The Golden Age Cook Book Part 8

SWEET POTATOES FRIED RAW.

Peel two or three medium-sized potatoes and cut in slices about a quarter of an inch thick, fry in boiling fat--when they are a nice brown they are done--drain on paper for a moment before serving.

COOKED SWEET POTATOES FRIED.

Take several sweet potatoes cut in slices lengthwise, not too thin. Dip each slice in melted b.u.t.ter and then in brown sugar, and fry in a little b.u.t.ter.

SWEET POTATOES MASHED AND BROWNED.

Boil three sweet potatoes of medium size until done. Peel and squeeze through the patent vegetable strainer, add a heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper to taste, and enough milk to make very soft. Put in a baking dish, dot it over with tiny bits of b.u.t.ter and bake until brown. Serve in the dish in which it is baked. If any is left over remove the thin brown skin, make the potato into small, flat cakes and brown on both sides in a little b.u.t.ter in a spider.

SWEET POTATO CROQUETTES.

Three medium-sized potatoes baked and mashed very fine and beaten to a cream with one generous tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, three tablespoonfuls of cream, one teaspoonful of sugar, a little salt, one teaspoonful of lemon juice, a saltspoonful of cinnamon and one egg yolk beaten very light, and add at the last the white of egg whipped to a stiff froth. Form into cones or cylinders, dip in beaten egg and bread crumbs and fry in boiling fat. Drain on kitchen paper, sift a little sugar over them and serve at once.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

Pick off any leaves that may be discolored and wash well a quart of Brussels sprouts, put into a saucepan with two quarts of boiling water and a saltspoonful of soda. Boil rapidly until tender--about half an hour--just before they are done add a tablespoonful of salt. Drain them in a colander, and if it is not time to serve them stand the colander over steam to keep them hot. Do not let them remain in the water. When ready to serve put the sprouts in a vegetable dish and pour over them a pint of rich cream sauce.

OKRA AND TOMATOES.

A quart of fresh or canned tomatoes--if fresh, skin in the usual way--cut them in quarters and put over the fire, let them boil until a great deal of the water has evaporated, then add a pint of fresh okra, cut in slices, cook until tender, season with a generous heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, and pepper and salt to taste.

BEETS.

Wash the beets carefully to avoid breaking the skin, and do not cut off the fine roots, as this will bleed and spoil them. Put on in boiling water and cook from an hour and a half to three hours. Test with a wooden skewer. Cut in slices or dice and serve with melted b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt. Winter beets should be soaked over night.

PUReE OF PEAS.

When peas are old this is a very nice way to use them. Put a quart of sh.e.l.led peas over the fire in sufficient boiling water to cook them.

Boil until tender, drain from the water, press through a puree sieve, season with salt and pepper to taste, and a good heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, and if too dry a little milk or cream may be used.

PUReE OF LIMA BEANS

may be prepared in the same way.

PUReE OF CUc.u.mBERS.

Peel and slice the cuc.u.mbers and put them over the fire in as little boiling water as will cook them; when tender drain from the water, press through a puree sieve, season with salt and pepper and add a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter.

STUFFED CUc.u.mBERS.

Peel two large, fine cuc.u.mbers, cut in half lengthwise, take out the seeds. Sc.r.a.pe out carefully the soft part--with a small spoon--into a saucepan. Peel and core a tart apple, chop fine with a small pickled gherkin, take from this a good tablespoonful for the sauce and put one side, then add the rest to the soft part of the cuc.u.mbers in the saucepan. Let it simmer until tender, then add b.u.t.ter the size of an egg, pepper and salt to taste, a few drops of onion juice, or the spoon used for stirring the mixture may be rubbed with garlic, three tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs, one egg beaten, stir all together, and remove at once from the fire. Put the cuc.u.mbers in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and cook gently until tender--about ten or fifteen minutes; when nearly done add a tablespoonful of salt, drain from the water, when cool enough stuff them with the dressing already prepared and press into shape, brush with egg, sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and a few tiny lumps of b.u.t.ter, place carefully in a pan and bake a delicate brown.

FOR THE SAUCE, take the tablespoonful of apple and pickle reserved from the stuffing, and add a teaspoonful of capers, chop all together as fine as possible, make a cream sauce and add this mixture to it on the fire and heat thoroughly. Place the cuc.u.mbers carefully on a platter and pour the sauce around them.

CUc.u.mBERS STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS.

Peel two large, firm cuc.u.mbers, and cut in half lengthwise; take out the seeds. Take a quarter of a pound of fresh mushrooms, skin and stem them.

Chop the mushroom flaps very fine, put them in a spider with four tablespoonfuls of melted b.u.t.ter and a very little water, cover and cook until tender. Remove from the fire, stir in four heaping tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, a few drops of onion juice, and the yolk of one egg. Stuff the cuc.u.mbers with this dressing, put the halves together, fasten with wooden toothpicks or tie with string. Place in a small dish that will fit in the steamer, cover closely, and steam until tender--about three-quarters of an hour--and serve with a brown sauce made as follows:

THE SAUCE.--Put on the skins and stems of the mushrooms in boiling water. Fry a few slices each of carrot, celery top, green pepper, onion and turnip in b.u.t.ter, strain the water from the mushroom stems into this and stew until all are tender, strain, add a generous tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and enough flour to thicken the sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the cuc.u.mbers in a shallow vegetable dish, remove the strings and pour the sauce around them.

ESCALLOPED EGG PLANT.

Boil a small egg plant, cut it in half, take out the pulp, throwing away the seeds and skin, chop the pulp fine and mix with it half a teaspoonful of bread crumbs, one cup of cream or rich milk, b.u.t.ter the size of an egg, an even teaspoonful of finely minced parsley, pepper and salt to taste, and a few drops of onion juice. Beat all together, turn into a baking dish, cover the top with dried bread crumbs and tiny bits of b.u.t.ter and bake until brown. Serve in the dish in which it is baked.

If any is left over, cut in slices half an inch thick and fry in b.u.t.ter for luncheon.

STUFFED EGG PLANT.

Take half a large egg plant, boil gently until tender, remove from the fire, take out the pulp carefully so as not to break the sh.e.l.l, leaving it about a quarter of an inch thick. Peel and stem a quarter of a pound of fresh mushrooms, chop very fine, reserve a heaping tablespoonful of this for the sauce, then add the pulp of the egg plant to the mushrooms in the chopping bowl, and one heaping tablespoonful of currants, washed and picked over, one even teaspoonful of grated onion, one even teaspoonful of chopped green pepper, five heaping tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs, four tablespoonfuls of melted b.u.t.ter, two tablespoonfuls of rich cream. Mix all well together, fill the sh.e.l.l with this mixture, press it into shape and bind carefully with string. Bake twenty minutes, remove the string and serve on a platter with the sauce poured around it.

THE SAUCE.--Put on the skins and stems of the mushrooms in a saucepan, cover with boiling water, cook until tender, drain, and into this water put the tablespoonful of reserved mushrooms, add salt and pepper to taste, boil a few minutes, then add a heaping teaspoonful of flour stirred into a heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, let all cook together until thick, and pour around the egg plant.

GREEN CORN CAKES.

One quart of grated corn, one teacup of b.u.t.ter melted, four tablespoonfuls of flour, two eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Bake as griddle cakes and serve at once. These cakes are very good made of canned corn. Pound the corn in a mortar and press through a sieve.

CORN PUDDING.

Four large ears of corn grated, or a can of corn prepared as for corn cakes, one heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, one teaspoonful of flour, one teaspoonful of sugar, one whole egg and one yolk. Melt the b.u.t.ter and stir into the corn, beat the eggs and add with one pint of milk, the sugar and flour, and salt and pepper to taste. Bake in a shallow dish in a moderate oven from twenty minutes to half an hour. If it bakes too long, it becomes watery.

MOCK OYSTERS OF GREEN CORN.

A pint of grated corn, a cup of flour, one egg, two ounces of b.u.t.ter, three tablespoonfuls of milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and drop from a spoon in oblong cakes--to look as much like oysters as possible--into hot b.u.t.ter, fry brown on both sides. Serve on a platter and garnish with parsley. These may also be made of canned corn by pressing it through a colander with a potato masher to separate the hulls from it.

CORN BOILED ON THE COB.

Husk the corn and remove the silk, put in a kettle, and cover with boiling water. If the corn is young, it will cook in from five to ten minutes, as it is only necessary to set the milk. It should be served at once in a folded napkin.

CURRY OF CORN.