Practical West African cookery

is set, put the pan aside so as to let the eggs finish cooking slowly. Take them out gently with a spoon, put them on buttered toast, trimming off the edges of the egg if they look untidy and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Poached eggs are very good served on spinach, lentils, dried peas, mashed native beans, fried onions, mince meat, or served with a thick tomato sauce (see index). Fried Eggs. (I). Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter, lard or ground nut oil in the small frying pan over a hot fire ; when it has ceased bubbling, break in two eggs in the same way as was explained for poached eggs, and with a fork immediately bring the white well round the yolk. The eggs are cooked as soon as the edges are light brown and a little frizzled. Take them out of the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve very hot. Never fry more than two eggs at a time in the small frying pan, as they must have plenty of fat round them. A few drops of vinegar added at the same time as the salt and pepper are a great improvement. Fried eggs can be served with fried bacon or in any of the different ways suggested for poached eggs. Of course the butter, lard or ground nut oil can be put back in the grease pot and used again. Buttered Eggs. (1). 2 eggs. A slice of bread about 3 inches long, 2 inches broad and i inch thick. 1 good teaspoon of butter or lard. A pinch of salt and pepper. (Half-a-teaspoon of chopped parsley.) Buttered eggs must be cooked over a slow fire and in the small enamel saucepan rather than in the frying pan. 1. Break the eggs into a cup and beat them lightly but not for more than a minute or two, add the salt, pepper and parsley if obtainable. BOGS. 2. Toast the bread till it is yellow, not brown, then lay it on the meat board and with a sharp knife trim off the crust and butter it slightly. 3. Put the butter or lard in the small saucepan. As soon as it is hot, at once pour in the beaten eggs, stirring gently with a wooden spoon. As soon as the eggs begin to set, take the saucepan off the fire and pile the eggs on the hot toast. The reason why buttered eggs are so often leathery is that they have been cooked too long or over too hot a fire. Curried Buttered Eggs. (I). 2 eggs. A slice of bread. 1 good teaspoon butter, lard or ground nut oil, if nothing else is available. 1 small teaspoonful curry powder. A pinch of salt and pepper. 1 dessertspoonful milk (if Ideal is used, dilute 1 teaspoon milk with 1 teaspoon water). 1. Break the eggs into a cup and beat them, add salt and pepper. 1 dessertspoonful milk (if Ideal is used, dilute 1 teaspoon milk with 1 teaspoon water. A pinch of salt and pepper, cup and beat them, add salt 2. Toast and butter the slice of bread. 3. Melt the butter in the small saucepan, add the curry powder and the eggs, stirring gently the whole time with a wooden spoon. As soon as the eggs begin to set, add the dessertspoon of milk, take the saucepan off the fire and pile the eggs on the hot toast. This dish can be used as a savoury. Buttered Eggs on Anchovy Toast. (I), Serve the buttered eggs on hot toast which has been buttered with anchovy paste instead of butter. Buttered Eggs with Tomato Sauce, (il). If you have any tomato sauce left over from the day before it can be used to vary the buttered eggs. Mix a tablespoon of the sauce, as thick as possible, into the eggs, just after they have set. Serve on hot buttered toast. Oeufs Printaniere. (II). 2 eggs.