Asparagus.
Tie the stalks in bundles, keeping the heads one way, and cut off the stalks, so that they may be of equal length. Put them into well-salted boiling water, and cook until they are tender (no longer). While boiling, prepare some thin slices of toast; arrange the asparagus, when well drained, neatly upon it, and pour over a white sauce, as for cauliflower. The sauce Hollandaise is especially nice for asparagus. Time to cook asparagus, about eighteen minutes.
Pease.
American mode: First boil the pods, which are sweet and full of flavor, in a little water; skim them out, and add the pease, which boil until tender; add then a little butter, cream, pepper, and salt. If they are served as a garnish, do not add the juice; but, if served alone, the juice is a savory addition. Time to cook, about half an hour.
The American canned pease should be rinsed before cooking, as the juice is generally thick. The pease are then thrown into a little boiling water seasoned with salt, and a little sugar; butter is added when done.
English mode: Throw the pease into boiling water, with some lettuce leaves and a sprig of mint in the bottom of the stew-pan. To each quart of pease allow two table-spoonfuls of butter and a lump of loaf-sugar; cover the stew-pan closely, and boil until they are tender—thoroughly done; then separate the pease from the other ingredients, sending them only to the table. This cooking of pease with mint (universally done in England) is a good way of utterly destroying the delicious natural flavor of the pea.
Spinach.
Having washed it thoroughly, put it into just enough salted boiling water to cover it. When it is tender, squeeze out all the water, and press it through a colander; then sauté it a few minutes, with a little butter, pepper, and salt. Serve with sliced, hard-boiled eggs on top; or, if it is used as a garnish for lamb, add a little lemon-juice and a spoonful of stock. Or, it is nice served as a course by itself, arranged on a platter as follows: