Cassell's dictionary of cookery

The intrinsic goodness of meats should always be suspected when they require spicy seasoning to compensate for their natural want of sapidity." Spinach. — Spinach is a vegetable of an agreeable taste, light, and wholesome. It contains, however, very little nourishment. It should be washed in two or throe waters, then drained on a sieve instead of being dried in a cloth, as it is very delicate, and needs to bo gently handled. It is generally boiled, and served %vith meat as a puree, or with cream or gravj' ; or it may be pressed into a mould, and SM (914 ) SPI served in a shape with poached eggs laid upon it. It is to be had during tho spring and autumn. Turnip-tops, dandelion leaves, beetroot-tops, and even nettles, are sometimes served as a substitute for it. Spinach, Boiled (common English method). — Take two pailfuls of spinach, young and freshly-gathered. Pick away the stalks, wash the leaves in several waters, lift them out with the hands that the sand or grit may remain at the bottom, and drain them on a sieve. Put them into a saucepan with as much boiling water slightly salted as will keep them from burning, and let them boil until tender. Take the spinach up, drain it, and press it well; chop it small, and put it into a clean saucepan with a little pepper and salt and a slice of fresh butter. Stir it well for five minutes. Serve on a hot dish, and garnish with fried sippets. Time to boil the spinach, ten to fifteen minutes. Probable cost, 3d. to 6d. per pound. Sufficient for five or six persons. Spinach Cream. — Break the yolks of four eggs in a bowl, and free them from specks. Beat them well, and stir into them the third of a pint of hot milk and half a pint of thick cream. Sweeten the mixture, and put it into a saucepan with half a stick of cinnamon. Stir it over a gentle fire till it begins to thicken ; add half a quarter of a pint of spinach juice, and stir it again till it is equally coloured. Slice some sponge biscuits, put them into a glass dish, pour the cream upon them, and lay thin strips of candied fruit on the surface. Serve cold. If preferred, macaroons or preserved oranges may be substituted for tho sponge biscuits, or the cream may be served in custard glasses. To prepare the spinach juice, see Spinach, Green, for Colouring. Time, a few minutes to simmer the custard. Probable cost, about 3s. Sufficient for a moderate-sized supper-dish. Spinach, Croustades of. — Cut some bread into the shape of hearts, and slit them all round, then fry them in butter. Araange the hearts in the form of a rosette. Next cut a round of bread, which slit in the same way, and place it in the centre over the points of the hearts. Fry them till they are of a fine brown, then cut out the interior, take out all the crumb, and fill the space left with spinach, either with cream or consomme. Spinach, Dandelion-leaves dressed like. — When spinach is out of season, dandelion leaves may be substituted for it. The young leaves only should be used, and they may be boiled and served just like spinach. As they shrink very much in boihng, a large quantity will be required for a moderate-sized dish. Turnip-tops, beetroot-tops, and even young nettles, as we have remarked elsewhere, may all be used as substitutes for spinach.