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STOCK.--Strictly speaking, in vegetarian cookery, stock is the goodness and
flavouring that can be extracted from vegetables, the chief ones being
onion, celery, carrot, and turnip. In order to make stock, take these
vegetables, cut them up into small pieces, after having thoroughly cleansed
them, place them in a saucepan with sufficient water to cover them, and let
them boil gently for several hours. The liquor, when strained off, may be
called stock. It can be flavoured with a small quantity of savoury herbs,
pepper, and salt, as well as a little mushroom ketchup. It can be coloured
with a few drops of Parisian essence, or burnt sugar. Its consistency can
be improved by the addition of a small quantity of corn-flour. Sufficient
corn-flour must be added not to make it thick but like very thin gum. In a
broader sense, the water in which rice, lentils, beans and potatoes have
been boiled may be called stock. Again, the water in which macaroni,
vermicelli, sparghetti, and all kinds of Italian paste has been boiled, may
be called stock. The use of liquors of this kind must be left to the
common sense of the cook, as, of course, it would only be obtainable when
these materials are required for use.


BROWN AND WHITE THICKENING, OR ROUX.--It is of great importance for
vegetarians always to have on hand a fairly good stock of white and brown
roux, as it is a great saving both of time and money. As roux will keep
good for weeks, and even months, there is no fear of waste in making a
quantity at a time. Take a pound of flour, with a spoonful or two over;
see that it is thoroughly dry, and then sift it. Next take a pound of
butter and squeeze it in a cloth so as as much as possible to extract all
the moisture from it. Next take a stew-pan--an enamelled one is best--and
melt the butter till it runs to oil. It will now be found that, although