a fork or skewer, take them up, drain them, and serve in a vegetable-dish. This vegetable is usually served with salt fish, boiled pork or boiled beef; when sent to table with the latter, a few should be placed alternately with carrots round the dish, as a garnish.
Time.—Large parsnips, 1 to 1½ hours; small ones, ½ to 1 hour. Average Cost, 2d. per lb. Seasonable from October to May.
The Parsnip (Fr. panais).—This vegetable is found wild in meadows all over Europe, and in England is met with very frequently on dry banks in a chalky soil. In its wild state the root is white, mucilaginous, aromatic and sweet. The cultivated parsnip is much used, and is a highly nutritious vegetable. In times of scarcity, an excellent bread has been made of its roots, and they also furnish an excellent wine, resembling the malmsey of Madeira and the Canaries; a spirit is also obtained from them in as great quantities as from carrots. The composition of the parsnip-root has been found to be in 100 parts, 79.4 of water, 6.9 starch and fibre, 6.1 gum, 5.5 sugar, and 2.1 of albumen.
1553.—PARSNIPS, FRIED. (Fr.—Panais Frits.)
Ingredients.—Parsnips, salt and pepper, egg and breadcrumbs, or frying-batter.
Method.—Boil the parsnips as in the preceding recipe (cold ones may be used), cut them into slices, about ½ an inch in thickness, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and either coat them with egg and breadcrumbs, or dip them into batter. In either case, they must be fried until golden-brown in hot fat.
Average Cost,—2d. per lb. Seasonable from October to May.
1554.—PARSNIPS, MASHED. See Turnips, Mashed, Recipe No. 1627.
1555.—PEAS, GREEN. (Fr.—Petit Pois Verts.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of cooked green peas, 2 ozs. of lean cooked ham cut into dice, 1 oz. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of good stock, 1 teaspoonful of flour, ½ a small onion finely-chopped, a pinch of castor sugar, a pinch of grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Method.—Fry the onion until lightly browned in the butter, add the flour and ham, stir over the fire for a minute or two, then put in the peas, stock, sugar, and nutmeg. Season to taste, simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then serve.
Time.—About 1 hour, altogether. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable from May to September.
1556.—PEAS, GREEN, BOILED. (Fr.—Petits Pois verts à l'Anglaise.)
Ingredients.—Green peas, mint, butter, salt and pepper.
Method.—Shell the peas, put them into boiling water, add a little salt and a sprig of mint, and boil, with the saucepan uncovered, from 10 to 25 minutes, according to age and variety. Drain well, put them into a hot vegetable dish, season with pepper, add a small piece of butter, and serve.
