For cooking beans
Young, green haricot beans
Water
Salt
Butter

For sauce
Dessert-spoonful of chopped-up parsley
Salt and pepper
The juice of a lemon
Four ounces of butter

"Take young, green haricot beans and throw them in boiling water. When half-cooked add a little salt and some butter, and boil them again for five or six minutes. Then take them

out, strain, and put them, whilst still hot, into sauce-pan with a dessert-spoonful of chopped-up parsley, salt, pepper, the juice of a lemon, and four ounces of fresh butter. Toss them, and serve on a hot dish. (If the beans* are dry you must put them into cold water and boil them for one or two hours first.)."

This recipe was taken from "Leaves from our Tuscan Kitchen or, How to Cook Vegetables" by Ann Janet Ross. The book was published by JM Dent & Co. in 1900 (London). For the complete cookbook see www.archive.org. A variety of recipes can also be found on this website.... Photo: Mary Melfi.

Back to main list