Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1895-05-18
GOOD IF NOT COSTLY.
How to Cook Deiicaioiy Oyster Plant and
Parsnip.

How to Cook Deiicaioiy Oyster Plant and
Parsnip.
The high prices Of dollhouse and
southern vegetables suggest to the
economical buyer the stores OF winter
roots and other supplies kept over
from the autumn. At this season
these vegetables have n rather sickly
look, and their appearance forcibly re-
calls the old fairy story wherein
Rubezahl, the mountain dwarf, turned
garden roots into court ladies ana gen.
tlcmen to console the solitude OF his
beloved Emma. Alas! that somewhat
frivolous lady only sneered ut him for
his pains, for when spring came the in
evitable tendencies Of nature which no
sorcery could overcome asserted them.
selves, and in spite of enchantment the
onion gentlemen sproutcd and the car
rot and turnip ladies shr.vcled up un-
til they became most unhappy speci-
mems OF decayed gentry.
There seems to be no possible means
OF preserving the juices OF winter vege-
tables beyond certain season.
Whether buried In the sand or kept in
n dirt cellar, they finally become dry
and tough. After January all root
vegetables require special treatment,
for even then they have begun to lose
their juices. Potatoes, beets, carrots,
onions and roots of all kinds should he
soaked In cold water for ut least six
hours before they are cooked.
and they should also he boiled
in clear, cold water and salt
ed when they are half-done. 0ys-
ter plants, which can be bought usual
" for ten to fifteen cents bunch, when
properly cook at this season, are most
delicious, quite different from the re-
pulsive black stew which Is SO often
served under its name. Moreover, II is
an excellent Lenten vegetable, being
an admirable accompaniment to dish
of fish.
Soak the roots well. Scrape each
one carefully ana plunge 1t rs soon rs
scraped into quart Of water that has
been calculated with half n cup OF vim
egar. At the end OF ten minutes cut
the roots into bits two inches long.
Mix two tablespoonfuls of vinegar with
two Of flour in bright, porcelain-lined
saucepan, and toss the pieces Of oyster
plant in this batter to coat them rs
well rs possible. Cover them with
plenty of cold water, add tablespoon
full Of salt. put tight cover on the
and let the oyster plant come
to the boiling point. Then let 1t sim
mer for forty-fve minutes. At the end
of this time drain il, toss In a heaping
tablespoonful Of fresh butter, salt
spoonful of white pepper, n tablespoon
full OF lemon juice and teaspoonful of
minced parsley. Serve 1t in hot COW
cred dish.
Oyster plant is also delicious II
cooked in exactly the same way. but
served in cream sauce. made with a
tablespoonful of butter, an even table,
spoonful of -four. and cup and half
of boiling milk. Add six whole pep.
pers, a spray of thyme, half bayleaf
and spray of parsley. Simmer all
minutes, then add half u cup of hot
cream. Oyster plant is an excellent
vegetable to accompany veal Make
poulette sauce in that case like the
cream sauce just described, substitute
ing white stock for the milk and omit
ting the cream. Add instead the juice
af half u lemon, a tablespoonful Of
fresh butter and tablespoonful OF par
sley. In serving oyster plant remem-
Der that II must be very hot; 1t must
not be exposed during any process Of
the cooking to the atmosphere, but
kept continually covered while 1t is
boiling and masked with the sauce
when IL Is served. Otherwise, it is
likely to turn black.
The only We ,etabl root ut this sea-
son that is not likely to require special
treatment and will be found fresh and
juicy in favor us IL was when II
ripened in the fall Is the winter par
parsnip. The fail pnrsnipis but poor
vegetable compared with the winter
snip that has been left in the ground
to 30 through the successive stages OF
frost and thaw and acquire n nutty
sweetness that nothing else will give
II. These par ,nips require no soaking
in water. They need simply to be
scrapei, cut in half. put into cold
water and allowed to simmer for thirty |
minutes, or until they are tender
enough to DO served either with cream
sauce or the poulette sauce mentioned
for oyster plant.-N. Y. Tribune.