ten minutes.
BEETS
Great care should be taken in washing beets that the small rootlets
are not broken or the skin of the beet bruised, as anything which
causes the juice to escape injures both the taste and the colour. In
the city, beets are seldom obtainable which require less than two or
three hours' cooking; but really young, small beets should not require
more than one hour's boiling. When boiled they should be drained, then
plunged into cold water, after which the skin can be rubbed off with
the hand. Some, however, prefer that beets should be baked or steamed;
the time required to cook will then be somewhat longer. Canned beets
are a great convenience.
CREAMED BEETS
Boil 6 or 7 medium-sized beets until tender, then remove them from the
saucepan and place them in cold water; rub the skins off carefully
with the hands, and cut them in half-inch cubes. Make a sauce of 2
tablespoons of butter creamed with 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/2 cup
of the water in which the beets were boiled, 2 tablespoons of cream,
2 tablespoons of vinegar, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt,
and 1 saltspoon of pepper. Pour the sauce over the hot beets and
serve in a heated deep dish.
VIRGINIA BEETS
Carefully peel boiled beets, and with a sharp knife cut into very thin,
even slices, laying them as sliced into a heated vegetable dish; when
a layer has been made over the bottom, dot it well with butter, season
lightly with salt, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar;
then arrange another layer of beets with butter, salt, and sugar, and
proceed in this way until the dish is filled. The work should be done
near the fire in order that the beets may not cool, as the dish should
be served very hot. If, however, the beets have cooled in preparation,
set them in a hot oven for a few minutes, and turn them with a spoon
in the dish before serving in order that they may be juicy.
PICQUANT BEETS
Peel hot cooked beets, cut into slices, and toss about for three or
four minutes in a saucepan which contains 3 tablespoons of butter to
which has been added 1 teaspoon of plain vinegar, or a few drops of
tarragon, 2 cloves, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
GERMAN BEETS
Make a sauce of 1 tablespoon of butter, when melted add 1 tablespoon of
flour, 2 teaspoons of onion juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon
of sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and enough hot water to make
the sauce the right consistency; then add freshly sliced cooked beets,
and let cook together three or four minutes before serving.
PICKLED BEETS
Place slices of cold beets in a deep porcelain or glass receptacle,
place some peppercorns among them, and a few allspice, cover with
mild vinegar, and let stand ten or twelve hours before using.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Brussels sprouts are best if laid for ten minutes, after trimming
and looking over, in salted cold water which contains some lemon
juice. They should then be drained and put in a large saucepan filled
with boiling water containing salt and a pinch of soda. Parboil in this
ten minutes, then lift them with a strainer and put in a steamer above
the boiling water; cover, and let steam half an hour to finish cooking.
If sprouts are cooked by boiling instead of steaming, leave
the saucepan uncovered, as this will keep the odour from being
pronounced. Boil in salted water from twenty to thirty minutes,
drain the instant they are tender, and serve with melted butter.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS IN DUTCH BUTTER
Put boiled Brussels sprouts in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of
melted butter, to which has been added a tablespoon of lemon juice;
stir until hot and add pepper and salt.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH CELERY
Trim and wash in cold running water 1 quart of Brussels sprouts;
then place them in a saucepan, cover with boiling water, and let them
boil for five minutes; then drain and cover with fresh boiling water
containing 1 teaspoon of salt. Boil for another twenty-five minutes
uncovered, and then drain them. Wash enough celery to make 1 1/2
cups when cut in pieces one inch long, put this in a saucepan with
3 tablespoons of butter, stir well together, and add 1 1/2 cups of
scalded milk containing 2 tablespoons of flour; when this is thickened
add the sprouts, season with salt and pepper, and serve very hot.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH CHESTNUTS
To every cup of Brussels sprouts allow 1/2 cup of blanched chestnuts
which have been cooked for fifteen minutes; put the sprouts and
chestnuts together, cook another forty minutes, drain, and serve with
white sauce.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS LYONNAISE
Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add 1
tablespoon of chopped onion; when this is beginning to brown add 4
cups of boiled sprouts, and stir together for three or four minutes,
unless the sprouts were cold, in which case they should be tossed
about with the butter and onion until hot.
CREAMED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Cover freshly boiled Brussels sprouts with a white sauce made entirely
of milk, or of the stock in which they were cooked, with 1 tablespoon
of cream added.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS IN BREAD CASES
Cut stale bread into three-inch squares, and with a sharp knife cut
out the centre, leaving a bottom and four sides like a box; brush over
with melted butter, and brown in the oven. Serve sprouts prepared in
any of the above ways in these cases; the creamed sprouts are perhaps
the best served this way.
CABBAGE
Wash cabbage carefully after cutting it in half, and let it boil
for five minutes in well-salted boiling water; pour this water off
and re-cover with fresh boiling water; let cook for half an hour,
then add 1 teaspoon of salt, and let finish cooking, which will be
in about another half an hour for a medium-sized cabbage.
Cabbage should never be covered while boiling, as covering increases
the odour in cooking.
NEW ENGLAND CABBAGE
Cut a cabbage in quarters, wash it thoroughly, and parboil it for
five minutes in salted water; then drain and cook with 2 carrots and
2 turnips for an hour or until tender, in any strong vegetable stock,
to which 1 tablespoon of butter has been added. Drain and dampen with
a little of the stock to serve, and season well with salt and pepper.
WESTERN CABBAGE
Take 4 or 5 cups of shredded white cabbage and put in a frying pan
in which 1 tablespoon of butter has been melted. Press the cabbage
into the pan, dredge with salt and pepper, and pour over it 1/2 cup
of vinegar and 1/2 cup of water; cover and let cook very gently for
half an hour or somewhat less.
Red cabbage can be prepared in this same way, and a pretty dish is
made by using equal quantities of red and white cabbage.
CABBAGE SARMAS
Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add 1 onion
chopped fine, and after it has cooked gently for ten minutes stir into
it 1 cup of boiled rice, 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, 1 teaspoon of salt,
1 saltspoon of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Parboil
a small cabbage for fifteen minutes, then separate its leaves, and
into each leaf roll 1 tablespoon of the force-meat; pack tightly in
a shallow pan, dredge with salt and pepper, and cover with the water
in which the cabbage cooked; lay 2 bay leaves on the top, and let
simmer for fifteen minutes. Serve with melted butter or tomato sauce.
CABBAGE LICHTENSTEIN
Cut one large cabbage into small pieces, not using the stalk. Wash
well and put in a kettle of boiling water with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1
tablespoon of caraway seed. Cook for half an hour uncovered, then add
to the cabbage 4 large potatoes peeled and quartered, season afresh
with salt, and let cook another twenty minutes. Put 2 tablespoons of
butter in a frying pan, and when melted add 1 onion chopped fine and
1 tablespoon of flour; let all cook together until brown, then scrape
the contents of the frying pan into the cabbage, etc., and cook slowly
for twenty minutes more, or until the stock is almost cooked away.
LADY CABBAGE
Boil firm white cabbage fifteen minutes, changing the water then for
more from the boiling teakettle; continue boiling for half an hour or
until tender, then drain and set aside until perfectly cold. Chop fine,
season with pepper and salt, add 1 or 2 well-beaten eggs, 1 tablespoon
of butter, and 1/2 cup of rich milk. Stir all well together and bake in
a buttered dish until brown. The oven should be moderately hot, and the
same care used as in the baking of a custard. Serve in the baking dish.
COLD SLAW
Put 2 tablespoons of vinegar on to boil in a saucepan, and add to
it when boiling 1/2 cup of sour or fresh milk or cream containing
2 lightly beaten eggs; stir and then add 1 tablespoon of butter,
salt and pepper, and pour over 4 cups of shredded cabbage arranged
in a deep bowl. Serve cold.
GERMAN RED CABBAGE
Put 3 or 4 cups of shredded red cabbage into a saucepan with 1
tablespoon of butter, 1 finely chopped apple, and the juice of half
a lemon; sprinkle lightly with sugar, season with salt and pepper,
cover, and let cook from half to three quarters of an hour.
HUNGARIAN CABBAGE
Quarter a red cabbage, remove the stalk parts and wash well, and
put it in a kettle containing enough boiling water to cover it. Let
boil for three quarters of an hour or until tender, and then drain,
gently pressing out all the water. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a
frying pan, and when melted add 1 onion chopped fine and 1 tablespoon
of flour; stir until smooth and let cook until brown. Then add 1/2
cup of brown sugar, 1/3 of a cup of vinegar, and salt well. Add the
shredded cabbage to this, and let all simmer together for fifteen or
twenty minutes before serving.
PICKLED RED CABBAGE
Chop or shred enough cabbage to make 2 quarts (8 cups) and add to it 1
large onion chopped fine and 1 tablespoon of salt; mix well together
and let stand over night in a covered jar. Next day press through
a colander to drain, and then place a layer of cabbage in a jar,
sprinkle over it a few mustard seeds and 2 or 3 cloves, and proceed
in this way until the cabbage is all used. Do not press down. Cover
with cider vinegar, and use any time after twenty-four hours.
CREAMED CARROTS
Scrape and wash enough carrots to make 4 cups when cut in dice,
and put them in a double boiler containing half milk and half water
at boiling point. Let them cook slowly for forty minutes or until
tender, then drain them and put them in a hot dish at the side of
the stove. Use 1 cup of the stock they cooked in to make a sauce,
with 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 of flour, and plenty of salt and
pepper. Pour the sauce over them to serve.
CREAMED CARROTS AND POTATOES
To 1 quart of cold boiled potatoes, cut in dice, add 1 cup of boiled
diced carrots. Put them in a double boiler and cover with 1 1/2 cups
of highly seasoned white sauce, to which has been added 1 tablespoon
of onion juice and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley; let boil
up once and serve.
CARROTS SAUTÉ
Use boiled carrots cut in dice or fancy shapes and toss them for
five minutes in hot butter. Season with salt and pepper, add a little
chopped parsley, and serve very hot.
Fancy shaped German carrots in glass bottles can be used instead of
fresh ones.
GLORIFIED CARROTS
Take 2 cups of diced carrots and boil them in slightly sweetened
water about half an hour, or until tender, and let them cool. Put 1
tablespoon of butter into a saucepan, add to it 1 teaspoon of grated
onion, and toss together until hot; then add the diced carrots and 1
cup of well-made white sauce. Butter small individual gratin dishes,
fill them with the carrot mixture, sprinkle the top with a few lightly
browned bread crumbs, then with chopped chives, and set in a hot oven
for five minutes. Serve alone as an entrée, placing each dish on a
small plate with a paper doily.
This dish can be varied by using more chives mixed with the carrots
and omitting the onion, or, if chives are not at hand, they can be
omitted when the onion is used, and finely chopped parsley substituted
to garnish the top.
The quantities given here can be doubled, and the carrots cooked in
a large baking dish as an addition to the main course of a luncheon
or dinner.
GLAZED CARROTS
For this, the carrots must be cut into even cones or ovals, and it
is convenient to use the imported carrots in glass bottles. If these
are used they are already boiled; if fresh carrots are used scrape
and wash them and cut out the little shapes with a patent cutter,
then boil slowly until tender, but not quite done, and put 2 or 3 cups
of them in a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of butter, which has been
melted, sprinkle with fine sugar, and stir over a hot fire until they
begin to brown; then add 2 tablespoons of the stock they boiled in,
continue to stir them, add more stock if needed, and continue stirring
until the carrots are nicely glazed. Serve alone or as a garnish.
CARROTS DELMONICO
Scrape and cut in dice enough carrots to fill a small baking dish;
cover with boiling water in which is 1 tablespoon of sugar, and
1 tablespoon of butter, and let cook for half an hour, or until
tender. Drain and let them cool, and then arrange them in the baking
dish with the following sauce: Melt 3 tablespoons of butter, add 3
tablespoons of flour, and when this is smooth stir into it, using a
little at a time, 1 cup of the stock in which the carrots were cooked,
1/2 cup of cream or milk containing the beaten yolks of 2 eggs;
when smooth add 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice, and salt and pepper
well. Sprinkle the top with finely rolled crumbs and let brown in
the oven.
CARROT SOUFFLÉ
Mix 2 cups of boiled, mashed carrots, 2 tablespoons of chopped onion,
fried for five minutes in 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 cup of milk
or cream in which 3 egg-yolks are beaten, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg,
salt and pepper, and when well blended add lightly with a fork the
stiffly beaten whites of the 3 eggs. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and
bake to brown about fifteen or twenty minutes.
CAULIFLOWER
Leave all the green that looks fresh and palatable on the cauliflower,
and wash it and let it stand from fifteen minutes to half an hour in
salted water. Then put it in a saucepan, stem downwards, with the
top barely covered with boiling water, and, if the saucepan is not
too large, it will keep the cauliflower upright, so that the delicate
top will not cook to pieces before the green stalk is tender. A small
cauliflower will take half an hour to cook, and the lower part can
be tried with a fork to see when it is tender. Leave the saucepan
uncovered in cooking cauliflower, and the odour from the cooking will
be very much lessened and the cauliflower more delicate in taste.
CREAMED CAULIFLOWER
Boil and drain a cauliflower and serve over it 1 cup of white sauce.
CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN
Boil a large cauliflower, drain it, and break the sprays apart. Arrange
in layers in a buttered baking dish, sprinkling each layer with cheese,
and seasoning it with pepper and salt. When the dish is filled pour
on 1 cup of white sauce, sprinkle the top with crumbs and cheese,
and let bake fifteen minutes to brown.
CAULIFLOWER IN A GERMAN WAY
Boil a cauliflower and drain it, dredge with salt and pepper, and
cover the white part with melted butter, and then dust this with
browned bread crumbs; pour 3/4 of a cup of Dutch butter over it,
and let it heat for five minutes in the oven in the shallow gratin
dish in which it should be served.
ITALIAN CAULIFLOWER
Boil and drain a cauliflower and dredge the top with pepper and salt,
sprinkle with grated cheese, and pour a little melted butter over
it. Set in the oven for five minutes to brown, and serve surrounded
with tomato sauce.
CAULIFLOWER FRITTERS
Boil a cauliflower for twenty-five minutes, or until nearly tender,
then drain it and let it cool. When cold separate the sprays and
dredge with salt and pepper, then dip in batter, and fry in deep fat
until a golden brown. Drain and serve very hot.
CREAMED CELERY
Scrape and trim 3 or 4 heads of celery, leaving the roots on
and cutting the tops off; cut each stalk in half, lengthwise,
and into pieces five inches long; wash carefully in running water,
and then blanch in boiling water for ten minutes. Drain and tie the
stalks together like bunches of asparagus, and put them in a saucepan
containing 2 cups of water, 2 cups of milk, 1/2 a carrot, 1/2 an onion
with 2 cloves stuck in it, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 scant saltspoon
of pepper, and let simmer three quarters of an hour or more, or until
quite tender when tried with a fork. Remove the celery, strain the
stock, and use 1 cup of it in making a sauce, with 1 tablespoon of
butter and 1 tablespoon of flour. Untie the bunches of celery, and
arrange them evenly on toast with the sauce poured over them.
CELERY IN BROWN SAUCE
Prepare celery as above, boil for three quarters of an hour or
until tender, drain, and cover with the brown sauce described below,
omitting the wine, and serve in an ordinary vegetable dish.
CELERY IN CASSEROLE
Cut celery in four-inch lengths, halving each stalk lengthwise,
and leaving the root on, wash well and parboil for ten minutes in
salted water or milk, and arrange in a square, covered casserole. Put 2
tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and when browned add 2 tablespoons
of flour. Stir until well dissolved, then add 2 cups of the water in
which the celery cooked, 1 scant teaspoon of salt, 1 small saltspoon
of pepper, and 2 bay leaves. Stir until smooth, and then strain and
pour this sauce over the celery, add 1 teaspoon of sherry or Madeira,
cover the dish, set it in a shallow pan containing a little water,
and let it cook for half an hour in the oven. Serve in the casserole.
BAKED CELERY
Cut 2 bunches of celery into two-inch lengths, wash thoroughly, and
let blanch in boiling water and milk, using equal quantities of each,
for fifteen minutes, then remove the celery and let it cool; add to
1 cup of the milk and water stock 1 tablespoon of butter blended with
1 tablespoon of flour, some pepper and salt, and when smoothed remove
from the fire and beat into it vigorously 2 eggs. Arrange the celery
in a buttered baking dish, pour the sauce over it, spread the top
thickly with crumbs, and put in the oven. Cover for twenty minutes,
then uncover and let brown nicely before serving.
CÊPES IN BLACK BUTTER
French Cêpes come in tin or glass. Put 3 tablespoons of butter in
a pan, with 2 bay leaves, a few celery seeds and 1 clove of garlic;
let it slowly brown. Strain and add cêpes and let them heat in the
butter. Season with salt and paprika and serve very hot.
AMERICAN SWEET CORN
Sweet corn on the cob, which has been picked within twenty-four
hours of the time of using, should be dropped into rapidly boiling,
slightly salted water, and boiled not more than eight or ten minutes.
ROAST CORN
To roast sweet corn, leave the husks on the cob, and put in a slow oven
and let bake for half an hour. Take off the husks and silk and serve at
once. Some think this method of cooking the delicate American vegetable
retains the flavour of the corn more than the usual way of boiling it.
CORN PUDDING
Use 6 or 7 ears of sweet corn, and cut each row down the middle with
a sharp knife, and then cut the grains from the ear, and add to them 2
cups of milk, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 saltspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of
sugar, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and 2 slightly beaten eggs. Put
this into a baking dish and bake like a custard, in a slow oven for
half an hour, taking care it does not cook too long nor get too hot
lest it curdle. Canned corn may be used when fresh is out of season.
CORN PUDDING IN TOMATO OR PEPPER CASES
Bake the preceding in cases made by scooping a large part of the inside
from large, solid tomatoes, or in hollowed-out green, sweet peppers.
CORN CREOLE
Put 1 can of corn into a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of chopped
green peppers and 1/2 cup of milk, and cook slowly for ten minutes;
then season with salt and pepper and add 1 tablespoon of butter
and serve. This may be put in a baking dish, covered with crumbs,
and baked for fifteen minutes.
CORN AND TOMATO PIE
Butter a pudding dish and fill it with alternate layers of boiled or
canned corn and tomatoes, and season with salt, pepper, and butter;
cover the top with pie-crust and bake in a moderately hot oven for
fifteen minutes. If a crust is not desired the dish can be covered
with bread crumbs and browned. If fresh tomatoes and corn are used
the pie will require twice the time to cook, the first half of the
time covered with a plate, and the last half uncovered.
CORN CHOWDER
Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add 1
sliced onion, and let cook slowly for five minutes; then add to it
4 cups of potatoes which have been parboiled for five minutes, and
then cut in small squares, and 2 cups of boiling water. Let cook for
twenty minutes or until the potatoes are tender, then add 1 can of
sweet corn, 4 cups of hot milk, 1 tablespoon of butter, and plenty
of salt and pepper, and let heat through. Break 8 soda crackers into
a deep dish, and pour the chowder over them to serve.
RHODE ISLAND ESCALLOP
Bake 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes for half an hour, then scrape out
the potato and chop it into small bits. Boil 2 ears of green corn
for ten minutes, run a sharp knife down each row of grains, cutting
them in two, and then cut the corn from the cob and mix it with the
chopped sweet potato. Butter six individual gratin dishes and fill
them with the mixed corn and potato, sprinkle them with salt, pour
1 tablespoon of melted butter over each, cover with bread crumbs,
and let cook for eight or ten minutes in the oven. The same mixture
can be used to fill a baking dish, and enough melted butter used to
moisten the potato thoroughly.
STEWED CUCUMBERS
Peel 4 or 5 cucumbers, quarter them, and cover them with boiling
salted water, and let them cook from twenty to thirty minutes; then
drain, saving the water in which they were cooked. Make a sauce of
2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour rubbed together,
and 2 cups of the water in which the cucumbers were boiled, stir until
smooth, and when it boils add the juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of salt,
and some paprika; arrange the cucumbers on slices of toast and serve
with the sauce poured over them.
STUFFED CUCUMBERS
Peel the cucumbers and cut into pieces about two inches long, scoop out
the centre of each piece about half-way down to form a cup, fill this
with chopped onions and chopped mushrooms that have been fried together
in butter, cover the tops with crumbs, and let brown in the oven.
FRIED EGG-PLANT WITH SAUCE TARTARE
Peel and cut an egg-plant into half-inch slices, dust quickly with salt
and pepper, roll in beaten egg-yolk, then in fine bread crumbs, and fry
in hot vegetable fat; drain on brown paper and serve very hot. Either
serve sauce Tartare with this, or arrange a spoonful on each round of
egg-plant. Garnish with sprigs of watercress, celery tops, or parsley.
FRIED EGG-PLANT WITH TOMATO SAUCE
Fry as in foregoing recipe and serve a savoury tomato sauce with the
egg-plant. Never soak egg-plant in salt and water, as it takes away
its crispness.
CREAMED ENDIVE
Cut the outside leaves from heads of endive, and wash the endive
thoroughly; then drain and put in boiling salted water for fifteen
minutes. Drain again and cover with cold water for a few minutes, then
chop and put in a saucepan with some butter, allowing 1 tablespoon
for each head of endive, cover and let cook slowly for ten minutes,
salt well, moisten with cream and sprinkle with paprika, and serve
on toast or garnished with triangular pieces of toast.
KOHLRABI
These are very nice if used young, when not much larger than an
egg. Parboil them for half an hour, cut them in half, and put them
in a frying pan containing melted butter, and fry for fifteen or
twenty minutes. Serve over them the butter in which they were cooked,
and dredge with salt and pepper. The time required to cook kohlrabi
depends largely of course upon the age at which it is picked.
KOHLRABI AU GRATIN
Slice kohlrabi, boil twenty minutes or until nearly tender, and arrange
in a baking dish in layers with cream sauce. Season each layer with
pepper and salt, sprinkle the top with crumbs and grated cheese,
and bake twenty minutes.
LENTIL PIE
Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add to
it 1 finely chopped onion and let this fry slowly for ten minutes;
then add 2 cups of boiled German or Egyptian lentils and 1/2 cup of
brown or German sauce, and when heated through pile into a deep dish;
dredge with pepper and salt, cover with pie-crust, and bake in the
oven until brown.