p. 12 | Our Cooking Class by F. O. Raymond

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 3, 1907

Our Cooking Class

By F. O. Raymond

F. O. RAYMOND

Legumes as Foods

“REPRESENTATIVES of the legume family are found in all climates and countries, and, taking the world over, they are, next to the cereals, the most valuable and the most extensively used among vegetable foods. Judged by chemical analysis alone, we should give them the highest place, containing, as they do, more protein than the best cuts of meat, and in some cases a large percentage of fat, besides a considerable amount of starch. Experiments on men and animals have made it evident, however, that the true value of a food does not depend alone on the contained nutrients, but also on the ease and completeness with which the system is able to utilize them.

“As generally prepared and used, the nutrients of vegetable foods are enclosed in cells composed of cellulose or woody fiber, which is more or less hard, and greatly interferes with their absorption. Also, vegetable food is prone to fermentation in the intestines, thus increasing the peristaltic movements, and, if large amounts are eaten, hastening the food onward before there has been sufficient time for the absorption of its contained nutrients. The cellulose present acts as a local irritant and produces the same effect.

“Different individuals vary in regard to their ability to digest beans, but it seems fair to conclude that when properly combined with other foods, they should not be considered indigestible. As pointed out by Professor Snyder, of the Minnesota Experiment Station, beans are slow of digestion, and require more intestinal work than many foods; but when properly combined with other materials, so that they form a fair part of the ration, the work of digestion is more evenly distributed than when they are used alone or in very large amounts. In using beans in the dietary, they are frequently eaten in excessive quantities at irregular intervals rather than in reasonable amounts combined with other foods as a regular part of the ration. It seems fair to conclude that when used in the diet in a reasonable way, no difficulty is experienced in eating beans. The entire removal of the skin by sieving is to be recommended in the case of persons with whom they seem to disagree. When properly cooked, they need not be excluded from the dietary of those engaged in light muscular exercise, though they should not form so large a part of the ration as in the case of active working men leading outdoor lives.”—United States Department of Agriculture, Farmers’ Bulletin, No. 121.

The Cooking of Legumes

There are many varieties of peas, beans, and lentils, but those in most common use in this country are the white navy bean, the red kidney bean, the Lima or butter bean, the dry Scotch or English pea, the blackeye pea, the whippoorwill pea, and the brown German lentil. The frijole of Mexico and the southwestern States and the soy-bean of China and Japan are also valuable varieties, deserving of wider use. The structure and composition of these (except the soy-bean being so nearly alike, the same general principles of cooking apply to all.

In any case, the legume will cook more quickly and better if soaked overnight in cold water. In the morning remove to fresh hot or cold water, bring to a boil, remove the scum, and allow to boil gently for several hours, or until well softened. In case of lentils and strong flavored beans or peas, it is advisable to parboil by pouring off the water after a few minutes’ boiling, and then supplying more fresh hot water. The nutrients of legumes being so closely bound up in little sacs of tough woody fiber, or cellulose, long cooking is necessary to soften and disintegrate them and prepare them for most easy and complete digestion and assimilation. After boiling for a time on the top of the stove, it is well to remove to the oven, where the cooking may be continued without danger of scorching. Soft water, or hard water which has been boiled and the lime precipitated, is best for cooking purposes. As the addition of salt also has a hardening effect, it is well to withhold it until the cooking process is well under way.

For soups or purées, pass the well-cooked legumes through a fine colandar or sieve to remove the hulls, and to the pulp make such additions of water, milk, cream, strained tomato, and seasoning as the dish may require. These soups and purées are largely used in our sanitariums, with excellent results.

An even better form for most persons is the dry mashed pea, bean, or lentil. In this case, cook as before, only be sure to bake down quite dry before sieving. Only a little seasoning of salt, and perhaps cream or dairy or nut butter, will be necessary. If too soft to slice well when done, stiffen with toasted bread or cracker crumbs. Turn the seasoned pulp into a pan and bake to a nice brown, or form into patties and bake. Serve with or without a tomato sauce or other dressing. In these forms, eaten in moderation, legumes are found to agree with nearly every one. As split peas and beans have the hull already removed, they are to be highly recommended for soups, purées, etc. The Lima or butter bean, being so rich, well flavored, and easily slipped from the skin, is a general favorite.

For baking, soak beans (preferable the white navies) overnight, and boil until they begin to crack open, then season with salt and a little molasses, butter, or tomato as preferred, turn into a suitable crock, jar, or pan, and bake for at least three or four hours in a moderate oven, adding water from time to time as needed. Those engaged in active outdoor labor find baked beans a very appetizing dish, and one well suited to sustain strength.

Throughout the South the cow-pea is extensively grown, the table varieties of which, such as the whippoorwill and the blackeye, are excellent when boiled a long time, and simply seasoned with salt and perhaps a little cream or butter. The peanut, though generally regarded

as a nut, is in reality a legume, requiring very similar preparation.

Suggestive Winter Menus

BREAKFAST

Corn-meal Porridge Baked Potato with Tomato Cream Sauce Pease Purée Bread and Butter Zwieback Stewed Raisins Fresh Apples

DINNER

Lentil and Tomato Soup Mashed Turnips Creamed Hominy Sliced Beets with Lemon Bread and Butter Zwieback Canned Peaches Nuts

“To make plain natural law, and urge the obedience of it, is the work that accompanies the third angel’s message, to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. III, page 121.

Washington, D. C.