VEGETABLES.
ALL vegetables should be put in boiling water when set on the stove to
cook. Peas, asparagus, potatoes, and all delicately flavored vegetables
should be only covered with water, but those with a strong flavor, like
carrots, turnips, cabbage, onions, and dandelions, should be cooked in a
generous quantity of boiling water. All green vegetables should be
cooked with the cover partially off the stewpan. It gives them a better
color and a more delicate flavor.
The average housekeeper is careless as to the time of cooking
vegetables, yet a vegetable is as much injured by too much or too little
cooking as is a loaf of bread or cake. When vegetables are underdone
they are hard and indigestible, and when overdone they become dark,
strong-flavored, and indigestible.
Now, although a potato will be hard if not cooked enough, even two
minutes’ cooking after the proper time will injure it. If potatoes be
covered with boiling water and placed on the fire they will cook in
thirty minutes. If they be very small, they may get done in twenty-eight
minutes, and if they be large it may take thirty-two to cook them
sufficiently. They should be kept boiling all the time after they once
begin, but not at a furious rate, as a too rapid boiling breaks the
surface of the potato before the centre is cooked. The time of cooking
is to be counted from the moment the boiling water is poured over the
potatoes. When the potatoes are done, the water should be poured off and
the steam allowed to escape. Should it be necessary to keep them warm
after that, cover them with a coarse towel, never with the pot cover;
for if the steam does not have a chance to escape it will be absorbed by
the potatoes, which will become sodden, dark, and strong-flavored. Baked
potatoes take about forty-five minutes for cooking. A great deal depends
upon the oven. If it be necessary to keep a baked potato warm, break it
open, wrap it in a towel and put it in a warm place.
Now, as to turnips. The small white ones should be boiled, if cut in
thin slices, for thirty minutes, but if they be cooked whole, forty
minutes’ time will be needed. Yellow turnips, when sliced, need
forty-five minutes’ cooking.
Carrots should be cooked for forty-five or fifty minutes; cauliflower,
only thirty minutes; with peas and asparagus much depends upon the state
of freshness and tenderness when picked, and the time varies from twenty
to thirty-five minutes; indeed, peas sometimes require fifty minutes’
cooking.
It is a pity that it is the fashion to serve such vegetables as peas and
asparagus in a sauce. They have so delicate a flavor that only a little
salt and good butter should be added to them. This is true, also, of
turnips. Cauliflower, onions, and carrots, however, need a sauce.
Boiled Potatoes.
Pare five or six potatoes and let them stand in cold water for an hour
or more. Forty minutes before dinner time put them in a kettle and pour
boiling water over them,—enough to cover. Put the cover on the kettle
and cook the vegetables for half an hour, counting from the moment the
water is poured over them. When they have been cooking for fifteen
minutes, add one teaspoonful of salt. At the end of the half-hour pour
off all the water and set the pan on the back part of the range. Cover
the potatoes with a clean, coarse towel. At serving time put the
potatoes in a hot dish, and cover with a napkin. Never put the china
cover on the dish. Cooked in the way described, the potatoes will be
mealy and have a fine flavor.
Stewed Potatoes.
1 quart of sliced raw potatoes.
2 ounces of fat bacon.
1/2 teaspoonful of onion juice.
1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.
1 level teaspoonful of salt.
1 tablespoonful of flour.
1 gill of water.
Have the potatoes and bacon sliced thin. Spread half the meat on the
bottom of a round baking dish. Put half of the potatoes into the dish
and sprinkle half of the seasoning over them; then spread in the other
half, and use the remainder of the seasonings. Mix the water with the
flour, and pour this into the dish. Now spread the remainder of the
bacon on top of the potatoes. Cover the dish closely, and, putting into
a moderately hot oven, cook for forty-five minutes. At the end of that
time take off the cover and bake twenty minutes longer. The bacon should
become crisp and brown at the end of that time. Serve in the dish in
which it is cooked.
Stewed Potatoes, No. 2.
1 quart of raw potatoes, cut in cubes.
2 ounces of fat salt pork.
1 tablespoonful of flour.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.
1 pint of water.
Pare and cut into cubes enough potatoes to make a quart, and let them
stand in cold water for one hour. Cut the pork into thin slices, and fry
slowly until crisp and brown; then take from the pan. Add the flour to
the hot fat, and stir until smooth and brown; then gradually add the
water, and boil for three minutes. Season with the salt and pepper.
Drain the potato cubes free from water, and, after putting them in a
stewpan, pour the sauce over them and lay the slices of pork on top.
Cover the stewpan and place where the contents will just bubble for
forty-five minutes; then turn into a warm dish and serve.
Potatoes au Gratin.
1/2 pint of cooked potato cubes.
1 gill of white stock.
1/2 gill of milk.
1 teaspoonful of flour.
1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of butter.
3/4 teaspoonful of salt.
1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.
3 tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs.
Have cold boiled potatoes cut into small regular cubes. Season them with
half the pepper and salt. Put one teaspoonful of the butter in a small
frying-pan and set on the fire. When hot, add the flour, and stir until
smooth and frothy; then gradually add the stock. When this boils, add
the milk and the remainder of the salt and pepper, and boil up once. Put
a layer of this sauce in a small escalop dish; then put the potatoes in
the dish and pour the remainder of the sauce over them. Sprinkle the
grated bread crumbs over this, and dot with the half-teaspoonful of
butter. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. A few drops of onion
juice and one fourth of a teaspoonful of chopped parsley may be added to
the sauce, if these flavors be liked.
Hashed Potatoes.
1 pint of sliced cold boiled potatoes.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
1/6 teaspoonful of pepper.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
Season the potatoes with the salt and pepper. Put the butter in the
frying-pan and set on the fire. When hot, add the potatoes. Stir and cut
the potatoes with a case knife until they are hashed fine and have
become hot and slightly browned. Serve in a hot dish.
Ham, sausage, or pork fat may be substituted for the butter.
Nichewaug Potatoes.
1 pint of potato cubes.
1 tablespoonful of minced ham.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.
1 tablespoonful of fat.
Season the potato cubes with the salt and pepper. Put a tablespoonful of
ham, bacon, pork, or sausage fat in the frying-pan, and set on the fire.
When hot, put in the potatoes and stir frequently with a fork until they
become brown. When the potatoes are done, turn them into a hot dish and
sprinkle a tablespoonful of finely chopped cooked ham over them. Serve
very hot.
Lyonnaise Potatoes.
1 pint of cold boiled potato cubes.
1 level teaspoonful of salt.
1/8 of a teaspoonful of pepper.
1 level tablespoonful of butter.
1 teaspoonful of finely-minced onion.
1/2 teaspoonful of minced parsley.
Season the potatoes with the salt and pepper. Put the butter and onion
in the frying-pan, and cook slowly until the onion begins to turn a
delicate straw-color. Now add the potatoes, and cook over a hot fire for
five minutes, stirring with a fork. Add the parsley, and cook for one
minute longer. Serve very hot.
Potato Cakes.
Shape cold mashed potatoes into round, flat cakes. For six cakes put one
tablespoonful of butter in a frying-pan, and place on the fire. When the
butter is hot, put in the potato cakes and cook until brown on both
sides. A tablespoonful of either pork, ham, or sausage fat may be used
instead of the butter.
Potato Croquettes.
3 potatoes of good size.
4 tablespoonfuls of hot milk.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1/2 teaspoonful of salt.
1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.
1 egg.
Bread crumbs.
Boil the potatoes for thirty minutes; then drain them and mash fine and
light. Beat in the seasoning, milk, and butter. Let the mixture cool
slightly; then roll into cylinders or balls. Beat the egg in a soup
plate. Coat the croquettes, one at a time, with the egg, then roll in
dried bread crumbs. When all are done, fry in hot fat until they are
brown,—about a minute and a half. Drain on brown paper and serve at
once.
Boiled Sweet Potatoes.
Potatoes of medium size should be cooked for one hour; very large ones
should be boiled for an hour and a half, or be cut into several parts.
Baked Sweet Potatoes.
Wash the potatoes and bake from an hour to an hour and a quarter in a
moderately hot oven. The longer they bake, the sweeter and moister they
will be.
Browned Sweet Potatoes.
Boil for half an hour three potatoes of medium size. On taking them from
the water pare them. Now cut them in two, lengthwise, and lay them in
the pan under a piece of roasting meat. Season them with salt, and let
them cook for half an hour. Serve in a hot dish.
Or, the potatoes may be boiled for three quarters of an hour, paired and
split, then laid in a baking pan, seasoned with salt, and finally spread
with soft butter. It will take one tablespoonful of butter for three
potatoes. Bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes or half an hour.
Warming over Sweet Potatoes.
Cold boiled sweet potatoes may be warmed in several ways. Cut them in
halves, season with salt, and put in the frying-basket. Fry in deep fat
for five minutes; then season with salt and serve.
Another way is to cut them in thick slices lengthwise, dip them in
melted butter, season with salt and pepper, dredge lightly with flour,
and broil over clear coals. Serve on a hot dish.
Still another mode is to cut them in round slices, season with salt and
pepper, and fry in pork or bacon fat.
Boiled Onions.
Put the onions in a saucepan with plenty of boiling water and cook for
one hour. If milk be plentiful, pour off the water when the onions have
been cooking for half an hour, and add just enough hot milk to cover
them. Simmer for half an hour longer; then season with salt, pepper, and
butter, and serve.
For half a dozen small onions use one tablespoonful of butter, one
teaspoonful of salt, and one fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper.
Creamed Onions.
Boil three or four onions for one hour in two quarts of boiling water
into which one teaspoonful of salt has been sprinkled. Pour off the
water and cut up the onions. Put them in a hot dish and pour half a pint
of cream sauce over them. Serve hot.
Onions au Gratin.
Prepare the creamed onions and put them in an escalop dish. Cover them
with a gill of grated bread crumbs and dot with a teaspoonful of butter.
Bake for twenty minutes in a quick oven.
Sliced Tomatoes.
Select smooth, ripe tomatoes. Drop them into boiling water for one
minute, then into cold water. This will make the skin come off easily.
Put them on a plate and in a cool place,—on the ice if possible. At
serving time cut them in slices and place on a cold dish.
Stewed Tomatoes.
1 pint of canned tomatoes.
1/2 gill of fine cracker crumbs.
1/2 teaspoonful of salt.
1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.
1/2 tablespoonful of sugar.
1/2 tablespoonful of butter.
Put all the ingredients, except the butter, in a stewpan, and cook for
twenty minutes. Add the butter, and cook for ten minutes longer.
One pint of fresh tomatoes may be cooked in the same manner. The
crackers may be omitted. Long cooking makes the tomatoes thicker and
dark, but for most tastes this is not desirable.
Tomatoes au Gratin.
1 pint of stewed tomatoes.
1 gill of dried bread crumbs.
3 tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs.
1 teaspoonful of sugar.
1/2 teaspoonful of salt.
1/6 teaspoonful of pepper.
1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of butter.
Reserve the grated bread crumbs and half a teaspoonful of the butter.
Mix all the other ingredients together and turn into a small baking
dish. Sprinkle the grated bread crumbs over this. Cut the butter into
small bits, and sprinkle over the crumbs. Bake in a moderately hot oven
for half an hour, and serve hot.
Beets.
Beets, when young and fresh, will cook in forty minutes, but as they
grow larger they require longer cooking. The time has to be increased as
the season advances, and in winter beets require from two to three
hours’ boiling. Wash them in cold water, being careful not to break the
skin or little tendrils. Put them in boiling water and cook until
done,—the time depending upon the season. Lay them in cold water and rub
off the skin; then slice them into a hot dish, and season with salt and
butter. Serve hot.
Boiled Turnips.
1 quart of white turnip cubes.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 level tablespoonful of sugar.
1 heaped teaspoonful of salt.
Pare and cut up enough of the small flat white turnips to make one
quart. Let them stand in cold water for an hour or more. Pour off all
the water and turn the turnips into a stewpan containing two quarts of
boiling water. Cook for just thirty minutes and then pour off all the
water. Put into the saucepan with the turnips, butter, sugar, salt, and
one gill of boiling water. Place the saucepan on the hottest part of the
fire and cook the turnips rapidly until all the liquid has been
absorbed, shaking the pan frequently to prevent the turnips from
burning. Turn into a hot dish and serve.
Mashed Turnips.
Pare one yellow turnip or six white ones and cut in slices. Put in a
large stewpan with a generous supply of boiling water. If white turnips
be used, cook them for half an hour; but if the yellow kind be taken,
cook for fifty or sixty minutes. Too little water and too much cooking
will make any turnips’ strong-flavored, and give them a dark color. When
the turnips are done, drain off all the water and mash them well. Season
with salt, pepper, and butter.
Boiled Carrots.
Scrape and cut into cubes enough raw carrots to make a quart. Cook them
for one hour in three quarts of boiling water, and then proceed as
directed in the rule for boiled turnips. White stock may be substituted
for the gill of boiling water.
Turnips, carrots, and green peas, cooked in this manner, and then mixed
together, make a handsome and savory dish.
Success in cooking these vegetables depends upon their being boiled in
plenty of water, and for only the time mentioned; also in cooking very
rapidly after the seasonings are added.
Parsnips.
Scrape and slice the parsnips, and let them stand in cold water for an
hour or more. Drain them and put them in a stewpan with plenty of
boiling water. Cook them, if fresh, for forty-five minutes; but if they
have been out of the ground any length of time they will require an
hour’s cooking.
When they have been boiling for half an hour, add a teaspoonful of salt
for about a pint of the parsnips. Drain, and season them with salt and
butter; or, pour a butter or Béchamel sauce over them.
Salsify.
Cook this vegetable the same as parsnips.
Boiled Cauliflower.
1 cauliflower of medium size.
2 tablespoonfuls of salt.
1/2 pint of cream or Béchamel sauce.
Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and place it head downward in a
pan of cold water, to which add one tablespoonful of salt. Let it stand
in a cold place an hour or more. Have about three quarts of boiling
water in a stewpan and put the cauliflower into it head down. Cover, and
cook gently for thirty minutes. At the end of this time drain the
cauliflower and put it in a deep dish. Dredge lightly with salt, and
pour the sauce over it.
Cauliflower au Gratin.
3 gills of cold boiled cauliflower.
1/2 pint of cream sauce.
1/2 teaspoonful of salt.
1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.
1 teaspoonful of butter.
1 gill of grated bread crumbs.
With a fork, break the cauliflower into small pieces; then sprinkle the
salt and pepper over it. Put a layer of sauce in a small escalop dish,
next a layer of cauliflower, then a second layer of sauce, then
cauliflower, and finish with sauce. Cover this with the bread crumbs and
dot with the butter. Bake in a moderately hot oven for twenty minutes.
Green Corn.
The fresher the corn is, the less time it will take to cook. It should
be freed from husks and the silk threads. Have a large saucepan nearly
full of boiling water. Drop the corn into this, and cook for ten
minutes. Serve in a napkin.
Canned Corn.
1 can of corn.
1 gill of milk.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
Put all the ingredients in the double-boiler, and heat to the boiling
point; it will take about ten minutes. Serve at once. Too much cooking
spoils this dish.
Corn Oysters.
1/2 pint of grated green corn.
2 tablespoonfuls of milk.
1 gill of flour.
1 egg.
1/2 teaspoonful of salt.
1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.
2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
Mix the flour, seasoning, and corn together. Add the butter, melted, and
beat well. Beat the egg till light, and add to the mixture. Fry on a
griddle, in cakes a little larger than a silver dollar. Serve with the
meat course at breakfast.
String Beans.
String the beans and then break them into pieces about an inch long.
Wash them, and let them stand in cold water for an hour or more. Cook
them in plenty of boiling water for two hours. When they have been
cooking for one hour add one teaspoonful of salt for each quart of
beans. When done, pour off all the water and add to the beans one
tablespoonful of butter and four tablespoonfuls of boiling water. If not
salt enough, add a little more seasoning. Return to the fire for three
minutes; then serve.
Butter Beans.
These are cooked the same as string beans.
Fresh Lima Beans.
1 pint of shelled beans.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 level teaspoonful of salt.
Wash the beans and let them stand in cold water for an hour or more. On
draining off the cold water, put them on to boil in three pints of
boiling water. Cook for one hour; then drain off nearly all the water
and add the seasonings. Serve hot.
Dried Lima Beans.
1/2 pint of beans.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 level teaspoonful of salt.
Put the beans to soak over night in one quart of cold water. Two hours
before dinner time pour off the water, and, putting the beans in a
stewpan with a quart of boiling water, let them simmer gently for an
hour and fifty minutes. At the end of that time pour off the water, and
add the salt and butter and a gill of boiling water. Let them stand in
the saucepan on the back part of the stove until serving time.
Dried Lima Beans, No. 2.
1/2 pint of beans.
1/2 pint of milk.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
1/2 tablespoonful of butter.
Soak and cook the beans as in the recipe just given; then drain off all
the water, and add the seasoning and milk, having the latter hot. Simmer
for ten minutes and serve.
Succotash of Dried Lima Beans and Canned Corn.
1/2 pint of dried Lima beans.
1/2 can of sweet corn.
1/2 pint of milk.
1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.
1 generous teaspoonful of salt.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
Soak the beans over night, and then cook them in one quart of clear
water for an hour and fifty minutes. Pour off the water, and, after
adding the seasoning, milk, and corn, cook for three minutes after the
mixture begins to boil. Serve very hot.
Shelled Kidney Beans.
Prepare the same as fresh Lima beans, but cook for one hour and a half.
Baked Beans.
1 pint of small white beans.
1/2 pound of salt pork.
1 teaspoonful of mustard.
1 teaspoonful of sugar.
1 teaspoonful of molasses.
1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.
1 small onion.
1 level tablespoonful of salt.
Pick the beans free from stones and dirt. Wash them, and let them soak
over night in three quarts of cold water. In the morning pour off the
water and wash the beans in fresh water; then put them in a stewpan with
cold water enough to cover them generously, and place on the fire.
Have the pork mixed lean and fat. Score the rind. Put the pork in the
stewpan with the beans, and simmer until the beans begin to crack
open,—not a minute longer. Drain all the water from them and rinse with
cold water. Put the onion in the bottom of the bean pot. Put about half
the beans in the pot, then put in the pork, having the scored side up.
Next put in the remainder of the beans. Mix the mustard, salt, pepper,
sugar, and molasses with a pint of boiling water and pour over the
beans. Add just enough boiling water to cover the beans. Cover the pot
and place in a slow oven. Bake for ten hours or more, adding boiling
water whenever the beans look dry. The oven must never be hot enough to
make the water on the beans bubble, and there should never be more water
in the pot than will barely come to the top of the beans.
An earthen pot should be used in baking beans. The onion and molasses
may be omitted.
Green Peas.
The time of cooking green peas depends upon the age and the length of
time they have been picked. If they be young and freshly picked, they
will cook in twenty minutes; but it may take forty or fifty if they have
matured too much, or have been picked for a day or more. They should not
be shelled many hours before they are cooked. Wash the pea pods and
drain them, then shell them. Put them in a stewpan with just enough
boiling water to cover them, and cook until tender. They must not boil
rapidly, and as soon as they begin to boil the cover of the stewpan
should be drawn a little to one side. Pour off a part of the water, and
to every pint of peas add one tablespoonful of butter and half a
teaspoonful of salt.
Canned Peas.
1 can of peas.
1 heaped teaspoonful of butter.
1 level teaspoonful of salt.
1 teaspoonful of sugar.
1 gill of hot water.
Turn the peas into a strainer, and pour cold water over them until they
are thoroughly rinsed. Put them in a saucepan with the other
ingredients, and simmer for ten minutes.
Asparagus on Toast.
1 bunch of asparagus.
3 slices of toast.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 tablespoonful of salt.
Cut off the tough white ends of a bunch of asparagus. Now cut the string
that ties the bundles together, and put the asparagus in a colander. Let
cold water run on it until it is perfectly free from sand. Tie again in
a bundle, and put it in a stewpan with one tablespoonful of salt and
enough boiling water to cover it. Cook gently for half an hour. Toast
three slices of bread, and dip the edges in the water in which the
asparagus was cooked. Arrange these on a warm platter, and spread the
asparagus upon them. Now season the green part of the vegetable with the
tablespoonful of butter, and serve.
The toast may be buttered also, if one like to have it rich.
Asparagus should be placed with the cut end in a little cold water until
it is time to cook it.
Asparagus with Cream Sauce.
1 quart of asparagus.
3 gills of milk.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1/2 tablespoonful of flour.
2 teaspoonfuls of salt.
Cut up enough of the tender ends of asparagus to make one quart. Put
these in the colander, and let cold water run on them until every
particle of sand is removed. Put them in a saucepan with one quart of
boiling water and one teaspoonful of salt, and cook gently for half an
hour; then drain, and, after putting in a warm vegetable dish, pour the
cream sauce over them.
To make the sauce, put the butter on the fire, in a pan, and when it is
melted add the flour. Stir until smooth and frothy; then gradually add
the milk, stirring all the while. Season with a scant teaspoonful of
salt, and boil up once.
If you prefer, the asparagus may be seasoned with salt and butter, using
a generous tablespoonful of butter and half a teaspoonful of salt;
moistening with a gill of the water in which it is boiled.
Spinach.
1/2 peck of spinach.
1 generous tablespoonful of butter.
1 level tablespoonful of salt.
Pick over the spinach, removing all the roots and brown leaves. Have two
pans filled with cold water. Put the spinach in one pan and wash it, a
few leaves at a time, dropping it into the second pan of water. When all
is done, turn the water from the first pan, which should at once be
rinsed and filled again with clean water. Continue washing the spinach
in this way until there is not a grain of sand left in it. This you
learn by passing the hand over the bottom of the pan. Put the cleaned
spinach in a stewpan with a pint of boiling water and the salt, and cook
for half an hour. Turn into the colander and cut with a knife. Put into
a hot vegetable dish and add the butter.
Greens.
Greens of all kinds are cooked in about the same way that spinach is,
but they all require boiling water enough to cover them, and most of
them require a much longer time to boil.
A small piece of salt pork or smoked bacon, or a shank of ham, is often
boiled in the water for two or more hours before the greens are put in
to cook. This meat is served with the greens, which require no seasoning
except salt.
Hashed Cabbage.
1 small head of cabbage.
1 tablespoonful of salt.
2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
Take all the green and broken leaves from a small head of cabbage. Then
divide the cabbage into eight parts, cutting from the top down to the
stalk. Wash it and let it stand in cold water for an hour or more. Put
it in a large kettle of boiling water and boil rapidly for forty-five
minutes. The kettle must not be covered. When the cabbage is done,
drain, and put in a chopping bowl. Mince rather fine and season with the
salt and butter. If the cabbage be fresh from the garden, half an hour’s
cooking will be sufficient.
Creamed Cabbage.
1 quart of raw white cabbage, sliced.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 teaspoonful of flour.
1/2 teaspoonful of salt.
1 gill of milk.
Let the cabbage stand in cold water for an hour or more; then drain off
the water and put the cabbage in a stewpan with two quarts of boiling
water. Cover, and cook for ten minutes. At the end of that time pour off
the water and put in two quarts of fresh boiling water. Cook rapidly,
with the cover off, for about three quarters of an hour. When that time
has passed, put the cabbage in a colander and press out all the water;
then cut it with a sharp knife. Put the butter in a frying-pan and set
on the range. When it becomes hot, add the cabbage, as well as the salt
and pepper. Cook for five minutes, stirring all the time; then cover,
and set back where it will cook gently for ten minutes. Mix the milk
with the flour, and pour the mixture over the cabbage. Stir gently, and
again cover the pan. Cook for ten minutes more and serve.
Baked Cabbage.
1 pint of boiled and hashed cabbage.
2 ounces of salt pork.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.
Boil and hash the cabbage, as directed for hashed cabbage. Sprinkle with
the salt and pepper, and mix lightly with a fork. Turn into a baking
dish and spread over it the pork cut in thin slices. Bake for half an
hour in a moderate oven. Serve in the dish in which it is cooked.
Fried Cabbage.
1 quart of boiled cabbage.
3 tablespoonfuls of butter or beef drippings.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.
Boil the cabbage as for hashed cabbage, and mince rather fine. Add the
seasoning. Put the butter or drippings in a frying-pan and set on the
fire. As soon as the butter is melted, put in the cabbage and cook one
hour, stirring often, and having the pan covered. Serve very hot.
Squash.
Pare the squash and remove the seeds and the stringy substance from the
inside. Cut it into small pieces, and place in a stewpan with enough
boiling water to cover it. Cook for thirty-five minutes; then drain off
the water, and mash fine. Season with salt, pepper, and butter. For a
pint of mashed squash use a teaspoonful of salt and one tablespoonful of
butter. Serve very hot.
The squash may be steamed instead of boiled; in which case cook it for
fifty minutes.
Summer Squash.
Get a tender fresh squash. If the rind be very tender do not pare it.
Cut up the squash and steam for one hour; then rub it through a colander
into a saucepan. Place the saucepan on the fire, and to each pint of the
strained squash add one tablespoonful of butter and one teaspoonful of
salt. Cook for five minutes, and serve hot.
Fried Egg Plant.
1 small egg plant.
1 egg.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
Dry crumbs.
Fat for frying.
Pare the egg plant and cut it in slices about half an inch thick. Season
with the salt. Beat the egg in a soup plate, and dip a slice of egg
plant in it, covering every part of it; then dip the slice in fine dry
crumbs. Continue this until all the egg plant is breaded. Have the
frying fat three or four inches deep, and when it is so hot that blue
smoke rises from the centre put two slices of the vegetable in, and cook
for about three minutes. Take up and drain on brown paper; then serve.
Boiled Macaroni.
Macaroni varies as to the time it will take to cook. Half an hour is the
usual time, but it often requires forty-five minutes. Break it into
pieces two or three inches long, and drop it into a saucepan of boiling
water. Boil rapidly until tender, having the saucepan uncovered. When it
has been cooking for fifteen minutes, add a teaspoonful of salt for
every two ounces of macaroni. When done turn it into a colander to
drain; then put it into a hot dish, and pour half a pint of sauce over
it. The sauce may be cream, Béchamel, tomato, or brown sauce. A little
grated cheese may be added to the cream sauce, if that be the kind used.
Serve at once.
Macaroni with Cheese.
2 ounces of macaroni.
1/2 pint of cream sauce.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
1 gill of grated cheese.
Boil and drain the macaroni. Add the sauce to it, and put into an
escalop dish. Cover with the cheese, and bake for half an hour.
Baked Hominy.
1 gill of fine breakfast hominy.
1 pint of boiling water.
1/2 pint of milk.
1 egg.
1/3 teaspoonful of salt.
1 teaspoonful of butter.
Wash the hominy in three waters, and stir it into the boiling water,
into which the salt should be sprinkled. Boil gently for one hour,
having the cover on the stewpan, and stirring often. Now add the butter,
cold milk, and the egg, well beaten, and bake in a moderate oven for one
hour. Three gills of cold boiled hominy may be substituted for the fresh
article.
This is to be served with meat or eggs for breakfast, luncheon, or
dinner.
Boiled Rice.
1 gill of rice.
3 pints of boiling water.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
Wash the rice by putting it in cold water and rubbing it hard between
the hands. Do this three times. Drain off all the water, and put the
rice in a large stewpan with the boiling water. Place it where it will
boil all the time with the stewpan uncovered. When it has been cooking
for fifteen minutes add the salt; but do not stir it, for rice is
spoiled if stirred during the cooking. When it has boiled for
twenty-five minutes, turn it into a colander and drain off all the
water. Place the colander on a plate, and set it on the hearth or the
back part of the range. Cover the rice with a coarse towel. In this way
it can be kept hot and dry for a long time.
Baked Rice.
1/2 pint of boiled rice.
1/2 pint of milk.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
1 teaspoonful of butter.
1 egg.
Add the egg, well beaten, to all the other ingredients, and bake slowly
for half an hour.
Rice Croquettes.
1/2 pint of boiled rice.
1 gill of milk.
2 eggs.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 tablespoonful of sugar.
1/2 teaspoonful of salt.
The grated yellow rind of a lemon.
Bread crumbs.
Put the milk, rice, butter, and seasoning on to boil. Beat one egg till
light, and stir it into the boiling mixture. Cook for one minute,
stirring all the time. Turn the mixture out on a plate, and set away to
cool. When cold shape into small cylinders. Beat the second egg in a
soup plate. Cover the croquettes, one at a time, with the beaten egg,
then roll in dried bread crumbs. Fry in deep fat for one minute and a
half. Drain on brown paper, and serve at once.
Vegetable Hash.
1 pint of hashed cabbage,
1 pint of hashed potatoes.
1/2 pint of hashed turnips.
1/2 pint of hashed beets.
2 tablespoonfuls of corned beef fat.
When the above-named vegetables, or any other kinds, such as parsnips
and carrots, are left over from a boiled dinner, chop them separately
and rather coarse. Season them with salt and pepper, the amount
depending upon how well the vegetables were seasoned when served hot.
Mix them together. Put the corned beef fat in a frying-pan and set on
the fire, and when it is melted add the vegetables and cover the pan.
Place on a moderately hot part of the range, and cook for half an hour,
stirring frequently with a fork.
Just before serving draw the pan forward to a hotter part of the fire,
and stir for three minutes. Serve very hot.
Two tablespoonfuls of butter may be used instead of the beef fat.
Celery.
Celery should be kept in a cool place, but it must not be wrapped in wet
paper or kept in water. Break the blades from the stalks, and scrape off
any brown spots that may be found; next wash the celery, and let it
stand in ice-water for ten or twenty minutes to become crisp. Put it in
a celery dish with some bits of ice, and serve at once.
How to Keep Lettuce Crisp.
Lettuce can be kept crisp and fresh for several days, if necessary, by
placing the roots in water. Do not let the water come up as high as the
leaves. When ready to serve the lettuce, wash it leaf by leaf in a pan
of cold water, and drop it into another pan of ice-water. It will become
crisp in a few minutes. Shake the water from the leaves before serving.
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