Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-20
Vegetables and Greens
Good Ways to Serve Spring Output Are Con
sidered-Cooking Methods and Treatment OF
Various Products-Several Recipes

"A liberal amount of vegetables in the
"A Spring menu is one Of the best
sources Of supplying the necessary min
eral matter, vitamins, vegetable acids
and bulk. All leafy vegetables and most
of the other green vegetables are rich
in vitamins. Leafy vegetables, such as
lettuce, spinach and young cabbage, are
rich in iron. Spinach supplies more
iron than any other vegetable. Leafy
vegetables with milk are called protec-
tive foods because by their use the
body develops normally and keeps In
health and vigor. Milk and vegetables
diet.
Best Ways TO Cook.
Cook vegetables whole when possible
and use enough boiling water to cover
Begin the cooking in boiling water and
oughly, but stop while the vegetable Is
still firm. Cook green vegetables I'M
covered to keep their color. Cook veg
etables having strong odorS uncovered
to make the flavor milder. Change the
water on strong vegetables several times
during the cooking process and add two
tablespoonfuls of salt to every quart OF
water used. Use the mild vegetable wa
ter for flavoring purposes. 1t contains
nutritive substances that have been ex-
tractive during the cooking. 1t can also
be used in making sauce to serve With
the vegetable or can be saved to use In
a soup for another meal Baking ana
steaming are the least wasteful OF these
juices.
The best seasoning for most vegeta-
bleS and greens is salt and good butter.
Vegetables that are blanched and then
cooked with butter and other season.
ings and very little moisture are more
savory and nutritious than when all
the cooking Is done In good deal OF
$ clear water. Tender vegetables, thor
oughly and properly cooked and
strained, may be given to children.
Strained tomato juice may be given to
babies instead of orange juice.
A vegetable may be blanched at any
time and the cooking be completed
later in a very few minutes when the
dish is to be served. To do the blanch-
ing. have a large pan half full Of rap
idly boiling water. Add one table
spoonful of salt to two quarts of water.
Have the vegetable cleaned, washed and
well drained Drop the vegetable into
the boiling water and bring the water
back Immediately to the boiling point.
Boil rapidly uncovered from to 20
minutes depending upon the kind of
vegetable that is being blanched.
Drain. Add boiling water or butter
and seasoning and return to the stove
if the cooking is to be completed at
once. If the cooking is not to be fin
ished at once, pour some cold water
over the vegetable to cool 1t quickly.
Drain and set aside.
Variety in Cooking.
Asparagus Dreamed, buttered, cream
soup.
Green beans-Seasoned with bacon
or ham fat, cream, buttered combined
with corn, cream soup.
Beets-Buttered or picked.
Cabbage-Buttered, creamed, seal
! aulif1ower-Buttered, creaned, seal
,loped, au gratin.
Carrots-Buttered, creamed, soufle,
with peas, mashed, in a stew, with a
roast, in conserve or glazed.
Celery - Buttered, creamed, cream
soup, scalloped, au gratin, soufde.
Corn-On the cob, pudding, buttered,
scalloped, corn fritters, souffle, in chow
der.
Eggplant-Boile or mashed or seal
Hoped, or sailed and drained and dipped
in batter and fried.
Okra-Buttered or in soup.
Onions-Boiled or steamed and but
tered, or creamed, scalloped, baked,
fried or steamed with meat.
Peas-Buttered, creamed, cream soup
or with carrots.
buttered; scalloped or baked with onion,
corn, rice or macaroni
Greens-Buttered, with bacon, cream,
creamed soup, garnished with egg or
nodded and garnished with egg or
cheese.
Never soak cut vegetables. Stale or
wilted vegetables may be freshened by
soaking in cold water for an hour or
longer, but If the stems are cut or the
surface skin is removed there viii be a
loss Of mineral matter, sugar, starch
and proteins. Keep green vegetables in
cool place until ready to use. Wash
in cold water.
Creamed Vegetables.
On Toast or Crackers.-A1ake q cream
sauce and add to two cupfuls Of cooked
vegetables and reheat. Serve on toast or
crackers or pour the mixture into but
tered baking dish, cover with buttered
crumbs, and bake In moderate oven
until the crumbs are brown. One or
two cupfuls Of cream sauce Will be
needed In either way OF serving.
Cream Of Vegetable Soup.-Cook the
vegetable and put 1t through a sieve
or colander, enough to make half a cup
full Of vegetable pulp. Prepare cupful Of
cream sauce, add the vegetable pulp and
q pinch of celery salt, and a pinch of
onion salt or one teaSpoonful Of chopped
onion and reheat. When making cream
of tomato soup, add one-fourth tea
spoonful Of baking soda to each quart
OF tomatoes before the tomato pulp Is
added to the cream sauce.
Cooking Spinach.
It Is best to wash spinach In luke
warm water with little salt added and
remove the spinach from the water
with the hands instead of pouring the
water from the spinach, as is the usual
custom. When removing spinach from
the kettle in which it has been cooked
use a skinner instead of pouring on
the water. In this way all sand that
has not been removed in the washingE
will remain in the bottom Of the kettle
and you will encounter no grit when
eating the spinach. Add very little
water when cooking, or none at all, and
steam for about 10 minutes. Serve with
salt and plenty of butter.
Spinach au Gratin.-Wash and cook
one and one-hah pounds of spinach
without water until tender. Make g
white sauce with one and one-half cup