Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

which has been put a table-spoonful of salt. At the end of the half-hour put the slices into a strong, clean towel, and wring the towel until it is impossible to extract any more moisture. On opening the towel the slices will be found to be wilted and flabby. Put them into a dish with cracked ice. They are said to be less injurious served in this way than in the ordinary style ; and some epicures call them delicious, spite of the loss of crispness. Stuffed Cucumbers. These are delicious, and may be served either as a vegetable or as an entree. For six or eight persons use four cucumbers of good size. Pare them lightly, and after cutting off the ends, cut each cucumber into two parts. Remove the seeds with an apple-corer. Put a table-spoonful of salt and a quart of cold water into a basin, and drop the pared and cored cucumbers into the liquid ; then set away in a cool place. Chop enough veal — free of skin and gristle — to make a generous half-cupful of pulp. Probably a quarter of a pound will be enough. Now put half a gill of milk and one-third of a gill of stale bread, free of hard parts, into a small saucepan, and cook until a smooth paste is formed. Ten minutes' cooking probably will suffice. Mix thoroughly with the veal this paste and half a teaspoonful of salt, one-eighth of a teaspoonful of pepper, one-eighth of a teaspoonful of thyme, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of onion juice, one teaspoonful of butter, and a well-beaten egg. Remove the cucumbers from the basin of water, and wipe them with a soft towel. Fill them with the force-meat just prepared, packing solidly, and being careful to have the ends of the cucumbers smooth. Lay the cucumbers in a stew-pan, and pour over them a pint and a half of boiling veal stock or chicken stock. Add a bay leaf ; and if the stock was not seasoned when it was made, add also half a teaspoonful of salt and one-fifth of a teaspoonful of pepper. Cover, and simmer for three-quarters of an hour. At serving-time place the cucumbers on thin strips of toast ; and after pouring over them a sauce made as directed below, serve without delay. Sauce. — Rub together in a saucepan until smooth, three table-spoonfuls of butter and a generous tablespoonful of flour ; then add three gills of white stock, — chicken or veal, — a piece of carrot of about the size of a quarter of a dollar, a slice of onion of the same size, a sprig of parsley, a clove, a bay leaf, a light grating of nutmeg, half a teaspoonful of salt, and one-fifth of a teaspoonful of white pepper. Simmer for a quarter of an hour ; then add a teaspoonful of lemon juice, and strain the sauce. THE FRENCH ARTICHOKE. This vegetable, which has not been very common and whose value has not been well understood, is becoming so popular that the supply is increasing, and in time the cost will be comparatively low. The artichoke belongs to the thistle family ; the flower ig picked before it opens. In England and France an artichoke may be bought for two or three cents, but in our Northern markets we are obliged to pay from twenty to forty cents apiece; thus making a dish of the vegetables quite expensive. In the South they are cheaper, and of course better, because they can be obtained fresh.