Method.—Parboil the little artichokes, remove the skins and finish cooking them in vegetable stock. Line a buttered pastry ring with the paste (about a quarter of an inch thick) and fill it with some uncooked rice, or split peas, wrapped in greased paper and bake in a quick oven until it is very lightly coloured. Then take it out and remove the filling and turn the case carefully from the ring on to a baking sheet; fill it with the artichokes (taking care they are thoroughly drained), pour the sauce over them and put the case back into a fairly quick oven until the surface of the sauce is lightly browned. The sauce should be quite thick and after taking it from the stove, stir in the tablespoonful of cream and the grated cheese and use as directed.
ARTICHOKE AND POTATO PIE
Four globe artichokes, 1¹⁄₂ lbs. salad potatoes (which are close and firm), 2 hard-boiled eggs, seasoning, ¹⁄₂ pint nicely-flavoured brown sauce (thick), a dessertspoonful tomato catsup, 2 mushrooms, parsley, onion, ¹⁄₂ lb. short paste.
Method.—Boil some globe artichokes in the usual way and remove all the leaves and the “choke” and cut the remaining portion into quarters; cook also the peeled salad potatoes, taking them from the fire directly they are tender, and cut them into moderately thick slices; mince two good sized mushrooms and mix them with a large dessertspoonful of chopped parsley and a teaspoonful of scalded onion, which has been minced. Line a buttered pie-dish with the short paste, which should be fairly thin, then fill it with layers of the artichokes and potatoes (mixed) with a few pieces of hard boiled egg, cut in quarters, and over each layer scatter some of the mushroom mixture and season with salt, pepper, and a very little mixed spice. When the dish is full pour in the sauce, mixed with the tomato catsup; then cover the pie, brush it over with some beaten egg (or milk) and bake in a fairly quick oven for one hour.
ARTICHOKES ROASTED
Jerusalem artichokes, palmine (vegetable butter), seasoning.
Method.—Wash, peel, and trim the artichokes and throw them as they are done into a basin of cold acidulated water (produced by the addition of a small quantity of vinegar or lemon-juice), then dry them on a cloth and put them into a baking tin containing some warm palmine, sprinkle a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg over the artichokes and bake them in a well-heated oven until they are evenly browned, which should be in about three quarters of an hour. They should be basted frequently, and if the heat is fierce, a piece of greased paper should be placed over them until they are nearly done; drain the artichokes on soft paper on taking them from the fat, scatter a little chopped parsley over them, and serve with a dish of spaghetti à l’Italienne.
ARTICHOKE (JAPANESE) RISSOLES
Half a pound of artichokes, 1¹⁄₂ gills very thick white sauce, 2 ozs. dry, powdered breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoonful lemon-juice, 1 whole egg and 1 yolk, puffed potatoes.
Method.—Prepare and cook the artichokes as in the recipe for Artichokes à la Mornay, and when they are quite tender, drain them thoroughly and cut them up into small pieces, have the sauce ready, add the yolk of a raw egg to it, which has been beaten up with the lemon-juice, and ascertain that it has sufficient seasoning, then mix the artichokes with it and spread them out on a flat dish to get cold. Take about a dessertspoonful of the mixture at a time, and form it on a floured board into little balls; dip them into beaten egg, then cover thickly with the breadcrumbs, and after allowing time for them to dry, fry the rissoles in deep, boiling fat. The sauce should be well flavoured with vegetables and finished with a little cream if practicable. Serve the rissoles round a pyramid of puffed potatoes and garnish with fried parsley. The potatoes should be prepared thus: Peel them and cut them length-wise into rather thick strips, then into dice-shaped squares, and put them into a basin of cold water for about fifteen minutes, then drain them and dry them thoroughly in a soft cloth. Melt sufficient fat (or oil) in a stewpan to cover the potatoes; when it is hot (not boiling) put them in and let them cook gently until they are tender; then take them out and make the fat boil, testing it with a piece of bread to ascertain when the right temperature is reached. Put the potatoes into the boiling fat and fry them quickly for a few minutes, when they will puff up and become a golden brown; drain them on paper and scatter some chopped parsley and salt over them.