Cookery for every household

Choose young fresh cobs, those that are short and plump are the best. First remove the husk or outer covering of leaves and strip off all the silky fibre which will be found underneath. Then select two or three of the best of the husks, cover the cobs with these and tie them round with string. Place the cobs in a saucepan with boiling water to cover them, add enough sugar to slightly sweeten the water, and boil gently until the grains are tender, from 15 to 20 minutes. When ready, drain at once, as overcooking destroys the flavour. Serve the corn very hot on a folded serviette, and serve melted or oiled butter, well seasoned with pepper and salt, separately. 503. Creamed Com 5 or 6 ears fresh com. 1 pt. milk. 1 oz. butter. 1 dessert-sp. flour. 1 dessert-sp. sugar. 1 tea-sp. salt. 1 tea-sp. white pepper. Remove the corn from the ears and put it into a double saucepan with the milk, butter, sugar, and seasoning. Cook it with hot water in the under pan until quite tender. Then add the flour broken with a little cold milk and cook again until the sauce thickens and the flour is thoroughly cooked. Add more salt if necessary. Serve very hot and hand dry toast or biscuits separately. Note. — If preferred, the corn may be boiled first as above and then added to a sufficient quantity of white sauce to moisten it. A little cream is always an improvement. Time to cook, about 1 hour. Hops (Houblon) The young tender shoots of hops make quite a good vegetable when they can be obtained fresh in the hop districts. They should be treated much in the same way as asparagus. Wash the shoots and scrape them lightly. Then tie them in neat bundles and boil in salted water, or stock until tender. Serve in the same way as asparagus, handing melted butter separately or any other sauce to taste. Kale or Curly Greens This is a variety of the cabbage tribe, but instead of being round and compact in form, its leaves are long and open. There are different varieties of kale, but most of them have curly heads. It is easily cultivated and is much esteemed as a wholesome winter vegetable. It forms an important ingredient in Scotch kale or broth, and in some of the country districts of Scotland almost every cottager will have some of this vegetable growing in his little garden or back yard. Like all green vegetables, it must be used very fresh. It requires careful washing and all the harder pieces of stalk should be removed, it may then be cooked according to directions given for turnip tops (Recipe 597). Kohl-rabi (Chou-rave) This vegetable belongs to the cabbage tribe, and is the swollen stem of the plant. It is often called the turnip-rooted cabbage, from its similarity in appearance to the turnip. It is not well known in this country, but when it can be procured it makes a wholesome and nutritious vegetable. It [illustration: Kohl-rabi] good served as a vegetable, and it is to be regretted that it does not appear oftener on our table. Leeks 504. Leeks, To Stew (Poireaux au Jus) 6 leeks. | Some light stock. A small piece of butter. | Seasoning.