Practical household cookery

Trim off, divide, clean, and blanch for five minutes a cabbage as described in No. 728; then squeeze the water out and put the cabbage in a stewpan. Moisten with good broth, season with salt and pepper, then cover with a layer of bacon cut in thin slices and a buttered sheet of paper on the top. Boil with the stewpan covered for twenty minutes, then stand in the oven for ten minutes, and serve. 780. STUFFED CABBAGE. Pick out all the nice leaves of a big savoy cabbage; wash these well and blanch them in boiling salt water for five minutes, then drain and wipe them dry, lay them flat on the table in the form of a ten- inch square. Chop up in small dice one pound of cooked veal and a quarter of a pound of cooked ham, and mince very fine a clove of garlic ; then mix these with half a pound of plain boiled rice, season with salt and pepper, and put the mixture in the centre of the cabbage-leaves; fold these up and tie them well all round with string. Boil in the stock-pot for twenty minutes, then put it on a baking-dish, moisten with a little gravy, and set it in a hot oven for ten minutes. When nicely browned remove the string and serve with some gravy in a sauce-boat. 731. BOILED CAULIFLOWER. BUTTER SAUCE. Pare off the coarse outer leaves of two medium cauliflowers, cut the stalks and pare away the tough skin round it, throw these in a basin of cold water, adding half a gill of vinegar, in order to draw out any caterpillar or insect that may be in them, then plunge them in boiling water with a teaspoonful of salt, and boil for twelve or fifteen minutes according to size. When the cauliflowers are done, which can be ascertained by pressing a small piece between the fingers ; if this should give way easily to the pressure, although still retaining a certain firmness, they must be taken off from the fire, carefully removed with a slice and drained on a sieve, then dished up and served with Butter sauce (No. 157). 782. FRIED CAULIFLOWER. Trim, wash, and boil two cauliflowers as in No. 731, then drain and cut them into pieces. Melt two ounces of fresh butter in a fiying-pan, add the pieces of cauliflower, season with salt and pepper, and fry to a nice brown all round, taking care to toss them, in order to prevent burning ; then dish up, and serve. 733. FRIED CAULIFLOWER WITH PARMESAN CHEESE. Prepare and fry the cauliflowers as above; when of a nice brown, sprinkle two tablespoonfuls of grated parmesan cheese, toss and dish up the cauliflower; warm a gill of good gravy in the same frying-pan, pour it over the cauliflower, and serve. 734. CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN. Boil two cauliflowers as in No. 731. Meanwhile put one ounce of butter and one ounce of flour in a stewpan, stir over the fire for three minutes, then add one pint of water or white stock; season with salt and pepper; boil for ten minutes, stirring the while, then draw by the side of the fire. When the cauliflowers are done and drained, cut them in pieces. Grate one ounce and a half each of parmesan and Gruyère cheese and mix it well together; put a layer of cauliflower at the bottom of a gratin-dish, then a layer with one-third of the grated cheese and a layer of sauce; pile up the remaining cauliflower on the top; cover with another third of cheese and the sauce, sprinkle the third part of the cheese over the sauce, and add a tablespoonful of raspings. Baste with an ounoe of melted fresh butter, and set the dish to bake in a hot oven for about a quarter of an hour. Meanwhile put the salamander in the fire to be made red hot, pass this over the top of the cauliflower to give a light brown colour, and serve. 735. CAULIFLOWER A LA GENOISE.