Practical West African cookery

The cook should never be allowed to leave the vegetables in the tin once it is opened. This is particularly dangerous in the case of vegetables, but half the tin can easily be kept till the next meal if the liquid is drained off, a little cold water poured over the vegetables, also drained off, and the vegetables put aside between two plates. If a change is wanted, this second half of the tin can be served cold in a salad with sliced yam or sweet potato and sliced tomato. It is a mistake to try and eat tinned asparagus hot, as the cook will generally break and spoil them. Put the tin in the cooler the night before it is wanted, open it only just before dinner, gently drain off the liquid and put the asparagus on a folded napkin in a long dish. Serve them with a little oil and vinegar sauce, or better still with a cold hollandaise (see index.) SALADS. Lettuce Salad. (I). Dressing with oil (for a small salad) : — 1 small dessertspoon vinegar. 1£ dessertspoons olive oil or ground nut oil. £ teaspoon salt. | teaspoon pepper. (Half a teaspoon chopped parsley and basil or a teaspoon of chopped red or green tatassa). It is always preferable to make the dressing yourself at the table. Sprinkle the parsley or tatassa, if you have any, over the lettuce, then put the pepper and salt into a dessertspoon, mix them with a fork, pour on the vinegar, mix SALADS. again, and pour over the lettuce. Pour on the oil and lightly mix all together, taking care not to crush the lettuce leaves. Notes. — Any salad is improved by adding a sliced hard boiled egg or a sliced tomato or a little sliced raw onion. It is very imprudent to eat lettuce that has not been twice well washed in cold boiled or filtered water. When you remember the strange liquids with which the gardener is wont to water bis lettuces, you will understand this recommendation. Tomatoes for salads or savouries are much nicer if they are skinned before being sliced. To do this, throw them for a moment into boiling water, tako them out, and you will find the skins peel off quite easily. Dressing ivithout oil : — 2 tablespoons milk (if Ideal, one dessertspoon to the rest of water.) 1 tablespoon vinegar. 1 teaspoon sugar. 1 saltspoon dry mustard. 1 saltspoon salt. A pinch of pepper. 1 hard boiled egg. Mix the salt, pepper, mustard and sugar with the vinegar and pour over the salad. Mix a little and then pour over the milk, mix again lightly and then sprinkle over the crushed or sliced hard boiled egg. Yam or Sweet Potato Salad. (I). Boil or steam the yam or sweet potatoes, peel and slice them before they are quite cold. Pour on a dessertspoon vinegar at once, if possible a good hour before serving. Season at the table with the dressing with oil and vinegar already given, but allow a whole teaspoon salt and pepper and two dessertspoons oil to one of vinegar. This salad is much improved by adding sliced tomato or cooked beetroot and chopped onion, tatassa and parsley. SALADS. Bean Salad. (I). A salad of wakin bissa is quite good seasoned like a potato salad or with a mayonnaise sauce (see index) instead of the ordinary dressing. Tomato or beetroot is always an improvement, or chopped onion, tatassa or parsley. Beef and Yam Salad. (I).