The "A1" cookery book

To Boil Carrots. — Very young carrots will only want washing, older ones must be scraped. Put them in a stew-pan, with sufficient hot water to cover them, and a little salt. Let them boil for twenty minutes, take them out, and serve in a hot dish, and pour over them parsley sauce (page 88). Carrots au Beurre. — After the carrots are boiled, drain them, and put two ounces of butter in a saucepan, and strew in some chopped parsley, salt, and white pepper ; then add the carrots, and toss them very gently till they are covered with the sauce, which must not be allowed to boil. To Stew Celery (Brown).— Wash the celery and trim it. Put it into a saucepan with boiling water and let it boil five minutes. Drain it and put it into a stew-pan with stock to cover it, and stew it gently for half an hour or till it is tender. Thicken the gravy with flour and butter, and add pepper and salt to taste, boil a quarter of an hour longer, and serve the celery with the sauce poured over it. To Stew Celery (White). — Wash the celery thoroughly and trim it. Plunge into boiling water to which a little salt has been added. Boil till tender, which will be from fifteen to twenty minutes. Serve with white sauce. To Curry Vegetables. — 3 large potatoes, 1 pint brown stock, 4 oz. butter, 2 onions, f lemon (juice of), i vegetable marrow, | pint of green peas, i pint of French beans, a few slices of cucumber, 1 tablespoon curry powder. Peel the potatoes, cut in small strips, and fry them with one onion sliced in two ounces of butter till they are golden brown ; put them into a stewpan with the stock, one raw onion, and all the other ingredients. Simmer very slowly, stirring carefully occasionally until the vegetables are nearly cooked, then add two ounces of butter and a little brown flour to thicken the gravy. Cook until the vegetables are quite soft, but not broken. Season with salt and pepper. Lettuces. — These should be dipped in cold water, shaken dry in a soft cloth, and put in a colander to drain ; set in a cold place, but not cold enough to freeze. This treatment will make them very crisp, and they will keep twenty-four hours. Lettuces should not be cut with a knife, but torn into pieces with the fingers just before they are wanted for a salad. To Stew Lettuces. — Strip off the outer leaves and cut away the stalks, wash them and throw into salt water to soak. Throw into boiling water previously salted and boil till tender, which will be in about twenty-five minutes. Take them out and drain and press the water from them. Chop them a little and heat in a saucepan with a little butter, pepper, and salt ; then add a small cup of stock, boil them quickly till nearly dry, and add a few drops of lemon juice. Serve with fried sippets of bread. To Boil Leeks. — Trim off the coarser leaves, cut the leeks into equal lengths, tie them in small bunches, and boil them in plenty of boiling water which has been salted and skimmed. Serve on toast with melted butter (p. 87). Mushrooms as a Vegetable. — Stew them in milk and water, add a little pepper, salt, and cayenne, and thicken the gravy with cream or a little butter rolled in flour.