This includes a number of varieties of the same plant, common spinach, green and blue, the New Zealand and West Indian. They differ very little chemically, and may be cooked and served by the same rules.

Boiled Spinach

One Serving

Wash a quart of spinach through several cold waters, always shaking it from the water and putting it in another dish of clean water. Cut off the roots. Put the leaves in a colander, plunge the colander down and up in a good-sized pan of cold water. Put a half cupful of water in a saucepan, put in the spinach, sprinkle over a teaspoonful of salt, cover the saucepan and cook slowly for twenty minutes; drain carefully, and chop the spinach very, very fine. Return it to the saucepan, add a tablespoonful of butter, stir over the fire until smoking hot, arrange it in the form of a mound in a small heated dish, put over the top a hard-boiled egg pressed through a sieve, and if admissible garnish the edge of the dish with triangular pieces of toast.

Spinach A La Creme

Cook the spinach as directed in first recipe. When done and drained, chop it very fine, put it back in the sieve to drain again; when dry turn it into a saucepan, add two tablespoonfuls of thick cream, a dash of salt, and when hot serve on a piece of toasted bread, softened with two table-spoonfuls of hot milk.

Stachys (Stachys Tuberosa)

This small tuber resembles very much a short, thick corkscrew; it is grown in many parts of the United States, but is of Japanese origin. It resembles in texture and composition the Jerusalem artichoke. It contains inulin, but no starch. It may be boiled in unsalted water and served with melted butter and a dash of lemon juice, or with a little salt and cream.

Mock Artichokes

Pare a solid white turnip, cut it into slices a quarter of an inch thick, and with a round cutter, cut from each slice a "cake" about an inch and a half in diameter. Cook in boiling unsalted water until perfectly transparent. Arrange them on a small platter, one slice overlapping the other; put at the end of the platter a well-made egg sauce.