Cookery for every household

Wash and peel the turnips and trim them to an equal size. Put them into a saucepan with boiling water to cover them, boil for 10 minutes and drain. Choose a saucepan large enough to hold the turnips in a single layer and melt in it enough butter to cover the bottom. Put in the turnips, sprinkle them with sugar, and season with pepper and salt. Place the saucepan over the fire and stir the contents frequently until brown. Then pour in enough good brown stock to reach half-way up the turnips and cook them slowly until tender, basting frequently. When ready the stock should be reduced to a glaze. Use as a garnish. 597. Turnip Tops Turnip tops. Seasoning. Butter or dripping. Choose young fresh turnip tops and wash them well in cold water. Trim away any hard pieces of stalk and remove all faded and discoloured leaves. Have ready on the fire a saucepan of boiling water slightly salted, throw the turnip tops into this and boil them quickly with the lid otf the pan until they are tender, removing any scum as it rises. Then drain the greens, pressing out every drop of water, and chop them finely. Melt a small quantity of dripping or butter in the saucepan, return the greens to it and season them to taste with pepper and salt and, if liked, a pinch of nutmeg. Stir until thoroughly hot, then pile up on a hot dish and mark up the sides neatly with the back of a fork. Time to cook, 30 to 40 minutes. 598. Turnip Tops with Poached Eggs 2 lbs. turnip tops. 1 small onion. 1 oz. butter. Seasoning. Vegetable or meat stock. 1 gill white or onion sauce. 2 or 3 poached eggs. Wash and prepare the turnip tops as in last recipe, but drain them after only 10 minutes’ boiling. Press out all the water and chop or shred them finely. Melt the butter in a small stewpan, add the onion finely chopped and cook it for a few minutes without allowing it to take colour. Add the greens with enough stock to cover them and allow them to stew until quite tender and the stock is all absorbed. Then add the sauce and stir until thoroughly hot, seasoning to taste with pepper, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. Serve the prepared turnip tops in a hot dish and garnish with poached eggs. Time to cook, about 30 minutes. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. 599. Cassolettes of Vegetable (Cassolettes de Legumes) Make the same mixture as for Vegetable Croquettes, and use potato cases (Recipe 544) instead of pastry cases. 600. Vegetable Croquettes Beaten eggs. Bread-crumbs or vermicelli. Cooked vegetables. Some good sauce. Seasoning. Scraps of pastry.