=Hints on Cooking Vegetables.=—First—Have them fresh as possible.
Summer vegetables should be cooked on same day they are gathered.
Second—Look them over and wash well, cutting out all decayed or unripe
parts. Third—Lay them, when peeled, in cold water for some time before
using. Fourth—Always let water boil before putting them in, and
continue to boil until done.
_Turnips._—Should be peeled, and boiled from 40 minutes to an hour.
_Beets._—Boil from 1 to 2 hours; then put in cold water and slip skin
off.
_Spinach._—Boil 20 minutes.
_Parsnips._—Boil from 20 to 30 minutes.
_Onions._—Best boiled in 2 or 3 waters, adding milk the last time.
_String Beans._—Should be boiled 1½ hours.
_Shell Beans._—Require an hour.
_Green Corn._—Boil 20 or 30 minutes.
_Green Peas._—Should be boiled in little water as possible; boil 20
minutes.
_Asparagus._—Same as peas; serve on toast with cream gravy.
_Winter Squash._—Cut in pieces and boil 20 to 40 minutes in small
quantity of water; when done, press water out, mash smooth, season
with butter, pepper, and salt.
_Cabbage._—should be boiled from 1 to 2 hours in plenty of water; salt
while boiling.
=Asparagus on Toast.=—Have stalks of equal length; scrape lower ends;
tie in small bunches with tape. Cook 20 to 30 minutes, according to
size. Dip 6 or 8 slices dry toast in asparagus liquor, lay on hot
platter, place asparagus on them, and cover with a white or drawn
butter sauce; in making sauce use asparagus liquor and water or milk
in equal quantities.
=String Beans.=—Top and tail the beans, and strip off all strings
carefully; break into short lengths and wash. Boil in salted water
until tender—from 1½ to 3 hours. Drain, season with butter, salt, and
pepper.
=Kidney Beans, Brown Sauce.=—Cook 1 pint fresh shelled beans in salted
water till tender. Drain; shake in saucepan with 1 teaspoon butter 3
minutes. Add 1 cup brown sauce (see Sauces), and simmer 5 minutes.
=Beets, Cream Sauce.=—Wash and boil beets till tender. Rub off skins
and slice or dice. To 1 pint add 1 cup white sauce (see Sauces);
simmer 5 minutes. Other root vegetables may be finished same way.
=Boiled Cabbage.=—Strip off outer leaves, cut in quarters, cut out
stalk. Soak in salted water 1 hour. Drain. Have kettle of rapidly
boiling water. Add ½ teaspoon baking soda and cabbage. Cover and keep
at galloping boil. Unless very old, cabbage will be done in 1 hour.
Press out all water; season well; put in hot dish.
=Carrots and other Root Vegetables.=—Scrape or pare carrots, parsnips,
turnips. Dice and cook gently in unsalted water till tender. Drain
and reheat in seasoned butter, 1 tablespoon to 1 pint, or in a drawn
butter or white sauce. In early summer, when roots are small, water
should be salted. Onions should also be boiled in salted water, then
finished as here directed.
=Stewed Corn.=—Husk corn. Draw sharp knife down center of each row of
grains; press out pulp with back of knife. To 1 pint add ½ teaspoon
salt, ½ teaspoon sugar, dash pepper, ½ cup cream or rich milk. Heat
and simmer 10 minutes.
=Corn Pudding.=—To 1 pint scraped corn pulp add 4 beaten eggs, 1 pint
milk, 1 teaspoon salt, ⅓ teaspoon pepper. Mix, bake in moderate oven
till set in center.
=Fried Egg Plant.=—Wipe the egg plant, cut in ¼—inch slices, soak in
salted cold water 1 hour. Dip each slice in beaten egg and fry in
butter until inside is very soft, outside brown.
=Fried Onions.=—Peel (holding onions and hands under water to prevent
tears), wash and cut crosswise so as to form undivided rings. Flour
them, fry 5 or 6 minutes. Drain, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and
serve with beefsteak.
=Fried Potatoes.=—Pare raw potatoes; cut thin as wafers with sharp
knife or patent slicer. Soak 20 minutes in cold water; dry on towel.
Throw a handful at a time in kettle of smoking-hot fat; skim out fast
as browned and drain on unglazed paper. Sprinkle with salt.
=Fried Potatoes, 2.=—Cut cold boiled potatoes in thick slices, season
and sauté in a little hot fat in a frying-pan.
=Mashed Potatoes.=—Boil potatoes in salted water; while hot put
through ricer or mash with fork till smooth. Season with salt and
pepper; to 1 pint add 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons hot milk.
Beat till light, heap in hot dish.
=Baked Potatoes.=—Scrub potatoes of same size. Bake in very hot oven
until tender. Press till skin breaks slightly, serve hot with butter.
=Potato Croquettes.=—Mix together 1 pint hot mashed potato, 1 teaspoon
salt, ⅓ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon onion juice, 1 tablespoon butter,
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, yolks 2 beaten eggs. Stir over fire till
mixture leaves sides of saucepan. When cool, shape into croquettes,
dip each in beaten egg, roll in crumbs, and fry brown in deep kettle
of smoking-hot fat.
=Lyonnaise Potatoes.=—Heat 1 tablespoon butter in frying-pan. Add 1
tablespoon chopped onion. When pale brown add 1 pint diced boiled
potatoes, seasoned. Shake till butter is absorbed; potatoes should not
color. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and take up.
=Creamed Potatoes.=—To 3 cups diced boiled potatoes add 1 pint cream
sauce (see Sauces), more seasoning if necessary, and simmer 10
minutes. Or, season cold sliced potatoes, cover with milk, and stew
till milk is reduced one half, then add a little butter.
=Stewed Squash.=—Pare small squash, remove seeds, boil in salted water
till tender. Drain, mash, season, and stir over slow fire till quite
dry. Add butter and seasoning to taste.
=Stewed Tomatoes.=—Scald and skin tomatoes, remove hard ends and cut
up. Stew in agate saucepan till tender, add salt, pepper, and sugar
to taste, also 1 teaspoon butter to each pint. If liked, thicken with
fine crumbs or with a little flour dissolved in cold water.
=Stuffed Tomatoes.=—Choose large tomatoes; cut off stem ends and take
out centers. Fill with stuffing (see Stuffings), lay on buttered
baking-pan, and bake in hot oven 30 minutes. Peppers, summer squash,
large ripe cucumbers, onions, and egg plant may be prepared in same
way.
=Panned Tomatoes.=—Cut firm tomatoes in halves. For 4, heat 1
tablespoon butter in frying-pan. Dip tomatoes in flour, put cut side
down in pan, cover, and cook over hot fire until browned. Transfer to
hot dish, sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour in pan, stir, add 1 cup milk;
stir till thickened, season, boil 1 minute, and pour round tomatoes.
=Mashed Turnips.=—Pare and dice turnips, boil in unsalted water till
tender. Mash, adding salt, pepper, and butter to taste. If cut small
they will cook in less time and be less odorous.
=Ragout of Vegetables.=—Parboil 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 2 potatoes, 2 ears
of corn, 1 cup of lima beans, and the same of peas, 1 onion, and with
them ¼ pound of fat salt pork. Drain off the water and lay aside the
pork. Slice carrots, turnips, potatoes, and onion. Put into a saucepan
with a cup of some good meat soup before it has been thickened. Season
well; cut the corn from the cob and add with the peas, beans, and a
sliced tomato as soon as the rest are hot. Stew all together ½ hour.
Stir in a great lump of butter rolled in flour. Stew 5 minutes, and
serve in a deep dish.
=Dried Sweet Corn.=—Soak 1 pint overnight. Drain, add fresh cold
water, and cook slowly. When tender drain, add ½ cup rich milk, 1
tablespoon butter, salt and pepper to taste, simmer 10 minutes.
=Boiled Rice.=—Wash 1 cup rice through several waters till water runs
off clear. Have at least 4 quarts rapidly boiling water in kettle.
Add rice and 1 tablespoon salt. Boil _at a gallop_ until rice is
tender—this takes 12 to 20 minutes according to kind and age of rice.
Drain, set colander over boiling water for 10 minutes or more to
steam. Each grain will be distinct yet tender.
=Macaroni.=—Have a large kettle nearly full of rapidly boiling salted
water. Break macaroni into 2 or 3 inch lengths, drop into the water,
and boil as directed for rice until tender, which will take from 30 to
45 minutes. Drain, then pour cold water through the colander to remove
pastiness. Reheat in a little butter, or in a white, brown, or tomato
sauce. Before sending to table, sprinkle thickly with grated cheese or
stir the cheese through it.
Spaghetti, vermicelli, or any of the forms of paste may be prepared in
the same way.
Pickles, Etc.
Use glass bottles for pickles, also wooden knives and forks in
preparation of them. Fill bottles 3 parts full with articles to be
pickled, then fill bottle with vinegar. Use saucepans lined with
earthenware, or stone pipkins, to boil vinegar in.
=Chow Chow.=—1 quart large cucumbers, 1 quart small cucumbers, 2
quarts onions, 4 heads cauliflower, 6 green peppers, 1 quart green
tomatoes, 1 gallon vinegar, 1 pound mustard, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups
flour, 1 ounce turmeric. Put all in salt and water one night; cook all
the vegetables in brine until tender, except large cucumbers. Pour
over vinegar and spices.
=Pickling Cauliflowers.=—Take whitest and closest cauliflowers in
bunches; spread on earthen dish, cover them with salt, and let stand
3 days to draw out all the water. Then put in jars, pour boiling
salt and water over them, let stand overnight; then drain with a
hair-sieve, and put in glass jars; fill up jars with vinegar; cover
tight.
=Piccalilly.=—1 peck green tomatoes, sliced; ½ peck onions, sliced;
1 cauliflower, 1 peck small cucumbers. Leave in salt and water 24
hours; then put in kettle with handful scraped horse-radish, 1 ounce
turmeric, 1 ounce cloves (whole), ¼ pound pepper (whole), 1 ounce
cassia-buds or cinnamon, 1 pound white mustard seed, 1 pound English
mustard. Place in kettle in layers, and cover with cold vinegar. Boil
15 minutes, constantly stirring.
=Pickled Red Cabbage.=—Slice it into a colander, sprinkle each layer
with salt; let it drain 2 days, then put into a jar, pour boiling
vinegar enough to cover, put in a few slices of red beet-root. Choose
purple red cabbage. Those who like flavor of spice will boil it with
the vinegar. Cauliflower cut in bunches, and thrown in after being
salted, will look red and beautiful.
=Tomato Catsup.=—1 gallon tomatoes (strained), 6 tablespoons salt, 3
tablespoons black pepper, 1 tablespoon cloves, 2 tablespoons cinnamon,
2 tablespoons allspice, 1½ pints vinegar; boil down one half. 1 peck
tomatoes will make 1 gallon strained.
=Walnut Catsup.=—Take green walnuts before the shell is formed
(usually in a proper state early in August). Grind them or pound them
in an earthen or marble mortar. Squeeze out the juice through a coarse
cloth, and add to every gallon of juice 1 pound of anchovies, 1 pound
salt, 4 ounces cayenne pepper, 2 ounces black pepper, 1 ounce each
ginger, cloves, and mace, and the root of one horse-radish. Boil all
together till reduced to half the quantity. Pour off, and when cold
bottle tight. Use in 3 months.
[Illustration: (Decorative Design)]