A great deal can be got out of a tin of Crosse & Blackwell’s “Roast Beef”; a soup made with the gravy mixed with an equal quantity of water and thickened with rice or atcha, a cottage pie (see index) or croquettes (see index) made with one half of the beef ; and the other half, cut in small pieces and mixed with cold yam or sweet potatoes or native beans and tomatoes, will make a very good salad (see index). 105 VEGETABLES. We have given an alarming amount of space to this generally neglected subject, but both from the point of view of health and of economy it is a really important one. It will be seen that quite a goodly number of vegetables can be obtained without having recourse to bulky and expensive tins, and an imaginative cook could find many more. Unfortunately, the black cook has a deep rooted contempt for all vegetable food, and his blank look fixed on the horizon while you endeavour to instil into him some enthusiasm on the subject of the boiling of onions is certainly disheartening. The chief points to make him grasp are : — that he must always follow the directions given for the putting of vegetables into cold or boding water and that the vegetables must be boiled slowly and thoroughly drained before serving. We have given several stuffed vegetables as they make quite a substantial dish and are useful in using up remains of meat. In the preparation of stuffings, one can always remember that if too thick, they can be wetted with a little stock, milk or fat, and if too sloppy, they can be thickened with a pinch of flour or a raw egg. All vegetables must be washed and the greatest care must be taken to wash lettuce and mustard and ci’ess twice over in boiled water. It is always wise to buy a provision of yams, onions and native beans at a time when they are plentiful, as their prices rise considerably. Yam or Sweet Potatoes Steamed. (I). Yam and sweet potatoes if fresh should be steamed, not boiled, if boiled they are liable to turn out spongy 106 VEGETABLES. 1. Peel the yam or sweet potato, cutting them in pieces about one inch thick✪ Yam or Sweet Potatoes Steamed. Steam them (in a Welbank boiler- ette if you have one), if not, put them on a sieve and place the sieve on top of a saucepan filled with boiling water. Keep the water boiling and in twenty minutes the yam will be done. Sweet potatoes take a little less time to steam. 2. Mash the yam or sweet potatoes through the potato masher, or simply mash with a fork adding salt and pepper, then serve. Yam and Sweet Potatoes Boiled. (I). Boiled yam or sweet potatoes do not need to be peeled unless they are very dry or you need them to be cooked quickly. In this case, peel them and cut them in small pieces. 1. Place them in a saucepan just covering them with cold salted water, half teaspoon of salt to a pint of water. Bring them to the boil, then move the saucepan aside and let the yam or sweet potatoes boil ✪ Yam or Sweet Potatoes Boiled slowly until they are soft. Serve them mashed through the potato masher or mash with a fork, adding a little pepper. Mashed Yams or Sweet Potatoes. (I). Yam or sweet potatoes. 1 teaspoon butter. 1 large tablespoon milk (or 1 pinch salt and pepper. 1 teaspoon Ideal and the rest water) . ✪ Mashed Yams or Sweet Potatoes

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A great deal can be got out of a tin of Crosse & Blackwell’s “Roast Beef”; a soup made with the gravy mixed with an equal quantity of water and thickened with rice or atcha, a cottage pie (see index) or croquettes (see index) made with one half of the beef ; and the other half, cut in small pieces and mixed with cold yam or sweet potatoes or native beans and tomatoes, will make a very good salad (see index). 105 VEGETABLES. We have given an alarming amount of space to this generally neglected subject, but both from the point of view of health and of economy it is a really important one. It will be seen that quite a goodly number of vegetables can be obtained without having recourse to bulky and expensive tins, and an imaginative cook could find many more. Unfortunately, the black cook has a deep rooted contempt for all vegetable food, and his blank look fixed on the horizon while you endeavour to instil into him some enthusiasm on the subject of the boiling of onions is certainly disheartening. The chief points to make him grasp are : — that he must always follow the directions given for the putting of vegetables into cold or boding water and that the vegetables must be boiled slowly and thoroughly drained before serving. We have given several stuffed vegetables as they make quite a substantial dish and are useful in using up remains of meat. In the preparation of stuffings, one can always remember that if too thick, they can be wetted with a little stock, milk or fat, and if too sloppy, they can be thickened with a pinch of flour or a raw egg. All vegetables must be washed and the greatest care must be taken to wash lettuce and mustard and ci’ess twice over in boiled water. It is always wise to buy a provision of yams, onions and native beans at a time when they are plentiful, as their prices rise considerably. Yam or Sweet Potatoes Steamed. (I). Yam and sweet potatoes if fresh should be steamed, not boiled, if boiled they are liable to turn out spongy 106 VEGETABLES. 1. Peel the yam or sweet potato, cutting them in pieces about one inch thick. Steam them (in a Welbank boiler- ette if you have one), if not, put them on a sieve and place the sieve on top of a saucepan filled with boiling water. Keep the water boiling and in twenty minutes the yam will be done. Sweet potatoes take a little less time to steam. 2. Mash the yam or sweet potatoes through the potato masher, or simply mash with a fork adding salt and pepper, then serve. Yam and Sweet Potatoes Boiled. (I). Boiled yam or sweet potatoes do not need to be peeled unless they are very dry or you need them to be cooked quickly. In this case, peel them and cut them in small pieces. 1. Place them in a saucepan just covering them with cold salted water, half teaspoon of salt to a pint of water. Bring them to the boil, then move the saucepan aside and let the yam or sweet potatoes boil slowly until they are soft. Serve them mashed through the potato masher or mash with a fork, adding a little pepper. Mashed Yams or Sweet Potatoes. (I). Yam or sweet potatoes. 1 teaspoon butter. 1 large tablespoon milk (or 1 pinch salt and pepper. 1 teaspoon Ideal and the rest water) .

Practical West African cookery