Remove the pods and then shell the beans. This extra trouble is quite worth taking, for it makes all the difference in the delicacy of the flavour, and the skins are very easily removed. Put the beans when skinned into a thickly buttered bag, add a piece of butter the size of a walnut, into which has been worked a tablespoonful of flour, a little salt, and a teaspoonful of minced onion. Add also a cupful of water, and cook three-quarters of an hour, reducing the heat after the first five minutes.
DUCHESS GREEN PEAS.
Shell the peas and put into a thickly buttered bag with a lettuce cleaned and pulled into very small pieces, a few spring onions, a leaf of mint, a pinch of salt, a little castor sugar, a good slice of butter, and a cupful of water. Cook for about three-quarters of an hour, the gas turned down after the first five minutes.
FRENCH BEANS AND SCARLET RUNNERS.
These are excellent cooked in a paper bag. Contrary to the opinion of many cooks, the beans should never be sliced, but cooked whole. If the scarlet runners are very large and coarse, they may be cut into two or three pieces, but otherwise, they should merely have the tops and stringy parts removed and be cooked entire. Put them into a well buttered bag, with a slice of butter, a tablespoonful of minced parsley, the same of minced onion, if the flavour is liked, the juice of half a lemon and half a teacupful of water. Cook for about thirty minutes.
CARROTS.
Wash and scrape a bunch of young carrots, and put them into a buttered bag, with half a teacupful of milk and water. Cook for twenty minutes. If the carrots are large and no longer young, they should be cut into thick slices.
TURNIPS.
New turnips are delicious when cooked in a well buttered paper bag. Wash and peel them, cut into thick slices, put into a greased bag, with half a cupful of milk and water, a pinch of salt, a pinch of castor sugar, and half a teaspoonful of white pepper. Cook for about thirty minutes.
MUSHROOMS.