Book of Household Management — 057 - Recipes. Chapter 25. Part 4.

[Illustration: CHERVIL.

] _Mode_.

--Boil the celery and beans separately until tender, and cut the celery into pieces about 2 inches long.

Put these into a salad-bowl or dish; pour over either of the sauces No. 506, 507, or 508, and garnish the dish with a little lettuce finely chopped, blanched endive, or a few tufts of boiled cauliflower.

This composition, if less agreeable than vegetables in their raw state, is more wholesome; for salads, however they may be compounded, when eaten uncooked, prove to some people indigestible.

Tarragon, chervil, burnet, and boiled onion, may be added to the above salad with advantage, as also slices of cold meat, poultry, or fish.

_Seasonable_ from July to October.

ACETARIOUS VEGETABLES.

--By the term Acetarious vegetables, is expressed a numerous class of plants, of various culture and habit, which are principally used as salads, pickles, and condiments.

They are to be considered rather as articles of comparative luxury than as ordinary food, and are more desirable for their coolness, or their agreeable flavour, than for their nutritive powers.

CAULIFLOWER.

--The cauliflower is less indigestible than the cabbage; it possesses a most agreeable flavour, and is sufficiently delicate to be served at the tables of the wealthy.

It is a wholesome vegetable, but should be eaten moderately, as it induces flatulence.

Persons of weak constitutions and delicate stomachs should abstain from cauliflower as much as possible.

They may be prepared in a variety of ways; and, in selecting them, the whitest should be chosen; those tinged with green or yellow being of indifferent quality.

SUMMER SALAD.

1152. INGREDIENTS.

--3 lettuces, 2 handfuls of mustard-and-cress, 10 young radishes, a few slices of cucumber.

[Illustration: SALAD IN BOWL.

] _Mode_.

--Let the herbs be as fresh as possible for a salad, and, if at all stale or dead-looking, let them lie in water for an hour or two, which will very much refresh them.

Wash and carefully pick them over, remove any decayed or wormeaten leaves, and drain them thoroughly by swinging them gently in a clean cloth.

With a silver knife, cut the lettuces into small pieces, and the radishes and cucumbers into thin slices; arrange all these ingredients lightly on a dish, with the mustard-and-cress, and pour under, but not over the salad, either of the sauces No. 506, 507, or 508, and do not stir it up until it is to be eaten.

It may be garnished with hard-boiled eggs, cut in slices, sliced cucumbers, nasturtiums, cut vegetable-flowers, and many other things that taste will always suggest to make a pretty and elegant dish.

In making a good salad, care must be taken to have the herbs freshly gathered, and _thoroughly drained_ before the sauce is added to them, or it will be watery and thin.

Young spring onions, cut small, are by many persons considered an improvement to salads; but, before these are added, the cook should always consult the taste of her employer.

Slices of cold meat or poultry added to a salad make a convenient and quickly-made summer luncheon-dish; or cold fish, flaked, will also be found exceedingly nice, mixed with it.

_Average cost_, 9d.

for a salad for 5 or 6 persons; but more expensive when the herbs are forced.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ from May to September.

CUCUMBERS.

--The cucumber is refreshing, but neither nutritious nor digestible, and should be excluded from the regimen of the delicate.

There are various modes of preparing cucumbers.

When gathered young, they are called gherkins: these, pickled, are much used in seasonings.

[Illustration: CUCUMBER-SLICE.

] RADISHES.

--This is the common name given to the root of the _Raphanus satious_, one of the varieties of the cultivated horseradish.

There are red and white radishes; and the French have also what they call violet and black ones, of which the black are the larger.

Radishes are composed of nearly the same constituents as turnips, that is to say, mostly fibre and nitrogen; and, being generally eaten raw, it is on the last of these that their flavour depends.

They do not agree with people, except those who are in good health, and have active digestive powers; for they are difficult of digestion, and cause flatulency and wind, and are the cause of headaches when eaten to excess.

Besides being eaten raw, they are sometimes, but rarely, boiled; and they also serve as a pretty garnish for salads.

In China, the radish may be found growing naturally, without cultivation; and may be occasionally met with in England as a weed, in similar places to where the wild turnip grows; it, however, thrives best in the garden, and the ground it likes best is a deep open loam, or a well-manured sandy soil.

[Illustration: TURNIP RADISHES.

] [Illustration: LONG RADISHES.

] WINTER SALAD.

1153. INGREDIENTS.

--Endive, mustard-and-cress, boiled beetroot, 3 or 4 hard-boiled eggs, celery.

_Mode_.

--The above ingredients form the principal constituents of a winter salad, and may be converted into a very pretty dish, by nicely contrasting the various colours, and by tastefully garnishing it.

Shred the celery into thin pieces, after having carefully washed and cut away all wormeaten pieces; cleanse the endive and mustard-and-cress free from grit, and arrange these high in the centre of a salad-bowl or dish;

garnish with the hard-boiled eggs and beetroot, both of which should be cut in slices; and pour into the dish, but not over the salad, either of the sauces No. 506, 507, or 508. Never dress a salad long before it is required for table, as, by standing, it loses its freshness and pretty crisp and light appearance; the sauce, however, may always be prepared a few hours beforehand, and when required for use, the herbs laid lightly over it.

_Average cost_, 9d.

for a salad for 5 or 6 persons.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ from the end of September to March.

SALADS.

--Salads are raw vegetables, of which, among us, the lettuce is the most generally used; several others, however, such as cresses, celery, onions, beetroot, &c. , are occasionally employed.

As vegetables eaten in a raw state are apt to ferment on the stomach, and as they have very little stimulative power upon that organ, they are usually dressed with some condiments, such as pepper, vinegar, salt, mustard, and oil.

Respecting the use of these, medical men disagree, especially in reference to oil, which is condemned by some and recommended by others.

POTATO SALAD.

1154. INGREDIENTS.

--10 or 12 cold boiled potatoes, 4 tablespoonfuls of tarragon or plain vinegar, 6 tablespoonfuls of salad-oil, pepper and salt to taste, 1 teaspoonful of minced parsley.

_Mode_.

--Cut the potatoes into slices about 1/2 inch in thickness; put these into a salad-bowl with oil and vinegar in the above proportion;

season with pepper, salt, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley; stir the salad well, that all the ingredients may be thoroughly incorporated, and it is ready to serve.

This should be made two or three hours before it is wanted for table.

Anchovies, olives, or pickles may be added to this salad, as also slices of cold beef, fowl, or turkey.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

CHICKEN SALAD.

--(See No. 931. ) GROUSE SALAD.

--(See No. 1020. ) LOBSTER SALAD.

--(See No. 272. ) TO BOIL SPINACH (English Mode).

1155. INGREDIENTS.

--2 pailfuls of spinach, 2 heaped tablespoonfuls of salt, 1 oz.

of butter, pepper to taste.

[Illustration: SPINACH GARNISHED WITH CROÛTONS.

] _Mode_.

--Pick the spinach carefully, and see that no stalks or weeds are left amongst it; wash it in several waters, and, to prevent it being gritty, act in the following manner:--Have ready two large pans or tubs filled with water; put the spinach into one of these, and thoroughly wash it; then, _with the hands_, take out the spinach, and put it into the _other tub_ of water (by this means all the grit will be left at the bottom of the tub); wash it again, and, should it not be perfectly free from dirt, repeat the process.

Put it into a very large saucepan, with about 1/2 pint of water, just sufficient to keep the spinach from burning, and the above proportion of salt.

Press it down frequently with a wooden spoon, that it may be done equally; and when it has boiled for rather more than 10 minutes, or until it is perfectly tender, drain it in a colander, squeeze it quite dry, and chop it finely.

Put the spinach into a clean stewpan, with the butter and a seasoning of pepper; stir the whole over the fire until quite hot; then put it on a hot dish, and garnish with sippets of toasted bread.

_Time_.

--10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach, 5 minutes to warm with the butter.

_Average cost_ for the above quantity, 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.

--Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from November to March.

_Note_.

--Grated nutmeg, pounded mace, or lemon-juice may also be added to enrich the flavour; and poached eggs are also frequently served with spinach: they should be placed on the top of it, and it should be garnished with sippets of toasted bread.

--See coloured plate U. VARIETIES OF SPINACH.

--These comprise the Strawberry spinach, which, under that name, was wont to be grown in our flower-gardens; the Good King Harry, the Garden Oracle, the Prickly, and the Round, are the varieties commonly used.

The Oracle is a hardy sort, much esteemed in France, and is a native of Tartary, introduced in 1548. The common spinach has its leaves round, and is softer and more succulent than any of the Brassica tribe.

SPINACH DRESSED WITH CREAM, a la Francaise.

1156. INGREDIENTS.

--2 pailfuls of spinach, 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, 2 oz.

of butter, 8 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1 small teaspoonful of pounded sugar, a very little grated nutmeg.

_Mode_.

--Boil and drain the spinach as in recipe No. 1155; chop it finely, and put it into a stewpan with the butter; stir over a gentle fire, and, when the butter has dried away, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Previously to adding the cream, boil it first, in case it should curdle.

Serve on a hot dish, and garnish either with sippets of toasted bread or leaves of puff-paste.

_Time_.

--10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach; 10 minutes to stew with the cream.

_Average cost_ for the above quantity, 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.

--Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from November to March.

[Illustration: SPINACH.

] SPINACH.

--This is a Persian plant.

It has been cultivated in our gardens about two hundred years, and is the most wholesome of vegetables.

It is not very nutritious, but is very easily digested.

It is very light and laxative.

Wonderful properties have been ascribed to spinach.

It is an excellent vegetable, and very beneficial to health.

Plainly dressed, it is a resource for the poor; prepared luxuriantly, it is a choice dish for the rich.

SPINACH.

--This vegetable belongs to a sub-order of the _Salsolaceae_, or saltworts, and is classified under the head of _Spirolobeae_, with leaves shaped like worms, and of a succulent kind.

In its geographical distribution it is commonly found in extratropical and temperate regions, where they grow as weeds in waste places, and among rubbish, and in marshes by the seashore.

In the tropics the order is rarely found.

Many of them are used as potherbs, and some of them are emetic and vermifuge in their medicinal properties.

FRENCH MODE OF DRESSING SPINACH.

1157. INGREDIENTS.

--2 pailfuls of spinach, 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, 2 oz.

of butter, 1 teaspoonful of flour, 8 tablespoonfuls of good gravy;

when liked, a very little grated nutmeg.

_Mode_.

--Pick, wash, and boil the spinach, as in recipe No. 1155, and when quite tender, drain and squeeze it perfectly dry from the water that hangs about it.

Chop it very fine, put the butter into a stewpan, and lay the spinach over that; stir it over a gentle fire, and dredge in the flour.

Add the gravy, and let it boil _quickly_ for a few minutes, that it may not discolour.

When the flavour of nutmeg is liked, grate some to the spinach, and when thoroughly hot, and the gravy has dried away a little, serve.

Garnish the dish with sippets of toasted bread.

_Time_.

--10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach; 10 minutes to simmer in the gravy.

_Average cost_ for the above quantity, 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.

--Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from October to February.

_Note_.

--For an entremets or second-course dish, spinach, dressed by the above recipe may be pressed into a hot mould; it should then be turned out quickly, and served very hot.

BAKED TOMATOES.

(_Excellent_.

) 1158. INGREDIENTS.

--8 or 10 tomatoes, pepper and salt to taste, 2 oz.

of butter, bread crumbs.

_Mode_.

--Take off the stalks from the tomatoes; cut them into thick slices, and put them into a deep baking-dish; add a plentiful seasoning of pepper and salt, and butter in the above proportion; cover the whole with bread crumbs; drop over these a little clarified butter; bake in a moderate oven from 20 minutes to 1/2 hour, and serve very hot.

This vegetable, dressed as above, is an exceedingly nice accompaniment to all kinds of roast meat.

The tomatoes, instead of being cut in slices, may be baked whole; but they will take rather longer time to cook.

_Time_.

--20 minutes to 1/2 hour.

_Average cost_, in full season, 9d.

per basket.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ in August, September, and October; but may be had, forced, much earlier.

[Illustration: THE TOMATO.

] TOMATOES.

--The Tomato is a native of tropical countries, but is now cultivated considerably both in France and England.

Its skin is of a brilliant red, and its flavour, which is somewhat sour, has become of immense importance in the culinary art.

It is used both fresh and preserved.

When eaten fresh, it is served as an _entremets_; but its principal use is in sauce and gravy; its flavour stimulates the appetite, and is almost universally approved.

The Tomato is a wholesome fruit, and digests easily.

From July to September, they gather the tomatoes green in France, not breaking them away from the stalk; they are then hung, head downwards, in a dry and not too cold place; and there they ripen.

HOT TOMATO SAUCE, or PUREE OF TOMATOES.

(See No. 529. ) [Illustration: STEWED TOMATOES.

] STEWED TOMATOES.

I.

1159. INGREDIENTS.

--8 tomatoes, pepper and salt to taste, 2 oz.

of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar.

_Mode_.

--Slice the tomatoes into a _lined_ saucepan; season them with pepper and salt, and place small pieces of butter on them.

Cover the lid down closely, and stew from 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes are perfectly tender; add the vinegar, stir two or three times, and serve with any kind of roast meat, with which they will be found a delicious accompaniment.

_Time_.

--20 to 25 minutes.

_Average cost_, in full season, 9d.

per basket.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ from August to October; but may be had, forced, much earlier.

ANALYSIS OF THE TOMATO.

--The fruit of the love-apple is the only part used as an esculent, and it has been found to contain a particular acid, a volatile oil, a brown, very fragrant extracto-resinous matter, a vegeto-mineral matter, muco-saccharine, some salts, and, in all probability, an alkaloid.

The whole plant has a disagreeable odour, and its juice, subjected to the action of the fire, emits a vapour so powerful as to cause vertigo and vomiting.

II.

1160. INGREDIENTS.

--8 tomatoes, about 1/2 pint of good gravy, thickening of butter and flour, cayenne and salt to taste.

_Mode_.

--Take out the stalks of the tomatoes; put them into a wide stewpan, pour over them the above proportion of good brown gravy, and stew gently until they are tender, occasionally _carefully_ turning them, that they may be equally done.

Thicken the gravy with a little butter and flour worked together on a plate; let it just boil up after the thickening is added, and serve.

If it be at hand, these should be served on a silver or plated vegetable-dish.

_Time_.

--20 to 25 minutes, very gentle stewing.

_Average cost_, in full season, 9d.

per basket.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ in August, September, and October; but maybe had, forced, much earlier.

THE TOMATO, OR LOVE-APPLE.

--This vegetable is a native of Mexico and South America, but is also found in the East Indies, where it is supposed to have been introduced by the Spaniards.

In this country it is much more cultivated than it formerly was; and the more the community becomes acquainted with the many agreeable forms in which the fruit can be prepared, the more widely will its cultivation be extended.

For ketchup, soups, and sauces, it is equally applicable, and the unripe fruit makes one of the best pickles.

TRUFFLES AU NATUREL.

1161. INGREDIENTS.

--Truffles, buttered paper.

_Mode_.

--Select some fine truffles; cleanse them, by washing them in several waters with a brush, until not a particle of sand or grit remains on them; wrap each truffle in buttered paper, and bake in a hot oven for quite an hour; take off the paper, wipe the truffles, and serve them in a hot napkin.

_Time_.

--1 hour.

_Average cost_.

--Not often bought in this country.

_Seasonable_ from November to March.

[Illustration: TRUFFLES.

] THE COMMON TRUFFLE.

--This is the _Tuber cibarium_ of science, and belongs to that numerous class of esculent fungi distinguished from other vegetables not only by the singularity of their forms, but by their chemical composition.

Upon analysis, they are found not only to contain the usual components of the vegetable kingdom, such as carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, but likewise a large proportion of nitrogen; from which they approach more nearly to the nature of animal flesh.

It was long ago observed by Dr. Darwin, that all the mushrooms cooked at our tables, as well as those used for ketchup, possessed an animal flavour; and soup enriched by mushrooms only has sometimes been supposed to contain meat.

TO DRESS TRUFFLES WITH CHAMPAGNE.

1162. INGREDIENTS.

--12 fine black truffles, a few slices of fat bacon, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 2 onions, a bunch of savoury herbs, including parsley, 1 bay-leaf, 2 cloves, 1 blade of pounded mace, 2 glasses of champagne, 1/2 pint of stock.

_Mode_.

--Carefully select the truffles, reject those that have a musty smell, and wash them well with a brush, in cold water only, until perfectly clean.

Put the bacon into a stewpan, with the truffles and the remaining ingredients; simmer these gently for an hour, and let the whole cool in the stewpan.

When to be served, rewarm them, and drain them on a clean cloth; then arrange them on a delicately white napkin, that it may contrast as strongly as possible with the truffles, and serve.

The trimmings of truffles are used to flavour gravies, stock, sauces, &c. ; and are an excellent addition to ragouts, made dishes of fowl, &c. _Time_.

--1 hour.

_Average cost_.

--Not often bought in this country.

_Seasonable_ from November to March.

THE TRUFFLE.

--The Truffle belongs to the family of the Mushroom.

It is certain that the truffle must possess, equally with other plants, organs of reproduction; yet, notwithstanding all the efforts of art and science, it has been impossible to subject it to a regular culture.

Truffles grow at a considerable depth under the earth, never appearing on the surface.

They are found in many parts of France: those of Périgord Magny are the most esteemed for their odour.

There are three varieties of the species,--the black, the red, and the white: the latter are of little value.

The red are very rare, and their use is restricted.

The black has the highest repute, and its consumption is enormous.

When the peasantry go to gather truffles, they take a pig with them to scent out the spot where they grow.

When that is found, the pig turns up the surface with his snout, and the men then dig until they find the truffles.

Good truffles are easily distinguished by their agreeable perfume; they should be light in proportion to their size, and elastic when pressed by the finger.

To have them in perfection, they should be quite fresh, as their aroma is considerably diminished by any conserving process.

Truffles are stimulating and beating.

Weak stomachs digest them with difficulty.

Some of the culinary uses to which they are subjected render them more digestible; but they should always be eaten sparingly.

Their chief use is in seasoning and garnitures.

In short, a professor has said, "Meats with truffles are the most distinguished dishes that opulence can offer to the epicure."

The Truffle grows in clusters, some inches below the surface of the soil, and is of an irregular globular form.

Those which grow wild in England are about the size of a hen's egg, and have no roots.

As there is nothing to indicate the places where they are, dogs have been trained to discriminate their scent, by which they are discovered.

Hogs are very fond of them, and frequently lead to their being found, from their rutting up the ground in search of them.

ITALIAN MODE OF DRESSING TRUFFLES.

1163. INGREDIENTS.

--10 truffles, 1/4 pint of salad-oil, pepper and salt to taste, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, a very little finely-minced garlic, 2 blades of pounded mace, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice.

_Mode_.

--After cleansing and brushing the truffles, cut them into thin slices, and put them in a baking-dish, on a seasoning of oil, pepper, salt, parsley, garlic, and mace in the above proportion.

Bake them for nearly an hour, and, just before serving, add the lemon-juice, and send them to table very hot.

_Time_.

--Nearly 1 hour.

_Average cost_.

--Not often bought in this country.

_Seasonable_ from November to March.

WHERE TRUFFLES ARE FOUND.

--In this country, the common truffle is found on the downs of Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Kent; and they abound in dry light soils, and more especially in oak and chestnut forests.

In France they are plentiful, and many are imported from the south of that country and Italy, where they are much larger and in greater perfection: they lose, however, much of their flavour by drying.

Truffles have in England been tried to be propagated artificially, but without success.

TRUFFLES A L'ITALIENNE.

1164. INGREDIENTS.

--10 truffles, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, 1 minced shalot, salt and pepper to taste, 2 oz.

of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of good brown gravy, the juice of 1/2 lemon, cayenne to taste.

_Mode_.

--Wash the truffles and cut them into slices about the size of a penny-piece; put them into a sauté pan, with the parsley, shalot, salt, pepper, and 1 oz.

of butter; stir them over the fire, that they may all be equally done, which will be in about 10 minutes, and drain off some of the butter; then add a little more fresh butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of good gravy, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and a little cayenne; stir over the fire until the whole is on the point of boiling, when serve.

_Time_.

--Altogether, 20 minutes.

_Average cost_.

--Not often bought in this country.

_Seasonable_ from November to March.

USES OF THE TRUFFLE.

--Like the Morel, truffles are seldom eaten alone, but are much used in gravies, soups, and ragoûts.

They are likewise dried for the winter months, and, when reduced to powder, form a useful culinary ingredient; they, however, have many virtues attributed to them which they do not possess.

Their wholesomeness is, perhaps, questionable, and they should be eaten with moderation.

BOILED TURNIPS.

1165. INGREDIENTS.

--Turnips; to each 1/2 gallon of water allow 1 heaped tablespoonful of salt.

_Mode_.

--Pare the turnips, and, should they be very large, divide them into quarters; but, unless this is the case, let them be cooked whole.

Put them into a saucepan of boiling water, salted in the above proportion, and let them boil gently until tender.

Try them with a fork, and, when done, take them up in a colander; let them thoroughly drain, and serve.

Boiled turnips are usually sent to table with boiled mutton, but are infinitely nicer when mashed than served whole: unless nice and young, they are scarcely worth the trouble of dressing plainly as above.

_Time_.

--Old turnips, 3/4 to 1-1/4 hour; young ones, about 18 to 20 minutes.

_Average cost_, 4d.

per bunch.

_Sufficient_.

--Allow a bunch of 12 turnips for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.

--May be had all the year; but in spring only useful for flavouring gravies, &c. [Illustration: TURNIPS.

] THE TURNIP.

--This vegetable is the _Brassica Rapa_ of science, and grows wild in England, but cannot be brought exactly to resemble what it becomes in a cultivated state.

It is said to have been originally introduced from Hanover, and forms an excellent culinary vegetable, much used all over Europe, where it is either eaten alone or mashed and cooked in soups and stews.

They do not thrive in a hot climate; for in India they, and many more of our garden vegetables, lose their flavour and become comparatively tasteless.

The Swede is the largest variety, but it is too coarse for the table.

MASHED TURNIPS.