"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax-- Of cabbages--and kings--"

Tonight introducing the Eighth Wonder of the World...



the CABBAGE!!!!! (weee, roar, wooo)

Now, I'm sure some of you are going to tap me on the shoulder and say "Excuse me Miss... Cabbage is the most disgusting, evil, horrifying, appalling vegetable ever created, and if I were God, I would take it back." And I'm sure school lunches may have something to do with that.

But when cooked right, to just the right amount of crispness with a little salt, cabbage is delicious and juicy.



CABBAGE, BOILED.

INGREDIENTS. - Cabbages.
To each 1/2 gallon of water allow 1 heaped tablespoon of salt, a very small piece of soda.

METHOD. - Pick off all the dead outside leaves, cut off as much of the stalk as possible, and cut the cabagges across, tiwce at the stalk end; if very large, quarter them.
Wash them well in cold water, place them in a colander, and drain; then put them into fast-boiling water, to which has been added salt and sode in the above proportions.
Stir the cabbages once or twice in the water, keep the pan uncovered, and let them boil quickly until tender.
The instant they are done take the cabbages up into a colander, place a plate over them, let them drain thoroughly, dish, cutting them into squares.

TIME. - Small young cabbages, from 15 to 20 minutes; large cabbages and savoys, from 30 to 40 minutes. SUFFICIENT, allow 1 medium sized cabbage to 3 or 4 persons.

Note. - Cabbages are seasonable at any time

So that's how you cook cabbages. I like to slice mine up pretty fine. Nothing is worse than overcooked cabbage, so keep an eye on the times and you may want to reduce them accordingly.

Enjoy!

"...there are times when only mashed potato will do." - Nigella Lawson

Sometimes I agree with Nigella. Sometimes I think she's just a little too excited by food. But Nigella hits the nail on the head with mashed potato. Mashed potato is essential... and as if they read my mind - an article in the Times describes all different varieties of ways to produce the perfect mashed potato.

So here's how Mrs Beeton suggests you make them. How do you make yours?





POTATOES, MASHED.

INGREDIENTS. - 1 lb. of potatoes
1 oz. of butter
1 or 2 tablespoonfuls of milk
salt

METHOD. - Peel and steam the potatoes over a saucepan of boiling water, or boil them in their skins, and afterwards peel them.
In either case, pass the potatoes through a wire sieve, or mash them well with a fork.
Heat the butter in a stewpan, add the milk, stir in the potato, and season to tastes with salt.
Beat well with a wooden spoon, pile lightly in a hot dish, then serve.

TIME. - To steam, 30 to 40 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 3 persons

Peas, peas me, whoa yeah, Like I peas you...

Just because you can buy frozen peas and ping them in the microwave, doesn't mean you can't know how to cook them for real.



PEAS, GREEN, BOILED

INGREDIENTS. - 2 pints of green peas
mint
butter
salt and pepper

METHOD. - Shell the peas, put them into boiling water, add a little salt and a sprig of mint, and boil, with the saucepan uncovered, from 10 to 25 minutes, according to age and variety.
Drain well, put them into a hot vegetable dish, season with pepper, add a small piece of butter, and serve.

TIME. - From 10 to 25 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 6 or 7 persons

Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. - Mark Twain

Cauliflower is pretty awesome. What can make it even awesomer is the addition of cheese sauce. Preferably lots of it. For some reason, I usually only make this at Christmas time, which is probably good for my cholesterol levels.



CAULIFLOWER, BAKED, WITH CHEESE.

INGREDIENTS. - 2 or 3 small cauliflowers
3/4 of a pint of white sauce
2 tablespoonfuls of grated cheese, preferably Parmesan
1 tablespoonful of brown breadcrumbs
about 1 oz. of butter

METHOD. - Boil the cauliflower as in the following recipe, (Put them into fast-boiling water and let them boil gently, keeping the saucepan uncovered.) drain well, and divide them into pieces convenient for serving.
Have ready a round gratin dish, or any fireproof dish, that may be sent to the table, grease it well, and in it arrange the pieces of cauliflower so as to appear as one large one.
Mix 2/3 of the cheese with the COLD white sauce, and the remainder with the breadcrumbs; pour the sauce over the cauliflower, and cover the surface with the mixed breadcrumbs and cheese.
Place small piece of butter on the top, and bake in a moderate over until well browned.

TIME. - About 40 minutes. SEASONABLE from June to November. SUFFICIENT for 5 persons.

I omitted the breadcrumbs. And I think I had a bit more white sauce. And lots more cheese. Lots and lots more cheese. I usually ping my cauliflower in the microwave rather than boiling it until tender, and add the white sauce while it is warm and all the cheese melts into it and then it seeps all around the cauliflower. But that could be just me...