How to cook vegetables

Prepare the artichoke bottoms and cook them as in the preceding recipe. Then stuff them with foie gras mixed with 2 or 3 minced truffles. Put them next on a buttered fireproof dish and place on the top of each artichoke a slice of truffle. Cover the whole dish with a buttered paper to prevent the truffles from getting dry, and cook in the oven. Then serve them, nicely arranged on a dish. A Madere sauce should be poured over them at the last minute before sending to table. Artichoke Bottoms a la Provençale. Prepare a dozen artichoke bottoms and boil them in salted water. When they have been well drained, stuff them with a stiff onion puree which has been put through a hair sieve and blended with the yolks of 4 eggs. Brush the top of each artichoke bottom with beaten egg and put on an oiled baking dish. Then cook them in the oven and brown nicely. White sauce is served with them. Artichoke Bottoms a la Jardiniere. This artichoke dish is usually sent to table as an accompaniment to a large piece of braised beef or veal. Carrots and turnips should be cut to the size of large peas with a vegetable knife. Cook them separately in salted water, then drain them and put into a saucepan with a good-sized piece of butter, add a handful of peas and the same quantity of French beans cut into small dice. Season these vegetables and heat them well in the butter, taking care that it does not boil. The artichoke bottoms which have been previously cooked are then filled with these other vegetables. If preferred, the bottoms may be garnished with one kind of vegetables only, and they are dressed in the same way. Artichoke Bottoms with Eggs. Trim, blanch, and boil till tender 6 or 8 artichoke bottoms. Drain and place each, hollow side up, on a round of fried bread. Keep hot. Fry 6 or 8 eggs in butter, trim, and place them in the fonds. Sprinkle with chopped truffle and serve hot. Artichoke Bottoms a la Portugaise. Select a dish of artichokes of even size (not too large), and boil them in salted water. When cooked, drain, take off all the leaves, and remove the choke. Trim the bottoms until they are quite smooth and place them on a liberally buttered baking dish. Next choose some nice little round tomatoes and scald them for a minute to get the skin off easily. Make a small round opening in each tomato at the stalk, take out seeds and pulp with the handle of a tea spoon. Fill with the following stuffing : Chop a few shallots and fry them in butter until they are of a slightly yellow tint. Mince a few mushrooms and a little parsley, mix the whole, season with salt and a dash of Cayenne pepper. Last of all, green artichokes. add a small handful of soft breadcrumbs and the yolk of 2 eggs. Stuff the tomatoes with this mixture, and put one on each artichoke bottom, so as to place the stuffing next to the artichoke. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper, and cook them in a hot oven. Arrange them, when cooked, in a vegetable dish, pour over some hot tomato sauce, and serve. Artichoke Bottoms a la Villeroi.