PEAS, BEANS, LENTILS, AND MAIZE.
Before giving you receipts for cooking peas, beans, and lentils, I want
to show you how important they are as foods. I have already spoken of
the heat and flesh forming properties of food as the test of its
usefulness; try to understand that a laboring man needs twelve ounces
and a half of heat food, and half an ounce of flesh-food every day to
keep him healthy. One pound, or one and a quarter pints of dried peas,
beans, or lentils, contains nearly six ounces of heat food, and half an
ounce of flesh food; that is, nearly as much heat-food, and more than
twice as much flesh food as wheat. A little fat, salt meat, or suet,
cooked with them, to bring up their amount of heat-food to the right
point, makes either of them the best and most strengthening food a
workingman can have. The only objection to their frequent use is the
fact that their skins are sometimes hard to digest; but if you make them
into soup, or pudding, rubbing them through a sieve after they are
partly cooked, you will be safe from any danger.
=Oatmeal and Peas.=--Cut quarter of a pound of fat pork or bacon, (cost
four cents,) into pieces half an inch square; put it in the bottom of a
pot with two sliced onions, (cost one cent,) and fry ten minutes without
burning; season with two teaspoonfuls of salt, one of sugar, and one
saltspoonful of pepper; (cost of seasoning one cent;) then add three
quarts of cold water, and one pint of peas, (cost five cents,) and boil
the whole gently until the peas become quite soft; then stir in enough
oatmeal to thicken, about a quarter of a pound, (cost two cents or
less;) simmer for twenty minutes, and then eat hot. It is the healthiest
kind of a meal, and costs thirteen cents, or less.
=Peas-Pudding.=--Soak one pint of dried peas, (cost five cents,) in cold
water over night; tie them loosely in a clean cloth, and boil them about
two hours in pot-liquor or water, putting them into it cold and bringing
them gradually to a boil; drain them, pass them through a sieve with a
wooden spoon, season them with a level tablespoonful of salt, half a
saltspoonful of pepper, one ounce of butter, and one egg, (all of which
will cost five cents,) mix, tie in a clean cloth, and boil half an hour
longer; then turn it from the cloth on a dish, and serve hot. This
receipt makes a good large pudding for ten cents; or you can leave out
the egg and it will cost less.
=Peas and Bacon.=--Put one pound of bacon, (cost twelve cents,) to boil in
two and a half quarts of cold water, with one pint of dried peas, (cost
five cents;) when the peas are soft, drain them, press them through a
sieve, lay them neatly on a flat dish, place the bacon on them, and set
them in the oven to brown. Meantime strain any water which may remain
after boiling them, and thicken it over the fire with Indian meal, in
the proportion of four or five tablespoonfuls to each pint, so as to
make it thick enough to cut and fry when cold; boil it about one hour,
and then cool it.
As soon as the peas and bacon are brown, serve them with boiled potatoes
or bread, (about five cents' worth of either;) they make a good dinner,
and with the hasty pudding, cost only about twenty-five cents.
=Baked Peas.=--Proceed as directed for peas-pudding, only instead of
putting the peas again in the cloth put them in a pudding-dish, and
brown them in the oven. A large dish costs only ten cents.
=Peas and Onions.=--Proceed as directed for peas pudding, omitting the
egg, and substituting for it an onion chopped and fried in an ounce of
drippings; bake as in the previous receipt. The cost will be about ten
cents, and the dish is exceedingly nutritious.
=Baked Beans.=--Put one pint of dried beans, (cost six cents,) and quarter
of a pound of salt pork, (cost four cents,) into two quarts of cold
water; bring them to a boil, and boil them slowly for about twenty
minutes; then put the beans, with about a teacupful of the water they
were boiled in, into an open jar, season them with salt and pepper to
taste, and one tablespoonful of molasses, (cost of seasoning one cent,)
lay the pork on the top, and bake two hours, or longer. The dish will
cost about ten cents, and is palatable and nutritious. The liquor in
which the beans were boiled should be saved, and used the next morning
as broth, with seasoning and a little fried or toasted bread in it.
=Stewed Beans.=--Soak a pint of dried beans, (cost six cents,) over night
in cold water; put them to boil in a quart of cold water with one ounce
of drippings, a level tablespoonful of salt, and quarter of a
teaspoonful of pepper, and boil them gently for two hours. Then drain
them, put them into a sauce pan with one ounce of butter and a
tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and after heating them through, serve
them at once. The drippings, butter, and seasoning, will not cost more
than four cents, and the whole dish can be made for ten.
=Fried Beans.=--Proceed as above, omitting the parsley, and letting the
butter get hot in a frying pan, before putting the beans in; fry them a
little, stirring them so that they will brown equally, and then serve
them. The dish will cost ten cents.
=Beans and Bacon.=--Soak a pint of dried beans, (cost six cents,) over
night in cold water; put them over the fire in one quart of cold water,
with quarter of a pound of bacon, (cost three cents,) and boil them
gently for about two hours; then stir in two tablespoonfuls of flour
mixed smooth with a little cold water, season to taste with pepper,
salt, and if you like it a little chopped onion, and let them stew
gently for about ten minutes; they will then be ready to serve. The dish
will cost ten cents.
=Lentils.=--Lentils have been used for food in older countries for a long
time, and it is quite necessary that we should become acquainted with
their merits if we want to save; I give a lentil soup, and some
excellent directions for cooking this invaluable food. One quart of
lentils when cooked will make four pounds of hearty food. There are two
varieties in market; the small flat brown seed, called lentils _à la
reine_; and a larger kind, about the size of peas, and of a greenish
color; both sorts are equally well flavored and nutritious; they cost
ten cents a pound, and can be bought at general groceries. The seed of
the lentil tare, commonly cultivated in France and Germany as an article
of food, ranks nearly as high as meat as a valuable food, being capable
of sustaining life and vigor for a long time; this vegetable is
gradually becoming known in this country, from the use of it by our
French and German citizens; and from its nutritive value it deserves to
rank as high as our favorite New England Beans.
=Lentils boiled plain.=--Wash one pound, or one full pint of lentils,
(cost ten cents,) well in cold water, put them over the fire, in three
quarts of cold water with one ounce of drippings, one tablespoonful of
salt, and a saltspoonful of pepper, (cost about one cent,) and boil
slowly until tender, that is about three hours; drain off the little
water which remains, add to the lentils one ounce of butter, a
tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a teaspoonful of sugar, and a little
more salt and pepper if required, (cost about three cents,) and serve
them hot. Always save the water in which they are boiled; with the
addition of a little thickening and seasoning, it makes a very
nourishing soup.
=Stewed Lentils.=--Put a pint of plain boiled lentils into a sauce pan,
cover them with any kind of pot-liquor, add one ounce of chopped onion,
two ounces of drippings, quarter of an ounce of chopped parsley, and
stew gently for twenty minutes; serve hot. This dish costs about ten
cents.
=Fried Lentils.=--Fry one ounce of chopped onion brown in two ounces of
drippings, add one pint of plain boiled lentils, see if they are
properly seasoned, and brown them well; serve hot. This dish costs about
ten cents, and is very good, and as nutritious as meat.
=Maize, or Indian Corn Meal.=--This native product is a strong and
nutritious food, and very economical; in addition to the ordinary
hasty-pudding, or mush, it can be cooked with a little pot-liquor, meat,
or cheese, so as to be both good and wholesome. Below are some excellent
receipts for cooking it.
=Polenta.=--Boil one pound of yellow Indian meal, (cost four cents,) for
half an hour, in two quarts of pot-liquor or boiling water, salted to
taste, with one ounce of fat, stirring it occasionally to prevent
burning; then bake it for half an hour in a greased baking dish, and
serve it either hot, or, when cold, slice it and fry it in smoking hot
fat. This favorite Italian dish is closely allied to the hasty-pudding
of New England, and the mush of the South. It costs five cents.
=Cheese Pudding.=--Into two quarts of boiling water, containing two
tablespoonfuls of salt, stir one pound of yellow Indian meal, (cost four
cents,) and a quarter of a pound of grated cheese, (cost four cents;)
boil it for twenty minutes, stirring it occasionally to prevent
burning; then put it in a greased baking pan, sprinkle over the top
quarter of a pound of grated cheese, (cost four cents,) and brown in a
quick oven. Serve hot. If any remains, slice it cold and fry it brown.
It costs twelve cents.
=Hasty-Pudding.=--Have boiling upon the fire two quarts of water with a
level tablespoonful of salt; sprinkle in gradually one pound of Indian
meal, (cost four cents,) stirring constantly to prevent lumps; and boil
steadily for one hour, stirring occasionally. The secret of making good
hasty-pudding is to boil it long enough to thoroughly cook it. Some
persons first mix the meal with cold water until it forms a thick
batter, and then stir this into the boiling water. The pudding can be
eaten with a little milk, butter, or molasses, if they are desirable
additions; or with some meat gravy, or melted and seasoned suet. When
cold it is good sliced and fried.
=Johnny Cake.=--Mix one pound of Indian meal, (cost four cents,) one ounce
of lard, (cost one cent,) and one teaspoonful of salt, with sufficient
boiling water to make a stiff batter; put it by the tablespoonful into a
greased baking pan, and bake it thoroughly. Five cents' worth makes a
hearty meal, with a little butter or molasses.
=Indian Cakes.=--These are prepared in the same way as Johnny Cake, except
that the batter is made about as thin as buckwheat cakes, and baked upon
a greased griddle over the fire instead of in the oven. The most
economical way of greasing the griddle is to put a small piece of fat
salt pork upon a fork and rub it over the surface of the griddle after
it is well heated.
=Indian Bread.=--Mix into one quart of boiling water enough Indian meal to
make a thin batter, about a quarter of a pound, (cost one cent;) when it
has cooled, stir into it one pound of wheat flour, (cost four cents,) a
level tablespoonful of salt, and one gill of yeast; let it rise
overnight, and then bake it in loaves.
=Boiled Indian Pudding.=--Dissolve a level teaspoonful of soda in one pint
of sour milk, add to it one pint of molasses, (cost five cents,) quarter
of a pound of chopped suet, (cost two cents,) half a pound of Indian
meal, (cost two cents,) and a level teaspoonful of salt; if you have no
milk use boiling water instead of it; put the pudding into a scalded
pudding bag, or a pudding kettle, and this into a pot of boiling water;
boil steadily for four hours, adding boiling water as the quantity
decreases. The pudding when cooked may be eaten with sauce or molasses,
if desired; it will cost about ten cents.
=Baked Indian Pudding.=--Stir into a quart of boiling milk, (cost eight
cents,) quarter of a pound of Indian meal, (cost one cent,) one level
teaspoonful of salt, the same of spice, and one ounce of butter, (cost
two cents;) last of all add one pint of cold milk, (cost four cents,) or
milk and water. Pour the pudding into an earthen dish, and bake slowly
for three hours. It will cost about fifteen cents, and be very nice.
There is as much difference in the quality of Indian meal as there is in
its preparation; Southern meal is undoubtedly finer than Northern, and
Southern cooks are proverbial for their skill in using it. I am indebted
for some of the preceding receipts to a friend in Maryland, and I advise
my readers to buy Southern meal, if they can get it, and test them
thoroughly. Meal that is ground by hand or water power is superior to
that ground by steam, because it is less heated in the process.
Indian corn is an excellent food in temperate and warm climates; and
from its abundant yield, and easy cultivation, it is one of the cheapest
of cereals. It contains the nitrates, or flesh-forming properties, in an
excessive degree. It is a palatable and nutritious diet whether eaten
green, parched, or ground into meal.