CABBAGE, PLAIN BOILED.—­Ordinary young cabbages should be first trimmed by having the outside leaves removed, the stalks cut off, and then should be cut in halves and allowed to soak some time in salt and water.  They should be thrown into plenty of boiling water; the water should be kept boiling and uncovered.  As soon as they are tender they should be strained off and served immediately.  Young summer cabbages will not take longer than a quarter of an hour, or even less; old cabbages take nearly double that time.  It is impossible to lay down any exact rule with regard to time.  Savoys generally take about half an hour.  The large white cabbages met with in the West of England take longer and require a different treatment.

When cabbage is served as a dish by itself it will be found a great improvement to add either butter or oil to moisten the cabbage after it is thoroughly drained off.  In order to ensure the butter not oiling, but adhering to the cabbage, it is best after the butter is added, and while you mix it with the cabbage, to shake the flour-dredger two or three times over the vegetable.  In Germany, many add vinegar and sugar to the cabbage.

CABBAGE, LARGE WHITE.—­In the West of England cabbages grow to an immense size, owing, probably, to the moist heat, and have been exhibited in agricultural shows over twenty pounds in weight and as big as an eighteen gallon cask.  These cabbages are best boiled as follows:—­After being cut up and thoroughly washed, it will be found that the greater part of the cabbage resembles what in ordinary cabbage would be called stalk, and, of course, the leaves vary very considerably in thickness from the hard stalk end up to the leaf.  Have plenty of boiling water ready salted, now cut off the stalk part where it is thickest and throw this in first.  Wait till the water comes to the boil again and let it boil for a few minutes.  Then throw in the next thickest part and again wait till the water re-boils, and so on, reserving the thin leafy part to be thrown in last of all.  By this means, and this only, do we get the cabbage boiled uniformly.  Had we thrown in all at once one of two things would be inevitable—­either the stalk would be too hard to be eaten or the leafy part over-boiled.  A large white cabbage takes about an hour to boil tender, and a piece of soda should be added to the water.  When the cabbage is well drained, it can be served either plain or moistened, and made to look oily by the addition of a piece of butter.  As the cabbage is very white, the dish is very much improved by the addition of a little chopped parsley sprinkled over the top, not for the sake of flavour but appearance.

CABBAGE AND CREAM.—­Ordinary cabbages are sometimes served stewed with a little cream.  They should be first parboiled, then the moisture squeezed from them, and then they must be put in a stew-pan with a little butter, pepper, salt and nutmeg, and a spoonful of flour should be shaken over the cabbage in order to prevent the butter being too oily.  When the cabbage is stewed till it is perfectly tender, add a few spoonfuls of cream, stir up, and make the whole thoroughly hot, and serve with fried or toasted bread.