The New England Cook Book Part 5

89. _Squashes._

If very young boil them whole, if not they should be pared quartered and the seeds taken out, boil them till very tender, then take them up, put them in a cloth, and press out the water, mash them in a dish, salt and b.u.t.ter them to your taste.

90. _Cabbage._

Take off the loose leaves, cut the stalky part in quarters, to the heart of the cabbage. Boil it an hour, if not boiled with corn beef put a little salt in the pot. Cauliflowers will boil tender in fifteen or twenty minutes.

91. _Asparagus._

The tough part should be cut in thin slices, and boiled eight or ten minutes, before the other part is put in, lay the remainder compactly together, tie it in small bundles and boil it from fifteen to twenty minutes, according to its age. Take it up when tender, with a skimmer lay it on b.u.t.tered toast, in a deep dish, sprinkle a little salt on it, melt a little b.u.t.ter, and turn over it.

92. _Peas._

Sh.e.l.l and boil them, from fifteen to thirty minutes, according to their age, and kind, if very old a tea spoonful of saleratus boiled with them, makes them better and more healthy. When tender take them up salt and b.u.t.ter them to your taste.

93. _Beans._

String beans, should have the strings carefully taken off and if old, the edges should be cut off; if the beans are old put saleratus in the pot, in the proportion of half a tea spoonful of saleratus, to a peck of beans it should be put in before the beans. Boil them from twenty five to thirty minutes, salt and b.u.t.ter them when you take them up. Beans and all other summer vegetables, should not be picked longer than one day before being cooked; the fresher green vegetables are the better they are and more healthy.

94. _Corn_,

Should be put in boiling water with a little salt, and boiled from ten to twenty minutes, according to its age. It is much sweeter to be boiled on the cob.

95. _Greens._

White mustard, spinach and the leaves and roots of very small beets, are the best greens. Boil them with a little salt and saleratus in the water.

96. _Salads_,

Should be fresh, and put in cold water, for half an hour before they are eaten. Cuc.u.mbers, to be healthy, should not be picked longer than a day before they are eaten, they should be kept in cold water, and fifteen or twenty minutes before they are eaten, pare and slice them, into fresh cold water.

97. _To Stew Mushrooms._

Peel and put them in a sauce pan, with just enough water, to prevent their burning to the bottom of the pan. Put in a little salt, and shake them occasionally. When they have stewed about twenty minutes, put in a little b.u.t.ter, pepper, and salt; a little wine and cloves improve them.

They should be stewed very slowly, and taken up as soon as seasoned, turn them on b.u.t.tered toast.

98. _Egg Plant_,

Should be cut in slices, about half an inch thick, between every slice sprinkle a little salt, let them lay two hours before cooking, then sc.r.a.pe off the salt and fry them till brown in lard.

99. _Celeriac._

This is an excellent vegetable, but it is but little known. The stalks of it, can hardly be distinguished from celery, and it is much easier cultivated. The roots are nice boiled tender, and cut in thin slices and put in soup, or meat pie, or cooked in the following manner, and eaten with meat. Sc.r.a.pe and cut them in slices, and boil them, till perfectly tender, then take them up sprinkle on a little salt and stew them in a little milk four or five minutes, turn them into a dish, and put in a little b.u.t.ter.

100. _Salsify or Vegetable Oyster._

The best way too cook it, is to cut it in slices, and dip it into an egg and fine bread crumbs, fry it in lard. It is very good boiled, and then stewed a few moments in milk, and a little b.u.t.ter put on it, or cut in slices, and fried in b.u.t.ter, made like that for oyster pancakes, subst.i.tuting milk for the juice of the oyster.

101. _Tomatoes,_

If very ripe will skin easily, if not pour on scalding water, and let them remain in it four or five minutes. Peel and put them in a stew pan with a table spoonful of water if not very juicy, if so no water will be required, put in a little salt, and stew them in tin, for half an hour, when done turn them into a dish with b.u.t.tered toast. Another way of cooking them, which is considered very nice by epicures, is to put them in a deep dish, with powdered bread crumbs, or crackers, a layer of each alternately, sprinkle salt, and pepper, on each layer, and put on small bits of b.u.t.ter, over each layer, some people like a little nutmeg and sugar. Have a layer of bread crumbs on the top, and bake it, in a bake pan three quarters of an hour.

102. _Gumb._

Take an equal quant.i.ty of young tender okra chopped fine, and ripe tomatoes skinned, an onion shredded fine, a small lump of b.u.t.ter, a little salt and pepper, put the whole in a stew pan, with a table spoonful of water, and stew it till tender.

103. _Southern Manner of Cooking Rice._

Pick over the rice, and wash it in cold water, put it in three quarts of boiling water with half a tea spoonful of salt, to a pint of the rice.

Boil it seventeen minutes, then turn off the water very close, put it over a moderate fire with the lid of the pot off, let it steam fifteen minutes. Rice boiled in this manner is superior to any other; but care must be taken to be exact in the time of boiling and steaming, as a few moments variation makes a great deal of difference with it, the water should boil when it is put in the pot, and not allowed to stop boiling till done. The water that the rice is cooked in makes nice starch if boiled a few moments by itself.

104. _To Pickle Peppers._

If you do not like them fiery, take out the seeds, they should be taken out carefully with a penknife, so as not to mangle the pepper. Soak them in salt and water, eight or nine days, change the water each day, and keep them in a warm place. If you like them stuffed, put in cinnamon, cloves, mace, and nasturtions, lay them in cold spiced vinegar. Tomatoes when very small, and green, are good pickled with the peppers.

105. _Mangoes._

Procure muskmelons as late in the season as possible, and those that are very green; if pickled early, they are apt to spoil. Take out the seeds, and soak them in salt and water, three or four days. Then take them out of the water, sprinkle powdered cloves, and nutmeg, round on the inside of the melon, fill them with strips of horseradish, cinnamon, small string beans, or flag root, nasturtion, and radish tops, fill the crevices, with American mustard seed; put on the covers, and sew each one up in a bag. Lay the melons in a stone jar, with the side that the covers are on up; turn on scalding hot vinegar, with alum, pepper corns, and salt in it. Pickled barberries are a pretty garnish for them.

106. _To Pickle b.u.t.ternuts and Walnuts._

The nuts for pickling should be picked as early as the first of July unless the season is very backward, if a pin will go through them easily, they are in a right state for pickling. Soak them in salt and water, a week, then drain, and sc.r.a.pe or rub them, with a cloth, sprinkle them with ground cloves, and pour on boiling vinegar, spiced with cloves, pepper corns, allspice, and mace, add a little salt. They will be fit to eat in the course of a fortnight, or three weeks. The vinegar they are pickled in, makes a nice catsup, if boiled down to half the quant.i.ty, and a little more spice added.

107. _To Pickle Cabbage, and Cauliflower._

Purple cabbages are the best for pickling. Pull off the loose leaves and quarter them, sprinkle salt on the flat side of each one, let them lay several days, then rinse off the salt and drain them; sprinkle on powdered cloves, mace, salt, and pour on scalding vinegar, with a few peppers in it, alum and pepper corns. Cauliflowers are pickled in the same manner as the cabbages. They will be fit to eat in the course of a fortnight, after being pickled.

108. _To Pickle Onions._

Peel and boil them, in milk and water, a few minutes. Put cloves, cinnamon, mace, and salt, in vinegar, and heat the vinegar scalding hot in bra.s.s. Take the onions out of the milk and water, drain them, then turn on the vinegar scalding hot, with two ounces of alum to each pailful of vinegar. Cover them tight until cold.