Elements of the theory and practice of cookery

A bit of bay-leaf. Salt, ^ teaspoonful. Pepper, a few grains. Wash the beans, and soak in cold water over night. In the morning drain, cover them with cold water, and when this boils, drain them again. Add soda, onion, bay-leaf, and carrot. Boil gently until the beans are soft ; then press them through a colander, add butter, salt, pepper, and milk or cream enough to thin the pur^e to your taste. Serve as a vegetable. Section 4. Salads A cheap but wholesome salad from the brook. — Cowper. 399. The salad, or " salet," of olden times was always a dish of green herbs dressed with vinegar and other condiments. Now eggs, many kinds of meat, fish, and fruit, and almost all kinds of vegetables, cooked as well as raw, are used in salads, singly, or combined with a dressing containing oil, butter, or cream. Salad-making 400. Four things essential in salad-making. — A salad must be cold^ the greens in it crisp^ the ingredients in the dressing carefully proportioned and blended so that it shall be neither oily nor acid, and the whole well- mixed. With these conditions fulfilled, a handful of ACID AND SALT SUPPLYING FOODS 253 lettuce leaves dressed with salt, pepper, oil, and vine- gar is in its way to a perfect dish. Because of the judgment and deftness required to produce this perfec- tion, the master or mistress of the house frequently prefers to dress such a salad rather than to have it brought to the table dressed. 401. Preparing the ingredients. — Lettuce is used as a bed for any salad. As soon as it comes into the house, sprinkle it, and put it in a covered tin pail in the ice- box. To prepare it for use, cut off the stem, separate the leaves, and let them lie for at least fifteen minutes in the coldest water you can provide. Wash them clean, taking care not to break them ; look sharply to see that no insects cling to them, shake lightly or swing them in a wire basket or a salad-net ^ to partially dry them, and wipe them carefully with a soft cloth. If left wet, the dressing runs off of them. Freshen and dry other salad leaves in the same way. Other vegetables. — (For tomatoes and cucumbers, see p. 243.) Remove the strings from string beans, and cook them without breaking or cutting. Keep parsley in a glass of water, with only the roots wet. Cut cooked vegetables except potatoes into half-inch cubes, or small irregular bits. Put remnants of cooked vegetables into a colan- der and pour hot water over them to rinse off any butter. 1 Bags made of coarse netting are sold for this purpose. 254 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY Plain French Dressing Salt, Yz teaspoonful. Olive oil, 3 tablespoonfuls. Pepper, %. teaspoonful. Vinegar, (malt, wine, or tarra- gon,) 1 tablespoonful. Onion juice (if desired), or rub the salad bowl with a clove of garlic. Stir the seasonings into the oil, add the vinegar, and stir vigorously until the dressing thickens slightly. A larger quantity made in the same proportions may be passed in a bowl. French dressing may be served with any green salad. Mayonnaise or cooked salad dressing are appropriate with string beans, tomatoes, celery, or cauliflower. Cooked dressing is used with cabbage ; Mayonnaise usually with meat or fish.