FRIED CELERY.--Take fine large celery, cut it into pieces three or four inches in length, and boil it tender, having seasoned the water with a very little salt. Then drain the pieces well, and lay them, separately, to cool on a large dish. Make a batter in the proportion of three well-beaten eggs stirred into a pint of rich milk, alternately with half a pint of grated bread-crumbs, or of sifted flour. Beat the batter very hard after it is all mixed. Put into a hot frying-pan a sufficiency of fresh lard; melt it over the fire, and when it comes to a boil, dip each piece of celery _twice_ into the batter, put them into the pan, and fry them a light brown. When done, lay them to drain on an inverted sieve with a broad pan placed beneath it. Then dish the fried celery, and send it to table hot.
Parsnips, and salsify, (or oyster plant) may be fried in b.u.t.ter according to the above directions. Also the tops of asparagus cut off from the stalk, and the white part or blossom of cauliflower. Cold sweet potatos are very nice, peeled, cut into long slips, and fried in this way.
FRIED ARTICHOKES.--The artichokes must be young and tender. Cut them into quarters, remove the choke part, and strip off the leaves. Having washed the artichokes well and laid them an hour in cold water, put them into a pot of boiling water, and keep them boiling steadily for a long time, till you find by trying them with a a fork that they are tender all through. Then take them out immediately, and drain them. Have ready a sufficiency of batter, made in the proportion of the yolk of one egg to a large table-spoonful of milk, and a tea-spoonful of flour. The eggs must be well beaten before they are mixed with the milk; then beat in the flour a spoonful at a time. Have ready over the fire some fresh b.u.t.ter, or lard, in a frying-pan. When it has boiled hard, dip the artichokes into the b.u.t.ter, (each piece should be twice dipped,) and fry them brown. Then drain them well, and send them to table hot.
Parsnips may be fried as above. Salsify also.
Another way of frying artichokes, parsnips, and salsify, is, after they have been boiled tender, to dip each piece first in beaten yolk of egg, (without milk or flour,) and then roll it in finely grated bread-crumbs.
Then put them into the pan and fry them in b.u.t.ter or lard, or a mixture of both.
In boiling artichokes, observe to take them out as soon as they are tender. If they remain in the water after they are done, they turn blackish and lose their flavor.
MUSHROOM OMELET.--Take some fresh-gathered mushrooms; remove the stalks, and rub the flaps or heads very slightly with a little salt, mixed with cayenne. Then stew the mushrooms in a small sauce-pan, with barely sufficient cream or rich milk to cover them. Put in with them a small onion; and if the onion is found to turn blackish, throw away the whole; it being proof that there is among them a false or poisonous mushroom.
Stir them with a silver spoon, and keep on the lid of the pan closely, unless when you are stirring. If the spoon turns black, the mushrooms should not be eaten.
After they have come to a boil, take them off the fire; drain them, and when cool, chop them small. To a pint or more of the minced mushrooms, allow six or seven eggs. Beat the eggs till very light and thick, (omitting the whites of two,) and then mix in, gradually, the mushrooms, stirring the whole very hard. Put three ounces of fresh b.u.t.ter into a hot omelet pan, or a _small_ frying-pan; place it over the fire and stir the b.u.t.ter as it melts. When it has boiled hard, put in the omelet mixture, and as it fries, stir it till it begins to set. Do not turn the omelet; but brown the top by holding close above it a red-hot shovel.
When done, drain off the b.u.t.ter, fold over or double the omelet, and serve it up immediately on a hot dish.
In gathering mushrooms, those that are fit to eat may be known by their being of a pale pearl color, or of a grayish white, instead of what is called a dead white; and the underside of the flap or head (if good) is of a light pink, or a pinkish salmon color. The best mushrooms grow on uplands, or in high open fields where the air is pure and good, and they should be gathered early in the morning before the dew is off. All that are found in low swampy ground, or in the woods, or under large trees, are poisonous.
SCOLLOPED TOMATOS.--Take fine large tomatos, perfectly ripe. Scald them to loosen the skins, and then peel them. Cover the bottom of a deep dish thickly with grated bread-crumbs, adding a few bits of fresh b.u.t.ter.
Then put in a layer of tomatos, seasoned slightly with a little salt and cayenne, and some powdered mace or nutmeg. Cover them with another layer of bread-crumbs and b.u.t.ter; then another layer of seasoned tomatos; and proceed thus until the dish is full, finishing at the top with bread-crumbs. Set the dish into a moderate oven, and bake it near three hours. Tomatos require long cooking, otherwise they will have a raw taste, that to most persons is unpleasant.
ASPARAGUS OMELET.--Take two bunches of the largest and finest asparagus.
Put it into a pot of boiling water, with a salt-spoonful of salt, and boil it about twenty-five minutes, or till perfectly tender. Then drain it, and chop small all the green part. Beat four eggs very light, and add to them a wine-gla.s.s of cream. Mix the chopped asparagus thoroughly with the egg and cream, adding a salt-spoon of salt, and a very little cayenne. Melt a large slice of fresh b.u.t.ter in a frying-pan over the fire; and when it has boiled, and the bubbling has ceased, put in the mixture, and fry it till light and firm. Then slip it from the frying-pan to a hot dish, and fold it over.
For a soft omelet, put the mixture into a skillet with a piece of fresh b.u.t.ter. Let it stew slowly for ten minutes. Lay a thin slice of b.u.t.tered toast in the bottom of a hot dish, and cut the toast into small squares, but let them remain close together. With a spoon heap the soft omelet upon the toast, and serve it up.
Any omelet mixture may be kept soft by stewing instead of frying it, and it will be found more wholesome.
Before b.u.t.tering the toast dip it a minute in hot water.
STEWED PEAS.--Take young, tender, green peas, wash them, and put them into a stew-pan, with sufficient fresh b.u.t.ter to keep them from burning, _but no water_. Season them with a little black pepper, and a very little salt. Set them over a moderate fire, and stir them about till the b.u.t.ter is well mixed through them. Let them simmer till quite soft and slightly broken; take off the lid occasionally, and give them a stir up from the bottom. If you find them becoming too dry, add some more b.u.t.ter. When done, drain off what superfluous b.u.t.ter may be about the peas, and send them to table hot. They will be found excellent.
To the taste of many persons, they will be improved by a lump or two of loaf-sugar put in with the b.u.t.ter, and also by a few sprigs of mint, to be removed before the peas go to table.
Lima beans may be stewed in b.u.t.ter, as above; also, asparagus tops, cut off from the white stalk.
LETTUCE PEAS.--Having washed four lettuces, and stripped off the outside leaves, take their hearts, and (having chopped them well) put them into a stew-pan with two quarts of young green peas, freshly sh.e.l.led; a lump or two of loaf-sugar; and three or four leaves of green mint minced as finely as possible. Then put in four slices of cold ham, and a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter divided into four bits, and rolled in flour; and two table-spoonfuls of water. Add a little cayenne, and let the whole stew for about twenty-five minutes, or till the peas are thoroughly done. Next take out the ham, and add to the stew half a pint of cream.
Let it continue stewing five minutes longer. Then send it to table.
PLAIN LETTUCE PEAS.--Cover the bottom and sides of a stew-pan with large fresh leaves taken from lettuces. Have ready the peas, which should be young and green. To each quart of sh.e.l.led peas allow two table-spoonfuls of fresh b.u.t.ter, and a lump of loaf sugar. Add a very little pepper and salt, and a sprig of green mint. Cover the pan closely, and let it stew for half an hour, or till the peas are thoroughly done. Then take them out from the lettuce leaves, and send only the peas to table.
TO STEW CARROTS.--Half-boil the carrots; then sc.r.a.pe them nicely, and cut them into thick slices. Put them into a stew-pan with as much milk as will barely cover them; a very little salt and pepper; and a sprig or two of chopped parsley. Simmer them till they are perfectly tender. When nearly done, add a piece of fresh b.u.t.ter rolled in flour. Send them to table hot. Carrots require long cooking; longer than any other vegetable.
Parsnips and salsify may be stewed in the above manner, subst.i.tuting a little chopped celery for the parsley.
SPINACH.--Having peeled and washed the spinach very nicely, put it into a _bain marie_, or inside kettle, without any water, and cover it closely. Pour the water into the outside kettle, and you may hurry the boiling by throwing a handful of salt in the outside tin, taking care that none of the salt gets into the inside. When the spinach is well stewed, take it up and drain it without squeezing or pressing, as that will make it tough and dry. Then chop it small, and add some hard-boiled eggs, also chopped. Season it with pepper and fresh b.u.t.ter, stir it well together, return it to the kettle, and let it stew a quarter of an hour or more. Serve it up with b.u.t.tered toast and poached eggs laid upon it.
Spinach being very watery, should always be _stewed_ rather than boiled.
If you have no _bain marie_, the water that remains about the spinach, after it has been washed, will suffice to stew it slowly.
Spinach juice, for coloring green, must be strained, and boiled slightly. You can obtain plenty of juice by pounding the leaves.
TO PREPARE CUc.u.mBERS.--Let the cuc.u.mbers be full-grown, but not in the least yellow or hard. They are then only fit to be saved for seed. Lay the cuc.u.mbers in a pan of cold water for an hour or more, or till it is nearly time to send them to table, being careful not to set them in the sun. Have ready another pan of fresh water, (very cold) and having pared the cuc.u.mbers, slice them into it. Transfer them to a deep china or white-ware dish. Season them with vinegar, pepper, salt, and a little salad oil, taking care not to use too much salt. When there is no dislike to onions, peel and slice a few that are mild, and mix them with the cuc.u.mbers. It is usual now, at the best tables, to have the onions in a small separate dish, (sliced with vinegar and pepper) to be eaten by those that like them, and omitted by those who do not. Onions, (and also salad oil) are said to render cuc.u.mbers more wholesome.
Tomatos (raw) are frequently sliced, seasoned, and sent to table in the manner of cuc.u.mbers. Tomatos are always wholesome.
STEWED CUc.u.mBERS.--Pare six fine fresh cuc.u.mbers. Cut each of them lengthways into four pieces; lay them for an hour in a pan of cold water. Take a clean stew-pan, and place in its bottom two table-spoonfuls of good fresh b.u.t.ter. Then put in the slices of cuc.u.mber, and sprinkle them slightly with a very little pepper. Add two table-spoonfuls of cold water. Set the pan over a moderate fire, and let the cuc.u.mbers stew slowly for half an hour or more, till they are well cooked. Keep the pan closely covered, except when you have to remove the lid to stir the stew. Serve them up hot, at breakfast, or as a side dish, at dinner.
Persons who have no objection to the taste of onions, will think the cuc.u.mbers improved by the addition of the half of a moderate sized onion, sliced thin and stewed with them.
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.
ASPARAGUS OYSTERS.--Take two bundles of fine full-grown asparagus. Cut off the green tops or points as far down as the white stalk. Take a sufficient quant.i.ty of fresh oysters, the finest you can get at that season. Put the asparagus tops into a stew-pan, with enough of oyster liquor (previously strained) to stew them quite tender. Stew the oysters themselves in another pan with some more of their liquor, seasoned with pepper, mace, and nutmeg, adding a large piece of fresh b.u.t.ter, divided into four, and each part rolled in flour. Do not let the oysters stew more than five minutes, or they will become tough and shriveled. When they are merely plumped, take them out and cut them up small, omitting the gristle or hard part. Set the mixture over the fire for about five minutes, stirring all the time. Have ready some slices of nice toast, with all the crust pared off; the slices dipped for a minute in hot water. b.u.t.ter the toast, and cover with it the bottom of a deep dish, and fill it with the mixture of asparagus and oysters.
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 rabbit, about five minutes before you take it up.
TOMATO PASTE.--Scald and peel as many ripe tomatos 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 tomatos in a sieve. Afterwards add salt, cayenne, pounded mace, and powdered nutmeg, to your taste; and to every quart of tomatos 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 tomatos 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 tomato paste) to boil in soup or gumbo.