Skin the tomatoes, peel and quarter the onions, and put them into the
saucepan with the nutter and shut down the lid tightly. If a gas or oil
flame is used, turn it as low as possible. Put the asbestos mat over this
and stand the saucepan upon it. At the end of 1 hour the onions should be
gently stewing in a sea of juice. Add the potatoes now (peeled and cut in
halves). Also the peas, if in season. Cook for another hour. If carrot or
parsnip is the extra vegetable used, cut into quarters and put in with the
onions. When done, the onions are quite soft, and the potatoes, etc., just
as if they had been cooked in a steamer.

Note that the onions and tomatoes must be actually stewing when the
potatoes are put in, as the latter cook in the steam arising from the
former. Consequently, they should be laid on top of the onions, etc., not
mixed with them. If cooked on the kitchen range, a little longer time may
be needed, according to the state of the fire. Never try to cook quickly,
or the juice will dry up and burn. The slow heat is the most important
point.


27. VEGETABLE PIE.

Cook the vegetables according to recipe for vegetable stew. When cold put
in a pie-dish (gravy and all) and cover with short crust. Bake for half an
hour. If preferred, the vegetables may be covered with cold mashed
potatoes in place of pie-crust. Top with a few small pieces of nutter, and
bake until brown.


28. VEGETABLE STEW.