VEGETABLES.

TO DRESS A DISH OF MUSHRUMPS.

“This book was written by Eleanor Parke Custis’ Great Grandmother, Mrs. John Custis, was given to her by her Beloved Grand Mama Martha Washington, formerly Mrs. Daniel Custis.”

In the following excerpt selected from the “Book of Cookery” no changes in spelling or punctuation have been made.

From Mrs. Washington’s “Book of Cookery,” owned by the Pennsylvania Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pa. 1706.

Contributed by Mrs. W. Hinckle Smith, Philadelphia, Pa.

Take ye firme mushrumps and pill ye scin from them and scrape away all ye red yt grows onye insyde of them and pill yr stalks likewise. If you finde them firme throw them as you doe them into faire water and let them ly 3 or 4 hours, then take them out of ye water and set them on ye fire in a pan, theyr owne Liquor will stew them, put in an ownion cut in halves and often sticke them as ye water rises cast it still away till you finde them almoste dry, then take out the ownion and put in a little sweet cream yt is thick and shred in some parsley and put in some grated nutmegg and a little grose pepper and a little salt and soe let them boyle. shaking them well together, and put in a piece of fresh butter giving them another shake and soe dish them up.

BAKED SWEET POTATO.

Contributed by Miss Lucretia Lennig, Philadelphia, Pa.

Six sweet potatoes grated raw, 1 tablespoonful cinnamon, 1 teaspoonful black pepper, 1 teaspoonful allspice, small teacup sugar, small ½ teacup lard, small ½ teacup butter, 2 raw eggs, small cup milk or cream just before baking.

ASPARAGUS LOAF (MOST DELICIOUS).

Mrs. J. A. Hewlett, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Contributed by Mrs. James Crosby Brown, Rosemont, Pa.

Cook 2 tablespoonsful each of butter and flour together, add half a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of pepper and 1 cup of cream gradually. When boiling add 2 tablespoonsful of cold chicken chopped fine, 1 cup of cooked asparagus tips, and 4 well beaten eggs (whites and yolks together). Turn into an earthen bowl or mould holding 1 pint, thickly buttered and lined with asparagus. Cook standing in a dish of hot water until the centre is firm. Do not allow the water around the mould to boil. Let stand a few moments after removing from oven, and invert over a serving dish. Serve with cream sauce. Sauce for Asparagus Loaf—Half a pint of milk, a level teaspoonful of butter, 1 level tablespoonful of flour, ½ teaspoonful of salt, ¼ teaspoonful of pepper. Asparagus tips and a few mushrooms well chopped up and added to the sauce are an improvement to the flavor.

COLE SLAW.

Used by Miss Elizabeth Rodman Fisher, of Wakefield, Germantown, 1860.

Contributed by Miss Hannah Fox, Philadelphia, Pa.

Boil ½ pt. of vinegar with a piece of butter about the size of a walnut. Have beaten the yolks of 4 eggs, to which add ½ teacup of cream. Take the vinegar from the fire and stir the eggs and cream into it whilst it is hot, taking care it does not curdle, then put it over the fire again to cook it, stirring it always until it is the thickness of boiled custard. The cabbage must be shredded fine in a dish and the dressing poured over it hot. Mix it well through the cabbage; when cold put it into the dish in which it is to be served and sprinkle it with cayenne pepper. Put salt in the dressing as you like it.

STUFFED RIPE TOMATOES, SOUTHERN STYLE.

Mrs. Eliza S. Brolaski, St. Louis, Mo.

Contributed by Mrs. Adelaide Bragg Carrick, Philadelphia, Pa.

Use firm fresh tomatoes. Take only a small core out of the middle, using a sharp pointed knife to loosen the meat of the tomatoes all inside. Then put a piece of butter in each tomato the size of a hazel nut. Then cut in each tomato a small piece of onion fine, then salt and pepper, and a dash of Paprika to taste, and a goodly pinch of herbs, then a little more butter, and fill each tomato with grated fresh bread crumbs (not cracker dust), a little more salt and seasoning, and bake half an hour. Serve on little plate garnished with parsley.

HOMINY OR SAMP PORRIDGE.

Mrs. J. A. Hewlett, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Contributed by Mrs. James Crosby Brown, Rosemont, Pa.

One cup of samp, 2 cups of white beans, soak these over night. Turkey carcass, 1 pound of salt pork. Put all together and cook slowly all day. Keep covering with water. Remove bones and flavor to taste.

RICE AND PEPPER—CREOLE FASHION.

Mrs. Eugene Palmer, New Orleans.

Contributed by Mrs. Robert Lindsay Pollard, Austin, Tex.

Cook ½ cup of rice thoroughly but dry, so that the grains will be separate. Remove seed and membrane from peppers, and slice crosswise. Lay them in cold salted water for 10 minutes. Fry in butter, chop, not too fine, add to the hot butter a little onion juice and about 2 tablespoons of stock of any kind. Pour over the rice and serve. Care must always be taken to remove seed and white membrane, so that neither will touch the inside of the pepper.

TOMATO WITH GELATINE.

Contributed by Mrs. James W. Noyes, Montclair, N. J.

Soak ½ box of gelatine, drain the juice from a pint of stewed or can of tomatoes and put over the fire with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. At the boiling point remove from the fire, skim and add to the gelatine together with a few drops of lemon juice. Strain and when half cold pour into prepared moulds and stand in a cool place to harden. Serve with lettuce and mayonnaise dressing. Excellent when fresh tomatoes cannot be procured.

SNAP BEANS—CREOLE FASHION.

Mrs. Eugene Palmer, New Orleans.

Contributed by Mrs. Robert Lindsay Pollard, Austin, Tex.

Simmer beans until tender, chop fine. Brown a teaspoon minced onion in butter, add beans, salt and pepper and 1 egg beaten well with a tablespoon of cold water. Stir quickly until thoroughly mixed and the egg sets. Take from fire and serve hot.

BAKED PEACHES.

Mrs. Celestin Villeneuve, New Orleans.

Contributed by Miss Charlotte Mitchell, New Orleans, La.

Halve fruit and remove stones. Fill inside with a paste of sugar, butter and cinnamon. Bake slowly, basting with a syrup of lemon juice. Cover with a meringue, brown and serve. May be baked in individual dishes, and served hot or cold.

CORN FRITTERS.

Contributed by Mrs. Mary Balding, Philadelphia, Pa.

Grate 1 dozen ears of corn, mix with 1 beaten egg. Fry them in butter, dropped in it with a spoon, brown and turn them like cakes.

STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS—CREOLE STYLE.

Mrs. Eugene Palmer, New Orleans, La.

Contributed by Mrs. Robert Lindsay Pollard, Austin, Tex.

Cut a slice off the stem end of sweet green peppers. Remove seed and membranes. Make a stuffing of shrimp or crab, or fish, with a very little bread crumbs, butter, pepper and salt moistened with white sauce. Set in oven a few moments and bake. If sweet peppers are not obtainable the ordinary green peppers may be used, but must be simmered in salt and water, and then thrown in cold water, always removing seed and membrane. Any kind of cold meat makes an appetizing stuffing. Baste well with melted butter while baking.

TO DRESS EGG PLANT.

Mrs. Roy Mason, “Cleveland,” King George Co., Va.

Contributed by Mrs. James T. Halsey.

Take 2 large tender egg plants, boil them in salt and water. Take off the skin and take out the inside. Mash fine, add a tablespoonful of butter, 2 eggs beaten light, 2 teaspoonsful of flour. Season with pepper and salt. Have ready some boiling lard, drop them in with a spoon, and fry them as brown as you do fritters.

POTATO PUFFS.

Mrs. Frank Carter, St. Louis, Mo.

Contributed by Mrs. Adelaide Bragg Carrick, Philadelphia, Pa.

Two good sized potatoes boiled and mashed, 1 egg, a little salt, 1 tablespoon lard and 1 of sugar. Beat until very light. Dissolve ½ an yeast cake in a cup of new milk and add. Work in enough flour to make a soft dough and let it rise 2 hours. Roll and cut with a tumbler. Put in a well greased pan for another hour’s rising and eat hot or they are not perfect. Do not let them touch while baking. These are delicious for lunch or tea.

HOW TO COOK RICE.

Contributed by Mrs. W. Hinckle Smith, Philadelphia, Pa.

Take 1 pt. of rice, and put it to soak for 2 hours. Have ready 2 qts. of boiling water, with a little salt in it, in your pan. Half an hour before sending rice to table, pour the water from your rice. With a tablespoon put rice in stewpan, being careful not to stir it. Let it boil 10 minutes, then strain water from rice. Return rice to pan and let it steam 15 or 20 minutes. When it will be done the grains will be separate. Add butter and serve.

CREOLE DISH.

Mrs. F. B. Loring.

Contributed through Mrs. Lily Latrobe Loring, Washington, D. C.

Cook 1 cup of rice in 2 qts. of salted boiling water for 20 minutes, or until tender, but not broken. Drain and set in a colander at the back of the range to dry. Have ready 2 sweet green peppers, which have been carefully seeded, scalded and left in the hot water until cold. Chop them fine in a saucepan and stew 3 raw tomatoes, cut up small and season with a great spoonful of butter, salt and sugar to taste. Cook for 15 minutes, turn in the rice, bring to a boil and serve.

A TURKISH PILAU.

From the Turkish Minister.

Contributed through Mrs. Lily Latrobe Loring, Washington, D. C.

Put 1 cup of stewed strained tomatoes in a saucepan, with 1 cup of stock highly seasoned with salt, pepper, minced onion and green peppers. Boil and add 1 cupful of washed rice, stirring lightly with a fork until absorbed, then add small ½ cup of butter. Steam in a double boiler for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and put a folded napkin over the top of boiler to allow the steam to escape. Serve as a vegetable with cold cooked meat or poultry.

BAKED BEETS.

New England. 1736.

Contributed by Mrs. Mary C. B. Alexander, Philadelphia, Pa.

Bake beets same as baked sweet potatoes. While baking, turn often. When done pare off the skin and use in every way as boiled. They are good cut lengthwise. Add butter, salt and vinegar, and serve hot.

TO MAKE POLENTA.

Mrs. Randolph, Virginia.

Contributed by Miss Meta Lisle, Philadelphia, Pa.

Put a large spoonful of butter in a quart of hot water. Wet your corn meal with cold water in a bowl. Add some salt and make it quite smooth. Then put it in the buttered water when it is hot. Let it boil, stirring it continually until done. As soon as you can handle it make it into a ball and let it stand until cold. Then cut it in thin slices, lay them in the bottom of a deep dish so as to cover it, put on it slices of cheese, then bits of butter, then mush, then cheese, then butter until the dish is full. Bake in quick oven for 20 or 30 minutes. Cheese and butter should be on top.

PERFECT ITALIAN MACARONI DISH.

Contributed by Mrs. W. Hinckle Smith, Philadelphia, Pa.

Boil the macaroni one hour and quarter in salt and water, until the macaroni falls apart when lifted or pierced by the fork. Put a layer of macaroni in a shallow dish, sprinkle grated cheese, pepper and salt over it, and add pats of butter. Put another layer of macaroni on top of this, adding cheese, salt, pepper and butter, as before. Then fill the dish as full as it will hold with milk. Bake a light crusty brown in the oven, and serve hot. The secret of the success lies in the boiling, and if it is not very tender, it should boil another 15 minutes. This will be a revelation to lovers of good macaroni.

RICE AND CABBAGE. DELICIOUS!

Mrs. F. H. Loring.

Contributed through Mrs. Lily Latrobe Loring, Washington, D. C.

One small head or as much cabbage as will fill a dish one third full, 1½ cups of cooked rice, ½ tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of flour, ½ cup of butter, 1½ pints of milk. Cut cabbage in 1 inch pieces, removing all hard stalks. Put on to boil, add salt, cook until done but not boiled up. Have ready the rice which has been boiled in well salted water. Make a cream sauce of the butter, flour and hot milk. Drain the cabbage and rice, grease a pan or baking dish, put in a layer of cabbage and rice, then a layer of sauce, and so on until the dish is filled, having the last layer of sauce.

BOSTON BAKED BEANS.

Contributed by Mrs. Charles P. Searle, Boston, Mass.

Soak 1 qt. of beans over night, pour off the water and cook in fresh water until they crack open. Then put into a deep earthen dish and cover with the water. Add one third of a cup of molasses, put into centre of the dish a ½ lb. of parboiled pork, which should be scored across the rind. Bake very slowly 4 hours, keep nearly covered with water until two thirds done, then let them bake brown.

CORN PUDDING.

Contributed by Mrs. Charles P. Searle, Boston, Mass.

One dozen ears of corn grated, ½ pt. of milk, a little sugar, a little salt. Bake 1 hour.

CORN PUDDING.

Contributed by Mrs. Edwin T. Clinton, Philadelphia, Pa.

Take 10 ears of corn grated, add salt and a little cream, 4 eggs beaten light, ¼ lb. butter and a little wheat flour. Bake 2 hours.

ESCALLOPED ONIONS.

New England. 1750.

Contributed by Mrs. Mary C. B. Alexander, Philadelphia, Pa.

Slice onions as for frying, cook them in water a few minutes, turn off water and put a layer of onions in baking pan, add a layer of bread crumbs, season each layer with salt, pepper and butter and cream or milk. Put them in the oven and let them brown. These are very good; try them if you have any doubt.

SWEET POTATO PONE.

Miss Sarah Rutledge, Charleston, S. C.

One qt. of grated potato, ¾ lb. sugar, 10 oz. of butter, ½ pt. of milk, 3 tablespoonsful of powdered ginger, the grated peel of an orange. Rub the ingredients well together, and bake in a shallow plate in a slow oven.

SWEET POTATO PONE, No. 2.

Miss Sarah Rutledge, Charleston, S. C.

Peel and grate 2 moderate sized sweet potatoes. Pour over them nearly a pint of cold water, add 4 large spoons of brown sugar, 1 large spoon of butter. Season with ginger to the taste. Bake in a moderate oven about 3 hours. The potatoes must be grated raw in both these receipts.

MOCK OYSTERS OF CORN.

One dozen ears of green corn, grate off the grain, mix with the grated corn 2 large tablespoons of flour, the yolks of 4 eggs. Let all be well beaten and mixed. Season with salt and pepper. Have ready a pan with an equal portion of lard and butter, put on the fire and let boil, then drop in a spoonful of batter, as near the size of oysters as possible. They should be nearly an inch thick and fried brown.

IRISH POTATO PUDDING.

Contributed by Mrs. Robert H. Maury, Richmond, Va.

Six oz. butter, 6 oz. sugar, 4 eggs, 1 lb. mashed potatoes, season with a little mace, and place in pudding dish greased. Eaten with a cold sauce of creamed butter and sugar, seasoned with nutmeg. Eaten hot. This pudding is enough for eight people.

CORN CAKE.

Contributed by Mrs. Malcolm S. Councill, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

One pt. grated corn, ½ cup of flour, ¼ cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1 dessertspoon melted butter. Beat the eggs separately, add the yolks to the corn, and then milk, then flour and salt. Beat well, then stir in carefully the well beaten whites. Cook on hot griddle.

A BREAKFAST DISH AT THE FAMOUS OLD PLANTATION, “CHACHAU,” NEAR CHARLESTON, S. C.

Contributed by Mrs. Charles Stevens, Charleston, S. C.

Into a quart of soft boiled rice, not steamed, mix a can of tomatoes. Cut up through the whole slices of salt pork. Turn all out in a frying pan until the pork is clear and the rice and tomatoes rather crisp. One or 2 red finger peppers add to the flavor and appearance of the dish.