Cookery for every household

Stewing is another very good way of cooking vegetables, as by this means all their flavour is preserved. The earthenware casserole lends itself admirably to this mode of treatment, and various recipes are given to show how a vegetable may be both cooked and served up in this clean and useful fireproof cooking pot. When a more tasty manner of cooking is desired, braising or frying may be resorted to, or some vegetables lend themselves very well to being stufied and baked in the oven, or served au gratin. Iron saucepans should be avoided for all vegetable cookery, as they tend to destroy both the colour and the flavour. Enamelled or otherwise fined saucepans should be used for all rapid cooking and earthenware for slow cooking. Care should also be taken to remove all scum from vegetables while cooking. Many vegetables can be rendered more digestible by being made into a puree, as this breaks down or removes any hard fibre. See Puree of Potatoes, Puree of Artichokes, Puree of Turnips, &c. Serve vegetables as soon as possible after the cooking is completed, as many of them spoil if they have to be kept warm. FRESH VEGETABLES AND HOW TO COOK THEM ARTICHOKES There are three different kinds of artichokes, the globe, the Jerusalem, and the Japanese. The globe artichoke is green or purplish in colour and resembles a large thistle, or the cone of a pine in appearance. The base of the leaves and the bottom or “ fond ” are the parts that are edible. It is very delicate and pleasant in flavour, but contains little nourishment. The Jerusalem artichoke (Fr. topinambmir) is quite a different vegetable, resembling the former somewhat in flavour only. It is the tuber root of a kind of sunflower and looks like a rough potato. It is a good winter vegetable and is always fairly cheap. It is a favourite vegetable for diabetics as it contains no starch and very little sugar. The leaves of the plant are used as fodder for cattle. The Japanese artichoke (“ crosne ” or stachys tvberosa) somewhat resembles the Jerusalem artichoke in appearance, only it is much smaller and lighter in colour. It is very delicate in flavour, and has only within recent years been introduced into this country. 389. Globe Artichokes, To Boil (Artichauts au Natural) Choose young fresh artichokes for boiling, the green ones are better than those with a purple tint. Cut the stem off even with the leaves, remove the hardest bottom leaves, and cut about an inch Globe Artichokes off those at the top, thus making an opening in the centre of the artichokes. Wash the artichokes thoroughly, and soak them in cold water with a few drops of vinegar in it for half an hour, to draw out any insects. Lift them out, rinse in fresh water and place them upside down in a colander or sieve to drain. Have ready on the fire a saucepan three parts full of boiling water, to which a little salt and the juice of a lemon have been added. Sometimes a little powdered charcoal is added to the water to improve the colour of the artichokes. Plunge the AND SALADS 127