The Belgian Cookbook

181

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English

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2010

Écrit par
Various

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gubef

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181

pages

English

Documents

2010

Lire

Le téléchargement nécessite un accès à la bibliothèque YouScribe Tout savoir sur nos offres

Publié par

gubef

Publié le

08 décembre 2010

Nombre de lectures

Langue

English

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Belgian Cookbook, by variousCopyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloadingor redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do notchange or edit the header without written permission.Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of thisfile. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can alsofind out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts****eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971*******These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****Title: The Belgian CookbookAuthor: various variousRelease Date: January, 2005 [EBook #7223] [This file was first posted on March 27, 2003]Edition: 10Language: EnglishMCharacter set encoding: ISO Latin-1*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE BELGIAN COOKBOOK ***David Starner, Sergio Cangiano, and the Online Distributed Proofreading TeamTHE BELGIAN COOK-BOOKEDITED BYMRS. BRIAN LUCK1915 "Lucullus, whom frugality could charm, Ate roasted turnips at the Sabine Farm."PREFACEThe recipes in this little book have been sent by Belgian ...

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Publié par

gubef

Publié le

08 décembre 2010

Langue

English

Author: various variousRelease Date: January, 2005 [EBook #7223] [Thisfile was first posted on March 27, 2003]Edition: 10Language: EnglishMCharacter set encoding: ISO Latin-1***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE BELGIAN COOKBOOK ***David Starner, Sergio Cangiano, and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading TeamTHE BELGIAN COOK-BOOKEDITED BYMRS. BRIAN LUCK1915 "Lucullus, whom frugality could charm, Ate roasted turnips at the Sabine Farm."

Ate roasted turnips at the Sabine Farm."

PREFACEThe recipes in this little book have been sent byBelgian refugees from all parts of the UnitedKingdom, and it is through the kindness of thesecorrespondents that I have been able to compile it.It is thought, also, that British cooking may benefitby the study of Belgian dishes.The perfect cook, like Mrs. 'Arris or the fourthdimension, is often heard of, but never actuallyfound, so this small manual is offered for the useof the work-a-day and inexperienced mistress andmaid. It is not written in the interests of millionaires.The recipes are simple, and most inexpensive,rather for persons of moderate means than forthose who can follow the famous directions for acertain savory: "Take a leg of mutton," etc. A shelfof provisions should be valued, like love-making,not only for itself but for what it may become.SAVORIES: If you serve these, let them be, like anankle, small and neat and alluring. This dish is notobligatory; recollect that it is but a culinary work ofsupererogation.SOUP: Let your soup be extremely hot; do not let itbe like the Laodiceans. You know what St. Johnsaid about them, and you would be sorry to think ofyour soup sharing the fate which he describes withsuch saintly verve. Be sure that your soup has agood foundation, and avoid the Italian method of

making consommé, which is to put a pot of wateron to warm and to drive a cow past the door.FISH: It is a truism to say that fish should beabsolutely fresh, yet only too many cooks think,during the week-end, that fish is like the manna ofthe Hebrews, which was imbued with Sabbatarianprinciples that kept it fresh from Saturday toMonday. I implore of you to think differently aboutfish. It is a most nourishing and strengthening food—other qualities it has, too, if one must believe theanecdote of the Sultan Saladin and the twoanchorites.MEAT: If your meat must be cooked in water, let itnot boil but merely simmer; let the pot just whisperagreeably of a good dish to come. Do you knowwhat an English tourist said, looking into a Moorishcooking-pot? "What have you got there? Muttonand rice?" "For the moment, Sidi, it is mutton andrice," said the Moorish cook; "but in two hours,inshallah, when the garlic has kissed the pot, it willbe the most delicious comforter from Mecca to"Casa Blanca. Simmer and season, then, yourmeats, and let the onion (if not garlic) just kiss thepot, even if you allow no further intimacy betweenthem. Use bay-leaves, spices, herbs of all sorts,vinegar, cloves; and never forget pepper and salt.Game is like Love, the best appreciated when itbegins to go. Only experience will teach you, onblowing up the breast feathers of a pheasant,whether it ought to be cooked to-day or to-morrow.Men, as a rule, are very particular about the

dressing of game, though they may not all be ableto tell, like the Frenchman, upon which of her legsa partridge was in the habit of sitting. Game shouldbe underdone rather than well done; it shouldnever be without well-buttered toast underneath itto collect the gravy, and the knife to carve it withshould be very, very sharp.VEGETABLES: Nearly all these are at their best(like brunettes) just before they are fully matured.So says a great authority, and no doubt he isthinking of young peas and beans, lettuces andasparagus. Try to dress such things as potatoes,parsnips, cabbages, carrots, in other ways thansimply boiled in water, for the water often removesthe flavor and leaves the fiber. Do not let yourvegetable-dishes remind your guests of Froissart'saccount of Scotchmen's food, which was "rubbedin a little water."SWEETS: It is difficult to give any generaldirections for sweets. They should be made to lookattractive, and they should be constantly varied.The same remarks apply to savories, which lastought always to be highly seasoned, whether hotor cold.MADE DISHES are a great feature in this littlebook. I have tried to help those small householdswho cook, let us say, a leg of mutton on Sunday,and then see it meander through the week invarious guises till it ends its days honorable assoup on the following Friday. Endeavor to hidefrom your husband that you are making that leg of

mutton almost achieve eternal life. It is noticeablethat men are attracted to a house where there isgood cooking, and the most unapproachablebeings are rendered accessible by thepleasantness of a soufflé, or the aroma of a roastduck. You must have observed that a certainnumber of single men have their hearts very"wishful" towards their cook. Not infrequently theymarry that cook; but it is less that she is a goodand charming woman than that she is a good andcharming cook. Ponder this, therefore; for I haveknown men otherwise happy, who long for a goodbeef-steak pudding as vainly as the Golden Asslonged for a meal of roses. Try these recipes, forreally good rissoles and hashes. Twice-cookedmeat can always be alleviated by mushrooms ortomatoes. Remember that the discovery of a newdish is of more use than the discovery of a newstar, —besides which, you will get much morepraise for it. And if on Wednesday you find that youhave to eat the same part of the very same animalthat you had on Monday, do not, pray, becomeexasperated; treat it affectionately, as I treat myblack hat, which becomes more ravishing everytime that I alter it. Only, do not buy extravagantmake-weight for a scrap of cold meat that would bebest used in a mince patty, or you will be like aman keeping a horse in order to grow mushrooms.And, lastly, the good cook must learn about foodwhat every sensible woman learns about love—how best to utilize the cold remains.M. LUCK.

PART ICAULIFLOWER SOUPAfter you have boiled a cauliflower, it is a greatextravagance to throw away the liquor; it isdelicately flavored and forms the basis of a goodsoup. Wash well your cauliflower, taking great careto remove all grit and insects. Place it to simmerwith its head downwards, in salted water; and,when it is tender, remove it. Now for the soup. Letall the outer leaves and odd bits simmer well, thenpass them through a sieve. Fry some choppedonions, add the liquor of the cauliflower and thepieces that have been rubbed through the sieve,add a little white pepper and a slice of brownbread. Let all cook gently for half-an-hour, then,just before serving it, take out the slice of breadand sprinkle in two teaspoonfuls of grated Gruyerecheese.FISH SOUPWhen you buy fish and have it filleted, ask for thebones and trimmings to be sent also. Put a quartof milk to heat and add to it a bunch of mixed

herbs, a few minced shallots, parsley, pepper andsalt. Throw in your fish and cook for an hour. If youhave any celery put in a piece, or two or threewhite artichokes. Strain the soup, taste it, and addmore salt or more milk as you think necessary.Return to the pan. Take the yolk of an egg and justbefore taking the soup from the fire, stir it quicklyin. This soup must never boil. It should be madeout of the very white fish, excluding herring andmackerel.STARVATION SOUPIf you have a pork-bone from the fresh meat, let itboil in water for an hour. Put the pan to cool andtake off the fat, and remove the bone. Replace thepan on the fire and throw into it two pounds ofBrussels sprouts. Do not add onions to this soupbut leeks, and the hearts of cabbage. Pepper andspice to taste. Rub it through a sieve and let it bethick enough to form a thin purée.IMMEDIATE SOUP, OR TEN MINUTESSOUPInto a quart of boiling water throw twotablespoonfuls of either semolina or tapioca: let itboil for eight minutes with a dust of salt andpepper. Meanwhile, take your tureen, put quickly

into it two yolks of very fresh eggs, add two pats ofbutter and two small spoonfuls of water to mix it.Stir quickly with the spoon, and when the soup hasdone its eight minutes' boiling, pour it on the eggand butter in the tureen. This is an extremely goodsoup. It is rendered still better by a small quantityof Bovril.CHERVIL SOUPPut a bone of veal on to cook in water, with four orfive potatoes, according to the quantity desired.When these are tender, pass them through thetammy and return them to the soup. Chop up thechervil, adding to it half a dessert-spoonful ofcornflour. Quarter of an hour before serving, put inthe chervil, but take the cover off the pot, so that itremains a good green color. Pepper and salt to beadded also.[V. Verachtert, Café Appelmans, Anvers.]A GOOD PEA SOUPSoak your dried peas over-night. The following dayboil some fresh water, and throw in the peas,adding a few chopped onions and leeks, withpepper and salt. Let the soup simmer for threehours on the top of the stove, giving it a stir nowand then. If you have a ham-bone, that is a great

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