The encyclopaedia of practical cookery

(2) Take |oz. each of dried mint and dried sage, 1 drachm each of celery-seeds and allspice, and ^ drachm of cayenne. Pound them to a fine powder in a mortar, and rub through a fine sieve. This is useful for flavouring pea soup, or for flavouring gruel to imitate jiea soup. (3) Take jib. each of lemon-thyme, sweet marjoram, parsley, and winter savory, 2oz. each of lemon-peel and sweet basil, |oz. of celery-seeds, and six bay-leaves. Remove the stalks from the Herbs (which should be gathered before they begin to flower), put them on paper, and dry in a slow oven. Dry the lemon-peel, and pound it ; pound the celery-seeds, also the Herbs, but separately. Mix all together, pass them through a fine hair sieve, and bottle. Herb-and-Forcemeat Quenelles. — Mix together in equal quantities celery, chervil, parsley, and green onions, with a small quantity of tarragon, and double their united bulk of spinach-leaves. The latter should be washed in several waters to remove the grit. Put the Herbs in a saucepan with boiling water to cover them, and boil for a few minutes. When soft, drain, put them in a bowl of cold salted water, then strain through a fine hair sieve, and chop them finely. Make about two-thirds of the quantity of veal or fowl forcemeat, season it highly, and mix with the Herbs. Shape the mixture into small, egg-shaped quenelles, using two teaspoons for the purpose, dipping them into warm water each time. Throw the quenelles into a saucepan of boiling salted water, and boil until firm. Drain them, and serve in a soup-tureen with any soup. Herb Fie. — (1) Boil together lqt. of oatmeal and three small onions, chopped fine. Boil for a few minutes in small equal quantities some lettuce, leeks, spinach, beetroot, and parsley, then drain and chop them ; put them in a saucepan with the groats and onions, add about ilb. of butter and a few thinlysliced apples, and stew for a few minutes. Line a buttered pie-dish with a crust, fill it with the mixture, bake for an hour, and serve hot. If preferred, a small quantity of dripping can be used in place of butter. (2) Pick off the leaves from some freshly-gathered parsley and half the quantity each of spinach and mustard-and-cress, a few leaves of white beet, and two hearts of lettuces ; wash them and boil in water with 1 handful of chives for a few minutes, then turn them on to a sieve and press well to squeeze out all the water. Chop them finely and season with salt and pepper. Beat up two eggs in a small stewpan, together with 1 breakfast-cupful each of milk and cream, sift in sufficient flour to make a thin batter, stirring it well all the time with a wooden spoon; if there are any lumps in the batter, strain it through a fine sieve. Mix the Herbs with the butter, and when it is ready pour all into a wellbuttered pie-dish; cover the top with a good crust, bake in a moderate oven, and serve hot.