Chapter 3

Rub well-cooked haricots through a wire sieve until the requisite quantity of pulp is obtained, add the bread crumbs, potato, salt and shalot, which must be very finely minced, stir in half a beaten egg, shape into little balls the size of marbles, roll them in the other half of egg and the bread crumbs, and fry in boiling fat until a golden brown.

No. 62.--Haricot Bean Croquettes.

1/2 pint soaked haricot beans. 1/4 pint water. 1/4 pint milk. 1 ounce butter. 4 ounces bread crumbs. 2 or 3 shalots. 1/4 teaspoon salt. 1/4 teaspoon white sugar. 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. 1 egg.

Place the beans in a stewpan with the water and butter, and boil for two hours; then add milk, salt and pepper, and stew for half an hour longer. Mince the shalot and fry for one minute, but without browning. Strain the haricot beans and chop them very fine, add the shalot and yolk of egg and liquor that was strained off, and put the mixture aside for a little while. When cool, stir in two ounces of the bread crumbs, form into little balls, roll in the white of the egg and the remainder of the bread crumbs, and fry in boiling oil.

No. 63.--Kromskies.

Any nice mixture. Kromsky batter. Frying oil.

Shape the mixture (to which may be added a few bread crumbs if not sufficiently firm) into little sausages, dip them into the batter, lift out with a spoon and drop into boiling oil. When they have turned a golden brown lift them out on to soft paper to drain.

The batter is made as follows:--

4 ounces flour. 1 gill of milk. 1 ounce butter. A pinch of salt. 1 egg.

Place the flour and salt in a basin, in another basin beat up the egg, add the milk, then pour on to the flour, stirring well all the time, and lastly add the butter, which should have been previously dissolved.

No. 64.--Mushroom Croquettes.

3 ounces button mushrooms. 3 ounces cooked haricot beans. 1 cold potato. 1 tablespoon German sauce No. 164. 2 teaspoons chopped parsley. 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Egg and bread crumbs.

Mince the beans, which should be cold and quite dry, very finely, also the mushrooms, cut the potato into small dice, chop the parsley, then mix all well together with the seasonings, and moisten with the German sauce. When perfectly cold, roll into small balls, dip them in the egg and bread crumbs, and fry in boiling fat.

Note.--Tomato sauce should be served with this dish.

No. 65.--Potato Fritters.

4 ounces mashed potato. 1 ounce bread crumbs. A little pepper and salt. 1 egg. 1 teaspoon minced parsley.

Mix all well together, roll into little balls or sausages, and fry either in butter or boiling oil.

No. 66.--Savoury Fritters.

A Breakfast Dish.

3 ounces mashed potato. 2 ounces bread crumbs. 1 ounce vermicelli or semolina. 1 onion. 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs. 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind. 1 teaspoon cream or little milk. 1 egg. 2 teaspoons minced parsley. 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 1/2 ounce butter. 1 ounce butter for frying.

Peel the onion and boil it half an hour in salted water. Chop it very fine and mix with the other ingredients. Beat the egg, white and yolk separately, add to the mixture, stir well altogether, form into little balls, sausages, or flat cakes, and fry until nicely browned. They may be rolled in egg and bread crumbs and fried in oil if preferred.

No. 67.--Savoury Queen Fritters.

An excellent Breakfast Dish.

6 ounces bread crumbs. The yolks of three eggs. 3/4 pint milk. 1 shalot. 2 ounces butter. 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind. 1 teaspoon mixed herbs. 1 flat teaspoon salt. A little pepper.

Place the bread crumbs, which must be fine, in a basin, and add the lemon-rind, herbs, salt, pepper, and chopped shalot, mix well together, then pour in the milk, which should be at boiling point, and stand it on one side for a few minutes, then stir in the yolks, and pour the mixture into a well-greased tin, cover with another tin, and bake in a moderate oven for about an hour, or until set. When cold, stamp out with a pastry cutter, or cut into little squares, and fry in the remainder of the butter. Serve quickly.

Note.--This dish may be prepared the previous day, and fried when required.

No. 68.--Semolina Fritters (Sweet).

1 pound cooked semolina. 3 teaspoons sugar. 4 eggs. 1 ounce butter. A little flavouring according to taste.

Mix thoroughly all the ingredients, except the butter, and pour into a tin, in which the ounce of butter has been dissolved, and bake until firm. When quite cold, remove from the tin on to a flat board, and stamp out or cut into squares, rounds, or fancy shapes, fry in butter or boiling oil, roll in powdered sugar, and serve piled up.

No. 69.--Vermicelli and Cheese Fritters.

6 ounces cooked vermicelli. 1 1/2 ounces bread crumbs. 2 ounces grated cheese. 1 egg. 1/2 teaspoon curry powder. 1/4 teaspoon salt. 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 1 ounce butter for frying.

Mix the ingredients thoroughly together, adding the yolk of egg; beat the white to a stiff froth, and stir in last thing. Place in a greased pie-dish, and bake in a moderate oven until set. Allow to cool, then cut into square pieces or stamp out into fancy shapes, and fry until brown. Serve hot or cold.

No. 70.--Vermicelli and Cheese Fritters.

Another way.

4 ounces vermicelli. 4 ounces grated cheese. 1 pint milk. 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Egg and bread crumbs.

Break up the vermicelli, and place it with three ounces of the cheese well mixed together in a pie-dish; add seasoning and milk, and bake for about half an hour, stirring once or twice at the beginning. When cold and firm, cut into squares or fancy shapes, roll in egg and bread crumbs (with which one ounce of cheese should be mixed), and fry in boiling oil until crisp and brown.

SAVOURIES.

No. 71.--Asparagus and Egg on Toast.

25 large heads of asparagus. 1 gill tomato sauce Nos. 178, 179. 4 eggs. 1 ounce of butter. Pepper and salt to taste. 6 rounds of toasted bread.

Dissolve one ounce of butter in a small stewpan, add the eggs beaten, and a little pepper and salt. Stir over a gentle heat until the eggs thicken, but do not allow to boil. In the meanwhile, boil the asparagus, drain it well, cut the very tender portion into small pieces, and stir them in with the eggs. Have ready the rounds of toast nicely buttered, and spread the mixture very thickly on them. Pour a little of the tomato juice over each round just before serving.

No. 72.--Rolled Batter Stuffed with Forcemeat.

Batter. Forcemeat.

Make a batter (see No. 197), bake twenty minutes, shape the forcemeat (No. 77) into the form of a large sausage, lay it on the batter, and roll up. Bake three quarters of an hour longer.

A brown sauce should be served with this dish.

Note.--When cold, it may be cut in slices and fried.

No. 73.--Boiled Savoury Batter.

3 eggs. 3 tablespoons flour. 1/2 ounce butter. 3/4 pint milk. 1 teaspoon mixed herbs. 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Well grease a pudding basin with the butter, and sprinkle in half a teaspoon of herbs finely crushed. Mix the batter in the ordinary way (see No. 197), adding the rest of the herbs, and steam one and three quarter hours.

No. 74.--Cheese Mixture.

4 ounces grated cheddar. 3 ounces mashed potato. 2 eggs. 1/2 ounce butter. 2 teaspoons cream. 1/4 teaspoon salt. A good shake of pepper.

Melt the butter in a small enamelled saucepan, add the cheese, beaten eggs, pepper and salt, and stir over a moderate heat until the cheese is thoroughly dissolved, but on no account allow to boil, stir in the potato, and it is then ready for use as follows:

1st. Well grease a flat tin, pour in the mixture, bake until quite set, and leave to get cold. Cut in squares or stamp out into fancy shapes, and fry in butter.

2nd. Make a nice paste, roll out very thin, spread the mixture over, roll up, and bake.

No. 75.--Chestnuts with Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.

1 pound chestnuts. A pinch of salt. 3 teaspoons parsley. 1 teaspoon flour. 1 1/2 ounces butter. 1/2 pint milk. Yolk of one egg.

Cut the tips of the chestnuts (noticing carefully if any are worm-eaten), and boil for half an hour in sufficient water to cover; remove the shells and skins and fry a few minutes in the butter, stir in the flour and salt and fry again, then pour in the milk and parsley and stir five minutes, add the yolk of an egg and stir until it thickens, but do not allow it to boil.

No. 76.--Savoury Eggs on Toast.

4 eggs. 1 tablespoon very fine bread crumbs. 1 teaspoon minced parsley. A little butter. 1/4 teaspoon salt. 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs. Buttered toast.

Have ready four well-greased saucers, break the eggs carefully, allowing the white of each egg to drop into a saucer, place the yolks together in a basin and beat them, then stir in the bread crumbs, parsley, herbs, salt and pepper. Well butter four egg cups, fill them with the mixture and stand them in a flat saucepan containing sufficient hot water to reach within a quarter of an inch of the brims, (care must be taken that it does not enter them), and keep the water just below simmering point for about half an hour, or until the mixture has just set. Prepare four rounds of hot buttered toast, place on these the whites, which should have been placed in the oven just long enough to set, turn out the contents of the egg cups on the top, and serve at once.

No. 77.--Forcemeat.

6 teaspoons chopped parsley. 3 teaspoons mixed sweet herbs. 3 teaspoons grated lemon rind. 2 teaspoons pepper. 1 teaspoon salt. 1/2 teaspoon powdered mace. 4 ounces bread crumbs. 2 eggs. 2 ounces butter.

Mix all the dry ingredients thoroughly, then add the butter (which has been previously warmed) and the beaten eggs, and stir all well together.

No. 78.--Forcemeat Balls.

2 ounces bread crumbs. 3 teaspoons chopped parsley. 1 1/2 teaspoons mixed sweet herbs. 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind. 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1 egg. 1 ounce butter. 1/4 teaspoon powdered mace. 1 ounce butter for frying.

Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly, then add the butter, and lastly the egg beaten. Stir all well together, form into balls about the size of a large cherry, and fry in the butter until nicely brown. The above quantity will make sufficient balls for the brown soup No. 3.

No. 79.--Haricots on Bread.

1/2 pint soaked haricot beans. 1 pint water. 2 tablespoons mashed potato. 1 dozen Brussels sprouts. 3 onions. The yolks of 2 eggs. 1 gill of rich sauce. 1 teaspoon salt. 12 small rounds of bread without crust.

Slice the onions and boil them with the beans in the water for one and a quarter hours, then add the salt and boil again without the saucepan lid, until the beans are dry. When quite dry rub them through a wire sieve, place the pulp in a small stewpan, add the yolks of eggs and the sauce, and stir over a gentle heat until the eggs thicken, but not boil, or they will curdle; then stir in the potato. Butter the rounds of bread (which should be about two and a half inches in diameter) on both sides, lay in a baking tin, and spread the mixture very thickly on them. Bake in a moderate oven for about ten minutes. Then place a cooked sprout in the centre of each round, and replace in the oven for a few minutes to re-heat before serving.

No. 80.--Savoury Haricots on Toast.

1 pint water. 1/2 pint soaked haricot beans. 1 tablespoon cream or milk. 1 teaspoon lemon juice. 1/4 teaspoon salt. A very little grated nutmeg. A very little pepper. A little cooked spinach. 4 eggs. 4 rounds hot buttered toast.

Stew the haricot beans gently for three hours, rub through a wire sieve with a wooden spoon, add cream, salt, lemon juice, pepper and nutmeg, have ready four poached or baked eggs, four small rounds of buttered toast, and a little cooked and seasoned spinach. Place a layer of the haricot cream on the toast (about a quarter of an inch thick), then a layer of spinach, stamp out the yolks of the eggs with a pastry cutter leaving a quarter of an inch border of white, and place one on the top of each round. This is a very pretty and tasty dish.

No. 81.--Haricot Beans with Eggs.

3 tablespoons cooked haricot beans. 3 tablespoons liquor from ditto. 1 tablespoon mashed potatoes. 3 or 4 eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. 2 teaspoons Worcester sauce. 1 teaspoon fine mixed herbs. 2 teaspoons browned bread crumbs.

Mix the beans (which should have been cooked according to No. 43, omitting the potatoes), the liquor, potatoes and seasonings, except the herbs, well together, pour into a flat pie dish, break on the top as many eggs as are needed to cover the mixture, sprinkle over them the bread crumbs and herbs mixed, and bake until the eggs are set.

No. 82.--Haricot Beans Garnished.

1/2 pint soaked haricot beans. 1 pint water. 1 flat teaspoon salt. 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 1 ounce butter. 1/2 ounce flour. 1 carrot. 1 turnip. 1 onion. A sprig of parsley. A strip of lemon peel. A pinch of sweet herbs. A pinch of powdered mace. The juice of half a lemon.

Boil the beans as in No. 149, and leave them to dry off as directed, but in a warm place and with a cloth over them. Place the liquor which has been strained from them in a small stewpan, with the vegetables sliced very thin, the parsley, lemon peel, herbs, and pepper, and boil for half an hour. Strain and thicken with the flour and half an ounce of the butter. Toss the beans gently in the other half ounce of butter, to which has been added the mace and lemon juice. Pile the beans in the centre of a hot dish, pour round them the gravy, garnish with cut lemon, parsley, and sippets of toast, and serve.

No. 83.--Haricot Mould (Hot).

2 tablespoons sago. 4 tablespoons cooked haricot beans. 1 pint stock. 1/2 ounce butter. Seasoning to taste.

Place the butter and stock in a stewpan, and if the stock be not already very highly flavoured, add seasonings, such as a slice of lemon, half a dozen peppercorns, a good teaspoon of curry powder, and a shalot, or if curry powder be not liked, half a teaspoonful of mixed herbs, or half a tablespoonful of Worcester sauce may be substituted. Boil altogether for fifteen minutes, then strain, return to the stewpan, add sago and beans and stir briskly until it becomes quite thick, turn into a greased mould, stand the mould in a tin or plate containing a little water, and bake for half an hour with a cover on. When set, allow it to cool slightly before turning out, then serve with a border of spinach or tasty greens (see No. 148); or it may be allowed to get quite cold, then cut in slices, and fried.

No. 84.--Lentil Cakes.

A Savoury.

1/4 pound flour. 2 ounces butter. A pinch of salt. 1/4 pound cooked lentils and vegetables mixed. Frying oil. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

Mix the flour, butter, salt and baking powder well together, then work in the lentils and vegetables, which should have been previously minced. Mix all thoroughly, and roll out about half an inch thick, stamp into rounds with a pastry cutter or any fancy shape, and fry in boiling oil until quite brown.

This is a very good way of using up lentils and vegetables which have been used for making gravy.

Note.--These cakes are specially recommended to travellers.

No. 85.--Savoury Mixture.

1 ounce bread crumbs. 1/2 ounce parsley. 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind. 1 small shalot. The yolk of one egg. 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 1/2 teaspoon curry powder.

Chop the shalot and parsley until very fine, mix well with the other dry ingredients, and then stir in the yolk of egg.

No. 86.--Savoury Mixture.

Another way.

2 tablespoons of bread crumbs. 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley. 2 shalots. 1 egg. 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 1 teaspoon salt.

Chop the shalots and mix with the other ingredients, adding the egg last, and stir all well together.

No. 87.--Mushrooms a la Francaise.

1/2 pound mushrooms. 3 shalots. 1 gill tomato sauce. 1 gill of good brown stock. 1 teaspoon chopped parsley. 1 tablespoon vinegar. 1 small lump of sugar. Pepper and salt to taste. 2 potatoes. 2 Jerusalem artichokes. A few drops of lemon juice. 1 ounce butter.

Chop the shalots very fine, and place them in a small stewpan with the vinegar and a shake of pepper, and simmer until the vinegar is reduced to half the quantity, then add tomato sauce (see No. 155), stock, sugar, and one or two chopped mushrooms. Simmer for twenty minutes, add the parsley and lemon juice, and simmer again for five minutes without the lid. In the meantime, bake the mushrooms in the butter, and prepare the potatoes and artichokes as follows:--peel and cut them into straws about one inch long, and fry in boiling oil for about ten minutes, or until they turn a golden brown colour. Place the mushrooms on a very hot dish, pour the sauce over them, scatter the fried straws on the top, and serve very quickly.

No. 88.--Savoury Pancakes.

2 eggs. 2 ounces flour. 1/2 pint milk. 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind. 1/4 teaspoon salt. 1/4 teaspoon mixed sweet herbs. 1 shalot, or small onion. A shake of pepper. Butter for frying.

Place the flour, herbs, salt, lemon rind, pepper and shalot very finely minced together in a basin; in another basin have ready the eggs beaten and milk, pour this on to the flour, etc., stirring well with a wooden spoon, and continue stirring until thoroughly mixed and free from lumps. Take a perfectly clean small frying-pan (one should be kept for this purpose), dissolve in it a small piece of butter, enough to grease the pan, pour in just sufficient batter to cover the bottom, shake the pan over a somewhat fierce heat, running a knife round the edges to loosen them. When brown on the under side, toss or turn over the pancake and brown on the other side, fold and lay on a hot dish.

Note.--This quantity of batter should make six pancakes.

No. 89.--Green Peas and Carrots on Toast.

10 or 12 button carrots. 1/2 pint fresh green peas. A little more than a gill of white stock. 1 ounce butter. 1 ounce flour. 6 rounds of toasted bread.

Scrape and slice the carrots very thin and stew them in the butter until quite tender, stir in the flour, then add the peas (cooked); pour in the stock, and stir over the fire for ten or fifteen minutes. Butter the toast, then spread the mixture on very thickly and serve hot. Salt and pepper should be added to taste, and a sprig of mint may be used for flavouring if liked.

No. 90.--Baked Potatoes with Sage and Onion.

2 large potatoes. 6 onions. 2 teaspoons sage. 1 ounce bread crumbs. 2 ounces butter. 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Peel the potatoes and cut them lengthways into slices about half an inch thick, place six of these slices in a baking tin or dish which has been well greased with one and a half ounces of the butter. In the meantime peel and boil the onions for a quarter of an hour in a little salted water, and the sage (tied in a piece of muslin) with them for the last five minutes. Chop the onions and sage and mix with the bread crumbs, salt, pepper and half an ounce of butter, and spread the mixture thickly over the slices of potato, and bake for one and a half or two hours.

Apple sauce should be served with this dish and a rich gravy.

No. 91.--Casserole of Potatoes.

1 pound mashed potatoes. 2 tablespoons soaked lentils. 1 ounce butter. 1/2 ounce flour. 1/2 pint water. 1 shalot, or small onion. 1 egg. 1 hard-boiled ditto. 1 strip of lemon peel. 1 small lump of sugar. 2 teaspoons tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pepper to taste.

Boil the lentils, water, lemon-peel and half the butter gently for one hour. Remove the lemon-peel and add the sugar, salt and shalot chopped, and boil for fifteen minutes. Make a paste of the flour and the other half ounce of butter, place this in the stew and stir briskly while it boils for five minutes. Then add the tomato sauce and the hard-boiled egg cut into the shape of dice. Have ready the mashed potato prepared as follows:--place it on a small dish and shape into a ring or wall about two and a half inches high and half an inch thick, ornament the outside with a fork, brush over with egg, and brown in the oven. Pour the stew into the hollow centre, and serve quickly.

No. 92.--Potato and Celery Balls.

1 pound mashed potatoes. 1 middling-sized head of celery. 1 ounce butter or frying oil. 1/2 teaspoon salt. A little pepper.

Wash the celery well, cut into pieces and stew in just sufficient water to cover for half an hour, strain (the liquor may be used for flavouring soups or sauces), chop very fine, mix well with the potatoes, adding pepper and salt, roll into balls or cakes, and fry in butter or plunge into boiling oil until nicely brown. They should be rolled in egg and bread crumbs before frying in oil.

No. 93.--Potatoes and Eggs with Celery Sauce.

3 eggs. 2 potatoes. 12 peppercorns. 1 ounce butter. 1 ounce flour. 1 pinch of mace. 1 small head of celery. 1 small onion. 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1 pint water. 1 gill of milk.

Peel the potatoes, and let them simmer gently in a pint of water with the celery and onions sliced, the peppercorns, mace and salt, until the potatoes are quite tender, but not broken. Boil the eggs until hard. Slice the potatoes, taking care to obtain three nice even slices from each potato, lay these on a hot dish, shell the eggs, cut them in half, remove the ends so that they will stand, and place half an egg on each slice of potato; strain the sauce, add milk, thicken with butter and flour, and pour over the eggs. A little vinegar or ketchup may be poured over the slices of potato before placing the eggs, if liked, or chopped parsley may be added to the sauce.

No. 94.--Fried Potato with Eggs.

A nice Breakfast Dish.

9 thick slices of cold potato. 3 hard-boiled eggs. 1 ounce butter for frying. 1 gill of good sauce. A little parsley.

Fry the slices of potato until a nice brown, lay them on a hot dish, remove the ends of the hard-boiled eggs, and cut each egg into three slices, placing one on each piece of potato; sprinkle over them the chopped parsley and the sauce, which should be rather thick. Serve quickly.

Note.--Scald the parsley (before chopping) by throwing it into boiling salted water for a few minutes.

No. 95.--Potato Olives.

Potatoes. Forcemeat No. 77. Frying oil.

Take some large, evenly-shaped potatoes, peel and wipe dry, slice them lengthways in pieces about one-eighth of an inch thick and lay in a clean cloth to thoroughly dry. Place them in a frying basket, and fry in boiling oil until they begin to change colour, then place them on a piece of paper and put on one side to cool; place a thick layer of forcemeat between two slices of potato in the form of a sandwich, tie with white thread, and re-fry until the potato becomes a golden brown. Remove the thread, and serve with sauces Nos. 172 or 177.

No. 96.--Potato Pyramids.

2 parsnips. Mashed potato. 1 gill of sauce No. 177. 1 ounce butter. Pepper and salt to taste.

Boil the parsnips whole until tender, but do not allow them to break, place on one side to cool, then cut three thick slices from the big end of each parsnip, and if not a good shape remove the edges with a round pastry cutter. Fry in the butter until brown both sides, sprinkling over them a little salt and pepper; place in a very hot dish, and pile a little mountain of hot mashed potato on each round. The potato must be rather stiff so as to keep its shape, and should stand about three inches high, tapering towards the tops; pour over each a little of the sauce, and serve quickly.

Carrot, turnip, toast or fried bread may be used for the bases in place of parsnips.

No. 97.--Stuffed Potatoes.