Onions (Oignons)

2181—STUFFED ONIONS

Take some medium-sized, mild, Spanish onions; cut them at a point one-quarter of their height from the top, and parboil them thoroughly.

Empty them, leaving only a wall one-third in. thick; chop up the withdrawn parts, and mix them with an equal quantity of Duxelles (No. 225).

Garnish the emptied onions with this preparation; complete their cooking by braising them, and glaze them at the last moment, simultaneously with the formation of the _gratin_.

N.B.—Proceed in the same way for onions stuffed with spinach, Rizotto, or semolina, &c., as suggested under Nos. 2177 and 2178.

Onions may also be garnished with a _soufflé_ preparation of spinach, tomatoes, chicory, &c. Herein lies scope for a great variety of excellent and uncommon garnishes.

2182—FRIED ONIONS

Cut them into roundels one-fifth in. thick; separate the rings; season them with salt and pepper; dredge them and fry them in very hot oil.

Drain on a piece of linen and salt slightly.

Onions prepared in this way are used particularly as an accompaniment.

2183—GLAZED ONIONS

_For the preparation without colouration_: Peel some small onions of equal size without grazing them. Set them to cook in enough white consommé to almost cover them, and two oz. of butter per pint of consommé.

At the last moment roll them in their cooking-liquor, reduced to a glaze.

_For the preparation with colouration_: Cook the onions very gently in butter, with a pinch of powdered sugar, so that the cooking and the colouring may be effected together.

2184—PURÉE D’OIGNONS, dite SOUBISE

See No. 104, in the chapter on sauces.

2185—SORREL (Oseille)

Having shredded the sorrel and washed it in several waters, set it to cook gently in a little water. This done, thoroughly drain it on a sieve and mix it with a pale roux, consisting of two oz. of butter and one oz. of flour. Add one and one-quarter pints of consommé, salt, and a pinch of sugar to it, and braise it in the oven for two hours.

Then rub it through tammy; thicken it with the yolks of six eggs or three whole eggs beaten to a stiff froth and strained through a strainer. Heat, and finish with one-sixth pint of cream and five oz. of butter.

Dish in a timbale, and sprinkle with strong, veal stock.

2186—OXALIS

Cook this in boiling salted water after having well cleaned and washed it. It may then be prepared “à la Crème,” stuffed, or “au Gratin.”

Oxalis purée is called Purée Brésilienne, and is prepared in the same way as turnip purée.

2187—SWEET POTATOES

Sweet potatoes are generally served, baked in their skins, and accompanied by fresh butter. They may also be prepared according to the majority of potato-recipes, especially the following:—

_Sautées_, _Gratinées_, _Mashed_, _Duchesse_, &c.

They may also be fried; but, in that case, they should be served the moment they are ready, for they soften very quickly.

Finally, they may be prepared soufflé-fashion, after the directions given under “Soufflé de Pommes de Terre.”

2188—PEAS (Petits Pois)

Whatever be the treatment to which peas are to be subjected, always take them very green and freshly gathered, and shell them only at the last minute. Peas are one of the vegetables most prone to lose their quality through want of care. If prepared with pains, the delicacy of their flavour is incomparable; but the slightest neglect on the part of the operator renders them savourless and commonplace.

2189—PETITS POIS A L’ANGLAISE

Cook them quickly in salted boiling water; drain them, and dry them by tossing them over a fierce fire. Dish them in a timbale, and serve some pats of very fresh butter separately.

2190—PETITS POIS AU BEURRE

As soon as the peas are cooked, drain them and toss them over a fierce fire, to dry. Then season them with a pinch of powdered sugar, and cohere them, away from the fire, with butter, in the proportion of three oz. per pint of peas.

2191—PETITS POIS A LA BONNE-FEMME

Fry twelve oz. of small onions and four oz. of breast of bacon, cut into dice and _blanched_ in butter; add one-half oz. of flour to the latter; cook the roux for a moment; moisten with one-half pint of consommé and boil.

Put one quart of freshly-shelled peas into this sauce; add the onions and the bacon, together with a bunch of parsley; and cook, reducing the sauce to half in so doing.

2192—PETITS POIS A LA FLAMANDE

Prepare one-half lb. of new carrots as though they were to be glazed.

When half-cooked, add two-thirds pint of freshly-shelled peas to them. Complete the cooking of the two vegetables together, and, at the last moment, add butter away from the fire.

2193—PETITS POIS A LA FRANÇAISE

Take a saucepan, of a size a little larger than would be necessary to just hold the following products, and put into it one quart of freshly-shelled peas; a faggot containing the heart of a lettuce, two sprays of parsley, and two of chervil; twelve small onions, four oz. of butter, one-third oz. of salt, and two-thirds oz. of loaf-sugar. Mix the whole together until it forms a compact mass, and place in the cool until ready for cooking. Add three tablespoonfuls of water, when about to cook the peas, and cook gently with lid on.

When about to serve, withdraw the faggot; _cisel_ the lettuce; add it to the peas, and cohere the whole with butter, away from the fire.

N.B.—Raw, _ciseled_ lettuce may be added to the peas; but, as various tastes must be allowed for, it is better to insert the lettuce whole, and to mix it with the peas afterwards, if it be so desired. The lettuce may also be quartered and laid on the peas without being mixed with them.

2194—PETITS POIS A LA MENTHE

Cook the peas in salted water, together with a bunch of fresh mint.

Then prepare them in the English way or “au Beurre,” and lay a few parboiled mint leaves upon them when serving.

2195—PURÉE DE POIS FRAIS, dite SAINT-GERMAIN

Cook the peas with just enough boiling water to cover them, and season it with one-half oz. of salt, and one-sixth oz. of sugar per quart. Add a lettuce and a few parsley leaves (tied together). When the peas are cooked, drain them; and reduce their cooking-liquor while they are being rubbed through a sieve.

Work the purée with four oz. of fresh butter per quart, and finally add to it the cooking-liquor, reduced almost to a glaze.

2196—MOULDED PEASE PURÉE FOR GARNISH

Prepare the purée as above; but keep it a little creamier. Mix with it, per quart, two whole eggs and the yolks of three, beaten and strained through muslin. With this preparation, fill some _dariole_- or _baba_-moulds, according to the piece for which the timbales are intended, and poach them in a _bain-marie_ for from twenty to twenty-five minutes.

Remember to let them stand for five minutes before unmoulding them.

N.B.—Timbales of haricot-beans, flageolets, or lentil purée, are prepared similarly.

2197—CAPSICUM OR PIMENTOS (Poivrons doux)

The capsicums used in cookery are of various kinds: the Chilian and Cayenne kinds (Chili and Cayenne peppers) which have a strong, burning taste, are only used as condiments.

The large or mild capsicums, green, red, or yellow, are used more particularly as garnishes. Although the difference in their colouration is accompanied by a difference of quality, they are not easily distinguished in this respect; and, although the large, red Spanish capsicums are the best, the other varieties may be treated in the same way as the former.

Whatever be the kind of capsicums used, either grill or scald them in order to skin them, and clear them of their seeds. According to the purpose they are intended for, they are either cut up or left whole.

2198—PIMENTOS FARCIS

For this purpose take some small, green, carrot-shaped capsicums.

Remove their stems, after having skinned them; empty them, and half-fill them with half-cooked, pilaff rice.

Then set them in a sautépan, and carefully braise them with excellent stock.

2199—CAPSICUMS FOR GARNISHING

For this purpose, the large red, Spanish capsicums are best.

Braise them when they are peeled, and, when cooked, cut them up as the requirements may suggest.

2200—PURÉE DE PIMENTOS

Braise some large, red capsicums, with two-thirds of their weight of rice. When the whole is well cooked, rub it through a sieve, and add butter to the extent of two oz. per quart of the preparation.

N.B.—This purée is particularly well suited to poached fowls and white meats, and it is well to keep it thin.

2201—POTATOES (Pommes de Terre)

Ordinary potatoes are rarely of good quality in England, and they do not lend themselves as well as certain Continental varieties do to the various culinary uses to which this valuable tuber may be put.

The very best kinds of potato are almost unknown in England, and the Dutch and Vitelotte potatoes have to be imported.

2202—POMMES DE TERRE A L’ANGLAISE

Turn the potatoes to the shape of large garlic cloves, and cook them in salted water or steam. They accompany more especially boiled fish.

The English method is to cook them without salt.

2203—POMMES DE TERRE ANNA

Cut them to the shape of cylinders; slice these into thin roundels; wash them, and dry them in a piece of linen.

Set these roundels in circles on the bottom of the mould proper to this potato preparation, or in a well-buttered thick-bottomed sautépan; let them overlap one another, and let the lay of each circle be reversed.

Season; spread a coat of butter upon the first layer, and proceed in the same way with a second layer.

Make five or six layers in this way, seasoning and spreading butter over each.

Cover the utensil; cook in a good oven for thirty minutes; turn the whole over, if necessary, to equalise the colouring; turn out upon a saucepan-lid, to drain away the butter, and then tilt the whole on to a dish.

2204—POMMES ANNA FOR GARNISHING

Either _dariole_- or _baba_-moulds may be used for this purpose; but they should be tinned copper ones if possible. After having thoroughly buttered them, garnish them with thin roundels of potato, cut to the diameter of the moulds, seasoned, and set one upon the other. Set the moulds on a tray containing enough very hot fat to reach half-way up to their brims, and cook in a very hot oven for twenty-five minutes.

Turn out just before serving.

2205—POMMES DE TERRE BERNY

Add chopped truffles to some “Croquette” paste (No. 219), in the proportion of two oz. of the former to one lb. of the latter; and divide up this preparation into two-oz. portions. Mould these to shapes resembling apricots; dip them in beaten eggs (No. 174), and roll them in almonds cut into the thinnest possible splinters. Plunge the potato balls into hot fat five or six minutes before serving.

2206—POMMES DE TERRE A LA BOULANGÈRE

This preparation has been given in various recipes (see No. 1307).

2207—POMMES DE TERRE BYRON

Prepare the required amount of “Pommes Macaire” (No. 2228), and cook in butter in a small frying-pan. Dish; sprinkle copiously with cream and grated cheese, and set to glaze quickly.

2208—POMMES DE TERRE CHÂTEAU

Turn them to the shape of large olives; season them; cook them gently in clarified butter, that they may be golden and very soft; and, just before serving, sprinkle them moderately with chopped parsley.

2209—POMMES DE TERRE A LA CRÈME

Vitelotte or new kidney potatoes are needed for this preparation.

Cook them in salted water; peel them as soon as this is done, and cut them into rather thick roundels. Put them in a sautépan; moisten, enough to cover them, with boiling cream; season, and reduce the cream.

At the last moment, finish with raw cream.

2210—CROQUETTES DE POMMES DE TERRE

Prepare the necessary quantity of “Croquette” paste (No. 219), and divide it into two-oz. portions. Roll these to the shape of corks or pears; treat them _à l’anglaise_, and put them into very hot fat, five or six minutes before serving.

2211—CROQUETTES DE POMMES DE TERRE A LA DAUPHINE

Take the required amount of “Pommes Dauphine” preparation (No. 220); divide it into two-oz. portions; mould these to the shape of corks; treat them _à l’anglaise_, and fry them like ordinary _croquettes_.

2212—POMMES DE TERRE A LA DUCHESSE

Use the same preparation as for No. 2210. Mould the portions to the shape of small cottage-brioches, _galettes_ or small loaves, or shape them by means of the piping-bag. Arrange them on a buttered tray; _gild_ them with beaten egg, and colour them in a fierce oven for seven or eight minutes before serving them.

2213—POMMES DE TERRE DUCHESSE AU CHESTER

Use the same preparation as for No. 2210, and combine it with two oz. of grated Chester per lb. Mould it to the shape of very small _galettes_; set these portions on a buttered tray; _gild_ them with beaten eggs; cover each with a thin slice of Chester, and set them in the oven for seven or eight minutes before serving.

2214—POMMES DE TERRE FONDANTES

Cut the potatoes to the shape of large, elongated olives, and let each weigh about three oz. Gently cook them in butter, in a sautépan, and take care to turn them over.

When they are cooked, withdraw them, so as to slightly flatten them with a fork without breaking them. Drain away their butter; return them to the sautépan with three oz. of fresh butter per every two lbs. of their weight, and cook them with lid on until they have entirely absorbed the butter.

2215—POMMES DE TERRE EN ALLUMETTES

Trim the potatoes square, and then cut them into small rods, of one-fifth in. sides. Put them in hot fat, and let them dry well before draining them.

2216—POMMES DE TERRE CHATOUILLARD

Trim the potatoes, and cut them into long even ribbons one-eighth in. thick. Treat these ribbons like “Pommes soufflées” (see No. 2221).

2217—CHIPPED POTATOES

Cut the potatoes into thin roundels, by means of a special plane; put them into cold water for ten minutes; drain them; dry them in linen, and fry them, keeping them very crisp. Serve them cold or hot, with game roasted in the English way.

2218—POMMES DE TERRE COLLERETTE

Turn the potatoes to the shape of corks, and cut them with a special knife which grooves them. Treat them like chipped potatoes.

2219—POMMES DE TERRE PAILLES

Cut the potatoes into a long, thin _julienne_; wash them and thoroughly dry them on a piece of linen.

Put them into hot fat; and, at the end of a few minutes, drain them in a frying-basket. Just before serving them, plunge them afresh into smoking fat, that they may be very crisp; drain them on a piece of linen, and salt them moderately.

2220—POMMES DE TERRE PONT-NEUF

Trim the potatoes square, and cut them into rods of half-inch sides. Plunge them into hot fat, and leave them there until they are crisp outside and creamy in.

This preparation represents the generic type of fried potatoes.

2221—POMMES DE TERRE SOUFFLÉES

Trim the potatoes square, and carefully cut them into slices one-eighth inch thick. Wash them in cold water; thoroughly dry them, and put them into moderately hot fat. As soon as the potatoes are in it, gradually heat the fat until they are cooked—which they are known to be when they rise to the surface of the frying fat.

Drain them in the frying-basket, and at once immerse them in fresh and hotter fat. This final immersion effects the puffing, which results from the sudden contact with intense heat.

Leave the potatoes to dry; drain them on a stretched piece of linen; salt them moderately, and dish them.

2222—GRATIN DE POMMES DE TERRE A LA DAUPHINOISE

Finely slice two lbs. of fair-sized Dutch potatoes. Put them in a basin, and add thereto salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, one beaten egg, one and one-half pints of boiled milk, and four oz. of fresh, grated Gruyère.

Thoroughly mix up the whole.

Pour this preparation into earthenware dishes, rubbed with garlic and well buttered; copiously sprinkle with grated Gruyère; add a few pieces of butter, and cook in a moderate oven for from forty to forty-five minutes.

2223—POMMES DE TERRE A LA HONGROISE

Fry four oz. of chopped onion in butter, together with a coffeespoonful of paprika. Add two peeled, pressed, and sliced tomatoes; two lbs. of potatoes, cut into somewhat thick roundels, and moisten, just enough to cover, with consommé. Cook, while almost entirely reducing the moistening, and sprinkle with chopped parsley at the last moment.

2224—POMMES DE TERRE GRATINÉES

This preparation may be made in two ways as follows:—

(1) Make a smooth potato purée; this done, put it into a deep, buttered _gratin_-dish; smooth its surface; sprinkle the latter with grated cheese mixed with fine raspings; bedew with melted butter, and set the _gratin_ to form in a fierce oven.

(2) Bake some fine, well-washed, Dutch potatoes in the oven. As soon as they are cooked, open them lengthwise; withdraw their pulp; rub the latter through a sieve while it is still quite hot, and finish it after the manner of an ordinary purée.

Fill the half-shells with purée; sprinkle the latter with grated cheese and raspings; lay the half-shells on a tray, and set the _gratin_ to form as above.

On taking the potatoes out of the oven, dish them on a napkin, and serve them immediately.

2225—POMMES DE TERRE AU LARD

Frizzle in butter one-half lb. of breast of salted pork, cut into dice and _blanched_, and twelve small onions. Drain the bacon and the onions; mix one oz. of flour with the butter; brown for a few minutes, and moisten with one and one-quarter pints of consommé. Season with a pinch of pepper, and add two lbs. of medium-sized, quartered and well-trimmed potatoes, the bacon and the onions, and a faggot. Cover and cook gently.

Dish in a timbale, and sprinkle moderately with chopped parsley.

2226—POMMES DE TERRE LORETTE

Add some grated cheese to the preparation for “Pommes Dauphine,” in the proportion of one oz. of the former per lb. of the latter.

Divide up this mixture into one and one-half oz. portions; mould these to the shape of crescents, and dredge them moderately.

Plunge these crescents into very hot fat about six minutes before serving.

2227—POMMES DE TERRE A LA LYONNAISE

Cut some peeled and plain-boiled potatoes into roundels, and toss these in butter in a frying-pan. Likewise toss some sliced onions in butter, the quantity of the former measuring one-fourth of that of the potatoes. When the onions are of a nice golden colour, add them to the _sautéd_ potatoes; season with salt and pepper; _sauté_ the two products together for a few minutes, that they may mix thoroughly, and dish them in a timbale with chopped parsley.

2228—POMMES DE TERRE MACAIRE

Bake some Dutch potatoes in the oven. As soon as they are done, empty them and collect their pulp on a dish; season it with salt and pepper, and work it with a fork; adding to it, the while, one and one-half oz. of butter per lb.

Spread this preparation in the form of a _galette_ on the bottom of an omelet-pan containing some very hot, clarified butter, and brown it well on both sides.

2229—POMMES DE TERRE MAIRE

Prepare these exactly like “Pommes à la Crème.”

2230—POMMES DE TERRE A LA MAÎTRE-D’HÔTEL

Cook some medium-sized Dutch potatoes in salted water; peel them; cut them into roundels while they are still quite hot, and cover them with boiling milk.

Season them with salt and white pepper; completely reduce the milk, and dish them in a timbale with chopped parsley.

2231—POMMES DE TERRE MARQUISE

Mix some very reduced and very red tomato purée with the preparation for “Pommes Duchesse,” in the proportion of three tablespoonfuls of the former per lb. of the latter.

Set this preparation on buttered trays (by means of a piping-bag fitted with a large, grooved pipe) in shapes resembling half-eggs.

_Gild_ them slightly with beaten eggs, and set them in a somewhat hot oven seven or eight minutes before serving.

2232—POMMES DE TERRE A LA MENTHE

Cook some fair-sized new potatoes in the English way, and add a bunch of mint to them. Dish them in a timbale, and set a mint-leaf (from the bunch) upon each potato.

2233—POMMES DE TERRE MIREILLE

Cut some medium-sized, raw potatoes into roundels. Season them and _sauté_ them in butter. When they are ready, add to them, per lb., four oz. of sliced artichoke-bottoms, tossed in butter, and one and one-half oz. of truffle slices.

_Sauté_ the whole so as to ensure a complete mixture, and dish in a timbale.

2234—POMMES DE TERRE MIRETTE

Cut some raw potatoes into a _julienne_ one-eighth inch wide, and cook them in butter, keeping them very creamy. Add to them, per lb., two oz. of a _julienne_ of truffles and three tablespoonfuls of melted meat glaze.

Mix; dish in a timbale; sprinkle with grated Parmesan and melted butter, and set to glaze quickly.

2235—POMMES DE TERRE MOUSSELINE

Prepare a flawn-crust, baked without colouration.

Meanwhile, bake a few Dutch potatoes in the oven; withdraw their pulp; season it with salt and white pepper, and work it over the fire with four oz. of butter and the yolks of two eggs per lb. of its weight. Add one-sixth pint of whisked cream, and set the preparation in the crust, shaping it like a dome. Decorate by means of a piping-bag, fitted with a grooved pipe, with some of the preparation which should have been put aside; sprinkle with melted butter, and set to glaze quickly.

2236—POMMES DE TERRE NOISETTES

Cut the potatoes, by means of a round spoon-cutter, into pieces the size of hazel-nuts. Season and cook them in butter, and take care to keep them nicely golden and creamy.

2237—POMMES DE TERRE PARISIENNE

Prepare some “Pommes Noisettes” as above; but cut them a little smaller. When they are cooked, roll them in melted meat glaze, and sprinkle them with chopped parsley.

2238—POMMES DE TERRE PARMESANE

Proceed as directed under “Pommes au Chester” (No. 2213), but substitute Parmesan for the latter.

2239—POMMES DE TERRE PERSILLEES

Cook the potatoes in the English way, that is to say, boil them plainly; drain them well, and roll them in melted butter and chopped parsley.

2240—POMMES DE TERRE ROBERT

Prepare a composition of “Pomme Macaire,” and add thereto, per lb., three eggs and a large pinch of chopped chives. Cook in the frying-pan as for “Pomme Macaire.”

2241—POMMES DE TERRE A LA ROXELANE

Bake six fine Dutch potatoes in the oven. Withdraw the pulp from their insides, and work it, together with one-third lb. of butter and four egg-yolks, and enough fresh cream to thin it. Complete with the whites of two eggs, beaten to a stiff froth.

Set this preparation in small timbales, made from brioches the knobs of which have been removed, and the under halves of which have been emptied of all crumb. Sprinkle with chopped truffle, and bake in a mild oven as for a _soufflé_.

2242—POMMES DE TERRE A LA SAVOYARDE

Proceed as for No. 2222; but replace the milk by some consommé.

2243—POMMES DE TERRE A LA SAINT-FLORENTIN

Prepare some “Pommes Croquettes” paste (No. 219). Combine therewith (per lb.) two oz. of chopped, lean ham. Roll the portions into the shape of corks; dip them in beaten eggs, and roll them in vermicelli. This done, flatten so as to give them a rectangular shape, and fry them in very hot fat.

2244—POMMES DE TERRE SCHNEIDER

Proceed as directed under No. 2230; but for the milk substitute some consommé. Reduce in the same way, and finish with butter, melted meat glaze, and chopped parsley.

2245—POMMES DE TERRE SUZETTE

Peel some fine, Dutch potatoes, and turn them to the shape of eggs. Cut them flat at one end that they may stand upright, and bake them on a tray in the oven.

Open them like a boiled egg; put aside the pieces thus cut off, and withdraw the pulp from their insides. Season this pulp, and work it; adding to it the while, per lb., two oz. of butter, two egg-yolks, a few tablespoonfuls of thick cream, and a little _salpicon_ of the white of a chicken, tongue, truffles, and mushrooms. Fill the potato-shells with this preparation; readjust the covers, and set them in the oven for ten minutes.

On withdrawing them from the oven, set the potatoes on a dish, and glaze them with melted butter.

2246—POMMES DE TERRE VOISIN

Prepare these exactly like “Pommes Anna,” but sprinkle each layer of potato-roundels with grated cheese. The cooking is the same.

2247—POMMES NANA (For Garnishing)

Cut the potatoes into a _julienne_; season them, and mould them by heaping them into well-buttered, _dariole_-moulds. Cook them, like “Pommes Anna” (for garnishing), on a tray containing some very hot fat.

On taking them out of the oven, turn them out and sprinkle them with Château sauce.

2248—MASHED POTATOES

Peel and quarter some Dutch potatoes, and quickly cook them in salted water. When they feel soft to the touch, drain them; rub them through a sieve, and work the purée vigorously with three oz. of butter per lb. of potatoes. Then add, little by little, about one-half pint of boiling milk, in order to bring the purée to the required consistence. Heat without boiling, and serve.

Remember that mashed potatoes should be only just cooked, and that if they be allowed to wait they lose all their quality.

2249—QUENELLES DE POMMES DE TERRE

Prepare a composition as for “Pommes Duchesse,” and add thereto (per two lbs.) three whole eggs and one-third lb. of flour. Divide up the preparation into one and one-half oz. portions; mould these to the shape of corks or quoits, or mould them by means of a spoon, and set them in a buttered sautépan. Poach them in salted water; drain them; set them on a buttered dish sprinkled with grated cheese; dredge with grated cheese; sprinkle with melted butter, and set the _gratin_ to form.

On taking the dish out of the oven, sprinkle the quenelles with nut-brown butter.

2250—SOUFFLÉ DE POMMES DE TERRE

Prepare a pint of mashed potatoes with cream; add thereto the raw yolks of three eggs and their whites beaten to a stiff froth. Set in a buttered _soufflé_ saucepan, or in small porcelain cases, and cook like an ordinary _soufflé_.