WINTER VEGETABLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19952, 22 May 1928, Page 7

WINTER VEGETABLES.

AND HOW TO COOK THEM.

Every discussion on diet is prefaced by tho slogan "Eat more vegetables!" In spring and summer this advice is easy to follow. Winter vegetables, apart from the greens, are often unappetising and monotonous. The greatest demand on the cook's skill is in the preparation of the two classes of "root" vegetables and "pulses," states a writer in an exchange. Carrot, turnip, and parsnip are the most common root vegetables. They contain a large percentage of starch, a very small quantity of protein—one of the essential foods to life—and practically no fat. . "Pulses"—peas, beans and lentils—are very nourishing. Starch is present in them, but they are most important for their large percentage of protein, which is why they are so often used as a meat substitute. Again, they contain practically no fat. Both classes contain mineral salts. Ln root vegetables prolonged boiling causes almost total loss of the protein and some salts, so avoid this. They must be cooked .slowly. Pulses have hard outside skins. These must be softened before cooking, therefore they require to be soaked for several hours. These vegetables have the power of absorbing lime. Hard water contains lime, so if they are soaked in cold hard water the skins never become really soft. Add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to the soaking water. This will prevent the absorption of lime. Boiling water is also good to use if the pulses are to soak for any length of time. This prevents germination, especially in warm weather. As neither roots nor pulses contain much fat add this in the method of cooking when possible. Some French Recipes. Tho French do not use turnips nearly so much as the English do. Here, however, is a recipe for turnips which adds a delightful new flavour to the vegetable. Wash and peel the turnips. Cut them into small cubes. Saute them in butter or margarine for a few minutes. Do not allow them to discolour. Sprinkle them thickly with flour. Add milk, or milk and water, till it just shows between the cubes. Do not stint the seasoning and .add a good pinch of sugar. Allow this to simmer gently until the turnip is cooked. When eggs are a little cheaper a delicious sauce can be made to serve with the turnips. Beat up the yolk of an egg. Pour the liquid from the cooked turnips over this. Add half an ounce of fresh butter. Return this to the pan and reheat, but do not allow it to boil. This improves the flavour of the vegetables very much. Carrots are decorative in colour. As a boiled vegetable they are uninteresting. When cooked with ham they become quite popular. Here is the recipe. For every carrot use one ounce of ham (gammon ham preferably). Cut the ham into several pieces. Fry for a minute in margarine, this develops the flavour. Add the carrots thinly sliced. A pinch of mixed herbs adds a further interest. Use just enough stock to prevent the carrots from sticking to the pan. Too much stock turns this into a stew and spoils the flavour. When the carrots are tender, serve. Pour the remaining liquid round. Parsnips may be cooked in exactly the same way as carrots or turnips. A little onion added hides its presence in the sauce. Prepare the parsnips and simmer in half milk and half water. Add for every two parsnips a slice of onion. When cooked strain out the onion. Thicken the sauce with flour—one dessertspoonful to a half-pint—and pour over the parsnips.