The white
asparagus will have slightly green tips, while the rest of the stem
will be white.
Asparagus is one of the succulent vegetables comparatively low in food
value. It contains, as Table I shows, only one-fourth as many calories
to the pound as potatoes. Its food value, however, may be increased by
dressing it with butter after the vegetable has been cooked or by
serving with it a sauce made with milk, butter, flour, etc. Then, too,
asparagus is sometimes served on toast, which is another means of making
a more nutritious dish out of this vegetable.
In its composition, asparagus contains a _diuretic_, that is, a
substance that has an effect upon the kidneys, and that is known as
_asparagine_. Because of the presence of this substance, asparagus is
thought to be injurious to those who have kidney trouble, but it need
not be avoided except in some forms of this disease. 43. PREPARATION
FOR COOKING.--To prepare asparagus for cooking, strip the tiny scales
from the sides of the stems by means of a small paring knife. These hold
sand and are responsible for the presence of the grit that is sometimes
found in a cooked dish of asparagus even when the housewife feels
certain that she has washed it as clean as possible. Then wash the stems
thoroughly in several cold waters, lifting them out of the water after
each washing instead of pouring the water off of them. If the water is
poured off the stems, the sand that has been washed from them is likely
to remain in the bottom of the pan and mix with the vegetable again.
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