Practical West African cookery

3. Put the minced spinach in the small enamel saucepan with the salt, pepper, sugar, milk and butter. If milk and butter are unavailable, a dessertspoon of stock will do. Let the spinach simmer for five minutes until it is quite hot, stirring often, then serve. Note. It is essential that the spinach leaves should be thrown into boiling water. The tender leaves of young cassava make a good substitute for spinach, and are cooked in the same way. McDoddie’s Spinach. (1). Follow the directions written on the tin and boil with plenty of water. When drained, put the spinach in the small saucepan and season in the same way as the fresh spinach. A 1-lb. tin will go a long way in the bush and will be found useful. Onions with White Sauce. (II). 1 large or 4 small onions. ] 2 berkono or J teaspoon black 1 teaspoon salt. I pepper. 1 teacup white sauce. Small onions are better than too large ones. 1. Peel off the outer skin of the onions, cut a thin slice off each top and put them in the saucepan with enough water to cover them, add the salt and pepper. Let the water come to the boil, then put on the lid and let them simmer slowly till they are quite tender but not falling to pieces. They can be tested with a fork. 2. Have ready the teacup of warm white sauce (see index). Drain the onions, place them in a vegetable dish, pour over the white sauce and serve at once. Notes. A tomato sauce (see index) is also good with onions, or they can be served as a puree after having mashed them through the sieve and mixed them with a teaspoon Ideal milk and half-a-teaspoon butter. This dish can be made into an entire by adding a dessertspoonful of grated cheese to the white sauce, then put the onions into a pie dish, pour over the white sauce, sprinkle with bread crumbs and put in the oven to brown. Stuffed Onions. (II). 2 large onions. 1 egg. 1 tablespoon white bread crumbs or crushed biscuits. 1 tablespoon of any minced meat or fowl. 1 teaspoon butter or lard. A pinch of salt and pepper. (A teaspoon minced parsley.) 1. Boil the onions as above but take them out before they are quite soft and scoop out the insides so that the onions form little cases. Keep the insides to mix with the stuffing. 2. Mix in the pudding basin the minced meat, bread crumbs, the insides of the onions, the salt, pepper, butter (and parsley if obtainable). Lastly add the beaten-up egg and if the mixture appears too wet, shake in a little flour. 3. Fill up the onions with this mixture, sprinkle the top with a few bread crumbs and put them in the oven for five or ten minutes according to the size of the onion. To prevent the top from burning, put a dab of butter or lard on each one before putting the onions in the oven. Native Pumpkin. (I). About a third of a mediumsized pumpkin. 1 dessertspoonful Ideal milk. \ teaspoon butter or lard. 1 teaspoon salt, i teaspoon pepper. The kurzunu, a dark green pumpkin covered with small raised white spots, is much the best, though the ordinary kind can also be used. 1. Peel the pumpkin, cutting a good half-inch of rind away, take out the seeds and cut into pieces about three inches square.