Lyonnaise Wax Beans

Recipe No. 566 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Vegetables. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Beans, wax — 33 pounds*
• Salt — as needed
• Water, boiling — as needed
• Onions, chopped — 12 ounces (¾ No. 56 dipper)
• Bacon fat, melted — 12 ounces (½ mess kit cup)
• Salt — 1½ ounces (3 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — as needed
• Parsley, chopped — 1 ounce (5 mess kit spoons)
• Lemon juice — ⅓ pint (¼ mess kit cup)

Directions

Key ingredients

Bacon Grease

1. Wash beans and remove ends. Cut into pieces. Add boiling salted water.
2. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes or until tender.
3. Drain all but 2 quarts (2 No. 56 dippers) water from beans.
4. Fry onions in bacon fat until tender but not brown.
5. Combine beans and onion mixture; add salt and pepper. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
6. Add parsley and lemon juice.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Beans, wax — 2 lb 10¼ oz Salt — to taste Water, boiling — to taste Onions, chopped — 1 oz Bacon fat, melted — 1 oz Salt — about ¾ tsp Pepper — to taste Parsley, chopped — about ½ tsp Lemon juice — 2½ tsp

4 No. 10 cans wax beans may be substituted for the 33 pounds fresh beans.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 566, Vegetables. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.