The Times News

VEGETABLES APPETIZING
Dressed By Simple Sauce
Plainest Ones Become Tempting

Try preparing the spinach in au gratin fashion, if you want this vegetable to be popular with the family:

SPINACH AU GRATIN

Chop fine one peck of spinach; wash under running water, in a sieve, tossing the spinach about until it is thoroughly clean. Cook in a few tablespoons of water until tender. Prepare one cup of white sauce; rub a baking dish with shortening; spread in it a layer of spinach, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover this with a layer of the white sauce and sprinkle the sauce with grated cheese. Continue the layers until all the spinach is used, having the top layer of sauce and cheese. Cover with cracker crumbs mixed with a little melted butter. Set the dish in the oven, moderate 375 degrees, until the crumbs are golden brown. Serve very hot.

BRUSSELS SPROUT

Discard the coarse or dark colored leaves. Let stand in cold, salted water for one hour. Drain, and boil or steam until tender. Drain, then dress with Hollandaise sauce, or melted butter. They are delicious sauted; melt, for one quart of sprouts, four tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, add the sprouts and a sprinkling of salt, nutmeg and white pepper. Toss over the heat until the butter is melted and coats the sprouts.

VEGETABLE RAGOUT

Six peeled white potatoes; six sliced leeks, or tender onions; 12 stalks canned or fresh asparagus; two cups milk; one-fourth cup butter; one-half teaspoon salt; one-fourth teaspoon pepper.

Cut the potatoes in cubes, slice the leeks or onions, and cut the cooked asparagus in short lengths; cook all together 10 minutes, then drain. Scald the milk and butter add seasonings and then pour on the drained vegetables.

Let simmer until all are tender.

Turn into a hot serving dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

PARSNIPS WITH CHEESE

For two cups of sliced cooked parsnips, have ready one and one-half cups of thick white sauce and one-half cup grated American cheese.

Place the parsnips in a baking dish, cover with the white sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake in a moderate oven, 375 degrees, until the cheese melts and is delicately browned.

STUFFED EGGPLANT

Cut the eggplant in halves and cook slowly in boiling water for 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain carefully and cut out the center from each half, leaving a wall about one-half inch thick. Chop fine the portion taken from the eggplant. Add a tablespoon each of chopped parsley and green pepper, one cup fine chopped cooked chicken, ham, veal or lamb; one teaspoon salt; one-half cup tomato soup or a raw tomato chopped fine; one-fourth cup of bread crumbs moistened with two tablespoons butter. Mix all thoroughly. Fill the shells, cover the tops with cracker crumbs mixed with melted butter and bake in a moderate oven, 400 degrees, for 20 minutes.