PARSNIPS, BOILED.

Wash, sc.r.a.pe and split them. Put them into a pot of boiling water; add a little salt, and boil them till quite tender, which will be in from two to three hours, according to their size. Dry them in a cloth when done and pour melted b.u.t.ter or white sauce (see SAUCES) over them in the dish. Serve them up with any sort of boiled meat or with salt cod.

Parsnips are very good baked or stewed with meat.

FRIED PARSNIPS.

Boil tender in a little hot water salted; sc.r.a.pe, cut into long slices, dredge with flour; fry in hot lard or dripping, or in b.u.t.ter and lard mixed; fry quite brown. Drain off fat and serve.

Parsnips may be boiled and mashed the same as potatoes.

STEWED PARSNIPS.

After washing and sc.r.a.ping the parsnips slice them about half of an inch thick. Put them in a saucepan of boiling water containing just enough to barely cook them; add a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, season with salt and pepper, then cover closely. Stew them until the water has cooked away, watching carefully and stirring often to prevent burning, until they are soft. When they are done they will be of a creamy light straw color and deliciously sweet, retaining all the goodness of the vegetable.

PARSNIP FRITTERS.

Boil four or five parsnips; when tender take off the skin and mash them fine; add to them a teaspoonful of wheat flour and a beaten egg; put a tablespoonful of lard or beef drippings in a frying pan over the fire, add to it a saltspoonful of salt; when boiling hot put in the parsnips; make it in small cakes with a spoon; when one side is a delicate brown turn the other; when both are done take them on a dish, put a very little of the fat in which they were fried over and serve hot. These resemble very nearly the taste of the salsify or oyster plant, and will generally be preferred.

CREAMED PARSNIPS.

Boil tender, sc.r.a.pe and slice lengthwise. Put over the fire with two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt and a little minced parsley.

Shake until the mixture boils. Dish the parsnips, add to the sauce three tablespoonfuls of cream or milk in which has been stirred a quarter of a spoonful of flour. Boil once and pour over the parsnips.

STEWED TOMATOES.

Pour boiling water over a dozen sound ripe tomatoes; let them remain for a few moments; then peel off the skins, slice them and put them over the fire in a well-lined tin or granite-ware saucepan. Stew them about twenty minutes, then add a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper to taste; let them stew fifteen minutes longer and serve hot.

Some prefer to thicken tomatoes with a little grated bread, adding a teaspoonful of sugar; and others who like the flavor of onion chop up one and add while stewing; then again, some add as much green corn as there are tomatoes.

TO PEEL TOMATOES.

Put the tomatoes into a frying basket and plunge them into hot water for three or four minutes. Drain and peel. Another way is to place them in a flat baking-tin and set them in a hot oven about five minutes; this loosens the skins so that they readily slip off.

SCALLOPED TOMATOES.

b.u.t.ter the sides and bottom of a pudding-dish. Put a layer of bread crumbs in the bottom; on them put a layer of sliced tomatoes; sprinkle with salt, pepper and some bits of b.u.t.ter, and a very _little_ white sugar. Then repeat with another layer of crumbs, another of tomato and seasoning until full, having the top layer of slices of tomato, with bits of b.u.t.ter on each. Bake covered until well cooked through; remove the cover and brown quickly.

STUFFED BAKED TOMATOES.

From the blossom end of a dozen tomatoes--smooth, ripe and solid--cut a thin slice and with a small spoon scoop out the pulp without breaking the rind surrounding it; chop a small head of cabbage and a good-sized onion fine and mix with them fine bread crumbs and the pulp; season with pepper, salt and sugar and add a cup of sweet cream; when all is well mixed, fill the tomato sh.e.l.ls, replace the slices and place the tomatoes in a b.u.t.tered baking-dish, cut ends up and put in the pan just enough water to keep from burning; drop a small lump of b.u.t.ter on each tomato and bake half an hour or so, till well done; place another bit of b.u.t.ter on each and serve in same dish. Very fine.

Another stuffing which is considered quite fine. Cut a slice from the stem of each and scoop out the soft pulp. Mince one small onion and fry it slightly; add a gill of hot water, the tomato pulp and two ounces of cold veal or chicken chopped fine, simmer slowly and season with salt and pepper. Stir into the pan cracker dust or bread crumbs enough to absorb the moisture; take off from the fire and let it cool; stuff the tomatoes with this ma.s.s, sprinkle dry crumbs over the top; add a small piece of b.u.t.ter to the top of each and bake until slightly browned on top.

BAKED TOMATOES. (Plain.)

Peel and slice quarter of an inch thick; place in layers in a pudding-dish, seasoning each layer with salt, pepper, b.u.t.ter and a very little white sugar. Cover with a lid or large plate and bake half an hour. Remove the lid and brown for fifteen minutes. Just before taking from the oven pour over the top three or four tablespoonfuls of whipped cream with melted b.u.t.ter.

TO PREPARE TOMATOES. (Raw.)

Carefully remove the peelings. Only perfectly ripe tomatoes should ever be eaten raw and if ripe the skins easily peel off. Scalding injures the flavor. Slice them and sprinkle generously with salt, more sparingly with black pepper, and to a dish holding one quart, add a light tablespoonful of sugar to give a piquant zest to the whole.

Lastly, add a gill of best cider vinegar; although, if you would have a dish yet better suited to please an epicurean palate, you may add a teaspoonful of made mustard and two tablespoonfuls of rich sweet cream.

FRIED AND BROILED TOMATOES.

Cut firm, large, ripe tomatoes into thick slices, rather more than a quarter of an inch thick. Season with salt and pepper, dredge well with flour, or roll in egg and crumbs, and fry them brown on both sides evenly, in hot b.u.t.ter and lard mixed. Or, prepare them the same as for frying, broiling on a well-greased gridiron, seasoning afterward the same as beefsteak. A good accompaniment to steak. Or, having prepared the following sauce, a pint of milk, a tablespoonful of flour and one beaten egg, salt, pepper and a very little mace; cream an ounce of b.u.t.ter, whisk into it the milk and let it simmer until it thickens; pour the sauce on a hot side-dish and arrange the tomatoes in the centre.

SCRAMBLED TOMATOES.

Remove the skins from a dozen tomatoes; cut them up in a saucepan; add a little b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt; when sufficiently boiled, beat up five or six eggs and just before you serve turn them into the saucepan with the tomatoes, and stir one way for two minutes, allowing them time to be done thoroughly.

CUc.u.mBER a LA CReME.

Peel and cut into slices (lengthwise) some fine cuc.u.mbers. Boil them until soft; salt to taste, and serve with delicate cream sauce. For Tomato Salad, see SALADS, also for Raw Cuc.u.mbers.

FRIED CUc.u.mBERS.

Pare them and cut lengthwise in very thick slices; wipe them dry with a cloth; sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and fry in lard and b.u.t.ter, a tablespoonful of each mixed. Brown both sides and serve warm.

GREEN CORN, BOILED.

This should be cooked on the same day it is gathered; it loses its sweetness in a few hours and must be artificially supplied. Strip off the husks, pick out all the silk and put it in boiling water; if not entirely fresh, add a tablespoonful of sugar to the water, but _no salt_; boil twenty minutes, fast, and serve; or you may cut it from the cob, put in plenty of b.u.t.ter and a little salt, and serve in a covered vegetable dish. The corn is much sweeter when cooked with the husks on, but requires longer time to boil. Will generally boil in twenty minutes.

Green corn left over from dinner makes a nice breakfast dish, prepared as follows: Cut the corn from the cob, and put into a bowl with a cup of milk to every cup of corn, a half cup of flour, one egg, a pinch of salt, and a little b.u.t.ter. Mix well into a thick batter, and fry in small cakes in very hot b.u.t.ter. Serve with plenty of b.u.t.ter and powdered sugar.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE FAMOUS EAST ROOM.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE RED ROOM.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE BLUE ROOM.]

CORN PUDDING.

This is a Virginia dish. Sc.r.a.pe the substance out of twelve ears of tender, green, uncooked corn (it is better sc.r.a.ped than grated, as you do not get those husky particles which you cannot avoid with a grater); add yolks and whites, beaten separately, of four eggs, a teaspoonful of sugar, the same of flour mixed in a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, a small quant.i.ty of salt and pepper, and one pint of milk.