Cooked Spinach

The everyday Cookbook circa 1887

An excellent way to serve spinach is to first look it over carefully; wash it in two or three waters. If the stalks are not perfectly tender, cut the leaves from the stalk. Boil for twenty minutes in water with enough salt dissolved in it to salt the spinach sufficiently.

When done let it drain. then chop it fine, put it on the stove in a saucepan, with a lump of better, salt, and pepper, and enough milk to moisten it. When the butter is melted and spinach steaming, take from the fire and put it in a dish in which it is going to the table.

Garnish with hard-boiled eggs cut in slices or in rings- that is, with the yolk removed and rings of the white only left.

Stewed Cucumbers

The Century Cookbook circa 1894

Needed, 3 large cucumbers, flour, butter, rather more than 1/2 pint of good brown gravy.

Cut cucumbers lengthwise the size of the dish they are intended to be served in; empty them of the seeds, and put them into boiling water, with a little salt, and let them simmer for 5 minutes; then take out, place them in another stewpan with the gravy, and let them boil over a brisk fire until the cucumbers are tender.

Should these be bitter, add a lump of sugar; carefully dish them, skim the sauce, pour over the cucumbers, and serve.

French Rarebit

The Farm and Fireside circa 1903

In a well-buttered baking dish place a layer of buttered toasted bread, and over this a thin layer of grated cheese.
Alternate, (layers) placing cheese on top. Add two cupfuls of milk to which has been added two beaten eggs, one half teaspoonful of salt, one half teaspoonful of mustard and a little red pepper.
Pour this over the bread and cheese.
Bake , covered in a slow oven thirty minutes.
Remove the cover and brown slightly.