A

Vegetables

From Observatory

Directions for Preparing and Boiling Vegetables[edit | edit source]

Artichokes—French


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Knife
  • String
  • Saucepan
  • Serving-dish
Directions
1.
Wash in cold water, remove the outside leaves, and cut off the stems close to the leaves.
2.
Cut off about an inch of the tops of the leaves, spread the leaves open from the centre, and remove the core or "choke."
3.
Tie a string around each artichoke near the top, and soak them in cold water for half an hour.
4.
Drain, put into a saucepan of boiling salt water, and boil from thirty to forty-five minutes, depending upon the age of the artichokes.
5.
Remove from the boiling water, and turn each artichoke upside down to drain.
6.
Place the artichokes on a serving-dish, and remove the strings.
7.

Artichokes—Jerusalem


1111

Ingredients
  • Jerusalem artichokes (also known as sunchokes)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Butter
Utensils
  • Brush
  • Peeler
  • Saucepan
  • Colander
Directions
1.
Scrub the artichokes well, using a brush and cold water, and peel them.
2.
Cook in boiling salt water from one to two hours, according to the size and age of the vegetables.
3.
Drain through a colander, and season with salt, pepper, and butter.

Asparagus


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Vegetable-knife
  • Saucepan
  • String or twine
Directions
1.
Cut off the tough root ends of the asparagus.
2.
Untie the bunches and wash the stalks thoroughly in cold water, scraping each stalk with a vegetable-knife if necessary.
3.
Tie the stalks together again in bunches, with all the tips lying in the same direction.
4.
Place the bunches upright in a saucepan half full of boiling water, so that the tips will stand out of the water, and boil from twenty to forty minutes, depending on the age of the asparagus. For the last ten minutes of boiling, turn the bunches down into the water, so that the tips will cook.
5.
Drain, season with butter, pepper, and salt, or serve with White Sauce No. 2.

Beans—Shell


1111

Ingredients
  • Shell beans
Utensils
  • Saucepan
Directions
1.
Shell the beans, and let them stand in cold water for one hour.
2.
Put them into a saucepan, and cover with boiling water.
3.
Cover the saucepan, and boil slowly from one to two hours, depending upon the age of the beans. There should be very little water left at the end of the cooking, so that seasoning may be added without draining the beans.

Beans—String


1111

Ingredients
  • String beans
  • Butter
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Utensils
  • String or twine
  • Saucepan
Directions
1.
Break off the tips of the beans, pulling the strings off with them.
2.
Cut or break the beans into pieces about an inch long, wash, and let stand an hour in cold water.
3.
Put the beans into a saucepan, and cover them with boiling water. Cover the saucepan, and boil slowly from one to three hours.
4.
Drain, and season with butter, salt, and pepper.

Beets


1111

Ingredients
  • Beets
  • Butter
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Sugar (optional)
  • Vinegar (optional)
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Double-broiler
  • Knife
Directions
1.
Scrub the beets, and cut off all but one inch of the stems, leaving the roots on.
2.
Cook whole in boiling water from one to four hours, depending upon the size and age of the beets.
3.
Drain, cover with cold water, and let stand a few minutes.
4.
Drain again, and remove the skins.
5.
Cut the beets into small cubes or slice them.
6.
Reheat in a double-boiler, adding butter, salt, and pepper, and (if desired) sugar.
7.
If the beets are to be pickled, cover them with vinegar and let stand several hours.

Brussels Sprouts


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Saucepan
Directions
1.
Wash, and remove the wilted leaves.
2.
Put in cold water and let stand an hour.
3.
Drain, put in a saucepan, cover with boiling water, and let boil twenty minutes, or, if the sprouts are large, half an hour.
4.
Drain, and season with butter, salt, and pepper. If desired, serve with White Sauce No. 2.

Cabbage


1111

Ingredients
  • Cabbage
  • Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon soda
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Knife
Directions
1.
Remove the outside leaves, cut the cabbage into quarters, wash in cold water, and let stand an hour in cold water containing a little salt.
2.
Drain, put into a saucepan, cover with boiling water, add ¼ teaspoon soda, and boil thirty minutes to an hour, depending upon age.
3.
Drain, and serve.

Carrots


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Knife
Directions
1.
Wash, scrape, and cut the carrots into small pieces or slices.
2.
Put in a covered saucepan, cover with boiling water, and boil forty-five minutes, or longer if the carrots are old.
3.
Drain, and season with butter, salt, and pepper, or add an equal amount of White Sauce No. 2.

Cauliflower


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Saucepan
Directions
1.
Remove the leaves, and cut off the stem.
2.
Soak in cold salt water an hour or more.
3.
Drain off the water, put the cauliflower in a saucepan, cover with boiling water, and boil twenty minutes.
4.
Drain, and separate the flowerets or serve whole, using plain seasoning or White Sauce No. 2.

Celery


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Vegetable-knife
  • Saucepan
Directions
1.
Separate and scrape the stalks with a vegetable-knife, cut off the leaves and roots, cut into small pieces, and let stand in cold water for half an hour.
2.
Drain, put into a saucepan, and cover with boiling water.
3.
Reduce the heat, cover the saucepan, and let simmer from thirty minutes to an hour.
4.
Drain, and serve with White Sauce No. 2.

Corn


1111

Ingredients
  • Corn
Utensils
  • Saucepan
Directions
1.
Remove the husks and silk, and trim the ends of the ears.
2.
Put the ears into a saucepan of boiling water, and boil from ten to twenty minutes.

Cucumbers


1111

Cucumbers are usually served as a salad without cooking, but they may also be prepared and cooked in the same way as Summer Squash.

Greens


1111

Ingredients
  • Greens
  • Vinegar (optional)
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Colander
  • Knife
Directions
1.
Wash thoroughly in plenty of cold water.
2.
Drain, and cover with boiling water in a saucepan.
3.
Cover the saucepan, and boil one hour.
4.
Drain through colander, and chop with a sharp knife.
5.
Season and serve with vinegar, using slices of hard-boiled egg as a garnish if desired.

Onions


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Saucepan
Directions
1.
Place the onions in cold water, and remove the skins while under water.
2.
Drain the onions, and put them into rapidly boiling water in a saucepan.
3.
Boil one to two hours, depending upon size and age.
4.
Drain, season, and serve either plain or with White Sauce No. 2.

Oyster Plant


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Knife
Directions
1.
Wash, scrape, and put at once into cold water to which a little vinegar or lemon juice has been added.
2.
Cut into slices crosswise, and, when ready to boil, drain off the acid water, cover with boiling water in a saucepan, place the cover on the pan, and boil from thirty minutes to an hour.
3.
Drain, season, and serve in White Sauce No. 2.

Parsnips


1111

Ingredients
  • Parsnips
  • Butter (optional)
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Knife (optional)
  • Frying-pan (optional)
Directions
1.
Only very young parsnips are satisfactory for cooking. After washing, they may be cooked whole, or peeled and cut in small pieces before boiling. In the first instance, three-quarters of an hour should be allowed for boiling; in the second, about fifteen minutes. If cooked whole, the parsnips should be peeled and sliced after boiling.
2.
Plain seasoning should be used, and, if desired, the slices of parsnip may be browned in butter in the frying-pan after boiling.

Peas


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Saucepan
Directions
1.
Shell the peas, and soak in cold water for an hour.
2.
Drain, put in a saucepan, and add a little boiling water.
3.
Cover the saucepan, and cook slowly from twenty to forty-five minutes, depending on the size and age of the peas. Only a little water should be left in the saucepan after cooking, and this should not be drained off.
4.
Season with butter, salt, and pepper, and serve plain or in White Sauce No. 2.

Potatoes—Irish or Sweet


1111

Ingredients
  • Irish potatoes or sweet potatoes
  • Salt
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Colander
  • Peeler (optional)
Directions
1.
Scrub the potatoes, peel them or not as desired, and let stand in cold water for an hour or more.
2.
Drain off the water, put the potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with boiling water to which half a tablespoon of salt has been added.
3.
Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat a little, and boil from twenty to forty-five minutes, depending upon the size and age of the potatoes.
4.
Drain through a colander.

Spinach


1111

Ingredients
  • Spinach
  • Vinegar (optional)
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Colander
  • Knife
Directions
1.
See Greens.

Squash—Summer


1111

Ingredients
  • Summer squash
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Colander
  • Masher or fork
Directions
1.
Wash in cold water, and cut in thick slices or in quarters.
2.
Put the pieces in a saucepan of rapidly boiling water, and cook twenty minutes or until tender.
3.
Drain through a colander, mash, and season.

Squash—Winter


1111

Ingredients
  • Winter squash
  • Salt
Utensils
  • Saucepan or steamer
  • Knife
  • Colander
  • Masher or fork (optional)
Directions
1.
Cut the squash in pieces, pare the hard outside rind from each piece, and remove the seeds and stringy part.
2.
Boil in salt water, or cook in the steamer, one hour or until tender.
3.
Drain through a colander, and either mash the pieces or serve them as they are.

Tomatoes


1111

Ingredients
  • Tomatoes
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Knife
Directions
1.
Put the tomatoes in a saucepan, pour boiling water over them, and let them stand one minute in the water.
2.
Drain, and then pour cold water over them.
3.
Remove the skins, and allow the tomatoes to cool.
4.
Cut in quarters, or in slices crosswise; put the pieces in a saucepan without water, and cook slowly for twenty minutes.

Turnips


1111

Ingredients
  • Turnips
  • Salt
Utensils
  • Saucepan
  • Knife
  • Peeler
  • Colander
  • Masher or fork (optional)
Directions
1.
Wash and peel the turnips, and cut them in pieces.
2.
Boil in salt water for about three-quarters of an hour or until tender.
3.
Drain through a colander, and either mash the pieces or serve them as they are.


Seasoning Vegetables[edit | edit source]

In general, any cooked vegetable may be properly seasoned by adding 1 tablespoon of butter, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper for each cup of vegetable.

Creaming Vegetables[edit | edit source]

Boiled onions, carrots, cauliflower, peas, beans, potatoes, etc., may be creamed by adding White Sauce No. 2, in the proportion of ½ cup of White Sauce to 1 cup of vegetable. After mixing the vegetable and the White Sauce, they should be heated slowly to the boiling-point before serving.

Mashed Potatoes


1111

Ingredients
  • 3 medium-sized potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup warm milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
Utensils
  • Vegetable-knife
  • Saucepan
  • Colander
  • Potato-masher or ricer
Directions
1.
Peel and boil the potatoes in accordance with the directions for Potatoes—Irish or Sweet.
2.
Drain through a colander, put them back in the saucepan, add the materials mentioned above, and mash with a potato masher. Or, put through a ricer before adding the other materials.
3.
Place in the oven to reheat, if necessary.

Baked Potatoes


1111

Ingredients
  • Potatoes
Utensils
  • Brush
  • Cloth
  • Oven
Directions
1.
Select potatoes of uniform size, wash them in cold water, and scrub with a stiff brush.
2.
Dry the potatoes on a cloth, and put them on the lower rack in a hot oven.
3.
Reduce the heat a little, and bake from thirty to sixty minutes, depending upon the size of the potatoes.
4.
Take from the oven and pinch each potato until the skin breaks on one side (this allows the steam to escape and prevents sogginess).

Stuffed Potatoes


1111

Ingredients
  • Potatoes
  • Butter
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Milk or cream
Utensils
  • Knife
  • Brush
  • Cloth
  • Oven
  • Potato-masher
  • Pie-plate
Directions
1.
Follow the first three directions given above for Baked Potatoes.
2.
When the potatoes are taken from the oven, cut a slice lengthwise from each potato, and with a sharp knife scrape out the inside pulp into a bowl.
3.
Mash the pulp, season with butter, pepper, and salt, add a little milk or cream, and mix well.
4.
Fill the potato skins with this mixture, place them on a pie-plate, and put into a moderate oven until the tops brown.

Fried Potatoes


1111

Ingredients
  • 3 or 4 medium-sized potatoes
  • Fat for frying
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Utensils
  • Vegetable-knife
  • Bowl
  • Frying-pan or kettle
  • Perforated skimmer
  • Colander with soft paper
Directions
1.
For French-Fried Potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut lengthwise in eighths—or in smaller pieces if the potatoes are large. Soak for an hour in cold water, drain, and dry on a clean towel. Fry in the same way as Saratoga Chips, and season with salt and pepper.
2.
For German-Fried Potatoes: Peel and slice the potatoes crosswise, and soak them in cold water an hour or more. Drain, and dry the potatoes on a clean towel. Cook in a frying-pan containing half a cup of hot fat, turning the potatoes frequently until they are cooked and browned on both sides.
3.
For Saratoga Chips: Peel the potatoes and cut them crosswise into very thin slices. Soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for an hour, then drain and dry them carefully on a clean towel. Have the fat smoking hot in the kettle, put the potatoes in the fat carefully, and let them fry until crisp and light brown. Lift the potatoes from the fat with a perforated skimmer, and put them onto soft crumpled paper in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Hashed Brown Potatoes


1111

Ingredients
  • 3 or 4 potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
Utensils
  • Vegetable-knife
  • Frying-pan
  • Pancake-turner
Directions
1.
Prepare and boil the potatoes in accordance with directions for Potatoes—Irish or Sweet, drain off the water, and let the potatoes cool.
2.
Cut or chop the potatoes into small bits, and add the salt and pepper.
3.
Melt the butter in a frying-pan, and put the potato in this.
4.
Pour the cream over the potato, cover the pan, and cook slowly for fifteen minutes.
5.
Remove the cover of the pan, press the potato firmly into the pan, and let it brown on the under side.
6.
Lift the potato with the pancake-turner, folding one half over the other, and put it onto a hot serving-dish.
Remarks

A small quantity of finely chopped green pepper or pimento may be mixed with the potato, if desired.

Scalloped Potatoes


1111

Ingredients
  • 3 or 4 potatoes
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 1½ tablespoons flour
  • 1½ tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
Utensils
  • Vegetable-knife
  • Baking-dish
Directions
1.
Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into thin slices.
2.
Put a layer of sliced potatoes in the baking-dish, sprinkle a part of the flour, salt, and pepper over the potato, and add some of the butter in small bits. Repeat this operation until all the potato, flour, and seasoning has been utilized.
3.
Pour the milk into the baking-dish, cover the dish, and put it in a moderate oven for an hour and a quarter. The cover should be off the dish and the heat increased during the last ten minutes of baking.
Remarks

Grated cheese may be added to each layer with the flour, butter, and other seasonings, if desired; and the top may be covered with buttered crumbs ten minutes before the dish is taken from the oven.

Potato Cakes


1111

Ingredients
Utensils
  • Frying-pan
  • Pancake-turner
Directions
1.
Mould the mashed potato into four flat cakes, about an inch thick, and sprinkle with flour.
2.
Melt the butter in the frying-pan, put the cakes in the pan, and brown them on both sides, turning them with the pancake-turner.

Potato Soufflé


1111

Ingredients
  • 3 medium-sized potatoes
  • ¼ cup cream or milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
Utensils
  • Tablespoon
  • Bowl
  • Dover beater
  • Baking-dish
Directions
1.
Prepare, boil, and mash the potatoes in accordance with the recipe for Mashed Potatoes.
2.
Measure out 1 cup of the mashed potato, and mix the seasonings and the cream or milk with it.
3.
Beat the egg very light, mix it thoroughly with the other materials, and then beat the whole mixture well.
4.
Put into a buttered baking-dish, and bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes or until delicately browned.

Fried Eggplant


1111

Ingredients
  • 1 eggplant
  • 1 egg
  • Bread crumbs
  • Lard or similar fat
Utensils
  • Vegetable-knife
  • Bowl
  • Dover beater
  • Plate
  • Frying-pan
  • Long-handled fork
  • Colander with paper
Directions
1.
Peel the eggplant and cut it into slices a quarter inch thick.
2.
Soak the slices for several hours in cold salt water.
3.
Drain off the water and wipe the pieces of eggplant dry on a clean towel.
4.
Beat the egg and dip the pieces of eggplant first in the beaten egg and then in the bread crumbs, coating the whole surface of the slices with each.
5.
Melt the fat in a frying-pan, and when it begins to smoke fry the slices of eggplant, browning them on both sides.
6.
Drain the slices on soft paper in a colander.

Baked Beans


1111

Ingredients
  • ½ pound dried beans
  • ¼ pound salt pork
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
Utensils
  • Baking-dish or bean-pot
  • Covered saucepan
  • Tablespoon
  • Knife
Directions
1.
Put the beans in the baking-dish or pot, cover them with cold water, and let stand overnight.
2.
Pour off the water, wash the beans in fresh water, and put them in the saucepan.
3.
Cover the beans with water, place the saucepan on the stove, and let the water come slowly to a boil.
4.
Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and let the beans simmer for two hours.
5.
Pour the beans, with the liquid in which they boiled, into the baking-dish or bean-pot, and add the salt and sugar.
6.
Scald the pork with boiling water, scrape its entire surface with a knife, and slash the rind deeply several times in each direction.
7.
Press the pork down into the beans with the rind side up.
8.
Cover the dish or pot, put it into a slow oven, and bake three hours, adding a little hot water if necessary to keep the beans moist.
Remarks

If desired, two tablespoons of molasses may be added with the salt and sugar. This will make the beans browner and sweeter.

Stuffed Peppers


1111

Ingredients
  • 2 large green peppers
  • ¾ cup cold cooked meat or fish finely chopped
  • ½ cup White Sauce No. 2
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon onion juice
Utensils
  • Vegetable-knife
  • Saucepan
  • Tablespoon
  • Baking-pan
Directions
1.
Cut a slice from the stem-end of each pepper, and remove the seeds from the inside.
2.
Boil the peppers for fifteen minutes in a covered saucepan, then take them from the saucepan, drain off all water, and let them cool.
3.
In the same saucepan make White Sauce No. 2, using half the amounts called for in the recipe.
4.
Add the chopped meat or fish and the onion juice to the White Sauce, and mix thoroughly.
5.
With a tablespoon fill the hollow peppers with this mixture, and cover the tops with buttered bread crumbs.
6.
Put the peppers in a baking-dish, and bake in a moderate oven from fifteen to twenty minutes.

Corn Fritters


1111

Ingredients
  • ½ cup canned corn
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking-powder
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ½ cup fat for frying
Utensils
  • Tablespoon
  • Mixing-bowl
  • Sifter
  • Small bowl
  • Dover beater
  • Frying-pan
  • Pancake-turner
  • Colander with paper
Directions
1.
Stir the corn and milk together in a mixing-bowl, and sift the flour, salt, and baking-powder into this.
2.
Beat the egg in a small bowl, add it to the materials in the mixing-bowl, and stir well together.
3.
Melt the fat in the frying-pan, and put the mixture into this (when the fat begins to smoke), a separate spoonful at a time. Turn the fritters frequently while frying, so that they will brown on all sides.
4.
Drain the fritters on soft crumpled paper in a colander.

Spinach à la Béchamel


1111

Ingredients
  • ½ peck spinach
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
Utensils
  • Large covered saucepan
  • Tablespoon
  • Frying-pan
  • Colander
  • Knife
Directions
1.
Wash and boil the spinach in accordance with the directions for preparing and boiling Greens.
2.
Drain through a colander, and chop the spinach finely with a knife.
3.
Melt the butter in a frying-pan, and add the chopped spinach.
4.
Sprinkle the flour over the spinach, and mix thoroughly.
5.
Pour the milk slowly into the spinach, stirring all the time, and cook for ten minutes over a slow fire.
Remarks

Slices of hard-boiled egg may be placed over the top of the dish of spinach just before serving, if desired.


Warning: Display title "Vegetables" overrides earlier display title "".

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929. It was adapted by the Observatory from a version produced by Wikisource contributors.

This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Please note that the original source material has been altered by a human editor or was human-edited with AI-assist to be easier to read and search for on the Observatory. To find the original source material as it was originally written and/or formatted, please click here.

BY
Book Cover The Plain Sailing Cook Book Beige Minimalistic Cookbook Digital Notebook Cover (3D) 2.png
Susanna Shanklin Browne
SOURCE
Public Domain
Retrieved from "https://observatory.wiki/w/index.php?title=Classics:The_Plain_Sailing_Cook_Book/Recipes/Vegetables&oldid=20159"

Have you signed up yet?

We’re building a guide for everyday life, where experts will educate you about our world.

Subscribe to the Observatory’s Newsletter

Privacy Policy
Learn More About the Observatory
Reuse and Reprint Rights Guidance
Contact Us
Observatory Guides
Observatory Areas
Observatory Authors
Share
Copy Article Link
*
*
*
*
*