salt, spices, and powdered sweet herbs. Cut in half, lengthways,
2 average-sized vegetable marrows; take out the inside, fill each
half with the stuffing, and wrap it up in a piece of white paper
well buttered and tied with string; lay them all close together in
a buttered tin, cover this up with a plate or another tin, and put
it into the oven. When you judge the marrows are quite done, take
them carefully out of the papers, lay them on a dish, and serve with
a small quantity of well-flavoured clear gravy or some tomato sauce
poured over them.
=Salads= (Salade, Mayonnaise).--These consist of uncooked vegetables
dressed with a piquant liquor in which oil and vinegar play a
prominent part.
_Dressings._--The following are favourite recipes for salad dressings.
(_a_) 2 teaspoonfuls mixed mustard, 2 tablespoonfuls salad oil; mix
well, and add 1 teaspoonful powdered sugar, 4 tablespoonfuls good
cream, 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar. Sufficient for a salad for 4 persons.
(_b_) 1 teaspoonful unmade mustard, the same of sugar, 1 saltspoonful
salt, and the yolk of a fresh egg, beaten together; mix gradually 1
tablespoonful cream or milk, 2 of vinegar, and 1 or 2 of salad oil
according to taste, with a little cayenne.
(_c_) The yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs, cream, vinegar, pepper, salt,
and mustard. Rub the yolks smoothly in a mortar, and add gently 4-5
large tablespoonfuls cream, a small teaspoonful of made mustard,
pepper, salt, and lastly 2 large tablespoonfuls vinegar. Mix well,
and pour over the salad.
(_d_) Put the salad into a bowl after being well drained, sprinkle
with salt and pepper, and pour over 2 tablespoonfuls oil to every
tablespoonful of vinegar. The vinegar should always be added at the
last. On the Continent people often add a spoonful of powdered sugar
to this mixture.
(_e_) 3 tablespoonfuls oil to 1 of vinegar is a better proportion,
and yolks of eggs are not amiss in any salad.
(_f_) Put the lettuce, which should not be wet, in the salad bowl.
Take some sprigs of tarragon, some chervil, 1 or 2 small chives,
and a little bit of parsley, cut into small pieces, mix them with
the lettuce, and sprinkle with a saltspoonful of salt and some
pepper. Put into a tablespoon 1 mustardspoonful of mustard, fill up
the spoon with vinegar, stir well, and pour over the lettuce, then
add 3 tablespoonfuls best salad oil, and mix well. This is better
than mixing the ingredients first. The chervil and tarragon should
never be omitted. The leaves of the common dandelion are also a good
addition to salad, as they have an agreeable, slightly bitter flavour.
(_g_) The yolk of 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 teaspoonful mustard, 2
tablespoonfuls oil, 1 teaspoonful tarragon vinegar, 1 teaspoonful
common ditto, ½ teaspoonful sugar. Rub the egg very smooth, add a
little salt, then the mustard, then the oil by degrees, working it
with the rest till quite smooth; then add the cream, and lastly the
vinegar.
(_h_) Boil 2 eggs hard, pound up the yolks with 2 tablespoonfuls
vinegar, 1 saltspoon salt, 1 of pepper, and the same of mustard.
When well mixed, add 4 tablespoonfuls oil, and the white of the eggs
chopped very fine.
(_i_) Mix the yolks of 2 unboiled eggs in a basin with a teaspoonful
of salt; whisk; then add, by small quantities, 1 pint finest Florence
oil (salad); mix thoroughly, and add 1 tablespoonful made mustard,
3 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 1 of tarragon vinegar, 1 dessertspoonful
elder vinegar; add to the whole a small spoonful of pounded sugar, a
little cayenne, and a small quantity of salt. Bottle for use.
(_j_) Carefully strain the yolks of 4 eggs into a basin, place it in
a cool place, or, if necessary, on ice; add a teaspoonful of salt,
mix well; then proceed to pour in, a few drops at a time, some salad
oil, without ceasing to stir the mixture. When one spoonful of oil is
well incorporated with the yolks of egg, put in, in the same manner,
a teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar; keep on adding oil and vinegar in
these proportions until you get a sauce the consistency of very thick
cream, then add white pepper to taste, and more salt if necessary.
The subjoined comprise all the vegetables, &c., ordinarily employed
in salads.
_Artichoke_ (de Topinambour).--Take some cold boiled Jerusalem
artichokes and some onions, slice them, and pour over them a mixture
of oil, vinegar, pepper and salt, garnish with cold boiled carrots
cut to the shape of olives, and with some pickled cauliflower and
beetroot.
_Asparagus_ (d’asperges).--Scrape the end of each head with the back
of a knife, and tie them in small bundles of 1 doz. heads each, cut
off all the part of the asparagus which cannot be eaten, put them
into a panful of fast-boiling water, with plenty of salt, and in
about 10 minutes they will be done. Drain them, and leave them to get
cold, then dispose them on a dish previously rubbed with a little
shallot, and pour over them the following sauce: Strain the yolks of
2 eggs into a basin, mix with them a teaspoonful of salt, and then,
without ceasing to stir, pour in, drop by drop, 4 tablespoonfuls oil
and 1 of French white vinegar, adding the vinegar at intervals during
the process of pouring the oil. Lastly, stir in a little pepper;
garnish the dish with slices of hard-boiled eggs.
_Beetroot_ (de Betterave).--(_a_) Take a well-washed beetroot, either
bake it in the oven, or put it into a saucepan of boiling water and
boil for 1-2 hours, according to size; when cold, peel and slice it,
arrange the slices in a dish, and pour over the dressings.
(_b_) Arrange the slices of beetroot with alternate slices of
hard-boiled eggs, pour over them a mixture of ¾ oil and ¼ plain
vinegar, duly flavoured with pepper and salt; garnish the dish with
small button onions, and with sprigs of chervil and tarragon.
(_c_) Slice a cold boiled or baked beetroot, arrange it in slices
overlapping each other, pour over a mixture made with cream, a very
little vinegar, pepper, and salt; garnish the dish with horseradish
and hard-boiled eggs, whites and yolks separate.
_Cabbage_ (de Chou).--(_a_) Wash the greens well, and take off the
outside leaves. Tie them in small bunches, and boil in plenty of
fast-boiling water, drain them in front of the fire, and serve cold
with a mixture of 3 parts oil, 1 of vinegar, pepper and salt to
taste, poured over them.
(_b_) Take some cold boiled Brussels sprouts, and put them into a
dish previously rubbed with garlic or shallot, pour over them a salad
mixture made with 3 parts oil and 1 of vinegar, pepper and salt to
taste; garnish with pickled beetroot and minced sweet herbs.
(_c_) Chop up some greens or cabbage, and serve as in (_b_); garnish
with slices of sausage and pickled gherkins.
_Carrots_ (de Carottes).--Slice some cold boiled carrots, arrange
them in a dish with a dressing made with cream and lemon juice,
or oil and vinegar, with pepper and salt; garnish the dish with
hard-boiled eggs shredded, with minced parsley and capers, and
chopped olives.
_Cauliflower_ (de Chou-fleur).--(_a_) Boil a cauliflower in salted
water till tender, but not overdone; when cold cut up neatly in small
sprigs. Beat up together 3 tablespoonfuls oil, and 1 of tarragon
vinegar, with pepper and salt to taste; rub the dish very slightly
with garlic, arrange the pieces of cauliflower on it, strew over them
some capers, a little tarragon, chervil, and parsley, all finely
minced, and the least bit of dried thyme and marjoram powdered. Pour
the oil and vinegar over, and serve.
(_b_) Pick off the flower from 1 or 2 cold boiled cauliflowers,
dispose them in a dish, and pour over them some dressing made of
cream and lemon juice, or oil and vinegar with pepper and salt to
taste; garnish with minced parsley, powdered sweet herbs, capers,
and, if liked, anchovies and stoned olives.
_Celery_ (de Céleri).--(_a_) Take the inner and tenderest stalks
of 3 heads celery, cut them in strips 1 in. long, and about the
thickness of young French beans. Rub the salad bowl slightly with
shallot or even garlic. Mix the yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs with 3
tablespoonfuls salad oil, 1 of tarragon vinegar, the least bit of
flour of mustard, and pepper and salt to taste. Add the celery to
this sauce, turn it well over, garnish with the hard-boiled whites,
and if at hand 2 truffles (fresh, not preserved), either minced or
sliced.
(_b_) Cut up some raw or cold boiled celery into convenient lengths,
put these into a salad dish, and mix with them some salad dressing,
to which a small quantity of mustard has been added, garnish with
boiled onions, chopped beetroot, and shredded whites and yolks of
eggs, and cold boiled carrots cut to the shape of olives.