How to cook vegetables

Prepare a cauliflower and divide it into small sprigs, wash in several waters, and boil in salted water until they are just tender. Drain them on a sieve, put them into a bowl with salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, and chopped chervil. Let them steep in this for a hour. Then take a small pudding basin and arrange the cauliflower sprigs in it symmetrically. Press in lightly, then turn out on to a dish, so that the cauliflower will keep the shape of the mould in which it was pressed. Just before serving, cover it with mayonnaise to which some finely-chopped herbs have been added, and surround it with a border of halves of hard-boiled eggs cut into quarters. Pickled Cauliflower. Choose white and very firm cauliflowers. Divide them into sprigs and blanch them for a few minutes in boiling water, cool, and drain. Then spread on a large dish and sprinkle with salt. At the end of 24 hours drain them again, put them into an earthenware pot, and pour over them boiling Tarragon vinegar. When the vinegar is completely cold, cover, and store in a cool place. Preserved Cauliflower. Select small firm cauliflowers, remove the leaves, trim and peel the stalks. Steep them for several hours in cold water, during which time it must be changed at least three times. Then put the cauliflowers into sufficient warm water to cover them and boil up. Take the pot from the fire and let it stand 5 minutes, well covered. Take out the cauliflowers and cool in cold water. Then put them into jars, pour cold salted water over. Steam for about 2 hours at 212 deg. F., on Senn’s Saccharometer. Cauliflower a la Polonaise. Trim a cauliflower, divide in small sprigs, wash well and boil in salted water until they are tender to the touch. Drain on a sieve, arrange neatly in a deep vegetable dish, placing the exterior of the cauliflower against the side of the dish, and keep hot. Melt 2 oz. of butter in a frying-pan and fry in it a handful of fresh breadcrumbs ; stir with a spoon until the breadcrumbs are of a nice golden colour, then pour immediately over the cauliflower, and serve. CELERY (Celeri). There is but little information afforded in culinary literature of the many uses of that delicious plant known as celery, so that some supplementary remarks as to the best ways of preparing it for table may be acceptable to a large number of persons who arc lovers of this vegetable. Probably no other plant is so well adapted to cooking in so many different styles as celery, which is a vegetable that can also be eaten raw. Again, there is hardly any other vegetable of which every part can be brought to such good account as celery. The trimmings can be used for flavouring purposes or for soup and broth, whilst the ends are carefully preserved for similar uses, or to produce celery seed, which in itself forms an ideal table condiment. The flavour of celery is one totally distinct from any other plant, entirely its own, and above all, remarkably delicious. Whether mixed as a salad or put in a puree, or added to other vegetables, or a soup, or as a sauce, it always retains its original and delicate flavour, which blends as no other plant or flavouring vegetable will blend. To say, therefore, that celery is the most useful of all kitchen plants, and as such almost indispensable 8o