Brussels Sprouts.
Trim them nicely and put them in boiling water, adding salt in the proportion of a tablespoonful to every two quarts of water.
Put in a little sugar, or, if the water is hard, a little piece of soda the size of a pea.
Boil them quickly, with the lid off the saucepan, from ten to twenty minutes, according to the size and age of the sprouts.
When tender, drain them quite dry in a colander.
Dry the saucepan and put them back with a little butter, pepper, and salt.
Shake them over the fire for a minute or so, and then serve on a hot dish.