See captionSTUFFED BAKED POTATOES. (SEE PAGE204.)
Pare the potatoes, and place them in the dripping-pan with the meat one hour before the meat is to be removed. Baste them with the drippings, and turn so all sides will be browned.
Put one and a half tablespoonfuls of butter in a frying-pan. When melted add a scant tablespoonful of chopped onion; let itslightly color, then add two cupfuls of cold boiled potatoes cut into dice. Stir until the potato has absorbed all the butter, and become slightly browned; then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a tablespoonful of chopped parsley. Mix well, and serve very hot.
Cold boiled potatoes are sliced, then put into a sauté-pan with butter, and cooked until browned on both sides. If rolled in flour they will form a crisp crust. Raw potatoes are sliced or cut into any shape, and put into cold water for half an hour. They are then well dried on a napkin, and immersed in hot fat until done. Too many must not be put in the basket at once, as it cools the fat (see frying, page72). Fry them to an amber color; then drain, and place them on a paper in the oven until all are done. Serve them at once, as they lose their crispness if kept.
To make balls use a potato scoop; press it well into the potato before turning it. To make straws cut the potato into slices lengthwise, and then into strips, making each one about one eighth of an inch thick.
Slices or strips cut with a fluted knife are good forms for fried potatoes. Fry the potatoes in hot fat, using a basket. Fancy fried potatoes are used to garnish any broiled meat dish. There are many kinds of cutters to give different shapes to potatoes.
Cut the potatoes with a plane into slices as thin as paper if possible. Let them soak in cold water for a little time to wash out the starch; then put them into fresh water with a piece of ice to thoroughly chill them. Drain a few of the slices at a time, dry them on a napkin; put them in a frying basket and immerse them in smoking-hot fat. Keep them separated, and remove as soon as slightly colored. Turn them into a colanderto drain, and sprinkle them with salt. When the second lot are fried turn those in the colander onto a paper in the open oven, and so on until all are done. Saratoga potatoes should be perfectly dry and crisp. They may be used hot or cold, and will keep for some time in a dry place. If wanted hot, place them in the oven a moment before serving.
Peel the potatoes; cut the sides square, and trim off the corners, so as to give an oval shape. With one even cut slice them one eighth of an inch thick the length of the potato; they must be all the same size and shape. Soak them in cold water for half an hour; dry them on a napkin, and fry them in fat which is only moderately hot until they are soft, but not colored. Remove and place them on a sieve to drain and cool. Then immerse them in hot fat, when they will puff into balls. Toss the basket, and remove any that do not puff. Sprinkle with salt, and serve them on a napkin, or as a garnish. Holland potatoes best suit this purpose; it is impossible to get the same result with most of the other varieties.
Wash and scrub the potatoes; put them in boiling water, and cook until they can be pierced with a fork; then pour off the water. Cover the pot with a cloth, and draw it to the side of the range to let the potatoes steam for ten minutes. Peel them before serving.
Wash and scrub the potatoes without breaking the skin. Bake until soft; then break the skin in one place, and serve at once.
Cut cold boiled potatoes into slices one quarter of an inch thick. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper; spread with butter, and sprinkle with sugar. Place them in a hot oven to brown.
Follow the rule for potato croquettes given on page202.
Mash thoroughly the boiled potatoes, and season them well with salt, pepper, and butter; add enough hot milk to moisten them. Serve it the same as mashed white potato; or put it in a pudding-dish, brush the top with egg, and brown it in the oven. Serve with it a tomato sauce, and use as a luncheon dish. Either boiled or baked potatoes may be used.
If fresh tomatoes are used remove the skins by placing them in boiling water a few minutes; they will then peel off easily. Cut them in pieces, and stew in a granite-ware saucepan until tender. To one quart of tomatoes add one teaspoonful each of salt and sugar, one quarter teaspoonful of pepper, and a tablespoonful of butter. Thicken with a teaspoonful of cornstarch wet in cold water, or with one half cupful of cracker or bread-crumbs.
Season a can of tomatoes with one teaspoonful of salt, and one quarter teaspoonful of pepper. Spread a shallow baking dish with a thin layer of bread-crumbs; pour in the tomatoes, sprinkle over them a tablespoonful of sugar, and a few drops of onion juice. Cover the top with a cupful of bread-crumbs which have been moistened with a tablespoonful of melted butter. Bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes. Serve in the same dish.
Select large, firm tomatoes; do not remove the skins; cut a small slice off the stem end, and scoop out the inside. Fill them with a stuffing made as follows: Put one tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan; when hot add one tablespoonful of onion chopped fine. Let it color slightly; then add three quarters of acupful of any minced meat, chicken, or livers, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley, one cupful of bread-crumbs, the pulp taken from the tomatoes, one teaspoonful of salt, one quarter teaspoonful of pepper, and also an egg if desired. Stir it over the fire until it is consistent. Dust the inside of the tomatoes with salt and pepper, and fill them, letting the stuffing rise half an inch above the tomato, and place a piece of butter on it. The above amount of stuffing is enough for eight tomatoes. Cut slices of bread one half inch thick into circles the size of thetomatoes; dip them quickly in water, and place in a baking-pan. Place a tomato on each piece of bread, and bake in oven about fifteen minutes, or until the stuffing is browned. A brown sauce may be served with this dish. The meat may be omitted from the stuffing if desired. If convenient it is better to use oil instead of butter with tomatoes.
Peel the tomatoes; cut a piece off the top, and remove a little of the pulp. Put a piece of butter or a few drops of oil in each one; dust with salt and pepper, replace the top, sprinkle it with crumbs, pepper, and salt. Put a small piece of butter or a little oil on each one, and place on a slice of bread. Bake in oven fifteen to twenty minutes.
Cut the tomatoes horizontally in two; leave the skins on. Place them on a broiler with the skin side down; dust with salt and pepper, and broil, without turning, over a moderate fire fifteen to twenty minutes, or until tender. Lay them on a hot dish, and spread each piece with either butter, oil, maître d’hôtel sauce, hot Mayonnaise or Béarnaise; or the tomatoes may be cut into thick slices, covered with oil, and then broiled, turning frequently.
Cut the tomatoes in halves; place them in a frying-pan, the open side down, in one half inch deep of hot fat. Move themabout until they are cooked a little tender. Then lift them carefully without breaking, and place them side by side in a baking-dish. Pour a little sweet oil around them; sprinkle with chopped garlic, and parsley, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bake in hot oven fifteen to twenty minutes. Serve in same dish.
The flavor of peas, and also the time required for cooking them, depends very much upon their freshness. Put them into salted boiling water, and do not cover the saucepan; boil ten to twenty minutes, or until soft enough to be easily mashed. Drain off the water, and season with pepper, salt, and butter. Mix in the seasoning carefully with a fork, so as not to break the peas. Sometimes a little sugar improves them. Use plenty of water in boiling, and do not let them be overcooked, as this is as bad a fault as having them underdone. When canned peas are used turn them onto a sieve, and rinse them off with cold water (this will remove the taste of the can, which they sometimes have); add the seasoning, and let them become thoroughly heated. They do not require any more cooking.
Boil the peas until very tender; mash and press them through a sieve. Place them again in the saucepan, and stir into them enough hot milk, pepper and salt, to well moisten and season them; add also some butter, and a very little sugar.
Dried peas may be used in this way, but require soaking and long boiling. The purée makes a pretty garnish pressed through a pastry bag like potato roses (see page202), or into a fancy border around a dish.
See captionFORMS OF PURÉE FOR GARNISHING. (SEE PAGES209,210, AND217.)
Remove carefully all the strings; cut the beans into one-quarter inch pieces, laying a number together, and cutting them at one time; or cut each bean lengthwise into four strips, and lay them evenly together. Place them in salted boiling water, andboil uncovered until tender; drain off the water, and season with salt, pepper, and butter, or mix with them just enough white sauce (page277) to coat them well.
If the dried beans are used soak them several hours in cold water; then throw them into salted boiling water, and boil until tender, but not soft enough to break. Use plenty of water in boiling them, and drain well. Season with butter, salt, and pepper. If cooked right the beans will be glossy. They are good also as a purée, the same as purée of peas (see page209).
Put them into salted boiling water, and cook until tender, then drain off the water. Moisten them with butter, and season with salt and pepper; and add, if convenient, a little hot cream, or cover with white sauce.
Put a half peck of spinach into cold water to freshen; pick it over carefully, removing all the wilted and yellow leaves. Pass it through five changes of water to free it from grit. Put it in a saucepan; enough water will cling to it for the cooking. Cover the saucepan; stir occasionally so it does not burn. After fifteen minutes add a tablespoonful of salt, and cook five minutes longer; then turn it into a colander to drain; when it is dry chop it very fine. Put into a saucepan one and a half tablespoonfuls of butter, and one tablespoonful of flour. After they are a little cooked add a teaspoonful of salt, dash of pepper, and the spinach. Cook five minutes; then add a half cupful of cream or milk, and cook another five minutes. Stir constantly, to prevent burning. Taste to see if the seasoning is right. Serve either in a vegetable dish, or in the center of a dish with chops around it, or in bread boxes as shown in illustration; or press the spinach into individual timbale molds, place each form on a square of toast, and garnish the top of each one inimitation of a daisy by placing in the center some of the yolks of hard-boiled eggs which have been pressed through a sieve, and around this center a circle of the whites of the eggs chopped fine; or a thick slice of hard-boiled egg may be pressed into the top of each mold.
See captionSPINACH SERVED IN CROUSTADES OR BREAD-BOXES.
Take a cupful of spinach which has been prepared as directed above (any that is left over can be utilized in this way); mix with it the beaten yolk of an egg, and stir it over the fire until the egg is set. Let it cool. When ready to serve stir into it lightly the well-beaten whites of three eggs. Fill individual china cups or buttered paper boxes half full, and place them in a hot oven for ten to fifteen minutes. Serve at once. Like any soufflé, it will fall if not sufficiently baked, or if not served very promptly.
Boil a large carrot and turnip; cut them into slices lengthwise three eighths of an inch thick, then into strips of the same width. Butter well a tin basin, with slightly flaring sides, or a plain mold. Ornament the bottom with hard-boiled egg, or with fancy pieces of the vegetables. Around the sides of the mold place close together alternate strips of the carrot and turnip. If the mold is well buttered they will easily hold in place. Fill the center with spinach or with seasoned chopped cabbage, and press it down so it is quite firm; smooth the top and cut off the strips of vegetable so that they are even. Heat the chartreuse by placing the mold in a pan of hot water and putting both in the oven for a few minutes. Turn the chartreuse on a flat dish to serve. A white or a vinaigrette sauce goes well with this dish. Birds, veal cutlets, chops, chicken, or sweetbreads may be placed on top of the chartreuse if desired.
See captionCHARTREUSE OF SPINACH. (SEE PAGES83AND211.)Border of alternate strips of carrot and turnip. Top circles of carrot and turnip.
Scrape the stalks; let them stand in cold water for half an hour; tie them again into a bundle and make them uniform inlength; put them into salted boiling water and cook about twenty minutes or until tender, but not so soft as to be limp. Place the asparagus on buttered toast and remove the string. Serve with the asparagus, but separately, plain melted butter, a white, or a Hollandaise sauce. Cold boiled asparagus is served as a salad with plain French dressing (see page375) or with cold Béarnaise sauce.
Cut the asparagus stalks into pieces about an inch long, and as far down as tender. Cook them in salted boiling water. Drain and stir into them just enough white sauce to well coat them.
Cabbage.Fourvegetables are the result of the cabbage plant by cultivation. As the rose changes its character under the hand of the floriculturist, so it is with cabbage at the hand of the gardener. First is the cabbage, which is the leafy bud that stores up food for a flower the next year.Cauliflower.Second, the cauliflower, which is a cluster (corymb) of forced cabbage flowers.Brussels sprouts.Third, Brussels sprouts. The leaves are picked off, and small buds form along the stem; and fourth, kohlrabi, which is the leaves turned into a fleshy tuberous-like vegetable.Kohlrabi.In these results two of the phases, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, are much esteemed, and are given rank with the best vegetables, while cabbage and kohlrabi have little favor, and are considered coarse and vulgar foods. The cabbage, however, if properly cooked, will be found an exceedingly palatable vegetable, which very closely resembles cauliflower.
Cabbage.Fourvegetables are the result of the cabbage plant by cultivation. As the rose changes its character under the hand of the floriculturist, so it is with cabbage at the hand of the gardener. First is the cabbage, which is the leafy bud that stores up food for a flower the next year.Cauliflower.Second, the cauliflower, which is a cluster (corymb) of forced cabbage flowers.Brussels sprouts.Third, Brussels sprouts. The leaves are picked off, and small buds form along the stem; and fourth, kohlrabi, which is the leaves turned into a fleshy tuberous-like vegetable.Kohlrabi.In these results two of the phases, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, are much esteemed, and are given rank with the best vegetables, while cabbage and kohlrabi have little favor, and are considered coarse and vulgar foods. The cabbage, however, if properly cooked, will be found an exceedingly palatable vegetable, which very closely resembles cauliflower.
If this receipt is exactly followed, this much-despised vegetable will be found very acceptable, and its odor will not be perceptible through the house. Cut the cabbage into good-sized pieces, take off the outside leaves, and cut away the hard core. Wash it well in two changes of water, and place the pieces, open side down, on a colander to drain. Have a very generous amount of water in a large saucepan or pot; let it boil violently; add a tablespoonful of salt and one quarter teaspoonful of baking soda; put in the cabbage, one piece at a time, so as to check the boiling as little as possible. Let it cook for twenty-five minutes uncovered and boiling rapidly all the time. Push the cabbage under the water every five minutes. Turn it into a colander and press out all the water. Put into a saucepan one tablespoonful of butter, a heaping teaspoonful of flour, one half teaspoonful of salt and a dash of pepper; add slowly one half cupful of milk, and stir till smooth; then add the cabbage. Cut it into large pieces with a knife, and mix it lightly with the sauce. If the cabbage is free from water the sauce will adhere to it and form a creamy coating.
This receipt of Catherine Owen has been found most satisfactory.
(Very Good.)
Boil the cabbage as directed above. Press out all the water and chop it. Make a white sauce of one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, one cupful of milk, one half teaspoonful of salt, dash of cayenne (see page277). Spread a layer of cabbage on the bottom of a pudding-dish; cover it with white sauce; then add a layer of grated cheese. Make a second layer of cabbage, sauce, and cheese; cover the top with a layer of crumbs moistened with butter, and place it in the oven. When the sauce bubbles through the crumbs it is done. Serve in same dish.
Slice the cabbage into thin shreds as for cold slaw; cook it in a generous amount of rapidly boiling water for fifteen minutes; then drain off the water; cover it with milk; add salt, pepper, and a bit of mace, and cook until tender, and until themilk has boiled away so that it only moistens the cabbage. Add a piece of butter, and serve.
Cut the cabbage into thin shreds as for cold slaw. (Use a plane if convenient.) Boil it until tender in salted fast-boiling water. Drain it thoroughly, and pour over it a hot sauce made of one tablespoonful of butter, one half teaspoonful of salt, dash of pepper and of cayenne, and one half to one cupful of vinegar, according to its strength. Cover the saucepan and let it stand on the side of the range for five minutes, so that the cabbage and sauce will become well incorporated.
Remove any wilted leaves from the outside of the sprouts, and let them stand in cold salted water from fifteen to twenty minutes, so that any insects there may be in them will come out. Put the sprouts into salted, rapidly boiling water, and cook uncovered fifteen or twenty minutes, or until tender, but not until they lose their shape. Drain them thoroughly in a colander; then place them in a saucepan with butter, pepper, and salt, and toss them until seasoned; or mix them lightly with just enough white sauce to coat them.
Trim off the outside leaves and cut the stalk even with the flower. Let it stand upside down in cold salted water for fifteen or twenty minutes to take out any insects there may be in it. Put it into a generous quantity of rapidly boiling salted water and cook it uncovered about twenty minutes or until tender, but not so soft as to fall to pieces. Remove any scum from the water before lifting out the cauliflower. If not perfectly white, rub a little white sauce over it. Serve with it a white, a Béchamel, or a Hollandaise sauce; or it may be served as a garnish to chicken, sweetbreads, etc., the little bunches being broken off and mixed with white sauce.
Break the boiled cauliflower into small flowerets. Place them in a pudding-dish in alternate layers with white sauce and grated cheese. Cover the top with crumbs moistened with butter, and bake until the sauce bubbles through the crumbs.
Cut the egg-plant into slices one quarter of an inch thick, after removing the skin. Sprinkle the slices with salt. Pile them one upon another on the back of a dish. Place on them a plate holding a weight; let it stand one hour to express the juice. Dip the slices in egg and crumbs, or in egg and flour, and sauté on both sides in lard or drippings.
Boil an egg-plant twenty to thirty minutes, or until tender. Cut it in two lengthwise, and take out the pulp, using care not to break the skin. Mash the pulp, and season it with butter, salt, and pepper; replace it in the skins; sprinkle with bread-crumbs moistened in butter, and place in the oven to brown.
Use green sweet peppers of uniform size. Cut a piece off the stem end, or cut them in two lengthwise, and remove the seeds and partitions. Put them in boiling water for five minutes to parboil. Fill each one with a stuffing made of equal parts of softened bread-crumbs and minced meat well seasoned with salt, butter, and a few drops of onion juice. Place them in a baking-dish with water, or better stock, half an inch deep, and bake in a moderate oven for half an hour. Serve them in the same dish if a suitable one is used; if not, remove them carefully to another dish.
Remove the shells; boil ten minutes; then drain and remove the skins. Put them in boiling salted water, and cook until tender; then drain, mash, and press them through a colander. Season with butter, salt, and pepper; moisten with cream, or milk, or stock.
Cut the celery into pieces one inch long. Boil in salted water until tender; drain and mix with a white sauce.
Cut heads of celery into pieces six inches long, leaving them attached to the root; remove the coarse branches, and trim the roots neatly. Parboil it for five minutes. Make a brown roux, using two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, one teaspoonful of salt, and one quarter teaspoonful of pepper, and dash of nutmeg. Add two cupfuls of stock when the roux is well browned; and in this, place the bunches of celery; cover and cook very slowly for twenty-five minutes. Remove the celery, and place it evenly on a dish. Strain the gravy; pour it around or over the celery.
Cut carrots and turnips into dice one quarter of an inch square, or with a small potato scoop cut them into balls. Boil them separately in salted water; drain and mix them carefully together. Stir lightly into them enough white sauce to moisten them well.
Cut a carrot and turnip into half inch dice, or with small vegetable-cutters cut them into fancy shapes or into small balls. Mix them in about equal proportions with green peas, flageolet beans, string-beans cut into half inch lengths, and small pieces of cauliflower. The vegetables should be boiled separately and well drained before being put together, and when prepared should be mixed lightly so as not to breakthem, and seasoned with butter, pepper, and salt, or be moistened with a Béchamel or a cream sauce. The macédoine may be used as a garnish for meat, or can be served separately in a vegetable dish. This mixture of vegetables may also be used for a salad. Sometimes the vegetables, instead of being mixed together, are placed in separate piles around the meat or on a flat dish, and then give a good effect of color.
BOILED,BAKED,PURÉE,CROQUETTES
Wash the beans, and soak them over night. Boil them slowly until tender, changing the water several times. They are improved in flavor by boiling with them a small piece of salt pork, a bay-leaf, and onion. If they are to be baked remove them from the water when the skin will break easily; put them in a pipkin or bean pot, bury in them a piece of salt pork with the rind scored; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour over them a tablespoonful of molasses, and enough salted water to cover them. Cover the pot closely, and place it in a slow oven to cook for six to eight hours.
For a purée, boil the beans until tender; mash them through a colander. Season with butter, salt, and pepper; and add enough cream or stock to make them the right consistency. This is called “Purée Bretonne.” To use it for a garnish, press it through a pastry bag into forms like potato roses (see page202), or put it into small fontage cups (see page300), or on thin pieces of toast the size of a silver dollar. To make croquettes add a beaten egg to the purée, form it into small croquettes, roll them in egg and crumbs, and fry in hot fat.
Wash beets well, but do not break the skin, or they will lose their color in boiling. Cook for one hour if young, for two to three hours if old. When done throw them into cold water, and remove the skins. Season with butter, salt, and pepper. Serve them whole if small; cut into slices if large.
Wash; cut into small pieces; cook in salted boiling water for twenty minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly; mash, and press out all the water. Season with butter, pepper, salt, and cream if convenient.
Boil the parsnips one hour, or until tender; throw them in cold water, and remove the skins. Cut them in slices lengthwise one quarter of an inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dip in melted butter; then roll in flour, and sauté on both sides until browned. Or mash the boiled parsnips; season, and stir into them one tablespoonful of flour and one egg to bind them; form into small cakes, and sauté in drippings until browned on both sides.
BOILED, STUFFED
Boiled: Peel the cucumbers, and cut them lengthwise into quarters. Boil them in salted water until tender. Make a white sauce (page277), using cream instead of milk, if convenient. Place the well-drained cucumbers in the sauce, to be heated through; then sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.
Stuffed: Select large cucumbers of uniform size. Cut them in two lengthwise. With a spoon remove carefully the seeds, and fill the place with a stuffing made of equal parts of minced chicken, or any meat, and soft crumbs, seasoned, and moistened with one egg and a little stock. Round it over the top, and sprinkle with crumbs. Place the pieces in a pan with enough stock to cover the pan one half inch deep. Cook in a moderate oven one hour, or until the cucumbers are tender; replenish the stock in the pan if necessary. Remove them carefully to a hot dish. Thicken the gravy in the pan with a little cornstarch, and pour it around, not over them. This dish can be served as an entrée.
Wash the lettuce carefully to remove the dust and any insects. Take off the wilted leaves, and cut the root even with the head. Tie the top together. Lay the heads side by side in a baking-pan; add enough stock to cover the pan one and a half inches deep. Cover, and place in a moderate oven to simmer for one half hour, or until the lettuce is soft; renew the stock if necessary. Lift the lettuce out with a fork, putting it under the middle; let it drain, and lay it double, as it will be over the fork, in a row on a hot dish. Season the gravy in the panwith butter, salt, and pepper; thicken it with cornstarch, or with a beaten egg, and serve it with the lettuce.
Put them in salted boiling water, and cook until tender; drain, and pour over them a white sauce, or melted butter, pepper, and salt. If browned onions are wanted for garnishing place them, after they are boiled tender, in a pan; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little sugar; and put them in a hot oven to brown.
Peel the onions. Scoop out from the top a portion of the center. Parboil them for five minutes, and turn them upside down to drain. Fill them with a stuffing made of equal parts of minced chicken, or meat, and soft bread-crumbs, chop fine the onion taken from the center, and add it to the mixture. Season it with salt and pepper, and moisten it with melted butter. Fill the onions heaping full, and sprinkle the tops with crumbs. Place them in a pan with an inch of water; cover, and let cook in an oven for an hour, or until tender, but not so long as to lose shape. Take off the cover the last five minutes, so they will brown very slightly.
Strip off the husk and silk. Put into boiling water; cover, and boil ten to fifteen minutes. Do not salt the water, as it hardens the hull.
Cut down through the center of the grains, each row of green corn on the ear and with the back of a knife press out the pulp, leaving the hulls on the ear. To a pint of the pulp add two beaten eggs, one teaspoonful each of butter and salt, a dash of pepper, and enough flour to bind it. Roll it into small cakes, and sauté them in butter; or it may be dropped from a spoon into hot fat, making fritters. These may be made of canned corn, in which case use a little milk and sugar.
Turn it into a sieve, and let a little water run over it from the faucet. Put it into a shallow baking dish; add to one canful of corn one tablespoonful of butter, one half cupful of cream or milk, one half teaspoonful of salt, and a dash of pepper. Place in the oven to brown the top, and serve in the same dish.
Mix equal parts of corn, cut from the ear, and any kind of beans; boil them separately; then stir them lightly together, and season with butter, salt, and pepper and add a little cream if convenient.
Cut the stems off even with the leaves; remove the hardest bottom leaves, and cut off the top ones straight across, leaving an opening. Take out the inside, or choke. Wash well, and place upside down to drain. Put them into boiling water for half an hour, or until the leaves pull out easily; drain well, and serve on a napkin. They should be cut with a sharp knife intohalves or quarters, and served with white, Béchamel, or Hollandaise sauce. The bottom and the base of the leaves only are eatable.
Remove all the leaves and choke. Trim the bottoms into good shape. Boil them in salted water until tender. Serve with Béchamel or Hollandaise sauce. Or cut the leaves close to the bottom, and divide it into quarters. Cook, and serve the same way.
Canned artichoke bottoms can be procured, which are very good.
Wash the rice well, and drain it. It must be washed in several waters, and until the floury coating, which is usually on rice, is all removed. This flour makes it pasty, and holds the grains together. Have a large saucepan of salted boiling water. Place it on the hottest part of the range, so it will boil violently. Sprinkle in the rice slowly, so as not to stop the boiling, and let it cook for fifteen to twenty minutes uncovered. At the end of fifteen minutes take out a few grains. If they are soft when pressed between the fingers, they are done. Then drain off every drop of water; sprinkle with salt; cover the pot with a napkin, using one thickness only—and set it on the side of the range to steam and become perfectly dry. Or the rice may be turned into a colander to drain, then placed in the open oven to dry. Use a large amount of water in proportion to the rice. Have it violently agitated all the time to keep the grains separated. Do not cook it too long, and do not stir or touch it while cooking. The cloth will not prevent the moisture escaping, and will help to keep it warm while it is drying. If these simple rules are observed, each grain will be separate and dry. Do not coverthe dish in which it is served. Rice cooked in this way can be served in the place of potatoes.
To a cupful of boiled rice add a half cupful of strained tomato sauce, which has been well seasoned with butter, salt, pepper, and bay-leaf. Toss them together, or mix lightly with a fork so as not to mash the grains. Serve as a vegetable.
Boil rice as directed above, so each grain will be separate. Let it get cold, then separate the grains lightly with a fork on a flat dish. Put into a frying-pan just enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan; when it is hot add a little of the rice at a time, and sauté it to a delicate color. Shake the pan constantly to keep the grains separated. Remove the rice as it is done, and spread on a paper to dry in an open oven. The rice should not be greasy when served. This makes a good rice dish to serve as a vegetable with broiled meats.
Cook the milk and farina in a double boiler for twenty to thirty minutes. Wet the farina with a little cold milk before stirring it into the boiling milk, so it will be smooth; add the salt, and cook to stiffness, or until the milk has evaporated, then add the cayenne, onion juice, and beaten yolk of egg. Stir well to mix, and to cook the egg; pour it onto a dish. When cold roll it into balls one inch in diameter; roll the balls in crumbs, then in egg (the white and yolk with one tablespoonful of water, beaten only enough to break), and again in white crumbs. Fry them in hot fat for one minute, or to a light amber color. Be sure the balls are completely coatedwith egg and crumbs, or they will break in frying. Any cold cereals can be used in this way. They make a very pretty dish. Serve on a napkin, or to garnish a meat dish.
See captionFARINA BALLS. (SEE PAGE223.)
Cut cold boiled hominy into slices one half inch thick, then into pieces of uniform size. Roll in flour, and sauté on both sides, or dip them in egg and crumbs, and fry in hot fat.
Pour well-boiled cornmeal mush (page228) into a bread-tin or dish with straight sides, so it will cut in even slices. Make the mush the day before it is to be used, so it will have time to harden. Cut it in pieces one half inch thick, and into any shape desired, but have the pieces uniform. Roll each one in egg and flour, and fry in hot fat; or they may be rolled in milk, then in flour, and sautéd in butter. They should have a crust on both sides. It is good served as a vegetable with game, or as a breakfast dish with or without syrup.
General directions.Thebest macaroni is smooth, has a fine, close grain and clear yellow color. It is made of flour and water only, and when cooked needs the seasoning of a good sauce. It is generally mixed with cheese, but tomato, cream, or Béchamel sauces make at good combination. When macaroni is to be boiled in long pieces to be used for timbales, hold the pieces in a bunch, and lower them gradually into hot water. They will quickly soften, and can be turned into a circle in the saucepan. They must be removed when tender, and not cooked until they lose form. When done drain off the hot water, and pour on cold water for a few minutes; then lay them straight on a cloth.
General directions.Thebest macaroni is smooth, has a fine, close grain and clear yellow color. It is made of flour and water only, and when cooked needs the seasoning of a good sauce. It is generally mixed with cheese, but tomato, cream, or Béchamel sauces make at good combination. When macaroni is to be boiled in long pieces to be used for timbales, hold the pieces in a bunch, and lower them gradually into hot water. They will quickly soften, and can be turned into a circle in the saucepan. They must be removed when tender, and not cooked until they lose form. When done drain off the hot water, and pour on cold water for a few minutes; then lay them straight on a cloth.