Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

“ How good the Spinach was ! not at all gritty ! ” is a not uncommon remark in houses where care is taken in cooking the Spinach. Spinach cannot be gritty if it has been properly washed, and in cold weather water may be used with the chill off. This will prevent those sufferings of the kitchenmaid which are often the cause of grit in the Spinach. Spinach ought to be washed differently from other vegetables. It should SPINACH be swung round and round in three different waters, and the water should never be drained from the Spinach. The floating Spinach should be taken out by the hand, and put into a second and a third clean basin, fresh water poured upon it, and the swinging round and round repeated in each case. It is a great mistake to boil Spinach ; it should be stewed. If Spinach is young there is no need to pass it through a sieve ; if it is old the sieve is necessary, and the stalks and mid-ribs must always be removed from Spinach which is not quite young. When it is necessary to boil Spinach put it in a saucepan without any water, and set the saucepan itself in boiling water. When it is done, which will be in about fifteen minutes, press all moisture from the Spinach by squeezing it in a cloth. Stewed Spinach. — Wash two pounds of Spinach as directed, pick the leaves carefully, and if necessary remove stalks and mid-ribs. Blanch the Spinach by plunging it for six minutes in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain through a colander. Throw the Spinach into plenty of cold water to cool, and drain again, pressing out moisture as far as possible. Chop the Spinach up. Put into a stewpan one ounce of butter, threequarters of an ounce of flour, a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Stir this over the fire for three minutes. Add the chopped Spinach, stir round for five minutes, and moisten with a coffeecupful of milk, broth, or stock. Stir over a low fire for two minutes more, and then add a breakfastcupful of either the milk or the stock, stir till almost dry, and take the pan from the fire. Now mingle a pat of butter with the Spinach, or add a tablespoonful of milk with the yolk of an egg dissolved in it. Turn the Spinach out upon a really hot dish. This is Wyvern’s method. And his biscuits to be eaten with Spinach are infinitely superior to the hard, tasteless sippets of fried bread which are usually served as a garnish. Savoury Shortbread Biscuits for Spinach.— Put four ounces of flour into a bowl and mix into it two and a half ounces of butter liquefied, a saltspoonful of salt, one whole wellbeaten egg, a pinch of sugar, and one ounce of grated cheese. Add a spoonful of milk or so to form a pliant paste. Roll out the paste one-third of an inch thick, cut into heart-shapes and bake. By Wyvern’s method Spinach is stewed in a quarter of an SPINACH hour, and either milk or stock can be used. A tinned saucepan must never be used for Spinach. Border of Spinach. — Dress the Spinach as above, shape it into a circle, and fill the hollow with buttered eggs. Patties with Spinach. — Make these of the shortbread paste, let them be open like the lower half of a mince pie. Fill them with the Spinach and cap each with buttered egg. Eg'g’S with Spinach. — Fry some squares or cushions of bread, cut rather thick. Coat them thickly with the Spinach puree, and lay a poached egg on the top of each.