Virginia Cookery-book

After picking the leaves from the stalks they must be well washed in several waters, and then boiled in a covered vessel with just what adheres to them. After the spinach has boiled sufficiently chop it up fine. Meanwhile put a lump of butter, with two spoonfuls of cream, and a little pepper, salt, and vinegar, into a saucepan, and let them stew together five minutes, stirring constantly; then put in the spinach. [illustration: Virginia Cookery-Book] Ob. Wash and pick the spinach clean; drain, and throw it into boiling water ; a few minutes will boil it sufficiently. Press out all the water ; put it in a saucepan, with a piece of butter, pepper, and salt; chop it continually with a spoon until it is quite dry. Serve up quickly, so as to be really hot. Poached or sliced hard-boiled eggs add greatly to this wholesome dish, which is particularly relishing in the early spring. To Broil Tomatoes. Cut in slices and broil on a gridiron, with pepper, salt, and a little butter. To Bake Tomatoes. Peel nicely, and place in a deep baking-dish, with layers of grated bread, whole tomatoes, butter, pepper, and salt, with a heaping table-spoonful of brown sugar. Bake well. To Stew Tomatoes. Peel, mash, and stew until well done, with butter, pepper, salt, and sugar, and the addition of bread-crumbs. To be good they must be thoroughly cooked. Forced Tomatoes. Two ounces of mushrooms minced small, a bunch of parsley, a slice of lean ham chopped fine, with a few savory herbs and a little Cayenne pepper and salt ; put all the ingredients in a saucepan, with a lump of butter; stir all together till quite tender, then set away to cool. Have ready some bread-crumbs and the yolks of two eggs well beaten, Choose large tomatoes (as near the same size as possible), cut a slice from the stalk end of each, and take out carefully the seeds and juice, filling their places with the mixture; strew with bread and some melted butter, and bake in an oven till they have a rich color. These forced tomatoes go admirably with a baked calf's head or cold veal. Turnips Are especially the complement for hot corned-beef. They should be peeled, sliced, and boiled or steamed until soft enough to be mashed with ease. Add a little milk, butter, and salt for seasoning, and be sure to let them go to table hot. If they should not be well flavored add a bit of sugar. Where it is liked they may be boiled in a little of the liquor taken from the beef, and sent to table upon the same meat-dish with the joint. TURNIP-TOPS. Put in cold water an hour before they are dressed. The more water they are boiled in the better they will look. If boiled in little water they will be bitter. When the water boils put in a small handful of salt and then the tops. If fresh and young they will be done in about twenty minutes. Drain on the back of a sieve, and serve in a covered vegetable-dish, garnished with poached eggs. They are oftener boiled with jowl. Baked Turnips. Pare and slice turnips ; boil them in salt-water until tender, then drain the water from them ; put them in a baking - dish suitable to send to the table ; meanwhile make a white sauce by stirring together over the fire two ounces of butter and flour until it bubbles ; then gradually stir in half a pint of boiling water ; season with salt and pepper ; pour the sauce over the turnips ; dust them over quickly with bread-crumbs, and brown them in a quick oven. Corn and Tomatoes. These vegetables are so generally liked together that an enterprising house-keeper projected the plan of mixing them, half and half, after they had been stewed separately, with the usual seasoning of butter, sugar, pepper, and salt, putting them in a baking-dish and serving hot. It proved to be a very nice dish, if the rapidity of its disappearance be the criterion for judgment.