Chapter 10

Corn is frequently cut from the cob after it is cooked and served in milk or butter; but by this method much of the flavor and juke of the corn itself is wasted; It is better to cut the corn from the cob before cooking. With a sharp knife cut off the grains, not cutting closely enough to remove any of the woody portion of the skins. Then with a knife press out all the pulp and milk remaining in the cob; add this to the corn; season well with salt, pepper and butter; add a little more milk if the corn is dry; cook, preferably in the oven, for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. If the oven is not hot, cook over the fire.

SUCCOTASH

Mix equal parts of corn, cut from the ear, and any kind of beans; boil them separately; then stir them lightly together, and season with butter, salt, and pepper and add a little cream if convenient.

CANNED CORN

To one can of corn take one tablespoon of butter, one-half cup milk; sprinkle one tablespoon of flour over these; stir and cook about five minutes, until thoroughly hot. Season to taste and serve hot.

DANDELIONS

Wash one peck of dandelions; remove roots. Cook one hour in two quarts of boiling salted water. Drain, chop fine; season with salt, pepper and butter. Serve with vinegar.

STUFFED CUCUMBERS

Cut four cucumbers in half lengthwise; remove the seeds with a spoon, lay the cucumbers in vinegar overnight; then wipe dry and fill with a mixture made from one cup pecans or Brazil nuts chopped, six tablespoons of mashed potatoes, one well-beaten egg, one teaspoon of salt, two tablespoons of chopped parsley, one saltspoon of white pepper, dash of nutmeg and two tablespoons of melted butter. Bake in a buttered dish until tender. Serve hot with one cup of white sauce, dash of powdered cloves, one well-beaten egg, salt and pepper to taste.

FRIED CUCUMBERS

Daintily prepared fried cucumbers are immeasurably superior to fried egg plant and are especially nice with boiled chicken.

Peel and slice the cucumbers lengthwise in about the same thickness observed with egg plant. Lay these slices in salt and water for about an hour, then dip in beaten egg and cracker dust, and French fry in boiling fat, taking care to carefully drain in a colander before serving.

COLD SLAW

Take a firm, white head of cabbage; cut it in halves; take out the heart and cut as fine as possible on slaw-cutter. Cut up one onion at the same time and a sour apple. Now sprinkle with salt and white pepper and a liberal quantity of white sugar. Mix this lightly with two forks. Heat one tablespoon of goose oil or butter, and mix it thoroughly in with the cabbage. Heat some white wine vinegar in a spider; let it come to a boil and pour over the slaw, boiling. Keep covered for a short time. Serve cold.

BOILED SAUERKRAUT

Take brisket of beef weighing about two or three pounds. Set it on to boil in two quarts of water, a little salt and the usual soup greens. When the meat is tender take it out, salt it well and put on to boil again in a porcelain-lined kettle, having previously removed all the bones. Add about a cup of the soup stock and as much sauerkraut as you desire. Boil about one hour; tie one tablespoon of caraway seed in a bag and boil in with the kraut. Thicken with two raw potatoes, grated, and add one tablespoon of brown sugar just before serving. If not sour enough add a dash of vinegar. This gives you meat, vegetables and soup. Mashed potatoes, kartoffelkloesse or any kind of flour dumpling is a nice accompaniment. Sauerkraut is just as good warmed over as fresh, which may be done two or three times in succession without injury to its flavor.

TO BOIL CABBAGE

Cut a small head of cabbage into four parts, cutting down through the stock. Soak for half an hour in a pan of cold water to which has been added one tablespoon of salt; this is to draw out any insects that may be hidden in the leaves. Take from the water and cut into slices. Have a large stew-pan half full of boiling water; put in the cabbage, pushing it under the water with a spoon. Add one tablespoon of salt and cook from twenty-five to forty-five minutes, depending upon the age of the cabbage. Turn into a colander and drain for about two minutes. Put in a chopping bowl and mince. Season with butter, pepper, and more salt if it requires it. Allow one tablespoon of butter to a generous pint of the cooked vegetable. Cabbage cooked in this manner will be of delicate flavor and may be generally eaten without distress. Have the kitchen windows open at the top while the cabbage is boiling, and there will be little if any odor of cabbage in the house.

FRIED CABBAGE

Cut one medium head of cabbage fine, soak ten minutes in salt water. Drain, heat three tablespoons of fat (from top of soup stock preferred), add cabbage, one sour apple peeled and cut up, caraway seed to taste, salt, paprika and one-half onion minced. Cover very closely and cook slowly for one hour.

CREAMED NEW CABBAGE

To one pint of boiled and minced new cabbage add one-half pint of hot milk, one tablespoon of butter, one teaspoon of flour, one-half teaspoon each of salt and pepper, one teaspoon finely minced parsley and a generous dash of sweet paprika. The butter and flour should be creamed together before stirring in. Let simmer for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning. Serve hot on toasted bread.

HOT SLAW

Cut the cabbage into thin shreds as for cold slaw. (Use a plane if convenient). Boil it until tender in salted fast-boiling water. Drain it thoroughly, and pour over it a hot sauce made of one tablespoon of butter, one-half teaspoon of salt, dash of pepper and of cayenne, and one-half to one cup of vinegar, according to its strength. Cover the saucepan and let it stand on the side of the range for five minutes, so that the cabbage and sauce will become well incorporated.

CARROTS BOILED WITH CABBAGE

Pare the carrots and cut them into finger lengths, in thin strips. Put a breast of lamb or mutton on to boil, having previously salted it well. When boiling, add the carrots and cover closely. Prepare the cabbage as usual and lay in with the mutton and carrots; boil two hours at least; when all has boiled tender, skim off some of the fat and put it into a spider. Add to this one tablespoon of flour, one tablespoon of brown sugar and one-half teaspoon of cinnamon. Keep adding gravy from the mutton until well mixed, and pour all over the mutton and vegetables. Serve together on a platter.

STEWED CABBAGE

Clean and drain cabbage, cut in small pieces and boil until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water; chop fine, heat one tablespoon of drippings in spider, one-fourth of an onion cut fine and one tablespoon of flour; brown all together, add one-half pint of soup stock, add cabbage and cook ten minutes longer. Salt and pepper to taste.

FILLED CABBAGE

Take a large, solid head of cabbage; take off the large top leaves, and scoop out the centre of the cabbage so as to leave the outside leaves intact for refilling. Chop your cabbage fine as for slaw; take a quarter of a loaf of stale bread, soak it in water and squeeze very dry. Heat two tablespoons of drippings in a spider, add a large-sized onion chopped fine, do not let the onion get too brown; then add the bread, one pound of chopped beef well minced and the chopped cabbage and let it get well heated; take off stove and add two eggs, pepper, salt, nutmeg, a little parsley and a little sage, season very highly. Use a little more cabbage than bread the filling. Put this all back in the cabbage, and cover this with the large leaves, put into small bread-pan and bake for two hours, put just enough water in to keep the pan from burning; don't baste. It doesn't harm if the leaves scorch.

KAL DOLMAR

Boil cabbage whole for ten minutes. Let it cool and boil the rice. Mix chopped meat, rice, and salt and pepper. Separate the cabbage leaves; put about three tablespoons of the meat and rice in the leaves, roll up and tie together with string. Then fry in fat until brown. Boil for half an hour in a little water. Make brown gravy and pour over.

SAVOY CABBAGE WITH RICE

Boil cabbage whole for five minutes; drain, separate the leaves after it has cooled. Mix one cup of boiled rice with three dozen raisins, pinch of salt, one teaspoon of cinnamon and two tablespoons of drippings. Put two tablespoons of this mixture in three or four leaves, roll them and tie together with string. Place in pan and let cook for an hour until done. This dish is just as good warmed up a second time.

There must be sufficient fat and gravy to prevent the cabbage rolls from sticking to the bottom of the pan which must be kept closely covered.

BELGIAN RED CABBAGE

Put two or three sticks of cinnamon, salt and pepper, one-half teaspoon cloves, one onion sliced thin, one bay leaf, two cups of water, three tablespoons of drippings in saucepan, then add five or six greening apples, peeled and cut in quarters. Lastly, put in one medium-sized red cabbage, cut in halves and then sliced very thin. Cook three hours and then add two tablespoons each of sugar and vinegar; cook one minute more.

RED CABBAGE

Cut fine on slaw-cutter, put cabbage in a colander, pour boiling water over it and let it stand over another pan for ten minutes; salt, mix well, and cut up a sour apple in the cabbage. Heat one tablespoon goose or soup drippings, brown in this an onion cut fine, add the cabbage and stew slowly, keep covered. Add a little hot water after it has boiled about five minutes. When tender add a few cloves, vinegar, brown sugar and cinnamon to taste, and serve. White cabbage may be cooked in this way.

RED CABBAGE WITH CHESTNUTS AND PRUNES

Clean cabbage and cut off outside leaves, cut on cabbage-cutter--blanch as above. Take one tablespoon of butter, put in kettle and let brown, add cabbage, let simmer about ten minutes, stir and let simmer ten minutes more. Add about one cup of water, one-fourth cup of vinegar, and one tablespoon of sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Add one-fourth cup of raisins and blanched chestnuts and cook until tender, adding to cabbage just before serving. Take one tablespoon of flour smooth with cold water, add to cabbage, let cook a few minutes and serve.

VEGETABLE HASH

Hash may be made with one or many vegetables and with or without the addition of meat and fish. Potato is the most useful vegetable for hash, because it combines well with meat or other vegetables. The vegetables must be chopped fine, well seasoned with salt and pepper, and parsley, onion, chives or green pepper if desired, and moistened with stock, milk or water, using a quarter of a cup to a pint of hash. Melt one-half tablespoon of butter or savory drippings in a pan; put in the hash, spreading it evenly and dropping small pieces of butter or drippings over the top. Cover the pan; let the hash cook over a moderate fire for half an hour; fold over like an omelet and serve. If properly cooked there will be a rich brown crust formed on the outside of the hash.

BAKED EGGPLANT

Parboil eggplant until tender, but not soft, in boiling salted water. Cut in half crosswise with a sharp knife. Scrape out the inside and do not break the skin.

Heat one tablespoon of butter, add a minced onion, brown, then scraped eggplant, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste and an egg yolk. Mix well together, refill shells, place in dripping pan in oven--baste with butter or sprinkle cracker crumbs on top with bits of butter--baste often and brown nicely.

BROILED OR FRIED EGGPLANT

For preparing eggplant, either to fry or boil, use small eggplant as they are of more delicate flavor than the large ones. Do not cook too rapidly.

BROILED EGGPLANT

Slice the eggplant and drain it as for frying; spread the slices on a dish; season with salt and pepper; baste with olive oil; sprinkle with dried bread crumbs and broil.

EGGPLANT FRIED IN OIL (TURKISH STYLE)

Arrange in oiled pan in layers: one layer of sliced eggplant, one layer of chopped meat seasoned with egg, chopped parsley, salt and pepper; as many layers as desired, add a little olive oil, cover with water. Bake one-half hour.

EGGPLANT (ROUMANIAN)

Brown onion, peel eggplant raw, cut in quarters, put in when onions are brown with a little water and stew; add salt, white pepper, sour salt, red tomatoes; when half done add one-fourth cup of rice, cook until rice is tender.

FRIED EGGPLANT

Pare eggplant, cut in very thin slices. Sprinkle with salt, pile slices on a plate. Cover with a weight to draw out juice; let stand one hour. Dredge with flour and fry slowly in a little butter until crisp and brown, or dip in egg and cracker and fry in deep fat.

GREEN PEAS

Shell the peas and cover them with water; bring to a boil; then push aside until the water will just bubble gently. Keep the lid partly off. When the peas are tender add salt and butter; cook ten minutes longer and serve. If the peas are not the sweet variety, add one teaspoon of sugar.

SUGAR PEAS

Sugar peas may be cooked in the pods like string beans. Gather the pods while the seeds are still very small; string like beans and cut into pieces. Cover with boiling water and boil gently for twenty-five or thirty minutes or until tender. Pour off most of the water, saving it for soup; season the rest with salt and butter and serve.

CARROTS AND PEAS

Wash, scrape and cut one pint of carrots in small cubes, cook until tender, drain and reserve one-half cup of carrot water. Mix carrots well with one pint cooked green peas. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of flour, salt, pepper and sugar to taste, add two tablespoons of fat or butter, one-half cup of milk or soup stock and carrot water, boil a little longer and serve.

GREEN PEAS AND EGG BARLEY (PFÄRVEL)

Make the pfärvel. Heat one-quarter cup of butter or other fat, add the pfärvel and when golden brown, add one quart of boiling water, one-half cup of sugar, one-half teaspoon of salt, aid one can or one-half peck of green peas strained. Set in moderate oven and bake one-half hour or until every kernel stands out separately. Serve hot.

GREEN PEAS AND RICE

Shell one-half peck of green peas and wash them well; if canned peas are used pour off liquid and rinse with cold water. Heat one-fourth cup of butter or other fat in a spider, add one cup of rice and let simmer, stirring constantly until rice is a golden brown; add one quart of boiling water, then the drained peas and one-half teaspoon of salt, and one-half cup of granulated sugar. Place in pudding dish, set in the oven and bake until rice is tender. (Serve hot.)

GREEN PEPPERS

Sweet green peppers, within the last ten years have gained a place in cookery in this country. Their flavor is depended on for soups. They are used in stews. They are used for salad, and they are used much as a separate vegetable in dozens of different ways.

STUFFED PEPPERS

Select six tender, sweet peppers. Soak in water bread crumbs sufficient to make one pint when the water is pressed out; mix with one-fourth teaspoon basil, herbs and two teaspoons of salt, add two tablespoons of butter.

Cut off the stem end of each pepper; carefully remove the interior and fill the peppers with the prepared dressing. Place in a shallow baking-pan and pour around them white sauce thinned with two cups of water. Bake about one hour, basting frequently with the sauce.

PEPPERS STUFFED WITH MEAT

Cut a slice from the blossom end of each pepper, remove seeds and parboil ten minutes. Chop one onion fine and cook in fat until straw color; add one-fourth cup of cold cooked chicken or veal, and 1/4 cup of mushrooms; cook two minutes, add 1/2 cup of water and two tablespoons of bread crumbs. Cool, sprinkle peppers with salt and a pinch of red pepper. Fill with stuffing, cover with crumbs and bake ten minutes.

STUFFED PEPPERS (ARDAY-INFLUS)

Take sweet green peppers, cut off blossom end; prepare the following: To one pound of chopped meat take one egg, grate in one onion, a little salt, citric acid (size of bean dissolved in a little water), mix all together. Place this mixture in the peppers, but do not fill too full. Set the entire top of peppers in place. Melt one tablespoon of fat in a saucepan, add sliced tomatoes, then the stuffed peppers and 1/2 cup of water; let steam 1/2 or 3/4 of an hour. Make sweet sour with a little citric acid and sugar to taste. Thicken gravy with 1/2 tablespoon of flour, browned with 1/2 tablespoon of fat.

GREEN PEPPERS STUFFED WITH VEGETABLES

Brown large white onions, add 1/2 cup of uncooked rice, a little salt, piece of citric acid (size of a bean dissolved in a little water), fill peppers, stew with tomatoes like Arday-influs. Or fill peppers with red cabbage which has been steamed with onions and fat, and add moistened rice.

PEPPERS STUFFED WITH NUTS

Another good way to stuff peppers is to parboil them and then stuff them with a forcemeat made of chopped nuts and bread crumbs moistened with salt and pepper. Bake, basting occasionally with melted butter for twenty minutes.

STEWED PEPPERS

Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds, stems and pith. Then cut them in neat, small pieces and throw into boiling salted water. Boil for half an hour. Drain them and then add salt to taste, one tablespoon of butter and four tablespoons of cream--to four peppers. Heat thoroughly and serve.

BROILED GREEN PEPPERS

Broil on all sides; place the broiled peppers in a dish of cold water so that the skin can be easily removed. When the peppers are all peeled put in a bowl or crock, add French dressing, and cover closely. These peppers will keep all winter.

RADISHES

There are many varieties of radishes, round and long, black, white, and red. The small red radish may be obtained all year. They are served uncooked, merely for a relish. The large varieties are peeled, sliced and salted for the table.

To serve the small ones for table, remove tip end of root, remove the leaves and have only a small piece of stem on radish. They may be made to look like a tulip by cutting into six equal parts from the root end, down three-quarters of the length of the radish.

BROILED MUSHROOMS

Wash the mushrooms; remove the stems and peel the caps. Place them in a broiler and broil for five minutes, with the cap side down during the first half of broiling. Serve on circular pieces of buttered toast, sprinkling with salt and pepper and putting a small piece of butter on each cap.

CREAMED MUSHROOMS

First wash them thoroughly in cold water, peel them and remove the stems, then cut them in halves or quarters, according to their size.

Melt one tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over the fire then add the mushrooms and let them simmer slowly in the butter for five minutes; season them well with salt and black pepper, freshly ground. After seasoning, add a gill of cream and while it is heating sift one tablespoon of flour in a bowl, add one-half pint of milk. Stir these briskly till flour is all dissolved, then pour it gradually in the saucepan with the mushrooms and cream, stirring the whole constantly to keep it from lumping. Let it just bubble a moment, then add another tablespoon of butter and pour the creamed mushrooms over hot buttered toast on a hot platter and serve.

Cooked like this mushrooms have more nutritive value than beef.

SCALLOPED MUSHROOMS

Sauté mushrooms and prepare two cups of white sauce for one pound of mushrooms, add one teaspoon of onion juice. Into a well-greased baking dish place one-quarter of the mushroom, then one-quarter of the sauce, and one-quarter of the bread crumbs, continue in this way until all the sauce is used, pour one cup of cream over this and sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the top. Bake fifteen minutes in a moderate oven, or until the crumbs are browned.

SAUTÉD MUSHROOMS

Wash, peel caps and stems of one pound of mushrooms, drain dry between towels. Place in spider with two tablespoons of butter and one-quarter teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook twenty minutes, tossing them. Serve on hot slices of toast.

BOILED OKRA

Wash and cut off the ends of young pods, cover with boiling salted water and cook about twenty minutes, until tender. Drain, add cream (a scant cup to a quart of okra), a tablespoon of butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Another way of stewing is to cook it with tomatoes. To a pint of okra pods, washed and sliced, allow a dozen ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced, and one medium-sized onion. Stew slowly for an hour, adding one tablespoon of butter, a scant teaspoon of salt and pepper to season. No water will be required, the tomato juice sufficing. In the West Indies lemon juice and cayenne are also added to stewed okra.

BOILED ONIONS

Peel the onions and cut off the roots; drop each into cold water as soon as it is peeled. When all are ready, drain and put in a saucepan well covered with boiling water, adding a teaspoon of salt for every quart of water. Boil rapidly for ten minutes with the cover partly off; drain and return to the fire with fresh water. Simmer until tender; add pepper and butter and serve, or omit the butter and pepper and pour a cream sauce over the onions.

SPANISH ONION RAREBIT

Boil two large onions until very soft, drain, chop, and return to the saucepan with a small piece of butter. Add milk, salt, pepper, a dash of tabasco sauce, one teaspoon of prepared mustard; one-half cup of grated cheese. Stir until of the consistency of custard.

SCALLOPED ONIONS

Cut boiled onions into quarters; put them in a baking dish and mix well with cream sauce; cover with bread crumbs and bits of butter and place in the oven until the crumbs are browned.

STEWED SQUASH

Peel squash, cut in quarters, put on to boil in cold water, and cook until tender. Drain, mash fine and smooth, add one-half cup of milk or cream, one tablespoon of butter, pinch of salt and pepper and put back on stove to keep hot. Beat well with a spoon to make light and smooth.

PARSNIPS

First scrape parsnips, then boil in weak salt water until tender; drain, and put in white sauce. Oyster plant may be prepared same way.

SPINACH

Spinach with large leaves is best. It is richest in mineral matter and is less liable to conceal insects that are difficult to dislodge. Buy the crisp, green spinach that has no withered leaves or stalks. That is the freshest and healthiest.

Cut off the roots and pick it over carefully, cutting off all the withered leaves and stems, put the leaves in cold salt water to soak for half an hour. That refreshens them, and makes any minute insects crawl out and come to the surface. Shake the leaves about and turn them over several times, drop them in a large pan of water; rinse well; lift them out separately and drop back into a second pan of water. Continue washing in fresh water until there is not a grain of sand to be found in the bottom of the pan.

In cooking be careful not to put too much water in the pot. That is the trouble with most spinach. It is drowned in water; a cup is plenty for one quart of spinach. Let the water come to a boil. Then lift the spinach out of the pan with the cold water dripping from it and put it into the pot, into the boiling water. Put the lid on the pot. Turn the fire a little low and let it cook slowly for fifteen minutes, stirring every now and then to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Just before taking up the spinach put some salt in it; then drain off the water and put a big tablespoon of butter and one-quarter teaspoon of pepper in it. Take it out of the pot and place it in a long, flat dish. Slice some hard-boiled eggs and place the slices all around the spinach for a kind of border.

SPINACH WITH CREAM SAUCE

Cook as directed, drain through colander, and grind through machine, make a rich cream sauce. Stir spinach in this sauce, add pepper, salt, nutmeg to taste, and garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg.

SPINACH--FLEISCHIG