Set to boil for two minutes, drain, cool, press the herbs in .a towel, twisting the latter; pound very finely, and extract the juice from the resulting paste by twisting a strong towel round it. Keep this juice in the cool. 84—BREAD-CRUMBS Thoroughly rub, in a closed towel, some stale bread-crumb previously well broken up. Pass it through a fine sieve or colander, according as to whether it is required very fine or not, and put it aside in a convenient receptacle. 76 GUIDE TO MODERN COOKERY 185—CHOPPED ONION Cut the onion finely, like the shallots, but if it is to be minced with a view to making it even finer, it should be freed of its pungent juice, which would cause it to blacken with exposure to the air. To accomplish this, put the onion in the corner of a towel, pour plenty of cold water over it, and twist the towel in order to express the water. By this means the onion remains quite white. 186—TURNED OR STONED OLIVES There are special instruments for stoning olives, but, failing these, cut the fruit spirally from the stone with the point of a small knife. Keep the olives in slightly salted water. 187—PARSLEY Chopped Parsley.—lIf parsley be properly chopped, no juice should be produced. If, on the contrary, the operation be per- formed badly, it amounts to a process of pounding which, per- force, expresses the juice. In the latter case the particles cohere, and they are sprinkled with difficulty over an object. To remedy this shortcoming, wash the choppings in fresh water, as in the case of the onion, pressing in a similar manner so as to expel the water. Concassed Parsley is that kind which is roughly chopped. When a culinary preparation is dressed with concassed parsley, the latter should be added to it a few moments before serving, in order to undergo a slight cooking process; whereas chopped parsley may be strewn over a dish at the last moment. It should be remembered that parsley, when quite fresh and used in moderation, is an excellent thing; but, should it have remained too long in the heat, it becomes quite insufferable. I cannot, therefore, too strongly urge the advisability of using it in the freshest possible state, and it would even be wiser to discard it entirely than to be forced to ignore this condition. Parsley Sprays.—These are chiefly used in garnishing dishes, and it is well for the purpose to make as much use as possible of the curled-leaf kind, after having removed the long stalks. Keep the sprays in fresh water until required. Fried Parsley.—This consists of the sprays, well drained of water after washing, and immersed for an instant in very hot fat. The moment it is fried carefully drain it, salt it, and place ELEMENTARY PREPARATIONS ay it in a clean towel, where it may get rid of any superfluous grease. It is used to dress fried viands. 188—SALT Two kinds of salt are used in cooking, viz., grey, or sea-salt, and rock-salt. Grey-salt is used more especially for Brines and in the preparation of ices, as its grey colour does not allow of its being used indiscriminately. Be this as it may, many prefer it to rock-salt for the salting of stock-pots, roasts, and grills. For the last two purposes it is crushed with a roller, without being pounded, and the result should be such that every grain is distinctly perceptible to the touch. This salt, in melting over a roast or a grill, certainly imparts a supplementary flavour to the latter which could not be got with the use of rock-salt.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Set to boil for two minutes, drain, cool, press the herbs in .a towel, twisting the latter; pound very finely, and extract the juice from the resulting paste by twisting a strong towel round it. Keep this juice in the cool. 184—BREAD-CRUMBS Thoroughly rub, in a closed towel, some stale bread-crumb previously well broken up. Pass it through a fine sieve or colander, according as to whether it is required very fine or not, and put it aside in a convenient receptacle. 185—CHOPPED ONION Cut the onion finely, like the shallots, but if it is to be minced with a view to making it even finer, it should be freed of its pungent juice, which would cause it to blacken with exposure to the air. To accomplish this, put the onion in the corner of a towel, pour plenty of cold water over it, and twist the towel in order to express the water. By this means the onion remains quite white. 186—TURNED OR STONED OLIVES There are special instruments for stoning olives, but, failing these, cut the fruit spirally from the stone with the point of a small knife. Keep the olives in slightly salted water. 187—PARSLEY Chopped Parsley.—lIf parsley be properly chopped, no juice should be produced. If, on the contrary, the operation be performed badly, it amounts to a process of pounding which, perforce, expresses the juice. In the latter case the particles cohere, and they are sprinkled with difficulty over an object. To remedy this shortcoming, wash the choppings in fresh water, as in the case of the onion, pressing in a similar manner so as to expel the water. Concassed Parsley is that kind which is roughly chopped. When a culinary preparation is dressed with concassed parsley, the latter should be added to it a few moments before serving, in order to undergo a slight cooking process; whereas chopped parsley may be strewn over a dish at the last moment. It should be remembered that parsley, when quite fresh and used in moderation, is an excellent thing; but, should it have remained too long in the heat, it becomes quite insufferable. I cannot, therefore, too strongly urge the advisability of using it in the freshest possible state, and it would even be wiser to discard it entirely than to be forced to ignore this condition. Parsley Sprays.—These are chiefly used in garnishing dishes, and it is well for the purpose to make as much use as possible of the curled-leaf kind, after having removed the long stalks. Keep the sprays in fresh water until required. Fried Parsley.—This consists of the sprays, well drained of water after washing, and immersed for an instant in very hot fat. The moment it is fried carefully drain it, salt it, and place it in a clean towel, where it may get rid of any superfluous grease. It is used to dress fried viands. 188—SALT Two kinds of salt are used in cooking, viz., grey, or sea-salt, and rock-salt. Grey-salt is used more especially for Brines and in the preparation of ices, as its grey colour does not allow of its being used indiscriminately. Be this as it may, many prefer it to rock-salt for the salting of stock-pots, roasts, and grills. For the last two purposes it is crushed with a roller, without being pounded, and the result should be such that every grain is distinctly perceptible to the touch. This salt, in melting over a roast or a grill, certainly imparts a supplementary flavour to the latter which could not be got with the use of rock-salt.

A guide to modern cookery