Household cookery

Method, — Sprinkle a little flour over the bottom of a dripping-tin, lay in the chops, cover with the onions, thinly sliced, then sprinkle over the sage, with rest of flour, salt, and pepper. Pour the water into the tin, cover with an old plate, and bake in a moderate oven about i hour, stirring occasionally. About 1 5 minutes before they are done remove the plate, to allow the onions, etc., to brown. Place the chops on a hot dish, put the onions on top, and pour the gravy round VEGETABLES Vegetables should form a part of our daily food, as they contain salts or mineral foods, which are essential to health. In choosing vegetables, care should be taken that they are crisp and firm, with no faded leaves, otherwise they are not fresh. Vegetables can be prepared in various ways. They must be well washed in cold water, and allowed to stand in salt and water (to remove slugs and insects) until cooked. All green vegetables, such as cabbages, cauliflowers, sprouts, etc., must be put into boiling salted water, and boiled fast with the pan-lid off. Allow I tea-spoonful of salt to each quart of water. Root vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, etc., must be boiled slowly with the pan-lid on. Soda should not be used. This makes the vegetables soft. Brown sugar may be used instead, i tea-spoonful to each quart of water. Peas should be put into boiling water, with a Uttle sugar and no salt, and boiled gently with the pan-lid off. A few sprigs of mint boiled with them helps to develop the flavour. Water in which vegetables have been boiled should be poured outside, and not down the sink. To Boil Potatoes Wash the potatoes, peel thinly, put into cold water till wanted. Cut into equal sizes, put into a pan with enough boiling water to cover them, add salt, and boil gently till soft. Strain, dry over the fire with the lid off, shaking occasionally. VEGETABLES Baked Potatoes Wash till quite clean, dry about I hour, or until the skins and pepper. (with skin on) well, put into a hot oven for crack. Serve with butter, salt. Boiled Onions and White Sauce I lb. of onions. i oz. butter. I oz. flour. \ pint milk. \ pint water. Salt and pepper. Method. — Peel the onions, put into cold water, boil, strain, put again into boiling water, and boil till quite soft. Drain, and place on a hot dish. Sauce, — ]\Ielt butter, mix in flour, add milk and water slowly, stir till it boils ; add salt and pepper, and pour over the onions. Boiled Cauliflower Wash the cauliflower and put it to soak in salt and water for I hour, to draw out any insects. Put it into a pan of boihng water, flower downwards, with i table-spoonful of salt and I dessert-spoonful of brown sugar added, and boil without lid from 20 to 30 minutes. Drain off the water, put in a hot vegetable tureen, cover with white sauce, and serve. To Boil Asparagus Choose asparagus with heads the same size, scrape the white part, and tie in bundles. Put in boiling salted water with I table-spoonful brown sugar, and boil slowly till the heads are soft (about 15 or 20 minutes). Lay them in a hot tureen and cover with white sauce. A better way to cook asparagus is to tie them in bundles and stand them upright in a pan of boiling water, not letting the water touch the green part. Steaming them in this way prevents the green being over-cooked before the white part.