Spinach as generally cooked by boiling in water is deprived of its flavour and fine dietetic qualities. There is no difficulty in cooking spinach according to this recipe, but care must be taken not to use too much salt. Wash and pick three or four pounds of spinach, thoroughly freeing it from grit, and observing that no stalks are left. Drain the spinach in a colander, and put it into a large saucepan, with a teaspoonful of salt - observe, no water - set it over the fire, cover with the lid, shake occasionally until the juices begin to draw. When the liquid boils, take off the lid of the saucepan and stir the spinach now and then to prevent burning. When perfectly tender, drain and press the spinach in a sieve until dry, it can then be served plain or as follows: Put the spinach, after draining, into a stewpan with an ounce of butter, and a table-spoonful of cream or milk; if more convenient the same •quantity of rich gravy may be substituted, stir over the fire until the vegetable becomes dry, make any nice little mould, not larger than an egg-cup, very hot, and press it full of spinach, turn it out and repeat the process, working very quickly, and keeping the shapes hot as you do them, garnish the dish with these shapes, or, if preferred, put the spinach into a vegetable presser, and when turned out, serve as a separate dish, or with eggs and toast.

Rich Gravy

Slice and fry four onions until a light brown, cut up a pound of gravy-beef into dice, fry it until brown; put these, a pinch of dried mushroom, a bacon bone or bit of ham, and four peppercorns with a pint and a half of water into a stewpan, and boil gently for two hours; strain, take off all fat, and if the gravy is not rich enough boil it up in a clean stewpan without the lid until sufficiently reduced; add salt if necessary. Gravy is often spoiled by adding raw flour as thickening. To avoid this melt an ounce of butter in a small frying-pan, stir fine flour in gradually until it becomes a thick paste, work it over the fire until it assumes a brown tinge, then mix as much of it as is required with a little boiling gravy, doing this by degrees in order to avoid lumps; add the thickening to the whole quantity of gravy, boil up, and it is ready.

It is a good plan to make thickening in this way for soups and gravies when at leisure, as it keeps some time, and if prepared in a hurry is generally badly done.

Cauliflower Au Parmesan

Break up a cauliflower into branches, wash, and boil them in salted water until tender; they must not be boiled too soft. When done, drain them, and dip each piece in dissolved butter, then in grated Parmesan cheese, flavoured to taste with dry mustard, pepper, and salt. Place the cauliflower neatly and close together on a tin dish, pour over it a little more dissolved butter, and bake in a quick oven for five minutes, and serve immediately.