- Cook in boiling salt water from one to two hours, according to the size and age of the vegetables.
- Drain through a colander, and season with salt, pepper, and butter.
Asparagus
- Cut off the tough root ends of the asparagus.
- Untie the bunches and wash the stalks thoroughly in cold water, scraping each stalk with a vegetable-knife if necessary,
- Tie the stalks together again in bunches, with all the tips lying in the same direction.
- Place the bunches upright in a saucepan half full of boiling water, so that the tips will stand out of the water, and boil from twenty to forty minutes, depending on the age of the asparagus. For the last ten minutes of boiling, turn the bunches down into the water, so that the tips will cook.
- Drain, season with butter, pepper, and salt, or serve with White Sauce No. 2 (page 150).
Beans—Shell
- Shell the beans, and let them stand in cold water for one hour.
- Put them into a saucepan, and cover with, boiling water.
- Cover the saucepan, and boil slowly from one to two hours, depending upon the age of the beans. There should be very little water left at the end of the cooking, so that seasoning may be added without draining the beans.
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