Extract of Spinach is obtained by expressing the juice of
pounded spinach, coagulating it over the fire, draining the
green precipitate on a sieve, and working it through the
sieve with a spoon. It is used for colouring green various
preparations — vegetables, sauces, quenelles, etc.
Endive, or Cichory.
Of endive more than twenty varieties are cultivated, all
of which may be descended from the luild cichory, or
Cichorium intyhus. Endive is perhaps a corruption or
modulation of inUibus, or intubum, the Latin name of the
blue-flowered wdld cichory, as well as the endive of the
garden. Linn6 called the latter Cichorium cndivia, and
the former as just stated, introducing a y into the
cognomen used as adjective. The plant is used under
many more names, which have multiplied ever since the
time at which Pliny termed it ambuleia. The form in
which it is most appreciated is that of salad in autumn
and winter, when it is etiolated or bleached ; it assumes
this condition readily when the leaves are tied together in
a cylindrical bundle. Most excellent endive grows all over
England, but the endive in the London market is generally
of third-rate quality and very dear. It may be prepared as
ragoiit with coulis, or in grand gravy braised, or with white
sauce, or cream. When it is stringy, it may be worked into
21
322
THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY
a pur6e, and flavoured with bdchamel or veloutc, and a
little sugar. Portuguese cooks even add a little caramel
to perpetuate its natural slight bitterness, which disappears
during the processes of parboiling, stewing, or braising.
Tomatoes.
The tomato-plant belongs to the family of Solaneae, of
which the belladonna is a highly poisonous, but in medical
practice useful, the potato a very nutritious member. One of
the Latin names of the tomato is Solanum lycopersicum ;
another, Lycopersimm esculenkim vulgare, the edible wolfs
2Jeach, popularly love-app)le. It came to us from Mexico
through the West Indies; in Mexico, according to Nierem-
berg, it is spelt tamalt ; but the Malays, who also cultivate
it, according to Eumphius, pronounce it tamatte. The eat-
able part is the red, fleshy berry, or seed-capsule ; the
seeds, with some of the watery pulp, may be squeezed out
of the fruit with the hand, through an aperture made by
cutting out the hard central base to which the stalk is
attached. When the tomato is quite ripe, its red peel also
is easily removed, and there remains the red succulent
pulp. A small variety of tomatoes, cultivated more for
ornament than use, has berries of the size of small
cherries, down to peas, and these contain juice only and
no pulp ; their peel, too, is harder than that of the large
fruit, but they are very pretty as ornamental garnishes to
savoury dishes, entrees, and ragoiits. The raw tomato
has an acidulous taste of wild or uncultivated vegetables,
which is disliked by children, and sometimes by ladies.
It greatly improves with oil and vinegar as salad, and
becomes still more developed when stewed, baked, or
braised. Nevertheless, even these forms are inferior to its
climax, which is attained in pur6es, soups, and sauces.
These must be well reduced, as the fruit is very watery.
TOMATOES
323
Page 205
Presented as published in 1895. 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
Extract of Spinach is obtained by expressing the juice of pounded spinach, coagulating it over the fire, draining the green precipitate on a sieve, and working it through the sieve with a spoon. It is used for colouring green various preparations — vegetables, sauces, quenelles, etc.
Endive, or Cichory.
Of endive more than twenty varieties are cultivated, all of which may be descended from the wild cichory, or Cichorium intyhus. Endive is perhaps a corruption or modulation of inUibus, or intubum, the Latin name of the blue-flowered wild cichory, as well as the endive of the garden. Linn6 called the latter Cichorium endivia, and the former as just stated, introducing a y into the cognomen used as adjective. The plant is used under many more names, which have multiplied ever since the time at which Pliny termed it ambuleia. The form in which it is most appreciated is that of salad in autumn and winter, when it is etiolated or bleached ; it assumes this condition readily when the leaves are tied together in a cylindrical bundle. Most excellent endive grows all over England, but the endive in the London market is generally of third-rate quality and very dear. It may be prepared as ragout with coulis, or in grand gravy braised, or with white sauce, or cream. When it is stringy, it may be worked into
a purée, and flavoured with béchamel or velouté, and a little sugar. Portuguese cooks even add a little caramel to perpetuate its natural slight bitterness, which disappears during the processes of parboiling, stewing, or braising.
Tomatoes.
The tomato-plant belongs to the family of Solaneae, of which the belladonna is a highly poisonous, but in medical practice useful, the potato a very nutritious member. One of the Latin names of the tomato is Solanum lycopersicum ; another, Lycopersicum esculentum vulgare, the edible wolf's peach, popularly love-apple. It came to us from Mexico through the West Indies; in Mexico, according to Nieremberg, it is spelt tamalt ; but the Malays, who also cultivate it, according to Eumphius, pronounce it tamatte. The eatable part is the red, fleshy berry, or seed-capsule ; the seeds, with some of the watery pulp, may be squeezed out of the fruit with the hand, through an aperture made by cutting out the hard central base to which the stalk is attached. When the tomato is quite ripe, its red peel also is easily removed, and there remains the red succulent pulp. A small variety of tomatoes, cultivated more for ornament than use, has berries of the size of small cherries, down to peas, and these contain juice only and no pulp ; their peel, too, is harder than that of the large fruit, but they are very pretty as ornamental garnishes to savoury dishes, entrees, and ragouts. The raw tomato has an acidulous taste of wild or uncultivated vegetables, which is disliked by children, and sometimes by ladies. It greatly improves with oil and vinegar as salad, and becomes still more developed when stewed, baked, or braised. Nevertheless, even these forms are inferior to its climax, which is attained in purées, soups, and sauces. These must be well reduced, as the fruit is very watery.
TOMATOES