Peel and quarter the turnips, and boil them in the salt and water until tender; strain and press the water well out, return them to the saucepan (which should be first rinsed and wiped), add butter, and beat them well with a strong fork over a gentle heat; add pepper, then turn into a flat pie dish, but do not quite fill it. Break four eggs on the top, sprinkle over them the watercress and a little salt, also the bread crumbs and half ounce butter broken in small pieces, and bake until the eggs are set, but not hard.
Note.—An ornamental pie dish should be used, as it must go to table.
[No. 119.]—Vegetable Marrow with Potato Balls.
- 1 vegetable marrow.
- 10 or 12 floury potatoes.
- 1 egg.
- 1½ ounces butter.
- Pepper and salt.
Peel the potatoes, boil until tender, strain, and dry them well. Mash with a large fork, add pepper and salt to taste, half an ounce of butter and the yolk of egg, beat the white to a stiff froth and add last. Form the potatoes into nice-shaped balls about the size of a small orange, and place them in a baking tin in which one ounce of butter has been dissolved, brush them over with a little of the butter, and brown in the oven. In the meantime, boil the vegetable marrow whole until tender (from half to three-quarters of an hour), when done, peel it, cut it into slices about one and a half inches thick, remove the seeds, lay the pieces in a dish, and place in the oven for a few minutes to dry off; then sprinkle a little pepper and salt over, and place a ball of potato in the centre of each piece of marrow. Pour tomato or other sauce over, and serve.
[No. 120.]—Vegetable Marrow Rings with Tomato Batter.
- 1 medium-sized vegetable marrow.
- 8 ounces tomato pulp.
- 1 egg.
- 1 tablespoon flour.
- 2 ounces butter.
- 1 gill milk.
- A little pepper and salt.
Peel the vegetable marrow, cut it into even rings about three-quarters of an inch thick, and remove the seeds neatly (this is best done by the aid of a pastry cutter). Dissolve the butter in a baking tin, place the rings in, sprinkle a little salt on them, and bake in a hot oven for half an hour, then turn them over and bake another half hour. Meanwhile prepare the batter as follows:—take half a pound of cooked tomato pulp, as dry as possible, and chop it well; add pepper and salt if not already seasoned. Make a batter with the egg, flour and milk, add the tomato pulp, and stir all well together. When the rings of marrow have been cooking one hour, remove from the oven, fill up the centres with the batter, replace in the oven, and bake another half hour.
[Tomato sauce No. 179] should be served with this dish, which can be specially recommended.