Public School Domestic Science Part 14

Pick off the outside leaves, soak in cold salted water, top downwards, for 1 hour. Tie it round with a piece of twine to prevent breaking.

Cook in boiling salted water until tender, remove the string, turn into a hot dish with the top up, cover with cream sauce or drawn b.u.t.ter sauce. (When cold, it may be picked to pieces and served in a salad.)

CELERY.

Sc.r.a.pe clean and cut the stalks into 2-inch pieces: cook in salted water until tender, drain and cover with a white sauce. The sauce should be made with the water in which the celery has been stewed.

BOILED BEETS.

Wash, but do not cut them, as that injures the color. Cook in boiling water until tender. When cooked put them into a pan of cold water and rub off the skins. They may be cut in slices and served hot with pepper, b.u.t.ter and salt, or sliced, covered with vinegar, and served cold. They may be cut into dice and served as a salad, either alone or mixed with potatoes and other vegetables.

BEANS (DRIED).

Lima beans should be soaked in warm water over night. In the morning drain off this water and cover with fresh warm water. Two hours before needed drain, cover with boiling water and boil 30 minutes; drain again, cover with fresh boiling water, and boil until tender. Add a teaspoonful of salt while they are boiling. When cooked drain them, add a little b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt, or a cream sauce.

ASPARAGUS.

Wash the asparagus well in cold water, reject the tough parts, tie in a bunch or cut into pieces 1 inch long. Put it in a kettle, cover with boiling water, and boil until tender. Put it in a colander to drain.

Serve with melted b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt, or with a cream or drawn b.u.t.ter sauce.

ONIONS.

Scald in boiling water, then remove the skins. Put them in boiling salted water; when they have boiled 10 minutes, change the water. Boil until tender but not until broken. Drain and serve with either cream sauce or b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt.

POTATOES.

Wash and scrub with a brush. If old, soak in cold water after paring.

Put them in boiling water, when about half cooked add a tbsp. of salt.

Cook until soft but not broken. Drain carefully. Expose the potatoes for a minute to a current of air, then cover and place on the back of the stove to keep hot, allowing the steam to escape.

RICE POTATOES.

Press the cooked potatoes through a coa.r.s.e strainer into the dish in which they are to be served.

MASHED POTATOES.

To 1 pint of hot boiled potatoes, add 1 tbsp. b.u.t.ter, 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/2 ssp. of white pepper and hot milk or cream to moisten. Mash in the kettle in which they were boiled, beat with a fork until they are light and creamy. Turn lightly into a dish.

POTATO PUFFS.

Prepare as for mashed potatoes, adding a little chopped parsley or celery salt if the flavor is liked. Beat 2 eggs, yolks and whites separately. Stir the beaten whites in carefully, shape into smooth b.a.l.l.s or cones, brush lightly with the beaten yolks, and bake in a moderately hot oven until brown.

CREAMED POTATOES.

Cut cold boiled potatoes into thin slices. Put them in a shallow pan, cover with milk and cook until the potatoes have absorbed nearly all the milk. To 1 pint of potatoes, add 1 tbsp. of b.u.t.ter, 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/2 ssp. of pepper and a little chopped parsley or onion.

BAKED POTATOES.

Select smooth potatoes of uniform size, wash and scrub well. Bake in a hot oven about 45 minutes or until soft. Break the skin or puncture with a fork to let the steam escape and serve at once. This is the most wholesome method of cooking potatoes, as the mineral matter is retained.

FRIED POTATOES.

Pare, wash and cut into slices or quarters. Soak in cold salted water, drain and dry between towels. Have sufficient fat in a kettle to more than cover the potatoes. When it is very hot drop the potatoes in, a few at a time, so as not to reduce the heat of the fat too quickly.

When brown, which should be in about 4 or 5 minutes for quarters and about 2 minutes if sliced, drain and sprinkle with salt.

TOMATOES (RAW).

Scald and peel sometime before using, place on ice, and serve with salt, sugar and vinegar, or with a salad dressing.

SCALLOPED TOMATOES.

Scald and peel as many tomatoes as required. b.u.t.ter a deep dish and sprinkle with fine bread or cracker crumbs, then a layer of sliced tomato, over this sprinkle a little salt, pepper and sugar; then add a layer of bread crumbs, another of tomatoes, sprinkle again with salt, pepper and sugar: put bread crumbs on the top, moisten with a little melted b.u.t.ter, and bake until brown.

STEWED TOMATOES.

Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, remove the skins and the hard green stem, cut into quarters or slices and stew in a granite kettle until the pulp is soft, add salt, pepper, b.u.t.ter and a little sugar if desired. If too thin the tomato may be thickened with crumbs or cornstarch wet in a little cold water.

SPINACH.

Pick over carefully, discarding all decayed leaves. Wash thoroughly, then place in a pan of cold water, let stand for a few minutes. Drain and put in a large kettle with just enough water to keep it from burning. Cook very slowly until tender. Drain and chop fine, add 1 tbsp. of b.u.t.ter, a tsp. of salt, a ssp. of pepper. It may be served on toast (hot) or garnished with hard boiled eggs.

CARROTS AND TURNIPS.

Carrots as a vegetable for the table are more palatable when young and tender. They should be washed and sc.r.a.ped, boiled until tender, and served with b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt or a white sauce. Turnips contain little nutriment; having no starch, they are very suitable for eating with potatoes. They require more salt than any other vegetable, and should be served with fat meat, corned beef, roast pork or mutton.

Turnips should be washed, pared, cut into slices or strips, boiled until tender. Drain, mash and season with pepper and salt.

PEAS (GREEN).

Wash the pods, which should be green, crisp and plump, before sh.e.l.ling, then the peas will not require was.h.i.+ng. Put the peas into a strainer or colander and shake out all the fine particles. Boil until tender. When nearly done add the salt. Use little water in cooking, when they may be served without draining; season with a little b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt. If drained, serve either dry with b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt, or with a white sauce.

GREEN SWEET CORN.