Chapter 54
2 Tb. b.u.t.ter 2 Tb. flour 1/2 c. milk 1 c. peas puree 1/2 tsp. salt Dash of pepper 2 eggs
Melt the b.u.t.ter, stir in the flour, and add the heated milk. Cook until the mixture thickens and then add the peas puree, salt, and pepper.
Separate the eggs, beat the yolks and add them to the mixture, and then fold in the stiffly beaten whites. Pour into a well-greased baking dish or individual baking dishes, place in a pan of hot water, and bake in a slow oven until set, or for 30 or 40 minutes. Serve at once.
PEPPERS AND THEIR PREPARATION
68. PEPPERS are one of the fruit vegetables. Some varieties of them are dried and used as a condiment, that is, to season or give relish to food, but as they are never used as a vegetable, they are not included here. It is the sweet varieties of peppers which are used as vegetables and to which reference is made in these discussions. They are valuable chiefly for two reasons: to flavor various kinds of dishes, such as entrees, salads, etc., and to make a dish more attractive in appearance because of the contrast in color they afford. In food value, they are about equal to the various greens, but as a rule such small quant.i.ties of them are eaten that they cannot be regarded as a food.
69. STUFFED PEPPERS.--The usual way of preparing peppers as a vegetable is to stuff them and then bake them, when they will appear as in Fig.
14. The stuffing may be made of various kinds of material, such as pieces of meat, vegetables, cereals, etc., and so affords an excellent way to utilize left-overs of any of these foods. Two recipes for stuffing are here given, and either one may be used with equally good results.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 14]
To prepare peppers for stuffing, wash them in cold water and remove the tops by cutting around the peppers a short distance from the stem.
Remove the pulp and seeds from the inside, and wash the peppers thoroughly to make sure that no loose seeds remain. Fill with the desired stuffing, place in a shallow pan with a small amount of water, and bake until the peppers are soft enough to be pierced with a fork.
The water permits the peppers to steam during the first part of the cooking. Serve hot.
STUFFING NO. 1 (Sufficient for Six Peppers)
2 Tb. ham fat 1 small chopped onion 1/2 tsp. salt Dash of pepper 1-1/2 c. steamed rice 1/2 c. bread crumbs 1/2 c. finely chopped boiled ham Milk
Melt the fat in a frying pan, add the onion, salt, and pepper, and heat together for several minutes. Add the rice, bread crumbs, and ham, and moisten with milk until the mixture is of the right consistency. Use to fill the peppers.
STUFFING NO. 2 (Sufficient for Six Peppers)
2 Tb. b.u.t.ter 1 onion, chopped 1/2 tsp. salt Dash of pepper 2 c. stale bread crumbs 2 Tb. chopped parsley 1 tsp. celery salt Milk
Melt the b.u.t.ter in a frying pan, add the chopped onion, salt, and pepper, and heat together. To this add the bread crumbs, chopped parsley, and celery salt, and moisten with enough milk to make the stuffing of the right consistency. Use to stuff peppers.
POTATOES AND THEIR PREPARATION
WHITE POTATOES
70. WHITE POTATOES, popularly called _Irish potatoes_ because they are a staple food in Ireland, belong to the cla.s.s of tuber vegetables. They form such an extensive part of the diets of the majority of people that they are generally considered the most important vegetable used by civilized man. They are usually roundish or oblong in shape and have a whitish interior and a darker colored skin.
71. FOOD VALUE OF POTATOES.--In food value, Irish potatoes are comparatively high, being in this respect about two and one-half times as great as an equal weight of cabbage, but not quite twice as great as the various root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, etc. The largest amount of this food value occurs as carbohydrate in the form of starch, there being almost no fat and very little protein in potatoes. The starch granules of potatoes are larger than the starch granules of any of the cereals, the cla.s.s of foods highest in this food substance, and it is the proper cooking of this starch that makes potatoes dry and mealy. Potatoes also contain a large amount of mineral salts, much of which lies directly under the skin. Therefore, the most economical way in which to prepare potatoes is to cook them with the skins on, for then all of the mineral salts are retained and none of the material is wasted.
72. SELECTION OF POTATOES.--The new potato crop begins to come into the market during the summer, when potatoes are especially appetizing.
However, as potatoes can be easily stored and kept very well for a considerable time, they form a large part of the winter food supply. If there is sufficient storage s.p.a.ce, it is a wise plan to buy a large enough supply of potatoes in the fall to last for several months and then to store them for the winter. However, when this is done, care should be taken in the selection.
In the first place, the outside skin should be smooth and not scaly.
Then, if possible, potatoes of medium size should be selected, rather than small ones or large ones. The small ones are not so satisfactory, because of the greater proportion of waste in peeling, while the very large ones are apt to have a hollow
73. CARE OF POTATOES.--Potatoes bought in quant.i.ty should be kept in a cool place and should be excluded from the light. Such care will usually prevent them from discoloring and sprouting. In case they should sprout, the sprouts should be removed at once, for the potatoes will deteriorate rapidly with such a growth. If the potatoes freeze, they may be thawed by putting them in cold water. Such potatoes, which are characterized by a peculiar sweetish taste, should be used as soon as possible after being thawed.
74. PREPARATION OF POTATOES.--As has already been explained, the most economical way in which to cook potatoes is with the skins on. However, when it is desired to remove the skins, they should be taken off as thinly as possible. New potatoes may be sc.r.a.ped, but completely matured potatoes that have been out of the ground for some time do not sc.r.a.pe easily and so should be pared thinly.
Potatoes lend themselves to various methods of cookery, and this is well, for although this is a food of which most persons do not tire easily, variety in the preparation of a vegetable so commonly used as the Irish potato is very much to be desired. When cooked in the skins, potatoes may be boiled, baked, or steamed. When the skins are removed, potatoes may be cooked in these ways, as well as fried, sauted, scalloped, creamed, etc.
75. BOILED POTATOES.--Without doubt, potatoes are cooked more often by boiling than by any other method, for besides being eaten in this way a great deal, they must first be boiled for many of the more elaborate methods of preparation. If the skins are removed before boiling, the water in which the potatoes are cooked contains a quant.i.ty of starch and a great deal of soluble mineral matter that are lost from the potatoes.
Use should therefore be made of this liquid, it being very satisfactory for soups, sauces, and the liquid required in bread making.
When potatoes are to be boiled, select the desired number of medium-sized potatoes, and wash them in cold water. If desired, remove the peelings with a sharp paring knife, but if the potatoes are to be cooked with the skins on, scrub them thoroughly with a vegetable brush in order to remove all dirt. Put to cook in a sufficient amount of boiling salted water to cover well, and cook until the potatoes are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Usually the kettle in which potatoes are cooked is covered, but if desired they may be cooked in an uncovered vessel. When done, drain the water from the potatoes and serve at once or use for some of the other methods of preparation.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 15]
76. MASHED POTATOES.--If mashed potatoes are prepared properly, they are much relished by the majority of persons. However, to be most satisfactory, they should be cooked long enough not to be lumpy and then, after being mashed and softened with milk, they should be beaten until they are light and creamy.
Peel the desired number of potatoes and boil them according to the directions given in Art. 75. When they are tender, remove them from the fire and drain off the water. Mash the potatoes with a wooden or a wire potato masher, being careful to reduce all the particles to a pulpy ma.s.s in order to prevent lumps. However, the preferable way to mash them is to force them through a ricer, when they will appear as shown in Fig.
15, for then, if they are thoroughly cooked, there will be no danger of lumps. When they are sufficiently mashed, season with additional salt, a dash of pepper, and a small piece of b.u.t.ter, and add hot milk until they are thinned to a mushy consistency, but not too soft to stand up well when dropped from a spoon. Then beat the potatoes vigorously with a large spoon until they become light and fluffy. Serve at once.
77. BAKED POTATOES.--A very nutritious vegetable dish results when potatoes are baked. For this method of cooking potatoes, those of medium size are better than large ones; also, if the potatoes are uniform in size, all of them will bake in the same length of time. It is well to choose for baking, potatoes that are smooth and unblemished, in order that they may be prepared without cutting the skins. As the starchy particles of the potato are cooked by the heated water inside the potato, the cooking cannot be done so successfully when the skin is cut or marred, for then the water will evaporate.
Prepare the potatoes by scrubbing them thoroughly; then place them on a shallow pan and set them in the oven or place them directly on the oven grate. The temperature of the oven is important in baking potatoes. If it is too hot, the skins of the potatoes will become charred, and if it is not hot enough, too long a time will be required for the baking. The temperature found to produce the best results is about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, or the same as that for the baking of bread. Turn the potatoes once or twice during the baking, so that they will bake evenly.
Allow them to bake until it is possible to pierce them to the center with a fork or they are soft enough to dent easily when pinched with the tips of the fingers. The latter is the preferable test, for when the potato is pierced, so much of the moisture is lost that it is not likely to be of the best quality when served. Upon removing from the oven, serve at once. Baked potatoes become soggy upon standing. If desired, they may be rolled to soften the contents of the sh.e.l.l and then cut open on one side, and pepper, salt, and paprika put into the potato.
The length of time required for baking potatoes is usually 10 to 15 minutes longer than is necessary to cook potatoes of the same size in water. However, the time for baking may be decreased by boiling the potatoes for about 5 minutes before they are put in the oven. In such an event, the boiling and the baking should be accomplished in about 35 minutes.
78. STUFFED POTATOES.--An attractive way in which to serve baked potatoes is shown in Fig. 16. After the potatoes are thoroughly baked, the contents are removed, treated as mashed potatoes, and then stuffed into the sh.e.l.ls and set in the oven to brown for a few minutes. When something different in the way of potatoes is desired, stuffed potatoes should be tried.
Bake the desired number of potatoes until tender. Remove from the oven, cut through the skin of each from end to end with a sharp knife, and sc.r.a.pe out the contents of the sh.e.l.l. Mash the pulp according to the directions given in Art. 76. Then fill the sh.e.l.ls with the mashed potatoes, allowing the surface to stand up roughly, as shown, instead of smoothing it down. Dot each with b.u.t.ter, sprinkle a little paprika over the tops, and replace in the oven. Bake until the surface is nicely browned and then serve at once.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 16]
79. BROWNED POTATOES.--While not so easy to digest as boiled or baked potatoes, browned potatoes offer an opportunity for a change from the usual ways of preparing this vegetable. They may be prepared on the stove or in the oven, but when browned in the oven the surface is more likely to be tough.
Boil the desired number of potatoes, and when they are sufficiently tender, drain off the water. If they are to be sauted on the stove, melt a small amount of fat in a frying pan, and place the cooked potatoes in it. Saute until brown on one side, then turn and brown on the other.
Season with additional salt, if necessary, and serve.
In case it is desired to brown them in the oven, put the boiled potatoes in a shallow pan and brush them over with b.u.t.ter. Set them in a hot oven, allow them to brown on one side, then turn and brown them on the other. Season with salt, if necessary, and serve at once upon removing from the oven. 80. RAW SAUTeD POTATOES.--If a potato dish suitable for supper or luncheon is desired, raw potatoes may be sliced thin, as at _a_, Fig. 17, and then sauted. For this purpose, small potatoes that are not suitable for other methods of preparation may be used.
Peel the potatoes and slice them into thin slices. Melt a small amount of fat in a frying pan, place the potatoes in the hot fat, and cover the pan. Allow them to steam in this way for 10 to 15 minutes and then remove the cover. Brown on one side; then turn and brown on the other.
Season with salt and pepper.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 17]
81. HASH-BROWNED POTATOES.--A very good way in which to use up boiled potatoes is to hash-brown them in the oven.
HASH-BROWNED POTATOES (Sufficient to Serve Six)
6 medium-sized cooked potatoes 1-1/2 tsp. salt 2 Tb. b.u.t.ter 3 Tb. milk 1/4 tsp. pepper
Slice or chop the cold potatoes, place in a b.u.t.tered pan, add the salt and pepper, melt the b.u.t.ter, and pour it over them. Place in a hot oven until nicely browned. Stir, add the milk, and brown again. Stir again, brown the third time, and serve.
82. POTATO PATTIES.--Mashed potatoes, whether left over or boiled and mashed especially for the purpose, may be made up into patties and then sauted until brown on both sides.