Principles of cooking

distribute the pieces of pork through the pot, pour the liquid over the beans, add enough boiling water to com- pletely cover the beans, put on the cover, place pot ina slow | oven and cook from six to,eight hours. Add water so that the beans are kept covered with it. Cook uncovered during the last hour. Beans may be started in the fireless cooker and cooked overnight. They should be placed in the oven about four hours before they are to be used, and cooked slowly. Some cooking in the oven is necessary to bring out the flavor. If the fireless cooker has a soapstone plate, oven cooking is not necessary. Lima Beans. — Soak one pint of lima beans over night. Cover with salted boiling water, and cook slowly until soft. Add only enough water to prevent burning; season with salt, pepper, and butter. - Salted Peanuts. — Remove shells and skins from raw peanuts. Put lard, butter, or olive oil, preferably the latter, — in a pan on the stove. When melted, add peanuts and stir constantly so that they will brown on both sides. Remove from fat and drain on soft paper; sprinkle with salt. Olive oil or lard is better than butter, because butter burns so readily. Lentil Soup. — Wash one cup of lentils, cover with cold water, and soak over night. Drain; cook in two quarts of water until soft (about two hours); add one bay leaf, one half teaspoon of salt, one fourth teaspoon pepper. Press through a colander and sieve. Add two tablespoons of flour, two tablespoons of butter, one grated onion, prepared as for White Sauce. Boil three minutes. Succotash. — Soak lima beans or red kidney beans over night. Cook until soft (about two hours); ten minutes before they are ready to serve, add one can of corn, season FRYING LESSONS 137 with three tablespoons of butter, one half teaspoon of salt, one eighth teaspoon of pepper. Stir constantly. During the summer season when green corn is plentiful and beans are fresh, succotash may be prepared from lima or kidney beans and corn cut from the cob. Follow directions given above. NOTE. — In the lessons on legumess, much time is consumed in the long slow cooking, during which there is but little work to be done in class. For this reason the frying lessons are added, and one may be given with each lesson on legumes. For Rules for Frying, see page 46. FRYING LESSONS Doughnuts. — Mix one cup sour milk with one cup sugar, and let stand for 5 or 10 minutes. Add two eggs well beaten; add one cup flour, one fourth teaspoon salt, one half teaspoon soda, one fourth teaspoon nutmeg, sifted together; add three tablespoons melted butter and one half teaspoon vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add enough more flour to make a soft dough. Roll out one half inch thick, cut with a doughnut cutter, and fry in deep fat. Fritters. — Mix and sift together one and one half cups flour, one fourth teaspoon salt, three teaspoons baking powder. Add three fourths cup milk and one egg well ‘beaten. Beat very light. Drop slices of tart apple one fourth inch thick into the batter, and stir until the batter covers the apple. Drop the pieces of apple into hot fat, and fry until brown. Croquettes. Meat or Fish. — Melt three tablespoons butter; add one third cup flour and rub together until blended. Add one cup milk and cook until thick. Add one teaspoon chopped onion, one teaspoon salt, one eighth teaspoon pepper, and two cups cold chopped meat or flaked 138 FRYING LESSONS fish. Mix thoroughly and cool. Shape into cones or balls, dip in beaten eggs, roll in grated bread or cracker crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Corn Fritters. — Mix and sift together one cup flour, two teaspoons baking powder, one half teaspoon salt, one fourth teaspoon pepper. Add two eggs well beaten, one third cup milk. Beat until smooth; add one half cup canned corn. Drop by spoonfuls in deep fat, and fry.