271. To stew SPINAGE with POACHED EGGS.
Take two or three handfuls of young spinage, pick it from the stalks, wash and drain it very clean, put it into a pan with a lump of butter, and a little salt, keep stirring it all the time whilst it be enough, then take it out and squeeze out the water, chop it and stir in a little more butter, lie it in your dish in quarters, and betwixt every quarter a poached egg, and lie one in the middle; fry some sippets of white bread and prick them in your spinage, to serve them up.
This is proper for a side-dish either for noon or night.
272. To make RATIFIE DROPS.
Take half a pound of the best jordan almonds, and four ounces of bitter almonds, blanch and set them before the fire to dry, beat them in a marble mortar with a little white of an egg, then put to the half a pound of powder sugar, and beat them altogether to a pretty stiff paste; you may beat your white of egg very well before you put it in, so take it out, roll it with your hand upon a board with a little sugar, then cut them in pieces, and lie them on sheets of tin or on paper, at an equal distance, that they don't touch one another, and set them in a slow oven to bake.
273. To fry ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS.
Take artichoke bottoms when they are at the full growth, and boil them as you would do for eating, pull off the leaves, and take out the choke, cut off the stalks as close as you can from the bottom; take two or three eggs, beat them very well, so dip your artichokes in them, and strow over them a little pepper and salt; fry them in butter, some whole and some in halves; serve them up with a little butter in a china cup, set it in the middle of your dish, lie your artichokes round, and serve them up.
They are proper for a side dish either noon or night.
274. To fricassy ARTICHOKES.
Take artichokes, and order them the same way as you did for frying, have ready in a stew-pan a few morels and truffles, stewed in brown gravy, so put in your artichokes, and give them a shake altogether in your stew-pan, and serve them up hot, with sippets round them.