However intended to be used, the roots have always to Ije scraped and placed in water to which some vinegar and flour have been added. This prevents the milk- juice con- tained in the roots from becoming dark by contact with the air. Cut the roots lengthways in four if they be thick, in two if they be thinner, and all in lengths of about an inch and a half. The scorzonera should never be boiled in water, but always stewed in a savoury coulis*. The French eat salsifis prepared with cream, or in fricassee, or fried in hatter. Spinach, or Spinage. This plant passes in France by the plural dpinards ; in Germany it is called Spinat. It came from Persia, where it grows wild, and has been cultivated in Europe for about 320 THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY 250 years ; it is a most excellent and useful vegetable, available early in spring and summer, and late in autumn ; of an intensely green colour, and very fine flavour, which amalgamates well with that of batter and gravy ; it con- tains a little mlt of sorrel, which is tasted as a slight astringency, or as edging tender teeth ; some cooks increase this acidity by the addition of a little sorrel. On the Continent it is served with fried or poached eggs. Children and young persons sometimes have a dislike to it, which pedagogic zeal endeavours to eradicate by rigour ; this should be avoided, as time and age are sure to transform the dislike into respect, and even affection. Some German recipes, instead of adding sorrel, pre- scribe to dissolve a little carbonate of soda in the water in which spinach is to be boiled ; this must be objected to. Others flavour spinach with braised onion and bind it with a roux ; this is destructive of the fine flavour of spinach. Most gastronomers prefer well-boiled and X^ressed, and finely -hacked, spinach with a dressing of little butter, or much butter, or with some gravy, or glace, or coulis, and with fried or poached eggs, and some croutons. The French like spinach with much butter, a fact which the authoress ‘ Cordon Bleu ’ illustrated by the following anecdote : A dignitary of the French Church, Canon Chevrier, in order to enjoy his dish of spinach on Friday, had it cooked on the previous Sunday, and warmed up every day, more butter being daily added to it. She also says that, owing to the large quantity of butter re- quired by spinach, the French called it la, viort ait heurre. In England spinach is naturally so constituted that it requires and bears only moderate additions of butter. Some French gastronomers, in a mood of affected pleasantry, have termed spinage le balai de Vestomac — some because of its facile digestibility, others on account of its assumed slight nutritious value. Herat and Delens SPINACH, ENDIVE 321 term la Hputation implied by this surname un peto usurpde. Spinach prepared with butter the French term d I’Anglaise, that with gravy, au jus. Some make it semi-sweet with sugar (au sucre) ; and others, again, transform it into a complicated cream (creme d' epinards), in which the spinage is lost, as opium in tlidriaque of the French Pharmacy. Other forms are rissoles, tourte, and soup. By passing spinach through a tammy a tender puree is separated from any strings and fibres.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

However intended to be used, the roots have always to be scraped and placed in water to which some vinegar and flour have been added. This prevents the milk- juice contained in the roots from becoming dark by contact with the air. Cut the roots lengthways in four if they be thick, in two if they be thinner, and all in lengths of about an inch and a half. The scorzonera should never be boiled in water, but always stewed in a savoury coulis*. The French eat salsifis prepared with cream, or in fricassee, or fried in batter. Spinach, or Spinage. This plant passes in France by the plural épinards ; in Germany it is called Spinat. It came from Persia, where it grows wild, and has been cultivated in Europe for about 250 years ; it is a most excellent and useful vegetable, available early in spring and summer, and late in autumn ; of an intensely green colour, and very fine flavour, which amalgamates well with that of batter and gravy ; it contains a little salt of sorrel, which is tasted as a slight astringency, or as edging tender teeth ; some cooks increase this acidity by the addition of a little sorrel. On the Continent it is served with fried or poached eggs. Children and young persons sometimes have a dislike to it, which pedagogic zeal endeavours to eradicate by rigour ; this should be avoided, as time and age are sure to transform the dislike into respect, and even affection. Some German recipes, instead of adding sorrel, prescribe to dissolve a little carbonate of soda in the water in which spinach is to be boiled ; this must be objected to. Others flavour spinach with braised onion and bind it with a roux ; this is destructive of the fine flavour of spinach. Most gastronomers prefer well-boiled and pressed, and finely hacked, spinach with a dressing of little butter, or much butter, or with some gravy, or glace, or coulis, and with fried or poached eggs, and some croutons. The French like spinach with much butter, a fact which the authoress ‘ Cordon Bleu ’ illustrated by the following anecdote : A dignitary of the French Church, Canon Chevrier, in order to enjoy his dish of spinach on Friday, had it cooked on the previous Sunday, and warmed up every day, more butter being daily added to it. She also says that, owing to the large quantity of butter required by spinach, the French called it la mort au beurre. In England spinach is naturally so constituted that it requires and bears only moderate additions of butter. Some French gastronomers, in a mood of affected pleasantry, have termed spinage le balai de l'estomac — some because of its facile digestibility, others on account of its assumed slight nutritious value. Herat and Delens SPINACH, ENDIVE term la réputation implied by this surname un peu usurpée. Spinach prepared with butter the French term d I’Anglaise, that with gravy, au jus. Some make it semi-sweet with sugar (au sucre) ; and others, again, transform it into a complicated cream (creme d' epinards), in which the spinage is lost, as opium in thériaque of the French Pharmacy. Other forms are rissoles, tourte, and soup. By passing spinach through a tammy a tender puree is separated from any strings and fibres.

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