How to cook vegetables

Wash, peel, or scrape 6 to 8 Jerusalem artichokes, and boil till tender in salted water, cook also a Spanish onion separately. When cold, slice and arrange alternately on a dish. Dress with mayonnaise or salad cream, or, if preferred, with oil and vinegar. Sprinkle over some chopped beetroot and pickled chopped gherkins, and serve. ASPARAGUS (Asperges). Asparagus is undoubtedly one of the most delicate vegetables. To cultivate it requires great care ; it needs a sandy and permeable soil, and at the same time a great deal of nourishment. Asparagus is not gathered until it has been growing for three or four years. The plant after this lapse of time will last eighteen or twenty years without having to be renewed . There are many kinds of asparagus, the white, the green, and the violet. The violet is the most expensive because of its size and flavour. However, the green asparagus has partisans because it has a more pronounced taste than the other kinds. The asparagus roots have aperient and diuretic properties. The Greeks and the Romans had a great liking for as p aragus, and used every care A Bundle of Asparagus. in cultivating it, so that they succeeded in producing some which weighed up to 3 lbs. To be able to tell the freshness of asparagus, the colour of the points must be violaceous and gradually shaded to green. After a day or two the points whiten and the stalks change to a greyish tint. Boiled Asparagus. Scrape the white part of the asparagus with a sharp knife and cut off the small buds which are found on the green part. Wash, drain, and tie up in bundles of about 15 or 20 heads, cut them of equal length, cook in boiling salted water. When the points are tender take them out, drain and serve on an ASPARAGUS. asparagus dish, or, failing which, on a thick slice of toasted bread, previously dipped in asparagus water. Melted butter (i.e., oiled butter) or Hollandaise sauce may be served with this dish. A simple and practical way of tying up asparagus consists in placing the asparagus points down in a small saucepan. In this way all the heads will be the same length. Avoid over-cooking the asparagus. Epicures prefer to have them slightly crisp. Asparagus a I’Huile. Prepare and boil in salted water the asparagus. The asparagus a l'huile can be served either hot or cold. Add a little salt, pepper, mustard, to a few finely-chopped herbs, mix them with the oil and vinegar. Serve the sauce separately in a sauce boat ; if liked, the mustard may be omitted. Cold boiled asparagus are often served with mayonnaise sauce. Asparagus with Melted Butter. Prepare the asparagus as usual, and boil in salted water till tender. Take up, place them on a sieve to strain, and dish up on a piece of toasted bread placed on a folded napkin and dish. Serve with a boat of oiled butter. Asparagus a la Hollandaise. Prepare and boil the asparagus in the usual way, drain carefully, and dish up, and serve them with Hollandaise sauce. This may, if liked, be poured over the tips, but it is best handed round in a sauce-boat. Asparagus Soup with Vegetables. i bundle asparagus, 2 oz. butter, 1 oz. flour, 3 pints white stock, 1 pint milk, 1 gill cream, a handful cooked green peas and beans, salt, pepper, sugar, and nutmeg. Clean the asparagus, cut off the tips, and cook separately, as they will be required for garnish.