)
- 1-1/2 c. stewed chestnuts
- 1-1/2 c. stewed mushrooms
- 3 Tb. butter
- 3 Tb. flour
- 1-1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 1-1/2 c. milk
Remove the shells from the required number of Italian chestnuts and cook the nut meats in boiling water until tender. Peel off the skins and break the chestnuts into pieces. If fresh mushrooms are used, stew them in boiling water until tender. Cut the stewed or canned mushrooms into pieces of the same size as the chestnuts, and mix the two together. Make a cream sauce by melting the butter, adding the flour, salt, and pepper, and stirring in the hot milk. Cook until the mixture thickens, pour it over the chestnuts and mushrooms, and serve in any of the ways suggested.
OKRA AND ITS PREPARATION
37. OKRA is a fruit vegetable consisting of a green pod that is several inches long, pointed at one end, and filled with seeds. Fig. 9 shows okra pods attached to the herb of which they are a part. Although okra originated in Africa, it is for the most part grown in the southern section of the United States. However, canned okra may be obtained almost anywhere. Okra is low in food value, being only slightly higher than cabbage and most of the greens; nevertheless, it is liked by many persons. It is of a mucilaginous, or gummy, consistency, and if it is not properly cooked it becomes very slimy and is then decidedly unpleasant. Because of its gummy nature, it helps to thicken any dish to which it is added. Probably its chief use is as an ingredient in soups, when it is known as gumbo. Chicken gumbo soup is one of the most popular dishes of this kind.
The preliminary preparation of okra is the same as that of most other vegetables; that is, the pods should be washed, the stems removed, and the cleaned pods then cooked in sufficient boiling salted water to cover them well.
38. STEWED OKRA.--The simplest way in which to prepare okra is to stew it. When seasoned well with salt, pepper, and butter, stewed okra finds much favor with those who care for this vegetable.
Select the required number of okra pods and put them on to cook in enough boiling salted water to cover them well. Cook until the pods are soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Season with pepper and, if necessary, additional salt, and add 1 tablespoonful of butter for each four persons to be served.