pepper, salt, and onion juice. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with
rolled crackers, dot over with dabs of butter, pepper, and salt, then
another layer of tomatoes, then of crumbs, and so on until a layer of
crumbs covers the top.
If fresh tomatoes are used bake one hour, if canned, 1/2 hour.
If the crumbs begin to brown too quickly cover the dish with a tin
plate.
STUFFED TOMATOES
Select tomatoes of uniform size, cut a slice from the stem end and scoop
out a portion of the pulp. Have in readiness a dressing made from grated
bread crumbs, parsley, a slice of minced onion, a high seasoning of salt
and paprika and sufficient melted butter to moisten. Fill this into the
tomatoes and heap it up in the centers. Place a bit of butter on top of
each and bake in a quick oven until the vegetables are tender and the
tops are delicately browned.
TOMATOES WITH RICE
Take six large tomatoes, pour boiling water over them and skin them.
Scrape all the inside out with a spoon, put in saucepan together with
two onions, a tablespoon of butter, one pint of water; let this boil for
a little while; strain, place back on stove, pour into this one-half
pound of rice, let it cook tender; add salt, pepper, a tablespoon of
butter and a little grated cheese. Fill the tomatoes with this mixture,
dip them in egg and bread crumbs, then fry till nice and brown.
TOMATO CUSTARDS
Simmer for fifteen minutes in a covered saucepan four cups chopped
tomatoes, four eggs, one sliced onion, one bay leaf, and sprig of
parsley. Strain and if there be not two cups of liquid, add water. Beat
four eggs and add to liquid. Pour into greased baking cups, and stand
them in a pan of water and bake until firm--about fifteen minutes. Turn
out and serve with cream sauce containing green peas.
BAKED TOMATO AND EGG PLANT
Take a deep earthenware dish, pour into it a cup of cream; cut several
slices of eggplant very thin, salt well, and line the dish with them;
slice two large tomatoes, place a layer of these on the eggplant, next a
layer of spaghetti (cooked); sprinkle with grated cheese, pieces of
butter, salt, and pepper; cover this with layer of tomatoes; salt well
and sprinkle with chopped green pepper, and a top layer of eggplant,
which also salt and pepper well. Cook gently an hour and a half in slow,
hot oven.
CREOLE TOMATOES
Take one small onion and half a green pepper, chop them fine and cook
until tender in a tablespoon of butter. Cut six tomatoes in half,
sprinkle with a little sugar, season on both sides with salt, pepper and
a little flour, and put them into the pan with skin-side down to cook
partially, then turn them once; they must cook over a slow fire. Then
sprinkle one tablespoon of chopped parsley over them, pour in one cup of
thick cream and when this has become thoroughly hot, and has been
combined with the other ingredients, the tomatoes are ready to serve.
They have not been disturbed since the first turning and have retained
their shape. Half a tomato is placed on a slice of toast, with
sufficient gravy to moisten. At the season of the year, when tomatoes
are hard and firm, they may be peeled before cooking. Later they will
likely fall to pieces unless the skin is left on. This is one method of
cooking tomatoes in which they lose the sharp acid taste, disagreeable
to so many persons.
STRING BEANS WITH TOMATOES
Cut off both ends of the beans, string them carefully and break into
pieces about an inch in length and boil in salt water. When tender drain
off this brine and add fresh water (boiling from the kettle). Add a
piece of butter, three or four large potatoes cut into squares, also
four large tomatoes, cut up, and season with salt and pepper. Melt one
tablespoon of butter in a spider, stir into it one tablespoon of flour,
thin with milk, and add this to the beans.
STRING BEANS WITH LAMB
Take a small breast of lamb, two large onions, one-quarter peck of beans
(string and cut in long thin pieces); skin six large tomatoes, and add
two cups of water. Cook until the beans are tender, then add one
tablespoon of flour to thicken.
STRING OR WAX-BEANS, SWEET AND SOUR
Put the beans into sufficient boiling water to just cover them; cook for
one hour and a half to two hours, depending upon the tenderness of the
beans. Meanwhile, prepare for each quart of beans five sour apples;
peel, core and cut in pieces. When the beans are done, add the apples,
the thin peel of one lemon, the juice of one and one-half lemons, a
small teaspoon of salt, and two tablespoons of cider vinegar. Let the
apples cook on top of the beans until they are thoroughly done, then mix
well with a good quarter cup of granulated sugar. This dish will be
better by being served the next day warmed up.
SWEET SOUR BEANS
If you use canned string beans, heat some fat in a spider and put in one
tablespoon of flour; brown slightly; add one tablespoon of brown sugar,
a pinch of salt, some cinnamon and vinegar to taste; then add the beans
and let them simmer on the back of stove, but do not let them burn. The
juice of pickled peaches or pears is delicious in preparing sweet and
sour beans.
STRING OR GREEN SNAP BEANS
Cut off the tops and bottoms and "string" carefully; break the beans in
pieces about an inch long and lay them in cold water, with a little
salt, for ten or fifteen minutes. Heat one tablespoon of drippings in a
stew-pan, in which you have cut up part of an onion and some parsley;
cover this and stew about ten minutes. In the meantime, drain the beans,
put into the stew-pan and stew until tender; add one tablespoon of flour
and season with salt and pepper (meat gravy or soup stock will improve
them). You may pare about half a dozen potatoes, cut into dice shape,
and add to the beans. If you prefer, you may add cream or milk instead
of soup stock and use butter.
POTATOES
Potatoes are valuable articles of food and care should be taken in
cooking them. The most economical method is to cook them in their
"jackets" as there is not nearly as much waste of potato or of the salts
that are valuable as food.
POTATOES BOILED IN THEIR JACKETS
Potatoes should be well brushed and put on to boil in a saucepan of
boiling water; they should continue boiling at the same degree of heat
until they are done, when a fork will easily pierce them. This will take
from twenty-five to thirty minutes. Drain, draw the saucepan to a low
flame, place a clean cloth folded over the top of the saucepan and press
the lid down over it. This dries the potatoes and makes them a good
color. Hold the potatoes in a cloth and peel them, then reheat for one
minute and serve.
New potatoes, if well brushed or scraped do not require peeling.
POTATOES FOR TWENTY PEOPLE
To serve twenty people one-half peck of potatoes is required.
BOILED POTATOES
Peel six or eight potatoes, and put them on in boiling water to which
has been added one teaspoon of salt. Boil as above.
The saucepan used for cooking potatoes should be used for no other
purpose.
BAKED POTATOES, No. 1
Select fine, smooth potatoes and boil them about twenty minutes. Drain
off the water, remove the skins and pack in a buttered dish. Lay a small
piece of butter on each potato, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and
sprinkle fine bread crumbs over all, with a few tablespoons of cream.
Bake until a nice light brown. Serve in the same dish. Garnish with
parsley.
BAKED POTATOES, No. 2
Wash large potatoes and bake in a quick oven until soft, which will take
about three-quarters of an hour. This is the most wholesome way of
cooking potatoes.
POTATO BALLS WITH PARSLEY
Pare very thin, medium potatoes as near a size as possible. Have ready a
pot of boiling water, salted, drop in the potatoes and keep them at a
quick boil until tender. Serve with a batter made by beating to a cream
two tablespoons of butter, one-half tablespoon of lemon juice and one
tablespoon of finely minced parsley; add salt and a dash of cayenne
pepper; spread over the hot potatoes, and it will melt into a delicious
dressing. This is especially nice to serve with fish.
NEW POTATOES
Brush and scrape off all the skin of six potatoes and boil for half an
hour in salted boiling water, drain, salt and dry for a few minutes, and
then pour melted butter over them and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
MASHED POTATOES
Old potatoes may be used. Pare as many potatoes as required. Boil in
salt water, drain thoroughly when done and mash them in the pot with a
potato masher, working in a large tablespoon of butter and enough milk
to make them resemble dough, do not allow any lumps to form in your
dish. Garnish with parsley.
SCALLOPED POTATOES, No. 1
Grease a pan with butter. Choose the potatoes that are so big or
misshapen you wouldn't want to use them for boiling or baking. Cut them
in thin slices. Spread them in the pan in a layer an inch thick.
Sprinkle with pepper and salt to taste. Dot with butter here and there,
perhaps a half teaspoon for each layer. Four or six bits of butter
should be sprinkled over each layer. Repeat the layers of the raw
potatoes until the pan is full. Cover them with milk. Place in the oven
and cook for one hour.
SCALLOPED POTATOES, No. 2
Cut two cups of cold potatoes into cubes; mix well with two cups of
cream sauce, adding more seasoning if necessary; pour into a baking
dish; cover with one cup of bread crumbs and dot with small pieces of
butter and bake for about half an hour.
ROAST POTATOES
Take either sweet or Irish potatoes, or both; pare, wash, and salt them,
and lay them around the meat, and let them roast for about
three-quarters of an hour. Turn them about once, so they will be nicely
browned.
CREAMED POTATOES
Make a cream sauce, a little thinner than usual by adding a little extra
milk. Cut two cups of boiled potatoes into small cubes and mix them
thoroughly with the same. Cook in a double boiler until the potatoes are
thoroughly hot, add a little chopped parsley if desired, and serve.
POTATOES AU GRATIN
Slice two cups of cold boiled potatoes and add them to two cups of hot
cream sauce. Bring all to a boil; remove and add three tablespoons of
grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Pour all into a baking dish,
sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over the top and set in the oven to
brown.
GERMAN FRIED POTATOES
Cut up some raw potatoes quite thin, salt and pepper and drop in boiling
fat. Cover up at first to soften them. Turn frequently to prevent
burning and then remove the cover to brown slightly.
SARATOGA CHIPS
Proceed as above; but do not cover and do not take as many potatoes at
one time.
HASHED BROWN POTATOES, LYONNAISE
Finely hash up six cold boiled potatoes and keep on a plate. Heat one
tablespoon of butter in a frying-pan, add a finely chopped onion, and
lightly brown for three minutes, then add the potatoes. Season with
one-half teaspoon of salt and two saltspoons of white pepper, evenly
sprinkled over, then nicely brown them for ten minutes, occasionally
tossing them meanwhile. Give them a nice omelet form, brown for eight
minutes more, turn on a hot dish, sprinkle a little freshly chopped
parsley over and serve. These potatoes may be prepared with fat in place
of butter.
CURRIED POTATOES
Melt two tablespoons of fat in a frying-pan; add one onion chopped fine
and cook until straw color. Add two cups of boiled potatoes, cut in
dice, one-half cup of stock, and one tablespoon of curry powder. Cook
until the stock has been absorbed; then add one-half teaspoon of salt, a
dash of red pepper, and one teaspoon of lemon juice.
POTATO CAKES
Take cold mashed potatoes or cold baked or boiled potatoes that have
been mashed and seasoned; roll into balls, dusting the hands well with
flour first. Flatten into cakes and sauté in butter, or place on a
buttered tin with a small piece of butter on the top of each and bake in
a hot oven until golden brown.
POTATOES AND CORN
Butter well a deep baking dish, holding a quart or more. In the bottom
place a layer of potatoes, sliced thin, then a layer of corn, using
one-half the contents of a can. On this sprinkle a little grated onion
and season with salt, pepper and bits of butter. Add another layer of
potatoes, then the rest of the corn, seasoning as before, and cover the
whole with a layer of cracker crumbs. Dot well with butter, pour on milk
until it comes to the top, and bake three-quarters of an hour. Use
cooked potatoes, having them cold before slicing.
FRENCH FRIED POTATOES
Pare the potatoes and throw them into cold water until needed. Dry them
with a towel; cut into small pieces lengthwise of the potato; drop them
into hot fat and remove when lightly browned. It is better to fry only a
few at a time, letting those done stand in a colander in the oven to
keep hot. When all are done, sprinkle with salt and serve at once.
For variety; and for use in garnishing, cut the potatoes into balls,
using the vegetable cutter which comes for this purpose.
POTATOES WITH CARAWAY SEEDS
Boil medium-sized potatoes in their jackets until tender, peel while
hot. Put two tablespoons of butter or fat in spider, when hot add
potatoes, brown well all over. Drain, sprinkle with salt and one
teaspoon of caraway seeds and serve hot.
POTATOES AND PEARS
Heat two tablespoons of fat, add chopped onion and two tablespoons of
flour; when flour is brown, add 1-1/2 cups of water, stir and cook until
smooth, add salt, brown sugar and a little cinnamon to taste. Quarter
four medium-sized cooking pears, but do not peel, cook them in the brown
sauce, then add six medium, raw potatoes, pared, and cook until tender.
IMITATION NEW POTATOES
Buy a potato cutter at a first-class hardware store, and with it cut the
potatoes to the size of a hickory nut, and then fry or steam them. When
cooked they look just like new potatoes. They are especially nice to
garnish meats. You may also parboil and brown in fat, or boil and add
parsley as you would with new potatoes. The remainder of the raw
potatoes may be boiled and mashed or fried into ribbons.
POTATO RIBBON
Pare and lay in cold water (ice-water is best) for half an hour. Select
the largest potatoes, then cut round and round in one continuous
curl-like strip (there is also an instrument for this purpose, which
costs but a trifle); handle with care and fry a few at a time for fear
of entanglement, in deep fat.
STEWED POTATOES WITH ONIONS
Take small potatoes, pare and wash them very clean, use one onion to
about ten potatoes, add goose-oil (in fact any kind of drippings from
roast meat will answer) and put them in a pot or spider. When hot cut up
an onion very fine and add to the boiling fat. Then add the potatoes.
Salt and pepper to taste. Pour some water over all, cover up tight and
let them simmer for about 3/4 of an hour.
STEWED POTATOES, SOUR
Put a tablespoon of drippings in a kettle, and when it is hot cut up an
onion fine and fry in the hot fat, cover closely. Put in potatoes, which
have been previously pared, washed, quartered and well salted. Cover
them tight and stew slowly until soft, stirring them occasionally. Then
heat in a spider a little drippings. Brown in this a spoon of flour and
add some soup-stock, vinegar and chopped parsley. Pour this over the
potatoes, boil up once and serve.
STEWED POTATOES
Pare and quarter, and put on to boil. When almost done drain off the
water, add one cup of milk, one tablespoon of butter, a little chopped
parsley and cook a while longer. Thicken with a little flour (wet with
cold water or milk), stir, and take from the fire.
STUFFED POTATOES
Take as many potatoes as are needed; when done, cut off one end and take
out inside; mash this and mix with it one tablespoon of butter, a sprig
of parsley, pepper, salt, and enough milk to make quite soft. Put back
in tine potato skins and brown in oven and serve very hot.
If so desired the open end of each may be dipped in beaten egg before
being put in oven.
BOHEMIAN POTATO PUFF
Pare, wash and boil potatoes until soft enough to mash well. Drain off
nearly all the water, leaving just a little; add one teaspoon of salt
and return to the stove. It is better to boil the potatoes in salt water
and add more salt if necessary after mashing. Sift one-half cup of flour
into the potatoes after returning to the fire and keep covered closely
for about five minutes. Then remove from the stove and mash them as hard
as you can, so as not to have any lumps. They must be of the consistency
of dough and smooth as velvet. Now put about two tablespoons of
drippings or goose-fat in a spider, chop up some onions very fine and
heat them until they become a light-brown, take a tablespoon and dip it
in the hot fat and then cut a spoonful of the potato dough with the same
spoon and put it in the spider, and so on until you have used all. Be
careful to dip your spoon in the hot fat every time you cut a puff. Let
them brown slightly.
POTATOES (HUNGARIAN STYLE)
Wash, pare and cut potatoes in one-third inch pieces, there should be
three cups; parboil three minutes, and drain. Add one-third cup of
butter, and cook on back of range until potatoes are soft and slightly
browned. Melt two tablespoons of butter, add a few drops of onion juice,
two tablespoons of flour, and pour on gradually one cup of hot milk,
season with salt and paprika, then add one well-beaten egg yolk. Pour
sauce over potatoes and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
POTATO PUFF
Take two cups of cold mashed potatoes and stir into them one tablespoon
of melted butter, beating to a white cream before adding anything else.
Then put with this two eggs beaten extremely light, one cup of cream,
and salt to taste. Beat all well and pour into a deep dish, and bake in
a quick oven until it is nice and brown. If properly mixed, it will come
out of the oven light, puffy, and delectable.
POTATO SURPRISE
Take large potatoes, parboil without peeling, cut a small piece of one
end of the potato and scoop out the inside. Mince two ounces cooked
mutton, season with pepper and salt, mix with the potato pulp and a
little gravy. Return end of potato to its place and bake for about
twenty minutes with a little fat on top of each potato.
BOILED SWEET POTATOES
Put on in boiling water, without any salt, and boil until a fork will
easily pierce the largest. Drain off the water and dry.
FRIED SWEET POTATOES
Boil, peel and cut lengthwise into slices a quarter of an inch thick.
Fry in sweet drippings or butter (cold boiled potatoes may also be fried
in this way).
FRENCH FRIED SWEET POTATOES
Wash and cut small uncooked sweet potatoes into quarters; dry them and
lower them into boiling hot fat. Brown thoroughly; remove with a
skimmer; drain and dry on paper; sprinkle with salt and serve.
ROAST SWEET POTATOES
These are commonly called "baked" sweet potatoes. Select those of
uniform size; wash, and roast in the oven until done, which you can
easily tell by pressing the potatoes. If done they will leave an
impression when touched. It usually requires three-quarters of an hour.
Serve in their "jackets."
ROAST SWEET POTATOES WITH MEAT
Pare, cut lengthwise, salt and put them around roast meats or poultry of
any kind. Roast about three-quarters of an hour, or until brown.
SWEET POTATOES AND APPLES
Wash and pare long sweet potatoes. Cook in boiling salted water until
almost soft; drain and cut slices crosswise, two inches high. Core, pare
and cut apples in one-half inch rounds. Into a spider, place the
potatoes upright, with a slice of apple on top of each. Pour over
one-half cup of maple syrup, one-fourth cup of water and two tablespoons
of butter. Baste frequently until apples are soft. Then pour one
teaspoon of rum over each section, place a candied cherry in the center
of each apple and bake ten minutes. Remove to platter and if desired,
pour more rum over and around. Light the liquor and bring to the table
burning.
CANDIED SWEET POTATOES
Boil sweet potatoes, peel and cut into long slices; place in an earthen
dish; place lumps of butter or chicken-fat if desired on each side, and
sprinkle with sugar. A little water or juice of half a lemon may be
added. Bake until the sugar and fat have candied and the potatoes are
brown.
DRIED BEANS
Look the beans over carefully to remove all dirt and pebbles, then wash
clean. Soak them overnight in plenty of cold water. In the morning pour
off the water and put them in a stew-pan with cold water enough to cover
them generously. Let them come to the boiling point in this water, then
drain. If the beans are old and hard, for each quart put a piece of soda
about the size of a large bean in the water in which they are soaked
overnight, also in the first water in which they are boiled.
The scalded and drained beans should be put back in the stew-pan and
covered generously with boiling water. Add one tablespoon of salt for
one quart of beans. They should now cook slowly, with the cover
partially off the stew-pan until they have reached the required degree
of tenderness. For stewed and baked beans the cooking must stop when the
skins begin to crack. For beans served with a sauce they should cook
until perfectly tender, but they must not be broken or mushy. For purées
and soups they should be cooked until very soft.
SWEET SOUR BEANS AND LINZEN
Soak overnight and drain the beans, boil in salted water until tender;
drain and prepare by adding salt and pepper to taste, thicken with one
tablespoon of drippings in which has been browned one tablespoon of
flour and some soup stock. If the beans are to be made sweet sour add
two tablespoons of vinegar and two tablespoons of brown sugar; boil for
a few minutes and serve.
BAKED BEANS WITH BRISKET OF BEEF
Wash, pick over and soak overnight in cold water, two cups of navy
beans. In the morning, drain and cover with fresh water, heat slowly and
let cook just below the boiling point until the skins burst. When done,
drain beans and put in a pot with one and one-half pounds of brisket of
beef. Mix one-half tablespoon of mustard; one teaspoon of salt, one
tablespoon of molasses, two tablespoons of sugar, one-half cup of
boiling water and pour over beans, and add enough more boiling water to
cover them. Cover pot and bake slowly six or eight hours.
HARICOT BEANS AND BEEF
Wash two cups of haricot beans and leave them covered with two pints of
water overnight. Next day brown one coarsely chopped onion in a little
fat and put it with the beans and their water into a casserole or
stew-jar.
Cook closely covered and rather slowly in the oven or by the side of the
fire one hour, then put in a pound of beef in fairly large pieces.
An hour later add one carrot cut into dice, half as many dice of turnip,
and salt and pepper to taste. Continue the slow cooking until these
vegetables are tender, and a few minutes before serving thicken the stew
with pea meal or flour previously baked to a fawn color. Flavor with
vinegar.
Owing to its concentrated nutriment this stew should be served sparingly
with an abundance of potatoes and green vegetables.
BEANS AND BARLEY
Soak one-half cup of navy beans in cold water overnight. Drain and cook
in one quart boiling water with one teaspoon of salt until tender but
not broken, add one-half cup of barley and let cook slowly until barley
is tender, about one-half hour. Add fat soup stock as the water
evaporates. Season to taste and bake in medium oven about one-half hour
or until dry but not browned.
DRIED LIMA BEANS, BAKED
Wash one pound of dried Lima beans, let soak overnight. Drain, add fresh
water, bring quickly to the boiling point, then let simmer until
tender. Add salt and paprika. Heat two tablespoons of poultry or beef
fat in a spider, add two tablespoons of flour, when brown add one cup of
bean liquid, and the beans. Let simmer and bake in casserole one-half
hour. Reserve the bean broth and add more if necessary.
FARSOLE
Soak the large, very hard Lima beans overnight. To a pound of beans take
two large onions. When the beans are soft add the onions browned in fat,
salt, pepper, a tablespoon of sugar, a quarter cup of rice, and let all
simmer until the rice is done.
FARSOLE DULCE
Soak dried Lima beans in cold water overnight. Drain, put on with very
little water, add one tablespoon of fat, peel of lemon or orange. When
beans are half done, add a tablespoon of sugar which has been browned in
a pan, stew slowly until the beans are tender.
SLAITTA (ROUMANIAN)