Mrs. C. S. Peel

“ Melt the butter in a stewpan and add the onions and cook them until they are of a deep golden brown, stirring often. Meanwhile, put 1 tablespoonful of curry powder in a saucer in the oven for 10 minutes, then mix it to a smooth paste with a little cream, or if this cannot be allowed, some milk, and add it to the onion mixture, and stir well. Cook slowly, stirring frequently for 2 hours in all. During this time the onions will become quite pulpy, and the butter like oil, and the colour of the mixture will slowly deepen to a rich mustard yellow. ”

“ In the country, where vegetables are plentiful and money is not, I have often noticed that sufficient use is not made of vegetables, while where fresh green food is a luxury its place is not taken—as it should be—by such food stuffs as rice, macaroni, haricot beans and corn. ”

“ Put the celery into a pan with 11⁄2 gills of milk, half a bayleaf, a blade of mace, a slice of onion, and boil it all till tender, then sieve the celery, and it is ready for the soufflé.
Savoury Rice Soufflé
Wash 2 oz. of rice and then place it in 3⁄4 of a pint of boiling stock (fish or vegetable stock) , and cook until the rice swells and is soft without being pulpy. Drain it and let it cool, and then [51] stir into it 1 oz. of fresh butter, 2 or 3 tablespoonsful of tomato purée, salt and pepper the beaten yolks of 2 eggs and then the frothed whites. ”

“ Carrots and turnips, leeks and onions should be placed in wire racks; and lettuces should be arranged root-end downmost in a shallow pan of fresh water. Cabbages and cauliflower may be treated likewise. Parsley should be placed in water as if it were a flower—not soused head over heels in that liquid. Whether the stalk-end of a cucumber should be placed in water, or whether the vegetable should be left dry in a cool, airy place, is a moot point. ”

“ Put into a pan from 1⁄2 to 1 oz. of butter, add a [26] good dessertspoonful of flour, some parsley and minced chives, with salt, pepper, and a dust of nutmeg to taste; when the whole is smoothly blended, pour in sufficient single cream or new milk, and stir it all together till it boils up, then add as many cold, cooked new potatoes as you want, and allow them to heat thoroughly in the sauce without actually boiling, which would break them; serve with a dust of coralline pepper. ”

“ Make a curry sauce by slicing 2 small onions and frying them in butter until a light brown, add to them 2 teaspoonsful of curry powder and a tablespoonful of lemon juice or rather less of vinegar, a tablespoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt and two raw apples chopped very finely, stir in 11⁄2 pints of water and simmer until the ingredients have become a pulp. ”

“ As the housekeeper whose weekly income is limited knows only too well, there often comes a day when the supply of meat falls short. Then comes the question, can it be eked out in a presentable manner or must more be bought and the desired cost exceeded. ”

“ The sensible cook keeps all left-over potato, and makes use of it in some of the ways here described.
Potato Croquettes (Hot)
Take 1 lb. of cold cooked potato and place in a mortar. Mash it until all the lumps have disappeared, add a pat of butter and enough milk or cream to make the potato soft, and of the right consistency to form into balls, add a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a very small [25] quantity of chives (if liked) , mix well and form into balls. Coat them with egg, roll them in finely-grated breadcrumbs, fry a golden brown, drain and serve. ”

“ A favourite kitchen superstition is that which forbids the use of left-over potatoes. For many dishes cooked potato is required. Why then cook fresh potatoes for the purpose and thereby waste time and money? ”

“ Fried Celery (Hot)
Thoroughly wash three heads of celery, remove the leaves, and cut into 4 inch lengths, then put in a stewpan with 1⁄2 a pint of stock and a seasoning of pepper and salt. Simmer gently for a quarter of an hour. Let the celery cool, then take it out, dip it in egg and breadcrumb, and fry in butter. Serve very hot, and hand tomato sauce with it.
For the following vegetable dishes, see
10s. ”

“ All vegetables should be eaten while young, or they lose considerably in flavour. When French [11] or runner beans are quite young it is better merely to remove the strings and to cook them whole; but when old age approaches they are more palatable when sliced.
To Boil Vegetables
When boiling vegetables remember that all fresh vegetables should be plunged into boiling salted water, the proportions being 1 tablespoonful of salt to 1 gallon of water. ”

“ Nowadays at most of the smart restaurants vegetable and cereal dishes are a feature of almost every meal, and at private houses no luncheon and few dinner menus are considered complete unless a vegetable or cereal dish is included. ”

“ Cook as in the previous recipe for spinach.
Almost any greens, including cabbage and Brussels-sprouts, are excellent when served thus.
[21]
Asparagus.
Asparagus is really almost at its best served plain boiled with oiled butter; but when it first comes in, the big kind, which is best for boiling, is rather expensive, and few people seem to know how good the more “grasslike” kind is if treated properly. ”

“ Fill almost to the top the salad bowl with finely-shred lettuce, endive, cooked beetroot, sliced (very thin) artichoke (cooked) , and finally add some cucumber ribbons. Then arrange with care the egg baskets and pour round, but not over the halved eggs, the following dressing (imperial mayonnaise) :—Put into a basin 1⁄2 pint of aspic, and add 1 tablespoonful of olive oil, 2 teaspoonsful of vinegar, and a trifle of salt and pepper. Beat with an egg whisk until all the ingredients are well blended. [89] Set the salad in a pan of ice water if possible, or in a very cold place until served. ”

“ Vegetable Purée
This is merely the vegetable boiled in water or stock, and then put through a sieve so that it forms a preparation resembling a very thick custard. Spinach à la crême (page 20) and purée of watercress, lettuce, and turnip tops (pages 16 and 17) are excellent foundations for soufflés. Such vegetables as artichokes and celery should be treated as follows:—
Celery Soufflé (Hot)
Wash some celery well, and remove all the outside parts, cut up 1⁄2 lb., put it on in cold, salted water, bring this to the boil, take out the celery and drain. ”