THE PREPARATION OF VEGETABLES.
There are two laws underlying the preparation of all vegetables for the table; the first is, cook until tender; the second is, do not cook until mushy and the juice extracted. By overlooking the first you are left with a rank, tough, indigestible dish; by overlooking the second with one watery, and—worst of all culinary adjectives—juiceless. A time-table regulating the exact number of minutes which each vegetable shall be cooked can not be perfectly exact. Not rules, but judgment must decide the limit of time. However a table of approximations may be of service to amateur cooks whose experience has not yet taught them that essential of successful cookery.
Cabbage.—When young, requires an hour; winter cabbage, double that time.
Turnips.—When young, three quarters of an hour; winter turnips, two hours.
Carrots.—When young, three quarters of an hour; winter carrots, two hours.
Beets.—When young, three quarters of an hour; winter beets, four hours.
Onions.—When young, one hour; winter onions, two hours.
The temperature at which vegetables should be cooked is a point of great importance. A little reflection should easily settle the question, however. When young vegetables are tender, the juices are easily withdrawn, continued stewing or soaking extracts all the flavor and strength; when old they become tough, and only long stewing will make them tender and bring out the juices. By putting young vegetables into cold water we extract the juice before they begin to cook, and by the time they become tender they are tasteless; but by putting winter vegetables into cold water they are gradually softened, and by the time they are cooked tender the juice is fully developed; hence the reason for the rule which cooks have formulated: Put all young, green vegetables into salted boiling water; all dried and winter vegetables into cold water.
Add to your regard for these first principles a nice skill in draining all the water from your cabbage, turnips, carrots, beets and onions, and that most delicate of all cookery arts—the art of seasoning—and you can not fail of toothsome entrées[1] and salads.
Cabbage Salad or Slaw.—Remove from a firm, fresh cabbage the outer leaves and slice fine. The simplest dressing is of sugar, salt and vinegar. Mayonnaise[2] dressing may be prepared by taking the beaten yolks of six eggs and into them beating, drop by drop, two tablespoonfuls of salad oil; now alternate with every few drops of two tablespoonfuls of salad oil, small quantities of vinegar until two tablespoonfuls of vinegar have been used. Beat into this mixture, which should be very smooth, one saltspoonful of salt and half as much cayenne pepper, set in a cold place until wanted. A cooked mayonnaise dressing is made by adding to each tablespoonful of boiling vinegar, the beaten yolk of an egg, and cooking until stiff. Remove the mixture and stir in an ounce of butter. When cool, season it with salt, pepper and mustard; then add sweet cream until it is of the desired consistency.
Hot Slaw is prepared by stewing chopped cabbage until tender, and then adding a dressing of vinegar, butter, salt and pepper.
Pickled Cabbage.—Chop, not too fine, a fresh cabbage, and season it with white mustard seed, salt and pepper. Now pack this firmly into a jar and add cold vinegar. Cloves should be sprinkled over the top to prevent mould. Or, pack a layer of chopped cabbage alternately with a layer of chopped onions, and having salted, allow it to stand for about twenty-four hours. A dressing of one pint of vinegar, one cup of sugar, and one teaspoonful each of ground mustard, black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, mace, allspice, and celery seed is made for each head of cabbage and half dozen of onions, by scalding the vinegar and adding sugar and spices. Into this dressing pour the cabbage and onions. Allow them to simmer for half an hour, then put into jars.
Boiled Cabbage.—Quarter a cabbage from which the outer leaves have been removed, and which has been examined carefully for insects and slugs. Boil until tender. Drain well, being careful to press out the water. Boiled cabbage may be chopped, and a tablespoonful of butter, pepper and salt stirred in, or it may be served with white sauce or drawn butter. White sauce is made by cooking together one ounce of flour and two ounces of butter, and, after adding a pint of milk allowing the mixture to simmer slowly. Season with salt and pepper. Drawn butter differs from white sauce only in having water or broth in place of the milk. Cabbage may be boiled in water taken from the pot in which corned beef or pork is being cooked. This seasons it nicely.
Stewed Cabbage.—Chop cabbage fine and stew until tender. When “done” add sweet milk sufficient for a dressing and allow it to cook for ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Marion Harland gives this recipe for a stewed “stuffed cabbage:” “Choose for this purpose a large, firm cabbage. When perfectly cold bind a broad tape about it, or a strip of muslin, that it may not fall apart when the stalk is taken out. Remove this with a thin, sharp knife, leaving a hole about as deep as your middle finger. Without widening the mouth of the aperture excavate the center. Chop the bits you have taken out very small; mix with some cold boiled pork or ham, or cooked sausage-meat, a very little onion, pepper, salt, a pinch of thyme, and some bread crumbs. Fill the cavity with this, bind a wide strip of muslin over the hole in the top, and lay the cabbage in a large sauce-pan with a pint of ‘hot liquor’ from boiled beef or ham. Stew gently until very tender. Take out the cabbage, unbind carefully, and lay in a dish. Keep hot while you add to the gravy, when you have strained it, pepper, a piece of butter rolled in flour, and two or three tablespoonfuls of rich milk or cream. Boil up and pour over the cabbage.”
Baked Cabbage.—The cold boiled cabbage left over from dinner is very nice baked. Chop it fine and add a dressing made of beaten eggs and milk and seasoned with salt and pepper. Put it into a buttered baking dish, and having strewn the top with bread crumbs or rolled crackers, bake it brown.
Fried Cabbage.—Another excellent dish to be prepared from cold boiled cabbage is fried cabbage. Chop the cabbage fine and stir in a little melted butter, two beaten eggs, a little cream, pepper and salt, and cook until slightly brown.
Boiled Turnips.—Boil until tender and drain dry. After mashing them smooth, being careful to rub away all hard lumps, stir in a tablespoonful of butter and season with salt and pepper. If it is preferred to cut them in slices, they are nice served with white sauce or drawn butter as a dressing. A little vinegar added to the dressing is by many considered an improvement. Young turnips are nice served whole with either of these sauces.
Stewed Turnips.—An excellent way of warming over boiled turnips is to add sufficient milk to them to stew thoroughly, and then to season with pepper and salt.
Baked Turnips.—Cold boiled or sliced turnips may be “done over” by putting them into a baking-pan, covering with bread crumbs, moistening with milk, and then baking in the oven. Freshly boiled turnips, sliced thin, may be cooked in the same way.
Boiled Carrots.—If carrots are small and young they may be boiled whole, but if they are large they should be split into two or three pieces; when cooked they may be served with butter, salt and pepper, or with white sauce, like sliced boiled turnips.
Mashed Carrots.—Boiled carrots are very nice mashed with a large spoonful of butter, a little cream, and seasoning of pepper and salt worked into them. Serve as you would mashed potatoes.
Fried Carrots.—Cold boiled carrots, or those which have been parboiled, may be sliced and fried brown in butter. They must be seasoned, of course, with pepper and salt.
Stewed Carrots.—Parboil carrots for three quarters of an hour. Put them into a stew-pan and pour on them a teacupful of broth with seasoning of pepper, salt and butter, and stew until they are tender. A little cream and a lump of butter may be added and the whole allowed to boil up.
Boiled Beets.—In preparing beets for the kettle they should be washed, but not cut. When done, rub off the skin and slice. Butter, pepper and salt should be added for seasoning. If you like a dressing of vinegar put a tablespoonful of butter into half a cup of vinegar, add pepper and salt, and boil before turning upon the beets.
Baked Beets.—Slice your beets and place in a baking pan with butter, pepper and salt. Allow about twenty minutes longer for baking than boiling. This method preserves much of the juice of the vegetable which is lost in boiling.
Stewed Beets.—Parboil your beets until nearly done, rub off the skin and slice. Into your stew-pan pour enough milk to cover the beets, add a little butter, salt and pepper, and simmer slowly until they are done.
Boiled Onions.—Onions may be laid in cold water half an hour before cooking. Boil them in two waters until tender. When cooked, drain carefully and serve with butter, salt and pepper. Boiled onions are nice with a dressing of drawn butter.
Baked Onions.—Choose large onions for baking, and after peeling boil for an hour. Drain them thoroughly and about each wrap a piece of buttered tissue paper, bake them until they are quite tender, then remove the paper and brown in the oven, basting with butter. Serve them with drawn butter.
Stewed Onions.—Onions which have been parboiled may be stewed in milk sufficient to cover. When done, a dressing of hot cream and butter, seasoned with salt and pepper, may be poured over them; or they may be chopped fine, and the cream, butter and seasonings be stirred in.
Fried Onions.—Slice into small strips and fry in butter, taking care to brown them evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Onions sliced thin and fried in hot fat are called Saratoga onions.