VEGETABLES.
SUBSTANTIAL VEGETABLES.
Vegetables may be roughly divided into two classes--those that may be
called substantial and which are adapted to form a meal in themselves, and
those of a lighter kind, which cannot be said to make a sufficient repast
unless eaten with bread.
Potatoes were first introduced into this country about 400 years ago,
tobacco being introduced about the same period, and we cannot disguise the
fact that there are many who regard the latter as the greater blessing of
the two. If Sir Henry Thompson is right in stating that tobacco is the
great ally of temperance, there may be some ground for this opinion.
Potatoes form an important article of food for the body, while, whatever
effect tobacco may have upon the thinking powers of mankind, it is almost
the only product of the vegetable kingdom that is absolutely uneatable even
when placed within the reach of those in the last stage of starvation.
In some parts, especially in Ireland, potatoes form almost the only food of
the population, just as rice does in hotter climates, and when the crop
fails famine ensues. When potatoes form the only kind of food, a very
large quantity has to be eaten by a hard-working man in order for him to
receive sufficient nourishment to keep his body healthy, the amount
required being not less than ten pounds per day. If, on the other hand, a
certain amount of fat or oil of some kind be mixed with them, a far less
quantity will suffice. Hence we find in Ireland that, wherever it is
possible, either some kind of oily fish, such as herring, is taken with
them, or, which is much more to the point with vegetarians, a certain
quantity of fat is obtained in the shape of milk.
It must also be remembered that four pounds of raw potatoes contain only
one pound of solid food, the remaining three pounds being water. It is
important, for those who first commence a vegetarian diet, to remember that
vegetables like peas, haricot beans, and lentils are far superior to
potatoes so far as nourishment is concerned, for many are apt to jump to
the conclusion that potatoes are the very best substitute for bread and
milk. So, too, is oatmeal. A Scotchman requires a far less quantity of
oatmeal to sustain life than an Irishman does potatoes; hence it is a very
important point to remember that, if we depend upon potatoes to any great
extent for our daily food, we should cook them in such a manner as to
entail as little waste as possible. We will now try and explain, as
briefly as possible, the best method of serving.
POTATOES, PLAIN BOILED.--The best method of having potatoes, if we wish to
study economy, is to boil them in their jackets, as it is generally
admitted that the most nourishing part is that which lies nearest to the
skin. There are many houses in the country where an inexperienced cook
will peel, say four pounds of potatoes, and throw the peel into the
pig-tub, where the pig gets a better meal than the family.
When potatoes are boiled in their skins, they should be thoroughly washed
and scrubbed with a hard brush. Old potatoes should be put into cold
water, and when the water boils the time should a good deal depend upon the
size of the potatoes. When the potatoes are large, the chief principle to
be borne in mind is, do not let them boil too quickly or cook too quickly.
We must avoid having the outside pulpy while the inside is hard. The
water, which should be slightly salted, should more than cover them, and,
if the potatoes are very large, directly the water comes to the boil it is
a good plan to throw in a little cold water to take it off the boil. It is
quite impossible to lay down any exact law in regard to boiling potatoes.
We cannot do more than give general principles which can only be carried
out by cooks who possess a little common sense.
Small new potatoes are an extreme in one direction. They should be thrown
into boiling water, and are generally cooked in about ten minutes or a
quarter of an hour. Large old potatoes should be put into cold water and,
as we have stated, the water should not be allowed to boil too soon, and it
will take very often an hour to boil them properly. Between these two
extremes there is a gradually ascending scale which must be left to the
judgment of the cook. It is as impossible to lay down any hard-and-fast
line with regard to time in boiling potatoes as it would be to say at what
exact point in the thermometer between freezing and 80 degrees in the shade
a man should put on his top coat.
If we may be allowed the expression, "old new" potatoes should be thrown
into neither boiling water nor cold water, but lukewarm water. Again, in
boiling potatoes, especially in the case of old ones, some little allowance
must be made for the time of year. In winter, they require longer time,
and we may here mention the fact that it is very important that potatoes,
after they are dug, should not be left out of doors and exposed to a hard
frost, as in this case a chemical change takes place in which the starch is
converted into sugar.
When potatoes are boiled in their jackets sufficiently, which fact is
generally tested by sticking a steel fork into them, they should be
strained off, and allowed to get dry for a few minutes in the saucepan,
which should be removed from the fire, as at times the potatoes are apt to
stick and burn.
When large potatoes are peeled before they are boiled, we should endeavour
to send them to table floury, and this is often said to be the test of a
really good cook. After the water has been strained off from the potatoes,
a dry cloth should be placed under the lid of the saucepan, and the lid
should only be placed half on, _i.e._, it should not be fitted down tight.
It is also as well to give the saucepan now and then a shake, but do not
overdo the shaking and break them. About five or ten minutes is generally
sufficient.
POTATOES, STEAMED.--Potatoes can be steamed in their jackets, and it is a
more economical method than peeling. It should be remembered, however,
that steam is hotter than boiling water. If plain water is underneath and
boils furiously, and the steam is well shut in, they will cook very
quickly; but if, as is generally the case, something else is in the
saucepan under the steamer, boiling gently, this does not apply. We refer
to the ordinary steamer met with in private houses, and not to the ones
used in the large hotels and restaurants.
POTATOES, BAKED.--When potatoes are baked in the oven in their jackets the
larger they are the better. The oven must not be too fierce, and ample
time should be allowed. Baked potatoes require quite two hours. This only
refers to those baked in their jackets. When potatoes are cut up and baked
in a tin they require some kind of fat, which, of course, in vegetarian
cookery must be either oil or butter.
POTATOES, MASHED.--What may be termed high-class mashed potatoes are made
by mashing up ordinary boiled potatoes with a little milk _previously
boiled_, a little butter, and passing the whole through a wire sieve, when
a little cream, butter and salt is added.
In private houses mashed potatoes are generally made from the remains of
cold boiled potatoes, or when the cook, in boiling the potatoes, has made a
failure. Still, of course, potatoes are boiled often expressly for the
purpose of being mashed. This is often the case where old potatoes have to
be cut into all sorts of shapes and sizes in order to get rid of the black
spots. As soon as the potatoes are boiled they are generally moistened in
the saucepan with a little drop of milk. It is undoubtedly an improvement,
and also entails very little extra trouble, to boil the milk first. There
is a difference in flavour, which is very marked, between milk that has
been boiled and raw milk. Suppose you have coffee for breakfast, add
boiling milk to one cup and raw milk to another, and then see how great a
difference there will be in the flavour of the two. A little butter should
be added to mashed potatoes, but it is not really essential. Mashed
potatoes can be served in the shape of a mould, that is, they can be shaped
in a mould and then browned in the oven. If you serve mashed potatoes in
an ordinary dish, and pile them up in the shape of a dome, the dish will
look much prettier if you score it round with a fork and then place the
dish in a fairly fierce even; the edges will brown, but be careful that
they don't get burnt black.
POTATOES, FRIED.--The best lesson, if you wish to fry potatoes nicely, is
to look in at the window of a fried fish shop, where every condition is
fulfilled that is likely to lead to perfection. The bath of oil is deep
and smoking hot, and in sufficient quantity not to lose greatly in
temperature on the introduction of the frying-basket containing the
potatoes. The potatoes must be cut up into small pieces, not much bigger
in thickness than the little finger; these are plunged into the smoking hot
oil, and as soon as they are _slightly_ browned on the outside they are
done. They acquire a darker colour after they are removed from the oil,
and the inside will go on cooking for several minutes. It would be quite
impossible to eat fried potatoes directly they are taken out of the fat, as
they would burn the mouth terribly. It is best to throw the fried potatoes
into a cloth for a few seconds.
POTATO CHIPS.--Potato chips are ordinary fried potatoes cut up when raw
into little pieces about the size and thickness of a lucifer match. They,
of course, will cook very quickly. They should be removed from the oil
directly they _begin_ to turn colour.
POTATO RIBBON.--Potato ribbon is simply ordinary fried potatoes, in which
the raw potato is cut in the shape of a ribbon. You take a potato and peel
it in the ordinary way. You then take this and, with not too sharp a
knife, peel it like apple, making the strip as long as you can, like
children sometimes do when they throw the apple peel over their shoulders
to see what letter it will make. You can go on peeling the potato round
and round till there is none left. These ribbons are thrown into boiling
oil, and must be removed as soon as they begin to turn colour. When piled
up in a dish they look very pretty, and with a little pepper and salt, and
a squeeze of lemon-juice, make an excellent meal when eaten with bread.
POTATO SAUTE.--This dish is more frequently met with abroad than in
England, except in foreign restaurants. It is made by taking the remains
of ordinary plain-boiled potatoes that are not floury. These are cut up
into small pieces about the size of the thumb, no particular shape being
necessary. They are thrown into a frying-pan with a little butter, and
fried gently till the edges begin to brown; they are served with chopped
parsley and pepper and salt. The butter should be poured over the
potatoes, and supplies the fatty element which potato lacks.
POTATOES A LA MAITRE D'HOTEL.--These are very similar to potato saute, the
difference being that they are not browned at the edges. Small kidney
potatoes are best for the purpose. These must be boiled till tender, and
the potatoes then cut into slices. These must be warmed up with a spoonful
or two of white sauce (_see_ WHITE SAUCE), to which is added some chopped
parsley and a little lemon-juice. A more common way is to boil the
potatoes, slice them up while hot, and then toss them about in a
vegetable-dish lightly with a lump of what is called Maitre d'hotel butter.
This is simply a lump of plain cold butter, mixed with chopped parsley,
till it looks like a lump of cold parsley and butter. When tossed about
squeeze a little lemon-juice over the whole and serve.
POTATOES, NEW.--New potatoes should be washed and the skin, if necessary,
rubbed off with the fingers; they should be thrown into boiling water,
slightly salted, and as a rule require from fifteen to five-and-twenty
minutes to boil before they are done. During the last few minutes throw in
one or two sprigs of fresh mint, drain them off and let there dry, and then
place them in a vegetable-dish with the mint and a little piece of butter,
in which the potatoes should be boiled to give them a shiny appearance
outside.
New potatoes can also be served with a little white sauce to which has been
added a little chopped parsley.
POTATO BALLS.--Mash some boiled potatoes with a little butter, pepper,
salt, chopped parsley, chopped onion, or still better, shallot, and add a
few savoury herbs. Mix up one or two or more well-beaten eggs, according
to the quantity of potato, roll the mixture into balls, flour them, and fry
them a nice brown colour, and serve.
POTATO CROQUETTES OR CUTLETS.--These are very similar to potato balls, only
they should be smaller and more delicately flavoured. The potatoes are
boiled and mashed, and, if the croquettes are wished to be very good, one
or two hard-boiled yolks of eggs should be mixed with them. The mixture is
slightly flavoured with shallot, savoury herbs or thyme, chopped parsley,
and a little nutmeg. One or two fresh well-beaten-up eggs are now added,
the mixture then rolled into small balls no bigger than a walnut. These
are then dipped in well-beaten-up egg, and then bread-crumbed. The balls
are fried a nice golden-brown colour and served.
Potato cutlets are exactly the same, only instead of shaping the mixture
into a little ball, the ball is flattened into the shape of a small oval
cutlet. These are then egged, bread-crumbed, and fried, but before being
sent to table a small piece of green parsley stalk is stuck in one end to
represent the bone of the cutlet. These little cutlets, placed on an
ornamental sheet of white paper, at the bottom of the silver dish, look
very pretty. A small heap of fried parsley should be placed in the centre
of the dish.
POTATO PIE.--(_See_ SAVOURY DISHES, p. 112.)
POTATO CHEESECAKE.--(_See_ CHEESECAKES, p. 169.)
POTATO SALADS.--(_See_ SALADS, p. 101.)
POTATO, BORDER OF.--A very pretty dish can be made by making a border of
mashed potatoes, hollow in the centre, in which can be placed various kinds
of other vegetables, such as haricot beans, stewed peas, &c. The mashed
potato should be mixed with one or two well-beaten-up eggs, and the outside
of the border can be moulded by hand, to make it look smooth and neat; a
piece of flexible tin, flat, will be found very useful, or even a piece of
cardboard. If you wish to make the border ornamental, you can proceed
exactly as directed under the heading Rice Borders, and if it is wished to
make the dish particularly handsome, it can be painted outside, before
being placed in the oven, with a yolk of egg beaten up with a tiny drop of
hot water. When this is done, the potato border has an appearance similar
in colour to the rich pastry generally seen outside a pie, or _vol au
vent_. The inside of the potato border after it has been scooped out can
be filled with plain boiled macaroni mixed with Parmesan cheese, and
ornamented with a little chopped parsley on the top and a few small baked
red ripe tomatoes. Again, it can be filled with white haricot beans piled
up in the shape of a dome, with some chopped parsley sprinkled over the
top. There are, perhaps, few dishes in vegetarian cookery that can be made
to look more elegant.
POTATO BISCUITS (_M. Ude's Recipe_).--Take fifteen fresh eggs, break the
yolks into one pan and the whites into another. Beat the yolks with a
pound of sugar pounded very fine, scrape the peel of a lemon with a lump of
sugar, dry that and pound it fine also; then throw into it the yolks, and
work the eggs and sugar till they are of a whitish colour. Next whip the
whites well and mix them with the yolks. Now sift half a pound of flour of
potatoes through a silk sieve over the eggs and sugar. Have some paper
cases ready, which lay on a plafond with some paper underneath. Fill the
cases, but not too full; glaze the contents with some rather coarse sugar,
and bake the whole in an oven moderately heated.
POTATO BREAD.--In making bread, a portion of mashed potato is sometimes
added to the flour, and this addition improves the bread very much for some
tastes; it also keeps it from getting dry quite so soon. At the same time
it is not so nutritious as ordinary home-made bread. Boil the required
quantity of potatoes in their skins, drain and dry them, then peel and
weigh them. Pound them with the rolling-pin until they are quite free from
lumps, and mix with them the flour in the proportion of seven pounds of
flour to two and a half pounds of potatoes. Add the yeast and knead in the
ordinary way, but make up the bread with milk instead of water. When the
dough is well risen, bake the bread in a gentle oven. Bake it a little
longer than for ordinary bread, and, when it seems done enough, let it
stand a little while, with the oven-door open, before taking it out.
Unless these precautions are taken, the crust will be hard and brittle,
while the inside is still moist and doughy. This recipe is from "Cassell's
Dictionary of Cookery."
POTATO CAKE.--Take a dozen good-sized potatoes and hake them in the oven
till done, then peel and put them into a saucepan with a little salt and
grated lemon-peel; set them upon the stove and put in a piece of fresh
butter and stir the whole; add a little cream and sugar, still continuing
to stir them; then let them cool a little and add some orange-flower water,
eight yolks of eggs and four only of whites, whisked into froth; heat up
the whole together and mix it with the potato puree. Butter a mould and
sprinkle it with bread-crumbs; pour in the paste, place the pan upon hot
cinders, with fire upon the lid, and let it remain for three-quarters of an
hour, or it may be baked in an oven.
POTATO CHEESE.--Potato cheeses are very highly esteemed in Germany; they
can be made of various qualities, but care must be taken that they are not
too rich and have not too much heat, or they will burst. Boil the potatoes
till they are soft, but the skin must not be broken. The potatoes must be
large and of the best quality. When boiled, carefully peel them and beat
them to a smooth paste in a mortar with a wooden pestle. To make the
commonest cheese, put five pounds of potato paste into a cheese-tub with
one pound of milk and rennet; add a sufficient quantity of salt, together
with caraways and cumin seed sufficient to impart a good flavour. Knead
all these ingredients well together, cover up and allow them to stand three
or four days in winter, two to three in summer. At the end of that time
knead them again, put the paste into wicker moulds, and leave the cheeses
to drain until they are quite dry. When dry and firm, lay them on a board
and leave them to acquire hardness gradually in a place of very moderate
warmth; should the heat be too great, as we have said, they will burst.
When, in spite of all precautions, such accidents occur, the crevices of
the burst cheeses are, in Germany, filled with curds and cream mixed, some
being also put over the whole surface of the cheese, which is then dried
again. As soon as the cheeses are thoroughly dry and hard, place them in
barrels with green chickweed between each cheese; let them stand for about
three weeks, when they will be fit for use.
POTATOES A LA BARIGOULE.--Peel some potatoes and boil them in a little
water with some oil, pepper, salt, onions, and savoury herbs. Boil them
slowly, so that they can absorb the liquor; when they are done, brown them
in a stew-pan in a little oil, and serve them to be eaten with oil and
vinegar, pepper and salt.
POTATOES, BROILED.--Potatoes are served this way sometimes in Italy. They
are first boiled in their skins, but not too long. They are then taken out
and peeled, cut into thin slices, placed on a gridiron, and grilled till
they are crisp. A little oil is poured over them when they are served.
POTATOES A LA LYONNAISE.--First boil and then peel and slice some potatoes.
Make some rather thin puree of onion. (_See_ SAUCE SOUBISE.) Pour this
over the potatoes and serve.
Another way is to first brown the slices of potatoes and then serve them
with the onion sauce, with the addition of a little vinegar or lemon-juice.
POTATOES A LA PROVENCALE.--Put a small piece of butter into a stew-pan, or
three tablespoonfuls of oil, three beads of garlic, the peel of a quarter
of a lemon, and some parsley, all chopped up very fine; add a little grated
nutmeg, pepper and salt. Peel some small potatoes and let them stew till
they are tender in this mixture. Large potatoes can be used for the
purpose, only they must be cut tip into pieces. Add the juice of a lemon
before serving.
HARICOT BEANS.--It is very much to be regretted that haricot beans are not
more used in this country. There are hundreds of thousands of families who
at the end of a year would be richer in purse and more healthy in body if
they would consent to deviate from the beaten track and try haricot beaus,
not as an accompaniment to a dish of meat, but as an article of diet in
themselves. The immense benefit derived in innumerable cases from a diet
of beans is one of the strongest and most practical arguments in favour of
vegetarianism. Meat-eaters often boast of the plainness of their food, and
yet wonder that they suffer in health. It is not an uncommon thing for a
man to consult his doctor and to tell him, "I live very simply, nothing but
plain roast or boiled."
Medical men are all agreed on one point, and that is that haricot beans
rank almost first among vegetables as a nourishing article of diet. In
writing on this subject, Sir Henry Thompson observes, "Let me recall, at
the close of these few hints about the haricot, the fact that there is no
product of the vegetable kingdom so nutritious, holding its own, in this
respect, as it well can, even against the beef and mutton of the animal
kingdom."
This is a very strong statement, coming as it does from so high an
authority, and vegetarians would do well to hear it in mind when discussing
the subject of vegetarianism with those who differ from them. Sir Henry
proceeds as follows:--"The haricot ranks just above lentils, which have
been so much praised of late, and rightly, the haricot being to most
palates more agreeable. By most stomachs, too, haricots are more easily
digested than meat is; and, consuming weight for weight, the eater feels
lighter and less oppressed, as a rule, after the leguminous dish, while the
comparative cost is very greatly in favour of the latter."
To boil haricot beans proceed as follows. We refer, of course, to the
dried white haricot beans, the best of which are those known as Soissons.
The beans should be soaked in cold water overnight, and in the morning any
that may be found floating on the top of the water should be thrown away.
Suppose the quantity be a quart; place these in a saucepan with two quarts
of cold water, slightly salted. As soon as time water conies to the boil,
move it so that the beans will only simmer gently; they must then continue
simmering till they are tender. This generally takes about three hours,
and if the water is hard, it is advisable to put in a tiny piece of soda.
This is the simple way of cooking beans usually recommended in
cookery-books when they are served up with a dish of meat, such as a leg of
mutton a la Bretonne, where the beans are served in some rich brown gravy
containing fat. In vegetarian cookery, of course, we must proceed entirely
differently, and there are various ways in which this nourishing dish can
be served, as savoury and as appetising, and indeed more so, than if we had
assistance from the slaughter-house. We will now proceed to give a few
instances.
In the first place, it will greatly assist the flavour of the beans if we
boil with them one or two onions and a dessertspoonful of savoury herbs.
Supposing, however, we have them boiled plain. Take a large dry crust of
bread and rub the outside well over with one or two beads of garlic. Place
this crust of bread with the beans after they have been strained off, and
toss them lightly about with the crust without breaking the beans. Remove
the crust and moisten the beans while hot with a lump of butter, add a
brimming dessertspoonful of chopped blanched parsley; squeeze the juice of
a lemon over the whole, and serve. Instead of butter we can add, as they
always do in Italy, two or three tablespoonfuls of pure olive oil. Those
who have conquered the unreasonable English prejudice against the use of
oil will probably find this superior to butter.
If the beans are served in the form of a puree, it is always best to boil a
few onions with them and rub the onions through the wire sieve with the
beans, taking care that the quantity of onion is not so large that it
destroys and overpowers the delicate and delicious flavour of the beans
themselves.
Next, we would call attention to the importance of not throwing away the
water in which the beans were boiled. This water contains far more
nourishment than people are aware of, and throughout the length and breadth
of France, where economy is far more understood than in this country, it is
invariably saved to assist in making some kind of soup, and as our soup
will, of course, be vegetarian, the advantage gained is simply
incalculable.
FLAGEOLETS.--These are haricot beans in the fresh green state, and are
rarely met with in this country, though they form a standing dish abroad.
They are exceedingly nice, and can be cooked in a little butter like the
French cook green peas. They are often flavoured with garlic, and chopped
parsley can be added to them. Those who are fond of this vegetable in the
fresh state can obtain them in tins from any high-class grocer, as the
leading firms in this country keep them in this form for export.
PEAS, DRIED.--Dried peas, like dried beans, contain a very great amount of
nourishment. Indeed, in this respect, practically, dried beans, dried
peas, and lentils may be considered equal. Dried peas are met with in two
forms--the split yellow pea and those that are dried whole, green. Split
peas are chiefly used in this country to make pea soup, or puree of peas
and peas pudding. We have already given recipes for the two former, and
will now describe how to make--
PEAS PUDDING.--Soak a quart of peas in water overnight, throwing away those
in the morning that are found floating at the top. Drain them off and tie
them up in a pudding-cloth, taking care to leave plenty of room for the
peas to swell; put them into cold water, and boil them till they are
tender. This will take from two to three hours. When tender, take them
out, untie the cloth, and rub them through a colander, or, better still, a
wire sieve. Now mix in a couple of ounces of butter with some pepper and
salt, flour the cloth well and tie it up again and boil it for another
hour, when it can be turned out and served. Peas pudding when eaten alone
is improved by mixing in, at the same time as the butter, a dessertspoonful
of dried powdered mint, also, should you have the remains of any cold
potatoes in the house, it is a very good way of using them up. A few
savoury herbs can be used instead of mint.
PEAS "BROSE."--Dr. Andrew, in writing to the "Cyclopaedia of Domestic
Medicine," says, "In the West of Scotland, especially in Glasgow, 'peas
brose,' as it is called, is made of the fine flour of the white pea, by
forming it into a mass merely by the addition of boiling water and a little
salt. It is a favourite dish with not only the working classes, but it is
even esteemed by many of the gentry. It was introduced into fashion
chiefly by the recommendation of Dr. Cleghorn, late Professor of Chemistry
in Glasgow University. The peas brose is eaten with milk or butter, and is
a sweet, nourishing article of diet peculiarly fitted for persons of a
costive habit and for children."
PEAS, DRIED WHOLE, GREEN.--This is perhaps the best form with which we meet
peas dried. When the best quality is selected, and care taken in their
preparation, they are quite equal to fresh green peas when they are old.
Indeed, many persons prefer them.
Soak the peas overnight, throwing away those that float at the top; put
them into cold water, and when they boil let the peas simmer gently till
they are tender. The time varies very much with the quality and the size
of the peas, old ones requiring nearly three hours, others considerably
less. When the peas are tender, throw in some sprigs, if possible, of
fresh mint, and after a minute strain them off; add pepper, salt, and about
two ounces of butter to a quart of peas--though this is not absolutely
necessary--and nearly a dessertspoonful of white powdered sugar.
If you wish to have the peas as bright a green as freshly gathered ones,
after you strain them off you can mix them in a basin, before you add the
butter, with a little piece of green vegetable colouring (sold in bottles
by all grocers). The peas should then be put back in the saucepan for a
few minutes to be made hot through, and then finished as directed before.
PEAS, DRIED, GREEN, WITH CREAM.--Boil the peas as before directed till they
are quite tender, then strain them off and put them in a stew-pan with one
ounce of butter to every quart of peas and toss them lightly about with a
little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. Add to each quart of peas a
quarter of a pint of cream and a dessertspoonful of powdered sugar;
surround the dish with fried or toasted bread.
LENTILS.--Lentils are, comparatively speaking, a novel form of food in this
country, though they have been used abroad for many years, and a recipe for
cooking them will be found in a well-known work, published in Paris in
1846, entitled "_La Cuisiniere de la Campagne et de la Ville; ou, Nouvelle
Cuisine Economique_," one of the most popular French cookery-books ever
published, and which in that year had reached a circulation of 80,000
copies.
Recipes for boiled lentils and lentil soup are given in "Cassell's
Dictionary of Cookery," published in 1875; but it is stated in the
introductory remarks that lentils are little used in England except as food
for pigeons, and adds, "They are seldom offered for sale." Since that date
lentils have become an exceedingly popular form of food in many households,
and vegetarians generally regard them as one of the most nourishing forms
of food served at the table. There are two kinds of lentils, the German
and Egyptian. The Egyptian are red and much smaller than the German, which
are green. The former kind are generally used on the Continent, in Italy
and the South of France, while, as the name implies, the green lentils are
more commonly used in Eastern Europe. Either kind, however, can be used
for making soup and puree, recipes of which have already been given, as
well as for the recipes in the present chapter.
LENTILS, BOILED.--The lentils should be placed in soak overnight, and those
that float should be thrown away. Suppose we have half a pint of lentils,
they should be boiled in about a pint and a half of water. Boil them till
they are tender, which will take about half an hour, then drain them off
and put them back in the saucepan for a few minutes with a little piece of
butter, squeeze over them the juice of half a lemon, and serve hot. Some
people make a little thickened sauce with yolks of eggs and a little butter
and flour mixed with the water in which they are boiled.
LENTILS, CURRIED.--Lentils are very nice curried. Boil the lentils as
directed above till they are tender. When they are placed in a
vegetable-dish make deep well in the centre and pour some thick curry sauce
into it. (_See_ CURRY SAUCE.)
LENTILS A LA PROVENCALE.--Soak the lentils overnight and put them into a
stew-pan with five or six spoonfuls of oil, a little butter, some slices of
onion, some chopped parsley, and a teaspoonful of mixed savoury herbs.
Stew them in this till the lentils are tender, and then thicken the sauce
with yolks of eggs, add a squeeze of lemon-juice, and serve.
N.B.--Haricot beans can be cooked in a similar manner.