Practical West African cookery

2 berkonos, or a pinch of black pepper. 1 pinch of salt. 1. Put the peas to soak over-night in enough water to cover them. At 3 p.m., if the soup is required for dinner, put the peas into the two-pint saucepan together with the onion cut in quarters, the salt and pepper. Pour over one and a half pints water and bring it to the boil. When it is boiling put the saucepan aside, letting the contents continue to simmer till half an hour before dinner. The peas will then be like a thick puree. 2. Pass the peas through a sieve taking care to keep the water that drains from them. 3. Return the puree and water to the saucepan adding to them a breakfast cup of stock or boiled milk, let it simmer together. When ready to be served, the consistency must be that of thick cream, if too thin let it boil down a little, if too thick add a little more stock, milk or water. Serve plain or with a little dried mint, or a little fresh minced ham, or small dices of fried bread. Lentil Soup. (I). Small half tea-cup dried lentils 1 breakfast cup stock or milk lj pints water. 1 large onion 2 berkonos or a pinoh of black pepper. 1 teaspoon salt. Proceed exactly as for pea soup, soaking the lentils overnight. Lentils require an hour less cooking than peas. Tinned and Dried Soups. (I). How to use Crosse & Blackwell’s Soups. Pour the contents into a saucepan, adding half the quantity of hot stock or water, bring to the boil. Note. The cook generally just heats the contents of the tin without adding either water or stock ; this is unwholesome and wasteful, as the soup can be used twice if mixed with water or stock, and without it, it is too thick. 2. The meat taken from Crosse and Blackwell’s soup called “ Soup and Bouilli ” can be used for meat croquettes or Cottage Pie. To use Lazenby’s Soup Squares or Maggi’s Soup. (1). It is best to follow the instructions found with the soups. It is always an improvement when stock can be added instead of water, — also, after having been brought to the boil, the soup should be kept simmering slowly for at least ten minutes. To use McDoddie’s Dried u Julienne.’ (I). If used with stock or with weak Lemco, McDoddie s dried “ Julienne” makes a good vegetable soup, One small table-spoon dried “ Julienne ” to one pint boiling stock or Lemco, let it boil together slowly for a good half hour. A one lb, tin of McDoddie’s “Julienne” is not bulky and will last a long time in the bush. To use Lemco. (I). 2-oz. jars of Lemco are the best to use, larger jars are apt to spoil by being kept open too long. One teaspoon to one breakfast cup ol water. Generally Lemco is simply put into the cup and boiling water poured over it, but it is greatly improved by putting a teaspoon of Lemco into the small enamel saucepan, adding a breakfast cup of hot water, bringing it to the boil and letting it boil slowly for three or four minutes adding a little salt and pepper. These are the proportions for a cup of beef tea for an invalid, but if only stock is wanted, to use with dried “Julienne” or to add to a sauce, half a teaspoon of Lemco to a breakfast cup of water is sufficient. For general remarks concerning the fish obtainable in Nigeria, see the chapter on native produce.