New Vegetarian Dishes Part 23

No. 148.--Tasty Greens.

2 eggs.

1 ounce b.u.t.ter.

pound cooked greens of any kind.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Dissolve the b.u.t.ter in a small stewpan, beat up the eggs, add them to the b.u.t.ter, and stir over the fire until the sauce thickens, but on no account allow it to boil; add the greens, which should be finely chopped (see No. 147), also seasoning if required, and continue stirring over a gentle heat for two or three minutes.

No. 149.--Haricot Beans.

1 pint soaked haricot beans.

1 pint water.

1 teaspoon salt.

1 ounce b.u.t.ter.

Boil the beans in the water for half an hour, add salt, and boil again gently for another half or three-quarters of an hour; strain away the liquor, and leave the beans in the colander to dry off. Dissolve the b.u.t.ter in a stewpan, gently toss the beans in it, taking care not to break them, and serve.

Either chopped parsley, grated nutmeg, or lemon juice may be added to the b.u.t.ter, but the beans are extremely good quite plain.

Note.--They may also be served in the liquor. See General Hints, page 1.

No. 150.--Mushrooms Baked.

1 dozen mushrooms.

1 ounce b.u.t.ter.

2 tablespoonsful water.

Pepper and salt.

Peel the mushrooms, removing part of the stalks, and lay them (stalks upwards) in a flat baking tin or dish containing the water; place a small piece of the b.u.t.ter in the centre of each mushroom, pepper and salt them to taste; cover them, and bake in a moderate oven for twenty or thirty minutes. Serve very hot.

Note.--Great care must be taken that the mushrooms are quite free from insects before cooking.

No. 151.--Green Peas Boiled.

1 pint sh.e.l.led peas.

1 pint water.

A sprig of mint.

1 ounce b.u.t.ter.

teaspoon salt.

Wash the peas, and place them in a stewpan with the other ingredients, simmer with the lid off until they are quite tender, remove the mint and serve. The small quant.i.ty of liquor which remains will be found useful for flavouring sauces, stews, etc.

Note.--This way of cooking peas is greatly superior to that of putting them into a large quant.i.ty of water, as there is no waste and the entire flavour and nutriment of the vegetable are retained.

No. 152.--Mashed Potatoes.

dozen large potatoes.

1 ounce fresh b.u.t.ter.

3 tablespoons milk.

teaspoon salt.

teaspoon pepper.

Wash and scrub the potatoes until perfectly free from dirt and mould, bake them, and when done p.r.i.c.k with a fork to allow the steam to escape, then wipe with a cloth to remove any charred skin, etc. Have ready a good-sized saucepan (enamelled for preference) in which the milk and b.u.t.ter have been heated, halve the potatoes and squeeze them into it, add salt and pepper (the latter should be omitted when being prepared for children), then with a cook's fork beat backwards and forwards, then round and round, until the whole ma.s.s is perfectly smooth and quite free from lumps. Turn into a very hot vegetable dish, arrange in a pile and mark prettily with a fork or knife, then place in the oven for two or three minutes to re-heat.

Note.--Potatoes prepared in this way const.i.tute an ideal diet. All the valuable salts are retained instead of being thrown away in the water, as when peeled before cooking, whilst the b.u.t.ter and milk supply the fatty elements in which the potato is lacking. The colour also is good, which is not the case when they are _boiled_ in their skins, and the taste is delicious.

No. 153.--New Potatoes Fried.

20 very small new potatoes.

1 egg.

2 ounces bread crumbs.

teaspoon salt.

teaspoon pepper.

A pinch each of powdered mace and sweet herbs.

Boil the potatoes twenty minutes, then drain and remove the skins. Mix well together the salt, pepper, mace, sweet herbs, and bread crumbs.

Roll the potatoes first in the egg, then in the savoury bread crumbs, and fry in boiling oil until a golden brown.

Serve with sauce piquante No. 171.

No. 154.--Salsify.

1 dozen roots of salsify.

1 ounce b.u.t.ter.

ounce flour.

1 slice of lemon.

pint water.

1 gill of milk.

teaspoon salt.

Sc.r.a.pe the salsify, and throw it into cold water, cut into pieces about two inches long, and place in an enamelled stewpan with the water, milk, lemon, salt, and half an ounce of b.u.t.ter. Boil one hour or until quite tender, remove the lemon, lift out the salsify and place in a warm vegetable dish, thicken the liquor with the other half ounce of b.u.t.ter and the flour, pour over the salsify and serve.

No. 155.--Tomatoes.

1 dozen tomatoes.

1 ounces b.u.t.ter.

teaspoon salt.

teaspoon pepper.

Scald the tomatoes by pouring boiling water over them, then place in cold water for half a minute. Remove the skins, which will now come off quite easily, slice the tomatoes into about four pieces with a very sharp knife. Have ready a stewpan in which the b.u.t.ter has been dissolved, place the tomatoes in it, add the seasoning, and stew gently for about twenty minutes, stirring frequently.