Alexis Soyer's Part 15: Vegetables
Welcome to FabulousFusionFood's Alexis Soyer's Part 15 (Vegetables) Page — Here you will find the full text from the fifteenth section: Vegetables of Alexis Soyer's Modern Housewife or Ménagère As well as the full text this page also provides links out to the overall index of the book and links to modern redactions of each and every recipe (where practicable). This site builds a complete library of Eliza Acton recipes, allowing the modern cook to make them at home today. Enjoy...
VEGETABLES.
In describing to you, dearest, the different ways these may be dressed, I beg of you to make a constant use of them at your own table, as you will find that they will be much better than partaking of half-raw greens, cabbage, turnip tops, spinach, &c, which are so often served up at tables in this country, and are less inviting in flavour, and, consequently, do not get consumed so much as they ought, which causes more meat to be eaten, and, instead of refreshing the blood, as all vegetables will do in their season, only irritate it. Do not misunderstand me respecting our English way of partaking of plain boiled vegetables; I do not wish you to give them up entirely, but by adopting both plans, you will find it a great advantage in your domestic cookery. For my part I never object to our plain boiled vegetables, but merely to the neglectful way they are cooked and served up, often swimming in water. In France, no family in the middle station of life ever dine without their dish of dressed vegetables, upon which as much care has been bestowed in cooking as upon the principal dish of the dinner, and is often eaten alone.
695. ASPARAGUS.—I cook it thus: I take a bundle and scrape lightly all the white part, beginning from the head down, and throw them when done into cold water, then tie them up in bundles of twenty-five each if an ordinary size, if very large, half that number, keeping the heads together, and cut off the ends to make them the same length; have ready a pan containing one gallon of boiling water, in which has been thrown two ounces of salt, boil quickly for fifteen minutes, or till tender; dish them up with a piece of toast under, keep the heads even, and form a pyramid. Serve very hot, with rich melted butter, cream sauce, or plain, if preferred.
The queen of all vegetables, to my fancy, is asparagus. This may almost be said to be a modern vegetable in this country, and it is one which requires less cooking than perhaps any other, and is considered exceedingly wholesome.
696. YOUNG GREEN PEAS.—Young Green Peas! Do not these words sound pleasant to the ear, dearest? I fancy that, by merely raising my eyes from the paper on which I am now writing, I shall see all our garden in buds and blossom; it not only seems to invigorate the sensitive part of one's appetite, but works upon the mind to that point that you may actually fancy you are breathing in a glowing atmosphere, and that the pearly dew is gracefully descending in small globules from heaven, to fix their sparkling eyes on the pinky bloom of myriads of roses. But, alas! how soon this charming illusion has disappeared since I have left for a moment the sight of my paper, to give a peep through the garden-window, where I perceive that though to-day is the 17th of April, the serious and uncheerful Father Winter has once more monopolised those delightful and variegated nuances of Nature, by laying out his universal snowy tablecloth over this for the present ephemeral vision which the inviting words green peas had produced upon my senses; no doubt the effect of a good fire in my parlour, where I am now sitting, has had great influence upon me respecting the summery temperature; but as a few weeks longer will realize my wishes, I shall here content myself by giving you the receipt how they ought to be cooked when you can get them.
When they are very young I like them plain boiled, because their original flavour is so fresh and delicate, that any addition, except a little fresh butter, would be certain to destroy their aroma; I even object to the introduction of green mint, though I do not want to deprive you of it, being only a matter of taste.
Put two quarts of water to boil, with half an ounce of salt, and then place in one pint of peas, boil a full gallop till tender (about ten minutes), put in a colander, drain one minute; lay them, raised in the centre, in a dish, put in them two pats of very fresh butter, and serve.
When older or larger, boil a little longer, add twelve leaves of green mint, which serve with it.
697. PEAS, FRENCH WAY.—They do not look so inviting, not being so green; but I must say they are excellent as regards flavour. Choose them young and fresh; without both of these qualities they would not cook properly. Put into a saucepan a pint of peas, two ounces of butter, and a pint of water; mix the peas and butter well with your hand, add four button onions, a bouquet of six sprigs of parsley, one ounce of sugar, two saltspoonfuls of salt, and one of pepper, place over a tolerably good fire, moving them often; if getting rather dry, add a wineglassful of water, twenty minutes ought to be enough; when tender, add one ounce of butter, in which you have mixed a teaspoonful of flour, which put in and stir well; make a liaison of the yolk of one egg, a quarter of a gill of cream, which add and stir; take out the parsley and onions, and serve.
698. ANOTHER WAY.—When large, I stew them with two cabbage-lettuces cut in two, and stew longer; put in four wineglassfuls of water, or more, if required, and finish as above.
To keep their colour, I often proceed thus for entrees or second courses: I plain boil as above, and put them in a stewpan, with four small onions, a little mint, parsley, butter, sugar, and a drop of water, simmer a few minutes, add as above the flour, butter, and liaison, and serve; they are very good this way, but not so rich in flavour.
There are different kinds, but I prefer the Prussian blue above all.
699. SEAKALE.—Proceed exactly as for asparagus for boiling, but previously to boiling cut out the black part of the roots; well wash and tie them about six together, serve with the same sauce as asparagus. There is a kind of seakale which (should you not be dealing with a regular tradesman) you may purchase, that is rank and stringy, and not worth eating; it may be known, when raw, by the outside near the root, which is very tough and hard; the middle size ones are the best.
700. SPRUE-GRASS.—The longer the green part the better the sprue; take each piece and gently bend it, and it will break off at that part which you require, beyond it is too hard, and cannot be eaten; when you thus have the pieces, cut them into lengths of a quarter of an inch, which well wash; have one gallon of water, into which put one ounce of salt, and boil, then put in the sprue and boil for ten minutes, or till tender, then drain on a sieve, put them in a stewpan, with two ounces of fresh butter, half a teaspoonful of flour, the same of salt, two pinches of pepper, half a gill of milk, and place on the fire, stir well together for ten minutes, and serve hot. The yolk of an egg, well beaten with two spoonfuls of cream, may be added to it; and when serving, also two spoonfuls of white sauce or melted butter, then omit the flour,—but I always do it as the first. This is for a large bunch.
701. CELERY.—Cut about ten heads of large celery from six to seven inches long, trim the outside and cut the root to a point, wash it very well between the leaves, tie three together, put a gallon of water, with two ounces of salt, to boil, then add the celery, and boil for fifteen minutes, then drain it, put into a stewpan a small slice of bacon, and lay the celery on it, put it on the fire for two minutes, add one onion sliced, cover with broth until quite tender, then take it out, and dish on a piece of toast, pass the gravy through a sieve into a stewpan, skim off the fat, reduce it to a demi-glaze, add a little sugar and a small pat of butter, which you have rubbed into some flour, stir it well, and sauce over; it ought to be thick, and of a nice brown colour, which produce, if required, by a little colouring. Marrow may be served with it, by taking two good pieces of marrow, and boil for a few minutes in a quart of water, and serve on each side the celery. It can also be cooked plain boiled, and served with melted butter over, and also in eight tablespoonfuls of brown sauce, six of broth, and half a teaspoonful of sugar, in which it has simmered ten minutes; sauce over and serve.
702. SALSIFY.—I do not know why this vegetable, which is held in such high estimation on the Continent, should be so little esteemed with us; I will here supply their manner of cooking it, and perhaps you will give it a fair trial. Take twelve middling-sized ones, scrape them well till quite white, rub each with lemon and put in cold water; put into a stewpan a quarter of a pound of beef or mutton suet, cut in small dice one onion, a bit of thyme, a bay-leaf, a tablespoonful of salt, and four cloves, put on the fire and stir, for five minutes, add two tablespoonsful of flour, and stir well, then add three pints of water, when just boiling put in your salsify, simmer till tender; they will take nearly one hour; dish on toast, sauce over with Dutch, maitre-d'hotel, or onion sauce, or a very good demi-glaze, or Italian sauce. Should any remain, they may be made into fritters thus: put them in a basin, add a little salt, pepper, two spoonfuls of vinegar, half a chopped eschalot, and a spoonful of oil, place in the salsify, and let it remain for some hours, when ready to serve, make a small quantity of batter, dip each piece in it, and fry for five minutes in lard or fat, dish up with fried parsley over.
703. VEGETABLE MARROW. — Choose eight young small ones, with smooth skin, and put them to boil in two quarts of water, in which you have put one ounce of salt, the same of butter; try with a needle if tender, then dish them tastefully on mashed potatoes in a dish; put half a pint of melted butter in a pan, when near boiling add a liaison of a yolk of an egg, two pats of butter, a little sugar, the juice of half a lemon, sauce over and serve; if they are rather large, cut them in two lengthwise; if in smaller pieces, take all the inside out and boil till tender, and warm in the above sauce. You can also make a nice demi-glaze, as No. 137, and let them simmer in it for twenty minutes; do not break them, as they would then be unsightly; they can be made into soup like cauliflower, No. 216.
704. CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI.—Be very particular in cleaning them, choose them rather small, thick, and firm, put them for one hour in salt and water, then rinse them well in water, that all the dirt may be removed from the interior; have a pan of boiling water, in which you have placed two ounces of salt and one of butter, drain, and use where indicated; but if for second course, place them on a dish in the form of a dome, and cover over with some sauce as for vegetable marrow, or plain melted butter, or Soubise sauce if preferred plain; serve it very hot, having drained it.
705. THE SAME GRATINÉ WITH CHEESE.—Put into a stewpan ten spoonfuls of white sauce, No. 135, with a little chopped onions, which boil for a few minutes, add to it a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan, or any mild English cheese; when boiling, add the yolk of one egg, and a little cayenne, mix quick, lay a little on a dish, put two or three heads of cauliflower or broccoli on it, pour the remainder of sauce over, and a little bread-crumbs and grated cheese; put in oven half an hour, give it a nice yellow colour, and serve; if no white sauce, use melted butter, but do not boil it so long, or it will eat rather greasy.
706. JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES.—One of the best and most useful vegetables ever introduced to table, and anything but appreciated as it deserves to be. To prove to you that I am a great admirer of it, you will find it very often mentioned in my receipts. In using them for a second course, I choose about twelve of the same size, peel them, and shape them like a pear, but flat at the bottom, wash them well, boil gently in three pints of water, one ounce of salt, one of butter, and a few sliced onions; when tender, I make a border of mashed potatoes on a dish, fix them on it point upwards, sauce over with either cream sauce (No. 301), white sauce (No. 135), melted butter (No. 286), maitre-d'hotel, and place fa fine Brussels sprout between each, which contrast is exceedingly inviting, simple and pretty.
707. CUCUMBERS are most delicious stuffed and stewed, but very difficult to dress, and consequently chiefly used for entrées. They may, however, be treated like vegetable marrow.
708. ARTICHOKES.—Pull the tail off four or six small artichokes, trim the bottom slightly with a knife, cut the point of every leaf, wash well in plain water, put them on in plenty of water, with a little salt, to boil, let them thus remain about half an hour, or until the leaves are easy to be removed, take them out and lay on a sieve to drain, and serve on a napkin, with melted butter separate.
709. BEETROOT.—This is a very good dish, and as I believe it has never been noticed in cookery, I must lay claim to its parentage; I have given the receipt to some friends, who highly approve of it. Take two nice young boiled beetroots, which will take about from two to three hours to simmer in plenty of boiling water, peel when cold, cut in slanting direction, so as to make thin oval pieces, peel and cut in small dice, two middling-sized onions, put in a pan, with two ounces of butter, fry white, stirring continually with a spoon; add a spoonful of flour, and enough milk, to make a nice thinnish sauce, add to it three saltspoonfuls of salt, four of sugar, one of pepper, a spoonful of good vinegar, and boil a few minutes; put in the slices to simmer for about twenty minutes, have ready some mashed potatoes, with which make a thin border in your dish one inch high, then put the beetroot and sauce, highly seasoned, in the centre, and serve. A little cream may be added.
710. FRENCH BEANS.—These are also a great favourite with many. To dress it, head and tail them, drawing off the back string, cut in long diamonds, boil till tender in water in which salt has been placed, a quarter of a pound to a gallon, try them after a quarter of an hour's boiling, drain them, lay them on a dish one inch thick, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and two pats of butter, then put in the remainder, proceed the same at top; serve very quickly, to prevent the butter oiling.
711. THE SAME, À LA MAÎTRE-D'HÔTEL.—When boiled as above, put in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of maitre-d'hotel butter, when melted, serve. They may be also served with white sauce thusI put in a stewpan eight spoonfuls of melted butter, season well, simmer gently, add the yolk of an egg, two ounces of butter, juice of half a lemon, and serve.
712. KIDNEY BEANS.—Head and tail them, string and slit them down the middle, place them for half an hour in salt and water in which you have thrown a little culinary alkali, boil until tender, and serve with melted butter, or a la maître-d'hôtel.
713. BROAD or WINDSOR BEANS.—Boil in salt and water: when done, serve with parsley and butter, or with a piece of bacon.
714. BRUSSELS SPROUTS.—Trim, wash, and boil about forty small Brussels sprouts; when tender, drain, dish, and sprinkle a little salt, pepper, and two ounces of butter over, and serve. Serve also in sauce, or with maître-d'hôtel, like French beans. These are also very good for soups, sauces, or garnish.
715. SPINACH.—This vegetable is very light and very good for invalids. It must be washed in several waters, after having been well picked; then put a quarter of a sieve of spinach to a gallon of boiling water and three ounces of salt, boil for ten minutes till tender, drain on sieve, press a little with your hands to extract part of the water, chop it up fine, put it in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, half ditto of pepper, but on a fire with a drop of warm broth for a few minutes, and serve.
716. SPINACH WITH GRAVY.—Proceed as before, but add a tablespoonful of flour, and half a pint of strong gravy in it, as No. 186; serve with sippets of bread round.
717. SPINACH WITH CREAM.—Proceed as before, but putting half a pint of milk or cream instead of gravy, and the addition of a tablespoonful of sugar, cut three slices of bread, lay on dish, sift sugar over, put in oven, salamander over, cut in various shapes, and serve under or over the spinach.
718. YOUNG HARICOT BEANS.—Take a pint, boil in two quarts of water, with a small piece of butter, and half an ounce of salt; when done, which will take only a few minutes, dish and serve; put butter over, sprinkle a little salt, and when on the dish, a gill of maitre-d'hotel sauce or fennel sauce may be served over the larger one, or it is very delicious plain boiled, and with a piece of ham or bacon.
719. WHITE HARICOT BEANS.—Nothing so cheap or so solid a food as haricot beans; get a pint of fine white beans, called the dwarf—I buy them for fourpence a quart. I put them into half a gallon of cold soft water, with one ounce of butter; they take about three hours to cook, and should simmer very slowly, drain them and put into a stewpan, with a little salt, pepper, chopped parsley, two ounces of butter, and the juice of a lemon, place on the fire for a few minutes, stir well, and serve. The water in which it is boiled will not make a bad soup by frying four onions in butter in a stewpan, adding a little flour, then the water poured over, and a slice of toasted' bread, cut in pieces, and served in a tureen. Should the water in boiling reduce too fast, add a little more. They may be dressed for second course à la Bretonne, as for leg of mutton. The longer sort requires to be soaked a few hours before boiling.
720. MUSHROOMS.—These are good every way when fresh; for a dish take about fifty buttons, cut the roots off, wash and rub the skin off with a cloth, cut them in slices the size of a shilling, tail and all, put them in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, a small teaspoonful of salt, two pinches of pepper, and the juice of half a lemon, put them on the fire, simmer till tender, and dish them up on a nice crisp toast; should you require any sauce, add when nearly done, half a spoonful of flour, a gill of broth, milk, or cream, or even water, stew a few minutes longer, pour over toast and serve.
If very large, they should have been carefully picked, for if the dirt should have got into the under part it is difficult to remove it; cut off the end of the tail and peel the top, put them on a gridiron, season moderately with salt and pepper, turn them, and when done serve them on a very hot dish, and put on each a piece of butter the size of a nut, and a squeeze of a lemon, put in a hot oven for a minute, or before the fire, and serve; a little Harvey's or Soyer's sauce is an improvement. They may also be put in an oven, by laying them in a sauté-pan or tin dish, put a little butter and season over each, and a drop of Harvey's sauce, and let them remain twenty minutes, and serve with gravy over.
721. LENTILS.—Put into a stewpan one quart, add two quarts of cold water, one ounce of butter, a little salt, one onion sliced, a bouquet of parsley, set on the fire, simmer till tender, which may be in two hours; when done, drain in a sieve, and save the liquor, which can be made into a soup like the haricots (see Receipt No. 719); put the lentils in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, a little salt, sugar, pepper, and a tablespoonful of chopped eschalots, set it on the fire, put in butter and flour, mix well, boil ten minutes gently, and dish in a border of potatoes or in a deep dish. It may also be done thus: by frying till brown one onion sliced in a stewpan, put in the boiled lentils, with two ounces of butter, a little flour, a gill of gravy, and season as above, stir well, boil, and serve hot.
Gabanza or Egyptian bean may be cooked in the same way.
722. ENGLISH TRUFFLES.—Put twelve of them to soak for four hours in lukewarm water; then with a hard hair-brush remove all the earth from them; then wash again, put them into a stewpan, with a few slices of bacon, two onions, half a head of celery, half a carrot, a clove of garlic, two bay-leaves, a sprig of thyme, four of parsley, a teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, a half of pepper, two glasses of sherry, and a pint of broth; let them simmer for half an hour or more, but till tender; place them in the oven for twenty minutes longer, remove the truffles and place them on a dish; have a little mashed potatoes, and make a border, and place the truffles on in pyramid to prevent them moving, strain the gravy they were in, skim off the fat, reduce it to about a gill, put in a teaspoonful of arrow-root in a cup, with a spoonful of water, mix it, and put to the gravy, boil a few minutes, pour over, and serve.
I peeled some of them, cooked the same way; they eat better, but they did not look so well.
723. SAUTÉ OF THE SAME. — After having washed them, I peel them and cut them into thin slices, and put about one pound of them into a stewpan; I then add a quarter of a pound of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, half one of sugar, a quarter ditto of nutmeg, warm over the fire, add a gill of broth, a little flour, mixed with a little butter, stir in, boil, and serve on toast;—or proceed as above, adding a gill of demi-glaze. They can be served with any entrées when properly done, and in all cases can be used instead of mushrooms.
724. TO COOK SOURCROUT.—Put a quart of sourcrout, with a fat piece of bacon or pork, into an earthen pan, with sufficient water to cover it, stew for four or five hours, and serve with pork or fried sausages; it is better the second day. It may be procured in any good oil-shop in the winter.
725. SOURCROUT, BAVARIAN WAY.—Well wash one quart of sourcrout, and put it into an earthen pan, with a quarter of a bottle of Rhenish wine or any other light wine, and stew it for three hours, then add some veal gravy, well seasoned, and Stew for three hours longer, and serve with sausages, or when you add the veal stock, put in a duck or a goose, and serve with it.
726. LAVER is a marine plant (the Ulva Lactuca), which we obtain potted, in London, from the West of England; in Dublin, from Malahide; Edinburgh, from Aberdeen. It is merely washed, boiled, pulped, and potted by the fishermen's wives. It is considered wholesome, but I see nothing particular in it that can make it so unless it is the small quantity of iodine that it contains. It should be dressed like spinach (No. 716), and sent up very hot in a dish over a spirit-lamp, and is generally served with mutton. The following is a new plan I have introduced for cooking it, which has been liked by those persons who formerly disliked it:
Have some mashed potatoes as No. 733, roll it out the thickness of a quarter of an inch, cover it with some cold stewed laver nicely seasoned, put another layer of mashed potatoes over, and allow it to get quite cold, when cut it in square pieces, egg, bread-crumb, and proceed as for ramifolles.
727. GREENS, CABBAGES, SAVOYS, should be boiled in plenty of water in which a little soda and salt has been added. Greens should be boiled whole, the cabbages cut in four pieces, the savoys in two, drain well and dish up.
728. GREENS, CABBAGES, AND SAVOYS, Stewed.—. When these are boiled as above, drain them, place them on a platter and chop up fine, put into a stewpan and season with salt, pepper, and sugar; a piece of butter, and a gill of gravy, if handy, if not a little milk; stew gently for half an hour. (For Cabbage and Bacon, see Stewed Partridge.)
729. CARROTS, PARSNIPS AND TURNIPS, should be boiled in plenty of water, in which some salt has been thrown: they should be boiled in the same size pieces that may be required to be sent to table, not whole, and cut up afterwards, and should be boiled very fast.
These to be mashed should be well boiled, and then proceed in the same way as for potatoes, No. 733.
POTATOES.—How curious it is, dearest, that two of the most simple productions of Nature—a plant and a root, which were introduced by that preux chevalier of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh—should have produced such wonderful effects as they have upon society; and how singular it is that the one, which might naturally be supposed to be baneful, should be advantageous, and that which was beneficial should be a curse. Such has proved to be the case within these three years; for whilst the first—tobacco—has produced a large revenue to the country to aid in supporting its administration, the latter —the potato—has tended to pauperize a large portion of the kingdom, and drained it of its wealth. This root still bears its original American name, signifying earth-apple, and is divided into many species. Amongst those most common in use are the regent, ash-leaf kidney; but, in the sister kingdom, Ireland, many other varieties are in use; as the lumper, reds, and blacks. There are as many different ways of cooking them as there are different species, which I will now describe.
The nutritive qualities of the potato are small, possessing in 1000 parts only 200 to 260 of nutriment,—viz., 150 to 200 of starch, 15 to 20 sugar, and 30 to 40 gluten.
730. PLAIN BOILED or STEAMED POTATOES.— Well wash the potatoes and peel them, and throw them into cold water (that depends upon the kind; if new or young, or a kidney, they should be cooked immediately after they are peeled, whilst others require to remain a long time in soak); have ready a steamer with boiling water in it, put the potatoes in the top, and steam for twenty to thirty minutes, and serve. Should you not have a steamer, and are obliged to boil them, do so by putting them into plenty of boiling water, and boil till tender or breaking, then pour them out into a colander, put a cloth over them, and put them in the screen, or before the fire, until you are ready to serve them; they ought always to be sent to table very hot.
731. BAKED POTATOES.—This is a very favourite dish with many persons; they ought to be of a large size, called Regents, and when cooked very floury. Mr. B. tells me he sometimes lunches at a house in the city where the proprietor grows that sort in particular for the use of his customers, and he finds them better if he leaves them in the ground where they grow until wanted, and he has about three days' consumption taken up at a time. They are merely well washed, and put into a slow oven for about thirty minutes, or longer if large, and served with a pat of butter in a plate.
732. FRIED POTATOES.—The long kidney potato is the best for this purpose; they should be washed and peeled, and cut into very thin slices, and thrown into boiling fat until a nice light brown colour; dish up very hot, throwing a little salt over. The remains of cold ones may be cut into slices and fried in the same way, or they may be dipped into batter, and fried like fritters.
733. MASHED POTATOES.—Steam and peel about ten fine potatoes for about thirty-five minutes, put them into a stewpan or bowl, with two ounces of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, a smaller spoonful of pepper, and half a pint of milk, and beat them very well up with a large fork, then add by degrees a gill of milk, and continue beating, and dish them lightly on a dish. Should you require to keep them warm, do so in a stewpan. I do not approve of putting them into moulds and then in the oven, as it makes them heavy.
734. POTATOES À LA MAÎTRE-D'HÔTEL.—With young potatoes they are excellent. Boil ten middle-sized ones cut in slices of a quarter of an inch thick, put in the stewpan half a pint of milk or the same of broth, a little salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and a tablespoonful of fresh chopped parsley, then simmer on fire; when boiling, add a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, the juice of a lemon, stir well for a few minutes; when each piece is well covered with the sauce, dish up, and high in the centre, as they must appear light.
735. LYONNAISE.—The remains of cold potatoes may be used thus :—Put three ounces of butter in an omelette pan, in which you fry rather white three sliced onions; put on the potatoes, cut in thin slices about the size of half a crown, and saute them now and then until they have a nice yellow colour; add a spoonful of chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and the juice of a lemon, saute well that it should mix well together, dish and serve very hot; they are excellent to serve with chop, steak, or any joint.
736. IRISH WAY OF BOILING.—In Ireland, where this root has been for so long a period the chief nourishment of the people, and where it takes the place of bread and other more substantial food, it is cooked so that it may have, as they call it, a bone in it; that is, that the middle of it should not be quite cooked. They are done thus:—Put a gallon of water with two ounces of salt, in a large iron pot, boil for about ten minutes, or until the skin is loose, pour the water out of the pot, put a dry cloth on the top of the potatoes, and place it on the side of the fire without water for about twenty minutes, and serve. In, Ireland turf is the principal article of fuel, which is burnt on the flat hearth; a little of it is generally scraped up round the pot, so as to keep a gradual heat; by this plan the potato is both boiled and baked. Even in those families where such a common art of civilized life as cooking ought to have made some progress, the only improvement they have upon this plan is, that they leave the potatoes in the dry pot longer, by which they lose the bone. They are always served up with the skins on, and a small plate is placed by the side of each guest.
737. FRIED MASHED POTATOES IN VARIOUS SHAPES.—Roast twelve fine potatoes; when done, take out the interior, which form into a ball; when cold, put them into a mortar, with a piece of butter half the size of the ball; pound them well together, season with a little salt, pepper, chopped eschalots, chopped parsley, and grated nutmeg, mix them with the yolks of six, and two whole eggs; then form them into croquettes about the size and shape of a small egg, and breadcrumb them twice over, and fry them to a light brown colour in a stewpan of hot lard, and serve as garniture where required.
738. TO BLANCH MACARONI.—Have half a gallon of water in a stewpan, in which put two ounces of butter and an ounce of salt; when boiling, throw in a pound of macaroni, which boil until tender, being careful that it is not too much done; the time of boiling depends principally upon the quality, the Genoa macaroni taking the longest time, and the Neapolitan the shortest, which last, if too much done, will fall in purée.
739. MACARONI, ITALIAN WAY.—Boil half a pound of macaroni as above; when done, lay it on a sieve to dry for one minute, put it in a pan, with four spoonfuls of white sauce, add half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, a little cayenne; Place the macaroni over the fire; when boiling, add two ounces each of grated Parmesan and Gruyère cheese, toss round and round until well mixed, then serve with a gill of very strong gravy around it.
740. MACARONI AU GRATIN.— Proceed the same as above; but after you have put the macaroni on the dish, omit the gravy, and cover it slightly with bread-crumbs, and about the same quantity of Parmesan cheese grated, a little butter, and then put in a hot oven for a quarter of an hour; if not hot enough, pass the salamander over it, and serve very hot.
741. MACARONI, NEAPOLITAN WAY.—Boil half a pound of the best quality of macaroni for half an hour, as at No. 738; when tender, lay one quarter of it on the dish you intend to serve; have ready two ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, which you divide into four parts to lay over each layer of macaroni, then put over it two tablespoonfuls of strong gravy, made of half glaze and consommé, put the dish in the oven for ten minutes, and serve very hot.
742. THE REAL ITALIAN METHOD (called à l'Estoufade).—Boil and proceed as before, but make the gravy as follows, and use it instead of the preceding. Take two pounds of rump of beef larded through, put in a small stewpan, with one quarter of a pound of butter, fry gently for one hour, turning almost continually; when forming a glaze, add half a pint of broth, let simmer another hour, take the fat off, and use that gravy instead of that above described; a little tomato may be introduced if handy; serve the beef at the same time in a separate dish.
743. TO BOIL RICE.—-Wash well in two separate waters a pound of the best Carolina rice, then have two quarts of water boiling in a stewpan, into which throw your rice, boil it until three parts done, then drain it on a sieve; butter the interior of a stewpan, in which put your rice, place the lid on tight, and put it in a warm oven upon a trivet, until the rice is perfectly tender, or by the side of the fire; serve it separate with curry, or any other dish where required. Prepared thus, every grain will be separate and quite white.
744. CHOPPING OF HERBS, &c.—This may appear a very simple thing to do well, yet it is often done badly, by which the flavour is lost. They should be well washed and dried, and then take the leaves in the left hand, pressing upon the leaves with your fingers, and chop as fine as possible, not by placing the point of the knife on the board, and raising it and letting it fall, but with a good sharp cut, so that they are cut, not pressed. Onions should be peeled, and cut in halves lengthwise, and then with a thin knife cut each half in slices, leaving them joined at the root; again cut into slices contrariwise, and then from top to bottom; thus having cut into very small squares, chop it with both hands with the knife. You may also wash them; when half-chopped, press them in a cloth, and chop them still finer.
Vegetables.
In describing to you, dearest, the different ways these may be dressed, I beg of you to make a constant use of them at your own table, as you will find that they will be much better than partaking of half-raw greens, cabbage, turnip tops, spinach, &c, which are so often served up at tables in this country, and are less inviting in flavour, and, consequently, do not get consumed so much as they ought, which causes more meat to be eaten, and, instead of refreshing the blood, as all vegetables will do in their season, only irritate it. Do not misunderstand me respecting our English way of partaking of plain boiled vegetables; I do not wish you to give them up entirely, but by adopting both plans, you will find it a great advantage in your domestic cookery. For my part I never object to our plain boiled vegetables, but merely to the neglectful way they are cooked and served up, often swimming in water. In France, no family in the middle station of life ever dine without their dish of dressed vegetables, upon which as much care has been bestowed in cooking as upon the principal dish of the dinner, and is often eaten alone.
695. ASPARAGUS.—I cook it thus: I take a bundle and scrape lightly all the white part, beginning from the head down, and throw them when done into cold water, then tie them up in bundles of twenty-five each if an ordinary size, if very large, half that number, keeping the heads together, and cut off the ends to make them the same length; have ready a pan containing one gallon of boiling water, in which has been thrown two ounces of salt, boil quickly for fifteen minutes, or till tender; dish them up with a piece of toast under, keep the heads even, and form a pyramid. Serve very hot, with rich melted butter, cream sauce, or plain, if preferred.
The queen of all vegetables, to my fancy, is asparagus. This may almost be said to be a modern vegetable in this country, and it is one which requires less cooking than perhaps any other, and is considered exceedingly wholesome.
696. YOUNG GREEN PEAS.—Young Green Peas! Do not these words sound pleasant to the ear, dearest? I fancy that, by merely raising my eyes from the paper on which I am now writing, I shall see all our garden in buds and blossom; it not only seems to invigorate the sensitive part of one's appetite, but works upon the mind to that point that you may actually fancy you are breathing in a glowing atmosphere, and that the pearly dew is gracefully descending in small globules from heaven, to fix their sparkling eyes on the pinky bloom of myriads of roses. But, alas! how soon this charming illusion has disappeared since I have left for a moment the sight of my paper, to give a peep through the garden-window, where I perceive that though to-day is the 17th of April, the serious and uncheerful Father Winter has once more monopolised those delightful and variegated nuances of Nature, by laying out his universal snowy tablecloth over this for the present ephemeral vision which the inviting words green peas had produced upon my senses; no doubt the effect of a good fire in my parlour, where I am now sitting, has had great influence upon me respecting the summery temperature; but as a few weeks longer will realize my wishes, I shall here content myself by giving you the receipt how they ought to be cooked when you can get them.
When they are very young I like them plain boiled, because their original flavour is so fresh and delicate, that any addition, except a little fresh butter, would be certain to destroy their aroma; I even object to the introduction of green mint, though I do not want to deprive you of it, being only a matter of taste.
Put two quarts of water to boil, with half an ounce of salt, and then place in one pint of peas, boil a full gallop till tender (about ten minutes), put in a colander, drain one minute; lay them, raised in the centre, in a dish, put in them two pats of very fresh butter, and serve.
When older or larger, boil a little longer, add twelve leaves of green mint, which serve with it.
697. PEAS, FRENCH WAY.—They do not look so inviting, not being so green; but I must say they are excellent as regards flavour. Choose them young and fresh; without both of these qualities they would not cook properly. Put into a saucepan a pint of peas, two ounces of butter, and a pint of water; mix the peas and butter well with your hand, add four button onions, a bouquet of six sprigs of parsley, one ounce of sugar, two saltspoonfuls of salt, and one of pepper, place over a tolerably good fire, moving them often; if getting rather dry, add a wineglassful of water, twenty minutes ought to be enough; when tender, add one ounce of butter, in which you have mixed a teaspoonful of flour, which put in and stir well; make a liaison of the yolk of one egg, a quarter of a gill of cream, which add and stir; take out the parsley and onions, and serve.
698. ANOTHER WAY.—When large, I stew them with two cabbage-lettuces cut in two, and stew longer; put in four wineglassfuls of water, or more, if required, and finish as above.
To keep their colour, I often proceed thus for entrees or second courses: I plain boil as above, and put them in a stewpan, with four small onions, a little mint, parsley, butter, sugar, and a drop of water, simmer a few minutes, add as above the flour, butter, and liaison, and serve; they are very good this way, but not so rich in flavour.
There are different kinds, but I prefer the Prussian blue above all.
699. SEAKALE.—Proceed exactly as for asparagus for boiling, but previously to boiling cut out the black part of the roots; well wash and tie them about six together, serve with the same sauce as asparagus. There is a kind of seakale which (should you not be dealing with a regular tradesman) you may purchase, that is rank and stringy, and not worth eating; it may be known, when raw, by the outside near the root, which is very tough and hard; the middle size ones are the best.
700. SPRUE-GRASS.—The longer the green part the better the sprue; take each piece and gently bend it, and it will break off at that part which you require, beyond it is too hard, and cannot be eaten; when you thus have the pieces, cut them into lengths of a quarter of an inch, which well wash; have one gallon of water, into which put one ounce of salt, and boil, then put in the sprue and boil for ten minutes, or till tender, then drain on a sieve, put them in a stewpan, with two ounces of fresh butter, half a teaspoonful of flour, the same of salt, two pinches of pepper, half a gill of milk, and place on the fire, stir well together for ten minutes, and serve hot. The yolk of an egg, well beaten with two spoonfuls of cream, may be added to it; and when serving, also two spoonfuls of white sauce or melted butter, then omit the flour,—but I always do it as the first. This is for a large bunch.
701. CELERY.—Cut about ten heads of large celery from six to seven inches long, trim the outside and cut the root to a point, wash it very well between the leaves, tie three together, put a gallon of water, with two ounces of salt, to boil, then add the celery, and boil for fifteen minutes, then drain it, put into a stewpan a small slice of bacon, and lay the celery on it, put it on the fire for two minutes, add one onion sliced, cover with broth until quite tender, then take it out, and dish on a piece of toast, pass the gravy through a sieve into a stewpan, skim off the fat, reduce it to a demi-glaze, add a little sugar and a small pat of butter, which you have rubbed into some flour, stir it well, and sauce over; it ought to be thick, and of a nice brown colour, which produce, if required, by a little colouring. Marrow may be served with it, by taking two good pieces of marrow, and boil for a few minutes in a quart of water, and serve on each side the celery. It can also be cooked plain boiled, and served with melted butter over, and also in eight tablespoonfuls of brown sauce, six of broth, and half a teaspoonful of sugar, in which it has simmered ten minutes; sauce over and serve.
702. SALSIFY.—I do not know why this vegetable, which is held in such high estimation on the Continent, should be so little esteemed with us; I will here supply their manner of cooking it, and perhaps you will give it a fair trial. Take twelve middling-sized ones, scrape them well till quite white, rub each with lemon and put in cold water; put into a stewpan a quarter of a pound of beef or mutton suet, cut in small dice one onion, a bit of thyme, a bay-leaf, a tablespoonful of salt, and four cloves, put on the fire and stir, for five minutes, add two tablespoonsful of flour, and stir well, then add three pints of water, when just boiling put in your salsify, simmer till tender; they will take nearly one hour; dish on toast, sauce over with Dutch, maitre-d'hotel, or onion sauce, or a very good demi-glaze, or Italian sauce. Should any remain, they may be made into fritters thus: put them in a basin, add a little salt, pepper, two spoonfuls of vinegar, half a chopped eschalot, and a spoonful of oil, place in the salsify, and let it remain for some hours, when ready to serve, make a small quantity of batter, dip each piece in it, and fry for five minutes in lard or fat, dish up with fried parsley over.
703. VEGETABLE MARROW. — Choose eight young small ones, with smooth skin, and put them to boil in two quarts of water, in which you have put one ounce of salt, the same of butter; try with a needle if tender, then dish them tastefully on mashed potatoes in a dish; put half a pint of melted butter in a pan, when near boiling add a liaison of a yolk of an egg, two pats of butter, a little sugar, the juice of half a lemon, sauce over and serve; if they are rather large, cut them in two lengthwise; if in smaller pieces, take all the inside out and boil till tender, and warm in the above sauce. You can also make a nice demi-glaze, as No. 137, and let them simmer in it for twenty minutes; do not break them, as they would then be unsightly; they can be made into soup like cauliflower, No. 216.
704. CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI.—Be very particular in cleaning them, choose them rather small, thick, and firm, put them for one hour in salt and water, then rinse them well in water, that all the dirt may be removed from the interior; have a pan of boiling water, in which you have placed two ounces of salt and one of butter, drain, and use where indicated; but if for second course, place them on a dish in the form of a dome, and cover over with some sauce as for vegetable marrow, or plain melted butter, or Soubise sauce if preferred plain; serve it very hot, having drained it.
705. THE SAME GRATINÉ WITH CHEESE.—Put into a stewpan ten spoonfuls of white sauce, No. 135, with a little chopped onions, which boil for a few minutes, add to it a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan, or any mild English cheese; when boiling, add the yolk of one egg, and a little cayenne, mix quick, lay a little on a dish, put two or three heads of cauliflower or broccoli on it, pour the remainder of sauce over, and a little bread-crumbs and grated cheese; put in oven half an hour, give it a nice yellow colour, and serve; if no white sauce, use melted butter, but do not boil it so long, or it will eat rather greasy.
706. JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES.—One of the best and most useful vegetables ever introduced to table, and anything but appreciated as it deserves to be. To prove to you that I am a great admirer of it, you will find it very often mentioned in my receipts. In using them for a second course, I choose about twelve of the same size, peel them, and shape them like a pear, but flat at the bottom, wash them well, boil gently in three pints of water, one ounce of salt, one of butter, and a few sliced onions; when tender, I make a border of mashed potatoes on a dish, fix them on it point upwards, sauce over with either cream sauce (No. 301), white sauce (No. 135), melted butter (No. 286), maitre-d'hotel, and place fa fine Brussels sprout between each, which contrast is exceedingly inviting, simple and pretty.
707. CUCUMBERS are most delicious stuffed and stewed, but very difficult to dress, and consequently chiefly used for entrées. They may, however, be treated like vegetable marrow.
708. ARTICHOKES.—Pull the tail off four or six small artichokes, trim the bottom slightly with a knife, cut the point of every leaf, wash well in plain water, put them on in plenty of water, with a little salt, to boil, let them thus remain about half an hour, or until the leaves are easy to be removed, take them out and lay on a sieve to drain, and serve on a napkin, with melted butter separate.
709. BEETROOT.—This is a very good dish, and as I believe it has never been noticed in cookery, I must lay claim to its parentage; I have given the receipt to some friends, who highly approve of it. Take two nice young boiled beetroots, which will take about from two to three hours to simmer in plenty of boiling water, peel when cold, cut in slanting direction, so as to make thin oval pieces, peel and cut in small dice, two middling-sized onions, put in a pan, with two ounces of butter, fry white, stirring continually with a spoon; add a spoonful of flour, and enough milk, to make a nice thinnish sauce, add to it three saltspoonfuls of salt, four of sugar, one of pepper, a spoonful of good vinegar, and boil a few minutes; put in the slices to simmer for about twenty minutes, have ready some mashed potatoes, with which make a thin border in your dish one inch high, then put the beetroot and sauce, highly seasoned, in the centre, and serve. A little cream may be added.
710. FRENCH BEANS.—These are also a great favourite with many. To dress it, head and tail them, drawing off the back string, cut in long diamonds, boil till tender in water in which salt has been placed, a quarter of a pound to a gallon, try them after a quarter of an hour's boiling, drain them, lay them on a dish one inch thick, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and two pats of butter, then put in the remainder, proceed the same at top; serve very quickly, to prevent the butter oiling.
711. THE SAME, À LA MAÎTRE-D'HÔTEL.—When boiled as above, put in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of maitre-d'hotel butter, when melted, serve. They may be also served with white sauce thusI put in a stewpan eight spoonfuls of melted butter, season well, simmer gently, add the yolk of an egg, two ounces of butter, juice of half a lemon, and serve.
712. KIDNEY BEANS.—Head and tail them, string and slit them down the middle, place them for half an hour in salt and water in which you have thrown a little culinary alkali, boil until tender, and serve with melted butter, or a la maître-d'hôtel.
713. BROAD or WINDSOR BEANS.—Boil in salt and water: when done, serve with parsley and butter, or with a piece of bacon.
714. BRUSSELS SPROUTS.—Trim, wash, and boil about forty small Brussels sprouts; when tender, drain, dish, and sprinkle a little salt, pepper, and two ounces of butter over, and serve. Serve also in sauce, or with maître-d'hôtel, like French beans. These are also very good for soups, sauces, or garnish.
715. SPINACH.—This vegetable is very light and very good for invalids. It must be washed in several waters, after having been well picked; then put a quarter of a sieve of spinach to a gallon of boiling water and three ounces of salt, boil for ten minutes till tender, drain on sieve, press a little with your hands to extract part of the water, chop it up fine, put it in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, half ditto of pepper, but on a fire with a drop of warm broth for a few minutes, and serve.
716. SPINACH WITH GRAVY.—Proceed as before, but add a tablespoonful of flour, and half a pint of strong gravy in it, as No. 186; serve with sippets of bread round.
717. SPINACH WITH CREAM.—Proceed as before, but putting half a pint of milk or cream instead of gravy, and the addition of a tablespoonful of sugar, cut three slices of bread, lay on dish, sift sugar over, put in oven, salamander over, cut in various shapes, and serve under or over the spinach.
718. YOUNG HARICOT BEANS.—Take a pint, boil in two quarts of water, with a small piece of butter, and half an ounce of salt; when done, which will take only a few minutes, dish and serve; put butter over, sprinkle a little salt, and when on the dish, a gill of maitre-d'hotel sauce or fennel sauce may be served over the larger one, or it is very delicious plain boiled, and with a piece of ham or bacon.
719. WHITE HARICOT BEANS.—Nothing so cheap or so solid a food as haricot beans; get a pint of fine white beans, called the dwarf—I buy them for fourpence a quart. I put them into half a gallon of cold soft water, with one ounce of butter; they take about three hours to cook, and should simmer very slowly, drain them and put into a stewpan, with a little salt, pepper, chopped parsley, two ounces of butter, and the juice of a lemon, place on the fire for a few minutes, stir well, and serve. The water in which it is boiled will not make a bad soup by frying four onions in butter in a stewpan, adding a little flour, then the water poured over, and a slice of toasted' bread, cut in pieces, and served in a tureen. Should the water in boiling reduce too fast, add a little more. They may be dressed for second course à la Bretonne, as for leg of mutton. The longer sort requires to be soaked a few hours before boiling.
720. MUSHROOMS.—These are good every way when fresh; for a dish take about fifty buttons, cut the roots off, wash and rub the skin off with a cloth, cut them in slices the size of a shilling, tail and all, put them in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, a small teaspoonful of salt, two pinches of pepper, and the juice of half a lemon, put them on the fire, simmer till tender, and dish them up on a nice crisp toast; should you require any sauce, add when nearly done, half a spoonful of flour, a gill of broth, milk, or cream, or even water, stew a few minutes longer, pour over toast and serve.
If very large, they should have been carefully picked, for if the dirt should have got into the under part it is difficult to remove it; cut off the end of the tail and peel the top, put them on a gridiron, season moderately with salt and pepper, turn them, and when done serve them on a very hot dish, and put on each a piece of butter the size of a nut, and a squeeze of a lemon, put in a hot oven for a minute, or before the fire, and serve; a little Harvey's or Soyer's sauce is an improvement. They may also be put in an oven, by laying them in a sauté-pan or tin dish, put a little butter and season over each, and a drop of Harvey's sauce, and let them remain twenty minutes, and serve with gravy over.
721. LENTILS.—Put into a stewpan one quart, add two quarts of cold water, one ounce of butter, a little salt, one onion sliced, a bouquet of parsley, set on the fire, simmer till tender, which may be in two hours; when done, drain in a sieve, and save the liquor, which can be made into a soup like the haricots (see Receipt No. 719); put the lentils in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, a little salt, sugar, pepper, and a tablespoonful of chopped eschalots, set it on the fire, put in butter and flour, mix well, boil ten minutes gently, and dish in a border of potatoes or in a deep dish. It may also be done thus: by frying till brown one onion sliced in a stewpan, put in the boiled lentils, with two ounces of butter, a little flour, a gill of gravy, and season as above, stir well, boil, and serve hot.
Gabanza or Egyptian bean may be cooked in the same way.
722. ENGLISH TRUFFLES.—Put twelve of them to soak for four hours in lukewarm water; then with a hard hair-brush remove all the earth from them; then wash again, put them into a stewpan, with a few slices of bacon, two onions, half a head of celery, half a carrot, a clove of garlic, two bay-leaves, a sprig of thyme, four of parsley, a teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, a half of pepper, two glasses of sherry, and a pint of broth; let them simmer for half an hour or more, but till tender; place them in the oven for twenty minutes longer, remove the truffles and place them on a dish; have a little mashed potatoes, and make a border, and place the truffles on in pyramid to prevent them moving, strain the gravy they were in, skim off the fat, reduce it to about a gill, put in a teaspoonful of arrow-root in a cup, with a spoonful of water, mix it, and put to the gravy, boil a few minutes, pour over, and serve.
I peeled some of them, cooked the same way; they eat better, but they did not look so well.
723. SAUTÉ OF THE SAME. — After having washed them, I peel them and cut them into thin slices, and put about one pound of them into a stewpan; I then add a quarter of a pound of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, half one of sugar, a quarter ditto of nutmeg, warm over the fire, add a gill of broth, a little flour, mixed with a little butter, stir in, boil, and serve on toast;—or proceed as above, adding a gill of demi-glaze. They can be served with any entrées when properly done, and in all cases can be used instead of mushrooms.
724. TO COOK SOURCROUT.—Put a quart of sourcrout, with a fat piece of bacon or pork, into an earthen pan, with sufficient water to cover it, stew for four or five hours, and serve with pork or fried sausages; it is better the second day. It may be procured in any good oil-shop in the winter.
725. SOURCROUT, BAVARIAN WAY.—Well wash one quart of sourcrout, and put it into an earthen pan, with a quarter of a bottle of Rhenish wine or any other light wine, and stew it for three hours, then add some veal gravy, well seasoned, and Stew for three hours longer, and serve with sausages, or when you add the veal stock, put in a duck or a goose, and serve with it.
726. LAVER is a marine plant (the Ulva Lactuca), which we obtain potted, in London, from the West of England; in Dublin, from Malahide; Edinburgh, from Aberdeen. It is merely washed, boiled, pulped, and potted by the fishermen's wives. It is considered wholesome, but I see nothing particular in it that can make it so unless it is the small quantity of iodine that it contains. It should be dressed like spinach (No. 716), and sent up very hot in a dish over a spirit-lamp, and is generally served with mutton. The following is a new plan I have introduced for cooking it, which has been liked by those persons who formerly disliked it:
Have some mashed potatoes as No. 733, roll it out the thickness of a quarter of an inch, cover it with some cold stewed laver nicely seasoned, put another layer of mashed potatoes over, and allow it to get quite cold, when cut it in square pieces, egg, bread-crumb, and proceed as for ramifolles.
727. GREENS, CABBAGES, SAVOYS, should be boiled in plenty of water in which a little soda and salt has been added. Greens should be boiled whole, the cabbages cut in four pieces, the savoys in two, drain well and dish up.
728. GREENS, CABBAGES, AND SAVOYS, Stewed.—. When these are boiled as above, drain them, place them on a platter and chop up fine, put into a stewpan and season with salt, pepper, and sugar; a piece of butter, and a gill of gravy, if handy, if not a little milk; stew gently for half an hour. (For Cabbage and Bacon, see Stewed Partridge.)
729. CARROTS, PARSNIPS AND TURNIPS, should be boiled in plenty of water, in which some salt has been thrown: they should be boiled in the same size pieces that may be required to be sent to table, not whole, and cut up afterwards, and should be boiled very fast.
These to be mashed should be well boiled, and then proceed in the same way as for potatoes, No. 733.
POTATOES.—How curious it is, dearest, that two of the most simple productions of Nature—a plant and a root, which were introduced by that preux chevalier of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh—should have produced such wonderful effects as they have upon society; and how singular it is that the one, which might naturally be supposed to be baneful, should be advantageous, and that which was beneficial should be a curse. Such has proved to be the case within these three years; for whilst the first—tobacco—has produced a large revenue to the country to aid in supporting its administration, the latter —the potato—has tended to pauperize a large portion of the kingdom, and drained it of its wealth. This root still bears its original American name, signifying earth-apple, and is divided into many species. Amongst those most common in use are the regent, ash-leaf kidney; but, in the sister kingdom, Ireland, many other varieties are in use; as the lumper, reds, and blacks. There are as many different ways of cooking them as there are different species, which I will now describe.
The nutritive qualities of the potato are small, possessing in 1000 parts only 200 to 260 of nutriment,—viz., 150 to 200 of starch, 15 to 20 sugar, and 30 to 40 gluten.
730. PLAIN BOILED or STEAMED POTATOES.— Well wash the potatoes and peel them, and throw them into cold water (that depends upon the kind; if new or young, or a kidney, they should be cooked immediately after they are peeled, whilst others require to remain a long time in soak); have ready a steamer with boiling water in it, put the potatoes in the top, and steam for twenty to thirty minutes, and serve. Should you not have a steamer, and are obliged to boil them, do so by putting them into plenty of boiling water, and boil till tender or breaking, then pour them out into a colander, put a cloth over them, and put them in the screen, or before the fire, until you are ready to serve them; they ought always to be sent to table very hot.
731. BAKED POTATOES.—This is a very favourite dish with many persons; they ought to be of a large size, called Regents, and when cooked very floury. Mr. B. tells me he sometimes lunches at a house in the city where the proprietor grows that sort in particular for the use of his customers, and he finds them better if he leaves them in the ground where they grow until wanted, and he has about three days' consumption taken up at a time. They are merely well washed, and put into a slow oven for about thirty minutes, or longer if large, and served with a pat of butter in a plate.
732. FRIED POTATOES.—The long kidney potato is the best for this purpose; they should be washed and peeled, and cut into very thin slices, and thrown into boiling fat until a nice light brown colour; dish up very hot, throwing a little salt over. The remains of cold ones may be cut into slices and fried in the same way, or they may be dipped into batter, and fried like fritters.
733. MASHED POTATOES.—Steam and peel about ten fine potatoes for about thirty-five minutes, put them into a stewpan or bowl, with two ounces of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, a smaller spoonful of pepper, and half a pint of milk, and beat them very well up with a large fork, then add by degrees a gill of milk, and continue beating, and dish them lightly on a dish. Should you require to keep them warm, do so in a stewpan. I do not approve of putting them into moulds and then in the oven, as it makes them heavy.
734. POTATOES À LA MAÎTRE-D'HÔTEL.—With young potatoes they are excellent. Boil ten middle-sized ones cut in slices of a quarter of an inch thick, put in the stewpan half a pint of milk or the same of broth, a little salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and a tablespoonful of fresh chopped parsley, then simmer on fire; when boiling, add a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, the juice of a lemon, stir well for a few minutes; when each piece is well covered with the sauce, dish up, and high in the centre, as they must appear light.
735. LYONNAISE.—The remains of cold potatoes may be used thus :—Put three ounces of butter in an omelette pan, in which you fry rather white three sliced onions; put on the potatoes, cut in thin slices about the size of half a crown, and saute them now and then until they have a nice yellow colour; add a spoonful of chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and the juice of a lemon, saute well that it should mix well together, dish and serve very hot; they are excellent to serve with chop, steak, or any joint.
736. IRISH WAY OF BOILING.—In Ireland, where this root has been for so long a period the chief nourishment of the people, and where it takes the place of bread and other more substantial food, it is cooked so that it may have, as they call it, a bone in it; that is, that the middle of it should not be quite cooked. They are done thus:—Put a gallon of water with two ounces of salt, in a large iron pot, boil for about ten minutes, or until the skin is loose, pour the water out of the pot, put a dry cloth on the top of the potatoes, and place it on the side of the fire without water for about twenty minutes, and serve. In, Ireland turf is the principal article of fuel, which is burnt on the flat hearth; a little of it is generally scraped up round the pot, so as to keep a gradual heat; by this plan the potato is both boiled and baked. Even in those families where such a common art of civilized life as cooking ought to have made some progress, the only improvement they have upon this plan is, that they leave the potatoes in the dry pot longer, by which they lose the bone. They are always served up with the skins on, and a small plate is placed by the side of each guest.
737. FRIED MASHED POTATOES IN VARIOUS SHAPES.—Roast twelve fine potatoes; when done, take out the interior, which form into a ball; when cold, put them into a mortar, with a piece of butter half the size of the ball; pound them well together, season with a little salt, pepper, chopped eschalots, chopped parsley, and grated nutmeg, mix them with the yolks of six, and two whole eggs; then form them into croquettes about the size and shape of a small egg, and breadcrumb them twice over, and fry them to a light brown colour in a stewpan of hot lard, and serve as garniture where required.
738. TO BLANCH MACARONI.—Have half a gallon of water in a stewpan, in which put two ounces of butter and an ounce of salt; when boiling, throw in a pound of macaroni, which boil until tender, being careful that it is not too much done; the time of boiling depends principally upon the quality, the Genoa macaroni taking the longest time, and the Neapolitan the shortest, which last, if too much done, will fall in purée.
739. MACARONI, ITALIAN WAY.—Boil half a pound of macaroni as above; when done, lay it on a sieve to dry for one minute, put it in a pan, with four spoonfuls of white sauce, add half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, a little cayenne; Place the macaroni over the fire; when boiling, add two ounces each of grated Parmesan and Gruyère cheese, toss round and round until well mixed, then serve with a gill of very strong gravy around it.
740. MACARONI AU GRATIN.— Proceed the same as above; but after you have put the macaroni on the dish, omit the gravy, and cover it slightly with bread-crumbs, and about the same quantity of Parmesan cheese grated, a little butter, and then put in a hot oven for a quarter of an hour; if not hot enough, pass the salamander over it, and serve very hot.
741. MACARONI, NEAPOLITAN WAY.—Boil half a pound of the best quality of macaroni for half an hour, as at No. 738; when tender, lay one quarter of it on the dish you intend to serve; have ready two ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, which you divide into four parts to lay over each layer of macaroni, then put over it two tablespoonfuls of strong gravy, made of half glaze and consommé, put the dish in the oven for ten minutes, and serve very hot.
742. THE REAL ITALIAN METHOD (called à l'Estoufade).—Boil and proceed as before, but make the gravy as follows, and use it instead of the preceding. Take two pounds of rump of beef larded through, put in a small stewpan, with one quarter of a pound of butter, fry gently for one hour, turning almost continually; when forming a glaze, add half a pint of broth, let simmer another hour, take the fat off, and use that gravy instead of that above described; a little tomato may be introduced if handy; serve the beef at the same time in a separate dish.
743. TO BOIL RICE.—-Wash well in two separate waters a pound of the best Carolina rice, then have two quarts of water boiling in a stewpan, into which throw your rice, boil it until three parts done, then drain it on a sieve; butter the interior of a stewpan, in which put your rice, place the lid on tight, and put it in a warm oven upon a trivet, until the rice is perfectly tender, or by the side of the fire; serve it separate with curry, or any other dish where required. Prepared thus, every grain will be separate and quite white.
744. CHOPPING OF HERBS, &c.—This may appear a very simple thing to do well, yet it is often done badly, by which the flavour is lost. They should be well washed and dried, and then take the leaves in the left hand, pressing upon the leaves with your fingers, and chop as fine as possible, not by placing the point of the knife on the board, and raising it and letting it fall, but with a good sharp cut, so that they are cut, not pressed. Onions should be peeled, and cut in halves lengthwise, and then with a thin knife cut each half in slices, leaving them joined at the root; again cut into slices contrariwise, and then from top to bottom; thus having cut into very small squares, chop it with both hands with the knife. You may also wash them; when half-chopped, press them in a cloth, and chop them still finer.
Notes: