Chapter III: Part 3

Boil 1 quart of beans until tender, salting them well when half cooked. Beat a large tablespoon of butter to a cream, beat in the yolk of 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley, 1 saltspoon of black pepper, and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice; when this sauce is well mixed stir it into the beans, taking care not to break them.

CREAMED LIMA BEANS

Cover 2 cups of boiled Lima beans with 1 scant cup of cream, and let simmer in a double boiler for ten minutes; then add 1 teaspoon of butter, and season with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.

LIMA BEAN SAUQUETASH

Boil 2 cups of freshly picked Lima beans in 1 quart of water for half an hour, then drain them and add 1 cup of milk, 1 tablespoon of butter, and enough green corn cut from the cob to make 2 cups. Season well, and let simmer for fifteen minutes, and salt again before serving.

If canned corn and canned beans are used they need be cooked for only 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.

LENTILS EGYPTIAN STYLE

Wash 2 cups of lentils, soak them two or three hours, and drain them before using. Put them into boiling water well salted, cook until tender, about forty minutes, then drain again. Put 2 tablespoons of butter into a saucepan, and when melted add 1 large onion finely chopped; cook over a very slow fire for ten minutes, then add the lentils and 2 scant cups of boiled rice, and stir all together with a large fork until very hot; dredge well with salt and pepper before serving.

GERMAN LENTILS

Cover 2 cups of lentils with cold water and let them soak two or three hours; drain them and put them in boiling salted water with 1 leek (or 1 onion) and let them cook half an hour, or until tender but not broken. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, and when melted stir into it 2 tablespoons of flour, and let brown; then add 2 finely chopped onions and 2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the water in which the lentils cooked. Mix this sauce with the drained lentils, put them in a double boiler with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg, and serve after they have steamed slowly for fifteen minutes.

LEEKS

Cut leeks into three-inch lengths, using the tender green part as well as the white; wash the pieces thoroughly in cold running water, then put them in a small saucepan and cover them with boiling salted water, and let them boil for twenty minutes.

Make a sauce by melting 1 tablespoon of butter and thickening it with 1 tablespoon of flour, and then adding, 1 tablespoon at a time, enough of the water the leeks were cooked in (about 1 cup) to make the sauce of the right consistency; season with pepper and salt, drain the leeks, and serve the sauce over them.

MUSHROOMS

Mushrooms should only be used when perfectly fresh and firm; in peeling them take a small knife, and, holding the delicate fringe at the edge of the mushroom between the edge of the knife and the thumb, peel the paper-like skin off, pulling it toward the centre of the mushroom. The stems should be cut or broken off without breaking the cup, and if sound should be scraped and used. When the mushrooms are white and small and freshly picked they can be quickly washed and used without peeling.

STEWED MUSHROOMS

Peel about 1 pound of mushrooms, put them in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 saltspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 cup of milk, into which 1 tablespoon of flour has been mixed; cover and let cook for five or six minutes, then add 1 cup of cream, stir all well together, replace the cover, and let cook gently for ten minutes. These mushrooms can also be cooked and served in an Italian casserole.

GERMAN STEWED MUSHROOMS

Peel 1 pound of mushrooms and put them in a saucepan, sprinkle with the juice of 1 lemon, add 1 cup of milk, cover, and let simmer gently for ten minutes. Thicken with 1 heaping teaspoon of flour dissolved in a little milk, and add 1 tablespoon of butter and a grating of nutmeg, and let simmer gently for ten minutes more before serving. Instead of lemon juice and milk a cup of sour cream is often used in Germany, and is an acceptable substitute.

MUSHROOM AND CHESTNUT RAGOUT

Use an equal quantity of peeled mushrooms and boiled Italian chestnuts, and heat in a rich brown sauce. Serve, garnished with toast, or in cases, or use in a deep pie with a top crust of biscuit dough.

MUSHROOMS NEWBURG

Peel 1 pound of mushrooms, cover them with 2 cups of milk, and let them simmer gently for ten minutes. Lift the mushrooms out with a strainer, and make a sauce of the milk by adding 1 tablespoon of flour, 1 tablespoon of butter, the beaten yolks of 2 eggs, 1 wineglass of sherry, and some salt and paprika. When the sauce thickens replace the mushrooms in it, let them heat for two minutes, and serve on toast or in patty cases.

BAKED MUSHROOMS ON TOAST

Select as many large mushrooms as are required, and, after peeling them, lay each one, cup upward, on rounds of toast which, after toasting, have been dampened by being plunged quickly into hot water; place the toast with the mushrooms upon it into a shallow buttered pan, put a little bit of butter in the cup of each mushroom, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with another pan the same size, and let cook eight or ten minutes. Serve at once, with a garnish of parsley or watercress.

GRILLED MUSHROOMS

Peel or wash the mushrooms, and put them, cup upward, on a fine wire broiler and let them broil over a hot fire for five or six minutes, putting a pinch of salt in each cup. As soon as hot, remove them from the broiler and serve on hot plates, taking care not to spill the juice which has formed in the cups. Garnish with watercress or parsley.

MUSHROOMS SUR CLOCHE

Place carefully cleaned mushrooms, cup upward, on individual gratin dishes, salt each, and place a bit of butter in the cup, and set in a hot oven for ten minutes. To serve, place over each a glass "bell," which can be bought for this purpose. The heat is thus retained in the mushrooms during service.

MUSHROOMS IN CASSEROLE

Put into a French or Italian casserole 1/2 cup of good butter, and when melted stir into it 3/4 of a pound, or a pound, of peeled mushrooms, and dredge well with pepper and salt. Cover the casserole and set it in the oven; after five minutes' cooking stir the mushrooms, mixing them well with the butter, replace the cover, and repeat the process in another five minutes; let cook ten minutes more, and serve from the casserole on rounds of toast.

FILLED MUSHROOMS

Select 10 of the largest, most cup-shaped from 1 1/2 pounds of mushrooms. Peel and lay in a shallow pan, cup side up. Take the cleaned stems and the remaining mushrooms and chop fine and put them in the cups; add 1 teaspoon of melted butter, some pepper and salt to each, and let bake ten minutes or until done. Serve on toast garnished with watercress, or under the glass bells already mentioned.

MUSHROOMS WITH TRUFFLES

Toss truffles in butter in a hot frying pan for five minutes, sprinkle the cups of mushrooms with pepper and salt, fill them with the truffles, and cook for ten minutes in a covered pan in a hot oven; serve on crisp lettuce leaves, with parsley butter.

MUSHROOMS WITH PEAS

Fill the cups of large mushrooms with French canned peas, which have been tossed for five minutes in hot butter. Season and set in a covered pan in a hot oven for ten minutes, and serve on toast with white or brown sauce, as preferred.

MUSHROOMS WITH ONIONS

Peel 2 medium-sized onions and chop them fine, and put them in a casserole, or saucepan, with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Let them cook slowly for ten minutes, then add 1 pound of mushrooms, which have been carefully washed or peeled, and another tablespoon of butter, and cover, letting cook for ten minutes. Season well with salt and pepper and serve very hot.

Mushrooms thus prepared may be put in a deep baking dish, covered with crust and baked in a pie.

MUSHROOMS WITH EGG

Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a porcelain casserole, or in a saucepan, and when melted put with it 1 pound of peeled or washed mushrooms; let simmer gently for ten minutes, then add to them 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut in slices, and half a cup of cream. This recipe also is available for a deep pie; put in a baking dish, cover with crust, and bake until slightly browned.

CANNED MUSHROOMS

Drain the mushrooms from 1 can, and cut them in half. Use the liquid from the can augmented with water, if necessary, to make brown or German sauce. Put the mushrooms in a saucepan with the sauce, season with pepper and salt, and serve very hot on toast.

Button mushrooms can also be cooked by simply draining and tossing in parsley butter until hot; season with salt and pepper and serve on toast.

Mushrooms cooked in these ways are suitable for filling peppers or tomatoes. Canned mushrooms can be bought which are put up with truffles, and add variety to these different dishes.

CANNED MUSHROOMS CZARINA

Open a can of button mushrooms, drain them, and cut the buttons in half, if very large, and reserve the liquid. Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add 1 tablespoon of grated onion, 2 bay leaves, 2 cloves, 2 peppercorns, and 2 allspice. Let all cook together slowly for five minutes, then pour on the liquid from the mushrooms, with enough milk added to make 2 cups, season with salt, and let simmer for ten minutes; then add 1 tablespoon of flour creamed with 1 tablespoon of butter, let boil up once, and strain. Put the sauce and the button mushrooms in an Italian casserole, set this in the oven to heat for five minutes, and serve from the dish on triangles of toast.

MUSHROOM LOAF

Pour good clear, well-strained boiling vegetable stock onto dissolved vegetable gelatine or arrowroot, using about 1 tablespoon to every 2 cups of liquid. Season well with salt and pepper, and add 1 can of button mushrooms, halved, when the jelly is somewhat set so that they will remain in place evenly dispersed. Line a mould with chopped parsley and slices of pickled walnuts, pour the jelly into it, and serve, when set, ice-cold, with any savoury cold sauce or pickles. A few chopped nuts may be added if desired.

STEWED OKRA

Cut the ends off the pods of young okra, boil for one hour in salted water, then drain and reheat in a saucepan with some melted butter.

The okra can be used as a garnish to boiled rice. Canned okra needs only to be boiled five minutes, drained, seasoned, and tossed about in hot butter in a frying pan for two or three minutes before serving.

OKRA AND GRILLED TOMATOES

Cut good firm tomatoes in half, season well and broil, then serve with a garnish of stewed okra.

STEWED OKRA WITH TOMATO SAUCE

If fresh okra is used prepare as in stewed okra recipe, and if canned okra is used drain and heat in boiling salted water. Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan, and when melted lift the okra from the boiling water and place it in the frying pan; season well with salt and pepper and then cover with 1 cup of tomato sauce, and, when thoroughly heated through, serve.

OKRA AND TOMATO ESCALLOP

Arrange alternate layers of sliced canned okra and tomato in a well buttered baking dish, separating them with layers of boiled rice well seasoned with salt and pepper and dotted with butter. Cover the top with fine crumbs and cook for fifteen minutes, or until browned, in the oven.

BOILED ONIONS

Peel onions under cold water and they will not bring tears to the eyes. They should then be put in rapidly boiling water, and this changed after the first five minutes of cooking; then put in fresh boiling water, salt added, and cooked for from half an hour to forty minutes. If onions are not covered when boiling the odour will be less noticeable.

Serve boiled onions with parsley butter, or, after draining, cover with milk, add butter, pepper, and salt, and let boil up once before serving.

CREAMED ONIONS

Use onions which have been boiled until tender but not broken, and, after draining, serve with white or parsley sauce, made with equal quantities of milk and the stock in which the onions cooked.

BOILED ONIONS WITH BROWN SAUCE

Serve small boiled onions, which have cooked until tender, but not broken, with any hot sauce,--tomato, brown, mushroom, etc.

ONIONS AU GRATIN

Prepare as for creamed onions, making a white sauce of the milk, or milk and water, in which the onions have been boiled. The onions can be left whole, or somewhat broken up in the sauce. Fill a buttered baking dish with onions and sauce, dust the top with grated cheese, and let heat in the oven five or six minutes. The bottled Parmesan cheese is convenient, but is never as delicate to the taste as fresh cheese grated.

ONIONS WITH CHEESE

Arrange boiled onions, which are not broken at all by boiling, in a buttered baking dish, baste well with melted butter, and dredge with grated cheese, and set in the oven a few moments to brown; serve in the same dish or remove to a small platter and garnish with green, or use as a garnish to a dish of other vegetables. Mashed potatoes piled high (browned on top with salamander or under flame in gas oven) surrounded with these onions makes an attractive dish.

ESCALLOPED ONIONS

Escalloped onions are made like Onions au Gratin, except that the cheese is omitted and replaced by a layer of fine bread crumbs.

BAKED ONIONS WITH CHESTNUTS

Peel as many onions as required and parboil them for ten or fifteen minutes in salted water. Drain and dry, and when cooled somewhat remove the inside and fill with chopped chestnuts which have been tossed in hot butter for fifteen minutes; season well with salt and pepper, and, if liked, a little sage; arrange in a buttered baking dish, and bake for half an hour, covering them for the first fifteen minutes. If they seem too dry, baste with a little cream or onion stock and melted butter.

ONION SOUFFLÉ

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add 1 tablespoon of flour, stir until smooth, and then add gradually 1 cup of milk, and season with paprika and salt. Let boil, then add 1/2 cup of stale bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley, 1 1/2 cups of cold boiled onions chopped fine, and the yolks of 2 eggs well beaten. Mix thoroughly, then add the stiffly beaten whites of the 2 eggs, and mix them gently through the onion mixture with a fork. Put in a buttered baking dish, or in individual cases, sprinkle fine crumbs on top, and bake about fifteen minutes to slightly brown before serving.

BORDEAUX ONIONS

Peel 6 or 8 small onions, and parboil them for fifteen minutes in salted water. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan or a baking dish, with 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon of chopped celery, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1/4 of a cup of claret, 1 cup of brown sauce, the juice of 1 lemon, pepper and salt. Set the onions in this, cover, and let cook very gently for half an hour or until tender. Remove the bay leaf and serve with the sauce.

ONION AND TOMATO ESCALLOP

Place alternate layers of fresh onions, sliced, and fresh tomatoes in a buttered baking dish, covering each layer with crumbs, butter, pepper and salt. Put 1 1/2 cups of water over and bake for about an hour in a slow oven. Or use boiled onions and canned tomatoes, dampen with the juice from the tomatoes, and cook twenty minutes.

ONIONS BEATRICE

Fill a large bean-pot (or a high earthenware covered jar marmite) with small Bermuda onions, two inches in diameter. The onions should be left whole, but a sharp knife can be used to make two cuts in the shape of a cross in the top of each, as this insures the cooking of the centre. While arranging the onions in the jar, sprinkle them well with salt, also with black pepper (or use 1/2 dozen peppercorns instead), put in 3 bay leaves, and distribute 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs. Cover with hot water, put the lid on, and set on the back of the stove or in a slow oven. The onions should not cook to pieces, and with the proper heat will be cooked through in about two hours; this time is named not as a rule but as a guide. Serve in the marmite in which they were cooked.

STUFFED ONIONS

Boil the onions fifteen or twenty minutes and then remove the hearts, leaving the outsides as cases for a filling. Make the stuffing of bread or cracker crumbs mixed with the chopped centres of the onions, plenty of salt and pepper, and a little chopped tomato (or tomato sauce), or some chopped green peppers, or canned pimentos, or use both tomato and peppers. Fill the onion cases, and arrange in a buttered baking dish; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, set the pan in water, and bake half an hour; the baking dish should be covered until the last five minutes, and the onions should not be allowed to go dry; more butter can be added, or a little hot water or vegetable broth, if they cook dry. Serve in the baking dish, or remove to a small platter and garnish with sprigs of parsley.

FRIED ONIONS

Peel the onions and cut into thin slices, and when a generous tablespoon of butter has slowly melted in a frying pan, put the onions in and let them simmer over as low a fire as will keep them cooking; stir them frequently and serve when transparent and turning a golden brown.

Fried onions can be served alone or as a garnish to heaped up mashed potatoes. They are saved from their extreme commonplaceness by being arranged in a gratin dish, not over an inch high, dusted with a sprinkling of crumbs or grated cheese, and given three or four minutes in the oven.

FRENCH FRIED ONIONS

Peel medium-sized onions, and slice crosswise carefully; then separate the slices into rings. Drop these into smoking vegetable fat or oil, and let fry four or five minutes until crisp and a rich brown. Lift with a strainer onto brown paper to drain a moment before serving.

ONIONS IN POTATO CRADLES

Make potato cradles as directed, dredge with salt, and fill with fried or French-fried onions.

SMALL ONIONS

Peel small, round, pickling onions, parboil them ten minutes, drain, roll in flour, and fry in deep fat. Serve as a garnish to other vegetables or in stews.

GLAZED ONIONS

These are nice used either as a garnish to another dish (vegetable croquettes, mashed potatoes, etc.) or alone. Small onions should be used, or onion hearts, and taken from the water before they are quite cooked; then put in an enamelled pan in which is 1 tablespoon of butter which has been slowly melted; toss them about in this, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. When they begin to brown add 1 tablespoon of the water in which they were boiled, and as this is taken up add a little more, and pepper and salt. The onions will be browned and glazed. Serve very hot.

ONIONS AND APPLES

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan, and when melted put in 3 sliced onions and 3 sliced apples; let fry slowly until browned, and serve on toast.

BOILED PARSNIPS IN SAUCE

Wash and scrape 6 or 7 parsnips, cut them in half, lengthwise, and put them in cold water for half an hour. Drain them, and put them in a saucepan of boiling water containing 1 teaspoon of salt, and let them boil for about three quarters of an hour. While they are finishing cooking, prepare a sauce with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of flour rubbed together, and put in a saucepan over a slow fire. When melted and smooth add, a spoonful at a time, some of the stock in which the parsnips are cooking, until about 2 cups have been used; stir until well thickened but not paste-like, season with salt and pepper, and pour over the parsnips after draining them.

PARSNIPS IN BUTTER

Scrape and wash the parsnips, and cut them in eighths, lengthwise, and then in half. Put them in boiling water, salt well, and let them cook for about three quarters of an hour. Drain and serve with 1/2 cup melted butter poured over them, which contains 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley.

FRIED PARSNIPS

Slice cold boiled parsnips lengthwise, dredge with salt, and fry in buttered pan or griddle until a golden brown, turning with a pancake turner.

FRENCH FRIED PARSNIPS

Use cold boiled parsnips, cut in any shape desired,--balls, or long strips,--and put them in a frying basket, and fry in hot fat until brown. Drain, and dredge with salt to serve.

BROILED PARSNIPS

Use boiled parsnips, cut each in 3 slices, lengthwise, dip in melted butter, broil until brown, and sprinkle with salt before serving.

GREEN PEAS

Newly picked green peas should be shelled and put in a double-boiler with a little salt, and 1 teaspoon or more of sugar, and no water. Cover closely and keep water in under pan boiling for about three quarters of an hour. Add a little butter before serving.

GREEN PEAS PAYSANNE

Cook peas as in the above recipe adding a few lettuce leaves which have been washed and cut in strips. Drain them before adding butter and salt.

CANNED PEAS

Canned peas should be slowly cooked in their own stock for ten minutes, drained, and seasoned with butter, pepper and salt, and a little milk or cream added to them.

CANNED PEAS WITH ONION

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add 1 tablespoon of chopped onion; let simmer for five minutes, then add 1 can of peas, drained of their juice, and 1/4 of a cup of cream or milk; season well with salt and pepper, and serve after ten minutes' slow cooking.

STUFFED PEPPERS

Slice the stem-end from sweet peppers, cut out the insides, and fill with a mixture made of 1 cup of fine crumbs, 1 grated onion, 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Set in a pan containing a little water and melted butter, and bake from twenty minutes to half an hour, basting occasionally.

Peppers can be parboiled for ten minutes before stuffing, but though softer they lose their colour to some extent.

PEPPERS STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS

Cut the stem-end from sweet peppers, remove the inside, and fill with mushrooms Czarina, or mushrooms in tomato sauce, and bake twenty to thirty minutes, basting with a little butter and water, which should be in the pan in which they are cooked.

PEPPERS WITH RICE

Cut the stem-end from sweet green peppers, remove the inside, fill with boiled rice and chopped tomato in equal proportions, and season well with pepper and salt. A few chopped mushrooms, olives, or boiled eggs may be added to the filling. Bake from twenty to thirty minutes, basting with butter and water.

GREEN PEPPERS WITH EGG

Parboil 6 green peppers for five minutes, first having cut off the stem-end and removed the seeds. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, and when melted add 1 finely chopped onion, and let it cook slowly for ten minutes; then stir in 3 tablespoons of fine bread crumbs, and season with salt, pepper, and catsup. Upon removing the peppers from the boiling water set them up cup-like in a shallow pan, and put 1 tablespoon of this mixture into each; break into each pepper 1 egg, cover with some more of the prepared crumbs, and bake for ten minutes if the eggs are liked soft, for fifteen if liked hard. Serve on toast with 1 1/2 cups of white sauce containing 2 tablespoons of grated cheese.

PEPPERS WITH CORN

Cut a slice from the end of sweet peppers, remove the inside, and fill with canned corn, well salted; replace the ends and bake.

Peppers, like tomatoes, may be filled in so many ways that it is useless to endeavour to enumerate them, for the ingenious cook can multiply them without end.

ESCALLOP OF PEPPERS AND CORN

Cut enough sweet corn from the cob to make 3 cups. Take 2 or 3 sweet green peppers and remove the insides, then slice them in very thin circles and arrange a layer of the corn in a buttered baking dish, salt it, and then place some rings of the peppers, then another layer of corn, and so on, until the dish is filled, finishing the top with peppers. To a cup of cream (or milk) add 1 beaten egg and 2 tablespoons of melted butter; pour this over the whole, and bake for half an hour in a hot oven. Canned corn may be used, in which case less cream will be needed.

FRIED PEPPERS

Remove the seeds from 6 sweet green peppers, cut the pods in squares about half an inch across. Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan, and when melted add 1 sliced onion, and let simmer for two or three minutes; then put into the pan the cut-up peppers, and fry for ten minutes. Add 1/2 cup of brown or tomato sauce and serve on toast with boiled rice, or on flat rice cakes.

CREAMED PIMENTOS

Put the pimentos from 1 can into 2 cups of white sauce, and let cook in a double boiler for ten minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, some pepper and salt, and serve on toast.

ROLLED PIMENTOS