The "Queen" cookery books: Vegetables

lift it off at once, for if allowed to stay on the fire till it softens it is spoiled, rack it at once in a jar, cover it, and, when cold, fasten this cover down tightly. Another way is to prepare the saniphire as before, but when drained from the steeping water, dry carefully in a clean cloth, lay it into jars, and pour over it sufficient boiling white wine vinegar (previously boiled with a small amount of ginger, mace, and whole pepper) to cover it, let it stand till cold, then cover down tightly, and store. This Avill be ready for use in a fortnight. Sauercraut (Choucroute). — This is a German form of pickled cabbage much liked abroad, and gaining in popularity even here. It is generally bought ready prepared, but the process is not a difficult one. For this choose large, firm, and white cabbages, trim off the outside and all damaged leaves, and wash it well in plenty of well-salted water. Now shred it down very finely, removing all the tough stalks ; wash the discarded green outer leaves (not the damaged ones) carefully in cold salted water, then with them line neatly a firkin or clean wooden tub, and place on this a layer of the shred cabbage, then a layer of salt ; continue these layers till the tub is nearly full, pressing doAvn the shredded cabbage with your fist or a potato masher, so as to pack it as closely as possible. Now cover the cabbage with a clean board, set a heavy weight on this, and leave it in a cool dry place for six weeks. A pint of salt to the peck of cabbage is the usual proportion, and to this many German house wives add peppercorns and a little powdered coriander seed. To cook it, wash the required amount thoroughly in two or three waters till it is only pleasantly salt, then put it on in plenty of boiling water, and let it cook steadily till tender, when it must be drained, and served on a hot vegetable dish. Any left over can be fried in butter, or dripping, or minced and heated with a little butter, cream, or good meat gravy. Abroad it is usually cooked with a piece of pickled pork, bacon, or sausages, and served with the meat upon it. It is especially good with sausages. Scallian — This, often mentioned in old cookery books, is simply another name for shallot, which see. Seakale {Chou de mer). — This may be cooked in any way recommended for celery, and is particularly good au gratin, in fritters, served with any rich sauce, or cold as a salad. Seakale takes twenty minutes to boil and needs attention, for if in the least overboiled it hardens and toughens, and nothing will soften it. Shallot {Echalotte). — A kind of small onion, much used for flavourings, sauces, &c. Its flavour is more marked, but also more delicate, than that of the common onion. It is used for fourniture, and for a d'uxelles mince, when chives are unobtainable. It makes a most delicate flavouring, if infused either in vinegar or white wine. Skirret (Chervis). — Brought over from China, this root was at one time very popular, as it is a good winter vegetable, if dug up as soon as the plant’s summer growth is over. The root (fleshy white tubers the size of a finger), with a delicate sweet taste, ig the part eaten, and may be cooked in any way given for parsnips. Abroad it is much used as a garnish.