Haricot Beans

Ingredients

• a peck of brown beans
• salt
• pepper
• the onion
• the best frying oil

Method

1. 1

   Put a peck of brown beans into a saucepan and well cover them with cold water; add salt, pepper, and the onion, together with the oil in which it has been browned.

2. 2

   Boil steadily for three hours, and allow to grow quite cold.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from The book of plain cooking (1904) by Ethel Archer, page 37. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

the best frying oil. Put a peck of brown beans into a saucepan, I 122 PLAIN COOKING and well cover them with cold water ; add salt, pepper, and the onion, together with the oil in which it has been browned. Boil steadily for three hours, and allow to grow quite cold. Giant haricot beans can be cooked in the same manner, but must be soaked in cold water for twelve hours before boiling. VEGETABLES 244. Potatoes Do not prepare the potatoes longer ere cooking than is necessary. It does them no good to stand in water, and if they are peeled and not put into water they become black. Potatoes may be either cooked in cold or boiling water, or in a steamer. The time depends entirely on the size of the potato. Ordinary - sized potatoes should take about twenty minutes. 245. New Potatoes Scrape the potatoes when wanted for cooking, and put a sprig of mint as well as the salt into the water. When fresh in season new potatoes cook very quickly. Directly they are done, strain them, and take away the mint, as it dis- PLAIN COOKING 123 colours the potatoes. Put them into a hot vegetable dish with a piece of butter. 246. Cauliflower Cut some of the green away, and trim the remainder level round the flower. Cut the stalk across lightly in four, and well soak in salt and water. Have the water quite boiling, with salt and a very small piece of washing soda, and boil until tender, with the lid off the saucepan. Do not overcook the cauli- flower, or it will break. Take it up with a shoe, and let strain in the colander, and serve with white sauce over. In cooking cauliflower it is advisable to cook more than required, it comes in so nicely for cauliflower and cheese. 247. Cabbage Savoy cabbage and cabbage require the same amount of cooking. Use plenty of salt in cleansing them, so that there be no cater- pillars or slugs left. Have plenty of water for boiling. Cut the vegetable in quarters, and throw into the boiling water, with salt and a small piece of soda, and boil very quickly without the lid being on the pan. When 124 PLAIN COOKING cooked strain into a colander, and squeeze all the water away with a plate or saucer. After the vegetable is in the dish cut across lightly into divisions. 248. French Beans These beans are very much like the scarlet runner beans, but not so large, and with less flavour. Trim them, and cut into slices, and place in boiling water with a little salt, and boil without the lid being on the saucepan for about fifteen minutes, Serve with a piece butter superadded. 249. Scarlet Runners Trim the beans so as to prevent any stringy matter remaining. Cut them into thin slices, and cook in boiling water and salt. Remove the fid of the saucepan and boil quickly. When young and fresh they do not require more than a quarter of an hour’s boiling. Place in a hot vegetable dish with a good-sized piece of butter on the top of them. 250. Broad Beans If the beans are old they should be skinned, but if young they do not require it. They PLAIN COOKING 125 should be put into boiling water with salt, but should they be at all old, put a little soda with them. They should not require more than about twenty minutes to boil, and should be served with parsley butter over them. To any dish that is accompanied by bacon this vegetable is a great acquisition. 251. Haricot Beans When a change of vegetable is desired, haricot beans come in very serviceable. Get the large white ones that are called butter beans, and let them soak overnight in cold water. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water, and put into it some salt and a very small piece of washing soda, then put in the beans, and boil quickly for about twenty minutes, and serve with parsley butter. 252. Spinach You need much spinach to make a good dish, for it cooks away. It it also very trouble- some to wash, for it holds grit. It is better to wash in warm water for the first wash, and then keep on washing in salt and water. Pull the leaves away from the stem., then place them in a saucepan with a large piece of butter 126 PLAIN COOKING and about a cupful of water, and they will cook in their own liquor, but they must be watched. Spinach requires a great deal of straining and pressing as it should be very dry. Cut across in divisions and superadd a piece of butter. Served with poached eggs, spinach makes a pleasant supper or breakfast dish. 253. Asparagus Asparagus and seakale should be cooked in an asparagus kettle or a boiler, so that the stems do not break. Before scraping, cut all the ends as nearly as possible of one length. Tie in bundles, and soak in salt and water. Let the water be boiling fast, and put into it a piece of salt and a very small piece of washing soda. Then put in the asparagus, and boil fast until tender. Do not overcook the asparagus lest it break and its appearance be ruined. If it be young, twenty minutes will be found quite sufficient. Well drain before serving, and serve on toast with either white sauce or oiled butter. 254. Seakale This vegetable holds the dirt, and so needs a great deal of cleansing. Let it soak well in PLAIN COOKING 127 strong salt and water before preparing for cooking. Trim it in the same way as you would celery, and boil in an asparagus kettle. Seakale takes longer to cook than asparagus. Be sure to drain well before serving, for sea- kale holds the water very much. It should be served with either oiled butter or white sauce. 255. Artichokes Cut off the stalk, but not too close to the leaves, or they will come to pieces in the cook- ing. Trim the leaves, and thoroughly well wash. Put them into boiling water with salt and a very tiny piece of washing soda, and boil without the lid on the saucepan until quite tender. Oiled butter or white sauce should be served with artichokes. Let them go cold. They are delicious eaten with oil and vinegar, or salad dressing of oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.