Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-06
Table and Kitchen.
Some Tissue-Forming Vegetables.


vegetable known as the legumes and en-
bracing peas, beans and lentils, rank COM
mercially next to the cereals. and are of
great Importance in the vegetable world.
These pod-bearing plants head the vege-
table kingdom, in fact, when regarded from
a nutritive standpoint they being very rich
in heterogeneous substances. The chief prin-
cipal, the tissue-formng essential, is legu-
min, or vegetable casein.
These seeds are deficient in fats and
poorer in magnesia and phosphates than
the cereals but richer in salts, especially
potash and lime, and they contain con-
siderable amount of starch.
In fact, in active nutriment, lentils con-
tain twice the amount secured from the
same weight of wheat. But they never can
rank as high as a universal food product
as wheat for various reasons. They are
not so delicate in favor or SO agreeable to
the majority of tastes as the wheat'kernels,
their lack of gluten prevents their employ
ment to the many uses in cookery to
which we may apply the wheat products;
also, combined with the legumin there is
great deal of sulphur and phosphorus; the
former is apt to produce f1atulence by form
ing within the body sulphuretted hydrogen
and similar compounds. They also contain
at least 6 per cent Of inSoluble matter,
which renders them unsuited for those
whose employment is sedentary. But for
active open-afr workers this class OF foods
will be found equal to meat in nutritive
power, without the Objectionable features
of the latter.
Although the legumes are not to be in
dulged in too freely or immoderately by
the shut-in workers, it must not be under
stood that they are to be entirely excluded
from their diet, but they should not be used
with other foods in which the albuminoids
also predominant.
The proper arrangement of diet is to vary
it as much as possible without mixing too
many articles together at the same meal
Our food must contain sufficient quantity
of fat, phoSphateS and of proteid matter.
But in order to obtain these do not make
the mistake of overlooking. There is more
danger Of immediate upsetting of the diges-
tive functions by eating excessive quanti-
ties of starchy foods, or too great an
amount of such concentrated foods as the
legumes without the corresponding guam
titles of corrective food elements. than by
partaking too freely of flesh foods. The
dietetic blunders are all made for want of
proper understanding of the nutrient value
of vegetable foods which compare with
flesh foods, and wrong combinations i'll ar
ranging a heshless diet. A free use OF
fruits and vegetables at the same meal in
stead of associating fruits and cereals, Is
a common error which will bring results
not conducive to the adoption OF meatless
meals.
Starches, the purest and among the most
valuable of our food substances. have come
under the ban simply by reason of mis-
conception of their nature and intended
purpose; combined with bad cooking, and
because by the abuse the thoughtless have
brought upon themselves severe attacks of
fermentation and dyspepsia, so they form
the conclusion that "starchy FOODS DO not
agree with them" The fact is. nature Is
sure to punish every offender who disturbS
her grand equilibrium.
Lack of nutrition and nervous prostration
are quite as likely to occur from prepos-
ferrous over-eating as undertaking. In
fact fewer persons suffer from i'll effects
from eating too little than they do from
the habit of eating too much and too often,
whether they are hungry or not
Nature will give unmistakable signs Of
the need of nourshment or of excess in
eating. The necessary and proper amount
of nutrients will impart sense of renewed
vigor and alertness to mind and body, and
a sure indication of intemperance in food
is stupor and drowsiness following meal
The whole situation may be summed up in
a few words Eat only when the body needs
supplies. mot merely to please the taste OF
from force of habit, and find the required
balance your individual needs demand and
then exercise all your ingenuity in varying
the food substances without interfering Sc
riously with the right proportions.
Remember that man needs but little food,
but wants that little good Nature has
given us every food substance that is good
for us, the making or marring of our health
depends on the use we make of these.
Brown Haricot Bouillon.
This is richer and far more sustaining
than broth made from beef.
Take pound of brown haricot or kidney
beans, soak over night in warm water if
they are dried. Then stew in two quarts of
boiling water with a few small onions for
three hours. The onions may be roasted
first to give richer color and flavor to the
SOUP After the soup has stewed down to
three pints, strain it through a fine sieve
and then again through cheesecloth, season
with salt, pepper and stir in little butter
just before serving.
Brown Haricot Soup.
Prepare the stock as in above recipe and
rub the beans through a sieve along with
the liquor stock, season to taste, add a
little butter and serve. Or varg this recipe
by cooking the beans untii they will crack
open, then add few tomatoes, fresh or
canned, slice of Spanish onion and a
bunch of soup herbs. When the vegetables
have cooked soft enough rub through d
sieve, adding more water If NECESSARY: re-
turn to soup kettle, season and add lump
Of butter. and the juice of half a lemon
after the soup has boiled up.
White Bean Soup.
Cook pint of beans in two quarts of
water with five small onions chopped fine;
a half dozen stalks of celery chopped and
a minced carrot Drowned in a little butter.
Cook until the vegetables are all tender.
If clear soup is desired, strain out the
vegetables; if not, rub them through a
sieve and add sufficient hot cream and milk
to make the proper consistency. Season
with salt and pepper and bring to boil,
then serve.
Lentil Fritters.
Cover quarter of a pound of lentils with
lukewarm water, bring to a boil and cook
until lentils are tender but not pulped.
Make a batter with one egg, cup of entire
wheat flour, a few drops of salad Oil and
enough warm water to make a batter that
will not run. Season with salt. pepper a
little chopped parsley, onion juice and pow
dered sage Add the cooked lentils and a
few fine dry bread crumbs. Mix we'll and
let stand for an hour.
Then fry in hot fat same as other fritters
and serve with tart apple sauce.
Potted Bean Savory.
Stew some brown kidney beans for sew
eral hours Then drain off the liquor which
may be used for soup. Rub the beans
through sieve, mix with some fine brown
bread crumbs season with onion Juice