FRENCH DISHES

of Spanish sauce (Art. 80) ; serve it very hot, gar- nished with pieces of bread fried in butter.

374. Spinach with Cream. Boil your spinach as the foregoing, chop it extremely fine. Put in a saucepan on the fire four ounces of butter, a table- spoonful of flour, a little salt, nutmeg, half a tea- spoonful of sugar, and half a pint of cream. Stir all well together until boiling, add your spinach, and, when hot, serve, garnished with pieces of bread fried in butter.

375. Salsify with Butter Sauce. Scrape three bunches of salsify, dip them in three quarts of water and two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, to prevent their turning black, then cut them three inches in length. Put two tablespoonfuls of flour in a saucepan, add, by degrees, some water, stirring constantly, until two quarts have been added, then a tablespoonful of vine- gar, a little salt, and your salsify. Boil about an hour, or until it is perfectly tender ; drain, and serve with a white or butter sauce (Art. 84). Instead of butter sauce, you may serve with them a Spanish sauce (Art. 80), velout£e (Art. 82), or bechamel sauce (Art. 83).

376. Fried Salsify. Prepare and boil your salsify as above, cut them two inches in length, and when very tender drain them. Put in a bowl half a pound of flour, two eggs, and some water. Mix well together until you have a soft, smooth paste, thin enough to pour from a spoon. Cover each piece of salsify with the paste, and fry one by one in very hot lard, drain them, and serve them on a dish, piled one on top of the other.

VEGETABLES.

377. Stewed Tomatoes. Put a can of toma- toes in a saucepan, with four ounces of butter, a little salt and pepper, a pinch of sugar, and two tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs. Boil five minutes, and serve.

378. Broiled Tomatoes. Slice eight tomatoes, sprinkle them thickly with bread-crumbs and a little butter, broil them on a moderate fire, and, when a bright yellow color on top, serve them on a dish in a circle, one on top of the other.

379. Farcied Tomatoes. Take eight medium- sized, firm tomatoes, cut a hole on top of each, and scoop out the inside of the tomato, chop an onion, put it in a saucepan on the fire, with an ounce of butter, to simmer gently. When slightly colored, add six ounces of bread-crumbs, which you have soaked in water, and then pressed out nearly all the moisture, a dozen chopped mushrooms, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a pinch of salt, pepper, and thyme chopped fine, a little red pepper, and four table- spoonfuls of tomato sauce (Art. 90) ; mix all well together, and then fill the inside of your tomatoes. Sprinkle the tops of each with bread-crumbs and a little melted butter. Send them to the oven, and, when colored a light brown on top, serve, with a tomato sauce around them.

380. Boiled Onions. Peel a dozen medium- sized white onions, boil them in a quart of water with a little salt. When very tender, drain them, and serve with a butter sauce (Art. 84), or a sauce bechamel (Art. 83).

I36 FRENCH DISHES.

381. Fried Onions. Peel eight medium-sized onions, cut them in slices across the top, roll them in flour, fry them in hot lard, drain, and serve.

382. Onions Glaces. Peel a dozen small onions, color them lightly in a frying-pan on the fire with a little lard. Then put them in a saucepan with half a pint of consomme (stock, Art. 1), a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer very gently until the consomme" is reduced three quarters, then pour it on a dish, your onions placed on top, and serve.

383. Fried Egg-Plant. Peel an egg-plant, cut it in slices about a third of an inch thick, dip them in three beaten eggs, to which you have added a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle them with bread- crumbs, and fry them in very hot lard, drain, and serve them.

384. Egg -Plant farcied. Take four small egg-plants, peel them and separate them in two, scoop out the inside, which fill with a chicken farce (Art. 11), and sprinkle a few bread-crumbs on top. Cut an onion and a carrot in slices, and put them in a saucepan, with a branch of thyme, a bay-leaf, two cloves, and a clove of garlic. Place your egg- plants on top. Moisten within three quarters of their height with consomme (stock, Art. 1), and a claret-glass of white wine. Put them in the oven for an hour, pouring over them, from time to time, some of the liquid in the pan. Pour over thern half a pint of Spanish sauce (Art. 80), to which you have added a wineglass of sherry, and serve.

385. Cucumbers farcied. Divide four me-

VEGETABLES.

dium-sized cucumbers in two, after having pared them. Scoop out the inside and fill with a chicken farce (Art. n). Put a sliced onion in a saucepan on the fire, with three slices of ham cut thin, place your cucumbers on top, moisten with a claret-glass of white wine, and the same of Spanish sauce (Art. 80). Then send them to the oven, pouring over them, from time to time, the liquid in the pan, which, when the cucumbers are sufficiently done, strain, pour over your cucumbers on a dish, and serve.

386. Cucumbers with Cream. Peel half a dozen cucumbers, cut them in medium-sized square pieces, soak them for two hours in some vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Turn them over from time to time, drain them, and dry them on a cloth, pressing the moisture from them. Put them in a saucepan on the fire, with an ounce of butter, half a pint of consomme" (stock, Art. 1), several branches of pars- ley, inclosing two cloves, two branches of thyme, a clove of garlic, and tie all together, add a pinch of salt. When they are cooked, drain them, add them to half a pint of bechamel sauce (Art. 83), the juice of half a lemon, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and serve very hot.

* 387. Lentils a la Mattre d'Hotel. Wash three pints of lentils, put them in a saucepan with two quarts of water and a pinch of salt. Boil them very slowly for an hour, or until perfectly tender, then drain them, put them in a saucepan on the fire for a moment, with four ounces of butter, a little salt, a pinch of pepper, nutmeg, and a tablespoonful

138 FRENCH DISHES.

of chopped parsley. Remove your saucepan from the fire, mix the yolks of two eggs in two tablespoon- fuls of water, add them to your lentils, mixing all well together, and serve.

388. Puree of Lentils. Prepare and boil as the foregoing, press them through a sieve, add about three ounces of butter, salt, pepper, and a very little nutmeg. Heat them on the fire for a few moments, and serve.

389. Celery with Marrow. Remove the green leaves from a bunch of celery, scrape the roots, cut the celery in pieces of about five inches long, wash them well, and put them in a saucepan, with plenty of water, and a little salt, and boil them ten minutes. Then put them in cold water for a moment. Cover the bottom of a saucepan with thin pieces of pork, a sliced onion and carrot, and several branches of parsley, inclosing three cloves, three pepper-corns, two bay-leaves, two branches of thyme, a clove of garlic, and tie all together, and then put your celery on top, nearly cover with consomme" (stock, Art. 1), add the juice of a lemon, and place a buttered paper on top. Simmer gently for an hour and a half. Heat half a pint of Spanish sauce (Art. 80), with a glass of sherry, pour over your celery, and place on top some beef marrow, which you have previously soaked in water for four hours, then boiled ten min- utes, and cut in round pieces the size of a fifty-cent piece.

390. Celery with White Sauce. Clean and wash a bunch of celery, which boil until tender, in

VEGETABLES. I39

plenty of water and a little salt, drain, and serve with a white or butter sauce (Art. 84), or a sauce Allemande (Art. 81).

391. Fried Celery, Tomato Sauce. Prepare and boil a bunch of celery as the foregoing ; then drain it. Put in a bowl half a pound of flour, two eggs, and a little water. Mix well together until you have a soft, smooth paste, thin enough to pour from a spoon. Cut your celery into pieces about five inches long, cover them with your paste, fry them in hot lard until a light brown ; drain, and serve with a tomato sauce (Art. 90).

392. Puree of Celery. Wash and clean two bunches of celery, cut them in pieces, and boil them in three quarts of water, with a little salt ; when boiled thoroughly tender, drain, and add them to half a pint of bechamel sauce (Art. 83), a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Boil ten minutes, press through a sieve, put back in the saucepan to heat again, and serve.

393. Horse-Radish Sauce (cold). Grate four ounces of horse-radish, to which add four ounces of bread-crumbs, and press through a sieve ; add a glass of cream, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoonful of vinegar ; mix all well together, and serve.

394. Horse-Radish Sauce (hot). Prepare the same as the above, adding two ounces of bread- crumbs, instead of four ; heat all together in a sauce- pan, and serve.

395. Braised Lettuce, Madeira Sauce. Wash eight lettuce, blanch them ten minutes in boiling wa-