Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-05-15
FIRST OF VEGETABLES
ASPARAGUS Ie HEARTILY WEI
COINED As A DISH OF SPRING.
Time and Carr Expended In Ito Prep
aration 10 Well Repaid by sueeulent
Properties II Il 10 Prop
eriy Served.

Asparagus Is one Of the things that
make us glad when spring comes. It's
flavor, like the first warm winds that
blow out of an April sky, Is delicate
forerunner of the richer gifts OF sum-
mer. And. yet, is there one of all the
many vegetables that the warm suns
of summer bring out that is more
toothsome than asparagus?
From the housewives point OF view.
the best thing about asparagus Is tnat
1t Is SO simple to prepare Tor the
table. In fact, with a little BOILING
In a little water with little salt and
butter you have a dish fit for king.
The matter Of boiling. however. u
sometimes a stumbling block. We all
have seen asparagus come to the Ia
BILE with decapitated heads. This DIFF
ficulty Is due to the fact that the
heads are so much tenderer than the
stalks that when the stalks have been
boiled sufficiently the heads have been
boiled to pieces One way to obviate
this trouble is to take pains to put
the punches Of asparagus after they
have been washed and scraped into
the boiling dish with the stalk end
down. The boiling water should be
poured over the stalks as far as the
heads, but not to cover them. Then
as the stalks boil the heads are gently
steamed, and II handled carefully Will
not break.
Another way to obviate this din
Guilty is to use a wire basket which Is
made especially for asparagus. This
basket holds the stalks while cooking
and the bottom opens easily. 30 that
when the asparagus is cooked 1t can
be put on a plate or serving platter
without breaking the ends. It costs
Is cents.
Asparagus should always be cooked
with salt in the proportion of tea
spoonful to a quart of water. No rule
can be laid down as to the length OF
time to cook asparagus. When 1t IL
young and very tender Is minutes Will
suffice. When 1t Is somewhat older II
will be improved by cooking up to
30 minutes or more.
In choosing asparagus from the
market 1t matters little whether 1t be
small and highly colored or thick
stalked and white. II 1t is young and
fresh 1t Is sure to be good. Aspara
gus Is like fish in this. that you don't
really know its flavor until you have
eaten it very fresh; just caught from
the water or Just cut from the a.
paragus bed. But the next best thing
to do with respect to asparagus IL
to buy 1t on market day and get II
home and In the icebox early In the
morning before it has been exposed
to the air and heat many hours.
The custom of sending asparagui
In as a separate course Is good one
for nothing Is more satisfactory as q
separate vegetable course than thii
succulent spring stalk. 1t can b
served with the heads resting on
tiny strip of buttered toast. dressed
with pepper and salt and butter OF
with q good cream sauce or 1t car
be served in any of q dozen more
elaborate ways.
Served simply with butter or cold
with q vinaigrette sauce. it Is q goot
accompaniment Of any roast meat.
Various sauces make various dishes
of asparagus and although connois
seurs insist that the delicate fiavol
of this vegetable cannot be improved
on by the addition Of fiavoring. othel
than pepper. salt and melted butter
still sauces can be depended on b!
the cook for variety.