Part 3

Take some large fresh mushrooms; peel, wash, and drain them; make one or two slits on the top side of the mushrooms; let them soak for an hour in salad oil, salt and pepper. Broil them, taking care to turn them so that each side may be equally broiled. Warm the oil in which the mushrooms were soaked, season with finely chopped chives and parsley; dish up the mushrooms, sprinkle over with a few drops of lemon-juice, and pour the hot oil over them.

Mushrooms au Beurre.

Cut the stems from some button mushrooms and clean them well with a soft cloth and some fine salt, and rinse them in water; drain them quickly. Spread them in a clean cloth and leave them to dry for ten minutes. Put an ounce and a half of fresh butter to a pint of mushrooms and place it in a thick saucepan, and shake over the fire until it just begins to brown; then throw in the mushrooms, and continue shaking the saucepan over a clear fire that they may not burn, and when they have simmered three or four minutes strew over them a little salt and a dust of cayenne; stew them till they are perfectly tender, and heap them high on a dish, and serve very hot.

Croustades of Mushrooms.

Chop an onion very finely; fry it in butter a pale brown, stir it carefully, then add a quarter of a pound of finely-chopped mushrooms; simmer together till the mushrooms are two-thirds cooked. Soak two anchovies; pound them in a mortar with a teaspoonful of French mustard, three tablespoonfuls of brown sauce, and add this to the mushrooms. Boil together for two or three minutes, and fill the croustade case.

Mushrooms au Gratin.

Skin, wash, drain, and wipe dry some fresh mushrooms. Cut the stems to within a quarter of an inch, and fill the cup with a forcemeat made of one ounce grated bacon, quarter ounce of shred shalot, a sprig of chopped parsley, a tiny piece of thyme, and pepper and salt to taste. Simmer this for five minutes in butter, and add the yolk of an egg. Stand the mushrooms, well dredged with bread raspings, in a baking-dish smeared with butter, and bake in a moderate oven. When done, serve piled on a hot dish with some rich brown sauce round.

Stuffed Mushrooms à la Lucullus.

Wash, dry, and trim some mushrooms; chop up the stalks with a teaspoonful of minced parsley and tomato, and warm this mixture for a few moments in some butter. Fill the mushrooms (they should be large ones) with this mixture, place them on a buttered baking-dish, and bake them six minutes, basting them with clarified butter.

Mushroom Toast.

Crôute aux Champignons.

Take the stems off half a pound of small mushrooms, then peel them. Dissolve two ounces of butter in a stewpan, strew over them a dust of cayenne and a dust of pounded mace, and let them stew over a gentle fire from ten to fifteen minutes; shake them all the time; then add a small dessert-spoonful of flour, and shake the pan until it is browned a pale colour. Pour in slowly a gill of good gravy, and when the mushrooms have stewed softly for a couple of minutes, throw in a little salt and a squeeze of lemon-juice, and pour them on a slice cut about an inch thick from the under part of a moderately-sized loaf and fried in butter a pale brown, after having been first slightly hollowed on the outside.

Mushrooms and Tomatoes.

Toast a slice of bread, butter it, and cut it into rounds two inches in diameter. Dip the tomatoes into hot water and peel them; cut them into thick slices and lay them on the toast; on the top of these place a peeled mushroom. These must be put into a buttered tin, and a little clarified melted butter poured over each; then place the dish into the oven for two minutes and baste them whilst cooking. Serve hot and quickly.

Baked Spanish Onions.

Take a large onion: wash it clean; take a corer and remove the core, and put in its place some butter, pepper, and salt, and let it bake with a thin piece of paper round it for an hour, or till done, in a slow oven. When done, peel it and put it into a vegetable-dish, and pour over some good brown gravy.

Onions à la Bretonne.

Brown four large onions over a slow fire in butter and salt, and when a good colour stir in a little flour. Moisten with good brown stock and reduce. Pass the same over a tammy, and pour the onions.

Onions à la Bordeaux.

Parboil some onions, not too large; drain the water from them; put them into a stewpan with an ounce of butter and a bouquet garni chopped fine; add a gill of good rich gravy, and the same of claret; simmer till the onions are fairly tender, and the sauce reduced. Squeeze over a tablespoonful of lemon-juice. Dish up, and serve hot.

Spanish Onion à la Célerie.

Peel a large Spanish onion and bring it to the boil in the usual way. Let it drain thoroughly. Take an apple-corer and take out the centre, and fill in with a forcemeat of tomatoes and mushrooms, with a few drops of lemon-juice. Put the stuffed onion into a stewpan with one small carrot, one small turnip, a bouquet garni, a dust of cayenne, a lean piece of ham, and some good Espagnole, or rich brown sauce (about half a pint). Put them in the oven, with a few live coals on the lid, and let all stew for three hours, or perhaps a little longer, adding a little butter and gravy from time to time. When cooked, glaze the onion, remove all fat from the sauce, and pour round the onion; and have strips of celery which have been cooked in thin broth in which some cheese had been sprinkled, drain them, and garnish the top of the onion with them.

Onions à la Corsica.

Peel four large onions. Cut them into quarters and then slice them. Throw them into boiling salad oil. Keep stirring till they are tender. After draining them, stir in enough cooked spinach to turn them green. Place them on a dish and serve, garnished with the white of hard-boiled egg cut in quarters and the yolk chopped and arranged in little bunches round.

Onions à la Crème.

Take four small Spanish onions and boil them in three waters; drain them and put them into a stewpan with two ounces of butter, a little flour rubbed smooth, pepper and salt, and a gill of cream. Put this over a slow fire and stir frequently till cooked. Serve with the same poured over them.

Onion Fritters.

Chop up an onion. Make a stiff batter with a table-spoonful of flour, an egg, a little milk, pepper, and salt. Mix all well together, and put a dessertspoonful at a time into a frying-pan of boiling butter or dripping. Brown the fritters on both sides and serve them, alone or handed round with rump steak.

Onions à la Génoise.

Take a pint of small onions and boil them in good Lucca or olive oil. Drain them and pour this sauce over them. A tablespoonful of minced capers, gherkins, and sultana raisins, minced parsley, a dust of cayenne pepper, a tablespoonful of vinegar, a teaspoonful of castor sugar, and a tablespoonful of good gravy, and O. K. Sauce. When these ingredients are hot, pour over the onions and serve.

Onions ‘au Jus.’

Cook some young onions in boiling salt and water for fifteen minutes, then drain them. Mix some flour and butter well together over the fire until they are pale brown; add a little claret and gravy. Now put in the onions with a bouquet garni, a couple of cloves, and a bay leaf. Simmer all together till the onions are quite cooked. Strain and dish up the onions with the sauce, and add some fried sippets, a few capers, and a couple of minced anchovies.

Miroton of Onion.

Take some onions, chop them up, and sauté them in butter till they are browned. Dredge a little flour over them, then add hard-boiled eggs cut up small, shred herbs, pepper, a gill of cream, and a teaspoonful of sauterne. Place this mixture in a buttered mould, and bake it for about an hour. Turn it out and garnish with fried parsley.

Ragoût of Onions.

Peel and blanch six onions, strain the water from them, and place them in a stewpan with half a pint of cream, pepper, salt to taste, and a dust of cayenne. Simmer till the onions are done, then make a liaison with the yolks of two eggs into the cream sauce, and serve the onions with the sauce around, and garnished with fried sippets cut into shapes.

Onions à l’Espagnole.

Peel a large onion and stamp out the core with a vegetable-culler; parboil in water for ten minutes, and drain on a sieve. Spread the bottom of a stewpan with butter, place the onion in it; moisten with gravy just enough to cover it, and let it boil slowly, turning it occasionally. When nearly done, add a dessert-spoonful of castor sugar, and boil down quickly to a glaze; add a little tomato purée, and roll the onion in it, and dish up.

Spanish Onions Stewed.

Boil a large onion, and when done scoop out the middle and fill it with forcemeat, fry it a light brown, and make a rich gravy and pour over.

Stuffed Onions.

Parboil onion or onions in salted water for ten minutes. Remove the core with column-cutter, leaving the bottom intact. Fill up with a mixture of bread-crumbs, anchovies, well washed and cut-up small capers, pepper, and salt; melt a piece of butter in a saucepan, and mix with it a table-spoonful of flour; put in the onion; take an equal quantity of broth and claret, pour enough into the saucepan to almost cover the onions; add a bundle of herbs tied up, with a few cloves, and simmer gently till the onions are done; remove the herbs and dish up the onions.

Stuffed Onions.

(Another way.)

Peel a couple of fair-sized Portugal onions, parboil and drain them; scoop out the centre, but keeping the onions whole. Chop up the inside of the onion with a little meat and a little fat bacon; add some bread-crumbs, a sprig of parsley, and a small piece of lemon peel, chopped fine; add pepper and salt to taste; then beat it all up to a paste with a well-beaten egg and stuff the onions with it, dredge them with flour, and fry them a nice brown; then place them in a stewpan with a rich brown gravy to cover them, and let them stew gently for two hours.

Parsnip Fritters.

Take three large parsnips and boil them till tender; peel them and mash them very finely; add a teaspoonful of flour, one well-beaten egg, and salt to taste. Make the mixture into small cakes with a spoon, and fry them on both sides, a delicate brown in good dripping or butter. Serve them up very hot and piled upon the dish.

Parsnip Balls.

Parboil six parsnips, and let them get cold; then peel them and grate them. Beat two eggs till very light and mix with the grated parsnip, adding enough flour to bind the mixture. Make this mixture into small flat balls. Have some boiling lard or clarified dripping and drop the balls gently into it; fry them until a golden brown on both sides. Send to the table hot, garnished with fried parsley.

Petits Pois à la Demi-Bourgeoise.

Put a quart of young peas into a stewpan, with a good-sized piece of butter, one onion, one cabbage lettuce cut in four. Let them be stewed in their own juice upon a very slow fire. When they are done and there is hardly any sauce left, add a little sugar, very fine salt, and afterwards the yolks of two eggs with some cream; mix the whole on the fire and serve up.

Peas Stewed with Lettuces and Ham.

Shell a peck of young green peas and put them into a bowl of cold water and two ounces of butter. Work them well with the fingers to make the peas stick together, and then drain them in a colander. Put them then in a stewpan with the hearts of two cabbage lettuces finely shred, a large onion cut into thin slices, a handful of parsley, and half a pound of ham cut into small pieces; cover the saucepan closely and let the peas stew till the peas are tender; shake the saucepan now and again to prevent the peas sticking. When they are done, take out the ham and the onion, put in two ounces of butter mixed smoothly with a dessert-spoonful of flour and a table-spoonful of cream. A sprig of mint stewed with the peas is an improvement. Simmer gently for four minutes, and serve as hot as possible, with fried sippets round, and slices of broiled ham on the top.

Potato-Balls.

Bake half a dozen potatoes; rub them through a wire sieve, and put them into a stewpan with an ounce of butter, two yolks of eggs, a little pepper and salt; stir over the fire till the paste leaves the sides of the pan; then put it between two plates to get cold; then shape this potato-paste into small balls or pears (the stalks being represented by parsley stalks); dip these into beaten egg, roll them in bread-crumbs and fry of a pale colour in hot frying fat; dish them up high in a pyramid shape.

Potato-Balls à la Duchesse.

Take half a dozen potatoes, boil and pass them through a sieve, and work into them in a bowl one gill of cream and the yolks of three eggs; add pepper, salt, and a grate of nutmeg to taste, with some finely-chopped parsley. When well mixed and smooth, take them up by little spoonfuls, roll each into a ball, flatten and flour it slightly. Lay them all on a sauté-pan, with plenty of melted butter, and cook them slowly. Turn them when one side is done, and serve hot as soon as both sides are coloured.

Potato-Ball Ragoût.

Mash, roll up with yolk of egg, grated ham or tongue, minced parsley, one onion, pepper, salt, and a little bit of butter; roll them in beaten egg and a little flour, and fry them in good dripping.

Potatoes à la Bonn.

(German Recipe.)

Cut some raw potatoes into slices half an inch thick, and cut them into four or five strips; fry them in plenty of very hot butter till a nice golden colour, turning them so that all sides should be equally golden.

Have ready one ounce of Parmesan cheese and one ounce of Gruyère cheese, and a gill of cream which has been stirred over the fire till the cheese is hot and melted; add a dust of cayenne. Put in the potatoes and give one stir round, and arrange in a dish which will hold hot water.

Potato Boulettes.

Boil some good potatoes, dry, mash a pound of them smoothly, and mix with them two ounces of fresh butter, a teaspoonful of salt, a little nutmeg, the beaten and strained yolks of four eggs, and then the whites well whisked. Mould the mixture with a teaspoon, and drop it into a small pan of boiling butter, and fry these boulettes for five minutes over a moderate fire a pale brown colour; drain, and dish them up high.

Potatoes in Cases.

Take as many potatoes as may be required and bake them; cut a small piece from the top of each and with a spoon scoop out the insides. Mash them smoothly, and pass through a sieve; mix with this potato-paste an ounce of fresh butter and a gill of cream. Put it into a stewpan over a slow fire to boil, and during the time stir quickly in the whites of a couple of eggs whipped to a very stiff froth; then fill the potato-skins with the mixture, bake quickly in the oven, and serve in a folded napkin.

Potato-Chips or Ribbons.

Wash a pound of potatoes well in cold water, and scrub them clean; peel them, and cut out the eyes, and any black specks there may be; then peel the potatoes very thinly into ribbons and twist them into fancy shapes. Put into a saucepan about a pound of clarified dripping, and heat it to frying heat; then take a frying-basket and put the potato-ribbons in when the fat is quite hot, for about six minutes. Place a piece of paper on a plate, and when the chips are done--which they will be when they become quite crisp and of a pale brown colour--turn them out on to the paper and drain off the grease, and sprinkle salt over them, and serve them very hot

Potatoes à la Crème.

Put a piece of butter rolled in flour in a stewpan, with some salt, pepper, and a grate of nutmeg. Mix all well together and add a gill of cream; then place the sauce on the fire and stir round till it boils.

Have ready some potatoes cut in slices; put them into the sauce, and after warming them up serve very hot. Sometimes a little chopped parsley and green onions are added to the sauce.

Potato Croquettes.

Boil some potatoes very dry; mash them quite smoothly; season them with salt and white pepper; warm them with about an ounce and a half of butter, pound it, and add two tablespoonfuls of good cream. Boil them till dry; let them cool a little, and then roll them into balls; sprinkle over them crushed vermicelli, and fry them a pale brown. Sometimes they are rolled in egg and bread-crumbs instead of the vermicelli.

Potato Croquettes.

(Another way.)

Take two pounds of potatoes, boil them, and pass them through a wire sieve with a wooden spoon; then put into a stewpan an ounce of butter and a tablespoonful of milk and put it on the fire, and when this is hot stir in smoothly the sifted potato; then take off the stewpan from the fire, and break the yolks of two eggs into a basin and stir them one at a time into the sifted potato; then take three sprigs of parsley, wash them in cold water, dry them in a cloth and chop them very finely. Sprinkle the parsley into the stewpan and season the potato with a little pepper and salt. Turn the potato on to a plate and let it get cold; then put some clarified dripping into a deep stewpan and put it on the fire to heat, and have some bread-crumbs ready. When the potato-mixture is cold form it into balls; then egg and bread-crumb these balls and fry them in a frying-basket, taking care the balls do not touch each other. When the fat is hot and smoking put in the frying-basket for two minutes and fry a pale yellow; drain them, and mount them up high on a dish, and ornament with fried parsley.

Potatoes à la Crème au Gratin.

Take some boiled potatoes and cut them into slices about an inch in diameter. Make a white béchamel sauce in which grated Parmesan cheese has been well mixed; place some neat little fried croûtons round the bottom of the dish in the form of a coronet; place inside it a close circular row of the sliced potatoes, and then spread a layer of the Parmesan mixture over them; repeat the row of potatoes and the mixture till the dish is full; smooth the top over with some of the sauce; shake some fried bread-crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese over all. Put all into the oven for twenty minutes, and then serve.

Potato Cheese.

Follow the recipe exactly as for Potato Soufflée, adding only three ounces of grated cheese, Parmesan or otherwise, to the ingredients.

Potato Fritters.

Take a pint of milk, put into it three ounces of potato-flour, warm it up for a quarter of an hour; flavour it with an ounce of powdered macaroons, a dessertspoonful of sugar, and six drops of orange-flower water. Boil, and then add two yolks of eggs; stir till it becomes a thick batter; pour into a dish to get cold, when it should be rolled into small balls the size of a walnut; egg and bread-crumb them and fry. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Potatoes au Gratin.

Boil the potatoes, then peel them and pound them smooth. Place a layer of them on a baking-dish and sprinkle over them a little grated Parmesan cheese, with a few little bits of butter; then add another layer of potato, cheese, and butter until all the potato is used up.

Salamander this and send to table quickly.

Fried Potatoes à la Hollandaise.

Boil some potatoes in salt and water, peel and mash them and rub them through a sieve; season with salt, pepper, and a bouquet garni, and moisten with a gill of good gravy--the purée should be very thick; then make it into balls, which should be dipped in beaten egg and fried, and served with fried parsley.

Potatoes à l’Italienne.

Bake some potatoes; cut off the tops and scoop out the pulp, and mix with a third proportion of well-boiled rice; season with grated Parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt. Put this mixture back into the potato-shells, replace the tops, and bake them in the oven for a few minutes. This makes a very nice savoury.

Italian Potatoes.

(Another way.)

Boil one pound of potatoes, then peel and pound them; add three ounces of butter, a little bread-crumb soaked in milk; beat the mixture smooth but not liquid; beat the yolks of three eggs well; add them to the mixture with the beaten whites of two. Dish this high up on a dish, smooth it with a knife, pour over some hot butter, and bake in the oven. Serve quickly.

Potato Klösse.

Take about six baked potatoes and scoop out the floury part till there are about six ounces. Beat two ounces of butter to a cream, and mix it with the potato-flour; add the well-beaten yolks of two eggs, a grate of nutmeg, and a little pepper and salt to taste. Beat the mixture thoroughly, and mould it into small balls. Drop these in boiling salt and water, and be careful to do this with a metal spoon, and to dip it into boiling water each time it is used. Or they may be made with two ounces of finely-grated bread-crumbs and one ounce of Parmesan, the white of one of the eggs, then moulded and boiled as above. Sprinkle fried bread-crumbs over when dishing them up.

Potatoes à la Lyonnaise.

Cut up in rounds about a quarter of an inch thick six potatoes that have been boiled, and fry them a pale golden colour, with an ounce and a half of butter, in a frying-pan; season with chopped parsley and shallot, pepper and salt, and a tablespoonful of lemon-juice.

Potatoes à la Maître d’Hôtel.

Wash half a dozen potatoes; boil them in salt and water. When done, drain, and let them cool. Then peel and cut the potatoes into thick slices; put one and a half ounce of butter, a little pepper and salt to taste, four tablespoonfuls of good gravy, and one table-spoonful of minced parsley. Mix all well together, put in the potatoes, shake them well in the sauce to cover them, and when quite hot through squeeze in the lemon-juice and serve.

Potatoes à la Milanese.

Take as many potatoes as are required; choose the largest; bake them well, and cut off the tops and scoop out the insides. Pass the potato through a sieve, and add a table-spoonful of grated Parmesan and Gruyère cheese mixed, pepper and salt. Melt a good tablespoonful of butter (or more according to number of potatoes) in a stewpan, put in the potato and make it hot, and fill the skins of the potatoes with it. Put them in the oven and serve up very hot.

Potatoes à la Mode.

Peel as many potatoes as are wanted, cut them in slices lengthways half an inch thick, dry them in a cloth. Have a frying-pan with almost boiling fat in it, put in the potatoes and let them fry for ten minutes. Take them out and drain them; let them get nearly cold. Boil the fat up again, and when boiling put in the potatoes and fry them for four minutes, when they should come out perfectly dry and a pale gold colour, and much swollen. Sprinkle with salt, and serve quickly.

Potatoes à la Moltke.

Take about eight good-sized potatoes, peel and cut them into long thin slices. Have ready three ounces of butter mixed with two tablespoonfuls of flour and put them in a stewpan and stir over the fire till the butter is a good brown colour; then add half a pint of broth and two tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Put the potatoes in this gravy and let them simmer gently till tender, which will be in twelve or fifteen minutes. Serve very hot. Some cooks put in a bay-leaf to simmer in with the potatoes.

Potatoes à la Napolitaine.

Put a large tablespoonful of gravy into a stewpan with two ounces of butter, one ounce of grated Parmesan, a dessert-spoonful of lemon-juice, pepper and salt to taste, a grate of nutmeg, and the yolks of two well-beaten eggs, and set it over the fire to become hot. Place a border of fried croutons round a dish. Put a row of potato cut into slices within the border; pour over some of the above sauce; then place some more slices of potato in a smaller circle, then a layer of the same, and so on until a raised centre is formed. Put a little sauce over the top, and cover it well over with the remaining, with an ounce of grated cheese and some bread-crumbs. Bake for twenty minutes and serve.

Potato Omelet.