Take two good-sized parsnips, peel and cook them until tender in as little water as possible. When done press the water carefully from them and mash them smooth and fine through a colander, put them back into the saucepan over the fire again, and add to them two heaping tablespoonfuls of chopped walnut meats, a good heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and a tablespoonful of rich cream, stir well together and add at the last one egg well beaten. Remove from the fire and turn out on a plate to cool, then form into cylinders, dip in egg and bread crumbs and fry in boiling fat.
PARSNIPS FRIED.
Boil them until tender, cut them in slices lengthwise and fry brown in a little b.u.t.ter.
PARSNIP FRITTERS.
Wash and sc.r.a.pe them and cut in slices, cover them with boiling water, cook until tender, mash them through a colander, return them to the fire, add to two large parsnips, a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper to taste, and one egg beaten well. Mix thoroughly, remove from the fire, and when cool make into small flat cakes and fry in a little b.u.t.ter. Serve hot.
TO COOK STRING BEANS.
String thoroughly, cut in half, then in half lengthwise, throw into boiling water and let them come to a boil. Remove from the fire, drain, cover with cold water and let them stand in this until it is time to cook them, then drain again, cover with boiling water and cook for fifteen minutes, and when almost done add salt. When tender, drain, add a lump of b.u.t.ter, and salt and pepper to taste.
SPANISH ONIONS STUFFED.
Take two large Spanish onions, wash and skin and tie them to prevent breaking. Put them into a saucepan over the fire, cover with boiling water, cook until they can be pierced with a broom straw--from two to three hours, according to size. When done, drain and carefully take out the centers, leaving about a quarter of an inch for the sh.e.l.l. Have ready a stuffing made from a quarter of a pound of mushrooms prepared as before. Put these and the centers of the onions into a chopping bowl and chop very fine. Cook them together until the moisture from the onions has almost evaporated, then add a generous heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, a tablespoonful of rich cream, and three heaping tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Fill the onion sh.e.l.ls with this mixture, smooth the tops nicely, sprinkle with bread crumbs, brush with egg and a little b.u.t.ter. Put in the oven and brown about ten minutes, and serve with the following sauce: Rub a generous heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and a heaping tablespoonful of flour together.
Put a small teacup of milk into a saucepan on the fire, when hot stir in the b.u.t.ter and flour and a quarter of a pound of mushrooms prepared as before and chopped very fine, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the onions on a platter and pour the sauce around them, garnish with parsley and serve.
STUFFED CELERIAC WITH SPANISH SAUCE.
Put over the fire in a saucepan three-quarters of a cup of rich milk and three ounces of b.u.t.ter, let them come to a boil, then add three ounces of dried and sifted bread crumbs and an even tablespoonful of flour. Let it cook, stirring all the time until it is a smooth paste and detaches itself from the sides of the pan, remove from the fire and set it aside to cool. When cold beat three eggs light, stir in a little at a time, beating well until the mixture is smooth and all the beaten egg used, then add a heaping teaspoonful of sugar, three heaping tablespoonfuls of walnut meats chopped fine, two tablespoonfuls of rich cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Take four large, fine celeriac roots, clean, scrub and sc.r.a.pe them. Cut off a slice from the top of each to make a cover, then with an apple corer remove the inside, taking care not to pierce the root, leave a sh.e.l.l a quarter of an inch thick. Fill each with the dressing, leaving fully half an inch at the top for it to swell. Place the cover on each, tie well the roots to prevent breaking in the cooking, stand them in a saucepan with water to reach not quite to the top of the roots, and put in all the celeriac removed from the roots, boil gently until tender--about an hour--adding boiling water from time to time as it evaporates. When they are tender take them out of the water and put them aside, keeping them hot. Strain the water they were boiled in, form what is left from the stuffing into small cylinders, boil five minutes in the strained stock, take them out and put with the roots to keep warm. Then take a generous tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, an even tablespoonful of flour, brown them together in a spider, add two heaping tablespoonfuls of chopped walnuts and let them brown a little, then stir in gradually the stock the roots were boiled in and cook until it thickens. Arrange the roots in the center of the platter, the cylinders around them and pour the sauce over all. Garnish with parsley, putting a tiny sprig of celery leaves in the top of each root.
SPRING CABBAGE STEWED.
Cut the cabbage very small, throw into a saucepan, cover with boiling water, when nearly done add salt. Cook until tender, drain well in a colander. Make a rich cream sauce--it must be quite thick, as the cabbage will thin it--add a saltspoonful of mace, then the cabbage, let it come to a boil and serve.
SPRING CABBAGE WITH CREAM SAUCE.
Boil a young cabbage or part of one until perfectly tender, when done drain all the water from it in a colander, place in a vegetable dish and pour over it a rich cream sauce.
SPRING TURNIPS IN CREAM SAUCE.
Pare and cut into dice some young turnips, cook them tender in as little water as possible, salt when nearly done. Have ready a cream sauce, nicely seasoned, and after draining the turnips put them into the sauce, let them come to the boiling point and remove immediately from the fire, turn them into the serving dish, sprinkle a little finely chopped parsley over the top and serve. A tiny grain of mace added to the sauce is an improvement, but it must be used with great care.
WHITE BREAD b.a.l.l.s.
Take four ounces of bread from which the crust has been removed, cut it into dice. Put half a cup of milk in a saucepan with two ounces of b.u.t.ter and a teaspoonful of sugar, let it come to a boil, then stir in the bread and continue stirring until it no longer cleaves to the pan, remove from the fire. When cool stir into it two eggs, one at a time, and a little salt. Cook in boiling water, as described for other b.a.l.l.s, and serve in a cream sauce as a vegetable. (See spinach b.a.l.l.s, page 74.)
NOODLES.
Beat the yolks of two eggs with a little salt and one tablespoonful of cold water and stir in enough flour to make a very stiff dough. Roll out as thin as paper and then roll it up; let it stand for an hour, and then cut fine with a sharp knife. These will keep any length of time, and can be used in soups, as a vegetable or in a pudding.
NOODLES a LA FERRARI.
Prepare the noodles as above, and cook in boiling salted-water from twenty to twenty-five minutes. Drain well. Have ready a tomato sauce, stir the noodles into it, turn into a baking dish, sprinkle well with grated Parmesan cheese and brown in a quick oven.
GNOCCHI a LA ROMAINE.
Put two ounces of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan over the fire with two tablespoonfuls of milk. When this comes to a boil stir in four ounces of flour; then add a cup of milk, let it cook, stirring all the time until it no longer adheres to the pan, remove from the fire, let it cool and then beat in three eggs, one at a time, two heaping tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese, a saltspoonful of mace and a dash of salt. Set it away to get cold, make it into small b.a.l.l.s. Have a large saucepan of boiling, salted water on the stove, drop the b.a.l.l.s into it and let them boil five minutes, take them out with a skimmer and drain well. Have ready a cream sauce, put the b.a.l.l.s in this, and when they are hot turn into a baking dish, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake until brown in a quick oven.
Salads.
MAYONNAISE DRESSING.
One-half teaspoonful of mustard, one-half teaspoonful of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt and a dash of cayenne pepper; then add two raw egg yolks, beat well and stir in a teaspoonful of strong vinegar; add very carefully, drop by drop, a scant three-quarters of a cup of best olive oil, and as it thickens half a teaspoonful of vinegar. This recipe never fails, if the directions are carefully followed. The eggs and oil should be kept in the refrigerator and be ice cold. Lemon juice may be used, instead of vinegar, if preferred.
CREAM SALAD DRESSING.
One-quarter of a cup of strong cider vinegar, one cup and a quarter of water, one-half cup of b.u.t.ter, one teaspoonful of mustard, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful, slightly heaping, of corn starch, one teaspoonful of sugar, a dash of cayenne pepper and the yolks of four eggs. Put the vinegar and water in a saucepan and when it boils add the b.u.t.ter. Beat the yolks of eggs and the other ingredients together with an egg-beater, making it quite foamy and light; pour the boiling vinegar and water upon this mixture, which will partially thicken. The bowl in which it is mixed should be placed in a pan of hot water on the stove, beating it all the time with the egg-beater. Just before it reaches the boiling point remove and turn it out into a cold bowl, beating hard for a few minutes. When perfectly cold pour it into a gla.s.s jar, fasten down the top and keep in refrigerator.
FRENCH DRESSING.
One tablespoonful of vinegar, three tablespoonfuls of olive oil, a saltspoonful of salt and one of white pepper, and a few drops of any good sauce. Lettuce should be well washed in very cold water, leaf by leaf, and drained in a basket, which comes for the purpose, then placed on the ice, and at serving time put into the salad bowl. Lettuce should never be cut with a knife, but torn with a fork and spoon, and it should not be allowed to stand after the dressing is poured over it.
TOMATO ICE SALAD.
Put a quart can of tomatoes in a saucepan over the fire with half an onion, a slice of green pepper, if convenient, three cloves, two bay leaves, a sprig of parsley, a teaspoonful of sugar, and pepper and salt to taste. Cook until the onion is tender--about ten minutes--remove from the fire, press through a sieve fine enough to retain the seeds. When cold freeze as water-ice and mould--a melon mould is very pretty for it--pack in salt and ice in the usual way; turn it out in a nest of crisp young lettuce and serve with a mayonnaise dressing in a sauceboat.
[2]TOMATO JELLY.
One can of tomatoes put on to heat in a granite or porcelain-lined saucepan with a large slice of onion, one clove, two bay leaves, a teaspoonful of chopped green pepper, salt to taste and a little sugar.
Soak half a box of gelatine in a little water for half an hour, and after the tomatoes have simmered fifteen minutes let them come to a boil and pour over the gelatine to dissolve it; strain through a very fine sieve into a bowl, let it get perfectly cold, and when it begins to thicken stir well and turn into an earthenware mould. It looks prettier in a round one. Set on ice. Serve the jelly on a round dish in a bed of fresh, crisp young lettuce leaves, and place a spoonful of tender, finely-cut celery in each leaf, and pour mayonnaise around it. The jelly is better made the day before it is needed.
[2] We have as yet in this country no subst.i.tute for animal gelatine.
I have experimented with carrageen or Irish moss and the Sea-moss Farine preparation, and find them unsatisfactory. It is impossible to make a clear jelly with them, and by soaking in water to destroy the sea flavor, the solidifying property is lost. In England they have a vegetable gelatine (Agar Agar) which makes, I am told, a clear, sparkling jelly, and is said not to be expensive. I trust that before many months it may be obtainable here. I have ventured, therefore, to give a few recipes where gelatine is used, knowing that there will be something to replace it. Groult"s tapioca and potato flour are said to be unadulterated, and with fresh fruit juices make nice and wholesome desserts, especially for children. These preparations are made in France, and put up in half-pound packages, and sold by all of our leading grocers.