Page:The Virginia Housewife or, Methodical Cook, Mary Randolph, 1836.djvu/114

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THE VIRGINIA HOUSEWIFE.

boil the slices in a large quantity of water, till tender, serve it up hot, with melted butter poured over it.


EGG PLANT.

The purple ones are best; get them young and fresh; pull out the stem, and parboil them to take off the bitter taste; cut them in slices an inch thick, but do not peel them; dip them in the yelk of an egg, and cover them with grated bread, a little salt and pepper—when this has dried, cover the other side the same way—fry them a nice brown. They are very delicious, tasting much like soft crabs. The egg plant may be dressed in another manner: scrape the rind and parboil them; cut a slit from one end to the other, take out the seeds, fill the space with a rich forcemeat, and stew them in well seasoned gravy, or bake them, and serve up with gravy in the dish.


POTATO PUMPKIN.

Get one of a good colour, and seven or eight inches in diameter; cut a piece off the top, take out all the seeds, wash and wipe the cavity, pare the rind off, and fill the hollow with good forcemeat—put the top on, and set it in a deep pan, to protect the sides; bake it in a moderate oven, put it carefully in the dish without breaking, and it will look like a handsome mould. Another way of cooking potato pumpkin is to cut it in slices, pare off the rind, and make a puree as directed for turnips.


SWEET POTATO.

Take those that are nearly of the same size, that they may be done equally—wash them clean, but do