The Laurel Health Cookery: A Collection of Practical Suggestions and Recipes for the Preparation of Non-Flesh Foods in Palatable and Attractive Ways

tied in piece of muslin, until tender enough for the leaves to draw out easily, ¾-1 hour. Remove from water carefully with flat wire beater or small skimmer. Drain upside down; serve whole or in halves or quarters, with cream or egg cream sauce, drawn butter or sauce Amèricaine poured around; or on a napkin on hot platter or chop tray and pass sauce with them. Serve cold with French dressing. It is a good plan to tie a strip of muslin around each artichoke before boiling to hold it in shape, and to put an inverted plate upon them while cooking to keep them down. =Artichokes--Jerusalem= Wash and boil artichokes with the skins on until tender, 30-40 m. If they boil too long they may become tough. Drain, peel, and serve in rich cream sauce. They may be peeled before boiling. A still better way is to peel artichokes cut them into thick slices and boil 15-20 m., then drain thoroughly and serve in cream, cream of tomato or onion cream sauce. Not containing any starch, Jerusalem artichokes are suitable for salads, either cooked in slices and dried on a towel after draining, or used raw in thin slices. =Asparagus= Select green asparagus for the table, the short bleached stalks are tough and often bitter. Take care also that asparagus is fresh. The tops of stale asparagus have the odor of spoiled flesh meat and are not fit to use. If not just from the garden, asparagus should stand in cold water ½-1 hour before cooking. Wash thoroughly, dipping the heads up and down in a large quantity of water, shaking well to dislodge the sand. As the different parts of the stalk vary in tenderness, the best way to prepare and cook asparagus is to lay a handful of stalks on a vegetable board and holding it with the left hand, with a large sharp knife cut off the tips about 1½ in. from the end, and if the next part is very tender, cut off 1 in. more to go with the tips. Then cut inch lengths