Part 141 (1/2)

_Time_.--20 to 25 minutes, very gentle stewing.

_Average cost_, in full season, 9d. per basket.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ in August, September, and October; but maybe had, forced, much earlier.

THE TOMATO, OR LOVE-APPLE.--This vegetable is a native of Mexico and South America, but is also found in the East Indies, where it is supposed to have been introduced by the Spaniards. In this country it is much more cultivated than it formerly was; and the more the community becomes acquainted with the many agreeable forms in which the fruit can be prepared, the more widely will its cultivation be extended. For ketchup, soups, and sauces, it is equally applicable, and the unripe fruit makes one of the best pickles.

TRUFFLES AU NATUREL.

1161. INGREDIENTS.--Truffles, b.u.t.tered paper.

_Mode_.--Select some fine truffles; cleanse them, by was.h.i.+ng them in several waters with a brush, until not a particle of sand or grit remains on them; wrap each truffle in b.u.t.tered paper, and bake in a hot oven for quite an hour; take off the paper, wipe the truffles, and serve them in a hot napkin.

_Time_.--1 hour. _Average cost_.--Not often bought in this country.

_Seasonable_ from November to March.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TRUFFLES.]

THE COMMON TRUFFLE.--This is the _Tuber cibarium_ of science, and belongs to that numerous cla.s.s of esculent fungi distinguished from other vegetables not only by the singularity of their forms, but by their chemical composition. Upon a.n.a.lysis, they are found not only to contain the usual components of the vegetable kingdom, such as carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, but likewise a large proportion of nitrogen; from which they approach more nearly to the nature of animal flesh.

It was long ago observed by Dr. Darwin, that all the mushrooms cooked at our tables, as well as those used for ketchup, possessed an animal flavour; and soup enriched by mushrooms only has sometimes been supposed to contain meat.

TO DRESS TRUFFLES WITH CHAMPAGNE.

1162. INGREDIENTS.--12 fine black truffles, a few slices of fat bacon, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 2 onions, a bunch of savoury herbs, including parsley, 1 bay-leaf, 2 cloves, 1 blade of pounded mace, 2 gla.s.ses of champagne, 1/2 pint of stock.

_Mode_.--Carefully select the truffles, reject those that have a musty smell, and wash them well with a brush, in cold water only, until perfectly clean. Put the bacon into a stewpan, with the truffles and the remaining ingredients; simmer these gently for an hour, and let the whole cool in the stewpan. When to be served, rewarm them, and drain them on a clean cloth; then arrange them on a delicately white napkin, that it may contrast as strongly as possible with the truffles, and serve. The tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of truffles are used to flavour gravies, stock, sauces, &c.; and are an excellent addition to ragouts, made dishes of fowl, &c.

_Time_.--1 hour. _Average cost_.--Not often bought in this country.

_Seasonable_ from November to March.

THE TRUFFLE.--The Truffle belongs to the family of the Mushroom.

It is certain that the truffle must possess, equally with other plants, organs of reproduction; yet, notwithstanding all the efforts of art and science, it has been impossible to subject it to a regular culture. Truffles grow at a considerable depth under the earth, never appearing on the surface. They are found in many parts of France: those of Perigord Magny are the most esteemed for their odour. There are three varieties of the species,--the black, the red, and the white: the latter are of little value. The red are very rare, and their use is restricted. The black has the highest repute, and its consumption is enormous. When the peasantry go to gather truffles, they take a pig with them to scent out the spot where they grow. When that is found, the pig turns up the surface with his snout, and the men then dig until they find the truffles.

Good truffles are easily distinguished by their agreeable perfume; they should be light in proportion to their size, and elastic when pressed by the finger. To have them in perfection, they should be quite fresh, as their aroma is considerably diminished by any conserving process. Truffles are stimulating and beating. Weak stomachs digest them with difficulty. Some of the culinary uses to which they are subjected render them more digestible; but they should always be eaten sparingly. Their chief use is in seasoning and garnitures. In short, a professor has said, ”Meats with truffles are the most distinguished dishes that opulence can offer to the epicure.” The Truffle grows in cl.u.s.ters, some inches below the surface of the soil, and is of an irregular globular form. Those which grow wild in England are about the size of a hen's egg, and have no roots. As there is nothing to indicate the places where they are, dogs have been trained to discriminate their scent, by which they are discovered. Hogs are very fond of them, and frequently lead to their being found, from their rutting up the ground in search of them.

ITALIAN MODE OF DRESSING TRUFFLES.

1163. INGREDIENTS.--10 truffles, 1/4 pint of salad-oil, pepper and salt to taste, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, a very little finely-minced garlic, 2 blades of pounded mace, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice.

_Mode_.--After cleansing and brus.h.i.+ng the truffles, cut them into thin slices, and put them in a baking-dish, on a seasoning of oil, pepper, salt, parsley, garlic, and mace in the above proportion. Bake them for nearly an hour, and, just before serving, add the lemon-juice, and send them to table very hot.

_Time_.--Nearly 1 hour.

_Average cost_.--Not often bought in this country.

_Seasonable_ from November to March.