(Spinacia oleracea, Miller) This name includes a number of varieties of the same plant. In this book we are only concerned with the variety in common use.

Spinach Boiled As Greens

Have a large pan of water; take a root of spinach in each hand; plunge up and down in the water and throw into another pan. Wash it again through a second water. Then pick up each root and cut off the leaves, allowing them to float in a pan of clear water. Do not drain off the water by holding the spinach back with the hand; the sand will be retained in the pan and the spinach will be uneatable. After the spinach has been thoroughly washed, throw it into a kettle of boiling salted water; boil twenty minutes. Drain in a colander; dish and send to the table.

Spinach For Garnishing (Purée of Spinach)

Wash and cook the spinach according to the preceding recipe. When it is hot, put it into a pastry-bag with a star-tube and press it in a rope-like finish around the dish that is to be garnished. Nut sausages, macaroni croquettes and stuffed tomatoes may all be garnished with purée of spinach. Left-over spinach may be used for cream of spinach soup or may be moulded in after-dinner coffee-cups and served cold with French dressing as a salad.