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The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) written by Mrs. F.L. Gillette

M >> Mrs. F.L. Gillette >> The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887)







PICKLES.


Pickles should never be put into vessels of brass, copper or tin, as
the action of the acid on such metals often results in poisoning the
pickles. Porcelain or granite-ware is the best for such purposes.

Vinegar that is used for pickling should be the best cider or
white-wine, and should never be boiled more than five or six minutes,
as it reduces its strength. In putting away pickles, use stone or
glass jars; the glazing on common earthenware is rendered injurious by
the action of the vinegar. When the jar is nearly filled with the
pickles, the vinegar should completely cover them, and if there is any
appearance of their not doing well, turn off the vinegar, cover with
fresh vinegar and spices. Alum in small quantities is useful in
making them firm and crisp. In using ground spices, tie them up in
muslin bags.

To green pickles, put green grape-vine leaves or green cabbage leaves
between them when heating. Another way is to heat them in strong
ginger tea. Pickles should be kept closely covered, put into glass
jars and sealed tightly.

"Turmeric" is India saffron, and is used very much in pickling as a
coloring.

A piece of horse-radish put into a jar of pickles will keep the
vinegar from losing its strength, and the pickles will keep sound much
longer, especially tomato pickles.


CUCUMBER PICKLES.

Select the medium, small-sized cucumbers. For one bushel make a brine
that will bear up an egg; heat it boiling hot and pour it over the
cucumbers; let them stand twenty-four hours, then wipe them dry; heat
some vinegar boiling hot and pour over them, standing again
twenty-four hours. Now change the vinegar, putting on fresh vinegar,
adding one quart of brown sugar, a pint of white mustard seed, a small
handful of whole cloves, the same of cinnamon sticks, a piece of alum
the size of an egg, half a cup of celery seed; heat it all boiling hot
and pour over the cucumbers.


SLICED CUCUMBER PICKLE.

Take one gallon of medium-sized cucumbers, put them into a jar or
pail. Put into enough _boiling_ water to cover them a small handful of
salt, turn it over them and cover closely; repeat this three mornings,
and the fourth morning scald enough cider vinegar to cover them,
putting into it a piece of alum as large as a walnut, a teacup of
horse-radish root cut up fine; then tie up in a small muslin bag, one
teaspoonful of mustard, one of ground cloves, and one of cinnamon.
Slice up the cucumbers half of an inch thick, place them in glass jars
and pour the scalding vinegar over them. Seal tight and they will keep
good a year or more.

_Mrs. Lydia C. Wright, South Vernon, Vermont._


CUCUMBER PICKLES. (For Winter Use.)

A good way to put down cucumbers, a few at a time:--

When gathered from the vines, wash, and put in a firkin or half barrel
layers or cucumbers and rock-salt alternately, enough salt to make
sufficient brine to cover them, no water; cover with a cloth; keep
them under the brine with a heavy board; take off the cloth, and rinse
it every time you put in fresh cucumbers, as a scum will rise and
settle upon it. Use plenty of salt and it will keep a year. To prepare
pickles for use, soak in hot water, and keep in a warm place until
they are fresh enough, then pour spiced vinegar over them and let them
stand over night, then pour that off and put on fresh.


GREEN TOMATO PICKLES. (Sweet.)

One peck of green tomatoes, sliced the day before you are ready for
pickling, sprinkling them through and through with salt, not _too_
heavily; in the morning drain off the liquor that will drain from
them. Have a dozen good-sized onions rather coarsely sliced; take a
suitable kettle and put in a layer of the sliced tomatoes, then of
onions, and between each layer sprinkle the following spices: Six
_red_ peppers chopped coarsely, one cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of
ground allspice, one tablespoonful of ground cinnamon, a teaspoonful
of cloves, one tablespoonful of mustard. Turn over three pints of good
vinegar, or enough to completely cover them; boil until tender. This
is a choice recipe.

If the flavor of onions is objectionable, the pickle is equally as
good without them.


GREEN TOMATO PICKLES. (Sour.)

Wash and slice, without peeling, one peck of sound green tomatoes, put
them into a jar in layers with a slight sprinkling of salt between.
This may be done over night; in the morning drain off the liquor that
has accumulated. Have two dozen medium-sized onions peeled and sliced,
also six red peppers chopped fine. Make some spiced vinegar by boiling
for half an hour a quart of cider vinegar with whole spices in it. Now
take a porcelain kettle and place in it some of the sliced tomatoes,
then some of the sliced onions; shake in some black pepper and some of
the chopped red peppers; pour over some of the spiced vinegar; then
repeat with the tomatoes, onions, etc., until the kettle is full;
cover with cold, pure cider vinegar and cook until tender, but not too
soft. Turn into a jar well covered and set in a cool place.


PICKLED MUSHROOMS.

Sufficient vinegar to cover the mushrooms; to each quart of mushrooms
two blades pounded mace, one ounce ground pepper, salt to taste.
Choose some nice young button mushrooms for pickling and rub off the
skin with a piece of flannel and salt, and cut off the stalks; if very
large, take out the red inside, and reject the black ones, as they are
too old. Put them in a stewpan, sprinkle salt over them, with pounded
mace and pepper in the above proportion; shake them well over a clear
fire until the liquor flows and keep them there until it is all dried
up again; then add as much vinegar as will cover them; just let it
simmer for one minute and store it away in stone jars for use. When
cold tie down with bladder and keep in a dry place; they will remain
good for a length of time, and are generally considered excellent for
flavoring stews and other dishes.


PICKLED CABBAGE. (Purple.)

Cut a sound cabbage into quarters, spread it on a large flat platter
or dish and sprinkle thickly with salt; set it in a cool place for
twenty-four hours; then drain off the brine, wipe it dry and lay it in
the sun two hours, and cover with cold vinegar for twelve hours.
Prepare a pickle by seasoning enough vinegar to cover the cabbage with
equal quantities of mace, allspice, cinnamon and black pepper, a cup
of sugar to every gallon of vinegar, and a teaspoonful of celery seed
to every pint. Pack the cabbage in a stone jar; boil the vinegar and
spices five minutes and pour on hot. Cover and set away in a cool, dry
place. It will be good in a month. A few slices of beetroot improves
the color.


PICKLED WHITE CABBAGE.

This recipe recommends itself as of a delightful flavor yet easily
made, and a convenient substitute for the old-fashioned, tedious
method of pickling the same vegetable. Take a peck of quartered
cabbage, put a layer of cabbage and one of salt, let it remain over
night; in the morning squeeze them and put them on the fire, with four
chopped onions covered with vinegar; boil for half an hour, then add
one ounce of turmeric, one gill of black pepper, one gill of celery
seed, a few cloves, one tablespoonful of allspice, a few pieces of
ginger, half an ounce of mace, and two pounds of brown sugar. Let it
boil half an hour longer, and when cold it is fit for use. Four
tablespoonfuls of made mustard should be added with the other
ingredients.


PICKLED CAULIFLOWER.

Break the heads into small pieces and boil ten or fifteen minutes in
salt and water; remove from the water and drain carefully. When cold,
place in a jar, and pour over it hot vinegar, in which has been
scalded a liberal supply of whole cloves, pepper, allspice and white
mustard. Tie the spices in a bag, and, on removing the vinegar from
the fire, stir into each quart of it two teaspoonfuls of French
mustard, and half a cup of white sugar. Cover tightly and be sure to
have the vinegar cover the pickle.


PICKLED GREEN PEPPERS.

Take two dozen large, green, bell peppers, extract the seeds by
cutting a slit in the side (so as to leave them whole). Make a strong
brine and pour over them; let them stand twenty-four hours. Take them
out of the brine, and soak them in water for a day and a night; now
turn off this water and scald some vinegar, in which put a small piece
of alum, and pour over them, letting them stand three days. Prepare a
stuffing of two hard heads of white cabbage, chopped fine, seasoned
slightly with salt and a cup of white mustard seed; mix it well and
stuff the peppers hard and full; stitch up, place them in a stone jar,
and pour over spiced vinegar scalding hot. Cover tightly.


GREEN PEPPER MANGOES.

Select firm, sound, green peppers, and add a few red ones as they are
ornamental and look well upon the table. With a sharp knife remove the
top, take out the seed, soak over night in salt water, then fill with
chopped cabbage and green tomatoes, seasoned with salt, mustard seed
and ground cloves. Sew on the top. Boil vinegar sufficient to cover
them, with a cup of brown sugar, and pour over the mangoes. Do this
three mornings, then seal.


CHOWCHOW. (Superior English Recipe.)

This excellent pickle is seldom made at home, as we can get the
imported article so much better than it can be made from the usual
recipes. This we vouch for being as near the genuine article as can
be made: One quart of young, tiny cucumbers, not over two inches
long, two quarts of _very_ small white onions, two quarts of tender
string beans, each one cut in halves, three quarts of green tomatoes,
sliced and chopped very coarsely, two fresh heads of cauliflower, cut
into small pieces, or two heads of white, hard cabbage.

After preparing these articles, put them in a stone jar, mix them
together, sprinkling salt between them sparingly. Let them stand
twenty-four hours, then drain off _all_ the brine that has
accumulated. Now put these vegetables in a preserving kettle over the
fire, sprinkling through them an ounce of turmeric for coloring, six
red peppers, chopped coarsely, four tablespoonfuls of mustard seed,
two of celery seed, two of whole allspice, two of whole cloves, a
coffee cup of sugar, and two-thirds of a teacup of best ground mixed
mustard. Pour on enough of the best cider vinegar to cover the whole
well; cover tightly and simmer all well until it is cooked all through
and seems tender, watching and stirring it often. Put in bottles or
glass jars. It grows better as it grows older, especially if sealed
when hot.


PICKLED ONIONS.

Peel small onions until they are white. Scald them in salt and water
until tender, then take them up, put them into wide-mouthed bottles,
and pour over them hot spiced vinegar; when cold cork them close. Keep
in a dry, dark place. A tablespoonful of sweet oil may be put in the
bottles before the cork. The best sort of onions for pickling are the
small white buttons.


PICKLED MANGOES.

Let the mangoes, or young musk-melons, lie in salt water, strong
enough to bear an egg, for two weeks; then soak them in pure water for
two days, changing the water two or three times; then remove the seeds
and put the mangoes in a kettle, first a layer of grape leaves, then
mangoes, and so on until all are in, covering the top with leaves; add
a lump of alum the size of a hickory nut; pour vinegar over them and
boil them ten or fifteen minutes; remove the leaves and let the
pickles stand in this vinegar for a week; then stuff them with the
following mixture: One pound of ginger soaked in brine for a day or
two, and cut in slices, one ounce of black pepper, one of mace, one of
allspice, one of turmeric, half a pound of garlic, soaked for a day
or two in brine and then dried; one pint grated horse-radish, one of
black mustard seed and one of white mustard seed; bruise all the
spices and mix with a teacup of pure olive oil; to each mango add one
teaspoonful of brown sugar; cut one solid head of cabbage fine; add
one pint of small onions, a few small cucumbers and green tomatoes;
lay them in brine a day and a night, then drain them well and add the
imperfect mangoes chopped fine and the spices; mix thoroughly, stuff
the mangoes and tie them; put them in a stone jar and pour over them
the best cider vinegar; set them in a bright, dry place until they are
canned. In a month add three pounds of brown sugar; if this is not
sufficient, add more until agreeable to taste. This is for four dozen
mangoes.


PICKLE OF RIPE CUCUMBERS.

This is a French recipe and is the most excellent of all the
high-flavored condiments; it is made by _sun-drying_ thirty _old_,
full grown cucumbers, which have first been pared and split, had the
seeds taken out, been salted and let stand twenty-four hours. The sun
should be permitted to _dry_, not simply drain them. When they are
moderately dry, wash them with vinegar and place them in layers in a
jar, alternating them with a layer of horse-radish, mustard seed,
garlic and onions for each layer of cucumbers. Boil in one quart of
vinegar, one ounce of race ginger, half an ounce of allspice and the
same of turmeric; when cool pour this over the cucumbers, tie up
tightly and set away. This pickle requires several months to mature
it, but is delicious when old, keeps admirably, and only a little is
needed as a relish.


PICKLED OYSTERS.

One gallon of oysters; wash them well in their own liquor; carefully
clear away the particles of shell, then put them into a kettle, strain
the liquor over them, add salt to your taste, let them just come to
the boiling point, or until the edges curl up; then skim them out and
lay in a dish to cool; put a sprig of mace and a little cold pepper
and allow the liquor to boil some time, skimming it now and then so
long as any skum rises. Pour it into a pan and let it cool. When
perfectly cool, add a half pint of strong vinegar, place the oysters
in a jar and pour the liquor over them.


RIPE CUCUMBER PICKLES. (Sweet.)

Pare and seed ripe cucumbers. Slice each cucumber lengthwise into four
pieces, or cut it into fancy shapes, as preferred. Let them stand
twenty-four hours covered with cold vinegar. Drain them; then put them
into fresh vinegar, with two pounds of sugar and one ounce of cassia
buds to one quart of vinegar, and a tablespoonful of salt. Boil all
together twenty minutes. Cover them closely in a jar.


PICCALILLI.

One peck of green tomatoes; eight large onions chopped fine, with one
cup of salt well stirred in. Let it stand over night; in the morning
drain off all the liquor. Now take two quarts of water and one of
vinegar, boil all together twenty minutes. Drain all through a sieve
or colander. Put it back into the kettle again; turn over it two
quarts of vinegar, one pound of sugar, half a pound of white mustard
seed, two tablespoonfuls of ground pepper, two of cinnamon, one of
cloves, two of ginger, one of allspice, and half a teaspoonful of
cayenne pepper. Boil all together fifteen minutes or until tender.
Stir it often to prevent scorching. Seal in glass jars.

A most delicious accompaniment for any kind of meat or fish.

_Mrs. St. Johns._


PICKLED EGGS.

Pickled eggs are very easily prepared and most excellent as an
accompaniment for cold meats. Boil quite hard three dozen eggs, drop
in cold water and remove the shells, and pack them when entirely cold
in a wide-mouthed jar, large enough to let them in or out without
breaking. Take as much vinegar as you think will cover them entirely
and boil it in white pepper, allspice, a little root ginger; pack them
in stone or wide-mouthed glass jars, occasionally putting in a
tablespoonful of white and black mustard seed mixed, a small piece of
race ginger, garlic, if liked, horse-radish ungrated, whole cloves,
and a very little allspice. Slice two of three green peppers, and add
in very small quantities. They will be fit for use in eight or ten
days.


AN ORNAMENTAL PICKLE.

Boil fresh eggs half an hour, then put them in cold water. Boil red
beets until tender, peel and cut in dice form, and cover with vinegar,
spiced; shell the eggs and drop into the pickle jar.


EAST INDIA PICKLE.

Lay in strong brine for two weeks, or until convenient to use them,
small cucumbers, very small common white onions, snap beans, gherkins,
hard white cabbage quartered, plums, peaches, pears, lemons, green
tomatoes and anything else you may wish. When ready, take them out of
the brine and simmer in pure water until tender enough to stick a
straw through--if still too salt, soak in clear water; drain
thoroughly and lay them in vinegar in which is dissolved one ounce of
turmeric to the gallon. For five gallons of pickle, take two ounces of
mace, two of cloves, two of cinnamon, two of allspice, two of celery
seed, a quarter of a pound of white race ginger, cracked fine, half a
pound of white mustard seed, half a pint of small red peppers, quarter
of a pound of grated horse-radish, half a pint of flour mustard, two
ounces of turmeric, half a pint of garlic, if you like; soak in two
gallons of cider vinegar for two weeks, stirring daily. After the
pickles have lain in the turmeric vinegar for a week, take them out
and put in jars or casks, one layer of pickle and one of spice out of
the vinegar, till all is used. If the turmeric vinegar is still good
and strong, add it and the spiced vinegar. If the turmeric vinegar be
much diluted do not use it, but add enough fresh to the spiced to
cover the pickles; put it on the fire with a pound of brown sugar to
each gallon; when boiling, pour over the pickle. Repeat this two or
three times as your taste may direct.


MIXED PICKLES.

Scald in salt water until tender cauliflower heads, small onions,
peppers, cucumbers cut in dice, nasturtiums and green beans; then
drain until dry and pack into wide-mouthed bottles. Boil in each pint
of cider vinegar one tablespoonful of sugar, half a teaspoonful of
salt and two tablespoonfuls of mustard; pour over the pickle and seal
carefully. Other spices may be added if liked.


BLUEBERRY PICKLES.

For blueberry pickles, old jars which have lost their covers, or whose
edges have been broken so that the covers will not fit tightly, serve
an excellent purpose as these pickles _must not_ be kept air-tight.

Pick over your berries, using only sound ones; fill your jars or
wide-mouthed bottles to within an inch of the top, then pour in
molasses enough to settle down into _all_ the spaces; this cannot be
done in a moment, as molasses does not _run_ very freely. Only lazy
people will feel obliged to stand by and watch its progress. As it
settles, pour in more until the berries are covered. Then tie over the
top a piece of cotton cloth to keep the flies and other insects out
and set away in the preserve closet. Cheap molasses is good enough,
and your pickles will soon be "sharp." Wild grapes may be pickled in
the same manner.


PICKLED BUTTERNUTS AND WALNUTS.

These nuts are in the best state for pickling when the outside shell
can be penetrated by the head of a pin. Scald them and rub off the
outside skin, put them in a strong brine for six days, changing the
water every other day, keeping them closely covered from the air. Then
drain and wipe them (piercing each nut through in several places with
a large needle) and prepare the pickle as follows: For a hundred large
nuts, take of black pepper and ginger root each an ounce; and of
cloves, mace and nutmeg, each a half ounce. Pound all the spices to
powder and mix them well together, adding two large spoonfuls of
mustard seed. Put the nuts into jars (having first stuck each of them
through in several places with a large needle), strewing the powdered
seasoning between every layer of nuts. Boil for five minutes a gallon
of the very best cider vinegar and pour it boiling hot upon the nuts.
Secure the jars closely with corks. You may begin to eat the nuts in a
fortnight.


WATERMELON PICKLE.

Ten pounds of watermelon rind boiled in pure water until tender; drain
the water off, and make a syrup of two pounds of white sugar, one
quart of vinegar, half an ounce of cloves, one ounce of cinnamon. The
syrup to be poured over the rind boiling hot three days in succession.


SWEET PICKLE FOR FRUIT.

Most of the recipes for making a sweet pickle for fruit, such as
cling-stone peaches, damsons, plums, cherries, apricots, etc., are so
similar, that we give that which is most successfully used.

To every quart of fruit, allow a cup of white sugar and a large pint
of good cider vinegar, adding half an ounce of _stick_ cinnamon, one
tablespoonful of _whole_ cloves, the same of whole allspice. Let it
come to a boil, and pour it hot over the fruit; repeat this two or
three days in succession; then seal hot in glass jars if you wish to
keep it for a long time.

The _fruit_, not the liquor, is to be eaten, and used the same as any
pickle. Some confound this with "Spiced Fruit," which is not treated
the same, one being a pickle, the other a spiced preserve boiled down
thick.

Damsons and plums should be pricked with a needle, and peaches washed
with a weak lye, and then rubbed with a coarse cloth to remove the
fur.


PEAR PICKLE.

Select small, sound ones, remove the blossom end, stick them with a
fork, allow to each quart of pears one pint of cider vinegar and one
cup of sugar, put in a teaspoonful allspice, cinnamon and cloves to
boil with the vinegar; then add the pears and boil, and seal in jars.


SPICED CURRANTS.

Seven pounds of fruit, four pounds of sugar, one pint of good cider
vinegar, one tablespoonful of ground cinnamon, one teaspoonful of
cloves. Put into a kettle and boil until the fruit is soft; then skim
out the fruit, putting it on dishes until the syrup is boiled down
thick. Turn the fruit back into the syrup again, so as to heat it all
through; then seal it hot in glass jars, and set it in a cool, dark
place.

Any tart fruit may be put up in this way, and is considered a very
good embellishment for cold meats.


SPICED PLUMS.

Seven pounds of plums, one pint of _cider_ vinegar, four pounds of
sugar, two tablespoonfuls of broken cinnamon bark, half as much of
whole cloves and the same of broken nutmeg; place these in a muslin
bag and simmer them in a little vinegar and water for half an hour;
then add it all to the vinegar and sugar, and bring to a boil; add the
plums and boil carefully until they are cooked tender. Before cooking
the plums they should be pierced with a darning needle several times;
this will prevent the skins bursting while cooking.


SPICED GRAPES.

Take the pulp from the grapes, preserving the skins. Boil the pulp and
rub through a colander to get out the seeds; then add the skins to the
strained pulp and boil with the sugar, vinegar and spices. To every
seven pounds of grapes use four and one-half pounds of sugar, one pint
of good vinegar. Spice quite highly with ground cloves and allspice,
with a little cinnamon.


PICKLED CHERRIES.

Select sound, large cherries, as large as you can get them; to every
quart of cherries allow a large cupful of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls
of sugar, a dozen whole cloves, and half a dozen blades of mace; put
the vinegar and sugar on to heat with the spices; boil five minutes,
turn out into a covered stoneware vessel; cover and let it get
perfectly cold; pack the cherries into jars, and pour the vinegar over
them when cold; cork tightly and set away; they are fit for use almost
immediately.




VEGETABLES.


Vegetables of all kinds should be thoroughly picked over, throwing out
all decayed or unripe parts, then well washed in several waters. Most
vegetables, when peeled, are better when laid in cold water a short
time before cooking. When partly cooked a little salt should be thrown
into the water in which they are boiled, and they should cook steadily
after they are put on, not allowed to stop boiling or simmering until
they are thoroughly done. Every sort of culinary vegetable is much
better when freshly gathered and cooked as soon as possible, and, when
done, thoroughly drained, and served immediately while hot.

Onions, cabbage, carrots and turnips should be cooked in a great deal
of water, boiled only long enough to sufficiently cook them, and
immediately drained. Longer boiling makes them insipid in taste, and
with _too little_ water they turn a dark color.

Potatoes rank first in importance in the vegetable line, and
consequently should be properly served. It requires some little
intelligence to cook even so simple and common a dish as boiled
potatoes. In the first place, all defective or green ones should be
cast out; a bad one will flavor a whole dish. If they are not uniform
in size, they should be made so by cutting after they are peeled. The
best part of a potato, or the most nutritious, is next to the skin,
therefore they should be pared very thinly, if at all; then, if old,
the cores should be cut out, thrown into _cold_ water salted a little,
and boiled until soft enough for a fork to pierce through easily;
drain immediately, and replace the kettle on the fire with the cover
partly removed, until they are completely dried. New potatoes should
be put into boiling water, and when partly done salted a little. They
should be prepared just in time for cooking by scraping off the thin
outside skin. They require about twenty minutes to boil.