HOME ECONOMICS AND EDUCATION 579 



Stewed Cucumbers. Stew pared cucumbers, cut in quarters or 

 in thick slices, for fifteen minutes in a saucepan with a little water 

 and a minced shallot or a small minced onion. Pour off the water; 

 stir in a little flour, butter, and salt; heat for two or three minutes, 

 and then serve. 



Cucumber Saute. Boil pared and quartered cucumbers for 

 three minutes only. Then drain the pieces and season with salt and 

 pepper. Roll in flour and cook in a saucepan with butter for twenty 

 minutes. This dish may be varied by adding minced parsley, chives, 

 and chervil about five minutes before the cooking is finished. 



Tomatoes. The tomato, although not very nutritious, may be 

 classed as one of our most useful vegetables. Raw, it makes an at- 

 tractive and refreshing salad and may be served by itself or in com- 

 bination with other vegetables, with meat or with fish. As a vege- 

 table the tomato may be prepared in many ways. It makes a good 

 foundation for soups and sauces. Made into catsup or pickles it serves 

 as a relish. The addition of a little tomato gives a pleasant, acid 

 flavor to many soups and sauces, and also to meat, fish, and vegetable 

 dishes. If possible the tomatoes should ripen fully on the vines, as 

 the flavor is much better than when picked green and then allowed 

 to ripen. Overcooking spoils the flavor and color of the tomato. 



Rice. Wash 1 cupful of rice in several waters, rubbing the 

 grains between the hands to remove all the dirt. Put the washed 

 rice in a stewpan with 2 1 /^> cupfuls of water and 1 teaspoonful of salt. 

 Cover and place where the water will boil. Cook for twenty minutes, 

 being careful not to let it burn. At the end of this time put the 

 stewpan on a tripod or ring and cover the rice with a fold of cheese 

 cloth. Let it continue to cook in this manner an hour, then turn 

 into a hot vegetable dish. The rice will be tender, dry, and sweet, 

 and each grain will be separate. During the whole process of cook- 

 ing the rice must not be stirred. If a tablespoonful of butter is cut 

 up and sprinkled over the rice when it has cooked twenty minutes 

 the dish will be very much improved. 



Peas With Pork. One quart peas, 4 ounces pork ; 1 tablespoon- 

 ful butter, 1 gill water (^2 cupful), 2 small white onions, l /& tea- 

 spoonful pepper. 



Cut pork into small bits. Put butter into stewpan and on the 

 fire. When the butter is melted add the pork and cook gently until 

 a light brown, then add the water, peas, onions, and pepper. This 

 is a good way to cook peas when they are a little old and hard. 



Spinach has little food value, but its refreshing and slightly 

 laxative qualities make it a valuable adjunct to the more substantial 

 foods. It contains little starch and only a suggestion of sugar, and 

 is therefore one of the vegetables that physicians include in the 

 bill of fare of many invalids who require a diet without these 

 carbohydrates. 



Seasonings and Sauces for Vegetables. Much of the excellence 

 of well-cooked vegetables depends upon the proper use of seasonings 

 and sauces. The seasoning selected should undoubtedly be suitable 



