How to cook vegetables

An annual plant cultivated for the sake of its succulent leaves, which are softer and more digestible than those of cabbage. Spinach has been grown in England since 1568, but it was probably introduced earlier ; it is supposed to have been originally imported from Western Asia. There are three varieties — the Flanders, the prickly-seeded, and the roundleaved, the latter being the best for summer use. Spinach is prepared and cooked in the same way as other green vegetables, except that the wet leaves are put into the saucepan without any water besides that which adheres to them. The leaves should always be well washed in salted water and carefully picked over, as insects are very apt to be concealed amongst them. Spinach is a most wholesome vegetable. Spinach water is recommended as a drink to improve the complexion. How to Cook Spinach. Pick and wash 2 lb. spinach, put it into a small quantity of boiling salted water, and boil until tender. When done strain on a colander, soak in cold water for a few minutes, drain again, and chop up finely. Melt 2 oz. of butter in a stew-pan, add A oz. of corn- SPINACH'. flour, put in the chopped spinach, season with pepper and a little grated nutmeg, stir over the fire until thoroughly hot, add a little milk, if too thick, dish up on a round dish and ornament a little, put a few pieces of toasted bread round the dish, and serve. Creamed Spinach. Cook about 2 lb. of trimmed and washed spinach in the usual way, drain it well, and rub through a fine sieve, or chop it very finely. Melt 2 oz. of butter in a stew-pan, put in the spinach, and stir it till quite hot ; mix in 3 tablespoonsful of Bechamel sauce and 3 tablespoonsful of cream ; cook gently for another 15 minutes, and use as directed. The seasoning should consist of very little salt, pepper, and a grate of nutmeg. Spinach Pudding. Rasp the crust from 2 French dinner rolls, cut the rolls into slices, and soak them in milk (pour over enough hot milk to just cover the bread). When sufficiently soaked squeeze the bread, and stir it in a basin into a fine pulp with 1 oz. of melted butter. Pick and wash 2 lb. of spinach, and cook it with very little water in a stew-pan, then chop it finely. Peel and chop a small onion, fry it to a light brown in about | oz. butter, to this add the chopped spinach and the soaked bread. Now stir in the yolks of 2 eggs, and season to taste with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Lastly, whisk up the white of 1 egg,' and stir lightly into the spinach mixture with 2 tablespoonsful of the prepared breadcrumbs. Line a plain pudding mould, previously buttered and breaded, with very thinlycut slices of bacon, fill it up with the above, cover with a buttered paper, and cook in a fairly hot oven for about an hour. Turn out on to a hot dish, pour round a little hot gravy, and serve. Stuffed Spinach with Marrow. About 2 lb. spinach (large leaves), \ lb. sausage meat (or 6 oz. veal and 4 oz. pork finely chopped and seasoned), ij oz. butter, half a lemon, 1 gill gravy, 1 tablespoonful meat glaze, 2 tablespoonsful chopped parsley, 8 to 10 small slices of beef marrow, seasoning, fleurons of puff paste.