Cut six green peppers into quarters, remove the seeds, and broil over a very hot fire, until the edges curl. Spread with b.u.t.ter, sprinkle with salt, and serve with broiled steak.

FRIED PEPPERS

Remove the stems and seeds, cut into rings, and soak for half an hour in cold water. Drain, dry, dip in flour seasoned with salt, and fry in fat to cover.

STUFFED PEPPERS

Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread crumbs and half a cupful of chopped boiled ham or tongue or sausage, seasoning with salt, pepper, and grated onion and moistening with melted b.u.t.ter. Stuff green peppers which have been seeded and soaked, and put into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish. Pour over a cupful of stock, cover, and bake for fifteen minutes, then uncover and brown.

STUFFED PEPPERS a LA CReOLE

Make a stuffing of boiled rice and canned tomatoes, seasoning with salt and grated onion. Stuff half a dozen sweet peppers, brown in oil, then put into a baking-pan and finish cooking, basting with hot water.

BOILED SWEET POTATOES

Clean thoroughly, cover with boiling water, to which a little salt may be added, boil until soft, drain, peel, and serve. They may be peeled before boiling; or, cover with hot water, boil until done, dry in the oven, and peel just before serving.

BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Split lengthwise and steam or boil until nearly done. Drain and put into a baking-dish, flat side down, seasoning each one with pepper, salt, and sugar. Dot with b.u.t.ter and bake brown, basting with b.u.t.ter, or wash and trim and bake in a moderate oven until soft. They may be parboiled before baking. Serve in the skins.

BROWNED SWEET POTATOES

Boil sweet potatoes until soft in salted water to cover. Drain and mash, seasoning with b.u.t.ter, pepper, and salt. Put into a serving-dish, dot with b.u.t.ter, and bake until brown.

SWEET POTATOES IN Ca.s.sEROLE

Put one-fourth of a cupful of b.u.t.ter and two tablespoonfuls of sugar into a ca.s.serole. When hissing hot cover with peeled sweet potatoes, cut into thin slices lengthwise. Season with salt and pepper and cover with another layer of potatoes. Moisten with boiling water, cover, and cook until nearly done then uncover, and brown. Serve in the ca.s.serole.

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES

Peel and slice lengthwise four large sweet potatoes. Put into a covered saucepan with a tablespoon of b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper to season, and enough water to moisten. Steam until tender, drain, and put into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish. Pour over one cupful of New Orleans mola.s.ses and bake until the mola.s.ses candies on the potatoes. Serve in the same dish.

ESCALLOPED SWEET POTATOES

Steam them until tender, peel and slice and put into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish in layers, sprinkling each layer with a tablespoonful of sugar and bits of b.u.t.ter. Pour over a cupful of cream or milk and brown in the oven.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

Peel sweet potatoes of equal size and put into the pan with a roast or fowl an hour before taking up. Split if too large. Baste with the drippings. They may be parboiled before baking.

GLAZED SWEET POTATOES

Cut cold boiled sweet potatoes into slices an inch thick and season with salt and pepper. Dip in melted b.u.t.ter, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for twelve or fifteen minutes. Moisten with water if necessary.

BOILED RICE

Wash one cupful of rice in several waters, rubbing well with the hands. Drain, dry on a cloth, and boil for ten minutes in two quarts of boiling salted water. Drain, nearly cover with hot milk, and cook for ten minutes, covered, in a double boiler. Remove the cover and dry, tossing with a fork to allow the steam to escape.

b.u.t.tERED RICE

Boil a cupful of well-washed rice, according to directions previously given, adding the juice of a lemon to the water. Drain, put into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish, moisten thoroughly with clarified b.u.t.ter, cover, and put into a moderate oven for twenty minutes; or, saute boiled rice in b.u.t.ter, keeping the grains separate. A little minced onion may be fried with it.

CURRIED RICE

Boil a cupful of rice in salted water, drain, and mix with a chopped onion fried in b.u.t.ter and two teaspoonfuls of curry powder dissolved in a cupful of stock or gravy.

Ca.s.sEROLE OF RICE

Boil rice in chicken stock and press firmly into a mould. Turn out on a serving-dish, brush with beaten yolk of an egg, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and brown in the oven. Serve with Tomato Sauce.

RISOTTO

Chop fine a small onion and three beans of garlic. Fry in b.u.t.ter, add half a cupful of boiling water, a teaspoonful of beef extract, and three or four dried mushrooms, soaked and chopped. Simmer for five minutes, pour over boiled rice, and season highly with grated Swiss and Parmesan cheese. Put in the oven until the cheese has softened, and serve.

SAVORY RICE

Cook half a cupful of rice in salted water until half done and drain.

Cover with rich stock and simmer until the stock is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper, add three heaping tablespoonfuls of grated cheese, and serve.

RICE a LA CReOLE

Chop together a large onion, two seeded green peppers, and half a cupful of raw ham. Saute in b.u.t.ter, then add a cupful of parboiled rice, three cupfuls of beef stock, one cupful of canned tomatoes, and a teaspoonful of salt. Cook very slowly until the rice is tender and the liquid nearly absorbed.

BOILED SALSIFY

Sc.r.a.pe a bunch of salsify and throw into cold acidulated water. Cut in pieces and boil until tender in salted water to cover. Drain, season with pepper, salt, and b.u.t.ter and, if desired, a little cream; or, serve with Maitre d'Hotel, Hollandaise, Onion, or Italian Sauce.

BAKED SALSIFY