Lentil Purée

Ingredients

• 4 pt. lentils
• 1 pt. cold water
• 1 onion
• A bunch of herbs
• 1 or 2 oz. butter or dripping
• Seasoning
• A little milk or stock
• 1 tea-sp.chopped parsley

Method

1. 1

   Wash the lentils and soak them overnight in cold water.

2. 2

   Simmer with the onion until soft and pulpy.

3. 3

   Rub through a sieve and return to a saucepan to reheat.

4. 4

   Add butter, seasoning, and thin with milk or stock if too thick.

5. 5

   Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Cookery for every household (1914) by Florence B. Jack, page 275. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

4 pt. lentils. 1 pt. cold water. 1 onion. A bunch of herbs. (Pur6e de Lentilles) 1 or 2 oz. butter or drip- ping. Seasoning. A little milk or stock. 1 tea-sp.chopped parsley Wash the lentils in several waters, then put them in a basin with the pint of fresh cold water. Cover the basin with a plate and stand overnight. Next day turn the lentils with the water in which they were soaked into a saucepan, add the onion cut in pieces, and simmer slowly until quite soft and pulpy, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Then rub as much as possible through a wire sieve and return the puree to a clean saucepan to reheat. Add the butter or dripping and season to taste with pepper, salt, and a few drops of lemon juice. If too thick, thin down to the desired consistency with milk or stock. Serve very hot and sprinkle the chopped parsley over. Note. — This is one of the most digestible ways of serving lentils. If time and labour have to be economised, mash the lentils in the saucepan instead of sieving. Time to cook, 14 to 2 hours. Probable cost, 3d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. 627. Lentils with Eggs au Gratin 2 cupfuls puree of lentils. | A little butter. 2 table- 3 or 4 eggs. | sps. bread-crumbs. Prepare the puree as in last recipe, keeping it rather thick. Put it into a greased fireproof dish and make 3 or 4 round hollows to receive the eggs. Break each egg separately into a tea-cup and slip it into the lentil puree. Sprinkle the bread- crumbs on the top, lay on a few small pieces of butter, and bake in a moderate oven from 8 to 10 minutes. Serve in the same dish. Note. — Other vegetable purees, such as haricot beans, green peas, celeriac, potato, &c., can be used in the same way. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Probable cost, 8 d. 628. Lentil and Potato Cakes 1 cupful cooked lentils. 1 cupful cooked potatoes. 1 table-sp. butter or fat. Pepper and salt. i tea-sp. powdered herbs. A squeeze of lemon juice. A little flour. Egg and bread-crumbs. The remains of any cooked lentils will do for these, but they must be soft without being liquid. Melt a small piece of butter or other fat in a sauce- pan, put in the lentils and mash them well, then add the potatoes, which should be dry and mealy, the powdered herbs, and other seasoning. Mix all together until a smooth paste is formed, then spread the mixture on a plate to cool. When firm, form into small flat cakes, using a little flour, egg and bread-crumb these, and fry them in boiling fat to a golden brown colour. Tomato or brown sauce may be served separately. Note. — Cooked rice may be used instead of potatoes. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Probable cost, 4 d. 629. Potted Lentils i lb. lentils. | 2 oz. butter. Water. Pepper. Salt. A small bunch of herbs. | Lemon juice. The green or German lentils are the best to use for this. Wash them carefully and let them soak in cold water overnight. Strain and put the lentils into a saucepan with fresh cold water to cover them and bring them to the boil. Add a small bunch of herbs and simmer slowly or cook in the oven until the lentils are quite soft and pulpy, adding more water if required. When ready, drain off any remaining water (which may be put into the stock pot) and rub the lentils through a fine sieve. Melt and if necessary clarify the butter, add most of it to the lentil puree, with pepper, salt, and lemon juice to taste. Mix well, pack into pots and pour the remaining butter on the top. Notes. — The lentils must be drained very dry or the paste will be too soft. Potted lentils make excellent sandwiches, spread on either white or brown bread and butter ; and small cress or thinly- sliced cucumber is an excellent addition. Some- times a few brown bread-crumbs are added to the lentils before sieving. Probable cost, 3d. 630. Lentils with Rice 1 table-sp. butter or dripping. Seasoning

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