The book of plain cooking

When a change of vegetable is desired, haricot beans come in very serviceable. Get the large white ones that are called butter beans, and let them soak overnight in cold water. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water, and put into it some salt and a very small piece of washing soda, then put in the beans, and boil quickly for about twenty minutes, and serve with parsley butter. 252. Spinach You need much spinach to make a good dish, for it cooks away. It it also very troublesome to wash, for it holds grit. It is better to wash in warm water for the first wash, and then keep on washing in salt and water. Pull the leaves away from the stem, then place them in a saucepan with a large piece of butter and about a cupful of water, and they will cook in their own liquor, but they must be watched. Spinach requires a great deal of straining and pressing as it should be very dry. Cut across in divisions and add a piece of butter. Served with poached eggs, spinach makes a pleasant supper or breakfast dish. 253. Asparagus Asparagus and seakale should be cooked in an asparagus kettle or a boiler, so that the stems do not break. Before scraping, cut all the ends as nearly as possible of one length. Tie in bundles, and soak in salt and water. Let the water be boiling fast, and put into it a piece of salt and a very small piece of washing soda. Then put in the asparagus, and boil fast until tender. Do not overcook the asparagus lest it break and its appearance be ruined. If it be young, twenty minutes will be found quite sufficient. Well drain before serving, and serve on toast with either white sauce or oiled butter. 254. Seakale This vegetable holds the dirt, and so needs a great deal of cleansing. Let it soak well in strong salt and water before preparing for cooking. Trim it in the same way as you would celery, and boil in an asparagus kettle. Seakale takes longer to cook than asparagus. Be sure to drain well before serving, for seakale holds the water very much. It should be served with either oiled butter or white sauce. 255. Artichokes Cut off the stalk, but not too close to the leaves, or they will come to pieces in the cooking. Trim the leaves, and thoroughly well wash. Put them into boiling water with salt and a very tiny piece of washing soda, and boil without the lid on the saucepan until quite tender. Oiled butter or white sauce should be served with artichokes. Let them go cold. They are delicious eaten with oil and vinegar, or salad dressing of oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper, salt, and a little Worcestershire sauce well beaten together. 256. Jerusalem Artichokes Pare and well wash the artichokes, which should be cooked in water to which some milk has been added, also a pinch of salt. Let the water be boiling, and cook from twenty to thirty minutes. Strain and serve with white sauce. 257. Turnips Peel the turnips very thickly, for the outside is inclined to be rough. Should there be any that are woody in the centre, discard them (unless for flavouring purposes). If you mash them, one woody turnip will spoil the whole dish. Cut the turnips in halves or quarters, and put them into boiling water with a little salt, and boil from thirty to forty minutes. 258. Mashed Turnips