Ingredients.—2 pailfuls of spinach, 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, 2 oz. of butter, 8 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1 small teaspoonful of pounded sugar, a very little grated nutmeg. Mode.—Boil and drain the spinach; chop it fine, and put it into a stewpan with the butter; stir it over a gentle fire, and, when the butter has dried away, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Previously to pouring in the cream, boil it first, in case it should curdle. Serve on a hot dish, and garnish either with sippets of toasted bread or leaves of puff-paste. Time.—10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach; 10 minutes to stew with the cream. Average cost for the above quantity, 8d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable.—Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from November to March.
SPINACH, French Mode of Dressing.
Ingredients.—2 pailfuls of spinach, 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, 2 oz. of butter, 1 teaspoonful of flour, 8 tablespoonfuls of good gravy; when liked, a very little grated nutmeg. Mode.—Pick, wash, and boil the spinach, and when tender, drain and squeeze it perfectly dry from the water that hangs about it. Chop it very fine, put the butter into a stewpan, and lay the spinach over that; stir it over a gentle fire, and dredge in the flour. Add the gravy, and let it boil quickly for a few minutes, that it may not discolour. When the flavour of nutmeg is liked, grate some to the spinach, and when thoroughly hot, and the gravy has dried away a little, serve. Garnish the dish with sippets of toasted bread. Time.—10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach; 10 minutes to simmer in the gravy. Average cost for the above quantity, 8d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable.—Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from October to February.
Note.—For an entremets or second-course dish, spinach dressed by the above recipe may be pressed into a hot mould; it should then be turned out quickly, and served immediately.
SPINACH-GREEN, for Colouring various Dishes.
Ingredients.—2 handfuls of spinach. Mode.—Pick and wash the spinach free from dirt, and pound the leaves in a mortar to extract the juice; then press it through a hair sieve, and put the juice into a small stewpan or jar. Place this in a bain marie, or saucepan of boiling water, and let it set. Watch it closely, as it should not boil; and, as soon as it is done, lay it in a sieve, so that all the water may drain from it, and the green will then be ready for colouring. If made according to this recipe, the spinach-green will be found far superior to that boiled in the ordinary way.
SPINACH SOUP (French Recipe).
Ingredients.—As much spinach as, when boiled, will half fill a vegetable-dish, 2 quarts of very clear medium stock. Mode.—Make the cooked spinach into balls the size of an egg, and slip them into the soup-tureen. This is a very elegant soup, the green of the spinach forming a pretty contrast to the brown gravy. Time.—1 hour. Average cost, 1s. per quart. Seasonable from October to June.
SPONGE-CAKE.
Ingredients.—The weight of 8 eggs in pounded loaf sugar, the weight of 5 in flour, the rind of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoonful of brandy. Mode.—Put the eggs into one side of the scale, and take the weight of 8 in pounded loaf sugar, and the weight of 5 in good dry flour. Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs; beat the former, put them into a saucepan with the sugar, and let them remain over the fire until milk-warm, keeping them well stirred. Then put them into a basin, add the grated lemon-rind mixed with the brandy, and stir these well together, dredging in the flour very gradually. Whisk the whites of the eggs to a very stiff froth, stir them to the flour, &c., and beat the cake well for ¼ hour. Put it into a buttered mould strewn with a little fine-sifted sugar, and bake the cake in a quick oven for 1½ hour. Care must be taken that it is put into the oven immediately, or it will not be light. The flavouring of this cake may he varied by adding a few drops of essence of almonds instead of the grated lemon-rind. Time.—1½ hour. Average cost, 1s. 3d. Sufficient for 1 cake. Seasonable at any time.