Practical West African cookery

1. Peel and cut the cucumber into slices about half-an-inch thick. With a pointed knife take the seeds out of each slice and put the slices in as much boiling water as will cover them. Boil slowly for about five minutes, then drain off the water, put the slices in the vegetable dish, dust with pepper and pour over the white sauce. Fried Cucumber. (I). Cook in the same way but not quite so long. Dip the slices, which should not yet be quite soft, into a beaten yolk of egg and fry in a little hot lard or ground nut oil. Cucumber or Egg Plant Fritters. (II). i cucumber. To make the batter — 1 egg. 2 tablespoons flour. 3 tablespoons milk (if Ideal, one dessertspoon milk and the rest water. 2 teaspoon olive or ground nut oil. A pinch of salt. 1 breakfastcup ground nut oil, which can be put back again after use. 1. Mix the flour and milk in the small pudding basin. Add the yolk only of the egg, the oil and salt. Beat it all well together till it has the consistency of thick cream. If too thin add a little more flour, if too thick a little water. Cover the basin with a plate and let it stand till wanted, adding, just before using, the white of the egg beaten stiff. Fritters are much better if the batter is made a good two hours before it is wanted. 2. Cut the cucumber in slices half-an-inch thick. With a pointed knife take the seeds out of each slice. 3. Put the slices into the small saucepan with just enough boiling salted water to cover them. Boil for about a minute-and-a-half and take them out as soon as they begin to soften. Drain them, and turn them in a little flour. 4. Heat the ground nut oil in the flat saucepan, there must be enough oil to cover the fritters. When the oil is very hot and has ceased to bubble, dip the slices of cucumber in the batter and slide them gently into the oil. Take them out as soon as they are of a bright yellow colour and serve at once. If the oil was hot enough, they should be quite free from grease. Note. Egg plant fritters are made in exactly the same way. If the egg plant is quite young, there is no need to cook it before frying it in the batter; if old, slice it and immediately give it one turn in the frying pan with a very little butter or lard. Then turn in the flour, dip in the batter and fry. Fried Egg Plant or Fried Tomatoes. (I). 1 small egg plant or one large 1 teaspoon butter or lard or tomato or two small ones. ground nut oil. A pinch of pepper and salt. Young egg plants should be used for frying and for fritters. They should not be peeled or sliced till just before using as they turn black, and it is best to fry them in an enamel saucepan. 1. Peel and cut lengthways into slices about half-an-inch thick. 2. Melt the butter or lard in the enamel saucepan. When quite hot, lay in the slices of egg plant, dust them with salt and pepper on both sides and fry, not too quickly, till they have absorbed all the butter. Serve at once, sprinkled with chopped parsley if possible. Note. Tomatoes can be fried in the frying pan; if small and ripe they should not be sliced but halved horizontally. Stuffed Tomatoes or Stuffed Egg Plant. (III) 5 large tomatoes or seven or eight small ones. 1 tablespoon white bread crumbs or crushed biscuit. ^ teaspoon butter or lard. 1 small piece onion. 1 egg-