Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

The best kind of French Mustard is Maille’s. French Mustard is prepared with vinegar and a little garlic. An imitation of it can be made by boiling a minced shallot in four tablespoonfuls of water till they are reduced one half, strain, and when the water is cold mix the Mustard with it, adding from a teaspoonful to a dessertspoonful of vinegar. OLIVES. The large Spanish Olive looks best, as the French and Italian Olives are much smaller. “ Turned Olives ” are prepared in this way. Take a sharp knife (a penknife will do), and cut a thin slice off the bottom of the Olive to make it stand OLIVES upright. Then begin at the thick end or bottom of the Olive, and peel off the flesh in a thick, short, spiral coil. Three “ turns ” ought to leave the stone of the Olive bare. Keep the blade of the knife close against the stone, and peel the Olive as if you were paring an apple, only recollecting that with an apple the peel has to be cut as thin, and with an Olive as thick, as possible. When the stone is taken out the Olive is pressed together again, and resumes its former shape, the spiral rind being unbroken. The cavity left by the Olive stone may, if wished, be filled in various ways, for which see Savouries, Chapter XIX. ONIONS. Baked Onions. — The large mild Spanish or Bermuda Onions should be chosen for this dish. Remove only the two or three outer coats of the Onions, leaving the rest to preserve the flavour. Boil the Onions for one hour in slightly salted boiling water. During the boiling change the water twice, always pouring in fresh boiling water from a kettle. Take the Onions out, and lay them on a cloth to get quite dry. Roll each Onion in a round piece of buttered paper, twisting up the paper tightly at the top to keep it closed. Bake the Onions in a slow oven for an hour, then try them with a needle. When tender all through, peel them, lay them in a deep dish, and baste with gravy thickened with a little flour. Or baste with butter for fifteen minutes. Add pepper and salt, and serve in a hot vegetable dish. Fried Onions. — Blanch the Onions for five minutes, cool them, and slice them finely crosswise. Dry these rings in flour upon a cloth, and put them into the frying-basket. Plunge this into very hot fat for five or six minutes, drain, sprinkle with a little salt, and serve. The rings should be crisp and golden brown in colour, not dark and sodden as Fried Onions too often are. Roasted Onions. — This is an excellent way of cooking the large mild Portugal Onions. Take off one or two of their coats, chop these up and put them and the Onions into an earthenware casserole on the hot plate. Add half an ounce of butter (or more if liked) to each Onion. Let them slowly cook for two hours. The Onions then will be so tender as ROASTED ONIONS 353 almost to melt when helped. Serve if possible in the dish the Onions were cooked in. It is a good plan to boil two or three very young Onions in clear soup. They much improve its flavour and consistency. If Onion is added to a dish it should not be perceptible except as a flavour. Nothing is more disagreeable than to get a “ tang,” (to use the old-fashioned word for a strong taste), of Onion left in the mouth.