French Beans

Cut off the stalk end, and beginning at the other, string them carefully; the strings are very tender when they first come in, but are as hard, in proportion to the beans then, as they are when more grown: cut off the stalks and tips; let a bowl of spring water, with a little salt dissolved in it, stand before you, and as the beans are cleaned and stringed, throw them in: when all are done, put them on the fire, in boiling water, with some salt in it; when they have boiled fifteen or twenty minutes, take one out and taste it; as soon as they are tender*, throw them into a cullender, drain them, and lay them on a plate, in a little heap, highest in the middle. To send up the beans whole is much the best method, when they are thus young, and their delicate flavour and colour are much better preserved. When a little more grown, they must be cut across in two, after stringing; and for common tables, they are to be split first, and cut across afterwards; but those who are nice, never have them at such a growth as to require splitting. When they are very large, they look very pretty cut into lozenges; in this case they are not split.

Green Peas

Young green peas well dressed, are one of the most delicious delicacies of the vegetable kingdom. They must be young, or no art can boil them tender; it is equally indispensable that they be fresh gathered, and cooked as soon as they are shelled, for, by being exposed to the air, they soon lose both their colour and sweetness, and if you wish to feast upon peas in perfection, you must have them gathered the same day they are dressed, and put on to boil within half an hour after they are shelled. Pass them through a coarse sieve, which is made for the purpose. This precaution of separating them is necessary, for large and small peas cannot be boiled together, as, of course, the former will take more time than the latter. For a peck of peas, set on a saucepan with a gallon of water in it; when it boils, put in your peas with a tablespoonful of salt, and two teaspoonsful of lump sugar; keep them boiling quick from twenty to thirty minutes, according to their age and size: the best way to judge of their being done enough, and indeed, the only way to make sure of cooking them so, and not beyond the point of perfection, as the pea eaters say of" boiling them to a bubble," is to take some out with your spoon and taste them. When they are enough, drain them on a hair sieve, put them into a pye dish, divide some butter into small bits, and lay them on the peas; put another dish over them, and turn them over; this will melt the butter through them, and is by far the best way of buttering peas.

* If you wish to have them very green, when they are done throw them instantly into cold water; when you wish to send them to table, warm them again in a tureen of boiling water.

Observations

You may boil a few sprigs of mint in a saucepan by themselves, and garnish your dish of peas with them: see Pea Powder.

Cucumber Stewed

Peel and cut your cucumbers into slices nearly a quarter of an inch thick; flour and dry them in butter; let the butter be quite hot before you put in the cucumbers; fry some sliced onions with them till they are a delicate light brown colour, then put them into a stewpan, with as much gravy as will cover them; stew slowly till they are tender; this will take about an hour: take out the cucumbers with a slice, thicken the gravy with flour and butler, give it a boil up, and season it with pepper and salt, put the cucumber in to warm, and it is ready.

Observations

The relish of this dish is sometimes augmented by the addition of bay leaves, anchovies, wine, ale, and the savoury spices.

Artichokes

Wrench out the stalk close to the bottom, by which the fibres will be drawn out, put them into cold water, and wash them well, then put them into plenty of boiling water, with a handful of salt, and let them boil gently till they are tender, which will take an hour and a half, or two hours; drain them on a sieve; and send up melted butter with them.

Stew Onions

The large Portugal onions are the best for this purpose; take off the coats of half a dozen of these, taking care not to cut off the tops or tails too near, or the onions will go to pieces; put them into a stewpan big enough to hold them without laying them a top of one another; just cover them with good broth; as soon as it boils fast, add to them half an ounce of lump sugar, put. them on a very slow fire, and let it simmer two hours, till the broth is reduced to a glaze; when you dish them, turn them upside down; pour the sauce over them.

This is a very elegant preparation of onions.

Roast Onions

They are done best in a Dutch oven, turning them occasionally, that they may be done equally on all sides.