Squash and Corn.—Spanish Style.
Take 3 small summer squashes and 3 ears of corn; chop the squashes and cut the corn from the cobs. Put into a saucepan a spoonful of lard or butter, and when very hot an onion; fry a little; add the corn and squash, 1 tomato and 1 green pepper, cut small, and salt to taste. Cover closely and stir frequently to prevent scorching.
Pickles.
To make mixed pickles, cut small cucumbers crosswise in about 4 pieces; onions, if not very small, in 2, and peppers, if the ordinary size, in 4 pieces. Should you have green tomatoes, cut them small. Use a less amount of onions and peppers than cucumbers; mix all together with a few bay leaves. Next, take a tub or keg, and, having covered the bottom with fine salt, put on a layer of pickles, adding alternate layers of each, leaving that of salt on top. Cover with a cotton cloth, and lay on a stone or wooden weight. Let them remain three days; then take out, rinse in cold water, but do not soak, and put them in a basket or sack to drain for twelve hours. Have ready plenty of California wine vinegar, made hot, but not boiling, adding the following—cloves, allspice, green ginger, and whole mustard seed, with 1 coffee-cup sugar. When the vinegar is at scalding heat pour over the pickles and cover.
Nice Picklette.
Take 4 nice cabbages, chopped fine; 1 quart onions, chopped fine; 2 quarts—or sufficient to cover the mixture—best wine vinegar, adding two tablespoonfuls each of ground mustard, black pepper, cinnamon, celery salt, 1 of mace, and 1 coffee-cup sugar. Pack the cabbages and onions in alternate layers, with a little fine salt between, and let stand until next day; then scald the vinegar with the spices and sugar, and pour over the cabbages and onions. Repeat this the next day; and on the third, heat the whole scalding hot, let it cool, and put in jars, when it is fit for use at once.
Pickled Tripe.
Pickled tripe is very nice—and that sold by John Bayle, in the California Market, which is cleaned by steam process, and is quite tender and unsalted is a superior article. To prepare for pickling, cut in pieces about four inches square, say five or six pounds. Put into a kettle; cover with boiling water, adding a handful of salt; let stand fifteen minutes; take out and drain, keeping warm. Mix one-fourth water with the best wine vinegar—to which add cloves, allspice and mace, with 1 teacupful sugar; heat, and pour over the tripe, and set away to cool. Tripe prepared in this way is the best for broiling or frying.
To Cook Grouse or Prairie Chicken.
The best way I have found for cooking this delicious game bird is, first, after cleaning, to cut off the wings and legs, as, with the back, these parts are of little account; next, split the birds in the centre, taking out the breast-bone, and you have two heavy pieces; if the bird is large, divide again; do not wash, but wipe with a damp cloth. Season with pepper and salt, and broil with butter quite rare; then lay in a porcelain-lined pan, with butter and currant or grape jelly, adding a little cayenne pepper, and a small quantity of port or white wine.