A text-book of cooking

The entire asparagus stalks may be cooked in the following manner : Tie the stalks in a bundle and place them upright in a deep kettle. ' Have enough boiling salted water in the kettle to cover the tough portion of the stalks. Cover the kettle. Cook 30 to 40 minutes or until tender." The tender tips will be cooked sufficiently by the steam. CREAMED CELERY Scrub the celery, cut into ¼ inch pieces. Place in a granite utensil, cover with boiling water and steam until tender (usually about 45 minutes). Serve with White Sauce. Use the celery stock in making the sauce. (See General Rules for Cooking Vegetables, p. 60.) Celery may also be cooked directly over the flame in a small quantity of boiling salted water. DRIED CELERY LEAVES Wash celery leaves and remove the stems. Place the leaves on a platter or granite pan, cover with cheesecloth, and set aside to dry. When perfectly dry, crumble the leaves and place them in a covered jar. Use for flavoring soups and stews. In what kind of soil does spinach grow ? What is the advantage of using two pans in washing spinach ? What is the advantage of cooking in steam green vegetables of delicate flavor ? If green vegetables are cooked in water, what is the advantage in using a small, rather than a large quantity of water ? What is the price of spinach per peck ? How many persons does one peck serve ? What is the price of asparagus per bunch? How many persons does one bunch serve ? What is the price of celery per bunch ? LESSON LV Green Vegetables of Strong Flavor Nutriment versus Flavor. — If vegetables of strong flavor are cooked carefully in a large quantity of boiling water (at least 4 quarts), a mild flavor results, but much of the nutriment is lost. If vegetables are steamed there is little loss of nutriment, but the strong flavor is retained. In the cooking of cabbage, for example, investigation has shown that almost four times as much ash is lost by boiling as by steaming. In the cooking of such vegetables as cabbage and onions the question arises : Is it better to steam them and thus lose little nutriment but preserve the strong flavor ; or to boil them in much water and thus lose much nutriment but secure delicate flavor ? If strong cabbage flavor is not disagreeable, steam it by all means. If delicate cabbage flavor is much more pleasing, cook it in much water. Onions have such a strong flavor that most housekeepers prefer to sacrifice nutriment for flavor. CREAMED CABBAGE (cooked in much water) A head of cabbage should be cut into quarters and soaked, with the cut side down, in cold water or cold salt water, — one tablespoonful of salt to a bowl of water. The salt water is to draw out any insects that may be hidden in the leaves. Cook the cabbage uncovered from 15 to 25 minutes in a large quantity of boiling salt water (1 teaspoonful of salt to 1 quart of water). The time depends upon the age of the cabbage. Drain well. With the knife and fork cut out the GREEN VEGETABLES OP STRONG FLAVOR 169 tough stem and then cut the leaves in the saucepan or place them in a chopping bowl and cut. Mix with White Sauce, using two parts of cabbage to one of White Sauce. Heat and Serve. (See Creamed and Scalloped Vegetables, p. 62.) Scalloped Cabbage may be prepared by placing creamed cabbage in a baking dish, covering with buttered crumbs (see p. 63), and baking until the crumbs are brown. Instead of using White Sauce with the cabbage, butter, pepper, and more salt (if required) may be added. Use 1 tablespoonful of butter to each pint of cabbage. CREAMED CABBAGE (steamed) Cut and clean cabbage as directed above. Place in a granite utensil and steam until tender (usually about 45 minutes). Cut the leaves and add White Sauce as directed above. ONIONS (cooked in much water) 1 quart onions 2 tablespoonfuls butter