TX 801 U6 Copy 1 REPRINT OF FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 256 PREPARATION OF VEGETABLES FOR THE TABLE ISSUED BY Mayor's Committee on Food Supply JOHN PURROY MITCHEL, Mayor GEORGE W. PERKINS - Chairman JOSEPH HARTIGAN - - Secretary NOVEMBER, 1914 REPRINT OF FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 256 PREPARATION OF VEGETABLES FOR THE TABLE ISSUED BY Mayor's Committee. on Food Supply JOHN PURROY MITCHEL, Mayor GEORGE W. PERKINS - Chairman JOSEPH HARTIGAN - - Secretary NOVEMBER, 1914 D. r- D-' 5593-14-5M E. BROOKLYN EAGLE PRESS V r> CONTENTS Vase Introduction 5 Structure and composition of vegetables ; 5 Classification of vegetables 6 General principles underlying vegetable cooking 8 Blanching vegetables . as a cooking process 9 Waste in preparing vegetables 10 Losses in cooking vegetables 10 Changes that take place in cooking vegetables 11 Cabbage 12 Cauliflower 13 Broccoli \ 13 Brussels sprouts 14 Kale, or borecole 15 Sea kale - •. 15 Spinach 15 Lettuce 17 Swiss chards 17 Beet greens 17 Asparagus t . 17 Globe artichoke 18 Spring greens 18 Green peas 19 Sugar peas 20 Beans . . 21 Green or string beans 21 Scarlet runner beans 22 Shelled kidney beans • 22 Dried beans 23 Lentils 25 Cowpeas 25 Potatoes 25 Sweet potatoes 28 Jerusalem artichoke 29 Turnips 29 Carrots 29 Parsnips 30 Salsify : 30 Beets , 30 Kohl-rabi, or turnip cabbage 31 Celeriac '. 31 Celery 31 256 (3) 4 Page Onion 32 Cucumbers 33 Tomatoes 33 Okra 34 Green peppers 34 Eggplant 35 Squash 35 Green corn 36 Vegetable hash 36 Rice 37 Hominy and corn meal 37 Vegetable soups 37 Mixed vegetable soup 38 Herb soup 38 Sorrel soup 38 Leek soup 39 Cream of leek soup 39 Potato soup , 39 Cream of celeriac soup 40 Tomato soup 40 Okra and tomato soup 40 Onion chowder 40 Green pea soup 41 Split pea soup 41 Dried bean soup 41 Cream of bean soup 42 Seasonings and sauces for vegetables 42 Time of cooking flavors 42 Fried vegetables for seasoning 43 Fine herbs <-. 43 Tarragon vinegar 43 Butter with vegetables 43 Savoy drippings 44 Cream sauce 44 Cream mustard sauce 44 Whjte sauce 44 Tomato sauce 45 Salads and salad dressings 45 Lettuce salad with French dressing 45 Lettuce salad with cream dressing 46 Cabbage salad 46 Cucumber salad '. 46 Dressings or sauces for salads 47 256 PREPARATION OF VEGETABLES FOR THE TABLE. INTRODUCTION. The object of this bulletin is to help the housekeeper to a better under- standing of the vegetable foods and the methods of preparing them. The aim has been to give, in a simple, clear form, an idea of the structure and composition of plants with relation to their food value, and the principles underlying the preparation of vegetables for the table. Although the bulletin is not designed primarily as a cookery book, yet a large number of recipes for cooking vegetables are given. These recipes are types, which may be modified or changed to suit the materials or conditions with which the housekeeper has to deal. Every recipe has been carefully tested, and it is only fair to the writer and to the cook that they shall be followed accurately the first time they are used. Some of the vegetables and herbs called for are not commonly found in the home garden, but they may be grown in every garden, a and are well worthy of a place in our menu. STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF VEGETABLES. Plants are made up of innumerable cells, each consisting of a thin membranous wall inclosing a semifluid mass, in which lies the nucleus or center of cell activity and minute grains of starch or other material which the plant has elaborated. The whole framework of the very young plants is made up of these cell walls, commonly called cellular tissue or cellulose. However, early in the growth of the plant wood cells begin to develop. The wood cells grow into a fibrous substance that may be torn apart like threads, which is called woody fiber. It is this woody fiber and the thickening and hardening of the cellular tissue that make poorly grown or stale vegetables hard and indigestible. Practically all green plants contain a large percentage of water with a large or smaller percentage of starch and some nitrogenous material (protein), sugar, gum, crude fiber, and other carbohydrate and mineral matter. The fruits and seeds of some»plants are rich in fat, but the plant itself rarely contains any appreciable amount of this constituent. b Chlorophyll, a green coloring matter found in all green plants, is essential for their continued growth and development, as are also light and * See U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmer's Bui. 225. b The composition of a large number of vegetables is given in U. S. Dept. Agr., Office of Experiment Stations Bui. 28, and in Farmers' Bui. 142. 256 (5) air. If green plants are covered so that light can not reach them, changes take place in the cells, and the chlorophyll is bleached out. Plant cells, when they make their normal growth, frequently elaborate chemical bodies with strong flavor, for instance, the bitter principle found in dandelions. When the chlorophyll bleaches out it is commonly believed that any strong flavored bodies also diminish, and this is one reason for covering salad plants from the light in order that they may become blanched. Plants may continue to grow from stored material for a time if light is excluded, but the growth is not the same. The leaves are usually smaller and the stems longer than is the case with normal plants. The cells are larger, have thinner walls, and do not develop chlorophyll, while the per- centage of water is higher. In other words, the growth made without light is more tender than the normal growth. This is another reason why such salad plants as endive and celery are blanched before they are used. In some cases the light is excluded by tying up the plants and in others by covering them. In the household the term blanching has other meanings. Thus, nuts, like almonds, are blanched when the brown outer skin is removed by treatment with hot water, and vegetables are blanched in cooking, as described on page 9. Most vegetables contain small amounts of volatile essential oils or other bodies of pronounced flavor and owe their characteristic taste to such constituents ; sugars and acids when present, as they often are, and mineral salts, found in all vegetable foods, also contribute their share toward the flavor. CLASSIFICATION OF VEGETABLES. Vegetable foods may be divided into a few general classes. These are cereals, legumes, tubers, roots and bulbs, herbaceous or green vege- tables, and vegetable fruits and flowers. The cereals are the most valu- able of the vegetable foods, including as they do the grains from which is made nearly all the bread of the world. The use of cereals for bread making, for breakfast foods, and in similar ways is taken up elsewhere.' In this bulletin rice and corn are the only cereals considered, as they are the only grains commonly employed as table vegetables. Rice is largely composed of starch and has very small proportions of nitrogenous, fatty, and mineral matter. Therefore, when used as a vegetable, it is naturally and very properly served with foods rich in the constituents which it lacks. The starch granules in rice are small and angular, and it is generally conceded to be easily digested. Corn, when ripe, also has a high percentage of starch in addition to a fair pro- portion of the other nutrients. The dried grains contain about 12 per cent of nitrogenous matter and about 9 per cent of fatty matter. It will be seen, therefore, that it is more nutritious than rice. Like all starchy foods, corn may be served or combined with foods rich in nitrogenous and fatty matter to form a well-balanced diet. Green corn is a succulent vegetable containing a fair proportion of carbohydrates in addition to a small proportion of the other nutrients. Legumes belong to the pulse family. The fruit is usually in the »U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Buls. 105, 112, 193, 237, 249. 256 shape of a pod. Although there are several thousand species of the Leguminosse or pulse, only a few kinds are used as table vegetables, beans, peas, cowpeas, and lentils being the legumes principally employed as human food. The dried seeds of beans, peas, and lentils constitute a most .valuable all-the-y ear-round food supply. The seeds occupy small space, keep well, and may be prepared in a great many appetizing and nutritious forms. The ripe leguminous seeds are very rich in nitrogenous matter. Peas, beans, cowpeas, and lentils contain on an average 25 per cent nitrogenous matter and over 50 per cent starch, and about 10 per cent cellulose, fatty matter, and mineral matter. When properly cooked and consumed in reasonable quantities peas, beans, and lentils may replace a portion of the meat in the daily dietary. The unripe legumes and their edible pods, like all green vegetables, are quite succulent foods,' the proportion of nutritive material being small as compared with the water present. Since the fatty matter in the legumes enumerated does not average 3 per cent they are commonly and wisely cooked with some added fat. The green seeds and the green pods of peas and beans are not so highly nutritious as the dried seed, but they are more delicate and apparently more easily digested. a Among the foods served as table vegetables, tubers and roots have an important place. The potato comes next to the cereals in its almost universal employment and the material consumed. We have no other vegetable that lends itself to such a variety of preparations. The potato contains a large percentage of water, a fair percentage of starch, a very small percentage of sugar, and nitrogenous, fatty, and gummy matter, and about 1 per cent of mineral matter. The mineral matter consists of potash and soda salts, citrates, phosphates, magnesia, and silicate of lime. It is to this mineral matter that the potato owes its antiscorbutic properties. The sweet potato is rich in starch and sugar. The percentage of nitrogenous and fatty matter is very small. This vegetable makes a pleas- ant and healthful addition to the table. It is somewhat laxative. The Jerusalem artichoke," a fairly common tuber used as a vegetable, is a species of sunflower. The name is a corruption of girasole, the Italian name for sunflower. The Jerusalem artichoke tubers can be left in the ground during the winter ; they are welcome and refreshing in the spring when fresh vegetables are scarce. The carbohydrates, which constitute 14 or 15 per cent of the tuber and are the principal nutritive material present, consist largely of inulin instead of the starch which is so char- acteristic in most other tubers. The true roots most used as table vegetables are beets, radish, turnips, parsnips, carrots, salsify, and celeriac. Both the parsnip and salsify withstand frost and may be left in the ground all winter, thus making it possible to have these vegetables in the early spring as well as in the fall. However, they must not be left in the ground too late in the > season the following spring, as they soon grow hard and fibrous. Turnips, a For a fuller description of these vegetables see U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Buls. 121 and 169. b For data regarding the culture and food value of the Jerusalem artichoke see U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 73, p. 10. 256 8 beets, and carrots, for summer and fall use, should be of the quick-grow- ing kind, and should not be allowed to grow to great size. To have these vegetables in perfection it is necessary to sow them frequently during the season. When grown for winter use, these roots, like all vegetables that are to be stored, must, of course, develop until mature, else they will not keep well. The bulb-bearing plants belong to the lily family, the onion being the bulb most generally used as a vegetable and flavorer. On the Conti- nent of Europe very many other members of the onion family are also freely used as flavorers, and no continental kitchen garden would be con- sidered complete without several varieties, such as the common onion, leek, shallot, garlic, chives, and cibol. Much of the delicious flavor of the French and Italian cookery is due to the skillful combination of several of the onion flavors. The herbaceous vegetables cabbage, lettuce, celery, spinach, etc., are valuable for their refreshing qualities, the salts they yield, and the variety they give to our diet, but owing to the amount of water they contain (90 per cent or more on an average) their food value is low. The leaves, stems, and shoots are the parts used as food. These vegetables should be employed while young and tender ; the more rapidly the vege- tables grow the more tender they will be. Slow growth favors the development of tough and woody matter, as is very noticeable in aspar- agus, lettuce, etc., in cold springs and summers. The list of herbaceous vegetables is long and includes the cabbage tribe, celery, asparagus, and all the green leaves, stalks, and shoots that are employed, cooked, or used as salads. Fruits used as vegetables include tomatoes, okra, squash, pumpkin, cucumber, eggplant, and peppers, among others. Such fruits as musk- melon and watermelon are used as fruits a rather than as vegetables, and are not taken up here. In the case of globe or French artichoke, cauli- flower, and broccoli the flower buds or inflorescence are the parts eaten. GENERAL PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING VEGETABLE COOKING. Vegetables are baked, roasted, fried, or boiled, are used for making a great variety of dishes, and are prepared for the table in other ways; but the most common method of cooking them is in boiling water. Steam- ing is not infrequently resorted to as a method of cooking vegetables and is, of course, similar in principle to boiling in water. The simpler the methods of cooking and serving vegetables the better. A properly grown and well-cooked vegetable will be palatable and readily digestible. Badly cooked, water-soaked vegetables very generally cause digestive disturbances, which are often serious. Nearly every vegetable may be cooked so that with plain bread it may form a palatable course by itself, if it is desired to serve it in this manner. All green vegetables, roots, and tubers should be crisp and firm when put on to cook. If for any reason a vegetable has lost its firmness and crispness, it should be soaked in very cold water until it becomes plump » Fruit and Its Uses as Food, U. S. Dept. Agr. Yearbook 1905, p. 307. 256 and crisp. With new vegetables this will be only a matter of minutes, while old roots and tubers often require many hours. All vegetables should be thoroughly cleaned just before being put on to cook. Vege- tables that form in heads, such as cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, should be soaked, heads turned down, in salted cold water, to which a few spoonfuls of vinegar may be added. If there are any worms or other forms of animal life in these vegetables, they will crawl out. To secure the best results all vegetables except the dried legumes must be put in boiling water, and the water must be made to boil again as soon as possible after the vegetables have been added, and must be kept boiling until the cooking is finished. Herbaceous vegetables should boil rapidly all the time. With tubers, roots, cauliflower, etc., the ebullition should not be so violent as to break the vegetables. Green beans and peas when removed from the pod must also be cooked gently, i. e., just simmer. When the pods and all are used they are to be cooked rapidly, like the herbaceous vegetables. To secure the most appetizing and palatable dishes, only fresh tender vegetables should be cooked. If, however, green beans, peas, etc., have grown until a little too old and it still seems best to gather them, a very small piece of baking soda added to the water in which they are boiled makes them more tender, it is commonly believed, and helps to retain the color. Too much soda injures the flavor, and an excess must be care- fully avoided. A little soda may also be used to advantage if the water is quite hard. Peas may be boiled for fifteen or twenty minutes in the water to which the soda has been added, then to be cooked the same as peas with pork (p. 21). During the cooking of all vegetables the cover must be drawn to one side of the stewpan to allow the volatile bodies liberated by the heat to pass off in the steam. All vegetables should be thoroughly cooked, but the cooking should stop while the vegetable is still firm. This, of course, does not apply to vegetables that are cooked in soups, purees (thick strained soups), etc. The best seasoning for most vegetables is salt and good butter. Vegetables that are blanched and then cooked with butter and other seasonings and very little moisture are more savory and nutri- tious than when all the cooking is done in a good deal of clear water. BLANCHING VEGETABLES AS A COOKING PROCESS. Blanching, which in cookery is entirely different from the bleaching or blanching of green vegetables in the garden, is a cooking process often used with vegetables, since it removes the strong or acrid taste and im- proves the quality. It is also convenient, since blanching may be done at any time, and the cooking completed in a very short time when the dish is to be served. Have a large stewpan half full of rapidly boiling water. Add a tablespoonful of salt for every two quarts of water. Have the vegetables cleaned and well drained. Drop them into the boiling water, and bring the water back to the boiling point as quickly as possible. Boil rapidly, with the cover partially or wholly off the stewpan, five to twenty minutes, depending upon the vegetable, then drain off the water. If the cooking of the vegetable is not to be finished at once, pour cold water over the 256 10 vegetable to cool it quickly, then drain and set aside until needed. If the cooking is to be continued at once, it will not be necessary to rinse the vegetable with cold water. To complete the cooking the vegetable should be put in a small stewpan with butter or drippings (see p. 45) and the other seasonings and cooked gently until done. A few spoonfuls of liquid will be required for every quart of very juicy vegetables, and half a pint of liquid for drier vegetables. The stewpan is to be covered, only a slight opening being left for ventilation. All vegetables cooked in this manner should be cut up rather small either before or after the blanching. WASTE IN PREPARING VEGETABLES. In preparing vegetables for the table there is almost always a larger or smaller loss due to inedible matter, skins, roots, seeds, etc., and also a waste of good material, which is caused by careless paring, etc., all these losses being grouped together in reporting analyses under the name "refuse." The amount of refuse varies greatly in different vegetables, as shown by a large number of analyses of American food materials. 11 The amount may be very small (7 per cent) in such vegetables as string beans ; medium (10 per cent to 15 per cent) in such vegetables as onions, cabbage, leeks, lettuce, cucumbers; or high (50 per cent) in such vegetables as beans in pod, pumpkins, and squash. With tubers, such as potatoes, the average amount of refuse is 20 per cent, and with such roots as turnips 30 per cent. In preparing vegetables for the table the careful cook will remove all inedible portions and will see to it that the total amount of refuse is as small as is consistent with good quality. Thin paring of potatoes and other vegetables is an economy which it is worth while to practice, and is an easy way of decreasing useless loss. LOSSES IN COOKING VEGETABLES. In baking vegetables there is little loss of material except the water which is driven off by the heat. When vegetables are immersed in water, as in boiling, a greater or less loss of material is almost inevitable, the^ kind and amount of material extracted by the water depending upon such factors as the sort of water used, its temperature at the beginning and during the cooking period, the length of time the cooking is con- tinued, and the condition of the vegetable, that is, whether pared, whole, or cut into small pieces. In experiments carried on under the auspices of the Office of Experi- ment Stations b it was found that when potatoes were boiled in the jackets the loss of material was very trifling. When peeled and soaked for several hours before boiling, the loss in round numbers amounted to about 50 per cent of the nitrogenous material, and 40 per cent of the mineral matter present. When potatoes were peeled and placed at once in boiling water, only about 8 per cent of the proteid matter and 19 per cent of the mineral matter present were extracted by the water. Little starch was removed from the potatoes by the solvent action of water, but when peeled potatoes a U. S. Dept. Agr., Office of Experiment Stations Bui. 28. b U. S. Dept. Agr., Office of Experiment Stations Bui. 43 ; Farmers' Bui. 73, p. 22. 256 11 were boiled the amount of starch removed by abrasion was considerable, at times nearly 30 per cent of the total value of the potato. In the experiments with carrots it was found that the loss was great- est when the roots were cut into small pieces, amounting in this case to nearly 30 per cent of the total food material present. The sugar extracted when the carrots were boiled was equivalent to nearly a pound to the bushel. When cabbage was boiled the amount of material extracted was found to be considerable, amounting to about one-third of the total food material present, the chief constituents extracted by the water being ash or mineral matter. Some recent German experiments 21 have shown that when vegetables are steamed only one-third as much material is removed as when they are boiled. In all cases the loss in cooking vegetables is not great enough to seriously influence the method of cooking selected in the ordinary family. But in institutions where, owing to small funds, every effort must be made to obtain the most nutritious diet from the available food supply, it is only fair to say that of two equally palatable methods of cooking vege- tables that should be selected which entails the smallest loss. CHANGES THAT TAKE PLACE IN COOKING VEGETABLES. Briefly, these are the principal changes that take place in vegetables during cooking : The cellular tissue is softened and loosened ; the nitro- genous substances are coagulated ; the starch granules absorb moisture, swell, and burst ; and flavors and odors are developed. As long as the vegetable is kept at a temperature above 125 degrees F. changes continue to go on in the vegetable substance. The most marked of these are in the starch and in the odor, color, and flavor of the vegetable. Starch will not dissolve in cold water, but pure starch gelatinizes readily in hot water, and if the temperature is high enough will become gummy and opaque. If starch is cooked in just moisture enough to swell and burst its granules and is then kept hot, but without additional moisture, a change will continue to take place, though the starch will remain dry and glistening. The flavor grows sweeter and more nutty the longer the starchy food cooks in dry heat. (See Boiled potatoes, Boiled rice.) It is only vegetables that are composed largely of starch that can be kept hot in this manner without acquiring a strong taste and poor color. Potatoes, if kept in a closely covered vessel or with the unbroken skins on, will become soggy and dark and have a rank flavor. This is owing to the retention of moisture, which changes some of the starch to a sticky, gummy mass, and very probably to the noxious volatile bodies which are generated by heat and should be allowed to pass away. If the skins are broken and the vessel ventilated, potatoes may be kept warm a long time without spoiling. During the cooking of all kinds of foods gases are developed which, if retained in the food, give it a strong flavor and odor, and which, there is reason to believe, are injurious. What all these gases are and just how they act is not yet known, because very little research has been siade along these lines. It has been found, however, that, in addition to water vapor, "Landw. Jahrb. Schweiz, 19 (1905), p. 619. 256 12 carbon dioxid is of common occurrence, as is also hydrogen sulphid, mercaptan (sulphur alcohol), or some other volatile sulphur compound. The carbonic-acid gas is liberated from practically all foods and sul- phureted hydrogen or other volatile sulphur compound from practically all except the starchy vegetables. If the food be thoroughly ventilated while cooking, the gases will pass off in the steam. Many experiments which the writer has made have shown that foods which are well venti- lated during cooking are better flavored than those which are closely covered. Experiments have also convinced the writer that thoroughly ventilated foods are more wholesome than those that are not. Hence the urgent necessity for thorough ventilation while cooking vegetables or any other foods. Overcooking changes and toughens the texture of vegetable foods and destroys the chlorophyll and other coloring matters and volatilizes or injures the bodies which contribute to the flavor. Overcooked vegetables are inferior in appearance and flavor and often "indigestible (that is, pro- motive of digestive disturbance) as well as unpalatable. CABBAGE. Because of the relatively large amount of sulphur which cabbage contains it is apt to be indigestible and cause flatulence when it is im- properly cooked. On the other hand, it can be cooked so that it will be delicate and digestible. It is one of our most useful vegetables, being available during the late fall, winter, and spring months, when other green vegetables are difficult to procure. The quickest and simplest methods of cooking cabbage are the best. The essentials for the proper cooking of this vegetable are plenty of boiling water, a hot fire to keep the water boiling all the time, and thorough ventilation, that the strong- smelling gases, liberated by the high temperature, may be carried off in the steam. Young cabbage will cook in twenty-five or thirty minutes ; late in the winter it may require forty-five minutes. The vegetable when done should be crisp and tender, any green portion should retain the color, and the white portion should be white and not yellow or brown. Overcooked cabbage or cauliflower is more or less yellow, has a strong flavor, and is very inferior to the same dish properly cooked. In addition, overcooking is a cause of digestive disturbance. TO BOIL CABBAGE. Cut a small head of cabbage into four parts, cutting down through the stock. Soak for half an hour in a pan of cold water to which has been added a tablespoonful of salt; this is to draw out any insects that may be hidden in the leaves. Take from the water and cut into slices. Have a large stewpan half full of boiling water ; put in the cabbage, push- ing it under the water with a spoon. Add one tablespoonful of salt and cook from twenty-five to forty-five minutes, depending upon the age of the cabbage. Turn into a colander and drain for about two minutes. Put in a chopping bowl and mince. Season with butter, pepper, and more salt if it requires it. Allow a tablespoonful of butter to a generous pint of the cooked vegetable. Cabbage cooked in this manner will be of 256 13 delicate flavor and may be generally eaten without distress. Have the kitchen windows open at the top while the cabbage is boiling, and there will be little if any odor of cabbage in the house. CABBAGE COOKED WITH PORK. For a small head of cabbage use about half a pound of mixed salt pork. Boil the pork gently for three or four hours. Prepare the cabbage as for plain boiled cabbage. Drain well and put on to boil with the pork. Boil rapidly for twenty-five to forty-five minutes. Serve the pork with the cabbage. The vegetable may require a little more salt. Smoked bacon or ham may be substituted for the pork. Cabbage may be cooked in water in which corned beef was boiled. CREAMED CABBAGE. 1 pint boiled and minced cabbage. ]/ 2 pint hot milk. 1 tablespoonful butter. 1 teaspoonful flour. / 2 teaspoonful salt. / 2 teaspoonful pepper. Put the cabbage, hot milk, salt, and pepper in a stewpan and on the fire. Beat the butter and flour together until creamy, then stir into the contents of the stewpan. Simmer ten minutes, being careful not to scorch the sauce; serve very hot. CABBAGE WITH SAUSAGE. 6 sausages. 1 quart minced cabbage. teaspoonful pepper. Salt, if necessary. Fry the sausages crisp and brown. Take from the frying pan and pour off all but three tablespoonfuls of the fat. Put the minced cabbage in the frying pan and cook six minutes. Arrange in a hot dish and garnish with the sausages. Serve mashed potatoes with this dish. PUREE OF CABBAGE AND POTATOES. 2 teaspoonfuls salt. y 2 teaspoonful pepper. y 2 pint hot milk. 1 pint boiled finely-minced cabbage. 6 medium-sized potatoes. 2 tablespoonfuls butter or savory drippings (see p. 45). Peel the potatoes and put them in a stewpan with boiling water enough to cover them. Cook just thirty minutes. Pour off the water and mash fine and light. Beat in the hot milk, seasoning, and cabbage. Cook about five minutes longer. CAULIFLOWER. • This vegetable, which a few years ago was a luxury, is now cultivated by nearly all market gardeners, and is within the means of all house- keepers. It is a most delicious vegetable, when properly cooked, and vile when improperly cooked, which generally means when overcooked. Remove all the large green leaves and the greater part of the stalk. Put the head down in a pan of cold water which contains to each quart a teaspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of vinegar. Let it soak in this water an hour or more. This is to draw out worms, if any should be hidden in the vegetable. When ready to cook the cauliflower put it into a large stew- pan, stem end down, and cover generously with boiling water. Add a 256 14 tablespoonful of salt and cook with the cover of the saucepan partially off, boiling gently all the time. A large, compact head will require a full half hour, small heads from twenty to twenty-five minutes. If the flowers are loose the heat penetrates to all parts quickly. When compact a little extra time should be allowed for the cooking, but the time must never exceed the half hour. The cauliflower begins to deteriorate the moment it begins to be overcooked. Overcooking, which is very common, can be told by the strong flavor and dark color. It makes the vegetable not only unpleasant to the eye and palate, but indigestible also. If this vegetable must be kept warm for any length of time, cover the dish with a piece of cheese cloth. In hotels and restaurants it is better to blanch it, chill with cold water, and then heat in salted boiling water when needed. CREAMED CAULIFLOWER. 1 tablespoonful butter. { / 2 tablespoonful flour. 3 slices toasted bread. 1 pint cooked cauliflower. 1 pint milk. 1 teaspoonful salt. Yz teaspoonful pepper. Have the cooked cauliflower broken into branches and seasoned with half the salt and pepper. Put the butter in a saucepan and on the fire. When hot add the flour and stir until smooth and frothy, then gradually add the milk, stirring all the time. When the sauce boils add the salt, pepper, and the cauliflower. Cook ten minutes and dish on the slices of toast. Serve very hot. BROCCOLI. This vegetable is a species of cauliflower and can be cooked and served in the same manner. BRUSSELS SPROUTS. This is a species of cabbage, which forms in many small heads about the size of an English walnut on the stock of the plant. It is fairly com- mon in most large markets and is worthy of more extended use than it has commonly met with in the United States. BRUSSELS SPROUTS BLANCHED. Remove the wilted or yellow leaves from the little heads or "sprouts," cut the stock close to the head, and soak in salted cold water for an hour or more. Drain well and put into plenty of boiling salted water. Allow one teaspoonful of salt to two quarts of water. Boil rapidly for fifteen or twenty minutes, the time depending on the size of the heads. When done turn into a colander and pour cold water over the heads. They are now ready to cook in butter, or to serve with any kind of sauce. Or the boiling water may be drained from the sprouts, which can then be seasoned with butter, salt, and pepper. BRUSSELS SPROUTS SAUTE. 1 quart Brussels sprouts. I Y* teaspoonful salt. 3 tablespoonfuls butter. I Ya teaspoonful pepper. To sauter a food is to cook it quickly in a frying pan in a little fat. Blanch the sprouts and drain well. Put them into a broad-bottomed 256 15 saucepan with the butter and other seasonings. Place over a hot fire and shake frequently. Cook five minutes. Serve hot. KALE, OR BORECOLE. There are several varieties of this vegetable. The dwarf, green- curled kale is the best for the table and is a fall and spring vegetable. The leaves are sweeter and more tender after having been touched by the frost. In the north the roots may be banked with earth at the begin- ning of winter and when extreme cold weather sets in the plants may be covered lightly with hay or straw. In the spring the old stalks will produce young shoots that make delicious greens. KALE BOILED WITH PORK. Cook the kale the same as cabbage with pork. MINCED KALE. Remove all the old or tough leaves. Wash the kale thoroughly and drain, then put on to cook in a kettle of boiling water, to which has been added salt in the proportion of 1 tablespoonful to 4 quarts of water. Boil rapidly, with the cover off the kettle, until the vegetable is tender. Pour off the water, and chop the kale rather fine ; then put back into the kettle and add 1 tablespoonful of butter and 2 of meat broth or water for each pint of the minced vegetable. Add more salt if required. Cook for ten minutes and serve at once. The time required for cooking kale varies from thirty to fifty minutes. If young and fresh from the garden it will cook in thirty minutes. SEA KALE. .This is a delicious spring vegetable. It requires practically the same culture as asparagus, and the young shoots are cooked in the same way as this vegetable. Sea kale may be cut the third year from the planting of the seed. Cutting should not be continued after the flower heads begin to form. The flower heads may be cooked the same as broccoli. SPINACH. This vegetable is a great resource in cold weather when green vege- tables are scarce. The common spinach, which is the sort usually met with in gardens or markets, goes to seed quickly in hot weather, but New Zealand spinach, which is a very different plant from ordinary spinach and far less well known in the United States, yields tender greens all summer. The shoots should be cut regularly ; if not, the old shoots become tough and rank flavored. Spinach has little food value, but its refreshing and slightly laxative qualities make it a valuable adjunct to the more substantial foods. It contains little starch and only a suggestion of sugar, and is therefore one of the vegetables that physicians include in the bill of fare of many invalids who require a diet without these carbohydrates. 256 16 Like most other vegetables, it is rarely cooked to perfection, yet it is not difficult to prepare. Except for special reasons the simplest methods are the best for this vegetable. No matter how cheap the raw spinach may be, it is always expensive in two things — labor and butter. It takes a good deal of time, water, and patience to wash it clean, and no other vegetable requires so much butter if it is to be at its best. Where strict economy must be practiced, sweet drippings from roast beef or chicken can be substituted for the butter. To clean the spinach cut off the roots, break the leaves apart and drop them into a large pan of water, rinse them well in this water and put them in a second pan of water. Continue washing in clean waters until there is not a trace of sand on the bottom of the pan in which the vegetable was washed. If the spinach is at all wilted let it stand in cold water until it becomes fresh and crisp. Drain from this water and blanch. For half a peck of spinach have in a large saucepan 3 quarts of boiling water and 1 tablespoonful of salt. Put the drained spinach in the boiling water and let it boil ten minutes, counting from the time it begins to boil. When it begins to boil draw the cover of the saucepan a little to one side to allow the steam to escape. At the end of ten minutes pour the spinach into a colander, and when the hot water has passed off pour cold water over it. Let it drain well and mince coarse or fine, as is suitable for the manner in which it is to be served. One peck of spinach will make about \y 2 pints when blanched and minced. SPINACH WITH CREAM. l / 2 peck spinach. 1 teaspoonful salt. 2 tablespoonfuls butter. l / 2 teaspoonful pepper. 1 tablespoonful flour. | l / 2 pint cream or milk. Blanch and mince the spinach. Put the butter in a saucepan and on the fire. When hot add the flour and stir until smooth and frothy, then add the minced spinach and the salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes, then add the milk or cream, hot, and cook three minutes longer. Serve. SPINACH WITH EGG. y 2 peck spinach. j 2 eggs. 3 tablespoonfuls butter. 3 teaspoonfuls salt. y 2 teaspoonful pepper. | Wash and blanch the spinach, using two teaspoonfuls of the salt in the water in which the vegetable is boiled. Drain the blanched spinach and chop rather fine, return it to the saucepan, and add the salt, pepper and butter. Place on the fire and cook ten minutes. Heap in a mound on a hot dish and garnish with the hard-boiled eggs, cut in slices. SPINACH COOKED WITHOUT WATER. Fresh spinach when washed holds enough water for cooking. Put the spinach in a stewpan and on the fire ; cover and cook for ten minutes. Press down and turn the spinach over several times during the cooking. At the end of ten minutes turn the spinach into a chopping bowl, and mince rather fine. Return to the stewpan and add the seasonings, allow- ing for half a peck of spinach two generous tablespoonfuls of butter 256 17 and a teaspoonful of salt. Simmer ten minutes; or if very tender nve minutes will be sufficient. Spinach cooked in this manner will retain all its salts. It will be more laxative and the flavor stronger than when blanched (boiled in water). In young, tender spinach this is not objectionable, but when the overgrown vegetable is cooked in its own moisture the flavor is strong and somewhat acrid. LETTUCE. If lettuce has grown until rather too old for salad, it may be cooked, and makes a fairly palatable dish. BOILED LETTUCE. Wash four or five heads of lettuce, carefully removing thick, bitter stalks and retaining all sound leaves. Cook in plenty of boiling salted water for ten or fifteen minutes, then blanch in cold water for a minute or two. Drain, chop lightly, and heat in a stewpan with some butter, and salt and pepper to taste. If preferred, the chopped lettuce may be heated with a pint of white sauce seasoned with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. After simmering for a few minutes in the sauce, draw to a cooler part of the range and stir in the well-beaten yolks of two eggs. See, also, "Peas with lettuce." SWISS CHARDS. This vegetable is a variety of beet in which the leaf stalk and mid- rib have been developed instead of the root. It is cultivated like spinach, and the green, tender leaves are prepared exactly like this vegetable. The midribs of the full-grown leaves may be cooked like celery. BEET GREENS. Beets are usually thickly sowed, and as the young beet plants begin to grow they must be thinned out. The young plants pulled from the bed make delicious greens, particularly if the root has attained some little size. Unfortunately, of late years the leaves are attacked by insects ; therefore, they must be examined leaf by leaf, and all which are infested rejected. Do not separate the roots from the leaves. Wash thoroughly in many waters. Put into a stewpan and cover generously with boiling water. Add a teaspoonful of salt for every two quarts of greens. Boil rapidly until tender. This will be about thirty minutes. Drain off the water, chop rather coarse, season with butter and salt. The vegetable may be boiled with pork as directed for "Cabbage and pork." ASPARAGUS. This delicious spring vegetable should be treated very simply, yet carefully. Cut off the woody part, scrape the lower part of the stalks. Wash well and tie in bunches. Put into a deep stewpan with the cut end rest- ing on the bottom of the stewpan. Pour in boiling water to come up to the tender heads, but not to cover them. Add a teaspoonful of salt for 256 18 each quart of water. Place where the water will boil. Cook until tender, having the cover partially off the stewpan. This will be from fifteen to thirty minutes, depending upon the freshness and tenderness of the vegetable. Have some slices of well-toasted bread on a platter. Butter them slightly. Arrange the cooked asparagus on the toast, season with butter and a little salt and serve at once. Save the water in which the asparagus was boiled to use in making vegetable soup. Another method of cooking asparagus is to cut all the tender part into short pieces. Add boiling water enough to just cover the vegetable and place where the water will boil. Cook until tender (about fifteen minutes), season with salt and butter, and serve in the greater part of the juice. If preferred, a cream dressing may be served with asparagus. GLOBE ARTICHOKE. The large flower bud of the Cynara scolymus is known as the globe or French artichoke. The flower buds must be used before they open. The edible portion consists of the thickened portion at the base of the scales and the receptacle to which the leaf-like scales are attached. In cookery books the receptacles are always spoken of as the bottoms. The parts of the flower in the center of the bud are called the "choke" and must always be removed. When the artichoke is very young and tender the edible parts may be eaten raw as a salad. When it becomes hard, as it does very quickly, it must be cooked. When boiled it may be eaten as a salad or with a sauce. The scales are pulled with the fingers from the cooked head, the base of each leaf dipped in the sauce and then eaten. The bottoms (receptacles), which many consider the most delicate part of the arti- choke, may be cut up and served as a salad, or they may be stewed with a sauce. To prepare the artichoke remove all the hard outer leaves. Cut off the stem close to the leaves. Cut off the top of the bud. Drop the artichoke into boiling water and cook until tender, which will take from thirty to fifty minutes, then take up and remove the choke. Serve a dish of French salad dressing with the artichoke, which may be eaten either hot or cold. Melter butter also makes a delicious sauce for the artichokes if they are eaten hot. SPRING GREENS. After months of a very limited supply of herbaceous vegetables, which is the usual condition in the northern regions of the United States, there is a craving for "greens." In almost all localities many of the common weeds are tender and well-flavored when very young. If one has a garden, it' can be so managed that there shall be an abundance of fresh roots and greens until the time when the regular garden pro- ducts are ready. There are a number of plants that may be left in the garden over winter for early spring use. Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, salsify, leaks, and potato onions will give roots or buds as soon as the frost will permit digging. For greens there are such plants as curled green kale, and cabbage. The roots of these plants should be well 256 19 earthed up, and when the real hard freezing weather comes the plants must be covered with hay or straw. Spinach and kale, or German winter greens, may be sown in Sep- tember. When the hard freezing weather comes protect them with leaves, straw, etc. Sorrel, if properly protected, will make a rapid growth as soon as anything begins to grow. It makes delicious greens by itself, or it may be cooked with other greens. It also makes a refresh- ing salad. The young shoots of the milkweed are almost as delicious as asparagus, when cooked according to the second method for cooking asparagus. In fact, the milkweed and asparagus may be cut up and cooked together. The white goosefoot (chenopodium album) better known by the common names "pigweed" and "lamb's quarters," grows in almost all cultivated land. When very young it makes good greens, and should be cooked like spinach. The dandelion, when gathered before the flower bud has attained any size, makes tender greens, and is greatly liked by many people because of its pleasant, bitter flavor. The cultivated dande- lion is larger leaved, more tender, and of a milder flavor, and is also a fine salad if blanched like celery. A small bed of this vegetable will give a generous return in the spring, for the small amount of care it requires. 8 The marsh marigold, commonly called "cowslip," is found in many regions in marshy places. In the early spring this plant makes good greens. Cook the same as spinach. Purslane is a weed common in most gardens and is very palatable as a pot herb. It is also cooked like spinach. In the Southern States the young shoots of the pokeberry or poke tops are favorite greens, and are cooked like asparagus, while turnip sprouts, cabbage sprouts, and collards are favorite greens of garden origin. In some regions of Europe young hop sprouts are much prized, being cooked like asparagus. Though eaten to some extent, they do not seem to be known to many housewives in this country. Every locality produces some wild plants that are safe and pleasant to use as greens. It is important, however, that the wild greens shall be gathered by persons who are familiar with the plants.* GREEN PEAS. This vegetable should be gathered when the seeds are about half grown, and it should be cooked as soon as possible after gathering. When the peas are thus young and tender they are best simply boiled and seasoned with salt and good butter. Some varieties of peas lack sweetness, and in this case a little sugar in the water in which they are cooked improves the flavor. Overcooking spoils the color and flavor of the vegetable. Peas should always be boiled slowly, and with the cover partially off the stewpan. It is impossible to give the exact. time of cooking this vegetable, since so much depends upon the maturity of a U. S. Dept. Agriculture, Farmers' Bui. 186, p. 18. b For a discussion of wild plants used as pot herbs see "Some Additions to our Vegetable Dietary," by F. V. Coville, U. S. Dept. Agr. Yearbook 1895, p. 205. 256 20 the peas, the length of time they have been picked, etc. Young, tender peas will generally cook in twenty or thirty minutes, and the seasoning should be added while they are still firm and crisp. If the peas are cooked until the green color of the chlorophyll is destroyed they are overdone and their delicate flavor is spoiled. When peas are overgrown and a little hard they should be cooked by the rule "Peas with pork." When this rule is followed a pinch of delicate, small, white onions may be added to the peas and other ingredients and will give a very savory dish. BOILED PEAS WITH BUTTER. Put one quart of shelled peas in a stewpan and add enough boiling water to cover them generously. Place over a hot fire and when they begin to boil draw back where the water will bubble gently. Until the peas are done cook with the cover partially off the stewpan. When the peas are tender add one teaspoonful of salt and three tablespoonfuls of good butter. Cook ten minutes longer. If the peas are not the sweet kind add a teaspoonful of sugar with the salt and butter. PEAS WITH PORK 1 quart peas. 4 ounces pork. 1 tablespoonful butter. 1 gill water (H cupful). 2 small white onions. }& teaspoonful pepper. Cut pork into small bits. Put butter into stewpan and on the fire. When the butter is melted add the pork and cook gently until a light brown, then add the water, peas, onion, and pepper. This is a good way to cook peas when they are a little old and hard. 1 quart peas. 2 tablespoonfuls butter. 1 head lettuce — the heart PEAS WITH LETTUCE. 1 small onion. 1 teaspoonful sugar. ^2 gill water. Put all the ingredients into a stewpan, cover and place over the fire and cook for five minutes, tossing the vegetables several times. Now draw the pan back where the contents will simmer slowly for half an hour. PUREE OF DRIED OR SPLIT PEAS. Soak one quart of dried peas over night and follow the directions for puree of dried beans. SUGAR PEAS. The green pods of the sugar pea may be prepared like string beans. Gather the pods while the seeds are still very small. String them like beans and cut into two or three lengths. Cover with boiling water and boil gently until tender. If they are young and fresh they will cook in twenty-five or thirty minutes. Pour off some of the water, which will serve for soup. Season with salt and butter and serve at once. When the pods are fresh and tender they have an exquisite flavor. When the seeds have grown large and the pods become tough they may 256 21 be shelled and cooked like any other variety of peas. The seeds of the sugar pea are tender and fine flavored. BEANS. Beans are served as a vegetable in three stages of growth, namely, the tender young pods, the fresh seeds, and the dried seeds. The pods are known as green or strong beans and as butter beans, depending upon the variety. String beans make one of our most delicious vegetables, if young and properly cooked. They should be gathered before the seeds begin to form. In this state the bean is sweet, delicate, and tender, but not a highly nutritious, food. Shelled beans, both dried and fresh, par- ticularly the former, contain a large percentage of nitrogenous matter. The dried, ripe, shelled beans are apt to produce flatulence and some- times colic. This trouble is largely due to the hull or skin and the germ, and may be remedied in a great measure by proper cooking, and, when possible, the removal of the hulls. The best forms in which to eat dried beans are in soups and purees. Beans that have been thoroughly stewed or baked under the right conditions may be eaten by people who live a good deal out of doors. Fat of some kind is necessary in the cook- ing of beans. The fat has a softening influence on the composition of the beans, and, since this vegetable has a very small percentage of fat, it is very desirable to supply this element either when cooking or when serving the vegetable. When possible, beans should be cooked in soft water. Dried beans are always hard when raw and have a strong acrid flavor. To soften them and remove the strong flavor, the vegetable should be soaked in cold water, and then brought to the boiling point in fresh cold water. This water should be thrown away and the cooking be finished in fresh water. A little soda in the water in which the beans are soaked and in the water in which they are first scalded will help to soften and sweeten the vegetable. GREEN OR STRING BEANS. Formerly it was difficult to find the slender, stringless green beans, but today the progressive market gardeners make a point of raising beans of this kind. Unfortunately, not all market gardeners and farmers are progressive, and many still raise a coarse, fibrous bean that is a disappointment to the consumer. In the very early stage of the pod almost any kind of bean will be good, if properly cooked, but all except the stringless kind must have their strings carefully removed. The pods should be gathered while small and tender. If for any reason they become wilted, they must be made crisp and fresh by being soaked in cold water. The beans that are brought from the South in cold weather are usually more or less wilted. They should be freed from strings, cut up, and soaked at least twelve hours in cold water. They will then cook like fresh beans. TO BLANCH GREEN BEANS. Green beans should always be blanched. To do this drain them from the cold water and put them into water that is boiling rapidly, allowing a teaspoonful of salt to two quarts of water. Boil rapidly, with 256 22 the cover partially off the saucepan, for twenty minutes. Turn into a colander and let cold water run upon them. They are now ready to be finished in any manner you like. The blanching can be done in the morning while the fire is good and the beans be finished for dinner at the proper time. GREEN BEANS, PLAIN. 1 quart beans. i 1 generous tablespoonful butter. Y^ pint water. | 1 level teaspoonful salt. String the beans if necessary and cut them into two-inch lengths. Blanch them as directed. Drain and put in the saucepan with the water, salt, and butter. Cook for ten minutes over a hot fire, turning the contents of the saucepan from time to time. Serve very hot. If the beans are not tender it may take fifteen minutes to cook them, but under all circumstances be careful not to overcook, as this ruins the flavor. If overcooked, green beans become yellow or brown. GREEN BEANS BOILED WITH PORK. Boil about a quarter of a pound of pork for five hours. Have the beans free from strings and cut about 2 inches long. Cook them with the pork until tender (about half an hour). GREEN BEANS WITH PORK (FRENCH METHOD). 1 quart boiled beans. I 1 pint hot water. 2 ounces pork. I 1 teaspoonful flour. Cut the pork into small dice and put in the stewpan. Cook slowly for twenty minutes, then add the water. Mix the flour with a few spoonfuls of cold water; stir into the pork and water. Place the stew- pan where the contents will cook slowly for an hour. At the end of this time add the beans and cook half an hour. Taste to see if more salt is required. A tablespoonful of butter added just before serving is a great acquisition to this dish. Butter beans, the varieties of string beans which are pale yellow in color, may be cooked like the green string beans. SCARLET RUNNER BEANS. In Great Britain the scarlet runner beans, which are raised in the United States almost exclusively as an ornamental plant, are highly prized for the table. The tender green pods are "whittled" into small sections (after stringing) and cooked in water until just tender. Like other green vegetables, they lose their color and delicate flavor if overcooked. These beans are at their best seasoned only with butter and salt. SHELLED KIDNEY BEANS. All the varieties of this bean, when gathered while the seeds are still tender, may be cooked like the Lima beans. They may also be boiled with pork like green beans. It takes from one to two hours to cook kidney beans. 256 1 tablespoon ful flour. 1 quart boiling water. Salt to taste. 23 STEWED SHELLED BEANS. 1 quart shelled beans. l /4 pound salt pork. 1 onion. ]/ 2 teaspoon ful pepper. Cut the pork in slices and fry it slowly ten minutes in a stewpan. Add the onion, cut fine, and cook twenty minutes very slowly. Cover the beans with boiling water and boil ten minutes. Drain off the water. Put the beans and flour in the stewpan with the pork and onion, and stir over the fire for five minutes. Add the quart of boiling water and the pepper. Place the saucepan where its contents will simmer for two hours. Taste to see if salt enough ; if not, add salt. ' This method of cooking new shelled beans gives a savory and sub- stantial dish. GREEN LIMA BEANS. Cover 1 quart of the shelled beans with boiling water. Place on the fire where they will boil up quickly, then draw back where they will just simmer until done. When tender pour off a part of the water. Season the beans with a teaspoonful of salt and 2 heaping tablespoon- fuls of butter. Or drain the water from the beans. Put the butter in a saucepan with 1 tablespoonful of flour. Stir over the fire until smooth and frothy, then add the beans and stir over the fire for five minutes. Draw back and add half a pint of water, meat stock, or milk. Simmer ten minutes. If liked, a teaspoonful of fine herbs may be added a few minutes before serving. It will take from forty-five to sixty minutes to boil the beans sufficiently. DRIED BEANS. All dried beans require the same preliminary treatment, no matter how they are to be finally cooked and served. Look them over care- fully to remove all dirt and pebbles, then wash clean. Soak them overnight in plenty of cold water. In the morning pour off the water and put them in a stewpan with cold water enough to cover them generously. Let them come to the boiling point in this water, then drain. If the beans are old and hard, for each quart put a piece of soda about the size of a large bean in the water in which they are soaked overnight, also in the first water in which they are boiled. The scalded and drained beans should be put back in the stewpan and covered generously with boiling water. Add 1 tablespoonful of salt for 1 quart of beans. They should now cook slowly, with the cover partially off the stewpan until they have reached the required degree of tenderness. For stewed and baked beans the cooking must stop when the skins begin to crack. For beans served with a sauce they should cook until perfectly tender, but they must not be broken or mushy. For purees and soups they should be cooked until very soft. PUREE OF DRIED BEANS. Cook 1 quart of beans in water until very soft, then drain well (saving the water) and rub through a puree sieve. Put 1 pint of the 256 24 strained beans in a stewpan • with 2 tablespoon fuls of butter or savory drippings, 1 teaspoonful of sugar, 1 teaspoonful of salt, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, and hot milk enough to make the puree like thick mush. About half a pint of milk will be right. Cook in the double boiler for one hour, stirring often and adding more milk if too dry. Heap the puree in the center of a hot platter. Garnish with a circle of fried sausages, pork chops, mutton chops, or any fat meat. The puree may be served as a vegetable, with any kind of meat. A soup may be made with the water in which the beans were cooked and the remainder of the strained beans. DRIED BEANS SAUTE. Cook the beans until tender, but not broken. Drain off the water and save it for soup. For 1 quart of beans put 3 tablespoonfuls of savory drippings or butter in a large-bottomed stewpan. When the fat is hot put in the drained beans, which have been seasoned with a table- spoonful of salt and half a teaspoonful of pepper. Cook over a hot fire for fifteen minutes, frequently turning the beans over with a fork. Cover and let them cook for half an hour where they will not burn. If the beans are liked moist add a cupful of meat broth, milk, or water before putting them to cook for the last half hour. This dish may be made more savory by frying a tablespoonful of minced chives, shallot, or onion in the butter or fat before adding the beans. A tablespoonful of fine herbs may also be added to the beans to make them more savory. DRIED BEANS WITH SAUCE. The well cooked and drained beans may be moistened with any good sauce and cooked for half an hour. DRIED BEANS IN SALAD. Season the cooked and drained beans with any of the salad dressings described on page 48 and serve as- a salad. BAKED BEANS. Cook the dried beans gently until the skins begin to break, then drain off the water. Put a layer of beans in a bean pot or deep earthen dish, and on this layer, in the center of the dish, place a piece of salt pork ("streak of fat and streak of lean") having the rind side up, using for 1 quart of beans a half pound of pork ; the rind should be scored. Fill up the dish with the beans, and add seasonings and water to cover the beans. The simplest seasoning is 1 tablespoonful of salt and half a tea- spoonful of pepper to a quart of beans. Mix the salt and pepper with the water. If liked, a tablespoonful of mustard may be added as well as a tablespoonful or more of molasses and an onion. Instead of the pork a piece of salt or fat beef or mutton may be employed. In this case there should be from \ l / 2 to 2 pounds of the meat per quart of beans. If fresh meat be used, add more salt to the beans. If, on the other hand, salt meat is used, probably 1 teaspoonful of salt will be enough. When mutton is employed trim off every particle of the skin. 256 25 Bake the beans in a very moderate oven for eight or ten hours. Add a little boiling water from time to time, but never enough to bring the water beyond the top of the beans. Any kind of bean may be baked in this manner. However, the small pea bean is the best for "Boston baked beans." The Lima and large white beans are best for the deep earthen dish. Do not cover the beans while baking. LENTILS. Lentils may be cooked in purees, soups, etc., like dried beans. BAKED LENTILS. 1 quart lentils. 1 quart water. 6 ounces mixed salt pork. 1 clove of garlic or 1 small onion. 1 generous teaspoonful salt. y 2 teaspoonful pepper. Pick over and wash the lentils. Soak in cold water overnight. In the morning pour off the water and put the lentils in a stewpan with two quarts of cold water and place on the fire. As soon as the water begins to boil the lentils will rise to the top. Take them off with a skimmer and put them in a deep earthen dish, with the pork and onion in the center. Mix the pepper and salt with a quart of boiling water and add. Put the dish in a moderate oven, and cook slowly for four or five hours. The lentils must be kept moist, and it may be necessary to add a little water from time to time. If the pork is not very salt the dish may require a little more salt. Stewed lentils are prepared in about the same manner, but using more water. Instead of pork, fat corned beef or the shank of a ham may be employed. COWPEAS. Cowpeas (a common leguminous vegetable in the southern United States), also called black-eye peas, Whip-poor-will peas, Lady peas, corn- field peas, etc., are most excellent cooked like shelled beans when green. The young pods are also served like string beans. The ripe, dry beans, which are also very palatable and nutritious, may be cooked like dried beans or lentils. A collection of recipes for cooking cowpeas was recently published by the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute Experiment Station. 8 POTATOES. There are many varieties of this vegetable. Tastes differ as to the most desirable kinds. In America and in England the white, mealy varieties are the most prized. On the Continent of Europe the "Yellow Holland" is a favorite variety. The white potato, when light and dry, is of delicate flavor and thought to be easy of digestion. It is especially suited for boiling, steaming, and baking, and for soups and purees. The yellow potatoes are more suitable for preparations in which it is desirable that the whole or pieces of potatoes shall retain their shape when cooked. Such potatoes are the best kind to use for salads, ragouts, hash, and for a Tuskegee Experiment Sta. Bui. 5. 256 26 the fried potato known as "Pommes de terre soufflee," which is like a Saratoga chip, except that it puffs up like a little sack rilled with air. In general the yellow potato has a richer flavor than the white. The potato is in such common use that it would seem as if all its characteristics would be well understood and it would be cooked in per- fection. Unfortunately, the contrary is true, and perhaps no other vege- table is so carelessly cooked as a rule. The potato is a starchy food that contains enough moisture in its composition to cook the starch. This moisture is in the form of a watery juice, in which is dissolved the nitrogenous matter, the various salts, sugar, gum, etc. The starch cells are surrounded and penetrated by this watery bath. In cooking, the nitrogenous juice is coagulated in part at least by the heat, the starch granules swell and burst, and the starch absorbs the watery part of the juice. When this stage is reached, if the moisture has been in the right proportion, all parts of the potato will present a light, dry, glistening appearance. Every one concedes that such a potato will not cause digestive disturbance. However, the moisture is not always in the right proportion. Ripe potatoes and potatoes grown on a well drained or sandy soil will, as a rule, be dry and mealy if properly cooked. Potatoes grown in a wet season or in a heavy, damp soil as a rule contain too large a proportion of moisture for the starch. Old potatoes that are allowed to sprout will be watery, probably owing to the withdrawal of some of the starch for food for the growing sprouts. A poisonous substance called solanin is found in or near the skin of potatoes which have grown exposed to the sun or a strong light. Solanin also develops when potatoes are allowed to sprout, and serious illness has been known to follow the eating of exposed and sprouted potatoes. The green color which a potato exposed to a strong light takes on is largely due to the grains of chlorophyll developed in the parts of the tuber exposed to the light. The strong flavor is probably due to some substance which develops along with the chlorophyll. It will be seen that potatoes intended for the table should not be exposed to strong light or be allowed to sprout. a Potatoes cooked in dry heat, as by baking in the oven, roasting in ashes, frying in deep fat, or steaming in their jackets retain all their salts and other constituents, and the flavor is more pronounced and savory than when cooked in water. But potatoes so cooked must be served just as soon as they are done, or else they will become soggy and bad flavored. (See p. 13.) Potatoes cooked in the skin should be free from any blemish and washed absolutely clean. Old potatoes, that is, potatoes that are kept into the spring and early summer, are better for being soaked in cold water and peeled before cooking. BOILED POTATOES. The method and time given for boiling potatoes are the same whether the potato be peeled, partially peeled, or left with the skin intact. If a dozen or two ordinary sized potatoes are put on the fire in a large stewpan a For a discussion of composition and structure of potatoes see The Value of Potatoes as Food, reprint from U. S. Dept. Agr. Yearbook 1900; also Farmers' Bui. 244, p. 13. 256 27 and are covered generously with boiling water and a cover is immediately put on the stewpan, they will be cooked to the proper point in thirty minutes from the time the cover was put on the stewpan. Small potatoes will cook in two minutes less time, and very large potatoes will require about thirty-five minutes cooking. If the potatoes are to be boiled in their skins, wash them until clean and then with a sharp knife cut a narrow band of the skin from the center of the potato. Cut a little bit of the skin from each end of the potato. If the potatoes are to be peeled, use a very sharp knife and remove the thinnest possible layer. The skins may be scraped off, if preferred, and there are special knives for this purpose. Let the potatoes boil fifteen minutes, then add 1 tablespoonful of salt for every dozen potatoes. When the potatoes have been cooking thirty minutes, drain off every drop of water and let all the steam pass off. They are now ready to serve, though they will not be injured but in fact will be improved by being kept hot for an hour or more, if they are well ventilated in such a way that they dry rather than retain moisture. When boiled or steamed potatoes must be kept warm for any length of time, place the stewpan on the range on a tripod or iron ring and cover the potatoes with one thickness of cheese cloth. This will protect them from the cold air and allow the moisture to pass off. STEAMED POTATOES. Steamed potatoes are prepared as for boiling, put in a closed vessel having a perforated bottom, which is then put over a kettle of boiling water. The water must be kept boiling hard every moment. They will require from thirty to forty minutes to cook. BAKED POTATOES. Selected potatoes having a smooth, unmarred surface. Wash per- fectly clean and let them drain. Put them in an old baking pan kept for this purpose — do not crowd them — and put in a hot oven. If the oven is large and hot and the potatoes of medium size, forty minutes will answer for the cooking. On the other hand, if the oven is filled with cold potatoes the temperature of the oven will be reduced quickly and it will require an hour to cook the potatoes. Baked potatoes should be served as soon as they are done. If they must be kept any time after the cooking is completed, break them in order that the moisture may escape. Keep them in a warm oven or covered with cheese cloth in a stewpan. REHEATING POTATOES. Cold boiled, steamed, or baked potatoes may all be utilized in savory dishes. In reheating potatoes the following things must be kept in mind : The potatoes must be well seasoned to make them savory, they must be heated to as high a temperature as possible without burning them, and they must be served very hot. The cold potatoes may be sliced or be cut into small pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper and browned in a little savory drippings, or seasoned as before and heated in the frying pan with butter or the drippings. A little minced onion, or chives, or green pepper, or a tablespoonful of fine herbs may be added. A tablespoonful of butter and a teaspoonful of flour may be stirred over the fire until the mixture is smooth and frothy. Add to this a pint of 25« 28 well-seasoned potatoes and stir the mixture with a fork for three minutes, then add half a pint of milk and cook until thoroughly heated, being care- ful not to burn. A pint and a half of cold potatoes cut in cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper may be heated in a pint of the white sauce described on page 46. ESCALLOPED POTATOES. This dish may be prepared by mixing a pint and a half of cold potatoes cut in cubes and seasoned with a teaspoonful of salt, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, and a pint of cream sauce. Put the mixture in a shallow baking dish, cover with grated bread crumbs, and dot with butter. Bake half an hour in a moderate oven. SWEET POTATOES. Southern and northern tastes differ as to what is a desirable quality in a sweet potato. In the South the moist potato is considered best. At the North the dry potato is more generally liked. The variety of potatoes grown for the northern market is commonly less sweet and moist than those grown for the South. However, long cooking will make any sweet potato moist. BAKED SWEET POTATOES. Wash the potatoes and bake the same as white potatoes. Small ones will bake in half an hour, while very large ones will require an hour or more. If the potatoes are liked very moist and sweet, bake from an hour to two hours, depending on size. BROWNED SWEET POTATOES. Boil medium sized sweet potatoes forty-five minutes. Peel them and cut in halves lengthwise. Put them in a baking pan and baste with savory drippings, and season with salt. Cook them in a hot oven for twenty minutes. FRIED SWEET POTATOES. Cut the boiled potatoes in slices and fry brown in savory drippings. Or the potatoes may be cut in four parts lengthwise, put in a frying basket and be cooked for ten minutes in smoking hot fat. The fat must be deep enough to cover the potatoes. CANDIED SWEET POTATOES. Candied sweet potatoes are very popular on southern tables, and are extremely palatable when well prepared. Cut boiled sweet potatoes into long slices, place in an earthen dish, put lumps of butter on each slice, and sprinkle with sugar. Some cooks add a little water also. Bake until the sugar and butter have candied and the potatoes are brown. JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE. This vegetable is in season in the fall and spring, and may be cooked like kohl-rabi and served in a white cream or sauce. The artichoke may also be cooked in milk. When this is done, cut the washed and peeled artichoke into cubes, put in a stewpan, and cover with milk (a generous pint to a quart of 256 29 cubes). Add one small onion and cook twenty minutes. Beat-together one tablespoonful of butter and one level tablespoonful of flour, and stir this into the boiling milk. Then season with a teaspoonful of salt and one-fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, and continue the cooking half an hour longer. The cooking should be done in a double boiler. The arti- choke also makes a very good soup. TURNIPS. This vegetable is generally spoiled by overcooking. The flat, white summer turnip, when sliced, will cook in thirty minutes. If the cooking is prolonged beyond this time, the vegetable begins to deteriorate, grow- ing dark in color and strong in flavor.- The winter turnips require from forty-five to sixty minutes. BOILED TURNIPS. Have the turnips peeled and sliced. Drop the slices into a stewpan with boiling water enough to cover generously. Cook until tender, then drain well. They are now ready to mash or chop. If they are to be served mashed, put them back in the stewpan ; mash with a wooden vege- table masher, as metal is apt to impart an unpleasant taste. Season with salt, butter, and a little pepper. Serve at .once. HASHED TURNIPS. Chop the drained turnips into rather large pieces. Return to the stewpan, and for a pint and a half of turnips add a teaspoonful of salt, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, a tablespoonful of butter, and four tablespoonfuls of water. Cook over a very hot fire until the turnips have absorbed all the seasonings. Serve at once. Or the salt, pepper, butter, and a tablespoonful of flour may be added to the hashed turnips ; then the stewpan may be placed over the hot fire and shaken frequently to toss up the turnips. When the turnips have been cooking five minutes in this manner add half a pint of meat stock or of milk and cook ten minutes. CARROTS. The carrot is valuable as a vegetable and as a flavorer. When par- tially grown and fresh from the ground they have a delicious flavor, and are so tender that they may be cooked without water. As the carrot grows old the flavor grows stronger, and in the majority of varieties the heart grows hard and woody. When the carrot reaches this stage only the outer layers are desirable for food. CARROTS WITH WHITE SAUCE. Scrape the carrots lightly ; then cut into large dice or slices. Put into a stewpan with salted boiling water, allowing a teaspoonful of salt for a quart of water, and boil until tender. The young carrots will cook in thirty minutes and the old ones in forty-five. Drain, season with a little salt, put them in a vegetable dish, and pour the white sauce over them. Or the carrots may be cut into dice before cooking and boiled and drained as directed ; then put them back in the stewpan, and for every pint add one tablespoonful of butter, one teaspoonful of sugar, half a teaspoonful 256 30 of salt, and one gill of water or meat stock. Cook over a hot fire until the carrots have absorbed the seasonings and liquid. PARSNIPS. This vegetable, because of its pronounced taste, is probably not so generally liked as are most of the other roots. It is at its best in the early spring, when it has been in the ground all winter. The simplest method of cooking the parsnip is to wash it clean, boil it, and then scrape off the skin. Now cut in slices and put in the vegetable dish. Season with salt and butter. When the parsnips are tender and just out of the ground they will cook in thirty-five minutes ; when old it takes from forty to fifty minutes-to cook them. The cooked and peeled parsnips may be chopped rather coarse, seasoned with salt, and put into a stewpan with hot milk enough to cover them. Place the stewpan on the range where the heat is moderate. For a pint and a half of parsnips beat together one tablespoonful of butter and one teaspoonful of flour. Stir into the parsnips and milk. Simmer for ten minutes. Parsnips are often cut in slices after boiling and fried in butter. SALSIFY. This vegetable is sometimes called oyster plant, because the flavor suggests that of the oyster, particularly when the boiled vegetable is sliced and fried in butter. Salsify is one of the roots that may be left in the ground over winter, thus making this vegetable available for the late summer, fall, and spring. To prevent this root from turning dark it must be dropped as soon as it is pared and cut into a mixture of flour and water made slightly acid with vinegar. For 6 good-sized roots mix together 1 tablespoonful of vinegar, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1 teaspoonful of salt, and 3 pints of water. Wash and scrape the roots, then cut into slices about 3 inches long. Drop into the prepared water. Place the stewpan on the fire and cook the salsify thirty minutes, counting from the time it begins to boil. Drain and serve in a white sauce. Or mix together one tablespoonful of butter, half a teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon- ful of minced parsley or chervil. Add this to the drained salsify and serve at once. BEETS. Beets are among our most useful vegetables, since they may be had all through the summer and may also be stored in good condition for winter use. Sometimes beets are cut in small pieces, after boiling, and served with white sauce, but the most common as well as the most palat- able way of serving them is with butter. BEETS WITH BUTTER. Wash the beets, being careful not to break the skin. Put into a stew- pan and cover generously with boiling water and boil until tender. Young beets will cook in one hour. As the beets grow old the time of cooking must be increased. In winter this vegetable becomes so hard it may require four or more hours of steady boiling to soften it. It is then only suitable for pickling in vinegar after being thoroughly boiled. 256 31 When the young beets are cooked, take them from the boiling water and drop them into cold water. Rub off the skin. Cut the beets in thin slices and season with salt and butter. Serve at once. KOHL-RABI, OR TURNIP CABBAGE. This vegetable is a variety of the cabbage, but instead of the reserve nutritive matter of the plant being stored largely in the leaves or flowers, it is collected in the stem, which forms a turnip-like enlargement just above the ground. Kohl-rabi is fine flavored and delicate, if cooked when very young and tender. It should be used when it has a diameter of not more than 2 or 3 inches. As it grows large it becomes tough and fibrous. BOILED KOHL-RABI. Wash and pare the vegetables, then cut in thin slices. Put into slightly salted boiling water and boil, with the cover partially off the stew- pan, until the vegetable is tender. This will take from thirty to fifty minutes. Pour off the water and season with butter, salt, and pepper. Kohl-rabi may be boiled with pork in the same way as cabbage (see p. 14). The cold boiled vegetable may be served as a salad. CELERIAC. This vegetable is also known as ''knot celery" and "turnip-rooted celery." The roots, which are about the size of a white turnip, and not the stalks are eaten. They are more often used as a vegetable than as a salad. Pare the celeriac, cut in thin, narrow slices, and put into cold water. Drain from this water and drop into boiling water and boil thirty minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. The celeriac is now ready to be pre- pared and served the same as celery. PUREE OF CELERIAC. 1 teaspoonful salt. 1 gill stock or cream. 1 quart celeriac cut in dice. 2 tablespoon fuls butter. 1 tablespoonful flour. Cook the celeriac thirty minutes in boiling water, rinse in cold water, then press through a puree sieve. Put the butter in a saucepan and on the fire. When hot add the flour and stir until smooth and frothy, and then add the strained celeriac and cook five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the salt and stock of cream and cook five minutes longer. If the puree seems dry, add more stock or cream. The vegetable varies as to the amount of moisture it requires. It should be eaten very hot. If used as a garnish, it is generally put in the center of the dish and the poultry or meat placed on it or around it. Otherwise it may be served on toast or fried bread as a dish by itself. CELERY. The culture of this vegetable is so general that one can find it in large markets nearly every month of the year. Celery is at its best in 256 32 the late fall and early winter, when the weather has been cold enough to crisp the blanched stalks. This plant is most useful as a salad and flavorer, but is perhaps most commonly eaten raw, without any dressing except salt, as an accompaniment of fish, meat, etc. Only the tender, inner stalks should be eaten raw. The hard, out- side stalks make a delicious and wholesome dish when properly cooked. When thus used, celery should be blanched and served with a sauce. STEWED CELERY. To blanch celery in cooking, remove all the leaves from the stalks. Scrape off all rusted or dark spots, cut into pieces about 3 inches long, and put in cold water. Have a stewpan of boiling water on the fire, wash and drain the celery and put in the boiling water. Add one tea- spoonful of salt for every 2 quarts of water. Boil rapidly for fifteen minutes, having the cover partially off the stewpan. Pour off the water and rinse with cold water, then drain. The celery is now ready to finish in the following manner : Put the celery in the stewpan with one table- spoonful of butter, and one teaspoonful of salt for each quart of celery. Cover and cook slowly for fifteen minutes. Shake the pan frequently while the celery is cooking. Serve hot. ONION. This vegetable is the most useful of all our flavorers, and there is hardly a soup, stew, sauce, etc., that is not improved by the addition of the onion flavor. As a vegetable the onion may be prepared in a variety of ways. The white onions are the most delicate and are there- fore more suitable as a vegetable than the yellow or red variety. The large Spanish onions and the Bermuda onion are also delicate and suit- able for a table vegetable. If the stronger onions are used for this pur- pose they must be thoroughly blanched. BOILED ONIONS IN WHITE SAUCE. Peel the onions and cut off the roots, dropping into cold water as fast as they are peeled. Drain from the cold water and put in a stew- pan with boiling water to cover generously. Add a teaspoonful of salt for each quart of water. Boil rapidly for ten minutes, with the cover partially off the saucepan. Drain off the water and cover the onion with hot sweet milk (a quart of onions will require a pint of milk). Simmer for half an hour. Beat together one tablespoonful of butter and one level tablespoonful of flour. Add one teaspoonful of salt and one-fourth of a teaspoonful of white pepper. Gradually beat in about half a cupful of the milk in which the onions are cooking. When smooth, stir the mixture into the onions and milk. Let the dish cook ten minutes longer and serve. STEWED ONIONS. Cut the onions in slices and boil in salted water for ten minutes. Drain well and return to the stewpan. For a quart and a half of onion, measured before it was boiled, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, and one-fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper. Cover the stewpan and cook over a hot fire 256 33 for five minutes, shaking the pan to prevent the onion from browning. Set the stewpan back where the contents will cook slowly for forty minutes. Drippings may be substituted for the butter, but, of course, the dish will not be so delicate in flavor. CUCUMBERS. The cucumber is much oftener eaten in the United States as a salad than cooked, yet it is a very palatable vegetable when stewed and served with a white sauce, or seasoned with butter, salt, and pepper, and served on toast. The pared and quartered cucumber should be cooked until tender in boiling salted water, which will require about fifteen mintues, and then served as directed. Cucumbers may also be cut in slices length- wise and fried like summer squash or eggplant. STEWED CUCUMBERS. Stew pared cucumbers, cut in quarters, or in thick slices, for fifteen minutes in a saucepan with a little water and a minced shallot or a small minced onion. Pour off the water ; stir in a little flour, butter, and salt ; heat for two or three minutes and then serve. CUCUMBER SAUTE. Boil pared and quartered cucumbers for three minutes only. Then drain the pieces and season with salt and pepper. Roll in flour and cook in a saucepan with butter for twenty minutes. This dish may be varied by adding minced parsley, chives, and chervil about five minutes before the cooking is finished. TOMATOES. The tomato, although not very nutritious, may be classed as one of our most useful vegetables. Raw, it makes an attractive and refresh- ing salad and may be served by itself or in combination with other vegetables, with meat or with fish. As a vegetable the tomato may be prepared in many ways. It makes a good foundation for soups and sauces'. Made into catsup or pickles it serves as a relish. The addition of a little tomato gives a pleasant, acid flavor to many soups and sauces, and also to meat, fish, and vegetable dishes. If possible the tomatoes should ripen fully on the vines, as the flavor is much better than when picked green and then allowed to ripen. When properly canned 3 this vegetable keeps well and retains its natural flavor. The housekeeper who has a generous supply of canned tomatoes on hand will find them very valuable at all times of the year, but especially in the winter months when the variety of vegetables is not great. Overcooking spoils the flavor and color of the tomato. TO PEEL TOMATOES. Put the ripe tomatoes into a dish and pour boiling water over them. Let them rest in the water about one minute; then pour the water off. The thin skin will now peel off readily. a For method of canning see U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 203. 256 34 When a quantity of tomatoes are to be peeled have a deep stewpan a little more than half filled with boiling water and on the fire where the water will continue to boil. Put the tomatoes in a frying basket and lower into the boiling water. Let the basket remain one minute in the water. There must, of course, be water enough to cover the tomatoes. STEWED TOMATOES. Peel the tomatoes and cut into small pieces. Put into a stewpan and on the fire. Boil gently for twenty minutes or half an hour, count- ing from the time it begins to boil. Season five minutes before the cooking is finished. Allow for each quart of tomatoes one generous teaspoonful each of salt and sugar and one tablespoonful or more of butter. ESCALLOPED TOMATOES. 1 pint peeled and cut tomatoes. j 1 tablespoonful butter. 1 pint grated bread crumbs. 1 A suggestion of pepper. 1 level teaspoonful salt. Reserve three tablespoonfuls of the bread crumbs, and spread the remainder on a pan. Brown in the oven, being careful not to burn them. Mix the tomato, browned crumbs, salt, pepper, and half the butter together, and put in a shallow baking dish. Spread the unbrowned crumbs on top, and dot with the remainder of the butter, cut into bits. Bake in a moderately hot oven for half an hour. The top of this dish should be brown and crisp. TOMATO TOAST. Boil one quart of peeled and cut tomatoes for ten minutes, then rub through a strainer. Return to the stewpan and add two level tea- spoonfuls of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Place on the fire and cook five minutes. Have the bottom of a hot platter covered with well-toasted slices of bread and pour the hot tomato over it. Serve at once. A dropped or poached egg may be put on each slice of toast. OKRA. Though okra, a variety of hibiscus with mucilaginous edible pods, will grow in most parts of the United States, it is much more com- monly eaten in the Southern States than elsewhere. The young pods should be boiled in salted water until tender (about twenty minutes), drained, and heated for 5 minutes with cream (a scant cup to a quart of okra), a tablespoonful of butter, and salt and pepper. Okra is also a common ingredient of soups. (See p. 42.) The cultivation of okra, methods of serving it, and related topics are discussed in a recent publication of this Department. 11 GREEN PEPPERS. The sweet green pepper, though fairly common in our city markets, is not as widely known as a vegetable as it deserves. Sliced, it makes a very fine salad alone, or, more commonly, mixed with other salad plants like lettuce. Stuffed and baked peppers are very palatable. »U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 232. 256 35 GREEN PEPPERS STUFFED AND BAKED. Use only tender sweet peppers. For six medium-sized peppers make a dressing in the following manner: Soak, in cold water, enough stale bread to make one pint when the water is pressed out. Season this with two teaspoonfuls of salt, one tablespoonful of fine herbs, about one-fifth of a teaspoonful each of sweet basil and summer savory, and two table- spoonfuls of butter or savory drippings. Cut off the stem end of the pepper and remove all the interior, being careful to take out every seed. Fill the peppers with the dressing. Place them on end in a shallow baking dish and pour around them a sauce prepared as follows : Put into a saucepan and on the fire, one tablespoon- ful of drippings. When hot, add one level tablespoonful of flour. Stir until smooth and brown, then add, gradually, three gills of meat stock or water. Season with one level teaspoonful of salt. Cook five minutes, then pour around the stuffed peppers. Put the dish in a moderately hot oven and bake the peppers one hour, basting often with the sauce in the dish. Peppers may also be filled with a well-seasoned dressing of chopped meat, made with or without the addition of bread crumbs or rice. EGGPLANT. This vegetable, as well as potato and tomato, belongs to the night- shade family. Like all succulent green vegetables, it has little nutritive value. The common methods of cooking are by frying, broiling, and baking. BAKED EGGPLANT. For baked eggplant make a dressing as for stuffed peppers, except that a little more salt, pepper, and butter are used. Cut the eggplant in two lengthwise, scrape out the inside, and mash it fine, then mix with the dressing and return to the shells. Place on a pan and in the oven. Cook forty-five minutes. FRIED EGGPLANT. For fried eggplant cut the vegetable in slices about half an inch thick and pare. Sprinkle the slices with salt and pile them upon one another, put a plate with a weight on top of the slices. Let them rest for an hour, then remove weight and plate. Add one tablespoonful of water, half a tablespoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper to an egg. Beat well. Dip the slices of eggplant in the egg, then in dried bread crumbs. Spread on a dish for twenty or more minutes. Fry till brown (in deep fat). BROILED EGGPLANT. The eggplant is sliced and drained as directed above. Then spread the slices on a dish, season with pepper, and baste with salad oil, sprinkle with dried bread crumbs and broil. SQUASH. The various varieties of the summer squash are generally cooked when so small and tender that the thumb nail can pierce the rind easily. 256 36 To prepare for the table wash the squash, cut into small pieces, and either cook in boiling water or steam it. It will cook in boiling water in half an hour. It takes about an hour to cook it in the steamer. The cooked squash is mashed fine and seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter. This method gives a delicate flavored but rather watery dish. Summer squash is very palatable cut in slices and fried like eggplant. It is claimed by many that the very young summer squashes, par- ticularly the turban variety, or "cymlin" of the Southern States, are very delicate and palatable cooked whole. For this dish they should not be much larger than a silver dollar. In the opinion of the writer the crook- necked and other summer squashes are richer in flavor when grown to a large size. From the more mature squash remove the thin skin and seeds. Cut the squash in small pieces and put in a stewpan with boiling water enough to cover. Boil for half an hour. Drain, mash, and season with salt, pepper, and butter. Cook winter squash in the same manner. Squash is one of the vegetables that require a good deal of butter. GREEN CORN. Green corn, a typical American food product, is a vegetable which, for most palates, is easily spoiled by overcooking, since the longer the cooking period the less pronounced the delicate corn flavor. BOILED CORN ON THE COB. The most satisfactory way to serve green corn is on the cob. Free the corn from husks and "silk." Have a kettle of water boiling hard, drop the corn into the water and cook ten minutes. If only a few ears of corn are put in a kettle of boiling water, the temperature of the water is not lowered greatly and the corn will cook in eight minutes. On the other hand, if a large quantity of corn is crowded into a kettle of boil- ing water, the temperature is very much lowered and the time of cook- ing must be increased. When possible, surround the corn with a generous quantity of boiling water. CORN CUT FROM COB. Corn may be cut from the cob and heated with butter, pepper, and a little milk. For this dish cook the ears five minutes in boiling water to set the juice. Then with a sharp knife cut through the center of each row of grains and with the back of a case knife press the grains of corn from the hulls. Put the corn in a saucepan and season with salt, pepper, and butter. Add enough hot milk to moisten well, and cook ten minutes. Serve at once. The raw corn may be cut from the cob and treated in the same manner. SUCCOTASH. To a pint of corn cooked as above add a pint of cooked and seasoned shelled beans. VEGETABLE HASH. Hash may be made with one or many cooked vegetables, the vege- table or vegetables being used alone or combined with meat or fish. 256 37 Potato is the most useful vegetable for a hash, as it combines well with the animal food or with other vegetables. The conditions essential to a good hash are that the vegetables shall be cut fairly fine, but not so fine that the pieces shall lose their shape or stick together — that is, the particles should drop apart readily when shaken on a fork. Each vegetable must be cut up separately, then all be mixed. The vegetables, or vegetable, and meat or fish must be well sea- soned with salt and pepper, and if liked there may be added a little minced onion, chives, parsley, chervil, or green pepper finely minced. The hash must be moistened a little with meat broth, milk, or water (not more than half a cupful for a quart of hash). When the hash is mixed, seasoned, and moistened put a tablespoonful of butter or savory drippings in a frying pan. When this is melted put in the hash, and spread evenly and lightly in the pan. Over this put little dots of butter or savory drippings, using about one tablespoonful in all. Cover the pan and place where the hash will not burn, but where the heat is fairly good, and cook half an hour, then fold and turn on a hot platter. A rich brown crust will have formed on the bottom of the hash if the heat was sufficient. Serve very hot. The plates on which hash is served should be hot. RICE. Wash 1 cupful of rice in several waters, rubbing the grains between the hands to remove all the dirt. Put the washed rice in a stewpan with 2 l / 2 cupfuls of water and 1 teaspoonful of salt. Cover and place where the water will boil. Cook for twenty minutes, being careful not to let it burn. At the end of this time put the stewpan on a tripod or ring and cover the rice with a fold of cheese cloth. Let it continue to cook in this manner an hour, then turn into a hot vegetable dish. The rice will be tender, dry, and sweet, and each grain will be separate. Dur- ing the whole process of cooking the rice must not be stirred. If a table- spoonful of butter is cut up and sprinkled over the rice when it has cooked twenty minutes the dish will be very much improved. HOMINY AND CORN MEAL. The large hominy, which is so common in the southern part of the United States, is frequently served as a vegetable, either boiled or fried in drippings. Fine hominy, which is more common in the northern part of the country, and which is often served as a vegetable, should be thor- oughly washed, and cooked in boiling water in the proportion of 1 gill of hominy to a pint of water, to which a half teaspoonful of salt has been added. When cold, the boiled hominy may be cut in slices and fried. The slices will brown more readily if they are first rolled in flour. Fried corn-meal mush is often served as a vegetable, with chicken and other meats, and is very palatable and useful when fresh vegetables are not common. It is interesting to note that in the Southern States rice and hominy are much oftener used as starchy vegetables in place of potatoes than in other parts of the country. VEGETABLE SOUPS. Nearly every vegetable grown may be employed in the preparation 256 38 of soups, either as the foundation for the soup or as a garnish to any kind of meat stock. A few types of vegetable soups are here given. Meat, meat broth, or beef extract may be added to any of them if addi- tional flavor is desired, but as they stand they are very satisfactory soups. MIXED VEGETABLE SOUP. 3 quarts water. 1 quart shredded cabbage. 1 pint sliced potato. ' pint minced carrot. pint minced turnip. pint minced onion. leek. 2 tomatoes. 2 tablespoon fuls minced celery. 2 tablespoonfuls green pepper. 2 tablespoonfuls butter or drip- pings. 2 teaspoonfuls salt. V2. teaspoonful pepper. X2 1 Have the water boiling hard in a stewpan and add all the vegetables except the potatoes and tomatoes. Boil rapidly for ten minutes, then draw back where it will boil gently for one hour. At the end of this time add the other ingredients and cook one hour longer. Have the cover partially off the stewpan during the entire cooking. This soup may be varied by using different kinds of vegetables. HERB SOUP. pint finely shredded spinach. 4 tablespoonfuls butter. 1 tablespoonful chervil. 2 quarts boiling water. V 2 pint bread cut in dice and fried in butter or browned in the oven. l /4 pint shredded sorrel. % blanched and sliced leek. The white heart leaves of a head of lettuce. 4 potatoes, medium size. 3 level teaspoonfuls salt. Have the sorrel, spinach, and lettuce fresh, tender, and free from tough midribs. Wash and shred. Cut the washed leek into thin slices. Put in the stewpan with the butter and cook fifteen minutes, being care- ful not to brown. Now add the potatoes, salt, and boiling water. Place the stewpan where the contents will boil quickly,, and when the soup begins to boil draw the stewpan back where the contents will boil gently for one hour. At the end of this time crush the potatoes with a fork, and the chervil, and simmer five minutes longer. Turn into the soup tureen, add the crisped bread, and serve. If preferred, the soup may be rubbed through a puree sieve, returned to the fire, and when boiling hot be poured on the yolks of 2 eggs which have been beaten with 2 tablespoonfuls of milk. This soup may be varied indefinitely. Any number of green vege- tables can be employed in making it, care being taken to use only a small quantity of those of pronounced flavor. SORREL SOUP. 3 pints boiling water. 3 tablespoonfuls butter. Vj, cup shredded sorrel. 3 tablespoonfuls milk. 1 teaspoonful salt. Yolk 2 eggs. V2 cupful bread cut in dice and dried in the oven or fried in butter. 256 39 Tear the tender green parts from the midribs of the cultivated sorrel : wash in cold water and shred very fine. Put half the butter in a stew- pan and add the shredded sorrel. Place on the fire and cook five min- utes, stirring frequently. Now add the boiling water and salt and boil ten minutes. Beat the yolks of the eggs well, then add the milk and pour into the soup tureen, and add the remaining half of the butter cut into bits. Gradually pour the boiling-hot soup in the soup tureen, stirring all the while to combine the hot mixture with the egg yolk. Add the bread dice and serve. LEEK SOUP. 3 quarts boiling water. 2 cupfuls leeks, cut fine. 4 cupfuls potatoes, cut in dice. 2 tablespoonfuls butter or drip- pings. 3 teaspoonfuls salt. y 2 teaspoonful pepper. 4 slices stale bread cut in small pieces. 4 tablespoonfuls minced onion. Wash the leeks and cut off the roots. Cut the white part in thin slices. Pare the potatoes and cut in dice. Put them in a bowl of cold water. Put the butter, leeks, and onion in the soup pot and on the fire. Cook twenty minutes slowly, stirring frequently, then add the hot water, potatoes, and seasoning, and cook at least half an hour longer. Serve very hot. If it is convenient and liked, cook with the leeks and butter the white stalks of 4 or 5 cibols, or 1 shallot may be cut fine and cooked with the leeks. This is a delicious and wholesome soup, and is even better reheated the second day than the first. CREAM OF LEEK SOUP. Make this soup as directed for leek soup, using only 3 pints of water. When it is cooked, rub through a sieve, return to the soup pot, and add 1 quart of hot milk. Beat with whisk until smooth. Half a cupful of the milk can be reserved cold and added to 2 well-beaten yolks of eggs. Stir this into the soup just as it is taken from the fire.. The yolks of the eggs make the soup very much richer. POTATO SOUP. 8 medium-sized potatoes. pint chopped celery. tablespoonfuls minced onion. tablespoonful butter. tablespoonful flour. \ l / 2 teaspoonfuls salt. l / 2 teaspoonful pepper. 1 teaspoonful minced chervil or parsley. 1 quart milk. 4 1 1 Pare the potatoes and put. in a stewpan with the celery and onion. Cover with boiling water and put over a hot fire. Cook thirty minutes, counting from the time the pan is put over the fire. Reserve half a cupful of the milk cold, and put the balance to heat in the double boiler. Mix the flour with the cold milk and stir into the boiling milk. When the potatoes, etc., have been cooking thirty minutes pour off the water, saving it to use later. Mash and beat the vegetables until light and fine, then gradually beat in the water in which they were boiled, rub through the puree sieve and then put back on the fire. Add the salt and pepper. Beat with an egg whisk for three minutes, then gradually beat in the boiling milk. Add the butter and minced herbs and serve at once. 256 40 CREAM OF CELERIAC SOUP. 1 quart celeriac cut in cubes. 1 quart white stock. 1 pint cream. y 2 pint canned peas. 2 tablespoonfuls butter. 2 tablespoonfuls salt. ]/z tablespoonful pepper. Yolks of two eggs. Follow the rule for puree of celeriac (p. 33), gradually adding the hot white stock, rub through a fine sieve, return to the fire, and add a cupful of canned peas. Reserve one cupful of the cream cold and add the remainder to the soup. Beat the yolks of the eggs well and add the cold cream to them, then stir the mixture into the soup. Draw back from the fire and beat with the whisk for one minute, then serve at once. TOMATO SOUP. 1 quart peeled and finely cut tomatoes. 1 quart cold water. 1 onion. 1 tablespoonful sugar. 2 teaspoonfuls salt. y 2 teaspoonful pepper. 2 tablespoonfuls butter. 4 tablespoonfuls cornstarch. 1 tablespoonful flour. Mix the cornstarch with the water and put into a stewpan with all the other ingredients, except the butter and flour, the onion being left whole. Stir frequently until the soup boils, then cook half an hour, count- ing from the time it begins to boil. At the end of this time beat the butter and flour together until light and smooth and stir into the soup. Cook ten minutes longer, then take out the onion and serve the soup with toasted or fried bread. If a smooth soup is desired strain through a fine sieve. This is the simplest kind of tomato soup. It may be varied by the addition of rice, macaroni, beans, peas, and other vegetables. Instead of the fried bread stale bread may be cut in small pieces and put in the bottom of the soup tureen. 1 pint sliced okra. \y 2 pints tomatoes pared and cut fine. 2 quarts water. 3 tablespoonfuls rice. OKRA AND TOMATO SOUP. 3 tablespoonfuls minced onion. 1 green pepper, seeds removed and pepper cut fine. 3 teaspoonfuls salt. % teaspoonful pepper. Put all the ingredients into the soup pot and cook gently ,f or two hours, then add two tablespoonfuls of butter or sweet drippings and serve. The bones from roast meat or broiled meat cooked with this soup add to the flavor. ONION CHOWDER. 3 quarts boiling water. 1 pint minced onion. 1 quart potatoes cut in dice. 3 teaspoonfuls salt. y 2 teaspoonful pepper. 3 tablespoonfuls butter or savory drippings. 1 tablespoonful fine herbs. Cook the onion and butter together for half an hour, but slowly, so that the onion will not brown. At the end of this time add the boiling water, potatoes, salt, and pepper and cook one hour longer, then add the fine herbs and serve. 256 41 GREEN PEA SOUP. 1 quart shelled peas. 3 pints water. 1 quart milk. 1 onion. 2 tablespoonfuls butter. 1 tablespoonful flour. 3 level teaspoonfuls salt. A teaspoon ful pepper. Put the peas in a -stewpan with the boiling water and onion and cook until tender, which will be about half an hour. Pour off the water, saving for use later. Mash the peas fine, then add the water in which they were boiled, and rub through a puree sieve. Return to the saucepan, add flour and butter, beaten together, and the salt and pepper. Now gradually add the milk, which must be boiling hot. Beat well and cook ten minutes, stirring frequently. SPLIT PEA SOUP. 1 tablespoonful flour. 1 tablespoonful butter. 1 teaspoonful pepper. 1 sprig parsley. 1 pint split peas. 4 quarts water. y 2 pound salt pork. 1 large onion. 2 tablespoonfuls celery. Pick the peas over, that there may be no blemished ones among them, then wash and soak in cold water over night. In the morning turn off the water and put them in the soup pot, with the cold water and salt pork. Simmer gently seven hours, being careful that the soup does not burn. When it has cooked six hours add the seasoning. Have a large wooden spoon to stir the soup. When done it should be thin enough to pour. By boiling it may become too thick ; if so, add boiling water. When thor- oughly cooked, the soup is smooth and rather mealy. If not cooked enough, after standing a few minutes the thick part will settle, and the top look watery. At the end of seven hours strain the soup through a sieve and return to a soup pot. Beat the flour and butter together until creamy, then stir into the soup and simmer half an hour longer. If the salt pork has not seasoned the soup sufficiently add a little salt. For some tastes the soup would be improved by the addition of a quart of hot milk. Serve little squares of fried bread in a separate dish. DRIED BEAN SOUP. 1 pint dried beans. 4 quarts water. 1 large onion, minced fine. 4 tablespoonfuls sweet drippings or butter which gives a better flavor. 3 tablespoonfuls flour. 1 tablespoonful minced celery or a few dried celery leaves. V 2 teaspoonful pepper. 2 teaspoonfuls salt. Wash the beans and soak them over night in cold water. In the morning pour off the water and put them in the soup pot with 3 quarts of cold water. Place on the fire and when the water comes to the boiling point pour it off (throw this water away). Add 4 quarts of boiling water to the beans and place the soup pot where the contents will simmer for four hours. Add the celery the last hour of cooking. Cook the onion and drippings slowly in a stewpan for half an hour. Drain the water from the beans (save this water) and put them in the stewpan with the onions 256 42 and drippings. Then add the flour and cook half an hour, stirring often. At the end of this time mash fine and gradually add the water in which the beans were boiled until the soup is like thick cream. Then rub through a puree sieve and return to the fire ; add the salt and pepper and cook twenty minutes or more. Any kind of beans may be used for this soup ; the Lima beans give the most delicate soup, but the large or small white beans are very satisfactory and are less expensive, than the Limas. In cold weather the quantities of beans and flavorings may be doubled, but only 6 quarts of water are used. The resulting thick soup can be. kept in a cold place and a portion boiled up as required and thinned with meat stock or milk. CREAM OF BEAN SOUP. Make as above, but add only enough of the water in which the beans were cooked to make the mixture like thin mush. Have this very hot and add boiling hot milk to make it like thick cream, about a quart of milk to 3 pints of the bean puree. Boil up at once and serve. It spoils a cream soup to let it cook many minutes after the milk is added. SEASONINGS AND SAUCES FOR VEGETABLES. Much of the excellence of well-cooked vegetables depends upon the proper use of seasonings* and sauces. The seasoning selected should un- doubtedly be suitable for the dish, but so much depends upon custom that only general suggestions can be made. The Italians and some other races are much fonder of garlic than Americans, the Germans of summer savory or "bohnenkraut" in string beans, and the English of mint with peas. Each housewife must select the seasonings which her family pre- fers and endeavor to use them in such a way that the special flavors may be most satisfactorily brought out. TIME OF COOKING FLAVORERS. When a soup, sauce, or vegetable is to be flavored with an herb or another vegetable the flavorer should be added toward the end of the cooking period. Since the oils and other bodies which give seasoning vegetables and herbs their flavor are volatile they are either driven off by long-continued cooking or rendered much less delicate in flavor. Herbs that are to be left in the dish or served with the dish must be added just before the food is served. The herbs generally served with the dish are chervil, parsley, tarragon, and chives. Burnet, thyme, summer savory, sage, and sweet basil are cooked with the dish a short time, not over twenty minutes, and are then removed. The little bunch of mixed herbs, the "bouquet garni," so often re- ferred to in cook books, is made with two branches of parsley, a sprig each of thyme and summer savory, a small leaf of sage, and a small bay leaf, all tied together. This is cooked with the dish from ten to twenty minutes, then removed. The bay leaves must be purchased at the grocer's. Turnips, carrots, parsnips, celery, leeks, cibol, onions, etc., when used just as flavorers, should be tied in a bunch and cooked twenty or thirty minutes in the dish and then be removed. When shallot and garlic are used they should never be cut, but separated into "cloves." One clove will be enough for a small quantity 256 43 of soup, sauce, or ragout. _ Never fry shallot or garlic. Cook in the dish to be flavored about ten minutes, then remove. FRIED VEGETABLES FOR SEASONING. Vegetables when used raw as a seasoning give a strong flavor, and only a little of each should be used. For flavoring soups, sauces, stews, etc., fried vegetables are far superior to the raw. To prepare them for use, clean and peel or scrape the vegetables, then cut them into small pieces, and put in a saucepan with butter or sweet fat, allowing two gen- erous tablespoonfuls of butter to a pint of vegetables. Place on a hot part of the range and stir until the butter and vegetables become hot. Par- tially cover the saucepan and set back, where the vegetables, which should be stirred often, will cook slowly for half an hour. At the end of this time place the pan on a hot part of the range and stir the contents until the butter begins to separate from the vegetables. Drain the butter, saving it with' savory drippings, which every housewife should have on hand (see p. 45), and add the vegetables to the dish they are to flavor. FINE HERBS. In its broadest sense, the term "fine herbs" includes all the delicate, savory herbs, such as burnet, sweet basil, tarragon, and chervil. As com- monly understood, three herbs enter into the seasoning known to cooks as "fine herbs ;" these are parsley, chervil, and chives. They are minced fine and added to the sauce, soup, omelet, etc. For an omelet, they are stirred into the beaten eggs in the proportion of a teaspoonful to three eggs. When added to sauces, the herbs must be added just as they are about to be served. These three herbs combine well with almost any vegetable, fish, or meat. In general, herbs should be washed, placed on a clean board, and cut with a sharp knife. Chervil and tarragon when employed in soup or salad should be torn- leaf by leaf into small pieces. TARRAGON VINEGAR. Strip about three ounces of leaves from the branches of tarragon ; put into a quart fruit jar and fill with good vinegar. Close and let stand for about twenty days, then strain. The best vinegar to use for this purpose is white wine vinegar, but good cider vinegar will also answer. The best time to make tarragon vinegar is about the last of August, when the plants are large and vigorous. Tarragon vinegar may be used for salads and sharp sauces, when the fresh herb is not available. BUTTER WITH VEGETABLES. It is almost universally conceded that vegetables require the addition of fat in order that they may be at their best, and there is no fat which is so suitable as butter for the majority of- vegetables, judged by the texture of the dish and also by the flavor. The American housekeeper has a way of looking upon the use of butter, milk, cream, and eggs in the preparation of vegetables, soups, and sauces as if these ingredients were simply "trimmings" and not food. But it should be remembered that these articles are valuable foods and 29C 44 naturally increase the food value of the dish of which they form a part. They are all wholesome, and, although almost always more expensive than the vegetable foods with which they are combined, their use in reasonable quantities is certainly to be recommended. Increasing the cost of the dish by the free use of butter, cream, etc., may after all be economy if the increase is intelligently made, and the vegetable soups, purees, etc., made "hearty" as well as appetizing by the addition of butter, eggs, etc., are combined with smaller quantities of meat and with light and simple desserts. SAVORY DRIPPINGS. As a substitute for butter in seasoning vegetables there is nothing better than sweet, savory drippings. Not all meats supply fats that are savory in the sense in which the word is employed here. The following fats may be employed alone or in combination for seasoning vegetables : The fat from fried sausages, ham, bacon, and pork, and from roast pork, veal, and chicken. Fats trimmed from poultry, veal, pork, and ham may be fried out carefully and saved for use in cooking vegetables. Such fats have a flavor which comes from seasoning, as in sausage, from smoke, as in ham and bacon, or from brown material, as in roast meat. The fat skimmed from the water in which poultry has been boiled and the fats skimmed from the gravies of most roast meats may be clarified and also employed in the preparation of vegetables for the table. Great care must be taken that all these fats are clean and sweet, and that the temperature at which they are fried out shall not be so high as to impair the flavor. Burned or scorched fat is not only unpleasant in flavor, but is a frequent cause of indigestion. When rendering the trimmings of fat meat, add a small onion or a shallot (do not cut them), a few leaves of summer savory, and thyme, a teaspoonful of salt, and a little pepper. This seasoning is enough for half a pint of fat. Keep the drippings covered, and in a cool, dry place. CREAM SAUCE. teaspoonful salt, teaspoonful pepper. y 2 pint milk. 1 tablespoonful butter. 1 teaspoonful flour. Heat the milk over boiling water ; beat the butter and flour to a cream and stir into the hot milk. Cook five minutes, then add salt and pepper, and use. This sauce is suitable for boiled cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, etc. It is also a good sauce for escalloped dishes. This sauce may be modified by the addition of flavoring herbs. CREAM MUSTARD" SAUCE. Make the cream sauce as directed above. Mix one tablespoonful of mustard with a teaspoonful of cold water and stir into the sauce about two minutes before serving. The quantity of mustard may be increased or diminished, as one may desire the flavor strong or mild. WHITE SAUCE. This sauce is made like the cream sauce, except that half a pint of white-meat broth is substituted for the milk, and two tablespoonfuls of 256 45 flour instead of one are used. The saucepan is put directly on the stove and the sauce is simmered ten minutes. White sauce, like cream sauce, may be modified by the addition of other flavors. TOMATO SAUCE. Cook one pint of peeled and cut tomatoes ten minutes, then rub through a strainer. Beat in a saucepan until smooth and light one table- spoonful of flour and one generous tablespoonful of butter. Gradually beat the hot tomato into this. Add the salt and pepper and cook ten minutes. This sauce may be served with macaroni, rice, etc., as well as with fish and meat. The flavor of the tomato sauce may be modified by the addition of onion, spice, or herbs. SALADS AND SALAD DRESSINGS. Nearly all vegetables may be served in the form of salad. The salads made with the raw vegetables are more refreshing and perhaps more generally relished than those made with cooked vegetables. The most common green salad plant in the United States is undoubtedly lettuce, and perhaps celery, alone or mixed with other materials, next. Endive, chicory, blanched dandelion, and other plants should also be used, as they give a pleasant variety to the menu. Such salads are garnished like lettuce. In most of our gardens the only sort of lettuce grown is some variety of the head lettuce. Roman lettuce, the "Salade Romaine" of Europe, which is fairly common in our city markets, is a delicious variety, which should be more generally used by American housekeepers. Raw vegetables should be used only when they are young, tender, and fresh. When boiled green vegetables are used for a salad they should not be cooked so long that they lose crispness and flavor. Salad dressings . are usually sharp or pungent sauce, with which the salad is moistened and seasoned, or "dressed." The best all-round salad dressing is .what is known as French salad dressing (see p. 48). This is suitable for any vegetable salad, raw or cooked. Besides the dressing proper there are several herbs which are used as flavorers. In continental Europe some or all of these herbs are almost an invariable accompaniment of all lettuce salads and nearly all other green salads. These herbs are, in France, termed the fourniture of the salad, and it is a saying among the French that the fourniture is essential to all salads, while the use of garlic, hard boiled eggs, etc., is optional. The herbs generally employed in the fourn- ture are chervil, tarragon, chives, or cibol. These flavor deliciously lettuce and other tender green salads. They are also a great acquisition to soups, sauces, omelets, etc., one or more being employed to give special flavor to a dish. LETTUCE SALAD WITH FRENCH DRESSING. 2 heads lettuce. I 1 tablespoonful minced chives or 2 or 3 sprays tarragon. cibol, if the flavor be liked. 6 or 8 branches chervil. | French dressing. Remove all the green, tough leaves from the heads of lettuce. Break off the tender leaves one by one and rinse in cold water. Shake off the water and lay the leaves on a piece of cheese cloth and put the lettuce, wrapped 256. 46 lightly in the cheese cloth, on ice. At serving time, put the leaves in the salad bowl. Have the herbs torn into small bits and sprinkle over the lettuce. Sprinkle the dressing (a spoonful at a time) over the salad. Lift and turn the salad with the spoon and fork. Continue mixing in this manner until all the dressing has been used. The work must be done lightly and carefully that the lettuce shall not be crushed. Serve imme- diately. This is the French salad that so many travelers remember with great pleasure. The secret of its exquisite quality is that the lettuce is crisp and tender, delicate flavoring herbs are added to it, the vinegar is never strong, the oil is good, and, finally, the dressing is added just before the salad is served. In the heat of the summer, when head lettuce is not plenty, the tender young plants may be used. The flavor of the salad may be varied by the addition of other green salads and herbs, such as chicory, sorrel, borage, burnet, etc. When fresh tarragon is not available; tarragon vinegar may be employed. LETTUCE SALAD WITH CREAM DRESSING. 1 large solid head lettuce. % teaspoonful pepper. 1 tablespoonful vinegar. 4 tablespoonfuls thick, sweet l / 2 teaspoonful salt. cream. Remove the outer leaves from the head of lettuce, leaving only the crisp, clean, bleached leaves. Break the leaves one by one from the head, and if perfectly clean do not wash them. If not clean, wash quickly in cold water and drain. Tear each leaf into three or four pieces ; put the shredded lettuce into a large towel or napkin and place on the ice or in a cold cellar. At serving time put the lettuce in a salad bowl. Mix the salt, pepper, and vinegar in the salad spoon and sprinkle over the lettuce ; stir well, then add the cream, a spoonful at a time, and mix by tossing the lettuce lightly with the spoon and fork. Serve immediately. CABBAGE SALAD. Either red or white cabbage may be used for salad, and must be firm, crisp, and tender. Remove the outer leaves and cut the tender cabbage into fine shreds. Wash well and let soak in cold water for half an hour. Drain and season with French dressing or cooked salad dressing. Serve at once. CUCUMBER SALAD. This vegetable should always be crisp and fresh when used. There is an old and widespread belief that cucumbers are more wholesome if the slices are soaked in cold water or in salted water before serving. Doubtless the. distress which some persons experience after eating cucum- bers is due to the fact that they are swallowed without proper mastication. It does not seem probable that there is any unwholesome property in this vegetable when we recall the extent to which it is eaten in some other countries and the good reputation which it bears there. In Persia the cucumber is most highly prized and is consumed in very large quantities. On account of its succulent character it is often used by travelers in place of water, as the water supply in many villages and towns is not above suspicion. 256 47 Cucumbers should be pared and sliced thin, and then may be dressed with oil and vinegar, like lettuce, or with a little vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cucumbers are at their best for salads when fairly young, and should not be used after the seeds have become hard and tough, as most persons consider them objectionable. A pleasant variation in the appearance of the dish may be easily obtained by slicing rather small cucumbers length- wise instead of across, as is the more common method. DRESSINGS OR SAUCES FOR SALADS. FRENCH DRESSING. l /4 teaspoon ful salt. V% teaspoonful pepper. 1 tablespoonful vinegar. 4 tablespoonfuls olive oil. Put the salt and pepper in the salad bowl, or in a small bowl if the sauce is to be served separately. Add a little oil and stir well, then gradu- ally add the remainder of the oil, stirring all the while. Last of all stir in the vinegar, which should be diluted with water if very strong. This sauce may be modified to suit different vegetables.. As it is given it is right for lettuce, chicory, cooked asparagus, cauliflower, arti- choke, etc. Cream may be substituted for the oil, but the salad is not so rich. COOKED SALAD DRESSING. 2 eggs. 1 teaspoonful salt. 1 gill vinegar. 1 teaspoonful mustard. 2 gills milk. 34 teaspoonful pepper. 1 tablespoonful oil or butter. Put the oil and dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Add the eggs and beat for five minutes, then add the vinegar and beat one minute. Now add the milk, place the bowl in a pan of boiling water, and cook until the sauce thickens like thin cream. It will take about ten minutes. Stir the sauce constantly while cooking. Cool and bottle what you do not require for immediate use. This sauce is good for nearly all kinds of cooked vegetables. If butter is substituted for the oil, add it just before taking the sauce from the fire. SOUR CREAM DRESSING. 1 teaspoonful salt. j4 teaspoonful pepper. 1 teaspoonful or more mixed mus- tard. y 2 pint sour cream. 2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice. 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar. 1 scant tablespoonful sugar. Beat the cream with an egg beater- until smooth, thick, and light. Mix the other ingredients together and gradually add to the cream, beating all the while. This dressing may be modified to suit different vegetables. Having beaten sour cream for a foundation the seasoning may be anything desired, as, for example, the mustard and lemon may be omitted and the dressing be seasoned highly with any kind of catsup. 256 48 A sweet cream may be substituted for the sour ; it should be quite thick. CREAM SALAD DRESSING. 2 tablespoon fuls vinegar. 2 tablespoonfuls sugar. 1 teaspoon ful salt. 1 cupful cream (sweet or sour) ]/ 2 cupful tomato catsup. 2 tablespoonfuls olive oil. Mix the oil, salt, sugar, and vinegar together, then beat in the catsup and finally add the cream, beating it in gradually. This dressing is very good for vegetables, or for fish salads. 256 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 013 736 217 A ; i : ::iiii