The Queen Cook Book: A Careful Compilation of Recipes and Practical ...

Put three quarts of warm soft water on one quart of the small white bean, after washing, let soak over night (this to soak out the rank oil contained in the thick skin) turn off this water and rinse them thoroughly. Add cold water and boil ten minutes, pour this off and put on boiling water and boil till half done, then put in about one pound of well salted pork until half cooked to season the beans, if they are not sufficiently salt add more. Have a teakettle of hot soft water on stove to replenish with. (If you have to use hard water soften it with a little soda.) Take out the pork and boil the beans until they can be easily mashed between the thumb and finger; then put the beans into a deep earthen bean pot, and the salt pork buried in the beans all but the rind, which should be gashed one-half inch apart. Some like one tablespoon of molasses in the beans. If you prefer you can leave out the pork and the molasses, and stir in instead two tablespoons of good butter. Put on cover and bake from six to eight hours, taking the cover off the last hour to brown and crisp the top and rind of pork. The Queen Cook Book 123 Add boiling water from time to time, as it may need to prevent burning. This is Boston baked beans. But if you do not wish to bake them so long you can bake them from one to two hours in a tin dish. Pickled Beans. Wash and string tender green beans, put into a kettle of boiling water, add salt and boil till tender, say twenty-five minutes. When done, drain in a colander and let stand until cold; then put into a glass jar, sprinkle over a little cayenne pepper, add a tablespoon chopped liorseradish and cover with good vinegar. A nice relish. Asparagus on Toast. Wash it well, tie it in bundles of ten or fifteen stalks, with a well-washed cord, and cut them of equal lengths, from three to four inches long, boil in hot water, a little salt; .when it first comes it will cook in fifteen minutes, and at the last it may take thirty. Great care should be taken not to over-cook it, as some do. As soon as tender, pour off nearly all the water, and add sufficient cream and milk, butter, pepper, and salt, according to quantity, to season and make sufficient gravy to put on toast or plain bread (one-half slice each) enough for the number of persons. Butter the toast or bread as for eating; thicken it only as thick as thin cream. This is nice for dinner or supper. Do not cut off the cord till you lay it on the toast, then cut it and let one bunch be for each half-slice and fall open, then .pour on the gravy or sauce and a sprinkle of pepper; serve soon. Some cut the asparagus in inch long pieces. at >• 124 ^^^ Queen Cook Book Salsify and Parsnips. Grate a bunch or two of salsify, as you would horseradish, add a raw egg beaten, rolled cracker or flour, and fry as you would oysters. Parsnips prepared in this way are extremely nice. Grate a bunch or two of salsify, as you would horseradish, add a raw egg beaten, rolled cracker or flour, and fry as you would oysters. Parsnips Drepared in this way are extremely nice. Fried Salsify or Mock Oysters. Scrape the roots, lay in cold water fifteen minutes, put them in boiling water, cook till tender, then drain and mash fine, picking out all the fiber. Moisten with one teacup of cream, a little milk; add a tablespoon of butter and three eggs for every two cups of salsify. Beat the eggs light. Make into round cakes, dredge with flour and fry brown. Boiled Cauliflower. Select close heads, trim and open the flower in water to remove any insects. Soak in salt and water for an hour before cooking, then put them in boiling water with a little salt, cook till tender, slowly. Can tie up in piece of cheese-cloth to prevent them breaking, or if not lift out with a skimmer. Serve with drawn butter, adding a well beaten egg or mayonnaise sauce. Boiled Onions.