'"There was a whole chapter, for example, on Eggs, which I am extremely
loath to lose. It showed how, by holding an egg down under boiling water
till it is exhausted, it may first be cooked and then passed under a hot flat iron.
It may then be given a thin coat of varnish and served in a railway restaurant
for years and years."
Preface to Allied Cookery.
Stephen Leacock.
VARIOUS VEGETABLES
ar 1 v^
^»m
egetable-sT^
Aunt Robbie's Method of Cooking Vegetables
Have water boiling. Add pinch of soda.
Have vegetables washed and prepared.
Do not salt till nearly done. Root vegetables should not be
salted until finished cooking.
In the case of string beans, cut off the sides or strings, then
cut in thin strips. Cook young beans, carrots, asparagus and
all the cabbage family about 20 minutes, uncovered. Asparagus
should be tied in bunches and kept standing in the water the
first 10 minutes to cook stems, then lay down to cook tips.
Cook young corn only about 10 minutes.
Young beets take about 1 hour, older beets from 2 to S hours.
Potatoes should be cooked in boiling, salted water. Boil,
according to size, from half an hour to an hour. Pour off water
and let dry on stove for a few minutes before mashing or serving
in any other way. After potatoes are mashed they can be
covered close with a clean cloth and allowed to stand on back
of stove till needed.
57
58 Various Vegetables
Vegetables such as peas, beans, sweet com, etc., must be
fresh and young. They must not be over-cooked and they
must be served at once. Failure in any one of these rules make
them unfit to eat. The cabbage family such as cabbage,
cauliflower and Brussels sprouts must never be cooked till they
have lost their green coloring and begun to turn brown. They
should still be a little crisp when they come to the table.
Asparagus
Tie asparagus in bunches. Stand up in boiling water to
which a pinch of soda has been added, so that tips will be out
of the water for the first 10 minutes of cooking. Then lay
down and finish cooking for another 10 minutes. Take out,
drain, remove string and serve on buttered toast either with
melted butter poured over their tips or with HoUandaise sauce.
String Beans
String beans require a different length of time for cooking ac-
cording to their age and size. Very young and delicate beans
require from 20 minutes to ]/i an hour. Older and tougher
beans sometimes much longer. Have water boiling and add
a pinch of soda. Have sides of beans removed even if they are
stringless and have them cut into pieces not more than J^ to^
of an inch across and 2 inches long. Serve with melted butter.
An attractive way to use beans is to have half your amount
of green beans and the other half yellow beans. Mix and serve
as one dish. Salt during latter part of cooking.
Lima Beans
Lima beans should be very young and tender. Most garden-
ers pick them too old. Have water boiling but do not use soda.
Cook 20 minutes to ]/2 hour. Salt during last part of cooking.
Serve with butter or white sauce.
Various Vegetables 59
Beets
Use young and red beets. Cook whole in boiling water. Do
not cut at all or they will bleed and color will be lost. They
require from 1 hour to 4. Salt. Serve with butter.
Brussels Sprouts
Remove wilted stems and soak in cold water for 15 minutes.
Cook in boiling water to which has been added a pinch of soda,
20 minutes. Drain and serve with butter. Salt during latter
part of cooking time.
Cabbage
Use only inside leaves. Soak in cold water and cook in
boiling water to which has been added ^ teaspoonful of soda.
Do not cover while cooking. Add salt during last 10 minutes
of cooking.^;- Cook 20 minutes and serve with white sauce.
Escalloped Cabbage
When cabbage is prepared in above method, mix with white
sauce and put in baking dish. Cover with buttered bread-
crumbs^'and ^cook under gas until crumbs are brown.
Celery
Page 18
Presented as published in 1922. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
'"There was a whole chapter, for example, on Eggs, which I am extremely loath to lose. It showed how, by holding an egg down under boiling water till it is exhausted, it may first be cooked and then passed under a hot flat iron. It may then be given a thin coat of varnish and served in a railway restaurant for years and years."
Preface to Allied Cookery.
Stephen Leacock.
VARIOUS VEGETABLES
ar 1 v^
^»m
egetable-sT^
Aunt Robbie's Method of Cooking Vegetables
Have water boiling. Add pinch of soda.
Have vegetables washed and prepared.
Do not salt till nearly done. Root vegetables should not be salted until finished cooking.
In the case of string beans, cut off the sides or strings, then cut in thin strips. Cook young beans, carrots, asparagus and all the cabbage family about 20 minutes, uncovered. Asparagus should be tied in bunches and kept standing in the water the first 10 minutes to cook stems, then lay down to cook tips.
Cook young corn only about 10 minutes.
Young beets take about 1 hour, older beets from 2 to S hours.
Potatoes should be cooked in boiling, salted water. Boil, according to size, from half an hour to an hour. Pour off water and let dry on stove for a few minutes before mashing or serving in any other way. After potatoes are mashed they can be covered close with a clean cloth and allowed to stand on back of stove till needed.
58 Various Vegetables
Vegetables such as peas, beans, sweet com, etc., must be fresh and young. They must not be over-cooked and they must be served at once. Failure in any one of these rules make them unfit to eat. The cabbage family such as cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts must never be cooked till they have lost their green coloring and begun to turn brown. They should still be a little crisp when they come to the table.
Asparagus
Tie asparagus in bunches. Stand up in boiling water to which a pinch of soda has been added, so that tips will be out of the water for the first 10 minutes of cooking. Then lay down and finish cooking for another 10 minutes. Take out, drain, remove string and serve on buttered toast either with melted butter poured over their tips or with HoUandaise sauce.
String Beans
String beans require a different length of time for cooking according to their age and size. Very young and delicate beans require from 20 minutes to ]/i an hour. Older and tougher beans sometimes much longer. Have water boiling and add a pinch of soda. Have sides of beans removed even if they are stringless and have them cut into pieces not more than J^ to^ of an inch across and 2 inches long. Serve with melted butter. An attractive way to use beans is to have half your amount of green beans and the other half yellow beans. Mix and serve as one dish. Salt during latter part of cooking.
Lima Beans
Lima beans should be very young and tender. Most gardeners pick them too old. Have water boiling but do not use soda. Cook 20 minutes to ]/2 hour. Salt during last part of cooking. Serve with butter or white sauce.
Various Vegetables 59
Beets
Use young and red beets. Cook whole in boiling water. Do not cut at all or they will bleed and color will be lost. They require from 1 hour to 4. Salt. Serve with butter.
Brussels Sprouts
Remove wilted stems and soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Cook in boiling water to which has been added a pinch of soda, 20 minutes. Drain and serve with butter. Salt during latter part of cooking time.
Cabbage
Use only inside leaves. Soak in cold water and cook in boiling water to which has been added ^ teaspoonful of soda. Do not cover while cooking. Add salt during last 10 minutes of cooking.^;- Cook 20 minutes and serve with white sauce.
Escalloped Cabbage
When cabbage is prepared in above method, mix with white sauce and put in baking dish. Cover with buttered breadcrumbs^'and ^cook under gas until crumbs are brown.
Celery