Dressing For Slaw

Mix a small pint of real cider vinegar with four large table-spoon fills of nice fresh butter, divided into four bits, and each bit rolled in flour; a tea-spoon of salt, and a salt-spoon of cayenne. Being well stirred, and mixed thoroughly, boil this in a porcelain-lined sauce-pan; and, as soon as it has come to a fast boil, remove it from the fire, and stir in the beaten yolk of four eggs. Have ready a nice fresh white cabbage, that has been washed, drained, and cut, or shaved, into small shreds with a cabbage cutter. Lay the shred cabbage in a deep dish or bowl, while you prepare the above dressing. Having taken it from the fire, and stirred in, gradually, the beaten yolk of egg, pour the dressing hot over the cabbage: mixing it all with a large boxwood salad-spoon or fork. Set it out of doors to cool; or cool it quickly on ice or snow.

Or if preferred warm, place it on the top of a stove, and cover it closely till wanted. It may be made of red cabbage.

This slaw (either cold or warm) will be found very superior to all others, if this receipt is exactly followed.

Salsify Fritters

Having washed and scraped the salsify roots, and cut off the extreme joints, stand them up and grate them. Beat three eggs very light, and stir them gradually into a pint of milk, with sufficient flour to make a stiff batter. Instead of grating the salsify you may cut it into pieces, and boil it till quite soft, so that you can mash it easily. Add a little pepper. Have ready over the fire a deep frying-pan or skillet, with plenty of boiling lard. Put in a large spoonful of the batter, and into the middle of each drop a spoonful of the mashed salsify. Fry these fritters of a light brown on both sides, and take them out with a perforated skimmer, draining off the lard through its holes.

You may fry the mashed salsify without the batter, taking large spoonfuls, and dipping each in beaten egg first, and afterward twice over in grated bread-crumbs, so as to resemble fried oysters.

Or you may first boil the roots merely split in two, and then fry them in fresh butter, or bake them brown in an oven.

Salsify Oysters

Get some fine salsify roots, (called also oyster-plant,) and wash and scrape them well. Boil them in sufficient fresh oyster liquor to cover them well, and when they are soft take them out, split them, and cut them into pieces about two inches long. Then put them into a stew-pan, with the oyster liquor, some pieces of fresh butter rolled in flour, and some blades of mace and some grated nutmeg, with a few whole pepper-corns. Let them cook between five and ten minutes, having stirred among them the beaten yolks of two or three eggs. Serve them up hot, as a side dish.

Melongina Or Egg-Plant

Take a large fine egg-plant, and see that there are no blemishes about it. Having cut it into thin round slices, (without paring off the skin,) sprinkle between the slices a very little salt and pepper, cover them with a plate, and let them rest an hour more. Then wipe the pieces dry. Have some beaten egg in one deep plate, and some bread-crumbs, finely grated, in another. Dip each slice of egg-plant first into the beaten egg, and then into the breadcrumbs, and fry them brown in a pan full of boiling lard, or else lard and fresh butter mixed in equal quantities. Take them out with a perforated skimmer, and drain them well.

They will be much better if each slice is dipped twice in the egg, and twice in the crumbs.

They may be fried very plainly, simply dredged with flour, and then put into a pan with plenty of boiling lard, the lard drained well from each slice when it is done. They should be fried brown on both sides. If underdone, and left greenish or whitish, they have a raw bitter taste.