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Cooking Asparagus

The simplest manner of cooking asparagus is the best, if you wish to enjoy the full flavor. Thoroughly wash in cold water each stalk and the tough end broken off. Bind the stalks in small bunches with a strip of muslin; place in a kettle and pour over them just boiling water to merely cover; simmer gently until tender, but not soft. It must not be boiled too long and is really better a little underdone. Take it from the water as soon as tender. The time required to properly cook asparagus depends on its freshness and age; fresh and tender stalks require not more than fourteen or twenty-one minutes. If older or slightly wilted, twenty-one to twenty-eight will be necessary. Do not throw away the water in which the asparagus has been cooked or the tough ends of the stalks. Cook the latter in a little water; add this water to that remaining after cooking the tender stalks, and use it for making a cream of asparagus soup, adding a few of the tips and tender stalks cut into small pieces.