Evening star., 1922-03-15
. With Asparagus.
We talk about salad DAYS

We talk about salad days.
Why don't We talk about asparagus
days?
To be sure, nowadays we have hot
house lettuce when the year is old.
and asparagus. too, if we will but
pay the price. But December lettuce
from the garden. And certainly moth
ing is more indicative of the arrival
of spring than asparagus from local
gardens.
Well, the time when we can get
fresh asparagus for a reasonable
this vegetable that began its career
in prehistoric times as a weed of the
marshes is in the vegetable stalls
now in big. luscious punches.
It Is not difficult matter to pre-
pareGasparagus SO that it is deli
cious. We don't seem to tire of plain
boiled asparagus.
However. it is possible to prepare
1t in many other worthwhile ways.
Here are some of them:
Asparagus should be boiled stand
ing end upward in a deep saucepan:
nearly two inches of heads should be
out Of water, steam being sufficient
to cook them. as they form the ten
derest part of the plant. The hard.
staiky part is rendered soft by the
harder boiling which this plan per-
mits. Cooking thirty or forty min
utes this way will render a third
more of the stalk delicious while the
head will be properly cooked by the
steaHA. alone.
The upstate" method of cooking
asparagus is preferred by many.
Only the tender portions of the stalks
are used. the tougher parts being re-
served for the stock pot. Cut the
tender portions of the stalks into
,oH To-, he nd
der in just enough boiling salted
water to cover well. When tender
and it will require more than twenty
minutes-season them and the liquid
in which they were cooked with salt
and pepper. plenty of. butter and
In this way the distinctive flavor of
the vegetable is preserved.
Puree OF Asparagus.
Boil in pint of water until very
tender one bunch of asparagus.
When tender, rub through colander.
put into the liquor in which 1t was
boiled, add three pints of soup stock.
two tablespoons butter. light
sprinkling of white pepper and salt
to taste. Boil a few minutes and
serve.
Asparagus Soup.
Two quarts of good soup stock.
thirty large asparagus stalks, two
tablespoons of butter, one of flour.
pepper and salt to taste. Cut on the
heads@ of the asparagus and cook un-
til tender in a little salted water;
boil the stalks until tender. mash
them through a sieve and put into
the aoup kettle, add the butter and
-FOUR, let boil slowly five minutes.
pour into the soup tureen, add the
asparagus heads ard serve.
Cold Asparagus.
There are many ways of treating
,pold asparagus, all of which are ap-
petizing. With just French dress
Ing 1t is dainty and specially attrac-
tive on hot day. With little mus
tard added to the dressing many like
1t still better. With a mayonnaise or
sauce tartare it comes close to per-
fection. Again, lemon juice or simply
salt lis used with chilled asparagus.
To be eaten cold. asparagus must al
ways be well drained and perfectly
chilled.
Asparagus Rolls.
Cut the tops from ten small stale
French rolls: remove the erumb and
lay the shells with the tops in the
oven for fifteen minutes to get dry
in = saucepan on the range; add two
tablespoons Of butter and one of flour
rubbed smooth together. pepper and
salt to taste: allow to simmer a few
minutes and then add three eggs
well beaten; stir until 1t begins to
thicken. then add the tops of ten
der stalks chopped fine of three
bunches Of boiled asparagus; simmer
until we'll heated: fill the shells. put
on the tops and serve very hot. Boil
ed caulifiower may be substituted for
the AsparaguS.