How to cook vegetables

Cardoons resemble in their form members of the celery family, but are of a different taste. Commence by taking off the large stalks outside the cardoon which arc too hard to be used. Cut the other stalks into pieces of about 4 in. in length, and take off the stringy parts. Rub each piece with half a lemon, and place in a stew-pan containing some acidulated water. Blanch quickly, and rinse in cold water. Take a braising pan, line it K with slices of bacon, on which place the cardoons. Season with salt and add 2 or 3 peeled and sliced onions, a bouquet - garni, and parsley. Cover the vegetable with slices of bacon, and moisten with some white stock. Let it simmer until quite tender. Then drain and serve in a vegetable dish. Surround the cardoons with small croustades of bread, garnish with cooked beef marrow, and serve with Espagnole or Mad ere sauce. Cardoons with Parmesan Cheese. After having prepared and cooked the cardoons as stated in the preceding recipe, drain and arrange in layers on a china gratin dish, and sprinkle over some grated parmesan cheese. Then place over the second layer of cardoons, then a layer of cheese, and a third layer of the cardoons. Sprinkle the surface with more cheese ; pour over a little melted butter, and brown in a hot oven. Serve with it a little Espagnole sauce. Cardoons and Bechamel Sauce. Prepare and cook the cardoons in salted water containing lemon juice. After having drained them, arrange in a vegetable dish, cover with a well-reduced Bechamel sauce, sprinkle over very little cayenne and a grate of nutmeg and serve. Cardoons (Spanish style). Wash and trim some cardoons, cut them into pieces about 4 inches long, and boil them in salted water. When done, drain them in a sieve, put them in a stewpan with enough brown sauce (Espagnole) to cover. Season with pepper and simmer gently for about 20 minutes ; flavour with a little lemon juice. Dress the pieces neatly on toasted bread. Dish up, sauce over with the sauce well reduced, and serve. Fried Cardoons. These are prepared and cooked in the same way as before described. When cooked, drain them on a cloth, season with pepper, cayenne, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. Then dip them one by one in frying batter, and fry in hot fat. Drain, dish up on a folded napkin, garnish with fried parsley, and serve. Spanish Cardoon Salad. Cut the white stems of a washed and trimmed cardoon into short sticks, removing the outer skin. Blanch them in boiling water, flavoured with vinegar, then drain, and let them cool. Arrange them in a stew-pan, and cover them with white stock and a glass of Chablis. Add a peeled onion stuck with 2 cloves and a sprig of parsley ; season with salt and pepper. When the cardoons are cooked, drain them on a cloth. Serve them in a vegetable dish, covered with a mayonnaise, to which a spoonful or two of tomato puree and a little chopped tarragon and chives have been added. CARROTS (Carottes).