CHAPTER III.

LEGUMES, EGGS, AND CHEESE.

LEGUMES.

Legumes lose their natural flavor and stimulus in the process of drying and cooking, therefore they are not palatable or as easy to digest without some form of fat and an appetizing raw salad, fruit or soup, which supplies the needed stimulant to the system. Apples, lemons, grapes, oranges, carrots, celery and lettuce are most suitable as an addition. Many people add sweets to legumes or make them more indigestible by adding ground nuts and other rich foods. Such foods are a dangerous burden to a weak stomach and liver. Heavy protein foods require an acid medium for proper digestion and utilization. If legumes are used in the form of soups and purees, nothing should be added but a little flour, dry toast, fats, or raw vegetables.

BAKED BEANS.

Pick over the beans carefully, wash and soak them in soft water. Bring to a boil in the same water, simmer slowly until the beans are tender and the fluid is nearly absorbed. If necessary add more water during the process of boiling. When done, pour them into a beanpot or round pan, cover the top with cooking oil and a few whole onions. Bake about an hour.

Baked legumes if preserved with fat or oil can be kept on hand for a week and be re-baked two or three times per week.

One-third to one-fourth of beans (measured before soaking) is sufficient for one meal for the average person under ordinary conditions. Masticate two or three beans at a time to insure good digestion.

BAKED LENTILS OR PEAS.

Prepare in the same manner as baked beans, use less fat for preparing them, especially during the summer. Onions and celery roots are rich in fatty substance. These may be added to the legumes while boiling, and be made into a salad for another meal. In cooking legumes it is best not to add the salt until they are nearly done as the salt hardens the water. If legumes are prepared boiled instead of baked it is better to add a thickening of flour and butter before serving, otherwise they may produce flatulent dyspepsia.

LIMA BEANS. No. 1.

Soak some lima beans in soft water. Cook in a small amount of water with a little salt. When tender, dissolve some cornstarch with cold water and add to the beans; boil for 10 minutes, then add a few tablespoonfuls of hot cream and remove from the fire. Flavor with chopped parsley, if desired. Mashed or raw carrots are a good addition.

LIMA BEANS. No. 2.

Prepare like the foregoing. Drain off the water and add a piece of butter, the yolk of an egg, a little lemon juice and parsley, if desired.

LIMA BEANS. No. 3.

Prepare like the foregoing. Drain off the water and prepare a butter sauce, mix with beans and serve plain, or add the yolk of an egg, a little lemon and parsley.

PEA PUREE.

Soak ¾ cup of dried green peas in soft water. Boil with 1 quart of water and 1 onion for about an hour. Bake in a beanpot for 1½ hours or longer; add more water if necessary. Keep the peas covered. When done run through a colander and add 1 teaspoonful of butter. This makes about ¾ of a cup of puree. One-third of this portion is sufficient for a sick person or a young child. Serve on toast, or with raw carrots.

BEAN AND LENTIL PUREE.

Prepare and serve like the foregoing. If a soup is desired in place of puree, dilute one-third of a cup of puree with one and a half of boiling water and finish as in legume soup.

Dried beans contain more of the protein than peas, lentils or beef. They are therefore a very rich food and should not be consumed in large quantities. In countries where the water is hard, it is well to have soft water on hand for the cooking of legumes. If rain water cannot be obtained, boil a kettle of water each day and set aside to cool for cooking purposes. Legumes may be soaked with hot or cold water.

RAW BEANS.

Soak one tablespoonful of white beans or twelve to twenty lima beans in soft warm water for four hours or over night. Serve plain with tomatoes or carrots and green leaves or prepare in the form of a salad. Onions and parsley are also good additions. No more than the above measure should be used for one person at a meal. People with digestive troubles or those who can not live out of doors, should leave raw legumes alone.

SOFT BOILED EGGS. No. 1.

Put the eggs into cold water, place on the stove, and let come to a boil slowly. When the water begins to boil the eggs will be done.

BOILED EGGS. No. 2.

Pour boiling water over them and let stand on a stove for 10 to 20 minutes. Boiling will make the albumen of the egg harder to digest.

FRIED EGGS.

Have the frying pan very hot. Set it back and pour in some olive oil, then break in the eggs and cover. Let them harden slowly. Serve with apple or tomato rice or with cooked or raw starchy or leaf vegetables, except beets or carrots, unless they are pickled.

BAKED EGGS. No. 1.

Pour whites of eggs on an oiled tin and place in a moderate oven or over steam until firm. Serve with any kind of vegetable or a salad of tart fruits.

BAKED EGGS. No. 2.

Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff snow, add a little salt, mix with two tablespoonfuls of sifted bran and with two of fine rye nuts. Pour on an oiled tin, bake and serve as number one.

Scrambled Eggs No. 3 are preferable for people with gastric disturbance. Nos. 1 and 2 are recommended for people with intestinal weakness. All soft watery nitrogenous foods are more liable to ferment before they reach the intestines than those to which flour is added.

SAXON SOOL EGGS.

Pour boiling water on the eggs and let them stand for 20 minutes on a hot stove, or boil the eggs 10 minutes. Lay in cold water for a few minutes, crack the shells well; place them for four hours or longer in a strong salt solution, which must contain so much salt that the eggs will swim. Prepare as follows: Bring a quart of water to a boil, dissolve about one cupful or more of salt, let boil a few minutes and cool.

ESCALOPED EGGS.

Boil or set some eggs until hard. Cut into halves or quarters and pour over them a butter sauce flavored with horseradish, capers or mustard. Serve with baked potatoes and string beans or sprouts. If the butter sauce is prepared with tomato juice, serve wheat bread or crackers with them instead of potatoes.

PICKLED EGGS.

Boil or set some eggs until hard. Then boil one pint of vinegar with a pint of water and a little salt and pour into a deep earthen dish, add some whole peppers and bay leaves. Remove the shells from the eggs and place them in the pickle. Tie up with paper, let stand for a week or longer. These eggs are a good addition to sandwiches or can be served with salads or green leaves, olives, apples, tomatoes, asparagus or cabbage.

SCRAMBLED EGGS. No. 1.

Break the yolks and whites into separate bowls. Add one teaspoonful of flour to each yolk of egg and also a little salt. Beat with an egg beater until smooth, then add as many tablespoonfuls of cold water as there are eggs and beat again. Add the snow of the whites and pour into a large frying pan, in which some oil or fat has been heated. Stir constantly until all is solid. Serve with potatoes or toast and green vegetables.

People who have difficulty in digesting eggs will find it more agreeable to eat the yolks and whites at different times of the day. The former prepared in salad dressing or boiled custards; the latter in the form of baked eggs with lemon and green vegetables.

SCRAMBLED EGGS. No. 2.

Prepare the same as the foregoing. Use a double amount or more of water or milk or cream, also more flour if desired. Mixed flour is preferable to pure white flour. If eggs are expensive serve a milk or green pea soup as entree and use less eggs.

SCRAMBLED EGGS. No. 3.

Beat yolks and whites separately. Add as many tablespoonfuls of water or milk or cream as there are eggs. Omit the flour.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH POTATOES.

Cut left-over potatoes into small pieces or slice; fry them in half butter and half oil until brown. Then prepare a batter as directed for scrambled eggs, pour over the potatoes and stir until the egg is firm. If the flavor of onion is desired, add a few, finely chopped, and brown in butter in a separate pan; when done, mix with the eggs and potatoes and serve. Flavor with pepper, if desired. String beans and black toast make a good addition.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH TOMATOES.

Prepare a batter as directed for scrambled eggs, add tomato juice or tomato puree instead of milk or water. Flavor with grated onion and celery salt. Serve with bread and green vegetables.

OMELET.

Prepare the same as scrambled eggs No. 1 and 2. Do not stir. Cover and set in a moderate oven or on back of stove. When firm remove the cover and brown in oven. Serve with tart fruit sauce or with apple and lettuce salad, prepared with French or mayonnaise dressing.

COTTAGE CHEESE.

Put some whole, or skim milk, into a pan and set in a cool room, which has plenty of fresh air. Do not cover the pan. If the room is exposed to dust, put a few long sticks over the pan and cover with a cheese-cloth. When the milk begins to get thick, set the pan into a larger pan with warm water, and keep it in a warm place or in the oven until the curd separates; it must not become hard. Then put a cheese-cloth on a colander and pour the milk into it. Let stand for several hours, until the whey is thoroughly drained off. Then chop fine some green peppers or onions, mix with the cheese, add a little salt and pepper, and serve with apple or potato salad or spread on sandwiches. A few teaspoonfuls of sugar and caraway seed may be added in place of the onion and pepper.