Vegetables
“Dyspepsia is largely the result of trying to force square meals into round stomachs.”
TIME FOR BOILING VEGETABLES.—Turnips should be peeled and boiled from forty minutes to one hour. Beets; boil from one to two hours then put in cold water then slip the skin off. Spinach; boil twenty minutes in uncovered kettle if green color is to be retained. Parsnips; boil from twenty to thirty minutes. String beans should be boiled one and one half hours, covered. Shelled beans require one hour to cook. Onions should be boiled from forty minutes to one hour, covered. Green corn; boil ten to twenty minutes. Green peas should be boiled in very little water, boil twenty minutes. Asparagus should be cooked the same as peas. Serve on toast with cream gravy or melted butter. Cabbage should be boiled from one to two hours in plenty of salted water. Carrots should be boiled from forty minutes to one hour. Whole potatoes should be put in boiling salted water and boil rapidly in covered kettle from fifteen to thirty minutes according to size and age. Test with the tines of a fork. Drain as soon as tender, remove the cover and set on back of range to dry. If they are to be mashed do not let them stand long.
VEGETABLES.—Vegetables of all kinds should be thoroughly picked over and well washed, and it is good sometimes to lay them into cold water a short time before cooking. Salt should not be added until partly cooked, as it has a tendency to harden them; they should cook steadily, do not allow them to stop boiling or simmering until they are thoroughly done. Drain, take some butter, heat it, add a little flour, mix smooth in the butter, add milk enough to make a smooth gravy, turn over vegetables, and let it heat through, then serve. This sauce is nice for many kinds. For asparagus, carrots, peas and a few others I keep some of the liquid they were boiled in, as it gives them a better flavor than milk alone.
GERMAN CABBAGE.—Another way of preparing cabbage in a German way: Cut up a cabbage and pick over carefully, wash well, heat some lard, drop cabbage into the hot grease, stir, so as to get it all heated, then let fry for a short time, but watch carefully to avoid burning, then add a quartered cooking apple; now when it gets too dry add hot water from the tea kettle, and let it simmer for three or four hours, the longer the better, add salt when almost tender, and about half hour before serving add quarter cup of sugar, quarter cup of vinegar, and let simmer the last half hour. This is the real German way.
GREEN STRING BEANS.—Select tender green string beans, cut the ends and remove strings, dice and wash thoroughly, put on in cold water to cover, add salt when partly cooked, then diced potatoes, and boil with beans about half an hour. Then heat either bacon drippings or common lard, add flour and brown, when ready turn the beans, potatoes, liquor and all into the hot mixture, add a little vinegar and pepper. Summer savory sprigs added to above give it a fine flavor.—Mrs. George Bruegger, German Cookery demonstration of vegetables.
CREAMED POTATOES.—Cut cold boiled potatoes into one half inch cubes, put these in a sauce pan. Add white sauce and finely cut parsley. Serve.
WHITE SAUCE.—Two tablespoons butter, two tablespoons flour, one cup milk, salt and pepper. Rub flour and butter together with spoon in sauce pan, add milk, add salt and pepper and potatoes. Cook thick.—Dorothy Whitehead.
STUFFED POTATOES.—Bake the desired number of potatoes, cut open the top, scoop out inside, mash. Add butter, salt and pepper, moisten with hot milk or cream to taste and add beaten whites of two eggs. Fill skin with this mixture, heap well, brush over with yolk of egg and brown in oven. Serve hot.—Mrs. R. J. Walker.
STUFFED CABBAGE.—One large cabbage, two pounds beef chopped fine, one half cup melted butter, one half cup sweet cream or milk, one half teaspoon ginger, one half teaspoon allspice, salt and pepper to suit taste, whites of two eggs beaten stiff. Cut the stem end off the cabbage far enough down to form a cover, scoop out enough of the center of the cabbage to allow room for the meat. Mix the meat and other ingredients together and place in the cabbage, put on the cover, tie in a cloth and boil for three hours, or until the cabbage is done, in salt water.
SAUCE.—Two thirds cup butter, one half teaspoon each of ginger and allspice; salt and pepper to suit taste, and one quart milk, thicken with flour.—Mrs. Aaron J. Bessie.
NORWEGIAN SAUERKRAUT.—One medium sized head of cabbage cut in fine long strips with a knife, put in kettle, to this add three quarters of an ounce of flour sprinkled over the top of cabbage, one teaspoon salt, one teaspoon caraway seed, one pint beef broth. Let this boil slowly until tender, stir every few minutes to keep the cabbage from burning. When done add one teaspoon sugar and one teaspoon vinegar.—Mrs. R. Meidell.
STEWED OKRA AND TOMATO (CREOLE).—Twelve pods of okra sliced thin, four tomatoes sliced. Stew with salt and pepper and butter, half an hour slowly, add dash cayenne pepper and serve.
SOUTHERN SWEET POTATOES.—Slice cold boiled sweet potatoes. Lay in a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter. Bake Brown.—Mrs. Whitehead, Southern Cookery demonstration.
SCALLOPED SWEET POTATOES.—Boil six sweet potatoes in salted water and cut them into thin slices in a baking dish. Mix with a well seasoned cream sauce, cover with fine bread crumbs and dot with butter. Brown in the oven.
POTATO SOUFFLE.—Four good sized potatoes boiled and mashed fine, one half teacup of milk, one tablespoon butter. Let butter and milk come to a scald, add potatoes, a little salt and pepper, beat to a cream, add slowly the beaten yolks of four eggs. Beat the whites to a stiff froth, add them to the mixture. Do not beat often adding the white of egg. Bake twenty minutes in a brisk oven. Serve while hot with meats that have gravy.—Mrs. Mary Harvey.
COLD SLAW.—This is a creole dish and very delicious. Cut very fine a quarter of a head of firm white cabbage. Put it into a covered dish, pour over it one half cupful of vinegar, one half tablespoonful of salt and toss it about lightly with a fork. Into a skillet pour one half cupful of milk, a teaspoonful of butter and one quarter of a cupful of sugar. Beat one egg light. Let the milk come to a boil, mix a teaspoonful of the milk with the egg, add sugar and butter, allow it to cook until a custard is formed, then pour over the sliced cabbage. Allow it to become very cold before using. As vinegars differ do not use so much if very strong.—Mrs. A. McKay.
CANNED STRING BEANS.—Prepare the beans as for dinner—that is, string and break into one inch pieces. Have your cans and top all cleansed; then fill the cans with the beans—after washing them, of course—and shake them down. Put one teaspoonful of salt to a quart of beans after the cans are full. Now put fresh cold water upon them to overflowing. I run a thin knife between the can and the beans to get all the air bubbles out. Put on the rubbers and then the lids, but not tight—only as you can with the thumb and one finger. Lay thin boards in the bottom of the boiler and set your can on them; fill to the lids with cold water. I let them boil two hours after they are fairly at it; then I take them out one by one, and screw down the tops and set to get cold before putting away. When we eat them I drain off all the water, put in a piece of butter and pepper and milk, or any way I want them. I never lost a can.—Contributed.
NUT LOAF.—Two cupfuls bread crumbs, one cup chopped walnuts, one half cup butter, one cup strained tomatoes, one small grated onion, one egg, salt and pepper to taste. Pack in a can and steam one hour.—Mrs. A. McKay.
POTATOES A LA MAITRE D’HOTEL.—Two cups potato balls or cubes, one cup hot milk, three level tablespoons butter, yolk of one egg, one half level teaspoon salt, one eighth level teaspoon paprika, one teaspoon lemon juice, one level teaspoon chopped parsley. Cook the potato in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and put into double boiler; add milk and cook until it is nearly absorbed. Cream the butter, add to it the egg yolk slightly beaten, add the salt, paprika and lemon juice. Stir this mixture into the potatoes and as soon as cooked turn into a hot dish, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.—Contributed.
HOMINY FRITTERS.—Break up two cups of cold cooked hominy with a fork. Add one scant cup of milk, a pinch of salt, one beaten egg and one half cup of flour in which one level teaspoon of baking powder is sifted. Drop by spoonfuls into hot lard and fry until a delicate brown.—Contributed.
TOMATO SOUFFLE.—One can tomatoes, two level tablespoons butter, two level tablespoons flour, one half teaspoon salt, one eighth level teaspoon paprika, one teaspoon onion juice, one fourth cup fine bread crumbs, three eggs. Drain the tomatoes and cook the liquid down to one cup. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces using one cup free from seeds. Melt the butter. Add the flour, salt and paprika and when blended add the cup of tomato liquid. Stir until thick and smooth. Add the onion juice, tomato and the bread crumbs. Remove from the fire, and add the yolks of the eggs beaten very light. Then fold in the white beaten stiff. Pour into a buttered baking dish and bake in a moderate oven until light and firm in the center.—Contributed.
POTATO CROQUETTES.—Prepare one pint of hot mashed potatoes seasoned with one tablespoonful of butter, one half teaspoonful of salt, one half teaspoonful onion juice. Beat all together until very light, and when slightly cool add the yolk of one egg. Mix well and put through a sieve to be sure there are no lumps, as it is almost impossible to get them out by mashing the potato. And one teaspoonful of chopped parsley. Shape into smooth round balls. Roll them in bread crumbs, then dip into beaten egg, then roll them in crumbs again. Fry in smoking hot lard one minute, drain on soft paper and serve in the form of a pyramid.—Contributed.
MUSHROOM AND POTATO CROQUETTES.—Take one pound of mushrooms (the fresh are preferred to the canned), break in small pieces after rinsing, drop into three tablespoonfuls of hot butter, dust with half a teaspoonful of salt and a trifle of pepper, cover and steam slowly for ten minutes; add to three small cupfuls of seasoned mashed potato, beat in two eggs and a tablespoonful of chopped parsley: form into cones, egg and crumb and fry in hot fat.
GERMAN FRIED POTATOES.—Or fried raw potatoes make an appetizing dish for breakfast. Slice raw potatoes as thin as an egg shell and put them into a frying pan in which an equal amount of butter and lard is boiling. Sprinkle them over with salt and pepper and cover with a close fitting lid and let the steam partly cook them. Fry until golden color.
FRENCH SPINACH.—Boil one half peck spinach until tender in salted water. Drain, throw into a colander and drench well with cold water. This gives it a certain firmness and delicacy. Shake free from water, chop fine and put in a hot sauce pan, salt delicately and heat with butter and cream. Then heap in a vegetable dish and garnish with poached or boiled eggs.
WILTED LETTUCE.—Pick fresh, young garden lettuce when it is just big enough to eat. Wash it and shred it, sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little sugar. Minced young green onions may be mixed with it if liked. Cut four or five slices of bacon into cubes or as much ham and fry it brown in its own grease. Add two tablespoons of vinegar and the yolk of an egg beaten together and heat in the grease; turn hot over the prepared lettuce and stir quickly with a fork. Same dressing is nice on young cooked string beans.—Mrs. Whitehead.
BUTTERED ASPARAGUS.—Cut the tough ends from a bunch of asparagus (white variety preferred) or the canned may be used. Leave it in five inch stalks and boil it tender in salted water. Drain, melt three fourths cup of butter. Lay the asparagus on individual serving plates, and pour the butter generously over it, or it may be served on toast. Two tablespoons of thick cream added is liked by many, especially when the fresh asparagus is used. Asparagus is nice served in the same manner, cold, with sauce tartar or a thick mayonnaise dressing heaped at one side of the plate. Dip each stalk in it as it is eaten.—Mrs. Whitehead.
SCALLOPED CABBAGE.—Chop a head of cabbage quite coarse. Boil it twenty minutes in salted water, drain. Make a cream sauce and add to the cabbage, cover with bread crumbs and bake. For varieties take and sprinkle the top thickly with grated cheese and serve cabbage au gratin.—Contributed.
CORN SOUFFLE.—One pint of fresh or canned corn cooked in one cup of milk ten minutes. Season with salt, pepper, one teaspoon of sugar and one teaspoon of butter. Let it get cold, then add beaten yolks of three eggs and lastly cut in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs and bake in a buttered pudding dish.—Contributed.
BEETS.—Boil young beets tender in water to cover. Drain and cover with cold water then skin them and slice fine. Heat half cup diluted vinegar, salt, pepper and butter, turn over the prepared beets and serve.—Contributed.
GREEN BEANS (GERMAN).—String the beans and shred into lengthwise strips. Cook in salted water until tender, then drain and add some vinegar dressing as for beets. Serve either hot or cold.—Contributed.
BOILED STRING BEANS AND BACON.—Fill a kettle with green or wax beans, shredded or broken into inch lengths, insert a piece of bacon or salt pork (about one pound) in the center of the beans, cover with cold water and boil gently two or three hours covering the kettle. Add more salt, if necessary and a good dash of pepper. Let the water about cook off the beans and serve either hot or cold. Fresh pork may be used with equal success.
SCALLOPED POTATOES.—Pare and slice six or eight potatoes of uniform size. Butter a baking dish and spread a thin layer of potatoes on the bottom. Mix one teaspoon of salt and one quarter teaspoon of pepper with three tablespoons of flour. Sprinkle a teaspoon of this mixture over each layer of potatoes, dot each layer with butter and cover with milk, then add another layer of potatoes and continue until all are used. Dot the top with butter and put in enough milk to just cover the potatoes. Cover the baking dish and bake forty minutes or more, uncover and brown. For potatoes au gratin sprinkle each layer with grated cheese.—Mrs. Whitehead.