The "Queen" cookery books: Vegetables

it to the boil with a wineglassful of sherry, a dust of coralline pepper, and a thickening of |oz. of arrowroot rubbed smooth in two tablespoonfuls of mushroom essence or liquor, stir it all till it boils, then stir into it some cooked asparagus points cut in inch lengths, and some sliced truffles, and keep them hot till wanted (asparagus left over from the previous day may be utilised thus). Meanwhile heat some cooked artichoke bottoms in the oven in a lightly buttered tin with a wineglassful of sherry, till the latter is all but absorbed ; have ready some sliced tomatoes half an inch thick, previously baked in a buttered tin (with a seasoning of pepper and minced parsley), covered with a buttered paper for twelve or fifteen minutes ; then place an artichoke on each slice of tomato, fill up the centre with the asparagus and truffle ragout and serve. Cooked artichoke bottoms left till cold, then seasoned with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, are constantly used filled with vegetables and other ragouts, or small mayonnaises or salades a la mignonne. Artichokes, Jerusalem (Topinambours). — These are really a sort of sunflower, and derive their name from the well-known sunflower habit of turning to the sun. They were introduced originally by the Spaniards from South America, and their French name is a corruption of that of the native tribe from which they were originally derived. To boil them, wash and peel them, trimming them as much to a size as possible. Some cooks cut them into cones, or halls, but this is a wasteful process, and it is best to choose the vegetables as much of a size as possible. Each must be dropped as trimmed into acidulated salt and water, or they will blacken. The method of cooking depends on their age. If young, put them on in boiling salted water (two tablespoonfuls of salt to the gallon of water) ; in the middle of the season put them on in warm salted water ; and when they are old let the water be cold. They take about twenty minutes boiling from the time the water boils up after they are put in, and should, when cooked, be quite tender. Drain them and serve with white sauce over them. If liked they can be lifted out when three parts cooked, and finished off in rich brown stock or gravy, when they are known as Topinambours au jus. Or lift them out when a little more than half cooked, drain them and bake on a buttered tin, serving them with oiled or plain melted butter, or either a vinaigrette, or any sauce to taste. These are known as topinambours au four. Or again, when three parts cooked, put them into a pan with a nice white sauce, to which you have added one or more tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and a dust of coralline pepper, and let them simmer gently till cooked, when they are served as T. au Parmesan. If half a gill of cream be added to the sauce instead of the cheese, and they are finished as before, they are known as T. d la cr<‘me. Or if when parboiled, they are finished in a pan with a small pat of butter and enough tomato sauce to cover them well, they are, when cooked, served as T. aux tomates. If, when cooked as before, they are sliced into a well-buttered silver or fireproof dish, strewn with lightly baked breadcrumbs, grated cheese, pepper, salt, minced parsley, and a squeeze of lemon juice, a few morsels of butter scattered over