Cookery for every household

Choose small Spanish onions of equal size. Cut off the root and top and remove all the brown skin. Put them into a saucepan of boiling salted water, boil them for 10 minutes, then strain and throw them into cold water. When cool enough to handle, remove one or two of the outer coatings from the onions and scoop out the centres, making a hole large enough to receive about a table-spoonful of stuffing. Chop up these onion trimmings, put them into an earthenware casserole with the butter or dripping and gill of stock and make them hot over the fire. Then make the stuffing. Use Stuffed Onions chicken, tongue, ham, or any nicely cooked meat, and chop sufficient to make about 2 table-spoonfuls. Put it into a basin with the bread-crumbs, parsley, and a few button mushrooms finely chopped. Add enough brown or tomato sauce to bind all together and season to taste with pepper, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. Fill up the centres of the onions with this mixture, piling it rather high in the centre. Place them when ready in the casserole with the minced onion, cover with greased paper, put on the lid and cook in the oven or by the side of the fire until the onions are quite tender. Serve them in the casserole, or on a hot dish with the minced onion and gravy round. Note. — If an entirely vegetarian dish is required use grated nuts instead of the meat, and vegetable instead of meat stock. This makes a very good supper or luncheon dish. Time to cook, about 2 hours. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. 524. Glazed Onions (Oignons Glacees) Small silver onions. I Brown stock. Salt. Salad oil. I Castor sugar. Skin the onions and wipe them very dry in a cloth. Put a little salad oil into a saute pan or shallow stewpan and make it hot over the fire. Put in the onions, sprinkle them with castor sugar and toss them over and over until they are well browned on all sides. Then pour off any superfluous oil and pour in sufficient brown stock to barely cover the onions. Add a little salt if necessary and allow the onions to cook slowly by the side of the fire or in the oven. When they are nearly ready, allow the stock to boil down quickly until it forms a glaze on the onions, turning them over gently until they are evenly coated. These may be served as a garnish for various meat dishes. 525. Puree of Onions (Puree Soubise) 2 or 3 Spanish onions. I 3 table-sps. bechamel 2 table-sps. cream. I sauce. Seasoning. Prepare the onions, put them into a saucepan with cold water to cover them and a little salt, bring to the boil, boil for 5 minutes, and drain. Then slice the onions thinly and put them into a saucepan with some thick bechamel or other good white sauce. Put the lid on the pan and let them stew by the side of the fire until quite soft. The onions must on no account be allowed to take colour. When ready, rub as much as possible through a fine sieve. Return the puree to a clean saucepan, season to taste and add a little cream at the last. Note. — This is used as a garnish for certain entrees. It is also a good accompaniment for grilled steaks and chops. Parsnips (Panais)