The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1901-06-23
SPINACH IN PAPER CASES.

her spinach the while, land putting
their hair in papers would do wonders
with them"
1t must be owned that the curl paper
side of the business especially appealed
to Ruth. She liked to find out pretty
ways of serving commonplace vegeta-
bles so that they might appear almost
like new products of the soil. She did
not despise the simpler processes, or
course She took q pride in beating
enough milk and butter and energy in
to white potatoes to make them look
like whipped cream and in cooking rice
"A cupful well washed-in two or three
quarts of sailed boiling water until the
grains were soft, yet firm, and then
drying it in a cOlander so that each
kernel stood apart from every other.
She learned that long cookery is bad
for tender vegetables and that, no mat
ter how fresh and good they may be,
they are unpalatable unless served
smoking hot.
Ruth found that vegetables were too
often spoiled by lack of proper drain
ing and by being sent to the table
lukewarm. When she had poured
every drop of water from her peas,
string beans, lima beans or squash,
dressed them with butter. salt and pep
per and kept them very hot until they
were served, they were bound to be
good.
Many little knacks Ruth found out
when she tried some Of her book learn
ed ideas in the cookery of vegetables.
She discovered that she could boil
cauliflower and cabbage without max
ing the house unbearable for the rest
/ of the day If she put the vegetable
over the fire In cold water to which
she had added a pinch of baking soda
| and left the saucepan uncovered all
! the time Ii was on the stove. AS
| rule about 20 minutes cookery was re-
| Quired after the water reached the boil
that is, II the vegetables were young.
New potatoes she learned to put on
| to boil In hot water and old potatoes
| In cold. To keep the color Of green
vegetables she added to them a pinch
of baking soda, and besides doing this
| to her spinach she decided that 1t cook
ed to greater advantage In a double
boiler than directly over the fire. String
beans were better when she split them
! lengthwise. besides stringing them and
J cutting them into inch long pieces.
All this 1t was necessary to learn,
| and Ruth enjoyed It. as she did all
household experiences. But after all
her chief pleasure in vegetable cookery
lay in making them into pretty dishes.
| Such a dish was made by following
out a cabbage into a shell. the heart
being used for coldslaw or some other
dish, and heaping the inside with chick
| en- croquets or veal olives or balls of
corned beef hash or anything else of
the sort. This cabbage shell could be
used more than once If the cabbage
had been carefully selected and If 1t
were kept in a cool place between its
periods of service. The withered edges
of the leaves could be clipped judi
ciously just before the dish went to the
! table, so that it would at least look
fresh, and as it was not to be eaten
I, there was no harm done IL it had a
little passed its first youth.
In addition to this sort of thing Ruth
practiced various dainty ways Of send
ing vegetables TO table, which by in
creasing their attractiveness to the eye
intensified it to the palate. Her boiled,
baked or fried potatoes were always
served on a small napkin, and for the
last named or for other dry. fried
things. like eggplants, croquettes and
fritters, she had small squares made 81
damask that would better stand the
soaking and washing requisite to the
removing of grease than the ordinary
fringed dolly.
For certain vegetables she always
used parsley garnishing, and others she