FoodNetArchive

The Pattern cook-book

1890

Page 112 · 5 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
After removing the choke and soaking as directed, press the stem back into the head, lay the whole in a ket- tle and cover with boiling water, adding one tea-spoonful of salt and two of lemon juice for every two quarts of water. Boil gently for half an hour, if the vegetable is young — ten minutes longer, if old. Then take the arti- choke from the water and drain. Serve hot with Becha- mel sauce or sauce Hollandaise (see "Sauces"), pouring the sauce around the artichokeBoiled Artichoke or serving it separately. When eating this vegetable, break the leaves off with the fingers and dip the base or fleshy end in the sauce. When the heads are small, one is provided for each per- son at table ; but when they are large or expensive, they may each be cut in two. ASPARAGUS, STEWED. Break the stalks in inch lengths, placing the tough ends that are not fit to serve on a plate by themselves ; and wash all well. Tie the tough pieces in a piece of cheese-cloth, and lay them with the tender asparagus in a kettle, with enough slightly salted water to just cover. Close the kettle, and stew slowly until the asparagusStewed Asparagus is tender, usually thirty minutes ; the water should be di- minished by this time to a quantity just sufficient to keep the asparagus from burning. Remove the cheese-cloth and throw away its contents ; season the remaining asparagus with butter, salt and pepper, and serve at once. The tough stalks, which are usually thrown away, will be found to impart considerable sweetness to the juices VEGETABLES. 257 in the kettle , and by tying them in the cloth, they may be readily taken out when no longer required. CREAMED ASPARAGUS. Cook as directed in the preceding recipe, boiling the water down until not more than a cupful remains. To this add one cupful of cream or milk, and thicken with a table-spoonful of flour rubbed to a paste with a little cold milk. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste, and serve at once. ASPARAGUS ON TOAST. Tie the stalks in a bundle, tying it in two places, and keeping the heads all one way ; then cut ofT the tough stalks, making those that remain of uniform length ; and boil the latter slowly until tender in slightly salted water. While they are boiling, prepare some thin slices of toast. Lift the asparagus from the water with two forks, lifting it by the strings, and lay it on a plat- ter. Dip the toast very quickly in the water the aspara- gus was boiled in, butter it lightly, and lay it on the serv- ing dish. Distribute the asparagus evenly over the toast, heaping it neatly. Butter generously, season with salt and pepper, and serve. A sauce is sometimes poured over the whole, and may be made as follows : One-half pint of asparagus water. One table-spoonful of flourCreamed Asparagus. One table-spoonful of butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat half a pint of the water the asparagus was boiled in, and stir into it, when boiling, the flour and butter 17 258 THE PATTERN COOK-BOOK. rubbed to a cream. Add salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over the toast and vegetable. Some cooks serve sauce Hollandaise on the asparagus. (See page 138.) ASPARAGUS IN AMBUSH. One quart of asparagus tops. Nine stale breakfast rolls. Salt and pepper to taste. One pint of milk. Four eggs (yolks). One table-spoonful of butterAsparagus in Ambush.