The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Beeton

oz. of butter, 8 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1 small teaspoonful of pounded sugar, a very little grated nutmeg. _Mode_.--Boil and drain the spinach as in recipe No. 1155; chop it finely, and put it into a stewpan with the butter; stir over a gentle fire, and, when the butter has dried away, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Previously to adding the cream, boil it first, in case it should curdle. Serve on a hot dish, and garnish either with sippets of toasted bread or leaves of puff-paste. _Time_.--10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach; 10 minutes to stew with the cream. _Average cost_ for the above quantity, 8d. _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_.--Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from November to March. [Illustration: SPINACH.] SPINACH.--This is a Persian plant. It has been cultivated in our gardens about two hundred years, and is the most wholesome of vegetables. It is not very nutritious, but is very easily digested. It is very light and laxative. Wonderful properties have been ascribed to spinach. It is an excellent vegetable, and very beneficial to health. Plainly dressed, it is a resource for the poor; prepared luxuriantly, it is a choice dish for the rich. SPINACH.--This vegetable belongs to a sub-order of the _Salsolaceae_, or saltworts, and is classified under the head of _Spirolobeae_, with leaves shaped like worms, and of a succulent kind. In its geographical distribution it is commonly found in extratropical and temperate regions, where they grow as weeds in waste places, and among rubbish, and in marshes by the seashore. In the tropics the order is rarely found. Many of them are used as potherbs, and some of them are emetic and vermifuge in their medicinal properties. FRENCH MODE OF DRESSING SPINACH.