BY MRS. BOWDICH AUTHOR OF “CONFIDENTIAL CHATS WITH MOTHERS” WITH PREFACE BY ERNEST BELL, M.A. TREASURER OF THE LONDON VEGETARIAN SOCIETY LONDON GEORGE BELL & SONS, YORK ST., COVENT GARDEN AND NEW YORK 1892 CHISWICK PRESS:—C. WHITTINGHAM AND CO., TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE....

There are already a good many vegetarian cookery books, ranging in price from one penny to half-a-crown, but yet, when I am asked, as not unfrequently happens, to recommend such a book, I know of only one which at all fulfils the requirements, and even that one is, I find, rather severely criticised by ladies who know anything about the matter. To have to live by some of them would almost make a vegetarian turn meat-eater. Most are compilations from other books with the meat dishes left out, and

Among the pulses there is none more nourishing, more generally liked, nor more useful to the vegetarian cook than the haricot bean. Whether on account of its refined flavour, its delicate colour, its size, or last, but not least, its cheapness, I do not hesitate to place it first. Like the potato, however, its very simplicity lays it open to careless treatment, and many who would be the first to appreciate its good qualities if it were placed before them well cooked and served, now recoil from t

Next in usefulness to the haricot bean comes the German lentil. This must not be confounded with the Egyptian lentil, which closely resembles the split pea; for not only is the former double the price of the latter, but I may add double its worth also, at least from a culinary point of view. In vegetarian cookery the lentil takes the place of the dark meats of the flesh-eaters' dietary, such as beef and mutton, the haricot bean supplying a substitute for the white, such as veal, chicken, etc. Th

Most of the advice given above respecting haricots and lentils applies to the treatment of split peas, dried green peas, and Egyptian lentils....

Pearl barley is invaluable for thickening soups, sauces, etc. It should be strained away when the required consistency is obtained, for if left in too long the flavour is apt to be found a little too strong for some tastes. Sago, tapioca, rice, and semolina are all useful for thickening, and it is generally advisable to strain the sauces in which they are used, before sending to table. If paste of flour and butter be used for thickening, there will be no necessity to use a strainer, unless the s

A medium-sized iron saucepan and a wire basket to fit it easily should be kept for this purpose. Fill about a third of the saucepan with oil (be quite sure that the quality is good), put in the wire basket, and place the saucepan over the fire or gas, and after a few minutes watch it carefully to see when it begins to boil. This will be notified by the oil becoming quite still, and emitting a thin blue vapour. Directly this is observed, drop the articles to be fried gently into the basket, takin

To procure fine bread crumbs, rub stale bread through a wire sieve. For this the hands should be scrupulously clean. Should the crumbs be required coarse , rubbing the bread on a grater will answer the purpose....

Peel the artichokes and throw them into cold water. Dissolve the butter in a large enamelled saucepan, slice the artichokes and fry for five minutes in the butter, then add the water, shalots and celery chopped, and the seasonings. Boil for three-quarters of an hour, removing the scum as it rises. Add milk and sago, and stir frequently for twenty minutes. Rub through a hair sieve into a tureen. Note. —Cream is often recommended for this soup, but when sago and milk are used as above, the result

Dissolve the butter in a stewpan, peel and halve the onions and fry them for about ten minutes, but do not allow to brown, stir in the flour, add the peas and stock, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, stirring frequently, then add the beans, lemon juice, and seasonings. Boil the cauliflower separately, break up the white part into neat pieces, add them to the stew, and simmer altogether for a few minutes. Pour into an entrée dish and serve very hot. Note. —Good tinned peas will answer t

Remove the nuts from the shells and scrape off the brown skin, pound them to a paste in a mortar with the hard-boiled yolk and sweet herbs. When quite smooth, add the shalot and parsley minced, the salt, pepper, lemon rind, baked potato, and bread crumbs. Mix all well together, then add the two raw yolks; stir well again, and, lastly, add the whites beaten to a stiff froth. Pour the mixture into a buttered soup-plate, turn another over the top, and bake in a moderate oven until it has quite set

Dissolve one ounce of butter in a small stewpan, add the eggs beaten, and a little pepper and salt. Stir over a gentle heat until the eggs thicken, but do not allow to boil. In the meanwhile, boil the asparagus, drain it well, cut the very tender portion into small pieces, and stir them in with the eggs. Have ready the rounds of toast nicely buttered, and spread the mixture very thickly on them. Pour a little of the tomato juice over each round just before serving. Make a batter (see No. 197 ),

As a Sweet or a Savoury. Beat the eggs, yolks and whites separately, add the sugar or salt and herbs to the bread crumbs, and stir them well in, first with the yolks and then the whites, which should be beaten to a stiff froth. Pour the mixture into a flat pie dish, well greased, and bake in a moderate oven from twenty to thirty minutes. Turn out, and serve with white sauce sweetened or salted to taste. Beat the eggs, the yolks and whites separately, the latter to a stiff froth. Chop the caulifl

Slice the cucumber, beetroot and shalots, and fry for ten minutes in the butter; add pepper, salt, curry powder and flour, mix well and add water. Simmer for half an hour, stirring frequently. Boil as many eggs as are required, remove the shells, then with a very sharp knife cut them in half and remove a small portion of the white at each end, so that they will stand yolk upwards; pour over them a curry sauce, and serve hot. Note. —This dish may be varied by placing a small round of fried bread,

Wash and peel the artichokes, and boil for twenty minutes in the salt and water. Should any of the water then remain, leave lid off for a few minutes to allow it to evaporate. Turn the artichokes into a hot vegetable dish and pour over them the sauce, which must have been thoroughly heated previously. (A Breakfast Dish.) Peel the beetroot, and cut into slices about a quarter of an inch thick. Dissolve the butter in a frying pan, place in the beetroot and fry for twenty minutes, sprinkling each s

Dissolve the butter in a small stewpan, then place in the vegetables sliced, and fry for twenty minutes, but do not allow to burn; add stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and simmer for half an hour. Strain before using. May be thickened if required. Note. —This is a very suitable sauce for pouring over fried beans, lentils, potatoes, etc. Boil the beans and parsley for two hours, add salt, strain, thicken with the flour and butter well mixed, stir until it boils, add lemon juice. Peel, core, a

Peel and slice the beets (about a quarter of an inch thick), and pile the slices in a glass dish or bowl, sprinkle with the watercress and yolk of egg rubbed through a wire sieve, and pour the sauce round the base. Boil the cabbage in the usual way. When cooked, after thoroughly extracting all the water, stand on one side to get quite cold. Place in a salad bowl or glass dish, and pour over it half a pint of salad sauce No. 173 . Scrape the carrots and throw them into cold water; then place them

Slice the carrot, turnip and onions, boil them with the beans one and a half hours, add salt and boil half an hour, strain, turn the beans and vegetables on to a large plate and place on one side to cool. Dissolve the butter in a frying pan, and fry the beans and vegetables until slightly browned; turn into a pie dish, pour over the liquor which was strained off, place in the mashed potatoes, and lastly cover with the egg and bread crumbs well mixed. The white and yolk should be beaten separatel

Very suitable for young children. Dissolve the sugar in the water, then add the cloves and apples (which should not be peeled). Simmer for twenty or thirty minutes. Then rub through a sieve with a wooden spoon. Dissolve the sugar in the water, peel and core the apples (but do not cut them), and place them with the cloves in the syrup, stew very gently for about ten minutes, then turn the apples and simmer for another ten minutes, or until they are tender, but not broken. When done, place them in