Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume II Part 27

Toward spring it is more difficult to cook them soft, as the cellulose in them becomes harder and they are likely to develop woody fiber.

124. In preparing turnips for cooking, scrub them until thoroughly clean and then peel, wasting no more of the vegetable than is necessary. They may then be cut up as desired for the recipe to be prepared.

125. STEWED TURNIPS.--When turnips are stewed until tender and then seasoned with salt and pepper and flavored with b.u.t.ter they form a very palatable dish.

To prepare them in this way, select the desired number, scrub them until clean, and then peel them. Cut them into dice about 1/2 inch in size, and put these to cook in boiling salted water, allowing the cover to remain off the kettle during the cooking. Cook until they may be easily pierced with a fork and drain the water from them. Season with additional salt, if necessary, and with pepper, and add 1 tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter for each four persons to be served. Allow the b.u.t.ter to melt and serve hot.

126. MASHED TURNIPS.--Turnips, like potatoes, are a very good vegetable to mash. Prepare the desired number in the manner explained in Art. 125.

Cook in boiling salted water with the kettle cover removed. When tender enough to be mashed easily, drain the water from them, mash with a potato masher, and season with additional salt if necessary and with pepper and b.u.t.ter. Allow the b.u.t.ter to melt and serve hot.

127. CREAMED TURNIPS.--Turnips, both yellow and white, make an excellent dish when dressed with a cream sauce. Prepare the desired number of turnips by cleaning and peeling them and cutting them into dice about 1/2 inch in size. Cook until tender in boiling salted water and drain.

Prepare a medium white sauce and pour over the turnips. Serve hot.

VEGETABLE COMBINATIONS

128. The recipes given for the various kinds of vegetables pertain in most cases to merely one vegetable, and this is the way in which this food is usually prepared. However, there are times when it is an advantage to combine two or more vegetables. For instance, it is sometimes desired to give additional variety to the menu or to utilize small quant.i.ties of vegetable that alone would not be sufficient to serve the family. Then, again, two vegetables are often prepared together in order to obtain an attractive color combination. In view of these facts, several recipes for the most usual combinations of vegetables are here given, so that the housewife may not be at a loss when she wishes to combine two or more vegetables. It must not be thought that these are the only combinations that can be prepared, for often vegetables can be combined to suit the housewife's taste and needs.

129. CARROTS AND PEAS.--If an attractive combination, as well as an appetizing dish, is desired, carrots and peas should be prepared together and served with b.u.t.ter or a vegetable or a cream sauce. This combination may be served plain, but if there are any mashed potatoes on hand and an attractive dish is desired, it may be served in potato rosettes, as shown in Fig. 21.

Clean and sc.r.a.pe the desired number of young, tender carrots, and cut them into dice about the size of the peas that are to be used. Sh.e.l.l an equal quant.i.ty of green peas. Put the two vegetables together in boiling salted water and cook until tender. If there is any possibility that the carrots will not cook in as short a period of time as the peas, cook them for some time before adding the peas. When tender, pour off the water, add additional salt, if necessary, and pepper, and dress with b.u.t.ter or, if preferred, with a vegetable or a white sauce. Heat through thoroughly and serve.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 21]

If it is desired to serve the carrots and peas in the rosettes mentioned, force hot mashed potato through a pastry tube and form the required number of rosettes on a platter, as shown. In the center of each rosette put a spoonful or two of the carrots and peas.

In case fresh peas cannot be secured, canned peas may be subst.i.tuted.

When this is done, the carrots should be cooked until tender and the peas added just before the sauce is poured over the vegetables.

130. SUCCOTASH.--A combination of fresh sh.e.l.led beans and sweet corn is known as succotash. To prepare this dish, sh.e.l.l the beans and put them to cook in boiling salted water. Cook until they are tender and the water has boiled down until it is greatly reduced in quant.i.ty. Then cut an equal amount of corn from the cob and add to the beans. Cook for a few minutes longer or until the water is sufficiently reduced, so that the combination may be served without pouring any water off. Dress with b.u.t.ter and season with pepper and, if necessary, additional salt.

During the winter, when green corn and fresh beans cannot be secured, succotash can be made by using dried or canned corn and dried beans.

131. CORN AND TOMATOES.--A somewhat unusual vegetable combination is made by cooking tomatoes and green corn together.

Prepare the desired number of tomatoes in the usual way for stewing and cut an equal amount of sweet corn from the cob. Put the two vegetables together in a saucepan and cook until the tomatoes are well stewed.

Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, if desired, and add a small piece of b.u.t.ter. Serve hot.

132. CORN, STRING BEANS, AND TOMATOES.--Those who care for the combination of corn and tomatoes will find beans a very agreeable addition to this dish.

Prepare the corn and tomatoes as explained in Art. 131, and to them add young, tender string beans that have been previously cooked in boiling salted water. Add the desired seasoning and a small amount of b.u.t.ter.

When thoroughly heated, serve.

133. PEAS AND POTATOES.--As a rule, the first green peas and the first new potatoes come into the market at about the same time. If a delicious combination is desired, these two vegetables should be cooked together and then dressed in any desirable way.

Select small potatoes, sc.r.a.pe them, and put them to cook in boiling salted water. Sh.e.l.l an equal amount of green peas, and add them to the potatoes about 20 minutes before the potatoes become tender. Cook until both vegetables are tender, and then drain the water from them. Dress with b.u.t.ter, vegetable sauce, cream sauce, or thin cream and serve.

134. TURNIPS AND POTATOES.--Persons who are likely to find the flavor of turnips disagreeable can usually eat them when they are combined with potatoes.

Pare an equal number of Irish potatoes and turnips and cut them into thick slices. Put them to cook in boiling salted water and cook with the cover off the kettle until both are tender. Drain and dress with b.u.t.ter or add b.u.t.ter and mash together. Serve hot.

135. NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER.--A combination of food that is much used by the people of the New England States and has become famous throughout the United States, consists of corned beef, potatoes, turnips, and cabbage. As may well be imagined, such a combination forms practically all that is necessary for a home dinner.

Select a good piece of corned beef and put it to cook in boiling water.

About 30 minutes before the beef has finished cooking, add additional water, if necessary, and into this place an equal quant.i.ty of Irish potatoes, turnips, and cabbage prepared in the required way and cut into thick slices or chunks. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Then remove the beef to a platter, surround with vegetables, and serve.

SERVING VEGETABLES

136. The way in which vegetables are served depends largely on the method of preparation. However, a point that should never be neglected, so far as cooked vegetables are concerned, no matter what plan of serving is followed, is to see that they are always served hot. To make this possible, the dishes in which they are served should be heated before the vegetables are put into them and should be kept hot until put on the table. When a vegetable dish has a cover, the cover should be kept on until the vegetable is served and should be replaced after the first serving, so as to keep the remainder hot.

137. Because of the possible variety in the preparation of this cla.s.s of foods, numerous ways of serving them are in practice. When a vegetable is baked in a large baking dish, the dish should be placed on the table and the vegetable served from it either on the plate or in individual dishes. If individual baking dishes are used, these should be set on small plates and one put at each person's place. Boiled or creamed vegetables may be served at the table from a vegetable dish, being put on the plate or in small dishes, or they may be served in individual dishes in the kitchen, and a dish placed at the left of each person's place. When the large dish or the baking dish is placed on the table, it should be placed where the vegetable may be conveniently served by the host if it is to be put on the dinner plate or by the hostess in case it is to be served in individual dishes at the table.

138. In addition to being served in these ways, vegetables also lend themselves to various attractive methods of serving. For instance, a vegetable prepared with a sauce is frequently served in patty sh.e.l.ls, timbale cases, or croustades. When this is done, the case in which the vegetable is served is, as a rule, placed directly on the dinner plate.

Potatoes that have been mashed are often forced through a pastry tube either to garnish another dish or to make a dish of potatoes more attractive. For instance, when mashed potatoes are to be served, a solid foundation of the potato may be arranged in the center of a dish and a little of the mashed potato then forced through the tube to make a design over the top. Before being served, the dish should be placed in the oven and the potato browned on top. A little thought on the part of the housewife will enable her to work out many other attractive methods in the serving of this food.

VEGETABLES (PART 2)

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

(1) (_a_) How do wild and cultivated greens differ? (_b_) What is the chief use of greens in the diet?

(2) (_a_) What precaution should be observed in washing greens? (_b_) Mention the procedure in cooking greens having a strong flavor.

(3) (_a_) If greens, such as endive, appear to be withered, how may they be freshened? (_b_) Explain the use of lettuce as a garnish. (_c_) What are the uses of parsley?

(4) (_a_) How are Jerusalem artichokes prepared for the table? (_b_) What part of kohlrabi is used for food? (_c_) How is kohlrabi generally prepared for cooking?

(5) (_a_) To what cla.s.s of vegetables do lentils belong? (_b_) Is the food value of lentils low or high? Discuss.

(6) (_a_) How may the food value of mushrooms be increased? (_b_) How should mushrooms be prepared for cooking? (_c_) Mention the ways in which mushrooms may be cooked.

(7) (_a_) What causes onions, especially raw ones, to disagree with many persons? (_b_) Mention the two general varieties of onions. (_c_) How are chives prepared when they are to be used for flavoring soups, etc.?

(8) (_a_) How should onion be added to other foods when it is desired simply as a flavoring? (_b_) How may onions be peeled so as to keep off the fumes of their volatile oil?

(9) (_a_) How should parsnips be prepared for cooking? (_b_) Tell how to prepare browned parsnips.

(10) In what way do green and dried peas differ in food value? Explain fully.

(11) Tell how to cook: (_a_) green peas; (_b_) dried peas.

(12) (_a_) What varieties of peppers are generally used as a vegetable?

(_b_) Of what value are peppers?

(13) (_a_) To what may the high food value of potatoes be attributed?

(_b_) How may the quality of potatoes be judged? (_c_) Mention the most economical way in which to cook potatoes. (14) Tell how to prepare: (_a_) mashed potatoes; (_b_) baked potatoes. (_c_) How may the baking of potatoes be hastened? (_d_) Mention several ways in which to utilize left-over potatoes.

(15) (_a_) How may sweet potatoes be prepared for the table? (_b_) Tell how to prepare glazed sweet potatoes.