Cabbages (choux) must be carefully washed, their dead and bruised leaves removed, and their stalks trimmed neatly. They must then be soaked in salt and water, (cold) to get rid of insects, caterpillars, etc. When satisfied that they are fit to cook, plunge them into boiling water with a tea-spoonful of salt, and a bit of soda and lift them as soon as your test with the skewer assures you that they are done. Pressure is now necessary to get rid of the water, and when thoroughly drained, they can be sent up.

Cabbages however are better done in the steamer, by which process they do not absorb so much water, so do not require such careful draining. The flavour of all green vegetables, indeed, is more successfully developed by this system of cookery than by boiling. The only objection that may be urged is that their colour is rarely so bright. This may be overcome by placing a bag with wood ashes enclosed in it in the water. Vegetables should be carefully prepared as if for boiling, some salt should be sprinkled over their leaves, and they should be placed, dry, in the perforated receptacle that fits into the top of the steamer. Water should then be poured into the lower vessel, filling it not more than half full. The steamer should then be placed over a brisk fire.

After steaming has set in, the contents of the receptacle should be examined now and then, and tested exactly as boiled vegetables are. I can strongly recommend Warren's vegetable steamer made of block-tin for this process.

There are numerous methods of dressing greens, - after boiling or steaming them, - which ought to attract favourable attention, and I can assure you that with a very little trouble you can turn out a most excellent series of dishes, which will well repay you, and raise the lowly cabbage to a much higher position in your estimation than it at present may occupy.

Before I pass to the fanciful styles in which cabbages can be dressed, I ought however to call attention to a bad habit that the native cook often indulges in. I mean that of chopping up a plain boiled cabbage before serving it. Setting aside the ugly appearance that the dish presents when thus maltreated, the chopping is a wasteful practice. The cut-up cabbage dries quickly, and will hardly be found worth dressing up a second time; whereas, if served whole, the portion that may be left after dinner, will remain nice and juicy, and will make a rechauffe in the form of a puree with potatoes and butter for breakfast; or, tossed in butter in the frying-pan with finely-minced herbs, it will be acceptable with the chop or kidney. Let a plainly cooked head of cabbage, therefore, be sent up simply divided into quarters, with a pat of fresh butter on the top of each, melting from the heat of the greens.

1. Here is a form of stewed cabbage (chou au jus) that - if the head be nice and young - is worthy of being eaten alone :- Take a savoy or any good sort of cabbage, pick it carefully, and let it soak in salt and water for an hour; if a large head, you must divide it into quarters, and even a small head had better be similarly treated. When satisfied that the cabbage is thoroughly clean, either steam the quarters, or plunge them into boiling hot-water, and after boiling for a quarter of an hour, take them out and drain them. Now, mince a thick slice of bacon, and a little shallot, parsley, marjoram, and thyme, with a pinch of sugar, and pepper and salt to taste; put all in a stew-pan, and set it on the fire. As soon as the bacon melts, lay your cabbage quarters in it, and pour round them sufficient gravy to half cover them. Let this simmer gently till the cabbage is done. Then lift out the quarters, place them in a hot dish, and cover them up. Strain the gravy, thicken it with flour and butter, and pour it over the cabbage. The better your gravy in this case, the better the result. If, therefore, you can spare some turkey bones, or scraps of game, ham, or tongue to assist your ordinary stock, your entremets will be all the nicer.

2. Another good way. clou an sauce blanche, may be described as follows:- Half-boil your cabbage, take it out, and drain it. Divide it into quarters. Make a nicely flavoured sauce blanche (adding a little cream if you can spare it) place the quarters in this, complete their cooking therein, and serve, pouring the sauce over them.

3. Cabbages may be cooked with rice, and gravy (chou au riz) :- Par-boil the cabbage, cut it up into pieces the size of an egg, and put them with an equal quantity of half-boiled rice, into as much gravy as will cover them, simmer till done, then serve. Do not put in more gravy than is absolutely necessary, or the dish will turn out more like a potage than an entremets. Grated cheese should be handed round with this.

4. A novel dish, Feuilles de chou farcies, is recommended by a good authority which may be described in this way :- Boil the head of cabbage till the leaves become pliant : take it from the water, gently detach a number of leaves whole, and dry them on a clean cloth. Have ready some pounded quenelle meat of chicken and ham, or tongue with an anchovy, or any artistic mixture of savoury meats bound with an egg. Arrange a dessert-spoonful of this on a cabbage leaf, which roll carefully up in the form of a sausage: wrap two or three more leaves round this, and tie them up with white tape. Make six, or eight of these, and simmer them gently in some good brown gravy till the leaves are done. Now, pick out your rolls, untie the tapes, dispose them tastefully in the hot dish ready for them, thicken the gravy and pour it over them : sippets of crisply fried bacon will form an appropriate garnish : serve.

A little cooked cabbage cut small, forms an agreeable addition to a pot-au-feu, and should always accompany potage croute au pot.

A recipe for perdrix au chou will be found in the menus.