Instruction in cookery (Methuen's text-books, Thompson)

Peel off the red skin of i lb. of chestnuts. Blanch them in cold water by bringing it to a boil. Peel off the inner skin, and place in a stew pan with some stock and two onions. Allow to stew till tender, and serve with meat or by themselves. They also may be thickly covered with cheese sauce, as in the above recipe, using some of the milk used in stewing for the liquid. They are eaten very much in France, simply strained after blanching, as above, and served with milk and salt. Roast chestnuts are familiar to all of us, and they are infinitely preferable as an investment for children’s pence to the cheap sweets so much sold to the children in the junior schools. The common pea-nut, beloved by children, is also rich in nourishment. The ordinary vegetarian puts his faith very much on pulse foods as a substitute for meat. The amount taken to make up the necessary proteid gives too much work to the digestive organs ; but of course they are very cheap, and they may be very well introduced into the meagre diet so often dictated by necessity. I give the following recipes for pease : Pea Soup— i lb. of peas, 2 onions, \ lb. of bacon rind, 6 pints of water or stock in which bacon has been boiled. Soak the peas, and allow to cook in the stock and water for 3 hours. Sieve and add some dried mint, or serve this separately. Pease Pudding — Soak 1 lb. of peas overnight; drain; place them in a cloth with 1 oz. of butter and i teaspoonful of carbonate of soda. Tie them firmly, but allow room to swell. Boil till they can be passed through a sieve. Place in a stew pan with butter, pepper and salt, and a little dried mint. Stir till thick. Press into a greased basin, and put in the oven for \ hour. Turn out and serve either with bacon or salt pork. SALADS Salads are now so often an accompaniment of roast meat, and may be so cheaply and easily prepared, that it may be as well to give here some hints for cheap ones. Salads may be prepared from cooked or uncooked vegetables. If the former, care should be taken in the preparation to preserve the colour, which may be done by using a pinch of soda and absolutely boiling water. If the latter are used, they should be perfectly fresh, and well washed and drained. Lettuce Salad — Wash and prepare the lettuce, and dry carefully. Tear it up, and, if liked, a few spring onions may be introduced cut up very finely. Dress with two tablespoonfuls of oil and 1 of vinegar mixed with j saltspoonful of salt and more mustard. A very little CHEAP PROTEID FOOD sugar may be added if liked. Pour this over the salad, and agitate it well till every leaf is coated. Watercress and Endive may be similarly prepared. Green Raw Cabbage Salad — Strip the outer leaves from a well-bleached cabbage. Place in salt and water to remove the insects. Dry it well, and cut across the stalk with a sharp knife, wiping it carefully to prevent the steel flavouring the cabbage. Mix in some shreds of red pickled cabbage, and dress with a little onion and 2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, i teaspoonful of sugar, and a little oil, salt, and pepper. It seems to require a sharper dressing than lettuce.