before an open grate or in a wire broiler over hot coals until the
kernels burst open, or bury in hot ashes without removing the husks.
Score the grains, and serve from the cob.
STEWED GREEN CORN.--Cut the corn from the cob and with the back of
the knife scrape off all the pulp, being careful to leave the hull on
the cob. Put into a stewpan with half as much water as corn, cover
closely and stew gently until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently to
prevent the corn from sticking to the pan; add cream or milk to make the
requisite amount of juice, and season with salt if desired. A
teaspoonful of white sugar may be added if desired.
Cold boiled corn cut from the cob and stewed a few minutes in a little
milk, makes a very palatable dish.
SUMMER SUCCOTASH.--This maybe made by cooking equal quantities of
shelled beans and corn cut from the cob, separately until tender, and
then mixing them; or the beans may be cooked until nearly soft, an equal
quantity of shaved corn added, and the whole cooked fifteen or twenty
minutes or longer. Season with cream, and salt if desired.
DRIED CORN.--The sweet varieties of corn taken when young and
tender and properly dried, furnish an excellent material for nearly all
purposes to which green corn is put. Take green corn, just right for
eating, have it free from silk; cut the fleshy portion from the cob with
a sharp knife, then with the back of the knife gently press the
remaining pulp from the cob. Spread thinly on plates and put into an
oven hot enough to scald, not scorch it. Watch closely for a half hour
or more, turning and stirring frequently with a fork. When thus
thoroughly scalded, the corn may be left without further attention if
placed in a moderate oven, save an occasional stirring to prevent its
sticking to the plate, until the drying is complete, which ought to be
in about forty-eight hours; however, if one can spend the time to watch
closely and stir very frequently, the drying may be completed in a
single afternoon in a rather hot oven. Be careful that it does not
scorch.
When needed for use, soak over night and cook in accordance with recipes
for Stewed Corn, Succotash, etc., pages 265, 234, only remembering to
allow a longer time.
_RECIPES FOR PEAS._
STEWED PEAS.--If from the garden, pick and shell the peas with
clean hands; if from the market, wash the pods before shelling, so that
the peas will not require washing, as they are much better without. When
shelled, put into a colander and sift out the fine particles and
undeveloped blossoms. If not of equal growth, sort the peas and put the
older ones to cook ten minutes before the others. Use a porcelain
kettle, with one half pint of boiling water for each quart of peas, if
young and tender; older ones, which require longer stewing, need more.
Cover closely, and simmer gently till tender. The time required for
young peas is from twenty-five to thirty minutes; older ones require
forty to fifty minutes. Serve without draining, season with salt and
enough sweet cream to make them as juicy as desired. If preferred, the
juice may be thickened with a little flour.
The peas may be purposely stewed in a larger quantity of water, and
served in their own juices thickened with a little flour and seasoned
with salt.
_RECIPES FOR BEANS._
LIMA BEANS.--Lima beans are not good until they are full grown and
have turned white. Shell, wash, cover with boiling water, and cook about
one hour or until tender. Let the water nearly evaporate, and add milk
or cream thickened with a little flour. Season with salt to taste, boil
up once, and serve.
SHELLED BEANS.--Shell, wash, drop into boiling water sufficient to
cover, and cook until tender. Let the water boil nearly away, and serve
without draining. Season with thin cream, and salt if desired.
STRING BEANS.--Wash well in cold water. Remove the strong fiber, or
strings, as they are called, by paring both edges with a sharp knife;
few cooks do this thoroughly. Break off stems and points, carefully
rejecting any imperfect or diseased pods. Lay a handful evenly on a
board and cut them all at once into inch lengths. Put in a porcelain
kettle, cover with boiling water, and cook from one to three hours,
according to age and variety, testing frequently, as they should be
removed from the kettle just as soon as done. When very young and
tender, only water sufficient to keep them from burning will be needed.
When done, add a half cup of thin cream, and salt to taste. If the
quantity of juice is considerable, thicken with a little flour.
THE ONION.
The onion belongs to a class of foods containing an acrid oil of a
strongly irritating character, on which account it cannot be considered
a wholesome food when eaten raw, as it so generally is. The essential
oil is, however, quite volatile, so that when cooked, after being first
parboiled in two or three waters, its irritating properties are largely
removed. The varieties grown in warm climates are much milder and
sweeter than those grown in colder countries. The onion is valuable for
flavoring purposes. It may also be boiled and served whole with a cream
sauce, or cut in quarters and prepared as directed for Scalloped
Turnips, page 242.
CANNING VEGETABLES.
Most housekeepers experience more difficulty in canning and keeping
vegetables than fruit. This is frequently owing to lack of care to
secure perfect cans, covers, and rubbers, and to cook the vegetables
thoroughly. Whatever is to be canned must be cooked sufficiently to be
eaten, and must be boiling at the time it is put into the cans. Care as
to the cleanliness of the cans and their sterilization is also
important, and after the canning process is completed, all vegetables
put up in glass should be kept in a cool, dark place. The general
directions given for canning fruits should be followed in canning
vegetables.
_RECIPES._
CANNED CORN.--Select corn just ripe enough for table use, and
prepare as directed for stewed corn. It will require from twelve to
fifteen ears to fill sufficiently each quart can. To insure success, the
cans should be so full that when the corn is shrunken by the cooking,
the can will still be well filled. Pack the corn in the cans, working it
down closely by means of the small end of a potato masher, so the milk
will cover the corn and completely fill the can; heap a little more corn
loosely on the top, and screw the covers on sufficiently tight to
prevent water from getting into the can. Place the cans in a boiler, on
the bottom of which has been placed some straw or a rack; also take care
not to let the cans come in contact with each other, by wrapping each in
a cloth or by placing a chip between them. A double layer of cans may be
placed in the boiler, one on top of the other, if desirable, provided
there is some intervening substance. Fill the boiler with cold water so
as completely to cover the cans; place over the fire, bring gradually to
a boil, and keep boiling steadily for four hours. Remove the boiler from
the fire, and allow the cans to cool gradually, tightening the covers
frequently as they cool.
If the corn in the can shrinks, do not open to refill. If cooked
thoroughly, and due care is taken in other particulars, there need be no
failure. Wrap closely in brown paper, and put away in a dark, cool, dry
place.
CANNED CORN AND TOMATOES.--Use about one third corn and two thirds
tomatoes, or in equal portions if preferred. Cook the tomatoes in a
double boiler for an hour and a half or longer; and in another double
boiler, when the tomatoes are nearly done, cook the corn in its own
juices until thoroughly done. Turn them together, heat to boiling, and
can at once.
CANNED PEAS.--Select peas which are fresh, young, and tender.
Shell, pack into perfect cans, shaking and filling as full as possible,
add sufficient cold water to fill them to overflowing, screw on the
covers, and cook and seal the same as directed for canning corn.
CANNED TOMATOES.--Tomatoes for canning should be freshly gathered,
ripe, but not at all softened.
As they are best cooked in their own juices, peel, slice, put into a
double boiler or a porcelain fruit-kettle set inside a dish filled with
boiling water, and cook from one to two hours. Cooked in the ordinary
way, great care will be required to keep the fruit from burning. When
thoroughly cooked--simple scalding will not do--put into cans, and be
sure that all air bubbles are expelled before sealing. Wrap in dark
brown paper, and put in a cool, dry, dark place.
CANNED TOMATOES NO. 2.--Cut the fruit into thick slices, let it
stand and drain until a large portion of the juice has drained off; then
pack solid in new or perfect cans. Allow them to stand a little time,
then again drain off the juice; fill up a second time with sliced
tomatoes, and screw on the top of the cans without the rubbers. Pack
into a wash boiler as directed for canning corn, and boil for two hours,
then put on the rubbers and seal. When cold, tighten the covers and put
away.
STRING BEANS.--Select young and tender beans, string them, and cut
into pieces about one half inch in length. Pack the cans as full as
possible, and fill with water until every crevice between the beans is
full. Screw on the covers and can in the same manner as corn.
Shelled beans may be canned in the same way.
CANNED PUMPKIN AND SQUASH.--These fruits when canned are quite as
desirable for pies as the fresh material. The same general rules should
be followed as in canning other vegetables and fruits.
TABLE TOPICS.
The word "vegetarian" is not derived from "vegetable," but from the
Latin, _homo vegetus_, meaning among the Romans a strong, robust,
thoroughly healthy man.
AN INTELLECTUAL FEAST.--Professor Louis Agassiz in his early manhood
visited Germany to consult Oken, the transcendentalist in zoölogical
classification. "After I had delivered to him my letter of
introduction," he once said to a friend, "Oken asked me to dine with
him, and you may suppose with what joy I accepted the invitation.
The dinner consisted only of potatoes, boiled and roasted; but it
was the best dinner I ever ate; for there was Oken. Never before
were such potatoes grown on this planet; for the mind of the man
seemed to enter into what we ate sociably together, and I devoured
his intellect while munching his potatoes."
Dr. Abernethy's recipe for using cucumbers: "Peel the cucumber,
slice it, pepper it, put vinegar to it, then throw it out the
window."
A green son of the Emerald Isle was eating sweet corn from the cob
for the first time. He handed the cob to the waiter, and asked,
"Will you plaze put some more beans on my shtick?"
A French physician styles spinach, _le balai de l'estomac_ (broom of
the stomach).
An ox is satisfied with the pasture of an acre or two; one wood
suffices for several elephants. Man alone supports himself by the
pillage of the whole earth and sea. What? Has Nature indeed given us
so insatiable a stomach, while she has given us so insignificant
bodies? No; it is not the hunger of our stomachs, but insatiable
covetousness which costs so much.--_Seneca._
The oftener we go to the vegetable world for our food, the oftener
we go to the first and therefore the cheapest source of supply. The
tendencies of all advanced scholars in thrift should be to find out
plans for feeding all the community, as far as possible, direct from
the lap of earth; to impress science into our service so that she
may prepare the choicest viands minus the necessity of making a
lower animal the living laboratory for the sake of what is just a
little higher than cannibal propensities.
_--Dr. B.W. Richardson._
A VOICE FROM THE CORN.
I was made to be eaten, not to be drank,
To be husked in a barn, not soaked in a tank;
I come as a blessing when put in a mill,
As a blight and a curse when run through a still.
Make me up into loaves, and your children are fed;
But made into drink, I will starve them instead.
In bread I'm a servant the eater shall rule,
In drink I'm a master, the drinker a fool.
Then remember my warning; my strength I'll employ,
If eaten, to strengthen, if drunk, to destroy.
--_Sel._
SOUPS
Soup is an easily made, economical, and when properly prepared from
healthful and nutritious material, very wholesome article of diet,
deserving of much more general use than is commonly accorded it.
In general, when soup is mentioned, some preparation of meat and bones
is supposed to be meant; but we shall treat in this chapter of a quite
different class of soups, viz., those prepared from the grains, legumes,
and vegetables, without the previous preparation of a "stock." Soups of
this character are in every way equal, and in many points superior to
those made from meat and bones. If we compare the two, we shall find
that soups made from the grains and legumes rank much higher in
nutritive value than do meat soups. For the preparation of the latter,
one pound of meat and bones, in about equal proportion, is required for
each quart of soup. In the bone, there is little or no nourishment, it
being valuable simply for the gelatine it contains, which gives
consistency to the soup; so in reality there is only one half pound of
material containing nutriment, for the quart of soup. Suppose, in
comparison we take a pea soup. One half pound of peas will be amply
enough for a quart. As we take an equal amount of material as basis for
each soup, we can easily determine their relative value by comparing the
amount of nutritive material contained in peas with that of beef, the
most commonly used material for meat soups. As will be seen by reference
to the table of food analyses on page 486, peas contain 87.3 parts
nutritive material, while lean beef contains only 28 parts in one
hundred. Thus the pea soup contains more than three times as much
nourishment as does the beef soup.
Soups prepared from grains and legumes are no more expensive than meat
soups, and many kinds cost much less, while they have the added
advantage of requiring less time and no more labor to prepare.
The greater bulk of all meat soups is water, holding in solution the
essence of meat, the nutritive value of which is of very doubtful
character.
When properly prepared, the solid matter which enters into the
composition of vegetable soups, is so broken up in the process of
cooking, that it is more easily digested than in any other form.
Taken hot at the beginning of a meal, soup stimulates the flow of the
digestive juices, and on account of the bulk, brings a sense of satiety
before an excessive quantity of food has been taken.
In preparing soups from grains, legumes, and vegetables, the material
should be first cooked in the ordinary manner, using as small an amount
of water as practicable, so as the more thoroughly to disintegrate or
break it up. If the material be legumes or grains, the cooking should be
slow and prolonged. The purpose to be attained in the cooking of all
foods is the partial digestion of the food elements; and in general,
with these foods, the more slowly (if continuous) the cooking is done,
the more completely will this be brought about.
When the material is cooked, the next step is to make it homogeneous
throughout, and to remove any skins or cellulose material it may
contain. To do this, it should be put through a colander. The kind of
colander depends upon the material. Peas and beans require a fine
colander, since the skins, of which we are seeking to rid them, would
easily go through a coarse one. To aid in this sifting process, if the
material be at all dry, a small quantity of liquid may be added from
time to time. When the colander process is complete, a sufficient amount
of milk or other liquid may be added to make the whole of the
consistency of rather thick cream.
[Illustration: Chinese Soup Strainer.]
If the material is now cold, it must be reheated, and the salt, if any
is to be used, added. The quantity of salt will depend somewhat upon the
taste of the consumer; but in general, one half teaspoonful to the pint
of soup will be an ample supply. If any particular flavor, as of onion
or celery, is desired, it may be imparted to the soup by adding to it a
slice of onion or a few stalks of celery, allowing them to remain during
the reheating. By the time the soup is well heated, it will be
delicately flavored, and the pieces of onion or celery may be removed
with a fork or a skimmer. It is better, in general, to cook the soup all
that is needed before flavoring, since if allowed to boil, all delicate
flavors are apt to be lost by evaporation. When reheated, add to the
soup a quantity of cream as seasoning, in the proportion of one cup of
thin cream for every quart or three pints of soup.
To avoid the possibility of any lumps or fragments in the soup, pour it
again through a colander or a Chinese soup strainer into the soup
tureen, and serve. It is well to take the precaution first to heat the
strainer and tureen, that the soup be not cooled during the process.
If it is desired to have the soup especially light and nice, beat or
whip the cream before adding, or beat the hot soup with an egg beater
for a few minutes after adding the cream. The well-beaten yolk of an egg
for every quart or three pints of soup, will answer as a very fair
substitute for cream in potato, rice, and similar soups. It should not
be added to the body of the soup, but a cupful of the hot soup may be
turned slowly onto the egg, stirring all the time, in order to mix it
well without curdling, and then the cupful stirred into the whole. Soups
made from legumes are excellent without cream.
The consistency of the soup when done should be about that of single
cream, and equal throughout, containing no lumps or fragments of
material. If it is too thick, it may be easily diluted with hot milk or
water; if too thin, it will require the addition of more material, or
may be thickened with a little flour or cornstarch rubbed to a cream
with a small quantity of milk, used in the proportion of one
tablespoonful for a quart of soup,--heaping, if flour; scant, if
cornstarch,--and remembering always to boil the soup five or ten minutes
after the flour is added, that there may be no raw taste.
The addition of the flour or cornstarch gives a smoothness to their
consistency which is especially desirable for some soups. A few
spoonfuls of cooked oatmeal or cracked wheat, added and rubbed through
the colander with the other material, is valuable for the same purpose.
Browned flour prepared by spreading a cupful thinly on shallow tins, and
placing in a moderately hot oven, stirring frequently until lightly and
evenly browned, is excellent to use both for thickening and flavoring
certain soups.
If whole grains, macaroni, vermicelli, or shredded vegetables are to be
used in the soup, cook them separately, and add to the soup just before
serving.
The nutritive value of soup depends of course upon its ingredients, and
these should be so chosen and combined as to produce the best possible
food from the material employed. Milk is a valuable factor in the
preparation of soups. With such vegetables as potatoes, parsnips, and
others of the class composed largely of starch, and containing but a
small proportion of the nitrogenous food elements, its use is especially
important as an addition to their food value, as also to their
palatableness. Very good soups may, however, be made from legumes, if
carefully cooked with water only.
Soups offer a most economical way of making use of the "left-over"
fragments which might otherwise be consigned to the refuse bucket. A
pint of cold mashed potatoes, a cupful of stewed beans, a spoonful or
two of boiled rice, stewed tomatoes, or other bits of vegetables and
grains, are quite as good for soup purposes as fresh material, provided
they have been preserved fresh and sweet. To insure this it is always
best to put them away in clean dishes; if retained in the dish from
which they were served, the thin smears and small crumbs on the sides
which spoil much sooner than the larger portion, will help to spoil the
rest. One may find some difficulty in rubbing them through the colander
unless they are first moistened. Measure the cold food, and then
determine how much liquid will be needed, and add a part of this before
attempting to put through the colander.
It is difficult to give specific directions for making soups of
fragments, as the remnants to be utilized will vary so much in character
as to make such inapplicable, but the recipes given for combination
soups will perhaps serve as an aid in this direction. Where a sufficient
amount of one kind of food is left over to form the basis of a soup or
to serve as a seasoning, it can be used in every way the same as fresh
material. When, however, there is but a little of various odds and ends,
the general rule to be observed is to combine only such materials as
harmonize in taste.
Soups prepared from the grains, legumes, and vegetables, are so largely
composed of food material that it is important that they be retained in
the mouth long enough for proper insalivation; and in order to insure
this, it is well to serve with the soup _croutons_, prepared by cutting
stale bread into small squares or cubes, and browning thoroughly in a
moderate oven. Put a spoonful or two of the _croutons_ in each plate,
and turn the hot soup over them. This plan also serves another
purpose,--that of providing a means whereby the left-over bits of stale
bread may be utilized to advantage.
_RECIPES._
ASPARAGUS SOUP.--Wash two bunches of fresh asparagus carefully, and
cut into small pieces. Put to cook in a quart of boiling water, and
simmer gently till perfectly tender, when there should remain about a
pint of the liquor. Turn into a colander, and rub all through except the
hard portion. To a pint of asparagus mixture add salt and one cup of
thin cream and a pint of milk; boil up for a few minutes, and serve.
BAKED BEAN SOUP.--Soak a half pint of white beans over night. In
the morning turn off the water, and place them in an earthen dish with
two or two and one half quarts of boiling water; cover and let them
simmer in a moderate oven four or five hours. Also soak over night a
tablespoonful of pearl tapioca in sufficient water to cover. When the
beans are soft, rub through a colander, after which add the soaked
tapioca, and salt if desired; also as much powdered thyme as can be
taken on the point of a penknife and sufficient water to make the soup
of proper consistency if the water has mostly evaporated. Return to the
oven, and cook one half hour longer. A little cream may be added just
before serving.
BEAN AND CORN SOUP.--Cold boiled or stewed corn and cold baked
beans form the basis of this soup. Take one pint of each, rub through a
colander, add a slice of onion, three cups of boiling water or milk, and
boil for ten minutes. Turn through the colander a second time to remove
the onion and any lumps or skins which may remain. Season with salt and
a half cup of cream. If preferred, the onion may be omitted.
BEAN AND HOMINY SOUP.--Soak separately in cold water over night a
cupful each of dry beans and hominy. In the morning, boil them together
till both are perfectly tender and broken to pieces. Rub through a
colander, and add sufficient milk to make three pints. Season with salt,
and stir in a cup of whipped cream just before serving. Cold beans and
hominy may be utilized for this soup.
BEAN AND POTATO SOUP.--Soak a half pint of dry white beans over
night; in the morning drain and put to cook in boiling water. When
tender, rub through a colander. Prepare sliced potato sufficient to make
one quart, cook in as small a quantity of water as possible, rub
through a colander, and add to the beans. Add milk or water sufficient
to make two quarts, and as much prepared thyme as can be taken on the
point of a penknife, with salt to season. Boil for a few minutes, add a
teacup of thin cream, and serve.
BEAN AND TOMATO SOUP.--Take one pint of boiled or a little less of
mashed beans, one pint of stewed tomatoes, and rub together through a
colander. Add salt, a cup of thin cream, one half a cup of nicely
steamed rice, and sufficient boiling water to make a soup of the proper
consistency. Reheat and serve.