The Book of Household Management Part 58

TARTAR MUSTARD.

481. INGREDIENTS.--Horseradish vinegar, cayenne, 1/2 a teacupful of mustard.

_Mode_.--Have ready sufficient horseradish vinegar to mix with the above proportion of mustard; put the mustard in a cup, with a slight seasoning of cayenne; mix it perfectly smooth with the vinegar, adding this a little at a time; rub down with the back of a spoon any lumps that may appear, and do not let it be too thin. Mustard may be flavoured in various ways, with Tarragon, shalot, celery, and many other vinegars, herbs, spices, &c.; but this is more customary in France than in England, as there it is merely considered a "vehicle of flavours," as it has been termed.

PICKLED NASTURTIUMS (a very good Subst.i.tute for Capers)

482. INGREDIENTS.--To each pint of vinegar, 1 oz. of salt, 6 peppercorns, nasturtiums.

_Mode_.--Gather the nasturtium-pods on a dry day, and wipe them clean with a cloth; put them in a dry gla.s.s bottle, with vinegar, salt, and pepper in the above proportion. If you cannot find enough ripe to fill a bottle, cork up what you have got until you have some more fit: they may be added from day to day. Bung up the bottles, and seal or rosin the tops. They will be fit for use in 10 or 12 months; and the best way is to make them one season for the next.

_Seasonable_.--Look for nasturtium-pods from the end of July to the end of August.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NASTURTIUMS.]

NASTURTIUMS.--The elegant nasturtium-plant, called by naturalists _Tropoeolum_, and which sometimes goes by the name of Indian cress, came originally from Peru, but was easily made to grow in these islands. Its young leaves and flowers are of a slightly hot nature, and many consider them a good adjunct to salads, to which they certainly add a pretty appearance. When the beautiful blossoms, which may be employed with great effect in garnis.h.i.+ng dishes, are off, then the fruit is used as described in the above recipe.

FRENCH ONION SAUCE, or SOUBISE.

483. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 pint of Bechamel, No. 367, 1 bay-leaf, seasoning to taste of pounded mace and cayenne, 6 onions, a small piece of ham.

_Mode_.--Peel the onions and cut them in halves; put them in a stewpan, with just sufficient water to cover them, and add the bay-leaf, ham, cayenne, and mace; be careful to keep the lid closely shut, and simmer them until tender. Take them out and drain thoroughly; rub them through a tammy or sieve (an old one does for the purpose) with a wooden spoon, and put them to 1/2 pint of Bechamel; keep stirring over the fire until it boils, when serve. If it should require any more seasoning, add it to taste.

_Time_.--3/4 hour to boil the onions.

_Average cost_, 10d. for this quant.i.ty.

_Sufficient_ for a moderate-sized dish.

WHITE ONION SAUCE, for Boiled Rabbits, Roast Shoulder of Mutton, &c.

484. INGREDIENTS.--9 large onions, or 12 middling-sized ones, 1 pint of melted b.u.t.ter made with milk (No. 380), 1/2 teaspoonful of salt, or rather more.

_Mode_.--Peel the onions and put them into water to which a little salt has been added, to preserve their whiteness, and let them remain for 1/4 hour. Then put them in a stewpan, cover them with water, and let them boil until tender, and, if the onions should be very strong, change the water after they have been boiling for 1/4 hour. Drain them thoroughly, chop them, and rub them through a tammy or sieve. Make 1 pint of melted b.u.t.ter, by recipe No. 380, and when that boils, put in the onions, with a seasoning of salt; stir it till it simmers, when it will be ready to serve. If these directions are carefully attended to, this onion sauce will be delicious.

_Time_.--From 3/4 to 1 hour, to boil the onions.

_Average cost_, 9d. per pint.

_Sufficient_ to serve with a roast shoulder of mutton, or boiled rabbit.

_Seasonable_ from August to March.

_Note_.--To make this sauce very mild and delicate, use Spanish onions, which can be procured from the beginning of September to Christmas. 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of cream added just before serving, will be found to improve its appearance very much. Small onions, when very young, may be cooked whole, and served in melted b.u.t.ter. A sieve or tammy should be kept expressly for onions: an old one answers the purpose, as it is liable to retain the flavour and smell, which of course would be excessively disagreeable in delicate preparations.

BROWN ONION SAUCE.

485. INGREDIENTS.--6 large onions, rather more than 1/2 pint of good gravy, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper to taste.

_Mode_.--Slice and fry the onions of a pale brown in a stewpan, with the above quant.i.ty of b.u.t.ter, keeping them well stirred, that they do not get black. When a nice colour, pour over the gravy, and let them simmer gently until tender. Now skim off every particle of fat, add the seasoning, and rub the whole through a tammy or sieve; put it back in the saucepan to warm, and when it boils, serve.

_Time_.--Altogether 1 hour.

_Seasonable_ from August to March.

_Note_.--Where a very high flavouring is liked, add 1 tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup, or a small quant.i.ty of port wine.

HISTORY OF THE ONION.--It is not supposed that any variety of the onion is indigenous to Britain, as when the large and mild roots imported from warmer climates, have been cultivated in these islands a few years, they deteriorate both in size and sweetness. It is therefore most likely that this plant was first introduced into England from continental Europe, and that it originally was produced in a southern climate, and has gradually become acclimatized to a colder atmosphere. (_See_ No. 139.)

PICKLED ONIONS (a very Simple Method, and exceedingly Good).

486. INGREDIENTS.--Pickling onions; to each quart of vinegar, 2 teaspoonfuls of allspice, 2 teaspoonfuls of whole black pepper.

_Mode_.--Have the onions gathered when quite dry and ripe, and, with the fingers, take off the thin outside skin; then, with a silver knife (steel should not be used, as it spoils the colour of the onions), remove one more skin, when the onion will look quite clear. Have ready some very dry bottles or jars, and as fast as they are peeled, put them in. Pour over sufficient cold vinegar to cover them, with pepper and allspice in the above proportions, taking care that each jar has its share of the latter ingredients. Tie down with bladder, and put them in a dry place, and in a fortnight they will be fit for use. This is a most simple recipe and very delicious, the onions being nice and crisp. They should be eaten within 6 or 8 months after being done, as the onions are liable to become soft.

_Seasonable_ from the middle of July to the end of August.

PICKLED ONIONS.

487. INGREDIENTS.--1 gallon of pickling onions, salt and water, milk; to each 1/2 gallon of vinegar, 1 oz. of bruised ginger, 1/4 teaspoonful of cayenne, 1 oz. of allspice, 1 oz. of whole black pepper, 1/4 oz. of whole nutmeg bruised, 8 cloves, 1/4 oz. of mace.

_Mode_.--Gather the onions, which should not be too small, when they are quite dry and ripe; wipe off the dirt, but do not pare them; make a strong solution of salt and water, into which put the onions, and change this, morning and night, for 3 days, and save the _last_ brine they were put in. Then take the outside skin off, and put them into a tin saucepan capable of holding them all, as they are always better done together.

Now take equal quant.i.ties of milk and the last salt and water the onions were in, and pour this to them; to this add 2 large spoonfuls of salt, put them over the fire, and watch them very attentively. Keep constantly turning the onions about with a wooden skimmer, those at the bottom to the top, and _vice versa_; and let the milk and water run through the holes of the skimmer. Remember, the onions must never boil, or, if they do, they will be good for nothing; and they should be quite transparent.

Keep the onions stirred for a few minutes, and, in stirring them, be particular not to break them. Then have ready a pan with a colander, into which turn the onions to drain, covering them with a cloth to keep in the steam. Place on a table an old cloth, 2 or 3 times double; put the onions on it when quite hot, and over them an old piece of blanket; cover this closely over them, to keep in the steam. Let them remain till the next day, when they will be quite cold, and look yellow and shrivelled; take off the shrivelled skins, when they should be as white as snow. Put them in a pan, make a pickle of vinegar and the remaining ingredients, boil all these up, and pour hot over the onions in the pan.

Cover very closely to keep in all the steam, and let them stand till the following day, when they will be quite cold. Put them into jars or bottles well bunged, and a tablespoonful of the best olive-oil on the top of each jar or bottle. Tie them down with bladder, and let them stand in a cool place for a month or six weeks, when they will be fit for use. They should be beautifully white, and eat crisp, without the least softness, and will keep good many months.

_Seasonable_ from the middle of July to the end of August.

ORANGE GRAVY, for Wildfowl, Widgeon, Teal, &c.

488. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 pint of white stock, No. 107, 1 small onion, 3 or 4 strips of lemon or orange peel, a few leaves of basil, if at hand, the juice of a Seville orange or lemon, salt and pepper to taste, 1 gla.s.s of port wine.

_Mode_.--Put the onion, cut in slices, into a stewpan with the stock, orange-peel, and basil, and let them simmer very gently for 1/4 hour or rather longer, should the gravy not taste sufficiently of the peel.

Strain it off, and add to the gravy the remaining ingredients; let the whole heat through, and, when on the point of boiling, serve very hot in a tureen which should have a cover to it.

_Time_.--Altogether 1/2 hour.

_Sufficient_ for a small tureen.

OYSTER FORCEMEAT, for Roast or Boiled Turkey.

489. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 pint of bread crumbs, 1-1/2 oz. of chopped suet or b.u.t.ter, 1 f.a.ggot of savoury herbs, 1/4 saltspoonful of grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, 2 eggs, 18 oysters.