Vaughan's Vegetable Cook Book Part 16

ESCALLOPED SWEET POTATOES.

Boil the potatoes the day before. Peel and slice them rather thick. In the bottom of a baking-dish put bits of b.u.t.ter, sprinkle sugar and put a layer of potato. Then more b.u.t.ter, sugar and potato, until the pan is full. Let the top be strewn with sugar and bits of b.u.t.ter and pour over it a teacupful of water. Put it in the oven, and after it begins to cook, once or twice moisten the top with a little b.u.t.ter and water to dissolve the sugar and prevent its merely drying on top of the potato.

Use a teacupful of sugar and half a pound of b.u.t.ter to a half gallon pan of potato. Bake slowly.

SWEET POTATO LOAF.

Boil and mash sweet potatoes, season with b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt, put into a b.u.t.tered baking dish, cover with bread crumbs dotted with b.u.t.ter, and bake until brown. Ornament with cress or a few sprigs of parsley.

SWEET POTATOES ROASTED.

Sweet potatoes roasted under beef or lamb are very nice. Take the skin off carefully to leave the surface smooth, wash and put them under the meat, allowing half an hour for a medium sized potato. They will brown over nicely and receive an agreeable flavor.

SWEET POTATO SALAD.

Boil three large sweet potatoes. Cut into half-inch squares. Cut into very small pieces two stalks of celery. Season with salt and pepper and pour over a French dressing as follows:--Three tablespoonfuls salad oil, two of vinegar, one tablespoonful onion juice, one saltspoon each of salt and pepper. Let salad stand in refrigerator two hours. Garnish with pickles, pitted olives and parsley.

CHICAGO RECORD.

SWISS CHARD OR SILVER LEAF BEET.

The leaves of Swiss Chard are boiled and used like spinach. The stalks and midrib are very broad and tender and when young are used like asparagus. The leaves of sorrel and spinach are often used together as greens. (See Asparagus and Spinach receipts).

BAKED TOMATOES.

Tomatoes may be simply baked without stuffing. Peel them first, lay stem end down in a dripping pan, cut a Greek cross on the top of each, season with salt, pepper and sugar, dot with bits of b.u.t.ter and sprinkle thickly with fine stale crumbs, adding a generous bit of b.u.t.ter on top of each. Pour in at the side of the pan two tablespoonfuls of water.

BROILED TOMATOES.

Turn hot boiling water on to the tomatoes to peel them, cut slices at least three-quarters of an inch thick, and small tomatoes in halves, rub a piece of fat pork on the gridiron, put on the tomatoes, and broil on both sides, or dip in sweet oil and broil, or cover both sides with cheese and broil, or slice the tomatoes with their skins on and broil, and pour melted b.u.t.ter over them. In all cases season nicely with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley or cress and serve hot on a hot dish.

ESCALLOPED TOMATOES.

Arrange in a baking pan layers of tomatoes covered with bread crumbs seasoned with salt, pepper, a little sugar, and dotted with b.u.t.ter. Let the upper layer be of bread crumbs dotted with b.u.t.ter. Bake covered, half an hour. A few minutes before serving take off the cover and brown.

TOMATO CATSUP.

Use ripe tomatoes, boil and strain. To every gallon of tomatoes use 3 tablespoonfuls of salt, 2 of mustard, 1-1/2 black pepper, 1/4 of cayenne, cup of brown sugar and 1 pint of cider vinegar. Boil four hours and watch carefully or it will burn. Set on back of stove and add 1 tablespoonful of cinnamon, 1/2 tablespoonful of cloves, and if liked, 1 pint currant jelly. Mix thoroughly, can while hot and seal.

TOMATO FIGS.

Scald and peel the tomatoes, then weigh them, place them in a stone jar with an equal amount of sugar and let them stand two days, then pour off the syrup and boil and skim until no sc.u.m rises. Pour it over the tomatoes and let them stand two days as before, pour off, boil and skim a second time and a third time. After the third time they are fit to dry if the weather is good, if not let them stand in syrup until drying weather. Place on earthen dishes and dry in the sun which will take about a week, after which pack them in wooden boxes with fine white paper between the layers; so prepared they will keep for years.

FRIED TOMATOES.

Do not pare the tomatoes, cut in slices, roll in flour and fry in b.u.t.ter until both sides are brown, season with salt, pepper and a little sugar sprinkled over while cooking; or after the tomatoes are browned, stir into the gravy in the spider, one cupful of cream thickened with flour.

Let it boil up, and turn it over the tomatoes.

MACARONI WITH TOMATOES.

Remove from each tomato the pips and watery substance it contains; put the tomatoes in a saucepan with a small piece of b.u.t.ter, pepper, salt, thyme and a bay leaf, and a few tablespoonfuls of gravy or stock, keep stirring until they are reduced to a pulp, then strain through a sieve, and pour over macaroni already boiled soft and cover with grated cheese; bake until a light brown.

TOMATO MANGOES. (See Mangoes.)

TOMATO MUSTARD.

To one peck of ripe tomatoes add a teaspoonful of salt; let it stew a half hour, and strain through a sieve. Add two dessertspoonfuls of onions chopped fine, a dessertspoonful of whole pepper, one of allspice, one of cloves, and half a spoonful of cayenne pepper. Let it simmer down one-third, adding a teaspoonful of curry, and a teacupful of mustard.

Then simmer half an hour longer.

FROZEN TOMATO SALAD.

Peel and chop fine a half dozen solid tomatoes, season with a teaspoonful of salt, a saltspoonful of pepper and a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Freeze the pulp solid in an ice cream freezer, when frozen mold it into fancy shapes and serve on lettuce with a tablespoonful of mayonnaise over each mold.

TOMATO SOUP.

Boil a quart of tomatoes in a pint of water for twenty minutes and strain; put in a small teaspoonful of soda, and a quart of milk as it foams. Add a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed together, plenty of salt and a sprinkling of pepper.

Put a tablespoonful of whipped cream in each soup plate.

STUFFED TOMATOES.

Cut off a transverse slice from the stem end of the tomato; sc.r.a.pe out the inside pulp and stuff it with mashed potatoes, bread crumbs, parsley and onions, or with any force meat, fish, or poultry well seasoned with b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt, moistened with a little stock or cream and the yolk of an egg added to bind it, bake. Or, scoop out the seeds, place the tomatoes in a saucepan containing a gill of salad oil; next chop about half a bottle of mushrooms, a handful of parsley and four shallots, put them into a stewpan with two ounces of sc.r.a.ped bacon or ham, season with pepper, salt, a little chopped thyme and fry five minutes, when add the yolks of three eggs. Fill the tomatoes with this mixture, sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake until brown.

TOMATO WINE.

Take fresh ripe tomatoes, mash very fine, strain through a thin cloth.

To every gallon of the pure juice add one and one-quarter pounds of sugar and set away in an earthen jar about nine days or until it has fermented; a little salt will improve its taste; strain again, bottle, cork tightly and tie down cork. To use it as a drink, to every gallon of fresh sweetened water add half a tumbler of the wine with a few drops of lemon essence and one has a good subst.i.tute for lemonade.

KIZZIE BECKLY.

BAKED TURNIPS.