“The Gods sent not corn for the rich men only”

ASPARAGUS AU GRATIN

• ½ pint (1 cup) asparagus tips
• 10 small dinner rolls
• 1 gill (½ cup) white sauce
• 1 tablespoonful grated cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoonful cream
• Few drops lemon juice
• Salt, pepper, paprika, and grated nutmeg to taste

Cut the tops from the rolls, scoop the soft part of the crumb, and place them in the oven to get dry and crisp. Boil the asparagus tips in boiling salted water till tender, then drain. Canned asparagus tips may be used, but do not boil them. Heat the sauce in a fireproof dish, add the cheese, seasonings, yolk of egg, cream, and asparagus tips.

Cook for five minutes. Fill up the rolls with this mixture, sprinkle with grated cheese, and dish on a folded napkin in an au gratin dish.

BAKED BEANS

• 4 cupfuls beans
• ½ lb. salt pork
• 1 heaping teaspoonful mustard
• 1 tablespoonful salt
• 4 tablespoonfuls molasses or sugar
• 1 onion, if liked

Soak the beans in cold water (soft water preferred) over night. In the morning wash and rinse them thoroughly, then parboil them until they are soft enough to pierce with a darning needle. Change the water while parboiling, always using boiling water for cooking and rinsing. Drain, put one-half of the beans into a bean pot; add the mustard, salt, and sweetening.

Score the pork and place it on the top of the beans, cover with the remaining beans, and then cover the whole with boiling water.

Put the lid on the bean pot and bake in a slow oven for eight hours.

Uncover the last hour of cooking.

To score pork, cut the pork rind into squares.

BAKED CABBAGE

• 1 firm cabbage
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• 2 heaping tablespoonfuls chopped cooked bacon
• 2 tablespoonfuls milk
• 1 tablespoonful butter

Trim the cabbage and boil it till tender in plenty of boiling salted water. Press out all the moisture, chop it fine, and press it again.

Now add the butter, milk, bacon, seasonings, and the eggs well beaten.

Mix and turn into a buttered fireproof dish, and bake till well browned on the top.

Small pieces of butter dotted about on the surface are an improvement and hasten the browning operation.

BAKED ONIONS

• 12 medium sized onions
• 1 pint (2 cups) milk
• 2 tablespoonfuls fine tapioca
• 1 heaping tablespoonful (1 oz.) butter
• 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

Peel the onions and boil them till tender in boiling salted water. Drain and place them in a buttered casserole; pour in the milk mixed with the tapioca, then add the butter, parsley, salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for half an hour. Serve in the casserole.

BAKED PARSNIPS

• 6 parsnips
• Salt and pepper
• 4 ozs. (½ cup) melted butter

Peel and wash the parsnips and cut them in two lengthways. Steam them for one hour. Remove them from the fire, put them into a buttered earthenware dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, pour the melted butter over them, and set in the oven to bake slowly till perfectly tender and brown.

• 1 pint (2 cups) cooked beans
• 3 large chopped onions
• 2 ozs. (2 heaping tablespoonfuls) butter
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ pint (1 cup) water or stock

Melt the butter in a fireproof dish, then fry the onion in it till a light brown color, sprinkle in the flour, salt and pepper, then stir in the cooked beans and the water or stock.

Bake till thoroughly hot and serve with roast meat.

BRAISED ONIONS

• 4 Spanish onions
• 2 sheep’s kidneys
• 1 cupful (½ pint) brown gravy
• Salt and pepper to taste

Wipe and skin the kidneys, then slice them finely, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Peel the onions, scoop out the center portion, and fill with the kidneys. Place them in a casserole, add the gravy, and cook slowly for about two hours. Serve hot.

BROWNED POTATOES

• 12 potatoes
• 4 ozs. (½ cup) melted butter
• 1 onion
• ½ teaspoonful black pepper

Peel the potatoes and boil them in boiling salted water until they are nearly, though not quite, done.

Take up, drain, and cut each potato in halves lengthways; put flat side down on a hot buttered earthenware pan, set into the oven, baste with the melted butter having the onion juice and black pepper in it, till the potatoes are brown and quite tender.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH CHEESE

• 1 box Brussels sprouts
• ½ pint (1 cup) rich cream
• 1 teaspoonful salt
• ½ cupful grated Parmesan cheese

Trim the sprouts and boil them in boiling salted water till they are perfectly tender, drain thoroughly, and let get quite cold.

Mix the cream and salt together, then dip each sprout into it; arrange them in a buttered shallow earthenware dish, sprinkle the cheese over them, and bake in a hot oven for six minutes.

Serve hot.

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoonful butter
• ½ pint (1 cup) molasses
• Salt and pepper

Select yellow sweet potatoes, peel them, and slice them lengthways. Steam with the butter, salt and pepper, and a little water.

When tender drain off the water. Put the potatoes into an earthenware baking dish, pour over the molasses, and bake in a hot oven until the molasses candies over the potatoes.

CARROTS À LA POMPADOUR

• 2 cupfuls cooked sliced carrots
• 2 cupfuls cooked sliced potatoes
• 2 heaping tablespoonfuls (2 ozs.) butter
• 2 heaping tablespoonfuls (2 ozs.) flour
• ½ pint (1 cup) cream
• ½ pint (1 cup) milk
• 2 tablespoonfuls grated cheese
• Salt and pepper
• A few browned bread crumbs

Butter a fireproof dish, then put in the carrots and then the potatoes on the top. Blend the butter and flour together in a saucepan over the fire, add gradually the milk, cream, cheese, salt and pepper, and stir till it boils.

Pour over the potatoes, sprinkle the browned bread crumbs on the top. Bake in a hot oven for ten minutes.

CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN

• 1 cauliflower
• 1 pint (2 cups) white sauce
• 3 tablespoonfuls grated cheese
• 1 heaping tablespoonful (1 oz.) butter
• Salt and pepper

Wash and trim the cauliflower and boil it in boiling salted water till tender. When done, drain well and shape it neatly. Mix two tablespoonfuls of the grated cheese with the white sauce. Butter an au gratin dish and put in it three tablespoonfuls of the sauce. Upon this place the cauliflower, head upward.

Cover with the sauce, which has been nicely seasoned, and sprinkle the surface with fine bread crumbs and the rest of the cheese. Place the butter in pieces here and there on the top, and bake for a quarter of an hour.

COLCANNON

• 6 cupfuls boiled cabbage
• 3 cupfuls mashed potatoes
• 3 ozs. (3 heaping tablespoonfuls) butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ pint (1 cup) milk

Mix the cabbage, potatoes, half of the butter, milk, and the salt and pepper together with a fork.

Put the mixture into a buttered earthenware baking dish, place the rest of the butter on the top, and bake for three-quarters of an hour in a fairly hot oven.

Serve hot, alone or with meat of any kind.

CORN PUDDING

• 12 ears sweet corn
• 1½ pints (3 cups) milk
• 4 eggs
• 4 ozs. (4 heaping tablespoonfuls) sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the corn from the cob, rejecting the hull. Put the corn into a deep buttered earthenware dish, add the milk, sugar, salt and pepper, and the eggs well beaten.

Bake in a moderate oven for two hours.

• 2 beets
• 2 onions
• 2 turnips
• 3 carrots
• 5 potatoes
• 1 parsnip
• 1 cupful string-beans
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 sweet red peppers
• 1 heaping tablespoonful (1 oz.) flour
• 1 heaping tablespoonful (1 oz.) butter
• 1 tablespoonful curry powder
• 1 teaspoonful salt
• 1 cupful (½ lb.) boiled rice
• 1 pint (2 cups) stock

Cook all the vegetables, then cut them into dice-shaped pieces. Melt the butter in a casserole, add the onions, and fry them a nice brown color. Stir in the flour and curry powder, add gradually the stock, stir till boiling, then simmer for a quarter of an hour; add the vegetables, season nicely, cover the casserole, and cook slowly for half an hour.

Remove the fat from the top of the vegetables. Place the red peppers cut in strips on the top and serve with the rice.

EGG-PLANT AU GRATIN

• 1 egg-plant
• 1 heaping tablespoonful chopped lean bacon
• 6 chopped mushrooms
• 2 chopped shallots
• 1 heaping tablespoonful chopped suet
• 2 heaping tablespoonfuls (2 ozs.) butter
• 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoonfuls bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoonful milk
• 2 tablespoonfuls grated cheese
• 1 egg
• Some white sauce
• Seasoning of salt, pepper, paprika, and grated nutmeg

Cut the egg-plant in two lengthways and remove a portion of the interior to make room for the stuffing. Melt the butter in an earthenware pan, stir in the shallots, bacon, mushrooms, suet, parsley, seasonings, one tablespoonful of the cheese, and the egg well beaten. Put this stuffing into the egg-plant. Arrange on a buttered au gratin dish, sprinkle with a mixture of bread crumbs and grated cheese. Bake in a moderate oven for three-quarters of an hour.

Serve hot with white sauce.

ESCALLOPED SWEET CORN

• Corn
• Bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Butter
• Milk

Cut the corn from the cob, put a layer in a buttered earthenware dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover with fine bread crumbs. Repeat this until the dish is full, having the crumbs on the top; then dot with butter and fill the dish with milk.

Bake in a moderate oven till ready.

LENTILS CREOLE

• 1 cupful (½ lb.) lentils
• 3 canned red peppers
• 2 heaping tablespoonfuls (2 ozs.) butter
• 1 pint (2 cups) tomatoes
• 1 onion
• Salt and pepper

Wash the lentils, then cover with cold water and soak overnight. Drain, cover with fresh warm water, and simmer for half an hour. Bring to boiling point. Again drain, again cover with hot water, and simmer until the lentils are tender.

They are ready when they mash easily between the fingers. Melt the butter in a casserole; add the onion and red peppers chopped fine. Stir and cook until the butter is browned. Add the tomatoes, canned or raw, salt and pepper to taste. Drain the lentils and add them. Cook for half an hour without the cover.

MUSHROOMS AU GRATIN

• 1 lb. mushrooms
• 3 heaping tablespoonfuls (3 ozs.) butter
• 1 tablespoonful grated cheese
• 2 tablespoonfuls bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoonful chopped cooked meat
• Stock to moisten
• Salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg to taste

Select six large fresh mushrooms from the pound of mushrooms and mince the remainder with the stems. SautÉ the latter in the butter for two minutes.

Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, seasonings, sautÉed mushrooms, and stock to moisten. Fill into the large mushroom caps, sprinkle a few bread crumbs over the top, place in a fireproof dish, and bake for a quarter of an hour.

• 1 quart okra
• ½ lb. (1 cup) rice
• ½ can tomatoes
• 1 heaping tablespoonful (1 oz.) butter
• Salt, pepper, dust of paprika

Wash the rice and boil it in boiling salted water till tender; drain, and add the butter, salt, pepper, and paprika. Cut the okra in slices and cook it in a small quantity of boiling water. When nearly ready add the tomatoes and the rice.

Serve hot in fireproof dishes.

PEAS EN CASSEROLE

• 2 quarts shelled peas
• Small bunch parsley
• 12 tiny white onions
• ½ pint (1 cup) water
• 3 heaping tablespoonfuls (3 ozs.) butter
• ½ teaspoonful powdered mint
• Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the onions and put them into a casserole, add the peas, butter, mint, water, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for one hour.

Remove the parsley and serve hot.

POTATOES AU GRATIN

• 2 lbs. potatoes
• Salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg to taste
• 1 egg
• 1½ pints (3 cups) boiling milk
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ lb. grated cheese
• 2 tablespoonfuls butter

Peel and finely slice the potatoes. Put them into a basin, add half of the cheese, milk, seasonings, and the egg well beaten.

Rub some au gratin dishes with the clove of garlic and then well butter them; divide the mixture into them; sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the top; dot with the butter, and cook in a moderate oven for forty minutes.

POTATO BALLS EN CASSEROLE

• 1 lb. boiled potatoes
• 2 heaping tablespoonfuls (2 ozs.) butter
• 2 heaping tablespoonfuls (1 oz.) grated cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• Salt and paprika to taste
• 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley

Rub the potatoes through a sieve, add the butter, cheese, yolks of eggs well beaten, salt and pepper.

Make into neat balls, lay them on a buttered fireproof dish, brush over with a little beaten egg, mark with a fork, and bake a nice brown color in the oven; pour over them a little melted butter, and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and paprika.

Serve hot.

RICE AND TOMATO PIE

• 1 lb. tomatoes
• ¼ lb. (½ cup) rice
• 1 small onion
• ½ pint (1 cup) stock
• 1 heaping tablespoonful (1 oz.) butter or dripping
• 3 tablespoonfuls bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley
• Salt, pepper and curry powder to taste

Wash the rice. Bring the stock to the boiling point, then put in the rice and cook it until it has absorbed all the stock.

Butter a casserole. Peel and slice the tomatoes. Put them in layers with the rice in the dish; dust each layer with a little salt, pepper, curry powder, chopped parsley, and chopped onion. Sprinkle a layer of bread crumbs on the top, and put the butter on the top in small pieces.

Bake in a moderate oven for about forty minutes.

SALSIFY EN CASSEROLE

• 1 bundle salsify
• 1 pint (2 cups) white sauce
• 1 teaspoonful anchovy extract
• 1 teaspoonful lemon juice
• 1 tablespoonful butter
• Few browned bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper

Scrape and wash the roots of the salsify and put it to boil in boiling salted water in which has been squeezed the juice of half a lemon; when tender, drain off the water and cut into half-inch lengths.

Season the sauce with the lemon juice, anchovy extract, salt, and pepper. Toss the salsify in the sauce, turn it into a fireproof dish, put the bread crumbs and the butter on the top, and bake for a quarter of an hour.

STEWED LETTUCE

• 12 heads of lettuce
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 small bunch parsley
• Salt and pepper
• ½ pint (1 cup) water
• 2 ozs. (¼ cup) melted butter

Wash the lettuce, cutting off the stalks at the roots, and put it into an earthenware pan with the onion, parsley, water, salt, and pepper; cook slowly for two hours. By this time the water should have pretty well cooked away, leaving the lettuce fairly dry.

Remove from it the onion and parsley, add the melted butter, and serve hot.

STUFFED PEPPERS

• 6 sweet green peppers
• 4 tablespoonfuls chopped cooked ham
• 4 tablespoonfuls bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley
• 1 gill (½ cup) tomatoes
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) butter
• 1 slice chopped onion
• Salt and pepper
• Water or stock

Use peppers of uniform size. Cut a piece off the stem end, and remove the seeds and partitions. Drop them into boiling water and boil for ten minutes.

Mix together the ham, parsley, bread crumbs, tomatoes, onion, butter, salt and pepper, and stuff them into the peppers.

Cover with a few buttered bread crumbs, place in a buttered fireproof dish, pour in a little water or stock, and bake in a moderate oven for three-quarters of an hour.

STUFFED POTATOES

• 8 large potatoes
• 2 ozs. (2 heaping tablespoonfuls) butter
• 3 tablespoonfuls cream
• A few buttered bread crumbs
• Salt, pepper, and paprika

Wash and dry the potatoes and bake them in a hot oven. When done, cut off the tops, scoop out the potato, and put it in a bowl, with the butter, cream, and seasonings.

Beat together until smooth, then return the mixture to the shells, sprinkle over with the bread crumbs, put a tiny piece of butter on the top of each, and cover with the tops.

Put into a casserole and bake till hot.

STUFFED TOMATOES

• 6 tomatoes
• Some sweet corn
• Cream
• Salt and onion juice
• A little chopped red pepper
• A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
• A little lemon juice

Have the tomatoes of uniform shape and size, wash and dry them, cut a round piece from the stem end of each.

Cut some tender sweet corn from the ears and set to heat with a little cream, salt, Worcestershire sauce, a few drops of onion juice, and a little chopped red pepper.

Scoop out the seeds from the tomatoes. Fill the tomatoes with the corn, lay them on a buttered fireproof dish, and bake until they are tender.

Serve with a little melted butter and lemon juice put over each one.

• 9 turnips
• 1 pint (2 cups) white sauce
• 4 heaping tablespoonfuls grated cheese
• 1 heaping tablespoonful (1 oz.) butter
• Salt and pepper

Wash and peel the turnips, soak them in cold salted water for ten minutes. Drain, and cook the turnips in boiling salted water till half cooked.

Drain and cut in slices. Butter a gratin dish; arrange the slices on it in a heap. Heat the sauce, add two tablespoonfuls of the cheese to it; season the turnips with salt and pepper, pour the sauce over, and sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese over the top; put a few pieces of butter here and there, and cook in a hot oven till a light brown color.