There are several varieties of spinach (sometimes spelled Spinage) cultivated in this country, the chief of which are the summer and winter kinds; the former is known as the round-seeded or summer spinach, and the latter as the prickly or winter spinach. The leaves are fleshy and succulent, and when thoroughly washed by passing through several lots of fresh water, they may be cooked or prepared according to the following recipes. The juice of the leaves is used to color confectionery.

Blanch a peck of well-washed spinach and drain it; put it into a saucepan with one-half breakfast cupful of veal stock, and cook for ten minutes. When ready to serve, add one ounce of butter, melt well together, and serve with croutons of fried bread.

Spinach A La Mode

Blanch one peck of spinach, cutting off the stocks and washing it well, chop fine, and put it into a saucepan with one ounce of butter and a little grated nutmeg. Stir with a wooden spoon, and cook for five minutes, adding one ounce of butter kneaded with two tablespoonfuls of flour, two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and one-half pint of milk. Stir often and cook for ten minutes; then serve, garnished with half a dozen sippets of bread fried in butter.

Spinach Croustades

Cut some heart-shaped bread croustades, fry them until well browned, then scoop out the crumb from their middle. Prepare some spinach as for spinach with cream, and when ready fill the croustades with it.

Minced Spinach

Boil the spinach in plenty of salted water. When cooked, drain off all the water, chop the spinach very fine and season well with salt and pepper. For each pint of minced spinach put one tablespoonful of butter and one-half tablespoonful of flour into a saucepan and stir it over the fire until smooth and cooked. Put the spinach in with the cooked flour before it has become brown, adding for each pint one-half teacupful of milk and stirring it for a few minutes longer. Put the spinach into a basin, then turn it out in shape onto a hot dish. Put a circle of hard-boiled eggs on the top of the spinach and another circle of sliced eggs at the bottom, and serve.

Spinach With Cream

Pick and wash the spinach well, boiling it in plenty of salted water; when tender, drain and put it in cold water for a few minutes. Press all the moisture out of the spinach and put it into a saucepan with a little butter and stir over the fire until dry. Dredge a little flour over the spinach, pour in one-fourth pint of boiling cream and season with a little grated nutmeg, sugar and salt. Turn it onto a hot dish, garnish with croutons of fried bread, and serve.