Practical West African cookery

1 good teaspoon butter or lard. A pinch of salt and pepper. 1 dessertspoonful small dices of fried bread. 1 dessertspoonful tinned peas or beans. After beating the two eggs, mix in a dessertspoonful of little dices of fried bread and a dessertspoonful of tinned peas or French beans left over from an opened tin, and cook in the same way as the plain buttered eggs. Serve, not on toast, but in a small dish. Buttered eggs mixed with small slices of fried tomato and onion are also very good. Plain Omelet. (I). 4 eggs. 1 teaspoon butter or lard. A pinch of pepper. (1 teaspoon chopped parsley.) i teaspoon salt. An omelet cannot be good cooked in a thin frying pan It must be a thick one. 1. Break the eggs into a large cup or into the small pudding basin, add the salt and pepper (and the chopped parsley if obtainable.) With a fork beat the eggs till they are a little frothy on Lop, which should not take more than two minutes. It is equally bad to beat the eggs too much as to beat them too long in advance, which is what all cooks like to do. 2. Melt the butter in the small omelet pan, and when it has ceased to splutter and begins to turn brown, pour in the beaten eggs. 3. Slowly move tbe pan about till the eggs begin to set round the edges of the pan. 4. Carefully slip a knife under the edges of the omelet, so as to loosen it from the pan and to allow the still uncooked portion of the eggs to run underneath. Do this twice, slightly moving the pan the whole time. When only a very little liquid egg is left on top and the omelet is still quite soft, slip the knife right underneath, shake the pan so as to see whether the omelet is quite detached, then with the help of the knife, slide the omelet on to a hot dish and fold it in two. Never allow the cook to roll an omelet ; an omelet that can be rolled is sure to be over-cooked. Omelet with Tomato Sauce. (II). thick 1 large tablespoon tomato sauce. (J teaspoon chopped parsley.) 4 eggs. 1 teaspoon butter or lard. i teaspoon salt. A pinch of pepper, Make the omelet in exactly the same way as the plain omelet. Just before the omelet is cooked and you are ready to slip the knife right underneath, drop in the middle of the omelet the tablespoon of hot tomato sauce (see index). Then slide it on to a hot dish, fold it over and serve at once. (II). 1 large tablespoon brown curry sauce. ($ teaspoon chopped parsley.) thick Omelet with Curry Sauce. 4 eggs. 1 teaspoon butter or lard. J teaspoon salt. A pinch of pepper. Make the omelet in exactly the same way as the plain omelet. Just before the omelet has finished cooking and you are ready to slip the knife right underneath, drop in the middle of the omelet the tablespoon of hot curry sauce (see index), then slide it on to a hot dish, fold it over and serve at once. Omelet with Fried Onions. (I). 4 eggs. 1 teaspoon butter or lard. i teaspoon salt. A pinch of pepper. Half an onion. (1 teaspoon chopped parsley.) 1. Slice the onion. Put one teaspoon of butter in a small saucepan. When the butter is quite hot, put in the sliced onion, move it about gently and fry till it is light yellow. Take the saucepan off the fire whilst you make the omelet.