HOUND THE TABLE

together, add more condiments, if necessary, stuii the tomatoes with this, bake for a few' minutes on a buttered dish, and serve.

This is an Italian recipe : Peel your tomatoes, cut

them in halves, empty them, and place them on a dish that will stand the fire, and in which you have poured a small quantity of olive oil ; make a mixture of bread crumbs, ham, parsley, basil, marjoram, thyme, some garlic (all very finely minced), pepper, and salt. The bread crumbs should be in the proportion of two to one with the ham ; the other things should be in such pro- portions as the talent of the cook can devise. This mixture should be strewed over the tomatoes so as to almost cover them ; a moderate quantity of salad oil should be poured over the top, and a few minutes5 baking will produce a dish of the most toothsome description. Anchovies, olives, capers, mushrooms, and even truffles, chopped up small, may be used, either in addition to, or instead of the ham ; and, lastly, those who do not like oil may use butter instead.

There now remain two vegetables yet to be dealt with, which if they be among the lowest in the classification of naturalists, are the very highest in that of cooks. MrsH- eooms and truffles, without doubt, are of the greatest help to professors by the matchless flavour they impart to the preparations in which they are used. They are, however, often eaten alone, and I will describe some approved ways of preparing them for that purpose, although I think that, especially in the case of truffles — unfortunately expensive things — they are best used in flavouring sauces and ragouts and in stuffing turkeys and pheasants.

The primitive or English fashion of cooking mush- rooms consists in broiling them on a gridiron, or frying them with a little butter; but both these methods are

VEGETABLES.

capable of considerable improvement., and tliis is bow to proceed.

Having picked and cleaned the mushrooms, make a mixture of pepper, salt, minced parsley, and a little minced shallot, sprinkle each mushroom with this, and wrap it up in a piece of paper plentifully oiled or buttered. Broil on a gentle clear fire, and serve paper and all. It is not necessary to wrap up each mushroom separately, but two or more, according to size, may be put into the same piece of paper, only in that case, besides buttering the paper, a small piece of butter should be put between the mush- rooms.

Another way consists in making small paper cases, into which you put the mushrooms, cut up in small pieces, with pepper, salt, shallot, and parsley minced small, and a piece of butter. The cases (previously oiled) are then put on the gridiron, or they may be baked in the oven, which must not be too hot. A squeeze of lemon added at the moment of serving is an improvement. Serve in the cases.

A very excellent way of preparing mushrooms consists in stewing them according to the following directions. They may then be eaten alone or with plain cutlets, steaks, &c.

Parboil your mushrooms for a minute or two, having first cut them in convenient pieces, if they be very large ones; throw them in cold water, with the juice of a lemon or some vinegar; melt a piece of butter in a sauce- pan with flour, pepper, and salt, as if to make a sauce blanche ; take the mushrooms out of the water, dry them in a cloth, and toss them in the saucepan, with the butter, &c. ; moisten with stock or broth, add a little grated nutmeg and a few dried sweet herbs in fine powder. In less than ten minutes' stewing the mushrooms will be done ; at the time of serving, and off the fire, stir in the