Part 140 (1/2)

_Time_.--10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach, 5 minutes to warm with the b.u.t.ter.

_Average cost_ for the above quant.i.ty, 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.--Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from November to March.

_Note_.--Grated nutmeg, pounded mace, or lemon-juice may also be added to enrich the flavour; and poached eggs are also frequently served with spinach: they should be placed on the top of it, and it should be garnished with sippets of toasted bread.--See coloured plate U.

VARIETIES OF SPINACH.--These comprise the Strawberry spinach, which, under that name, was wont to be grown in our flower-gardens; the Good King Harry, the Garden Oracle, the p.r.i.c.kly, and the Round, are the varieties commonly used. The Oracle is a hardy sort, much esteemed in France, and is a native of Tartary, introduced in 1548. The common spinach has its leaves round, and is softer and more succulent than any of the Bra.s.sica tribe.

SPINACH DRESSED WITH CREAM, a la Francaise.

1156. INGREDIENTS.--2 pailfuls of spinach, 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 8 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1 small teaspoonful of pounded sugar, a very little grated nutmeg.

_Mode_.--Boil and drain the spinach as in recipe No. 1155; chop it finely, and put it into a stewpan with the b.u.t.ter; stir over a gentle fire, and, when the b.u.t.ter has dried away, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Previously to adding the cream, boil it first, in case it should curdle. Serve on a hot dish, and garnish either with sippets of toasted bread or leaves of puff-paste.

_Time_.--10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach; 10 minutes to stew with the cream.

_Average cost_ for the above quant.i.ty, 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.--Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from November to March.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SPINACH.]

SPINACH.--This is a Persian plant. It has been cultivated in our gardens about two hundred years, and is the most wholesome of vegetables. It is not very nutritious, but is very easily digested. It is very light and laxative. Wonderful properties have been ascribed to spinach. It is an excellent vegetable, and very beneficial to health. Plainly dressed, it is a resource for the poor; prepared luxuriantly, it is a choice dish for the rich.

SPINACH.--This vegetable belongs to a sub-order of the _Salsolaceae_, or saltworts, and is cla.s.sified under the head of _Spirolobeae_, with leaves shaped like worms, and of a succulent kind. In its geographical distribution it is commonly found in extratropical and temperate regions, where they grow as weeds in waste places, and among rubbish, and in marshes by the seash.o.r.e.

In the tropics the order is rarely found. Many of them are used as potherbs, and some of them are emetic and vermifuge in their medicinal properties.

FRENCH MODE OF DRESSING SPINACH.

1157. INGREDIENTS.--2 pailfuls of spinach, 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1 teaspoonful of flour, 8 tablespoonfuls of good gravy; when liked, a very little grated nutmeg.

_Mode_.--Pick, wash, and boil the spinach, as in recipe No. 1155, and when quite tender, drain and squeeze it perfectly dry from the water that hangs about it. Chop it very fine, put the b.u.t.ter into a stewpan, and lay the spinach over that; stir it over a gentle fire, and dredge in the flour. Add the gravy, and let it boil _quickly_ for a few minutes, that it may not discolour. When the flavour of nutmeg is liked, grate some to the spinach, and when thoroughly hot, and the gravy has dried away a little, serve. Garnish the dish with sippets of toasted bread.

_Time_.--10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach; 10 minutes to simmer in the gravy.

_Average cost_ for the above quant.i.ty, 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.--Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from October to February.

_Note_.--For an entremets or second-course dish, spinach, dressed by the above recipe may be pressed into a hot mould; it should then be turned out quickly, and served very hot.

BAKED TOMATOES.