Cookery for every household

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 breadcrumbs 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 thinlysliced cucumber is an excellent addition. Sometimes 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. Fried croutons. 1 cupful cooked lentils. 1 cupful boiled rice. 1 table-sp. chopped onion. Melt the butter or dripping in a saucepan, put in the chopped onion and fry it a few minutes. Then add the lentils and heat them until soft and smooth, adding a little stock or gravy if too thick. Season to taste and stir in at the last a cupful of well -boiled rice. Serve very hot, garnished with fried croutons of bread. Fried or baked tomatoes, or a fresh green salad, is a good accompaniment to this dish. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Probable cost, 6 d.