Food and freedom

Carrots and turnips should be diced, or cut into long, thin "strings." Beets are washed, without breaking the skin, and four or five inches of the green stem should be left on; they may be cut as desired after cooking; when tender, the green tops may be cooked in the same way as spinach. Cabbage should be shredded, then simmered gently for twenty minutes, without a cover. The success of spinach depends upon careful washing, and fine chop- ping after cooking; beans, on the proper stringing and cutting. Peas and corn are only good when fresh; peas are sweeter if two or three pods are boiled in the water with them; corn may have the final inner husk left on; both vegetables should be timed carefully, as over-cooking is disastrous. When cooking all vegetables, preserve color, flavor, and valuable nutritive elements as far as possible. When practical, baking is desirable. The very watery vegetables — squash, spinach, beet tops — should be cooked over steam, or with very little water. For vegetables that must be boiled, do not use more water than is necessary, and save this water for soups and sauces; it is valuable. Use fresh boiling water only, and continue the boiling very gently until the vegetable is tender — no longer. A cover is not necessary. As a rule, top-ground vegetables should be cooked in salted water; underground vegetables should be salted after cooking. Salad greens should be thoroughly cleaned and crisped in iced water before using. YOUR RECIPES 165 Trench Succotash 9 ears green com }/i cupful milk, about 2 quarts new lima beans Salt, pepper, butter for season- M pound dried, chipped beef, ing about Time: Preparation and cooking, i hour, about Number served; 6 persons SHELL the beans. Select well-ripened sweet com; score kernels; with back of knife-blade press out pulp and juice; place this in refrigerator until ready to use. Cook corn-cobs in boiling, salted water — just enough to cover — for fifteen minutes. Remove cobs, and use this water for cooking beans. When beans are tender, drain off some of the water, retaining about one cupful. Add corn to beans, season; add beef which has been freshened by scalding with boiling water. Heat all slowly together. An excellent dinner dish, and a complete meal in itself. Serve with rye muffins or brown bread. Boiled New Squash SELECT very small new squash — either white or the yellow crook-necks — before the skin or shell has hardened. Trim off the stem ends, and cook the squash whole in boiling salted water until tender, about thirty minutes. When done, drain carefully. Serve on individual plates, splitting each squash partly open. Cover with cream sauce, add chopped parsley. Mushrooms in Cream OELECT firm, solid field mushrooms. Wash carefully, *^ under running water, gill side down. Break off the sterns, cutting off and discarding the hard ground end portion. Slice the stems. The mushrooms themselves may be kept whole or sliced.- To a half-pound of mush- rooms allow one and one-half level tablespoonfuls butter substitute. Put this into a saucepan; when melted, add mushrooms, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, cover closely, and simmer about twenty minutes; add one-third cupful thin cream; cook two minutes. Serve at once on thin toast, or around an omelet, or with spinach. i66 FOOD AND FREEDOM Stewed Cucumbers