Boil the beans as directed and serve with a covering of sauce à la Milanaise, which should be made in the following manner: Scald 4 onions for 5 minutes in boiling water, then dry them and cut them up, place them in a saucepan with a pinch of sugar, 1 oz. of butter, and a saltspoonful of salt. Boil a tablespoonful of rice, and when cooked add it to the onion; moisten with ½ pint of milk or water, cook slowly, stirring occasionally; when the onions are soft add 1 tablespoonful of finely-grated cheese. Mix well and pass through a sieve, add to this ½ pint of white sauce, mix thoroughly, repeat and pour over the beans.
Haricot Beans with Tomato Purée
Cook the beans as before and serve covered with tomato purée (see page [18].)
Haricot Beans with Soubise (Onion) Sauce
Cook the haricots as before and serve with onion sauce poured over and croûtons of fried bread arranged round.
Soubise Sauce
Take 2 large onions, peel them and put them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain, slice, and place in a pan with 1 oz. of clarified dripping and stew until tender. Lift the pan from the fire and stir in ½ pint of melted butter sauce. Let it boil, stir for about 7 to 10 minutes, and then rub through a hair sieve.
Lentils
Soak the lentils for at least 12 hours in cold water. Then drain and place them in a pan with cold salted water (1 gallon of water to ½ oz. of salt), bring them to the boil, then draw aside the pan and simmer, until the lentils are quite soft, about 1 hour. After having been cooked like this they can be served in any of the methods advised, for haricot beans or plain, save for the addition of a pat of butter melting among them, a sprinkling of chopped parsley, and a shake of pepper and salt.