Peel them, chop them fine, and mix them with plenty of bread crumbs, and a little salt. Mix equal quant.i.ties of vinegar and water, and add an ample portion of sweet oil. Put the whole into a pipkin, and stir it well. Set it on hot coals, and simmer it till well cooked. Eat slices of bread with it.
In summer it is usual to serve up this mixture in a large bowl without any cooking.
SPANISH SALAD.--A Spanish proverb says that for compounding a _good_ salad, four persons are required--a spendthrift for oil; a miser for vinegar; a counsellor for salt, (or a man of judgment;) and a madman for stirring up the whole, hard and furiously. Get a very large salad-bowl, that there may be ample room for stirring well. Prepare in separate vessels the lettuce and the seasoning. They should not be put together till a few minutes before the salad is to be eaten; otherwise it will be tough and sodden instead of crisp and fresh. Do not cut it with a knife, but tear or strip off the leaves of the lettuce, and throw all the stalk away. Then wash the leaves through several cold waters, and dry them in a clean napkin. Put them into the large bowl; and in a smaller bowl mix the seasoning, for which you must have equal quant.i.ties of mixed vinegar and water; a small tea-spoonful of mixed cayenne and salt; and four times as much sweet oil as the mixed vinegar and water. Mix all the seasoning thoroughly, stirring it very hard. Have ready on a plate some tarragon finely minced or powdered.
Just before the salad is to be eaten, pour the dressing over the lettuce and strew the surface with tarragon. You may decorate the top with nasturtion flowers; they are very nice to eat.
CAROLINA WAY OF BOILING RICE.--Pick the rice carefully, and wash it through two or three cold waters till it is quite clean. Then (having drained off all the water through a cullender) put the rice into a pot of boiling water, with a very little salt; allowing as much as a quart of water to half a pint of rice. Boil it twenty minutes or more. Then pour off the water, draining the rice as dry as possible. Lastly, set it on hot coals with the lid off, that the steam may not condense upon it and render the rice watery. Keep it drying thus for a quarter of an hour. Put it into a deep dish, and loosen and toss it up from the bottom with two forks one in each hand, so that the grains may appear to stand alone.
A NICE WAY OF COOKING ASPARAGUS.--Where asparagus is plenty, there is no better way of cooking it than the following. Take it as nearly of a size as possible, wash it, and cut off the stalks very short; leaving them not more than half an inch in length. Two quarts of water will be sufficient to boil one quart of asparagus tops; allow a tea-spoonful of salt to this quant.i.ty of water, and set it over the fire to boil. When the water is boiling hard, put in the asparagus; and boil it fast for at least half an hour. To see if it is done, take up two or three of the largest pieces and taste them. While it is boiling, prepare two slices of bread cut half an inch thick, and (having removed the crust) toast the bread brown on both sides. Have ready a large jill of melted (or drawn) fresh b.u.t.ter. When the asparagus is done, take it up with a perforated skimmer, and lay it on a sieve to drain. Dip the slices of toast (one at a time) first in the hot asparagus liquor, and then in the melted b.u.t.ter. Lay the slices, side by side, in a deep dish and cover it with the asparagus, laid evenly over and round the toast. Then add the remainder of the drawn b.u.t.ter, and send the asparagus to table hot, in a covered dish.
This is a much nicer way than that of boiling and serving it up with the long stalks left on. And where you have asparagus in abundance, (for instance in a country garden,) it may always be cooked in this manner.
This is from the receipt of Mr. N. Darling of New Haven.
FRENCH WAY OF DRESSING ASPARAGUS.--Having boiled the asparagus-tops as above; drain them on a sieve, and put them into a deep dish with a large lump of the best fresh b.u.t.ter. Mix the b.u.t.ter well among the asparagus, till it is melted throughout, and sprinkle in (if you like) a very little pepper. Cover the dish, and keep it hot by the fire till it is time to send it to table. You may lay in the bottom, of the dish two thin slices of toast, spread over with b.u.t.ter, after being first dipped in the asparagus water.
Another way is to subst.i.tute salad oil for b.u.t.ter, mixed among the asparagus.
ONION EGGS.--Boil a dozen eggs quite hard. Slice and fry in fresh b.u.t.ter five or six onions. Slice (whites and yolks together) ten of the eggs, reserving two for the seasoning. Drain the sliced onions, and lay them on a dish with the sliced eggs placed upon them. Cover the dish, and keep it hot. Take the two remaining eggs; grate the yolks; and mix them with cream and grated nutmeg, and a very little cayenne. Put this mixture into a very small sauce-pan; give it one boil up; pour it over the eggs and onions; and send it to table hot. For those who have no objection to onions, this is a nice side dish.
EGG b.a.l.l.s.--Boil eight eggs till quite hard; and when done, throw them directly into cold water. Then put the yolks into a mortar, and pound them to a paste, moistening them as you proceed with the beaten yolks of three _raw_ eggs, seasoned with as much salt as will lie _flat_ upon a shilling, and a little cayenne, and powdered nutmeg and mace. Mix the whole well together, and make it up into small, round b.a.l.l.s. Throw them into mock-turtle soup, or into stewed terrapin, about two minutes before you take it up.
CURRY b.a.l.l.s.--Take a sufficiency of finely-grated bread-crumbs; hard-boiled yolk of egg, grated; fresh b.u.t.ter; and a little curry powder. Pound the whole in a mortar, moistening it with raw yolk of egg (well-beaten) as you proceed. Make it into small b.a.l.l.s, and add them to stewed chicken or stewed rabbit, about five minutes before you take it up.
TOMATA PASTE.--Scald and peel as many ripe tomatas as will fill a large, deep, stone jar. Set them into a warm oven for an hour. Then skim off the watery liquid that has risen to the top, and press and squeeze the tomatas in a sieve. Afterwards add salt, cayenne, pounded mace, and powdered cloves to your taste; and to every quart of tomatas allow a half a pint of cider vinegar. Stew the whole slowly in a porcelain kettle for three hours, (stirring it frequently from the bottom,) till it becomes a smooth, thick paste. Then put it into small jars or gla.s.ses, and cover it closely; pasting paper over each. It is an excellent sauce, at the season when fresh tomatas are not to be had, and is very good to thicken soup.
DRIED OCHRAS.--Take fine large fresh ochras; cut them into thin, round slices; string them on threads, and hang them up in festoons to dry in the store-room. Before using, they must be soaked in water during twenty-four hours. They will then be good (with the addition of tomata paste) to boil in soup or gumbo.
BEEF GUMBO.--Put into a large stew-pan some pieces of the lean of fresh beef, cut up into small bits, and seasoned with a little pepper and salt. Add sliced ochras and tomatas, (either fresh, or dried ochras and tomata paste.) You may put in some sliced onions. Pour on water enough to cover it well. Let it boil slowly, (skimming it well,) till every thing is reduced to rags. Then strain and press it through a cullender.
Have ready a sufficiency of toasted bread, cut into dice. Lay it in the bottom of a tureen, and pour the strained gumbo upon it.
FRIED CAULIFLOWER.--Having boiled the cauliflower in milk till thoroughly done; take it out, drain it, and cut it up into very small pieces, adding a _very little_ salt and cayenne. Have ready in a frying-pan, sufficient fresh b.u.t.ter; and when it comes to a boil and is bubbling all over, put in the cauliflower and fry it, but not till it becomes brown. Make a slice or two of toast, dip it in hot water, b.u.t.ter it; lay it on a dish; and put the fried cauliflower upon it.
FRIED CABBAGE.--Parboil a fine cabbage. Then take it out, drain it, and lay it a while in cold water to remove the cabbage smell. Next put it into a clean pot of fresh water, and boil it again till thoroughly done.
Afterwards chop it small, season it with a little pepper and salt, and fry it in fresh b.u.t.ter.
A less delicate way is to fry it in boiling lard.
TO PREPARE LARD.--As soon it is cut off from the newly-killed pork, put the fat into a crock; cover it; and let it stand all night in a cool place. Next day, cut it into small bits, (carefully removing all the fleshy particles of lean,) and put the fat into a pot without either water or salt. The pot should not be more than half-full. Let it boil slowly (stirring it frequently from the bottom lest it burn) till it becomes quite clear, and transparent. Then ladle it out into clean pans.
When almost cold, put it into stone jars, which must be closely covered, and kept in a cool place. If to go to a distance, tie it up in bladders.
There are two sorts of pork fat for lard. The leaf fat, which is the best; and the fat that adheres to the entrails. These two fats should be boiled separately.
The entrails, whose skins are to be used for sausage-cases, must be well sc.r.a.ped and cleaned out, and thrown into strong salt and water for two days, and afterwards into strong lye for twenty-four hours. This lye, when strained, will afterwards be good to a.s.sist in soap-making.
BRINE FOR HAM OR BACON.--To every four gallons of water, allow four pounds of salt; two ounces of salt-petre; three pounds of sugar, and two quarts of mola.s.ses. Boil the whole together; skimming it well. When clear, let it cool. Rub the meat all over with ground red pepper. Then put as much meat into the pickling tub as can be very well covered by the brine, which must be poured on cold. Let it remain six weeks in the pickle, turning each piece every day. Afterwards, smoke it well for a fortnight, hanging the large end downward. The fire in the smoke-house should be well kept up. Hickory or oak is the best wood for this purpose. On no account use pine, spruce, fir, or hemlock. Corncobs are excellent for smoking meat.
Sew up the hams closely in thick cotton cloth--or canvas covers, and then white-wash them.
Tongues may be pickled and smoked as above. Also beef.
HOG"S HEAD CHEESE.--Hog"s head cheese is always made at what is called "killing-time." To make four cheeses of moderate size, take one large hog"s head, two sets of feet, and the noses of all the pigs that have been killed that day. Clean them well, and then boil them to rags.
Having drained off the liquid through a cullender, spread out the things in a large dish, and carefully remove all the bones, even to the smallest pieces. With a chopper, mince the meat as small as possible, and season it to your taste with pepper, salt, powdered cloves, and some chopped sage or sweet marjoram. Having divided the meat into four equal parts, tie up each portion tightly in a clean coa.r.s.e towel, and press it into a compact cake, by putting on heavy weights. It will be fit for use next day. In a cool dry place it will keep all winter. It requires no farther cooking, and is eaten sliced at breakfast, or luncheon.
FRYING FISH.--Fish should be fried in fresh b.u.t.ter or lard; a large allowance of which must be put by itself into the frying-pan, and held over a clear fire till it becomes so hot as to boil hard in the pan.
Till it bubbles, the fish must not be put in. They must first be dried separately, in a clean cloth, and then scored on the back, and slightly dredged with flour. Unless the b.u.t.ter or lard for frying is sufficient in quant.i.ty to cover the fish well, and bear them up, they will sink heavily to the bottom of the pan, and perhaps stick there and burn.
Also, if there is not fat enough, the fish will absorb all of what there is, and be disagreeably greasy.
AXJAR PICKLES.--Take a variety of young fruits or vegetables, and put them into strong salt and water for three days; stirring them well, night and morning. Then take them out, and spread them on trays, or old servers, or large flat dishes; taking care that they do not touch each other. Set them out in the sun every fine morning, and let them remain till sunset; but not if it becomes damp, or even cloudy. Do this till they are perfectly dry. Then wash them well in cold water, drain them, and wipe them separately with a coa.r.s.e cloth. Put them into large jars.
To a three gallon jar, put in half a pound of horse-radish, sliced, and two cloves of garlic; half a hundred small white onions; two ounces of mace; one ounce of cloves; two nutmegs powdered; two pounds of the best crushed sugar; half a bottle of the best ground mustard; one pound of yellow mustard seed; and half a pound of green ginger, sliced or sc.r.a.ped. Then take half an ounce of turmeric powder; mix it with sufficient vinegar to render it liquid, and pour it over the pickles in the jar, which must not be more than half full of them. Have ready some boiling vinegar of the best cider kind, and pour it scalding hot into the jar, till it is three parts full. The pickles will expand to their natural size. When they are perfectly cold, cork the jar tightly, and seal the cork. These pickles will be fit for use in a month; but they improve by keeping.
For this pickle you may use plums, small peaches; grapes picked from the stems; cherries; barberries; nasturtion seeds; b.u.t.ton tomatas; radish-pods; beans, cauliflowers sliced; white cabbages sliced, small cuc.u.mbers; and limes or small lemons--mixed together in any proportion you like. The turmeric powder gives the whole a yellow tinge, and is indispensable to this pickle.
Axjar is an East Indian word.
FINE PEACH MANGOES.--Take fine, large, free-stone peaches. They should be ripe, but not the least bruised. The best for this purpose are the large white free-stones. Having rubbed off the down with a clean flannel, cut the peaches in half, and remove the stones. Prepare a mixture, in equal portions, of mace, nutmeg, and root-ginger; all broken up small, but not powdered. Fill with this the cavities of the peaches whence the stones were extracted. Then put together the two halves of each peach, (making them fit exactly,) and tie them round with coa.r.s.e thread or fine twine. If you choose, you may stick the outside of the peaches all over with cloves. Put them into stone jars, filling each jar rather more than three-quarters full; and laying among them little thin muslin bags of turmeric to colour them yellow. If you prefer to colour them red, tie up some cochineal in thin muslin bags.
Fill up the jars to the top with cold vinegar of the best quality--real white wine vinegar, if you are sure it _is_ real. If the pickles are to be sent to a distant place, or to a warmer climate, boil the vinegar, and pour it on, scalding hot. Close the jars immediately; sealing the corks with red cement, and tie a bladder tightly over the top of each.
These peach mangoes will be fit for use in two months.
TO PICKLE PEPPERS, SMALL CUc.u.mBERS, AND BEANS.--Put all these vegetables together into a brine strong enough to bear up an egg to the surface; and let them stay in it for three days. Then take them out, and lay them in cold water for an hour. Change that water for fresh, and let them remain another hour. Do this a third or fourth time.
Having washed them well in a fresh water, put them into a preserving-kettle, (one lined with delft-porcelain is best,) and surround and cover them with fresh cabbage leaves, or vine-leaves. Fill up the kettle with cider-vinegar mixed with an equal quant.i.ty of water; and during four hours let them simmer without boiling. Then take them off the fire; take them out of the kettle, transfer them to broad pans, and pour the vinegar over them. When they are cold, return the pickles to the kettle, (having first washed it out clean,) and scald them four times with fresh vinegar boiled for the purpose in another vessel. When cold, put them into jars, (three parts full,) and pour on fresh vinegar till it reaches the top. Lay among the pickles, mace; nutmegs broken small; mustard seed; and whole white-pepper-corns, tied up in thin white muslin bags.
PICKLED ONIONS.--Take small b.u.t.ton-onions; remove the outer skin, and lay the onions in dry salt for twenty-four hours. Then soak off the salt, in several waters; wash them well; and put them into a porcelain kettle, with equal quant.i.ties of vinegar and water. Simmer them till tender. Then take them out; drain them; and, returning them to the kettle, scald them with fresh vinegar boiled in another vessel. When cold, take them out, drain them again; put them into wide-mouthed jars, and fill up with cold vinegar. Place among them thin muslin bags with mace and broken nutmegs. On the top of each jar, put a table-spoonful of sweet oil. Cover them tightly.