Plain cookery recipes

Crush the potatoes first with a fork and then with a large wooden spoon, to be sure that no lumps remain. Add the butter, milk, salt, and pepper, and mash well in an iron pan over the fire till the butter has melted and mixed with the potatoes. Arrange neatly on a dish. Note . — Mashed potatoes are finest when made with freshlyboiled potatoes, still hot. New Potatoes. Potatoes. | Boiling water. One teaspoonful salt to one quart water. Cleanse and prepare the potatoes (see page 71). Place them in enough boiling water to cover them, and add the salt. Boil briskly for about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour till soft. Then dry at the side of the fire, as described for old potatoes. Steamed Potatoes. Scrub and peel the potatoes. Put them in a steamer, sprinkle with salt, cover with a lid, and place the steamer over a pan of boiling water, and cook the potatoes till tender. Potato Chips. Two or three potatoes. | Pan of deep fat. Scrub and peel the potatoes, and cut them into very thin slices. Keep for half an hour in cold water. Drain well on a cloth and dry. Have the fat smoking hot. Put the chips into a frying basket and cook till tender (about three minutes). Lift up the basket and let the fat reheat for a few seconds. Put the potatoes into the fat again for a few seconds until they are crisp and brown. Drain thoroughly on paper. VEGETABLES AND SALADS. Potato Straws. After slicing the potatoes as for chips, cut into strips about the size and thickness of a match, and cook as for potato chips. Boiled Carrots. Two or three carrots. I Half a teaspoonful salt to one Boiling water. I quart water. Wash and scrape the carrots, and if they are large, cut them in half, lengthways and across. Put them in a pan of boiling salted water and boil for one hour till soft Note . — If old, they may be mashed, or mixed with mashed turnips, with a little pepper, salt, and dripping added. Stewed Carrots. Prepare as for boiled carrots, and stew till tender in stock. Dish the carrots, and then reduce the stock to half glaze, and pour over the carrots. Garnish with a sprinkling of finelychopped parsley. Turnips (Old). Wash and peel thickly, and cut in neat blocks. Cook in the same way as carrots, allowing a shorter time. They may be mashed, and mixed with pepper, salt, and a little dripping. New Turnips. Pare thinly and cook till tender in boiling salted water. Drain well, and serve with melted butter poured over. Parsnips. Peel the parsnips and cut into neat pieces. Cook in boiling salted water until tender (about forty minutes). Drain well, and coat with a white sauce. Haricot Beans. One pint beans. | Two quarts cold water. One teaspoonful salt. Wash the beans, and soak overnight in cold water. Put the beans into a saucepan, add the two quarts of water and salt, and boil gently for two hours, till the beans are quite soft but not broken. Drain, and serve with parsley sauce poured over. Wash and soak the lentils in cold water overnight, then boil till tender (about one hour). Drain well, and put the lentils into a pan with the butter and as much stock as will make them moist. Reheat. Season well and serve.