Chapter XVIII: Vegetables and Farinaceous Products (2)

Their quality is such that they are almost always good, in spite of faulty preparation—so common in their case; but, when they are cooked with care, no other vegetable can surpass them in perfection of flavour. They should be taken quite fresh, and they should not be cooked too long. They are best when they seem a little firm to the teeth, without, of course, being in the least hard.

They must not be cooled when cooked; they should only be _sautéd_ over the fire with the view of causing the evaporation of their moisture.

After having seasoned them with salt and pepper, add to them (per lb.) about three oz. of very fresh butter, cut into small pieces; _sauté_ them so as to effect their leason, and straightway serve them.

Do not add chopped parsley to French beans, unless it be very tender and gathered and chopped at the last moment.

2158—HARICOTS PANACHÉS

This consists of French beans and flageolets, in equal quantities, cohered with butter.

2159—PURÉE DE HARICOTS VERTS

Cook the French beans in salted water; drain them well, and stew them in butter for eight or ten minutes. Rub them through a fine sieve, and mix the resulting purée with half its bulk of very creamy, flageolet purée.

=Lettuces (Laitues)=

2160—LAITUES BRAISÉES AU JUS

After having parboiled, cooled, and pressed the water out of them, tie them together in twos or threes, and braise them as directed under No. 275. This done, cut them in two, unfold the end of each half, and set them on a dish, in the form of a crown; alternating them with heart-shaped _croûtons_ fried in butter. Or, merely dish them in a timbale.

Coat them with the reduced braising-liquor combined with some thickened veal gravy.

N.B.—Braised lettuces may also be stuffed after the manner described under No. 2106.

2161—LAITUES A LA MOELLE

Braise and dish the lettuces as above.

Upon the turban of lettuces, set a crown of large slices of poached marrow, and coat with a moderately thick buttered gravy.

2162—LAITUES FARCIES

Parboil, cool, and press the lettuces.

This done, open them in the middle without touching their stems, and garnish them with good forcemeat, combined with half its bulk of dry Duxelles (No. 223). Reconstruct the lettuces; string them; braise them, and dish them as directed under No. 2160.

2163—LAITUES FARCIES POUR GARNITURE

Proceed as directed under Nos. 2104 to 2106.

2164—LAITUES A LA CRÈME

Proceed as directed under No. 2089.

2165—SOUFFLÉ DE LAITUES

Proceed as directed under No. 2139.

=Lentils (Lentilles)=

Lentils are cooked as directed under the “preparation of dry vegetables” (No. 274).

2166—LENTILLES AU BEURRE

Carefully drain the lentils; dry them by tossing them over the fire, and cohere them with butter in the proportion of two oz. of the latter per lb. of lentils.

Dish in a timbale, and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.

2167—PURÉE DE LENTILLES

Proceed as for the purée of haricot-beans.

2168—VÉRONIQUE (Laver)

As this vegetable is sold already cooked at English markets, it is only necessary to add enough good Espagnole sauce to it, when heating it, to make a properly consistent purée.

2169—MAIZE (Maïs)

Take the maize when it is quite fresh and still milky, and cook it either in steam or salted water; taking care to retain the leaves on the ears. When cooked, the leaves are drawn back so as to represent stalks, and the ears are bared if they be served whole. This done, set the ears on a napkin, and send a hors-d’œuvre dish of fresh butter to the table with them.

If the maize has to be grilled, put the ears on a grill in the oven, and, when they have swollen and are of a golden colour, withdraw the grains and set the latter on a napkin. Sometimes, too, the ears are served whole.

When maize is served as an accompaniment, the grains are separated from the stalk and cohered with butter or cream, exactly like peas.

Failing fresh maize, excellent preserved kinds are to be found on the market.

2170—SOUFFLÉ DE MAÏS A LA CRÈME

Cook the maize in water or steam; rub it quickly through tammy; put it into a saucepan with a small piece of butter, and quickly dry it.

This done, add sufficient fresh cream to this purée to make a somewhat soft paste. Thicken this paste with the yolks of three eggs, per lb. of purée, and combine it with the whites of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Mould and cook after the manner of an ordinary _soufflé_.

2171—SOUFFLÉ DE MAÏS AU PAPRIKA

Before rubbing the maize through a sieve, add to it two tablespoonfuls of chopped onion fried in butter, and a large pinch of paprika per lb. of maize. Proceed for the rest of the operation as in the case of No. 2170.

N.B.—These two _soufflés_ are served as a garnish and may be cooked either in a timbale or in small _cassolettes_. They constitute excellent adjuncts to large, poached fowls.

2172—CHESTNUTS (Marrons)

Slightly split open the shell on the convex sides of the nuts, and put them in the oven for from seven to eight minutes, on a tray containing a little water, that they may be shelled with ease.

Or, split them open in the same way; put them in small quantities at a time in a frying-basket, and plunge them into very hot fat. Peel them while they are still quite hot.

2173—STEWED CHESTNUTS

As soon as they are peeled, cook them in enough consommé to just cover them, and add half a stick of celery per lb. of chestnuts.

If they are intended for the stuffing of a goose or a turkey, keep them somewhat firm.

2174—BRAISED AND GLAZED CHESTNUTS

Take some very large chestnuts, and dip them in hot fat in order to peel them. Then set them in one layer, one against the other in a sautépan. If they were heaped, only a poor result could be obtained.

Moisten them, just enough to cover, with strong veal stock, and stir them as little as possible while they are cooking, so as to avoid breaking them.

When they are three-parts cooked, reduce the moistening, and gently roll the chestnuts in the glaze resulting from this reduction, that they may be covered with a brilliant coating.

Chestnuts prepared in this way serve more particularly as a garnish.

2175—PURÉE DE MARRONS

Having thoroughly peeled the chestnuts, cook them in white consommé, with a celery stalk as in the case of No. 2173, and one-half oz. of sugar per lb. of chestnuts. Continue cooking until they may be easily crushed; rub them through tammy, and treat the purée as directed in the case of the preceding ones.

2176—TURNIPS (Navets)

Whether served as vegetables or as a garnish, turnips are prepared like carrots. They may, therefore, either be served glazed, or “à la Crème,” &c.

They may also be served stuffed, after the following recipes:—

2177—STUFFED TURNIPS.—_A_

Take some round, medium-sized turnips, fairly equal in size. Peel them, and, in so doing, shape them nicely; then, by means of a round fancy-cutter, cut them deeply at their base, pressing the instrument into the pulp.

This done, thoroughly parboil and empty them.

With the withdrawn pulp, prepare a purée, to which add an equal quantity of mashed potatoes. Garnish the turnips with this purée, and shape the visible portion of the latter dome-fashion.

Set the stuffed turnips in a sautépan, and complete their cooking in butter, taking care to baste them frequently.

2178—STUFFED TURNIPS.—_B_

Prepare the turnips as above; but stuff them with a preparation of semolina cooked in consommé and combined with grated Parmesan.

Complete the cooking as directed in the preceding recipe.

N.B.—Proceeding in the same way, turnips may be stuffed with spinach, chicory, and even with farinaceous vegetables or rice, kept very creamy. All these garnishes are at once sightly and excellent.

2179—PURÉE DE NAVETS (Turnip Purée)

Slice the turnips and cook them in a little butter, salt, sugar, and the necessary amount of water. Rub through tammy, and thicken the resulting purée with only just the required quantity of very good mashed potatoes.

2180—TURNIP-TOPS

Young turnip-tops are very much liked in England as a luncheon vegetable. They should be prepared like “Choux verts cooked _à l’anglaise_.”

=Onions (Oignons)=

2181—STUFFED ONIONS

Take some medium-sized, mild, Spanish onions; cut them at a point one-quarter of their height from the top, and parboil them thoroughly.

Empty them, leaving only a wall one-third in. thick; chop up the withdrawn parts, and mix them with an equal quantity of Duxelles (No. 225).

Garnish the emptied onions with this preparation; complete their cooking by braising them, and glaze them at the last moment, simultaneously with the formation of the _gratin_.

N.B.—Proceed in the same way for onions stuffed with spinach, Rizotto, or semolina, &c., as suggested under Nos. 2177 and 2178.

Onions may also be garnished with a _soufflé_ preparation of spinach, tomatoes, chicory, &c. Herein lies scope for a great variety of excellent and uncommon garnishes.

2182—FRIED ONIONS

Cut them into roundels one-fifth in. thick; separate the rings; season them with salt and pepper; dredge them and fry them in very hot oil.

Drain on a piece of linen and salt slightly.

Onions prepared in this way are used particularly as an accompaniment.

2183—GLAZED ONIONS

_For the preparation without colouration_: Peel some small onions of equal size without grazing them. Set them to cook in enough white consommé to almost cover them, and two oz. of butter per pint of consommé.

At the last moment roll them in their cooking-liquor, reduced to a glaze.

_For the preparation with colouration_: Cook the onions very gently in butter, with a pinch of powdered sugar, so that the cooking and the colouring may be effected together.

2184—PURÉE D’OIGNONS, dite SOUBISE

See No. 104, in the chapter on sauces.

2185—SORREL (Oseille)

Having shredded the sorrel and washed it in several waters, set it to cook gently in a little water. This done, thoroughly drain it on a sieve and mix it with a pale roux, consisting of two oz. of butter and one oz. of flour. Add one and one-quarter pints of consommé, salt, and a pinch of sugar to it, and braise it in the oven for two hours.

Then rub it through tammy; thicken it with the yolks of six eggs or three whole eggs beaten to a stiff froth and strained through a strainer. Heat, and finish with one-sixth pint of cream and five oz. of butter.

Dish in a timbale, and sprinkle with strong, veal stock.

2186—OXALIS

Cook this in boiling salted water after having well cleaned and washed it. It may then be prepared “à la Crème,” stuffed, or “au Gratin.”

Oxalis purée is called Purée Brésilienne, and is prepared in the same way as turnip purée.

2187—SWEET POTATOES

Sweet potatoes are generally served, baked in their skins, and accompanied by fresh butter. They may also be prepared according to the majority of potato-recipes, especially the following:—

_Sautées_, _Gratinées_, _Mashed_, _Duchesse_, &c.

They may also be fried; but, in that case, they should be served the moment they are ready, for they soften very quickly.

Finally, they may be prepared soufflé-fashion, after the directions given under “Soufflé de Pommes de Terre.”

2188—PEAS (Petits Pois)

Whatever be the treatment to which peas are to be subjected, always take them very green and freshly gathered, and shell them only at the last minute. Peas are one of the vegetables most prone to lose their quality through want of care. If prepared with pains, the delicacy of their flavour is incomparable; but the slightest neglect on the part of the operator renders them savourless and commonplace.

2189—PETITS POIS A L’ANGLAISE

Cook them quickly in salted boiling water; drain them, and dry them by tossing them over a fierce fire. Dish them in a timbale, and serve some pats of very fresh butter separately.

2190—PETITS POIS AU BEURRE

As soon as the peas are cooked, drain them and toss them over a fierce fire, to dry. Then season them with a pinch of powdered sugar, and cohere them, away from the fire, with butter, in the proportion of three oz. per pint of peas.

2191—PETITS POIS A LA BONNE-FEMME

Fry twelve oz. of small onions and four oz. of breast of bacon, cut into dice and _blanched_ in butter; add one-half oz. of flour to the latter; cook the roux for a moment; moisten with one-half pint of consommé and boil.

Put one quart of freshly-shelled peas into this sauce; add the onions and the bacon, together with a bunch of parsley; and cook, reducing the sauce to half in so doing.

2192—PETITS POIS A LA FLAMANDE

Prepare one-half lb. of new carrots as though they were to be glazed.

When half-cooked, add two-thirds pint of freshly-shelled peas to them. Complete the cooking of the two vegetables together, and, at the last moment, add butter away from the fire.

2193—PETITS POIS A LA FRANÇAISE

Take a saucepan, of a size a little larger than would be necessary to just hold the following products, and put into it one quart of freshly-shelled peas; a faggot containing the heart of a lettuce, two sprays of parsley, and two of chervil; twelve small onions, four oz. of butter, one-third oz. of salt, and two-thirds oz. of loaf-sugar. Mix the whole together until it forms a compact mass, and place in the cool until ready for cooking. Add three tablespoonfuls of water, when about to cook the peas, and cook gently with lid on.

When about to serve, withdraw the faggot; _cisel_ the lettuce; add it to the peas, and cohere the whole with butter, away from the fire.

N.B.—Raw, _ciseled_ lettuce may be added to the peas; but, as various tastes must be allowed for, it is better to insert the lettuce whole, and to mix it with the peas afterwards, if it be so desired. The lettuce may also be quartered and laid on the peas without being mixed with them.

2194—PETITS POIS A LA MENTHE

Cook the peas in salted water, together with a bunch of fresh mint.

Then prepare them in the English way or “au Beurre,” and lay a few parboiled mint leaves upon them when serving.

2195—PURÉE DE POIS FRAIS, dite SAINT-GERMAIN

Cook the peas with just enough boiling water to cover them, and season it with one-half oz. of salt, and one-sixth oz. of sugar per quart. Add a lettuce and a few parsley leaves (tied together). When the peas are cooked, drain them; and reduce their cooking-liquor while they are being rubbed through a sieve.

Work the purée with four oz. of fresh butter per quart, and finally add to it the cooking-liquor, reduced almost to a glaze.

2196—MOULDED PEASE PURÉE FOR GARNISH

Prepare the purée as above; but keep it a little creamier. Mix with it, per quart, two whole eggs and the yolks of three, beaten and strained through muslin. With this preparation, fill some _dariole_- or _baba_-moulds, according to the piece for which the timbales are intended, and poach them in a _bain-marie_ for from twenty to twenty-five minutes.

Remember to let them stand for five minutes before unmoulding them.

N.B.—Timbales of haricot-beans, flageolets, or lentil purée, are prepared similarly.

2197—CAPSICUM OR PIMENTOS (Poivrons doux)

The capsicums used in cookery are of various kinds: the Chilian and Cayenne kinds (Chili and Cayenne peppers) which have a strong, burning taste, are only used as condiments.

The large or mild capsicums, green, red, or yellow, are used more particularly as garnishes. Although the difference in their colouration is accompanied by a difference of quality, they are not easily distinguished in this respect; and, although the large, red Spanish capsicums are the best, the other varieties may be treated in the same way as the former.

Whatever be the kind of capsicums used, either grill or scald them in order to skin them, and clear them of their seeds. According to the purpose they are intended for, they are either cut up or left whole.

2198—PIMENTOS FARCIS

For this purpose take some small, green, carrot-shaped capsicums.

Remove their stems, after having skinned them; empty them, and half-fill them with half-cooked, pilaff rice.

Then set them in a sautépan, and carefully braise them with excellent stock.

2199—CAPSICUMS FOR GARNISHING

For this purpose, the large red, Spanish capsicums are best.

Braise them when they are peeled, and, when cooked, cut them up as the requirements may suggest.

2200—PURÉE DE PIMENTOS

Braise some large, red capsicums, with two-thirds of their weight of rice. When the whole is well cooked, rub it through a sieve, and add butter to the extent of two oz. per quart of the preparation.

N.B.—This purée is particularly well suited to poached fowls and white meats, and it is well to keep it thin.

2201—POTATOES (Pommes de Terre)

Ordinary potatoes are rarely of good quality in England, and they do not lend themselves as well as certain Continental varieties do to the various culinary uses to which this valuable tuber may be put.

The very best kinds of potato are almost unknown in England, and the Dutch and Vitelotte potatoes have to be imported.

2202—POMMES DE TERRE A L’ANGLAISE

Turn the potatoes to the shape of large garlic cloves, and cook them in salted water or steam. They accompany more especially boiled fish.

The English method is to cook them without salt.

2203—POMMES DE TERRE ANNA

Cut them to the shape of cylinders; slice these into thin roundels; wash them, and dry them in a piece of linen.

Set these roundels in circles on the bottom of the mould proper to this potato preparation, or in a well-buttered thick-bottomed sautépan; let them overlap one another, and let the lay of each circle be reversed.

Season; spread a coat of butter upon the first layer, and proceed in the same way with a second layer.

Make five or six layers in this way, seasoning and spreading butter over each.

Cover the utensil; cook in a good oven for thirty minutes; turn the whole over, if necessary, to equalise the colouring; turn out upon a saucepan-lid, to drain away the butter, and then tilt the whole on to a dish.

2204—POMMES ANNA FOR GARNISHING

Either _dariole_- or _baba_-moulds may be used for this purpose; but they should be tinned copper ones if possible. After having thoroughly buttered them, garnish them with thin roundels of potato, cut to the diameter of the moulds, seasoned, and set one upon the other. Set the moulds on a tray containing enough very hot fat to reach half-way up to their brims, and cook in a very hot oven for twenty-five minutes.

Turn out just before serving.

2205—POMMES DE TERRE BERNY

Add chopped truffles to some “Croquette” paste (No. 219), in the proportion of two oz. of the former to one lb. of the latter; and divide up this preparation into two-oz. portions. Mould these to shapes resembling apricots; dip them in beaten eggs (No. 174), and roll them in almonds cut into the thinnest possible splinters. Plunge the potato balls into hot fat five or six minutes before serving.

2206—POMMES DE TERRE A LA BOULANGÈRE

This preparation has been given in various recipes (see No. 1307).

2207—POMMES DE TERRE BYRON

Prepare the required amount of “Pommes Macaire” (No. 2228), and cook in butter in a small frying-pan. Dish; sprinkle copiously with cream and grated cheese, and set to glaze quickly.

2208—POMMES DE TERRE CHÂTEAU

Turn them to the shape of large olives; season them; cook them gently in clarified butter, that they may be golden and very soft; and, just before serving, sprinkle them moderately with chopped parsley.

2209—POMMES DE TERRE A LA CRÈME

Vitelotte or new kidney potatoes are needed for this preparation.

Cook them in salted water; peel them as soon as this is done, and cut them into rather thick roundels. Put them in a sautépan; moisten, enough to cover them, with boiling cream; season, and reduce the cream.

At the last moment, finish with raw cream.

2210—CROQUETTES DE POMMES DE TERRE

Prepare the necessary quantity of “Croquette” paste (No. 219), and divide it into two-oz. portions. Roll these to the shape of corks or pears; treat them _à l’anglaise_, and put them into very hot fat, five or six minutes before serving.

2211—CROQUETTES DE POMMES DE TERRE A LA DAUPHINE

Take the required amount of “Pommes Dauphine” preparation (No. 220); divide it into two-oz. portions; mould these to the shape of corks; treat them _à l’anglaise_, and fry them like ordinary _croquettes_.

2212—POMMES DE TERRE A LA DUCHESSE

Use the same preparation as for No. 2210. Mould the portions to the shape of small cottage-brioches, _galettes_ or small loaves, or shape them by means of the piping-bag. Arrange them on a buttered tray; _gild_ them with beaten egg, and colour them in a fierce oven for seven or eight minutes before serving them.

2213—POMMES DE TERRE DUCHESSE AU CHESTER

Use the same preparation as for No. 2210, and combine it with two oz. of grated Chester per lb. Mould it to the shape of very small _galettes_; set these portions on a buttered tray; _gild_ them with beaten eggs; cover each with a thin slice of Chester, and set them in the oven for seven or eight minutes before serving.

2214—POMMES DE TERRE FONDANTES

Cut the potatoes to the shape of large, elongated olives, and let each weigh about three oz. Gently cook them in butter, in a sautépan, and take care to turn them over.

When they are cooked, withdraw them, so as to slightly flatten them with a fork without breaking them. Drain away their butter; return them to the sautépan with three oz. of fresh butter per every two lbs. of their weight, and cook them with lid on until they have entirely absorbed the butter.

2215—POMMES DE TERRE EN ALLUMETTES

Trim the potatoes square, and then cut them into small rods, of one-fifth in. sides. Put them in hot fat, and let them dry well before draining them.

2216—POMMES DE TERRE CHATOUILLARD

Trim the potatoes, and cut them into long even ribbons one-eighth in. thick. Treat these ribbons like “Pommes soufflées” (see No. 2221).

2217—CHIPPED POTATOES

Cut the potatoes into thin roundels, by means of a special plane; put them into cold water for ten minutes; drain them; dry them in linen, and fry them, keeping them very crisp. Serve them cold or hot, with game roasted in the English way.

2218—POMMES DE TERRE COLLERETTE

Turn the potatoes to the shape of corks, and cut them with a special knife which grooves them. Treat them like chipped potatoes.

2219—POMMES DE TERRE PAILLES

Cut the potatoes into a long, thin _julienne_; wash them and thoroughly dry them on a piece of linen.

Put them into hot fat; and, at the end of a few minutes, drain them in a frying-basket. Just before serving them, plunge them afresh into smoking fat, that they may be very crisp; drain them on a piece of linen, and salt them moderately.

2220—POMMES DE TERRE PONT-NEUF

Trim the potatoes square, and cut them into rods of half-inch sides. Plunge them into hot fat, and leave them there until they are crisp outside and creamy in.

This preparation represents the generic type of fried potatoes.

2221—POMMES DE TERRE SOUFFLÉES

Trim the potatoes square, and carefully cut them into slices one-eighth inch thick. Wash them in cold water; thoroughly dry them, and put them into moderately hot fat. As soon as the potatoes are in it, gradually heat the fat until they are cooked—which they are known to be when they rise to the surface of the frying fat.

Drain them in the frying-basket, and at once immerse them in fresh and hotter fat. This final immersion effects the puffing, which results from the sudden contact with intense heat.

Leave the potatoes to dry; drain them on a stretched piece of linen; salt them moderately, and dish them.

2222—GRATIN DE POMMES DE TERRE A LA DAUPHINOISE

Finely slice two lbs. of fair-sized Dutch potatoes. Put them in a basin, and add thereto salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, one beaten egg, one and one-half pints of boiled milk, and four oz. of fresh, grated Gruyère.

Thoroughly mix up the whole.

Pour this preparation into earthenware dishes, rubbed with garlic and well buttered; copiously sprinkle with grated Gruyère; add a few pieces of butter, and cook in a moderate oven for from forty to forty-five minutes.

2223—POMMES DE TERRE A LA HONGROISE

Fry four oz. of chopped onion in butter, together with a coffeespoonful of paprika. Add two peeled, pressed, and sliced tomatoes; two lbs. of potatoes, cut into somewhat thick roundels, and moisten, just enough to cover, with consommé. Cook, while almost entirely reducing the moistening, and sprinkle with chopped parsley at the last moment.

2224—POMMES DE TERRE GRATINÉES

This preparation may be made in two ways as follows:—

(1) Make a smooth potato purée; this done, put it into a deep, buttered _gratin_-dish; smooth its surface; sprinkle the latter with grated cheese mixed with fine raspings; bedew with melted butter, and set the _gratin_ to form in a fierce oven.

(2) Bake some fine, well-washed, Dutch potatoes in the oven. As soon as they are cooked, open them lengthwise; withdraw their pulp; rub the latter through a sieve while it is still quite hot, and finish it after the manner of an ordinary purée.

Fill the half-shells with purée; sprinkle the latter with grated cheese and raspings; lay the half-shells on a tray, and set the _gratin_ to form as above.

On taking the potatoes out of the oven, dish them on a napkin, and serve them immediately.

2225—POMMES DE TERRE AU LARD

Frizzle in butter one-half lb. of breast of salted pork, cut into dice and _blanched_, and twelve small onions. Drain the bacon and the onions; mix one oz. of flour with the butter; brown for a few minutes, and moisten with one and one-quarter pints of consommé. Season with a pinch of pepper, and add two lbs. of medium-sized, quartered and well-trimmed potatoes, the bacon and the onions, and a faggot. Cover and cook gently.

Dish in a timbale, and sprinkle moderately with chopped parsley.

2226—POMMES DE TERRE LORETTE

Add some grated cheese to the preparation for “Pommes Dauphine,” in the proportion of one oz. of the former per lb. of the latter.

Divide up this mixture into one and one-half oz. portions; mould these to the shape of crescents, and dredge them moderately.

Plunge these crescents into very hot fat about six minutes before serving.

2227—POMMES DE TERRE A LA LYONNAISE

Cut some peeled and plain-boiled potatoes into roundels, and toss these in butter in a frying-pan. Likewise toss some sliced onions in butter, the quantity of the former measuring one-fourth of that of the potatoes. When the onions are of a nice golden colour, add them to the _sautéd_ potatoes; season with salt and pepper; _sauté_ the two products together for a few minutes, that they may mix thoroughly, and dish them in a timbale with chopped parsley.

2228—POMMES DE TERRE MACAIRE

Bake some Dutch potatoes in the oven. As soon as they are done, empty them and collect their pulp on a dish; season it with salt and pepper, and work it with a fork; adding to it, the while, one and one-half oz. of butter per lb.

Spread this preparation in the form of a _galette_ on the bottom of an omelet-pan containing some very hot, clarified butter, and brown it well on both sides.

2229—POMMES DE TERRE MAIRE

Prepare these exactly like “Pommes à la Crème.”

2230—POMMES DE TERRE A LA MAÎTRE-D’HÔTEL

Cook some medium-sized Dutch potatoes in salted water; peel them; cut them into roundels while they are still quite hot, and cover them with boiling milk.

Season them with salt and white pepper; completely reduce the milk, and dish them in a timbale with chopped parsley.

2231—POMMES DE TERRE MARQUISE

Mix some very reduced and very red tomato purée with the preparation for “Pommes Duchesse,” in the proportion of three tablespoonfuls of the former per lb. of the latter.

Set this preparation on buttered trays (by means of a piping-bag fitted with a large, grooved pipe) in shapes resembling half-eggs.

_Gild_ them slightly with beaten eggs, and set them in a somewhat hot oven seven or eight minutes before serving.

2232—POMMES DE TERRE A LA MENTHE

Cook some fair-sized new potatoes in the English way, and add a bunch of mint to them. Dish them in a timbale, and set a mint-leaf (from the bunch) upon each potato.

2233—POMMES DE TERRE MIREILLE

Cut some medium-sized, raw potatoes into roundels. Season them and _sauté_ them in butter. When they are ready, add to them, per lb., four oz. of sliced artichoke-bottoms, tossed in butter, and one and one-half oz. of truffle slices.

_Sauté_ the whole so as to ensure a complete mixture, and dish in a timbale.

2234—POMMES DE TERRE MIRETTE

Cut some raw potatoes into a _julienne_ one-eighth inch wide, and cook them in butter, keeping them very creamy. Add to them, per lb., two oz. of a _julienne_ of truffles and three tablespoonfuls of melted meat glaze.

Mix; dish in a timbale; sprinkle with grated Parmesan and melted butter, and set to glaze quickly.

2235—POMMES DE TERRE MOUSSELINE

Prepare a flawn-crust, baked without colouration.

Meanwhile, bake a few Dutch potatoes in the oven; withdraw their pulp; season it with salt and white pepper, and work it over the fire with four oz. of butter and the yolks of two eggs per lb. of its weight. Add one-sixth pint of whisked cream, and set the preparation in the crust, shaping it like a dome. Decorate by means of a piping-bag, fitted with a grooved pipe, with some of the preparation which should have been put aside; sprinkle with melted butter, and set to glaze quickly.

2236—POMMES DE TERRE NOISETTES

Cut the potatoes, by means of a round spoon-cutter, into pieces the size of hazel-nuts. Season and cook them in butter, and take care to keep them nicely golden and creamy.

2237—POMMES DE TERRE PARISIENNE

Prepare some “Pommes Noisettes” as above; but cut them a little smaller. When they are cooked, roll them in melted meat glaze, and sprinkle them with chopped parsley.

2238—POMMES DE TERRE PARMESANE

Proceed as directed under “Pommes au Chester” (No. 2213), but substitute Parmesan for the latter.

2239—POMMES DE TERRE PERSILLEES

Cook the potatoes in the English way, that is to say, boil them plainly; drain them well, and roll them in melted butter and chopped parsley.

2240—POMMES DE TERRE ROBERT

Prepare a composition of “Pomme Macaire,” and add thereto, per lb., three eggs and a large pinch of chopped chives. Cook in the frying-pan as for “Pomme Macaire.”

2241—POMMES DE TERRE A LA ROXELANE

Bake six fine Dutch potatoes in the oven. Withdraw the pulp from their insides, and work it, together with one-third lb. of butter and four egg-yolks, and enough fresh cream to thin it. Complete with the whites of two eggs, beaten to a stiff froth.

Set this preparation in small timbales, made from brioches the knobs of which have been removed, and the under halves of which have been emptied of all crumb. Sprinkle with chopped truffle, and bake in a mild oven as for a _soufflé_.

2242—POMMES DE TERRE A LA SAVOYARDE

Proceed as for No. 2222; but replace the milk by some consommé.

2243—POMMES DE TERRE A LA SAINT-FLORENTIN

Prepare some “Pommes Croquettes” paste (No. 219). Combine therewith (per lb.) two oz. of chopped, lean ham. Roll the portions into the shape of corks; dip them in beaten eggs, and roll them in vermicelli. This done, flatten so as to give them a rectangular shape, and fry them in very hot fat.

2244—POMMES DE TERRE SCHNEIDER

Proceed as directed under No. 2230; but for the milk substitute some consommé. Reduce in the same way, and finish with butter, melted meat glaze, and chopped parsley.

2245—POMMES DE TERRE SUZETTE

Peel some fine, Dutch potatoes, and turn them to the shape of eggs. Cut them flat at one end that they may stand upright, and bake them on a tray in the oven.

Open them like a boiled egg; put aside the pieces thus cut off, and withdraw the pulp from their insides. Season this pulp, and work it; adding to it the while, per lb., two oz. of butter, two egg-yolks, a few tablespoonfuls of thick cream, and a little _salpicon_ of the white of a chicken, tongue, truffles, and mushrooms. Fill the potato-shells with this preparation; readjust the covers, and set them in the oven for ten minutes.

On withdrawing them from the oven, set the potatoes on a dish, and glaze them with melted butter.

2246—POMMES DE TERRE VOISIN

Prepare these exactly like “Pommes Anna,” but sprinkle each layer of potato-roundels with grated cheese. The cooking is the same.

2247—POMMES NANA (For Garnishing)

Cut the potatoes into a _julienne_; season them, and mould them by heaping them into well-buttered, _dariole_-moulds. Cook them, like “Pommes Anna” (for garnishing), on a tray containing some very hot fat.

On taking them out of the oven, turn them out and sprinkle them with Château sauce.

2248—MASHED POTATOES

Peel and quarter some Dutch potatoes, and quickly cook them in salted water. When they feel soft to the touch, drain them; rub them through a sieve, and work the purée vigorously with three oz. of butter per lb. of potatoes. Then add, little by little, about one-half pint of boiling milk, in order to bring the purée to the required consistence. Heat without boiling, and serve.

Remember that mashed potatoes should be only just cooked, and that if they be allowed to wait they lose all their quality.

2249—QUENELLES DE POMMES DE TERRE

Prepare a composition as for “Pommes Duchesse,” and add thereto (per two lbs.) three whole eggs and one-third lb. of flour. Divide up the preparation into one and one-half oz. portions; mould these to the shape of corks or quoits, or mould them by means of a spoon, and set them in a buttered sautépan. Poach them in salted water; drain them; set them on a buttered dish sprinkled with grated cheese; dredge with grated cheese; sprinkle with melted butter, and set the _gratin_ to form.

On taking the dish out of the oven, sprinkle the quenelles with nut-brown butter.

2250—SOUFFLÉ DE POMMES DE TERRE

Prepare a pint of mashed potatoes with cream; add thereto the raw yolks of three eggs and their whites beaten to a stiff froth. Set in a buttered _soufflé_ saucepan, or in small porcelain cases, and cook like an ordinary _soufflé_.

=Rice (Riz)=

2251—RIZ AU BLANC (For Fowls and Eggs)

Wash one-half lb. of Carolina rice; put it into a saucepan; cover it with plenty of cold water; salt it, and parboil it for one-quarter hour.

This done, drain it and put it into a sautépan with two and one-half oz. of butter cut into small pieces. Mix with a fork; cover, and place in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes.

2252—RIZ AU GRAS

Parboil one-half lb. of Carolina rice; drain it; fry it in butter, and moisten it with twice as much white and rather fat consommé as would be needed just to cover it. Set to boil, and then cook it gently in the oven for fifteen minutes.

2253—RIZ A LA GRECQUE

Prepare some “Pilaff” rice. Add to it, per lb. of its weight one half-onion, chopped and fried in butter, together with two oz. of fat sausage-meat, divided into small portions, and two oz. of _ciseled_ lettuce; cook the whole, and complete with one-quarter pint of peas, cooked “à la Française,” and one and one-half oz. of red capsicums cut into dice.

This garnish is mixed with the rice seven or eight minutes before serving.

2254—RIZ A L’INDIENNE

Parboil one-half lb. of Patna rice in salted water, for fifteen minutes; stirring it from time to time the while.

Drain it; wash it in several cold waters; lay it on a napkin, and set the latter on a tray or on a sieve. Dry for fifteen minutes in a steamer or in a very moderate oven.

2255—RIZ PILAFF

Fry one chopped half-onion and one-half lb. of Carolina rice in two oz. of butter. Stir over the fire, until the rice is well affected all over; moisten with one quart of white consommé; cover, and cook in a moderate oven for eighteen minutes. Transfer it to another saucepan as soon as it is cooked.

2256—PILAFF RICE (For the Stuffing of Fowls)

Pilaff rice is frequently used in stuffing fowls.

For this purpose, when it is cooked, it is combined (per quart) with a little cream, four oz. of foie-gras dice, and as much truffle, also in dice. The rice should only be three-parts cooked for stuffings; for it completes its cooking inside the bird. For this reason the cream is added, that the rice may absorb it while its cooking is being completed.

2257—RIZ PILAFF A LA TURQUE

Prepare some pilaff rice as directed under No. 2255, and, while it is cooking, add to it enough saffron to make it of a nice, golden colour. When cooked, add four oz. of peeled and _concassed_ tomatoes to it.

2258—RIZOTTO A LA PIÉMONTAISE

Fry a medium-sized onion in butter, and add to it one-half lb. of Piedmont rice. Put the rice on the side of the stove; add some saffron to it and stir it until it is well saturated with butter. Moisten the rice with about one quart of consommé per lb. The consommé should be added to the rice in seven or eight instalments, and as fast as it becomes absorbed, a fresh supply should be forthcoming. When adding the liquor, stir the rice with a wooden spoon.

Cook the rice under cover, and, to the resulting preparation, which should thus be creamy, add a few pieces of fresh butter and some grated Parmesan.

The dish may be finished, either with shavings of white truffles or ham cut into dice.

2259—SALSIFY or OYSTER PLANT (Salsifis)

There are two kinds of salsify:—the white and the black, which is also called “viper’s grass.”

After having carefully scraped and washed it, cook it in a _blanc_. The same preparations suit the two kinds.

2260—FRIED SALSIFY

After having thoroughly drained it, cut it into three and one-half lengths, and put these on a dish.

Season with salt and pepper; add lemon juice, a few drops of oil, some chopped parsley, and leave to _marinade_ for from twenty-five to thirty minutes, taking care to toss the salsify from time to time. This done, drain the lengths of salsify, dip them in some thin batter; plunge them in very hot fat, and drain them when the batter is quite dry. Dish them on a napkin with fried parsley.

N.B.—It is not absolutely necessary to _marinade_ salsify; the question is one of taste.

2261—SALSIFIS SAUTÉ

Cut it into two-inch lengths; dry them very well, and toss these in butter in an omelet-pan, until they are of a nice golden colour. Season, and dish in a timbale with fried parsley.

2262—SALSIFIS A LA CRÈME

Proceed as directed in the case of other vegetables prepared in this way.

=Tomatoes=

2263—GRILLED TOMATOES

Take some whole tomatoes, if possible; oil them copiously, and grill them gently.

2264—TOMATES FARCIES

If the tomatoes to be stuffed be large, cut them in two laterally; if they be medium-sized or small, a lateral slice cut from their stem-ends is sufficient. In any case, press them slightly in order to exude their juice and seeds; season them inside with salt and pepper; set them on an oiled tray, and half-cook them in the oven.

Finally, stuff them as their designation on the menu requires.

2265—TOMATES FARCIES AU GRATIN

Having prepared the tomatoes as above, stuff them with somewhat stiff Duxelles; sprinkle with raspings and a few drops of oil, and set the _gratin_ to form in a hot oven.

On taking the dish out of the oven, surround the tomatoes with a thread of clear _tomatéd_ half-glaze sauce.

2266—TOMATES FARCIES A LA PROVENÇALE

Prepare the tomatoes as follows:—Cut them in two; remove their seeds; season them, and place them, cut side undermost, in an omelet-pan containing very hot oil. Turn them over when they are half-cooked; cook them for a little while longer; lay them on a _gratin_-dish, and stuff them with the following preparation:—For six tomatoes, fry two tablespoonfuls of chopped onion in oil; add four peeled, pressed, and _concassed_ tomatoes, a pinch of chopped parsley, and a crushed clove of garlic, and cook under cover for twelve minutes. Complete with four tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs, soaked in consommé and rubbed through a sieve; two anchovies also rubbed through a sieve, and finish with some somewhat fat, braised-beef gravy. When the tomatoes are stuffed, sprinkle them with bread-crumbs combined with grated cheese; sprinkle with oil, and set the _gratin_ to form.

These tomatoes may be served either hot or cold.

2267—TOMATES FARCIES A LA PORTUGAISE

Stuff the tomatoes with pilaff rice combined with a quarter of its volume of _concassed_ tomatoes. Dish this rice in the shape of a regular dome, and sprinkle it with chopped parsley.

N.B.—In addition to the above recipes, tomatoes prepared as already directed may also be garnished with minced chicken or lamb meat, or with scrambled eggs, sprinkled with grated Parmesan, and then set to glaze at the salamander.

2268—TOMATES SAUTÉES A LA PROVENÇALE

Having halved, pressed, and seasoned the tomatoes, put them, cut side undermost, in an omelet-pan containing very hot oil. Turn them over when they are half-cooked, and sprinkle them with a little chopped parsley, together with a mite of garlic, and some bread-crumbs. Place them in a moderate oven in order to finish their cooking, and dish the tomatoes the moment they are withdrawn from the oven.

2269—PURÉE DE TOMATES

See Tomato Sauce (No. 29).

2270—SOUFFLÉ DE TOMATES A LA NAPOLITAINE

Prepare one-half pint of very reduced tomato purée, and combine therewith two oz. of grated Parmesan, two tablespoonfuls of very stiff Béchamel sauce, and the yolks of three eggs.

Add the three whites, beaten to a stiff froth, and spread the preparation in layers in a buttered, _soufflé_ timbale; setting upon each layer a litter of freshly-cooked macaroni, cohered with butter and grated Parmesan. Cook like an ordinary _soufflé_.

=Jerusalem Artichokes (Topinambours)=

2271—TOPINAMBOURS A L’ANGLAISE

Cut the Jerusalem artichokes to the shape of large olives, and gently cook them in butter, without colouration. Season them, and cohere them with a little thin Béchamel sauce.

2272—TOPINAMBOURS FRITS

Peel and cut the Jerusalem artichokes into thick slices. Cook these in butter; dip them in batter, and fry them at the last moment.

2273—PURÉE DE TOPINAMBOURS

Peel, slice, and cook the Jerusalem artichokes in butter. Rub them through a sieve, and work the purée over the fire, with two oz. of butter per lb. Add enough mashed potatoes to thicken the preparation, and complete with a few tablespoonfuls of boiling milk.

2274—SOUFFLÉ DE TOPINAMBOURS

Proceed as for No. 2250.

=Truffles (Truffes)=

Truffles are used especially as a garnish; but they may also be served as a vegetable or a hors-d’œuvre.

When so served, they should be prepared very simply; for they require no refining treatment to make them perfect.

2275—TRUFFES SOUS LA CENDRE

Take some large truffles, and clean them well. Season them with salt and pepper and a few drops of liqueur brandy; completely enclose them in a layer of patty paste, and bake them in the oven from twenty-five to thirty minutes.

Serve them in their case of paste.

2276—TRUFFES AU CHAMPAGNE

Take some fine, well-cleaned truffles; season them, and cook them, with lid on, in champagne.

This done, set them in a timbale, or in small silver saucepans.

Almost completely reduce the champagne; add thereto a little thin, strong, veal stock; strain the whole through muslin; pour it over the truffles, and place these on the side of the stove for ten minutes without allowing the stock to boil.

2277—TRUFFES A LA CRÈME

Cut one lb. of raw, peeled truffles into thick slices. Season them with salt and pepper, and cook them very gently in two oz. of butter and a few drops of burnt liqueur brandy.

Reduce to a stiff consistence one-half pint of cream with three tablespoonfuls of Béchamel sauce; add some truffle cooking-liquor and the necessary quantity of cream; complete with two oz. of best butter; mix the truffles with this sauce, and serve in a vol-au-vent crust.

2278—TRUFFES A LA SERVIETTE

Under this head are served “Truffes au Champagne,” the recipe for which is given above, but the champagne should be replaced by Madeira.

Dish them in a timbale, set in a napkin folded to represent an artichoke. But it would be very much more reasonable to serve “Truffes à la cendre” under this head, serving them under a folded napkin, as for “Pommes de terre en robe de chambre” (potatoes in their skins).

2279—TIMBALE DE TRUFFES

Line a buttered timbale mould with ordinary patty paste.

Garnish its bottom and sides with slices of bacon, and fill up the mould with raw, peeled truffles, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Add a glassful of Madeira, two tablespoonfuls of pale chicken or veal glaze; cover with a slice of bacon, and close up the timbale, in the usual way, with a layer of paste.

_Gild_ with beaten eggs, and bake in a hot oven for fifty minutes. When about to serve, turn out and dish on a napkin.

=Farinaceous Products=

2280—GNOCHI AU GRATIN

Prepare a “pâte à choux” after recipe No. 2374, from the following ingredients:—one pint of milk, a pinch of salt, and a little nutmeg, four oz. of butter, two-thirds lb. of flour, and six eggs. When the paste is ready, combine with it four oz. of grated Parmesan. Divide this paste into portions the size of walnuts; drop them into boiling, salted water, and poach them.

As soon as the gnochi rise to the surface of the water, and seem resilient to the touch, drain them on a piece of linen.

Coat the bottom of a _gratin_-dish with Mornay sauce; set the gnochi upon the latter; cover them with the same sauce; sprinkle with grated cheese and melted butter, and set the _gratin_ to form in a moderate oven for from fifteen to twenty minutes.

2281—GNOCHI A LA ROMAINE

Scatter two-thirds lb. of semolina over a quart of boiling milk. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook gently for twenty minutes. Take the utensil off the fire; thicken the semolina with the yolks of two eggs, and spread it on a moistened tray, in a layer one-half in. thick.

When it is quite cold stamp it out with a round cutter, two in. in diameter. Set the gnochi in shallow, buttered timbales; sprinkle with grated Gruyère and Parmesan, and with a little melted butter, and set the _gratin_ to form.

2282—GNOCHI DE POMMES DE TERRE

Cook two lbs. of potatoes in the English way. Drain them as soon as they are cooked, and work the purée, while it is very hot, with one and one-half oz. of butter, two small eggs, two egg-yolks, one-third lb. of flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Divide up this preparation into portions the size of walnuts; roll them into balls; press upon them lightly with a fork to give them a criss-cross pattern, and poach them in boiling water.

Drain them on a piece of linen; dish them in layers, sprinkling some grated cheese between each layer; sprinkle some grated cheese over the top surface; bedew liberally with melted butter, and set the _gratin_ to form in a hot oven.

2283—NOQUES AU PARMESAN

Put into a previously-heated basin one-half lb. of _manied_ butter, and work the latter with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; adding to it, little by little, two eggs and two well-beaten egg-yolks, five oz. of flour, and the white of an egg, also beaten to a stiff froth.

Divide up the preparation into portions the size of hazel-nuts; drop these portions into a sautépan of boiling, salted water, and let them poach.

Drain the noques on a piece of linen; dish them in a timbale; sprinkle them copiously with grated cheese and with nut-brown butter.

2284—MACARONI

Under this head are included all tubular pastes from Spaghetti, the size of which is not larger than thick vermicelli, to canneloni, the bore of which is one-half in. in diameter.

All these pastes are cooked in boiling water, salted to the extent of one-third oz. per quart. Macaroni, like other pastes of a similar nature, should not be cooled.

The most one can do, if the cooking has to be stopped at a given moment, is to pour a little cold water into the saucepan and then to take it off the fire.

2285—MACARONI A L’ITALIENNE

Cook the macaroni in boiling water; completely drain it; put it into a sautépan, and toss it over the fire to dry.

Season it with salt, pepper and nutmeg; cohere it with five oz. of grated Gruyère and Parmesan, in equal quantities, and two oz. of butter, cut into small pieces, per lb. of macaroni. _Sauté_ the whole well to ensure the leason, and dish in a timbale.

2286—MACARONI AU GRATIN

Prepare the macaroni after No. 2285, adding to it a little Béchamel sauce; and set it on a buttered _gratin_-dish, besprinkled with grated cheese. Sprinkle the surface of the preparation with grated cheese and raspings, mixed, and with melted butter, and set the _gratin_ to form in a fierce oven.

2287—MACARONI AU JUS

Parboil the macaroni in salted water, keeping it somewhat firm: drain it, cut it into short lengths, and simmer it in beef braising-liquor, until the macaroni has almost entirely absorbed the latter.

Dish in a timbale, and sprinkle with a few tablespoonfuls of the same liquor.

2288—MACARONI A LA NANTUA

Having cooked, drained and dried the macaroni, cohere it with crayfish cream, and mix therewith twenty-four crayfishes’ tails per lb. of macaroni.

Dish in a timbale, and cover the macaroni with a _julienne_ of very black truffles.

2289—MACARONI A LA NAPOLITAINE

Prepare a beef estouffade with red wine and tomatoes; cook it for from ten to twelve hours, that it may be reduced to a purée.

Rub this estouffade through a sieve and put it aside.

Parboil some thick macaroni, keeping it somewhat firm; drain it; cut it into short lengths, and cohere it with butter.

Sprinkle the bottom of a timbale with grated cheese; cover with a layer of estouffade purée; spread a layer of macaroni upon the latter, and proceed in the same order until the timbale is full. Serve the preparation as it stands.

2290—MACARONI AUX TRUFFES BLANCHES

Prepare the macaroni as directed under No. 2285, and add to it six oz. of white Piedmont truffles (cut into thin shavings), per lb. of macaroni.

Leave the preparation covered for five minutes and dish in a timbale.

2291—NOODLES (Nouilles)

These are generally bought ready-made. If one wish to prepare them oneself, the constituents of the paste are:—one lb. of flour, one-half oz. of salt, three whole eggs, and five egg-yolks. Moisten as for an ordinary paste, roll it out twice on a board, and leave it to stand for one or two hours before cutting it up.

All macaroni recipes may be applied to noodles.

For “Nouilles à l’Alsacienne,” it is usual, when the preparation is ready in the timbale, to distribute over it a few raw noodles _sautéd_ in butter and kept very crisp.

=Kache=

Kache is not a vegetable; but since this preparation has appeared either as a constituent or an accompaniment of certain Russian dishes which occur in this work, I am obliged to refer to it.

2292—KACHE DE SEMOULE POUR COULIBIAC

Take some coarse, yellow semolina, and scatter it over three times its bulk of boiling consommé. Cook it gently for twenty-five minutes; drain it on a sieve; spread it on a tray, and place it in a moderate oven to dry. This done, rub it lightly through a coarse sieve with the view of separating the grains, and put it aside in the dry until wanted.

2293—KACHE DE SARRASIN POUR POTAGES

Moisten one lb. of _concassed_ buckwheat with enough tepid water to make a stiff paste; add the necessary salt, and put this paste in a large Charlotte-mould. Bake in a hot oven for two hours. Then remove the thick crust which has formed upon the preparation, and transfer what remains, by means of a spoon, to a basin. Mix therewith two oz. of butter while it is still hot.

Kache prepared in this way may be served in a special timbale. But it is more often spread in a thin layer on a buttered tray, and left to cool.

It is then cut into roundels one in. in diameter, and these are rolled in flour and coloured on both sides in very hot, clarified butter.

2294—POLENTA

In a quart of boiling water containing one-half oz. of salt, immerse two-thirds lb. of maize flour, stirring the while with a spoon, that the two may mix. Cook for twenty-five minutes; add two oz. of butter and two and one-half oz. of grated Parmesan. If the Polenta be prepared for a vegetable or a garnish, it is spread in a thin layer on a moistened tray. When cold, it is cut into roundels or lozenges, which are first browned in butter, dished, and then sprinkled with grated cheese and nut-brown butter.

2295—SOUFFLÉ PIÉMONTAIS