The home cook book

BOIL until tender in a quart and a quarter of water asparagus cut in pieces an inch in length and filling a quart measure and a quarter over. When the asparagus is cooked tender reserve a cup of it, putting the finest tips in the cup. Rub the remainder of the asparagus through a colander or sieve and put back in the water in which it boiled. Heat one pint of milk or, if you prefer it, cream, and pour over one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of flour, which have been well mixed together. Let come to boil, add the asparagus and its water, and the cup of asparagus tips. Boil up once more, salt, and serve with toasted bread cut in dice floating on top. CREAM OF ASPARAGUS Boil till tender in enough water to half cover it asparagus of the quantity called a "bunch." When done put the asparagus through a colander. Melt a heaping tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, adding gradually two heaping tablespoons of flour. When these are blended pour in slowly, stirring all the time, the hot water in which the asparagus was boiled. Let come to boil, stir in the asparagus pulp and then a pint of cream and half a pint of milk. Add salt and a dash of cayenne as it boils up, and serve with croutons. BEAN SOUP Soak a quart of small white beans overnight. Put them into two quarts of water to which you have added two teaspoons of soda. Let them boil five minutes, by which time the outer skin of the beans is loosened. Pour off the water from the beans and rub them between the hands in cold water till the hard outer skins are off. Next put the beans in cold water, enough to cover and rise above them, and boil about three hours or till quite soft, adding water if necessary. Twenty minutes before serving stir in rich milk so that the beans break by the stirring and add the milk till you have the soup of the thickness you want. Put in salt and butter and pepper to taste. Boil up the soup a couple of times, and serve with croutons or sippets of bread. BLACK BEAN .SOUP Wash and soak overnight in cold water a pint of black turtle beans. Next morning drop the beans in a quart and a cup of boiling water, cover the saucepan tight and cook slowly two hours and a half or until the beans are tender. Put them through a sieve, add a quart of soup stock, a teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste, set on the stove and bring to boil. Serve with a thin slice of lemon and a thin slice of hard-boiled egg in each plate. LIMA BEAN SOUP Soak a cup of dried Lima beans overnight. Next morning put the beans in two quarts of fresh water over the fire and cook until you can put them through a colander or sieve. Fry till brown two onions in two tablespoons of butter. When the onions are brown add two tablespoons of flour. Brown and thicken by the cooking of the flour. As it thickens add little by little a cup of the beans and water which you have put through the colander. Now put all together. Add a cup of cream, or more if you wish the soup thinner, boil up and serve with sippets. BEEF STEW WITH RICE