The home science cook book

chopped meat. Bake until the skins are tender, basting once or twice with butter and water. Peppers Broiled with Steak. Cut the peppers in quarters, lengthwise, remove seeds, parboil, dip in melted butter, and broil with the beef. Or chop fine, and add to a brown sauce. Radishes. When too old to serve raw, radishes may be pared and cooked like turnips. Winter Squash. This may be boiled or steamed. Watery squashes are rendered drier by baking instead of boiling. Cut them in convenient pieces, remove the seeds and fibrous portions, but leave the rind on. Put them in a pan and bake in a hot oven. When done peel off any hard, dried portions and the skin. Mash and beat it till fine and smooth. For one cup of squash add one tablespoon of butter, one-fourth teaspoon of salt, and a few grains of pepper. Sometimes a little sugar is an improvement. Heat again and serve very hot. If more squash be cooked than will be needed at one meal do not season it all, as the portion left will be better if freshly seasoned when served. Squashes may be cut in uniform pieces suitable for one portion, baked, and served in the shell. Summer Squashes. These should be young, fresh, and with tender skin. Wash, and trim off stem and skin if hard, and cut in quarters. Steam or cook in as little water as possible. Put into a strainer cloth, mash thoroughly, squeeze, 158 Home Science Cook Book. or twist and press in the cloth until squash is not quite dry. Season the squash with butter, salt, and pepper and heat again before serving. Fried Summer Squash. Cut in slices, season, sprinkle with flour, and cook till brown and tender in enough salt pork fat to keep from burning. Potatoes. New potatoes should be baked or steamed in their skins. Old ones are improved by paring and soaking in cold water before boiling. The most important point in cooking is to drive off surplus moisture as soon as the potato is soft by cracking the skin of the baked potato, or draining off the water from boiled ones. Baked Potatoes. Choose smooth potatoes of medium size. If old, cut a slice from both ends. Wash and scrape. Large potatoes may be parboiled for ten minutes before baking. Put into a moderate oven to heat through gradually and let the heat increase. Thirty to fortyfive minutes will be required. The skins should be puffy and not shriveled, when baked potatoes are served. Potatoes may be pared and baked in the pan with meat. This usually takes an hour. Sweet Potatoes. These are best baked, since some sweetness is lost when they are steamed or boiled. Browned Sweet Potatoes. Slice partially boiled sweet potatoes slightly thicker Vegetables. 159 than Saratoga chips. Fill a baking dish with a sprinkling of light brown sugar and bits of butter between the layers. Two tablespoons of sugar suffice for a pint of potatoes. Finish with a dusting of sugar, butter, and salt, and brown in the oven. Mashed Potato. Put one pint of hot boiled potatoes through a ricer, or use a wire masher. Season with half a teaspoon of salt, half a saltspoon of pepper, and two tablespoons of butter; add sufficient milk to hold the potato together, about one-fourth cup, and put over the fire again, and mash and beat until perfectly fine and smooth. Potato Roses. Put a star tin tube into the end of a three-cornered pastry bag, made of rubber sheeting or thick firm drilling.