202 VEGETABLES.
hot dish over the pan, which must be reversed when turned out to be
served.
SOURCROUT.
BARRELS having held wine or vinegar are used to prepare sour- crout in. It is better, however, to have a special barrel for the pur- pose. Strasburg, as well as all Alsace, has a well-acquired fame for preparing the cabbages. They slice very white and firm cabbages in fine shreds with a machine made for the purpose. At the bottom of a small barrel they place a layer of coarse salt and alternately layers of cabbage and salt, being careful to have one of salt on the top. As each layer of cabbage is added, it must be pressed down by a large and heavy pestle and fresh layers are added as soon as the juice floats on the surface. The cabbage must be seasoned with a few grains of coriander, juniper berries, etc. When the barrel is full it must be put in a dry cellar, covered with a cloth, under a plank, and on this heavy weights are placed. At the end of a few days it will begin to fer- ment, during which time the pickle must be drawn off and replaced by fresh, until the liquor becomes clear. This should be done every day. Renew the cloth and wash the cover, put the weights back and let stand for a month. By that time the sourcrout will be ready for use. Care must be taken to let the least possible air enter the sour- crout and to have the cover perfectly clean. Each time the barrel has to be opened it must be properly closed again. These precautions must not be neglected.
This is often fried in the same manner as fried cabbage, except- ing it is first boiled until soft in just water enough to cook it, then fry
and add vinegar.
TO BOIL RICE.
PICK over the rice carefully, wash it in warm water, rubbing it be- tween the hands, rinsing it in several waters, then let it remain in cold water until ready to be cooked. Have r, saucepan of water slightly salted; when it is boiling hard, pour off: the cold water from the rice, and sprinkle it in the boiling water by degrees, so as to keep the particles separated. Boil it steadily for twenty minutes, then take it off from the fire and drain off: all the water. Place the sauce- pan with the lid partly off, on the back part of the stove, where it is only moderately warm, to allow the rice to dry. The moisture will pass off and each grain of rice will be separated, so that if shaken the
�� �
