in milk or stock, and served with the liquor made into a white sauce, is a
dish as delicious as it is wholesome and blood-purifying.
Needless to say, everything should be the best of its kind and absolutely
fresh. To ensure this we should make a point of using as far as possible
those which are in season at the time, as however well preserved they may
be, vegetables, especially the finer sorts, lose in flavour and
wholesomeness every hour between the garden and pot.
Substantial Savouries.
We come now to the more substantial savouries which form the staple part of
the ordinary family dinner. These, along with soup and pudding, will
furnish an excellent three-course meal, and where time--or appetite--is
limited, as in the rush to and from school or business, two sources will be
found ample.
German Lentil Stew.
Among the various pulse foods, of which there are fifty or sixty different
kinds, though only some half-dozen are at all well-known, German lentils are
one of the most valuable. In this country they are but little used, but
they only need be known to be heartily appreciated. As far as my experience
goes, every one who has once sampled them is loud in their praises. Even in
those households where meat is used they might come as a change and variety,
and help to solve the problem of that typical, much-to-be-pitied housekeeper
who so pathetically wished there might be "a new animal" discovered!
Well, "to return to our"--ahem--lentils. These German or Prussian lentils
are quite different from the ordinary yellow kind. They are green or olive
coloured, much larger, and of a flat tabloid shape. They are exceedingly
savoury, and--if that is any recommendation--so "meaty" in flavour that it
is almost impossible to convince people that they are quite innocent in that
respect. They are usually sold at about double the price of yellow lentils,
and even then are very cheap; but this is a fancy price, charged because of
their being a novelty, and I may say that I get the very finest quality,
perfectly clean and free from grit, at the extremely low price of 2d. per
lb.
To make a stew, which is the basis of a number of other dishes, take 1/2 lb.
German lentils and scald for a minute or two in boiling water to make sure
that they are thoroughly clean. Drain, and put in good-sized saucepan with
plenty of fresh boiling water, and allow to simmer _very gently_ for an
hour. In another stewpan melt 1 oz. butter, and into that shred very
finely two or three onions. Cover, and cook 10 to 15 minutes to bring out
the flavour. They may brown or not as preferred, but there must not be the
least suspicion of burning. Turn the lentils into this pan, add some
chopped celery if at hand--it is very good without, but to my taste most
dishes are improved by celery--and allow to simmer an hour longer. See that
there is plenty of water--there should be a rich brown gravy. Add seasoning
to taste of salt, pepper, Jamaica pepper, parsley, &c. A few tomatoes may
be added, or carrots, turnips, &c. A few ozs. macaroni, par-boiled in
salted boiling water and added an hour or less before, will make one of the
many pleasing varieties of this dish. Serve like a mince, garnished with
sippets of toast or fried bread, or toasted Triscuits.
Savoury Pot-Pie.
Line a pudding basin with suet paste [Footnote: See pastry.], and
fill in with lentils cooked as above, and tomatoes, or any vegetables, such
as carrots, turnips, cauliflower, beetroot, &c., to keep the mixture from
being too heavy, for whatever may be thought to the contrary, there is a
much larger proportion of solid nutriment to the bulk in pulse foods than in
the "too, too solid flesh" which we esteem so highly. And, at the risk of
wearying readers with reiteration, I must say again that herein lies the
danger. Quite a number of people have told me that they would like such
foods, but _they_ could not take enough to keep up their strength, and
were reproachfully incredulous when, ignoring the gentle insinuation as to
_other_ people's capacity, I told them the great difficulty was to take
little enough! But we must finish the pot-pie. Put a thin round of paste
on the top. Wet the edges and press together, tie down with greased paper,
and steam 2 to 3 hours. Turn out and send to table with suitable hot
garnish.
The same paste may be made into little balls or flat cakes and put to cook
with lentil stew, but great care must be taken to see that there is plenty
gravy, and that they cook very gently, for if they "catch" ever so slightly
they are spoiled. All danger of this can be avoided by steaming in a basin
or jar instead of cooking in open pan.
Savoury Brick.
Take about 2 teacupfuls cooked German lentils--not too moist. Put in a
basin and add a cupful fine bread crumbs, and a cupful cold boiled rice or
about half as much mashed potatoes. Add any extra seasoning--a little
ketchup, Worcester sauce, Marmite or Carnos Extract, &c.--also a spoonful of
melted butter. Mix well with a fork and bind with one or two beaten eggs,
reserving a little for brushing. Shape into a brick or oval, and press
together as firmly as possible. Brush over with beaten egg, put in buttered
tin, and bake for half-an-hour. Or it may be put in saucepan with 1 oz.
butter or Nut Butter that has been made very hot. Cover and braize for 10
minutes. Turn and cook for another 10 minutes. Add a little flour and
seasoning to the butter, and then a cupful boiling water, stock, or diluted
"Extract," and allow to simmer a little longer. Serve with garnish of
beetroot or tomatoes.