Scalloped Asparagus

Scalloped Asparagus

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus
2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. flour
1 c. asparagus stock
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. buttered cracker crumbs
1/2 c. grated cheese

Directions:
Clean the asparagus according to the directions given in Art. 43. Cut
it into inch lengths and cook in boiling salted water until it is tender
enough to be pierced with a fork, and then drain. Prepare a sauce by
melting the butter, adding the flour, and pouring into this mixture the
heated stock and milk seasoned with the salt. Put a layer of the
buttered crumbs in the bottom of a baking dish, and pour half the
asparagus over them. Sprinkle the asparagus with one-third the cheese
and add another layer of crumbs. Sprinkle this with one-third the
cheese. Add the remainder of the asparagus and the crumbs and sprinkle
the rest of the cheese on top. Pour the sauce over the entire mixture,
place in the oven, and bake until heated thoroughly and the top is
slightly browned. Serve from the baking dish.
* * * * *
BEANS AND THEIR PREPARATION
VARIETIES OF BEANS
47. Of all the vegetables commonly used for food, BEANS afford the
greatest variety. However, there are two principal classes into which
all varieties of this vegetable can be placed, namely, string beans
and shell beans. String beans include both the pods and the seeds, and
are used when the beans are very young. Shell beans consist of the
seeds, which are allowed to mature either partly or entirely and are
taken from the shells before cooking. Those which are partly developed
are cooked when they are fresh, but the ones that are allowed to mature
completely are dried and then stored for use at any time during the
year. In some cases, the same variety of beans may be used in the three
ways mentioned, while in others certain kinds are raised expressly for
one of these purposes.
48. The food value of beans increases as they mature, as will be
observed upon reference to Table I. The very young beans, that is, the
string beans, which include the pods and all, are comparatively low in
food value, being only a little higher than asparagus. To increase the
food value of these, fat meat, butter, or other fat is supplied in their
cooking, or milk or a cream sauce is added before they are served. Fresh
shell beans have much more nutriment than string beans, whereas dried
beans are very high in food value. It is this characteristic of dried
shell beans that makes them a very good meat substitute.
STRING BEANS
49. VARIETIES OF STRING BEANS.--There are two general varieties of
string beans: the yellow ones, which are commonly known as wax beans,