Cassell's dictionary of cookery

— Soak and boil a quart of the beans, as in the last recipe but one. Drain them, and keep them hot. Mix an ounce of flour very smoothly over the fire with two ounces of fresh butter, add a quarter of a pint of boiling stock or water, a little salt and pepper, and a table-spoonful of scalded and chopped parsley. Put in the beans, shake the saucepan over the fire till they are well mixed with the sauce, and serve as hot as possible. The flour and gravy may be omitted, and a little lemon-juice squeezed over the beans just before serving, as directed for Haricot Beans, a la Maitre d'Hotel. Time, two hours to boil the beans. Probable cost, 4d. per quart. Sufficient, one quart for eight or ten persons. Haricot Beans, To Stew.— Soak and boil four pints of beans in the usual way. Drain and dry them. Cut four ounces of bacon into dice, pour some boiling water on it for seven or eight minutes, then put it into a stewpan. Shake the pan over the fire till the bacon is lightly browned, pour over it a quarter of a pint of brown gravy, thickened with flour, and a finely-minced onion. Season with pepper and salt, and simmer for a quarter of an hour. Add the beans, let them stew a quarter of an hour longer, and serve. Time, an hour and a half to boil the beans. Probable cost, 4d. per quart. Sufficient for four persons. Haricot Beans with Onions.— Wash a pint of beans in two or three waters, pick out any discoloured ones that there may be, and leave them to soak in plenty of cold water until the next day. Drain them, and boil them in fresh water until they are tender, but unbroken. Drain them once more, and put them on a dish in the oven to keep warm. Take three ounces of onions, which have been three-parts boiled and chopped small, fry these in two ounces of butter, and, whilst frying, mix with them the boiled beans. Stir them about with a fork, and moisten with a quarter of a pint of good brown gravy, rather highly seasoned. This is an excellent accompaniment to roast meat. Time, an hour and a half to boil the beans. Probable cost, 4d. per quart. Sufficient for four or five Haricot Beef, Australian (see Australian Haricot Beef). Haricot Mutton (a good family dish). — Take three pounds of the neck of mutton, divide it into cutlets, trim them neatly, and fry them in a little dripping till nicely browned, and with them three carrots, two turnips, and an onion, all sliced. Drain them from the fat, and put them into a saucepan. Pour over them a quart of water, which has been boiled in the pan in which the meat, &c., was fried, and thicken with a table-spoonful of flour, mixed smoothly with a little cold water. Skim carefully, and season with salt and pepper according to taste, and a little ketchup. Simmer for an hour. Serve with the meat in the middle of the dish, the vegetables round it, and the gravy poured over all. A few sippets of toasted bread may HAR ( 308 ) HAR at the bottom of the dish, or served as a garnish. A few haricot beans (see Haricot Beans, to Boil) are a great improvement. Probable cost, 2s. lOd. Sufficient for five or six persons.