Time.—3½ to 4 hours. Average Cost, 6d. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons.
Note.—Haricot-bean, lentil and pea soup are often substituted for meat by those catering for the poor, and the usual allowance is 1 pint per head.
122.—LENTIL SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Lentilles.) (Good.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of second stock or water, 1 pint of milk, ½ a pint of brown lentils, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 strips of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 oz. of butter, 1 tablespoonful of flour, salt and pepper, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream.
Method.—Wash the lentils, soak them for 24 hours, and when ready to use, drain well. Melt the butter in a stew-pan, put in the vegetables, sliced herbs, and lentils, cover closely and let them steam in the butter for 15 or 20 minutes. Add the stock, salt and pepper, and cook gently for 2 hours, or until tender, then rub through a fine sieve. Return to the saucepan, add the milk and bring to the boil. Mix the flour with a little milk or stock, add it to the soup, stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste, add the cream, and serve. Croûtons of fried or toasted bread should be handed separately.
Time.—2¾ to 3 hours. Average Cost, 8d. to 9d. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
The Lentil (Fr.: Lentille) belongs to the natural order Leguminosae or pulses, and is of the same genus as the tares. The lentil is an annual plant, growing in height to about eighteen inches, with pale blue or whitish flowers. Its short, smooth pods contain two seeds each, and these form in Egypt and Syria, Bengal and other Eastern countries, an important article of food. There are two cultivated varieties of the lentil, the large garden lentil and the field lentil. Its nutritive properties are of a high order, and lentils cooked whole or in the form of meal are readily digested. Lentils form the basis of many of the prepared foods for invalids owing to the fact above mentioned. The constituents of lentils in 100 parts are:—Water, 12.5; proteids, 24.8; fats, 1.8; carbohydrates, 58.4; salts, 2.5.
123.—LENTIL SOUP (Fr.—Purée de Lentilles.) (Economical.)
Ingredients.—3 quarts of water, 1 pint of lentils, 1 carrot, 1 strip of celery, 1 oz. of dripping or bacon fat, salt and pepper, 1 tablespoonful of flour.
Method.—Wash the lentils the day before the soup is wanted, strain, and spread on a dish. Cover with another dish and let them remain until ready for use. Slice the vegetables and fry them in the hot fat for a few minutes, as this improves the flavour of the soup. Add the water, and, when boiling, put in the lentils and boil gently for 2½ to 3 hours, or until the lentils are tender. If convenient rub them through a wire sieve, if not, crush them by pressing them at the side of the stew-
