  IN describing to you the different ways these may be dressed, I beg of you to make a constant use of them at your own table, as you will find they will be much better than partaking of half-raw greens, cabbage, turnip-tops, spinach, &c., and are less inviting in flavor, and, consequently, do not get consumed so much as they ought, which causes more meat to be eaten, and instead of refreshing the blood, as all vegetables will do in their season, only irritate it. Do not misunderstand me respecting our English way of partaking of plain boiled vegetables; I do not wish you to give them up entirely, but by adopting both plans, you will find it a great advantage in our domestic cookery. For my part, I do not object to our plain boiled vegetables, but merely to the neglectful way they are cooked and served up, often swimming in water. In France, no family in the middle station of life ever dines without a dish of dressed vegetables, upon which as much care has been bestowed in cooking as upon the principal dish of the dinner, and is often eaten alone. 638. Asparagus.—I cook it thus: I take a bundle and scrape lightly all the white part, beginning from the head down, and throw them when done into cold water, then tie them up in bundles of twenty-five each, if an ordinary size, if very large, half that number, keeping the heads together, and cut off the ends to make them the same length; have ready a pan containing one gallon of boiling water, in which has been thrown two ounces of salt, boil quickly for fifteen minutes, or till tender; dish them up with a piece of toast in the middle, keep the heads in the centre, and form a pyramid. Serve very hot, with rich melted butter, or cream sauce. The queen of all vegetables, to my fancy, is asparagus. This may almost be said to be a modern vegetable in this country, and it is one 639. Young Green Peas.—Young Green Peas! Do not those words sound pleasant to the ear, dearest? I fancy that by merely raising my eyes from the paper on which I am now writing, I shall see all our garden in buds and blossom; it not only seems to invigorate the sensitive part of one’s appetite, but works upon the mind to that point that you may actually fancy you are breathing in a glowing atmosphere, and that the pearly dew is gracefully descending in small globules from heaven, to fix their sparkling eyes on the pinky bloom of myriads of roses. But, alas! how soon this charming illusion has disappeared since I have left for a moment the sight of my paper to give a peep through the garden window, where I perceive that though to-day is the 17th of April, the serious and uncheerful Father Winter has once more monopolized those delightful and variegated nuances of Nature, by laying out his universal snowy tablecloth over this for the present ephemeral vision which the inviting words green peas had produced upon my senses; no doubt the effect of a good fire in my parlor, where I am now sitting, has had a great influence upon me respecting the summery temperature; but as a few weeks longer will realize my wishes, I shall here content myself by giving you the receipt how they ought to be cooked when you can get them. When very young, I like them plain boiled, because their original flavor is so fresh and delicate, that any addition, except a little very fresh butter, would be certain to destroy their aroma; I even object to the introduction of green mint, though I do not want to deprive you of it, being only a matter of taste. Put two quarts of water to boil, with half an ounce of salt, and then place in one pint of peas, boil a full gallop till tender (about ten minutes), put in a colander, drain one minute; lay them, raised in the centre, in a dish, put in them two pats of very fresh butter, and serve. When older or larger, boil a little longer, add twelve leaves of green mint, which serve with it. 640. Peas, French way.—They do not look so inviting, not being so green; but I must say they are excellent as regards flavor. Choose them young and fresh; without both of these qualities, they would not cook properly. Put in a pint of cold water, mix the peas and butter well with your hand, add four button onions, a bouquet of six sprigs of parsley, one ounce of sugar, two saltspoonfuls of salt, one of pepper, put it over a Another way.—When large, I stew them with two cabbage-lettuces cut in two, and stew longer, put in four wineglassfuls of water, or more if required, and finish as above. To keep their color, I often proceed thus for entrÉes or second courses: I plain boil as above, and put them in a stewpan, with four small onions, a little mint, parsley, butter, sugar, and a drop of water, simmer a few minutes, add as above the flour, butter, and liaison, and serve; they are very good this way, but not so rich in flavor. There are different kinds, but I prefer the Prussian Blue above all. 641. Seakale.—Proceed exactly as for asparagus for boiling, but previously to boiling cut out the black part of the roots, and well wash and tie it together, and serve with the same sauce as asparagus. There is a kind of seakale that is rank and stringy, and not worth eating; it may be known, when raw, by the outside near the root, which is very tough and hard. 642. Sprue-grass.—The longer the green part the better the sprue; take each piece and gently bend it, and it will break off at that part which you require, beyond it is too hard, and cannot be eaten; when you thus have the pieces, cut them into lengths of a quarter of an inch, which well wash; have one gallon of water, into which put one ounce of salt, and boil, then put in the sprue and boil for ten minutes, or till tender, then drain on a sieve, put them in a stewpan, with two ounces of fresh butter, half a teaspoonful of flour, the same of salt, two pinches of pepper, and place on the fire, stir well together, and serve hot. The yolk of an egg, well beaten with two spoonfuls of cream, may be added to it; and when serving, 643. Celery.—Cut about ten heads of large celery from six to seven inches long, trim the outside and cut the root to a point, wash it very well between the leaves, tie three together, put a gallon of water, with two ounces of salt, to boil, then add the celery, and boil for fifteen minutes, then drain it, put into a stewpan a small slice of bacon, and lay the celery on it, put it on the fire for two minutes, add one onion sliced, cover with broth until quite tender, then take it out, and dish on a piece of toast, pass the gravy through a sieve into a stewpan, skim off the fat, reduce it to a demi-glaze, add a little sugar and a small pat of butter, which you have rubbed into some flour, stir it well, and sauce over; it ought to be thick, and of a nice brown color, which produce, if required, by a little coloring. Marrow may be served with it, by taking two good pieces of marrow, and boil for a few minutes in a quart of water, and serve on each side the celery. It can also be cooked plain boiled, and served with melted butter over, and also boiled in eight tablespoonfuls of brown sauce, six of broth, and half a teaspoonful of sugar, in which it has boiled ten minutes, or until tender; sauce over and serve. 644. Salsify.—I do not know why this vegetable, which is held in such high estimation on the Continent, should be so little esteemed with us; I will here supply their manner of cooking it, and perhaps you will give it a fair trial. Take twelve middling-sized ones, scrape them well till quite white, rub each with lemon and put in cold water; put into a stewpan a quarter of a pound of beef or mutton suet, cut in small dice one onion, a little thyme, a bay-leaf, a tablespoonful of salt, and four cloves, put on the fire and stir for five minutes, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, and stir well, then add three pints of water, when just boiling put in your salsify, simmer till tender; they will take nearly one hour; dish on toast, sauce over with Dutch, maÎtre d’hÔtel, or onion sauce, or a very good demi-glaze, or Italian sauce. Should any remain, they may be made into fritters thus: put the sauce, if any, in a basin, add a little salt, pepper, two spoonfuls of vinegar, half a chopped 645. Vegetable Marrow.—Choose eight young small ones, with smooth skin, and put them to boil in two quarts of water, in which you have put one ounce of salt, the same of butter, try with a needle if tender, then dish them tastefully on mashed potatoes in a dish, put half a pint of melted butter in a pan when near boiling, add a liaison of a yolk of an egg, two pats of butter, a little sugar, the juice of half a lemon, sauce over and serve; if they are rather large, cut them in two length-wise; if in smaller pieces, take all the inside out and boil till tender, and warm in the above sauce. You can also make a nice demi-glaze, as No. 132, and let them simmer in it for twenty minutes; do not break them, as they would then be unsightly; they can be made into soup like cauliflower (No. 207). 646. Cauliflower and Broccoli.—Be very particular in cleaning them, choose them rather small, thick and firm, put them for one hour in salt and water, then rinse them well in water, that all the dirt may be removed from the interior; have a pan of boiling water, in which you have placed two ounces of salt and one of butter, drain and use where indicated; but if for second course, place them on a dish in the form of a dome, and cover over with some sauce as for vegetable marrow or plain melted butter, or Soubise sauce if preferred plain; serve it very hot, having drained it. 647. The same gratinÉ with Cheese.—Put into a stewpan ten spoonfuls of white sauce, No. 130, with a little chopped onions, which boil for a few minutes, add to it a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan, or any mild English cheese; when boiling, add the yolk of one egg, and a little cayenne, mix quick, lay a little on a dish, put two or three heads of cauliflower or broccoli on it, pour the remainder of sauce over, and a little bread-crumbs and grated cheese; put in oven half 648. Jerusalem Artichokes.—One of the best and most useful vegetables ever introduced to table, and anything but appreciated as it deserves to be. To prove to you that I am a great admirer of it, you will find it very often mentioned in my receipts. In using them for a second course, I choose about twelve of the same size, peel them and shape them like a pear, but flat at the bottom, wash them well, boil gently in three pints of water, one ounce of salt, one of butter, and a few sliced onions; when tender, I make a border of mashed potatoes on a dish, fix them on it point upwards, sauce over with either cream sauce (No. 280), white sauce (No. 130), melted butter (No. 264), maÎtre d’hÔtel, and place a fine Brussels sprout between each, which contrast is exceedingly inviting, simple, and pretty. 649. Cucumbers are most delicious stuffed and stewed, but very difficult to dress, and consequently chiefly used for entrÉes, in which series they will be found. They may, however, be treated like vegetable marrow. 650. Artichokes.—Pull the tail off four or six small artichokes, trim the bottom slightly with a knife, cut the point of every leaf, wash well in plain water, put them on in plenty of water, with a little salt, to boil, let them thus remain about half an hour, or until the leaves are easy to be removed, take them out and lay on a sieve to drain, and serve on a napkin, with melted butter separate. 651. Beet-root.—This is a very good dish, and, as I believe it has never been noticed in cookery, I must lay claim to its parentage; I have given the receipt to some friends, who highly approve of it. Take two nice young boiled beet-roots, which will take about from two to three hours to simmer in plenty of boiling water, peel when cold, cut in slanting direction, so as to make oval pieces, peel and cut in small dice two middling-sized 652. French Beans.—These are also a great favorite with many. To dress it, head and tail them, drawing off the back string, cut in long diamonds, boil till tender in water in which salt has been placed, a quarter of a pound to a gallon, try them after a quarter of an hour’s boiling, drain them, lay them on a dish one inch thick, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and two pats of butter, then put in the remainder, proceed the same at top; serve very quickly, to prevent the butter oiling. 653. The same, À la MaÎtre d’HÔtel.—When boiled as above, put in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of maÎtre d’hÔtel butter, when melted serve. They may be also served with white sauce thus: put in a stewpan eight spoonfuls of melted butter, season well, simmer gently, add the yolk of an egg, two ounces of butter, juice of half a lemon, and serve. 654. Kidney Beans.—Head and tail them, string and slit them down the middle, place them for half an hour in salt and water in which you have thrown a little culinary alkali, boil until tender, and serve with melted butter, or À la maÎtre d’hÔtel. 655. Broad or Windsor Beans.—Boil in salt and water: when done, serve with parsley and butter, or with a piece of bacon. 656. Brussels Sprouts.—Trim, wash, and boil about forty small Brussels sprouts; when tender, drain, dish, and sprinkle a 657. Spinach.—This vegetable is very light and very good for invalids. It must be washed in several waters, after having been well picked; then put a quarter of a sieve of spinach to a gallon of water and three ounces of salt, boil for ten minutes till tender, drain on sieve, press a little with your hands to extract part of the water, chop it up fine, put in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, half ditto of pepper, put on a fire with a drop of warm broth for a few minutes, and serve. 658. Spinach with Gravy.—Proceed as before, but add a tablespoonful of flour and half a pint of strong gravy in it, as No. 177; serve with sippets of bread round. 659. Spinach with Cream.—Proceed as before, but putting half a pint of milk or cream instead of gravy, and the addition of a tablespoonful of sugar, cut three slices of bread, lay on dish, sift sugar over, put in oven, salamander over, cut in various shapes, and serve under or over the spinach. 660. Young Haricot Beans.—Take a pint, boil in two quarts of water, with a small piece of butter, and half an ounce of salt; when done, which will take only a few minutes, dish and serve; put butter over, sprinkle a little salt, and when on the dish, a gill of maÎtre d’hÔtel sauce or fennel sauce may be served over the larger one, or it is very delicious plain boiled, and with a piece of ham or bacon. 661. White Haricot Beans.—Nothing so cheap or so solid a food as haricot beans; get a pint of fine white beans, called the dwarf—I buy them for fourpence a quart. I put them into half a gallon of cold soft water, with one ounce of butter; they take about three hours to cook, and should simmer very slowly, 662. Mushrooms.—These are good every way when fresh; for a dish take about fifty button, cut the roots off, wash and rub the skin off with a cloth, cut them in slices the size of a shilling, tail and all, put them in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, a small teaspoonful of salt, two pinches of pepper, and the juice of half a lemon, put them on the fire, simmer till tender, and dish them up on a nice crisp toast; should you require any sauce, add, when nearly done, half a spoonful of flour, a gill of broth, milk, or cream, or even water, stew a few minutes longer, pour over toast and serve. If very large, they should have been carefully picked, for if the dirt should have got into the under part it is difficult to remove it; cut off the end of the tail and peel the top, put them on a gridiron, season moderately with salt and pepper, turn them, and when done serve them on a very hot dish, and put on each a piece of butter the size of a nut, and a squeeze of a lemon, put in a hot oven for a minute, or before the fire, and serve; a little Harvey’s or Soyer’s sauce is an improvement. They may also be put in an oven, by laying them in a sautÉ-pan or tin dish, put a little butter and season over each, and a drop of Harvey’s sauce, and let them remain twenty minutes, and serve with gravy over. 663. Lentils.—Put into a stewpan one quart, add two quarts of cold water, one ounce of butter, a little salt, one onion sliced, a bouquet of parsley, set on the fire, simmer till tender, which may be in two hours; when done, drain in a sieve, and save the liquor, which can be made into a soup like the haricots (see Gabanza or Egyptian bean may be cooked in the same way. 664. English Truffles.—Put twelve of them to soak for four hours in lukewarm water; then with a hard hair-brush remove all the earth from them; then wash again, put them into a stewpan, with a few slices of bacon, two onions, half a head of celery, half a carrot, a clove of garlic, two bay-leaves, a sprig of thyme, four of parsley, a teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, a half of pepper, two glasses of sherry, and a pint of broth; let them simmer for half an hour or more, but till tender; place them in the oven for twenty minutes longer, remove the truffles and place them on a dish; have a little mashed potatoes, and make a border, and place the truffles on in pyramid to prevent them moving, strain the gravy they were in, skim off the fat, reduce it to about a gill, put in a teaspoonful of arrow-root in a cup, with a spoonful of water, mix it, and put to the gravy, boil a few minutes, pour over, and serve. I peeled some of them, cooked the same way, they eat better; but they did not look so well. 665. SautÉ of the same.—After having washed them, I peel them and cut into thin slices, and put about one pound of them into a stewpan; I then add a quarter of a pound of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, half one of sugar, a quarter ditto of nutmeg, warm over the fire, add a gill of broth, a little flour, mixed with a little butter, stir in, boil, and serve on toast;—or proceed as above, adding a gill of demi-glaze. They can be served with any entrÉes when properly done, and in all cases can be used instead of mushrooms. 666. To cook Sourcrout.—Put a quart of sourcrout, with a 667. Sourcrout, Bavarian way.—Well wash one quart of sourcrout, and put it into an earthen pan with a quarter of a bottle of Rhenish wine or any other light wine, and stew it for three hours; then add some veal gravy, well seasoned, and stew for three hours longer, and serve with sausages, or when you add the veal stock, put in a duck or a goose, and serve with it. 668. Laver is a marine plant (the Ulvoe Lactuca), which is obtained, in London, from the West of England; in Dublin, from Malahide; Edinburgh, from Aberdeen. It is merely washed, boiled, pulped, and potted by the fishermen’s wives. It is considered wholesome, but I see nothing particular in it that can make it so unless it is the small quantity of iodine that it contains. It should be dressed like spinach (No. 658), and sent up very hot in a dish over a spirit-lamp, and is generally served with mutton. The following is a new plan I have introduced for cooking it, which has been liked by those persons who formerly disliked it. Have some mashed potatoes as No. 672, roll it out the thickness of a quarter of an inch, cover it with some cold stewed laver nicely seasoned, put another layer of mashed potatoes over, and allow it to get quite cold, when cut it in square pieces, egg, bread-crumb, and proceed as for ramifolles. POTATOES.—This root still bears its original American name, signifying earth-apple, and is divided into many species. Amongst those most common in use are the regent, ash-leaf, kidney; but, in the sister kingdom, Ireland, many other varieties are in use; as the lumper, reds, and blacks. There are as many different ways of cooking them as there are different species, which I will now describe. 669. Plain Boiled or Steamed Potatoes.—Well wash the potatoes and peel them, and throw them into cold water (that depends upon the kind, if new or young, or a kidney, they should be cooked immediately after they are peeled, whilst others require to remain a long time in soak); have ready a steamer with boiling water in it, put the potatoes on the top, 670. Baked Potatoes.—This is a very favorite dish with many persons; they ought to be of a large size, called Regents, and when cooked very floury. Mr. B. tells me he sometimes lunches at a house in the city where the proprietor grows that sort in particular for the use of his customers, and he finds them better if he leaves them in the ground where they grow until wanted, and he has about three days’ consumption taken up at a time. They are merely well washed, and put into a slow oven for about thirty minutes, or longer if large, and served with a pat of butter in a plate. 671. Fried Potatoes.—The long kidney potato is the best for this purpose; they should be washed and peeled, and cut into very thin slices, and thrown into boiling fat until a nice light brown color; dish up very hot, throwing a little salt over. The remains of cold ones may be cut into slices and fried in the same way, or they may be dipped into batter, and fried like fritters. 672. Mashed Potatoes.—Steam about ten fine potatoes for about thirty-five minutes, put them into a stewpan or bowl, with two ounces of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, a smaller spoonful of pepper, and half a pint of milk, and beat them very well up with a large fork, then add by degrees a gill of milk, and continue beating, and dish them lightly on a dish. Should you require to keep them warm, do so in a stewpan. I do not approve of putting them into moulds and then in the oven, as it makes them heavy. 673. Potatoes À la MaÎtre d’HÔtel.—With young potatoes they are excellent. Boil ten middle-sized ones cut in slices of 674. Lyonnaise.—The remains of cold potatoes may be used thus:—Put three ounces of butter in an omelette pan, in which you fry rather white three sliced onions; put on the potatoes, cut in thin slices about the size of half a crown, and sautÉ them now and then until they have a nice yellow color; add a spoonful of chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and the juice of a lemon, sautÉ well that it should mix well together, dish and serve very hot; they are excellent to serve with chop, steak, or any joint. 675. Irish way of boiling.—In Ireland, where this root has been for so long a period the chief nourishment of the people, and where it takes the place of bread and other more substantial food, it is cooked so that it may have, as they call it, a bone in it; that is, that the middle of it should not be quite cooked. They are done thus:—Put a gallon of water with two ounces of salt, in a large iron pot, boil for about ten minutes, or until the skin is loose, pour the water out of the pot, put a dry cloth on the top of the potatoes, and place it on the side of the fire without water for about twenty minutes, and serve. In Ireland turf is the principal article of fuel, which is burnt on the flat hearth; a little of it is generally scraped up round the pot so as to keep a gradual heat, by this plan the potato is both boiled and baked. Even in those families where such a common art of civilized life as cooking ought to have made some progress, the only improvement they have upon this plan is, that they leave the potatoes in the dry pot longer, by which they lose the bone. They are always served up with the skins on, and a small plate is placed by the side of each guest. 676. To blanch Macaroni.—Have half a gallon of water in a stewpan, in which put two ounces of butter and an ounce of 677. Macaroni À l’Italienne.—Boil half a pound of macaroni as above; when done, lay it on a sieve to dry for one minute, put it in a pan, with four spoonfuls of white sauce, add half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, a little cayenne, toss the macaroni over the fire; when boiling, add two ounces each of grated Parmesan and GruyÈre cheese, toss round and round until well mixed, then serve with a gill of very strong gravy around it. 678. Macaroni au Gratin.—Proceed the same as above; but after you have put the macaroni on the dish, omit the gravy, and cover it slightly with bread-crumbs, and about the same quantity of Parmesan cheese grated, a little butter, and then put in a hot oven for a quarter of an hour; if not hot enough, pass the salamander over it, and serve very hot. 679. Macaroni À la Napolitaine.—Boil half a pound of the best quality of macaroni for half an hour, as at No. 736; when tender, lay one quarter of it on the dish you intend to serve; have ready two ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, which you divide into four parts to lay over each layer of macaroni, then put over it two tablespoonfuls of strong gravy, made of half glaze and consommÉ, put the dish in the oven for ten minutes, and serve very hot. 680. The real Italian method (called À l’Estoufade).—Boil and proceed as before, but make the gravy as follows, and use it instead of the preceding. Take two pounds of rump of beef larded through, put in a small stewpan, with one quarter of a pound of butter, fry gently for one hour, turning almost continually; when forming a glaze add half a pint of broth, let simmer another hour, take the fat off, and use that gravy instead 681. Fried Mashed Potatoes in various shapes.—Roast twelve fine potatoes; when done, take out the interior, which form into a ball; when cold, put them into a mortar, with a piece of butter half the size of the ball; pound them well together, season with a little salt, pepper, chopped eschalots, chopped parsley, and grated nutmeg, mix them with the yolks of six, and two whole eggs; then form them into croquettes about the size and shape of a small egg, and bread-crumb them twice over, and fry them to a light brown color in a stewpan of hot lard, and serve as garniture where required. 682. To boil Rice.—Wash well in two separate waters a pound of the best Carolina rice, then have two quarts of water boiling in a stewpan, into which throw your rice, boil it until three parts done, then drain it on a sieve; butter the interior of a stewpan, in which put your rice, place the lid on tight, and put it in a warm oven upon a trivet until the rice is perfectly tender, or by the side of the fire; serve it separate with curry, or any other dish where required. Prepared thus, every grain will be separate and quite white. 683. Chopping of Herbs, &c.—This may appear a very simple thing to do well, yet it is often done badly, by which the flavor is lost. They should be well washed and dried, and then take the leaves in the left hand, pressing upon the leaves with your fingers, and chop as fine as possible, not by placing the point of the knife on the board and raising it and letting it fall, but with a good sharp cut, so that they are cut, not pressed. Onions should be peeled, and cut in halves lengthwise, and then with a thin knife cut each half in slices, leaving them joined at the root; again cut into slices contrarywise, and then from top to bottom; thus having cut into very small squares, chop it with both hands with the knife. You may also wash them; when half-chopped press them in a cloth, and chop them still finer. |
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