Set a stew-pan with plenty of water on the fire, sprinkle a handful of salt in it, let it boil, and skim it; then put in the asparagus prepared thus:  scrape all the stalks till they are perfectly clean; throw them into a pan of cold water as you scrape them; when they are all done, tie them in little bundles, of a quarter of a hundred each, with bass, if you can get it, or tape; cut off the stalks at the bottom, that they may be all of a length; when they are tender at the stalk, which will be in from twenty to thirty minutes, they are done enough.  Great care must be taken to watch the exact time of their becoming tender; take them just at that instant, and they will have their true flavour and colour; a minute or two more boiling destroys both.  While the asparagus is boiling, toast a slice of a loaf of bread, about a half an inch thick; brown it delicately on both sides; dip it lightly in the liquor the asparagus was boiled in, and lay it in the middle of a dish; pour some melted butter on the toast, and lay the asparagus upon it; let it project beyond the asparagus, that the company may see there is a toast.  Do not pour butter over them, but send some in a boat.

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Sea-kale.

Is tied up in bundles, and dressed in the same way as asparagus.

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To scollop tomatos.

Peel off the skin from large, full, ripe tomatos—­put a layer in the bottom of a deep dish, cover it well with bread grated fine; sprinkle on pepper and salt, and lay some bits of butter over them—­put another layer of each, till the dish is full—­let the top be covered with crumbs and butter—­bake it a nice brown.

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To stew tomatos.

Take off the skin, and put them in a pan with salt, pepper, and a large piece of butter—­stew them till sufficiently dry.

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Cauliflower.

Choose those that are close and white, and of a middle size—­trim off the outside leaves, cut off the stalk flat at the bottom, let them lie in salt and water an hour before you boil them.  Put them in boiling water, with a handful of salt in it—­skim it well, and let it boil slowly till done, which a small one will be in fifteen minutes, a large one in twenty—­and take it up the moment it is enough:  a few minutes longer boiling will spoil it.

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Red beet roots.

Are not so much used as they deserve to be; they are dressed in the same way as parsnips, only neither scraped nor cut till after they are boiled; they will take from an hour and a half to three hours in boiling, according to their size; to be sent to the table with salt fish, boiled beef, &c.  When young, small and juicy, it is a very good variety, an excellent garnish, and easily converted into a very cheap and pleasant pickle.