The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-10-12
4 MALTREATED VEGETABLE.
By Marion Harland.
Copyright

lOOpy IlSHl.J
Down in the bottom of her candid
soul the average housekeeper of the mid
die and northern states despises rice as a
vegetable. She has a decided idea that
It is good for sick people, a shadowy no.
ton that, eaten with milk, it is not amiss
upon the nursery table, and a sort of
patronizing respect for rice pudding
as standby on wash-day and while the
house cleaning fever is at it's height.
Culinary education of higher order
than she is likely to gain in her ordinary
walk of life is required to induce her to
give the respectable edible equal foot
ing with beans, parsnips and onions
much less the tyrant potato, who holds
his insolent own upon palace, and upon
cottage tables.
We are less inclined to intolerance
with our housewives ignorance because
she knows next to nothing of what she
despises. Rice, as grayish paste, sticky
and insipid, or watery and repulsive, does
not commend itself to eye or palate.
The extreme probability is that our critic
has never been fortunate enough to see
a dish of this most valuable of vegeta-
bles properly cooked and served. Yet,
as with making tea and toast and wash
ing dishes, the right way is so simple
that the wayfarng cook, though a fool,
ought never to err therein That she
does, in every ninety-nine and a-half
out of every hundred cases, is one of the
engmas of the American kitchen which
1 despair of solving in the course of one
short life.
l have already entered a protest
against the popular judgment Of what
l have called our gentle cereal." 1t
gives me genuine satisfaction to reit-
crate it upon a page that will fall under
1.-THE eye of half-a- million readers. l
hereby beg for fair examination of it's
merits and careful test of these by means
of few of the many methods known at
the South and abroad for bringing out
the best qualities of what is "the main
food of one bird of the human race"
TO BOIL RICE.
Wash and pick over a cup of raw rice
and pour clear water upon it in a fine COL
ander. Have ready three quarts of wa
ter, slightly sailed and brought to a fast
boil, and drop the rice into the bubblng
pot by the loose handful. Boil, uncov-
cred, and hard for twenty minutes
when SOFT turn into the colander shake
up gently and set in the open oven to dry
for two minutes before dishing it, Never
touch it with a spoon while in cooking.
STEAMED RICE.
Wash carefully half -a-cupful of raw
rice, and turn into farina- kettle; add
one cupful of boiling water, slightly salt
ed, and cook closely covered until each
grain is tender, white and puffy, keeping
the water in the outer kettle at furious
boil. In half an hour, or so, all the wa
ter in the inner boiler should be alb
sorbed by the rice. Dry, as in last recipe,
and serve plain, or dressed according to
some one of the following methods:
BUTTERED RICE.
Heat a tablespoonful Of butter in a
saucepan but do not let 1t brown. Add
| half-a- teaspoonful Of onion juice, and a
| little pepper and salt, cook one minute
| and pour upon the rice, tossing this with
| fork to let the butter penetrate. A
great spoonful of Parmesan cheese
makes it yet more savory.
| OR,
| Pour over the hot, dry rice generous
cupful of strained tomato-sauce, into
which has been stirred great spoonful
of Parmesan cheese.
| Ok,
| Add to a cupful of chicken or other
| gravy, a half-cupful of finely minced
meat, season well and pour upon the rice
| when dished.
| RISSOTTA
| Is a favorite Italian luncheon dish,
and good everywhere.
Heat two tablespoonfuls of butter in a
| saucepan with teaspoonful of onion
| juice. and when it begins to hiss, turn
in half a cupful of raw rice which has
been washed, then dried in hot colan-
der. Stir, off and on, t, fifteen minutes,
adding at the end of five, a quarter
cupful of boiling water When the quar-
ter-hour is up, pour in quart of boiling
water and cook fast for another quar-
| ter. If the water Is not all absorbed by
then, drain it off, pour in half a cupful
of strained tomato sauce, seasoned with
| pepper salt, pinch of mace, and twice
as much grated lemonpeel. Simmer ten
minutes longer and dish. Pass Parmesan
cheese for those who like it,
Don't be alarmed by the foreign name
and unusual treatment. Try my rissotta,
and let me know tn, result.
N