Lentils (Lentilles)

Lentils are cooked as directed under the “preparation of dry vegetables” (No. [274]).

[2166—LENTILLES AU BEURRE]

Carefully drain the lentils; dry them by tossing them over the fire, and cohere them with butter in the proportion of two oz. of the latter per lb. of lentils.

Dish in a timbale, and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.

[2167—PURÉE DE LENTILLES]

Proceed as for the purée of haricot-beans.

[2168—VÉRONIQUE (Laver)]

As this vegetable is sold already cooked at English markets, it is only necessary to add enough good Espagnole sauce to it, when heating it, to make a properly consistent purée.

Take the maize when it is quite fresh and still milky, and cook it either in steam or salted water; taking care to retain the leaves on the ears. When cooked, the leaves are drawn [652] ]back so as to represent stalks, and the ears are bared if they be served whole. This done, set the ears on a napkin, and send a hors-d’œuvre dish of fresh butter to the table with them.

If the maize has to be grilled, put the ears on a grill in the oven, and, when they have swollen and are of a golden colour, withdraw the grains and set the latter on a napkin. Sometimes, too, the ears are served whole.

When maize is served as an accompaniment, the grains are separated from the stalk and cohered with butter or cream, exactly like peas.

Failing fresh maize, excellent preserved kinds are to be found on the market.

[2170—SOUFFLÉ DE MAÏS A LA CRÈME]

Cook the maize in water or steam; rub it quickly through tammy; put it into a saucepan with a small piece of butter, and quickly dry it.

This done, add sufficient fresh cream to this purée to make a somewhat soft paste. Thicken this paste with the yolks of three eggs, per lb. of purée, and combine it with the whites of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Mould and cook after the manner of an ordinary [soufflé].

[2171—SOUFFLÉ DE MAÏS AU PAPRIKA]

Before rubbing the maize through a sieve, add to it two tablespoonfuls of chopped onion fried in butter, and a large pinch of paprika per lb. of maize. Proceed for the rest of the operation as in the case of No. [2170].

N.B.—These two [soufflés] are served as a garnish and may be cooked either in a timbale or in small [cassolettes]. They constitute excellent adjuncts to large, poached fowls.

[2172—CHESTNUTS (Marrons)]

Slightly split open the shell on the convex sides of the nuts, and put them in the oven for from seven to eight minutes, on a tray containing a little water, that they may be shelled with ease.

Or, split them open in the same way; put them in small quantities at a time in a frying-basket, and plunge them into very hot fat. Peel them while they are still quite hot.

[2173—STEWED CHESTNUTS]

As soon as they are peeled, cook them in enough consommé to just cover them, and add half a stick of celery per lb. of chestnuts.

[653]
]If they are intended for the stuffing of a goose or a turkey, keep them somewhat firm.

[2174—BRAISED AND GLAZED CHESTNUTS]

Take some very large chestnuts, and dip them in hot fat in order to peel them. Then set them in one layer, one against the other in a sautépan. If they were heaped, only a poor result could be obtained.

Moisten them, just enough to cover, with strong veal stock, and stir them as little as possible while they are cooking, so as to avoid breaking them.

When they are three-parts cooked, reduce the moistening, and gently roll the chestnuts in the glaze resulting from this reduction, that they may be covered with a brilliant coating.

Chestnuts prepared in this way serve more particularly as a garnish.

[2175—PURÉE DE MARRONS]

Having thoroughly peeled the chestnuts, cook them in white consommé, with a celery stalk as in the case of No. [2173], and one-half oz. of sugar per lb. of chestnuts. Continue cooking until they may be easily crushed; rub them through tammy, and treat the purée as directed in the case of the preceding ones.

[2176—TURNIPS (Navets)]

Whether served as vegetables or as a garnish, turnips are prepared like carrots. They may, therefore, either be served glazed, or “à la Crème,” &c.

They may also be served stuffed, after the following recipes:—

[2177—STUFFED TURNIPS.—A]

Take some round, medium-sized turnips, fairly equal in size. Peel them, and, in so doing, shape them nicely; then, by means of a round fancy-cutter, cut them deeply at their base, pressing the instrument into the pulp.

This done, thoroughly parboil and empty them.

With the withdrawn pulp, prepare a purée, to which add an equal quantity of mashed potatoes. Garnish the turnips with this purée, and shape the visible portion of the latter dome-fashion.

Set the stuffed turnips in a sautépan, and complete their cooking in butter, taking care to baste them frequently.

[2178—STUFFED TURNIPS.—B]

Prepare the turnips as above; but stuff them with a preparation of semolina cooked in consommé and combined with grated Parmesan.

[654]
]Complete the cooking as directed in the preceding recipe.

N.B.—Proceeding in the same way, turnips may be stuffed with spinach, chicory, and even with farinaceous vegetables or rice, kept very creamy. All these garnishes are at once sightly and excellent.

[2179—PURÉE[!-- TN: acute invisible --] DE NAVETS (Turnip Purée[!-- TN: acute invisible --])]

Slice the turnips and cook them in a little butter, salt, sugar, and the necessary amount of water. Rub through tammy, and thicken the resulting purée with only just the required quantity of very good mashed potatoes.

[2180—TURNIP-TOPS]

Young turnip-tops are very much liked in England as a luncheon vegetable. They should be prepared like “[Choux verts] cooked [à l’anglaise].”