How to cook vegetables

Peel thinly 2 fair-sized vegetable marrows, cut each in half, remove the seeds, and parboil in slightly salted water. Take up the marrows and drain them on a sieve, then cut them into slices not too small. Have ready an oval baking dish, butter it well, and place in it the sliced marrows. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper and a little white sauce, spread a little sauce over the surface, and cover with a few breadcrumbs and some grated cheese, also a few little bits of butter. Bake for about 1/2 hour in a hot oven and send to table in the baking dish, which must be placed in a larger dish covered with a folded napkin. Vegetable Marrow au Gratin ( another way). Peel the marrows and divide in round pieces of about 1/4 inch in diameter. Blanch in salted water for a few minutes, and drain on a sieve. Butter a gratin dish and arrange the marrow in it, season with salt and pepper, sauce over with a little Bechamel sauce, and sprinkle with grated cheese, half Gruyere and half Parmesan. Bake, and brown nicely and serve hot. Stuffed Vegetable Marrow. 1 medium-sized marrow, 2 tablespoonsful chopped cooked ham, 2 tablespoonsful suet, 2 tablespoonsful breadcrumbs, a dust of sweet herbs, 1 egg, salt and pepper, a little grated lemon rind, 1 dessertspoonful minced parsley, X pint stock or gravy. Peel the marrow and remove seeds from centre, keeping the marrow whole. Boil 20 minutes in salted water ; lift out and drain. Make a forcemeat VEGETABLE MARROW. from the ham, suet, breadcrumbs, parsley, herbs, lemon-rind, and seasoning, made into a paste with the egg ; stuff the marrow with the forcemeat, place in a baking-tin, with a piece of butter on top, pour round the stock or gravy, and bake in a rather slow oven for 1 hour, basting occasionally. Dish up the marrow, sprinkle over a few browned breadcrumbs, insert in each end a few sprigs of parsley, pour the gravy round the base of the dish, and serve. Vegetable Marrow a la Lyonnaise. Peel the marrow, cut it in half, and remove the seeds ; then cut it into small cubes about 2 in. long. Place them in a basin, with a tablespoonful of salt, cover, and let stand for 20 minutes. Wash well, then drain. Put them in a saucepan with 1 oz. of butter, a pinch of pepper, a teaspoonful of salt, a bouquet garni, and a little stock. Braise and drain when cooked . Slice a peeled onion, toss in butter, and when a nice colour pour off the butter and mix with the marrow. Add about a gill of Espagnole sauce, and stew gently for a few minutes ; add a little chopped and blanched parsley, and serve in a vegetable dish with a border of fried bread croutons. WATERCRESS (Cresson). Watercress is a wholesome plant with anti-scorbutic properties and an agreeable taste. It grows on the borders of streams, but it is also cultivated in trenches so arranged that water is constantly running through them. Watercress may be prepared as a salad in the usual way, but it should be dressed immediately before serving, otherwise it loses its colour and crispness, and also some of its flavour. It is often used as a garnish for roast chicken, steak, etc. In this case it is simply sprinkled with a little salt and vinegar immediately before serving. It also adds piquancy when mixed with other salads. Watercress Salad.