The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-07-11
Summer Dishes;
How Prepared
By Emma Paddock Telford.


Asparagus NAV well be called the
aristocrat OF vegetables; that is, not
only on account of its antiquity, but
superior delicacy First as medicinal
plant. then as vegetable, it was known
and highly respected by the ancient Ro-
mans and Greeks, who praised it highly
in their writings and used it freely at
their banquets.
While America holds the palm today
for the size of our cultivated asparagus,
we have still TO do considerable hustiing
if we equal the old gardeners, who pro-
duced, according to Pliny, stalks weigh
ing three to the pound.
Asparagus, according to the dietitians,
contains much nutriment, is exceedingly
digestible and easily assimilated even
by invalids, excepting those with a
equity tendency Ways of cooking and
serving asparagus are constantly on the
increase, indicating by their variety the
favor it has attained. A gross mistake
frequently made by the "good plain
cook, = is to boil asparagus laid trans
versely in a saucepan, SO that by the
time the lower part of the stalks are
tender, the delicate tips have all cooked
to pieces, then covering it with half
cooked cream sauce. This is barbarous
Asparagus of the stouter sort should be
cut of exactly equal lengths, tied secure
ly and boiled tips upward in a deep
saucepan. Nearly two inches of the
heads should be out of water the
steam sufficing to cook them The wa
ter in which they are boiled should be
boiling and slightly salted. If the
stalks are quite long, so that the cover
of the saucepan will not fit over them,
the steam can be retained by inverting
another saucepan over them. This plan
permits the thick, stalky parts to grow
soft and suceulent in the longer boil
ing. while the tips are properly cook
ed by the steam alone. A taste has
grown up of late years for asparagus
iced and served with iced sauces. For
ordinary purposes, however, there is no
better accompaniment for this vegeta:
bic. either hot or cold, than mayon-
naise or simple French dressing. As a
luncheon relieve, cold asparagus serv-
ed in this way has no superior.
Asparagus Peas.
This is an especially nice way of serv-
ing asparagus when the stalks are too
small and young to make an attractive
loohing dish prepared in the usual way.
Cut the stalks into dice, only as far
down as the stalks are tender Wash
and throw into boiling. sailed water.
They will be done in ten or twelve min
utes. Turn off the superfuous water,
saving it for a cream of asparagus soup,
then dress the tender vegetable with
butter, salt, pepper and little cream,
or II desired, make little cream sauce,
add to the vegetable, boil up once and
serve.
Cream of Asparagus Soup.
The coarser parts of asparagus make
a delicious soup. Remove the tips and
lay aside for service by themselves, or
if preferred, add to the soup about ten
minutes before serving. Cut up the
stalks and cook in stock or water until
tender. If water is used, bit of onion
fried in butter may be added as a sea-
soning, together with few peppercorns.
Let the vegetables cook an hour, rub
through a PURGE sieve, letting all the
soft pulp pass through, but none of the
fiber. Return the strained soup to the
fire, add two tablespoonful -four until
well blended, mixing this in gradually
TO avoid Jumping. Cook ten minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. add half
cupfu1 cream and serve with croutons
or the tips that were added after strain
ing the soup.
Asparagus Tips.
These should be boiled in sailed water
about twelve minutes. They may then
1 II
and served in little patties, may ac-
company veal or lamb outlets, may be
added to an omelet or scrambled eggs,
allowing half cupful of the tips to
every three eggs, or may be used for
delicious garnish fer salmon salad.
To Attractively Serve the Summer Beet.
This sugary root is a native of the
Mediterranean shores, but it so readily
adapted itself to our soil and climate
that few, who see it so abundantly cul-
tivated, not only for the table, but for
the purpose of converting into sugar
and vegetable dyes, ever think of it as
not 'fto the manor born. -
1t is wonderfully nutritious, whole
some and rich in sugar, starch and al
kaline salts and comes to US as wei.
come and pleasing addition to our menu
in the spring and early summer when
the appetite is jaded and weary of the
heavy winter foods, especially the meat
diet. This, even though we have en-
ioyed the latter and do not actually
agree with Porphyrius, who A. D. 233
said: s'The eating of much flesh fills
us with multitude of evil diseases ana
multitudes of evil Desires The heets
should be frequently served in some
of their palatable forms. Brush and
scrub them well, place in kettle of
boiling water and boil rapidly until
tender; if new, they require about
forty-fve minutes, then rub off the
skins with wet towel and slice. They
are most appetizing served hot with
cupful of cream and tablespoonful of
butter, to which pepper and salt and a
seant spoonful of sugar have been add
ed, then all heated TO the boiling point,
and poured over them.
Another pleasing method is to remove
the skins. cut into eighths lengthwise
and cover with sauce made as follows:
Ihree teaspoonfuls of butter, four OF
3emon juice, half teaspoonful of salt,