Opossum

A Southern animal found in hollow trees, hunted for by trained dogs, is killed, scalded, scraped, split, skin scored like a suckling pig, arranged in a pan surrounded with peeled and split sweet potatoes, roasted and basted till done; served with the potatoes and corn bread.

Pancakes

Known to us in every household as "batter cakes". For recipes, see heading of "batter".

Parmesan

Name of an Italian cheese; see heading of "cheese".

Parsley

A garden herb used as a garnish; to ornament dishes, chopped and mixed in sauces, stews, soups, salads, etc.

Paupiette

Name given to a thin slice of meat spread with forcemeat, rolled up, tied at each end, stewed with meat gravy; the household name for them is "meat olives".

Pear

A delicious fruit, produced at its best in California. The Bartlett is the best for serving plain or in the fruit stands. May be used in almost all the ways just previously described for peaches.

Prickly Pear

The fruit of a cactus named Opuntia, is peeled, sliced, moistened with brandy and the juice of an orange, then served with powdered sugar.

Pepper Black, White And Mignonette

The Berry of the pepper vine. The Black is the unripe berry dried; Mignonette is the black crushed (not ground) used in seasoning foods or stocks, etc., that will be strained; White is the kernel of the ripe berry.

Red Pepper

Is the ground seeds and pods of the small capsicum; also called cayenne pepper.

Peppermint

Name of a combination plant of pepper and mint, one of the mint species; a volatile oil is extracted from it which is used for medicinal purposes, also as a flavoring to many things in the confectioners' trade.

Pepper Pot

Name of the national soup stew of the West Indies; composed of pieces of beef, veal, ham. chicken, game, all sorts of vegetables, chopped green marjoram, savory, basil, parsley, small potatoes and dumplings, finished and seasoned with sauce cassareep and chili pepper.

Perigueux

Name given to a sauce made by frying a delicate brown together some minced shallots, onion and ham, then moisten with a glass of white wine and allow to simmer till half reduced, then add an equal quantity of brown roux and good meat gravy, also some truffle peelings and a piece of meat glaze, simmer the whole for ten minutes, then pass through the china cap, add plenty of thinly sliced truffles and set in bain-marie for use.

Persimmon

Name of a fruit resembling in appearance a smooth tomato, in color between the red and yellow sorts; best when having caught the frost; has a flavor from its pulpy interior like a mixture of a rough banana and tamarinds; its taste must be cultivated to be liked as a fruit. It is prepared in the Southern states as a beer, cider and wine. Also its pulp is rubbed through a sieve, mixed with corn meal instead of water and made into a sweet corn bread.

Picallili

Cut the following vegetables rather fine, crush the garlic, then add, pack all into stone crocks and cover with slightly salted water, and stand in a cool place for one day and night, then drain on sieve and press with cloths till dry; then place back into the crocks, cover with the boiling vinegar and spices, hermetically seal on the crock covers while contents are at boiling heat - 100 small cucumbers, 3 small white cabbages, 18 small heads of celery, 6 medium cauliflowers, 6 quarts of string-less beans, 9 each of medium sized green and red peppers, 4 cloves of garlic, 6 ozs. of mustard seed, 2 level teaspoonfuls each of ground allspice, mace and ginger, 2 heaping teaspoonfuls of ground black pepper, enough cider vinegar to well cover.