PRACTICAL
VEGETARIAN COOKERY.
Any nuts with herbs dried and ground will nicely flavor and enrich stock.
Place four onions in large kettle with a gallon of water, let boil steadily two hours, then add one carrot, two small turnips, two parsnips, three bay leaves, one head of celery (if celery leaves cannot be had a saltspoonful of celery seeds may be used), one-eighth head of cabbage. Let boil four hours; strain. This should make a gallon of strong stock.
Put one quart of tomatoes, with one and a half quarts of water, in kettle over the fire; add one tablespoonful of chopped onion, two bay leaves, four whole cloves, one level teaspoonful of celery seed and a half teaspoonful of pepper. Cover and cook twenty minutes. Strain through a sieve. Beat the whites of two eggs until partly light, add them to the tomato, and boil rapidly for five minutes. Strain through two thicknesses of cheese cloth. Reheat, season with two teaspoonfuls of salt and serve with croutons.
Boil tender, not soft, one small potato, one small carrot, one half cupful of green peas (canned peas can be used), and one small head of celery, if in season; if in summer, asparagus heads will do. Cut the large vegetables into small dice, and add one quart of the clear stock. Take the yolks of two eggs, whipping them up with one tablespoonful of milk with salt to taste, put in a crockery cup and set in steamer; let cook until solid; set away to chill, then cut in small dice or fancy shapes and add to the soup.
One-third package of Macaroni, or Spaghetti; cook in boiling water, salted to taste, until tender, then drain quickly and add one quart of clear stock. Bring to a boiling point and serve.
Place a sauce pan, with half a cupful of fine chopped onion, the same of carrot and celery, over the fire; cover with boiling water; cook five minutes; drain off the water. Melt one tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan, add the parboiled vegetables; cover and cook ten minutes, stirring often; then add one heaping teaspoonful of flour, stir and cook two minutes, add one cupful of canned tomatoes, and one quart of boiling water, cook fifteen minutes. Shortly before serving rub the bisque through a sieve; mix the yolk of two eggs with half a cupful of cream; add it to the bisque, and stir for a few minutes over the fire. In the meantime cook two ounces of macaroni in salted water thirty-five minutes; drain and rinse it off with cold water; cut the macaroni into small pieces the size of a white bean; add one cupful of this macaroni to the bisque and serve.
To one can of tomatoes add one pint of water, four peppercorns, one half bay leaf, four cloves, and a bit of mace; cook until the tomatoes are soft enough to strain. After straining add two teaspoonfuls of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, one fourth teaspoonful of soda; thicken with two tablespoonfuls of butter and three tablespoonfuls of flour blended together.
To one half can of tomatoes, add one scant tablespoonful of finely chopped onion, and three spikes of celery, cook until tender, then strain through a wire sieve; season to taste, add soda the size of a pea. Scald one quart of milk, mix one teaspoonful of butter with heaping teaspoonful of flour, dissolve in warm milk and stir into the scalding milk; add to the strained tomato stock just before serving; don’t let it stand after milk is added. Serve with crackers.
Take one bay leaf, one half can of tomatoes, one half can of corn, one medium sized onion, chopped; two heads of celery, cut fine (or one half teaspoonful of celery seed); one half cupful of rice, one half cupful of oatmeal, one carrot, cut in dice, one eighth head of cabbage, cut fine, one small turnip, cut fine, gallon, or more, of cold water, with salt to taste. Cook gently until all vegetables are thoroughly tender. Very nice served plain, or with dumplings. This soup is a hearty luncheon in itself.
To one head of celery, cut fine, add one teaspoonful of chopped onion, one large, or two medium sized potatoes, sliced; cook until you can mash through a wire sieve; then add one quart of scalding milk, one half cupful of cream, and thicken to a cream with buttered flour. Serve with oyster crackers.
Pare, wash, and cut into dice, six good sized potatoes, chop fine one onion, place in kettle with water to cover, salt to taste, and cook until tender; then add one quart of cream or rich milk, add one tablespoonful of butter, a dash of pepper, and let come to a boil.
Have ready dumplings made as follows: To four heaping tablespoonfuls of flour, add pinch of salt, one even teaspoonful baking powder, one tablespoonful cream, and water enough to make soft dough; do not knead, mould into small lumps, size of walnuts, and drop into soup as soon as the soup comes to a boil. The dumplings take about eight minutes to cook, and the kettle should be kept covered all the time. The soup needs to be carefully watched that it does not boil over or burn; it is well to lift the kettle free from the stove every three or four minutes, giving it a little twirl, but do not lift the cover until the eight minutes are passed, for sudden reduction of temperature may make the dumplings heavy.
To two tablespoonfuls of rice, thoroughly washed, add one potato cut in large dice, one tablespoonful of finely chopped onion, and one-third of a teaspoonful of celery seed; cook until tender, salt to taste, add one quart of hot milk and one half cupful of cream. Serve with crackers.
Nouilles—Beat two eggs, mix to a stiff paste with flour and a pinch of salt, roll out very thin on well floured board, let dry a few minutes, then roll snugly, cut from end of roll in strips as thin as possible, and shake out thoroughly. Have one quart clear stock hot and shake nouilles in gently. Let it simmer until nouilles are tender.
Take one pint of cold Boston baked beans; place in kettle with two quarts of water, one small onion, chopped fine, one small bay leaf; let boil until onion is tender, put through a wire strainer (if too thick, more water can be added); season to taste, add nouilles and let simmer until they are tender.
To one bowl of cold Boston baked beans, add one half onion, chopped; one half teaspoonful of celery seed, one pint of tomatoes, one bay leaf, and one quart of water. Let boil one half hour, then mash through a colander, if too thick add more water, have ready one heaping teaspoonful of flour blended smooth with water, stir into the strained mixture, and put soup back on the fire, letting it come to a good boil. The flour is added to keep the soup an even creamy thickness. Serve with croutons.
To one can of red kidney beans, cooked in their own juice and then mashed through a sieve to remove skins, add one quart of rich fresh milk, one tablespoonful of butter, salt and pepper to taste. Let come to a boil and serve with croutons, or wafers.
Soak a pint of black beans in two quarts of cold water over night; boil them four hours or more; mash them thoroughly, strain them through a colander into a saucepan, cover, and let boil. Mix a tablespoonful of flour smoothly with cold milk or cream, stir into the boiling soup until it thickens; add a cupful of butter; if it is too thick, thin with boiling water; add a tablespoonful of lemon juice. Season and spice to taste.
Put a pint of split peas, and one bay leaf, with two quarts of cold water in a covered saucepan to boil for four hours; mash the peas thoroughly, strain them through a colander into a saucepan; set it, covered, over the fire to boil; mix one tablespoonful of flour with a cupful of soft butter, stir it into the boiling soup until it thickens; cover and boil five minutes or more. If the soup is too thick it may be thinned with boiling water. Season to taste. One pint of strained tomato added to this makes a very nice soup, of different flavor.
Cut the tops of one stalk of celery; simmer gently until tender in sufficient water to cover, with one teaspoonful salt. Cut up celery stocks in one inch pieces and boil in one pint of water until tender. Boil two tablespoonfuls rice in water until nearly done; then add to the celery soup to boil a few minutes; strain celery tops and add the liquor to the soup pot. Boil one quart of milk in double boiler; thicken with one scant tablespoonful of flour blended with one tablespoonful of butter; add another teaspoonful of salt; add this to soup and let boil but a second. Have ready one half cupful of whipped cream; place in the bottom of the tureen, pour on the hot soup, and serve with crackers.
Put in a saucepan one and one half pint of water; when boiling throw in the white part of a cauliflower separated into sprays, let boil twenty minutes; then add bread balls made thus:—to one pint of bread crumbs, add powdered marjoram, thyme, sweet savory and chopped parsley, to taste; one tablespoonful of melted butter, pinch of salt, a little whole wheat flour and beaten egg to bind; form into little balls, size of walnuts, and drop into the soup and boil ten minutes; then add one pint of rich milk or cream to soup, and let come to a boil. Grate in a bit of cheese, just enough to flavor delicately. Serve with croutons.
To one can of corn add three pints of milk; boil for half an hour. To one tablespoonful of chopped onion, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and cook in frying pan until delicate brown, then add to onion and butter two tablespoonfuls of flour; blend. Stir this mixture into the corn and milk; add salt and pepper to taste; cook five minutes; then run through coarse sieve to strain, and stir in the well beaten yolks of two eggs and one quarter of a cupful of cream; return to double boiler and cook until it thickens; do not let it boil.
Pare and slice one large potato and one onion; place in agate kettle a layer of onion; cover that with one cupful of corn; then add the sliced potatoes; add just enough water to cover, and let simmer gently until onion and potatoes are tender. Add one quart of rich milk, one third cupful of cream and let come to a boil. Remove from fire and stir in the whipped yolk of one egg, and add a tablespoonful of chopped parsley.
Put a quart of freshly shelled, unwashed peas into a double boiler, steam until the peas can be thoroughly mashed, pour in a quart of boiling milk, let boil for one minute and strain it through a colander into a saucepan; mix two tablespoonfuls of flour smoothly with cold milk; stir it into the boiling soup until it thickens; add two tablespoonfuls of butter, set it covered on the range, to boil five minutes or more,—until the flour is cooked. Season to taste. A sprig of mint cooked with the peas gives a flavor liked by many.
Steam a whole cabbage with the stem end down, for two hours or more, set it off, covered, to cool; take off the coarse outer leaves, chop the cabbage very fine, put it into a saucepan with a cupful of butter, and season to taste. Set it over the fire for the butter to melt; then dredge in gradually four tablespoonfuls of flour; stir, to mix it with the butter and cabbage, pour in a quart or more of boiling milk, or water, stir until it thickens; cover it and boil five minutes or more, to cook the flour.
May be made the same as cabbage soup; only substituting cauliflower for cabbage.
Cut off half inch tips from two bunches asparagus stalks. Cook the stalks until tender in boiling water. Rub through a colander, salt to taste; add three pints of boiling milk; smooth one teaspoonful of butter with one of flour and stir into the soup. Cook fifteen minutes; while this is in course of preparation boil the tips till tender, drain and put in tureen. When soup is done take from stove, add one half cupful of cream and pour over the tips. Serve with croutons.
Pare two medium sized onions and one turnip, place these with one cupful of finely chopped cabbage to cook in three quarts of boiling water. Season to taste with salt and cook till tender, then add one cupful of green corn, cut from cob, bring to a quick boil and cook five minutes, add one half cupful of cream just before serving.
Soak one quart of black beans over night; put them in a kettle with a gallon of cold water and two bay leaves; boil slowly until well done, rub through a colander, and return to the kettle; season with salt, white pepper, and, if liked, a little thyme; blend one tablespoonful of butter with one tablespoonful of flour and dissolve in one half cupful of warm water; stir into the soup. Serve with croutons.
Boil six carrots in water; when thoroughly done drain them and pass them through a fine sieve. Mix the pulp thus obtained with as much clear stock (water will answer, but the soup will not be so good) as will make it of the desired consistency. Add pepper, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Melt one ounce of butter and mix with it a tablespoonful of flour; then gradually add to the carrot purée; let it come to a boil, add a small piece of butter; serve with croutons.
Boil a bay leaf and a scant cupful of lentils in salted water until tender. Mash through colander to remove husks. Put back in kettle and add water enough to make one quart of soup; blend one tablespoonful of butter with scant tablespoonful of flour and stir into the soup; let come to a boil. Just before serving add fine slices of lemon, and two sliced, hard boiled, eggs.
Wash two ounces of barley; soak it for three hours; chop one half of a medium sized head of cabbage, and one onion, put over to boil with the soaked barley, in one quart of water; salt to taste. Let boil for two hours; adding more water if it becomes too thick, be careful not to add too much water; season with savory herbs, or soup powder; add a tablespoonful of butter, and serve with croutons.
Peel and prepare turnips according to quantity of soup desired, put them over to cook in boiling water; when half done add one fifth as much of onions, chopped very fine, with pepper and salt to taste. When turnips are tender pour the liquid through a sieve and rub the turnips through with a spoon. Return to kettle and add as much milk as is required to bring soup to the proper consistency; add a little parsley, chopped fine; one cupful of cream, and one tablespoonful of butter blended with one teaspoonful of flour. Serve with croutons.
Soak one cupful of dried lima beans over night; in the morning drain and add three pints of cold water. Cook until tender and rub through a sieve. Cut two slices of onion and four slices of carrot into small cubes; cook in two tablespoonfuls of butter until yellow, add one cupful of cream or milk, two tablespoonfuls of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of salt, and one saltspoonful of pepper; and stir into the boiling soup. Strain and serve.
To one pint of cold Boston baked beans, add one chopped, small, onion, one bay leaf, and one cupful of tomato; boil in one quart of water until tender, then mash through a colander, put back in kettle over the fire and add one tablespoonful of butter blended with one teaspoonful of flour; season to taste, let come to a boil, and serve with croutons.