Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/52

 stock, and a spoonful of vinegar. Simmer gently till the gravy is tinged with the color. Then turn into a small dish and slice some boiled onions to serve with it. It is also very good served with ordinary salad dressing.

Beetroot (No. 2).—Wash the roots very carefully, but do not prick or break off any part whatever, or they will bleed and so lose color. Put them into boiling water, keep covered, and boil till the skin will rub off easily. If to be served hot, rub off the skin quickly, cut into thick slices, and serve with melted butter.

Asparagus.—Scrape the stalks, cut them even, and throw into cold water for a time. Put into boiling water with a little salt, first tying them together in small, neat bunches. Be sure not to boil too much, or they will lose both color and taste. Serve on rounds of toast, previously dipped in oil or butter. Pour melted butter over them, or serve it in a tureen.

The Yam.—It is a great pity the yam is not more generally cultivated in the colonies. It grows well, and with very little trouble, and is far before many other vegetables in the matter of nutriment. In the South Sea Islands the natives live on yam from their infancy. The best and pleasantest way to cook them is to bake them in the ashes. Lay them in the dull, red ashes, turning them occasionally till done; then scrape off the outside, break open the yam, and eat with a spoon and some fresh butter and salt. They are delicious for supper on a cold night. Boiling them quite spoils their flavour. The English potato done in the same way is far nicer than boiled.

The common Pig Weed makes a very good vegetable when others are not to be had. Gather the young, tender shoots; wash them well and boil in salt and water. When done, strain the water off; add pepper, salt and a little bit of butter; serve with melted butter over it. Some people dress it as a salad, but it is not nice in that way, there being a peculiar taste about the weed unless cooked.

Boiled Cucumber is a very good dish. It must not be too old, or it will be bitter. Boil till tender, and serve with melted butter.

Parsnips.—Very few people care for parsnips alone. Mashed with potatoes they are a great improvement. About two well boiled parsnips to a good dish of potatoes, mashed quite smoothly, with a bit of butter, pepper, and salt make a good dish.

Pumpkin and Vegetable Marrow are usually boiled and served with melted butter. The former is also very good baked under a joint.

Mushrooms are a favourite dish with most, either as a vegetable eaten with meat, or as an ingredient in stews, gravies, and, indeed, almost all made dishes. I have often wondered mushrooms have not been cultivated like other vegetables. France is, I think, the only country where they really are grown like other things in gardens. Until of late years I did not know they could be preserved for future use by bottling, but a friend sent me a recipe which I have found answers very well. We have such quantities at certain times that it is a good thing to be able to keep them. Gather the small button mushrooms, trim off the stalks and rub them clean. Put them into a stewpan—say a quart of mushrooms with two tablespoonsful of butter, two teaspoonsful of salt, half a teaspoonful of cayenne, and a little mace. Stew gently till tender, take carefully out and strain on a sloping dish. When cold, press into pots or basins and pour clarified butter over them. Put writing paper over the butter, and on that again pour melted suet so as to exclude every particle of air, and they will keep thus for months, and can be used for sauces, stews—in fact, anything. It is best to do only a few each day, as they are gathered fresh.

Mushrooms Baked.—Peel, and cut off the stalks, lay them in a tin baking dish, the stalks uppermost. On each sprinkle salt and pepper and a wee bit of fresh butter. Set the dish in a