Beautiful Soup

From The General Foods Cookbook, (“General Foods offers over twenty famous products for your well-stocked pantry shelf”), copyright 1932.

Black Bean Soup

2 c. black beans
1 small onion, sliced
3 T. butter
2 quarts cold water
2 stalks celery, diced
1 ½ T. flour
¾ t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
¼ t. mustard
Dash of Cayenne
1 T. lemon juice
2 hard-cooked eggs, finely diced
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Wash beans and soak overnight. Saute onion in 1 ½ tablesoons butter 5 minutes. Drain beans. Add cold water, onion, and celery. Simmer 3 to 4 hours, or until beans are tender, adding water as needed. Remove from fire and force through fine sieve. Melt remaining 1 ½ tablespoons butter, add flour, and stir until smooth. Add a small amount soup mixture, stirring well. Combine with remaining soup mixture. Reheat to boiling, stirring frequently, and add seasonings. Serve soup, garnishing each portion with a small amount of egg and a slice of lemon. Serves 8.

And since man does not live by bread alone (as the cookbook editors thoughtfully pointed out), here’s a recipe for some biscuits to go with the soup.

Pimiento Cheese Biscuits

1 c. sifted flour
1 t. Calumet Baking Powder
¼ t. salt
2 T. butter or other shortening
1/3 c. milk (about)
2 ounces pimiento cheese
2 T. butter

Sift , measure, add baking powder and salt, and sift again. Cut in shortening; add milk gradually until soft dough is formed. Combine cheese and butter and melt over hot water, stirring until blended. Roll biscuit dough ¼ inch thick on slightly floured board, cut with small floured cutter, and place on greased baking sheet. Place one teaspoon of cheese mixture on each biscuit. Bake in hot oven (450⁰ F) 10 minutes or until done. Makes 12 biscuits.