On Cottage Economy and Cookery. 89 



summer appears more frequently upon tbe poor man's table than 

 baco7i and cabbage ; which, although boiled in the same pot, are 

 put in separately. But it will be found a great improvement if, 

 instead of that, a hole be cut in the heart of the cabbage, and a 

 quarter or half a pound of fat bacon is thrust into it as a plug. 

 The head of the cabbage should then be tied over, so as to confine 

 the leaves, and the cabbage boiled in a napkin, to prevent all 

 escape of fat, which will thus be imparted to the vegetable, and 

 render it so much more mellow and savoury, that any housewife 

 who tries it will never dress it in any other way. Bacon is also 

 frequently fried with potatoes or chopped cabbage, and forms a 

 savoury meal for the family supper ; but half the quantity of 

 bacon, if stewed for a couple of hours with different kinds of 

 vegetables in a moderate quantity of vrater thickened with a handful 

 of oatmeal, would be equally palatable, and go much farther. 



In the summer also, er/gs, being cheap, are much used by the 

 peasantry, and almost in every instanceyr/ec/, either alone or with 

 bacon. An agreeable change may, however, be made by frying 

 three or four sliced onions until they are well browned ; and while 

 the onions are frying, having your eggs broken into a basin, and 

 beaten with a fork for a couple of minutes. Season with pepper 

 and salt ; and then pour them over the onions, taking care to have 

 sufficient butter or dripping in the pan to prevent them from ad- 

 hering to the bottom ; and in this manner they will form a very 

 good omelet, which will be done in the course of three or 

 four minutes. Or^ if frying be inconvenient, the Irish mode of 

 " buttered eggs " may be employed, by merely putting the eggs 

 (after their being beaten up in the foregoing manner) into an 

 earthen pipkin, greased inside, and stirring them together for 

 about the same time. 



That very nice dish known as " toad-in-a-hole,^^ although some- 

 what expensive, yet serves well for a Sunday's dinner; as, being 

 sent to the baker, it will not prevent the wife from going to 

 church. It is made as follows : — Make a batter with a pound of 

 flour, a couple of eggs, and a pint of skim-milk, and put into the 

 centre of it a pound or a pound and a half of any kind of meat. 

 If fat, the batter may be made without milk, and even without an 

 egg, though it will be better if those ingredients be added. The 

 costs of the best mode will be — 



1 2 



