Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management/Chapter VIII
RECIPES FOR SOUPS.
CHAPTER VIII.Stock, broths, clear soups, thick soups, purées, fish soups, and miscellaneous soups.
Stocks for all Kinds of Soup.
1.—BONE STOCK.
Any kind of bones, cooked or uncooked, may be used to make bone stock. Put them in a small stew-pan or small stock-pot, add enough water to well cover, and bring to the boil. Skim, add a peeled onion, a carrot and a bay-leaf, and simmer for 2 or 3 hours. Season to taste with salt. This stock may be used in place of water for making gravy, soups, and sauces.
2.—BROWN STOCK. (Very good).
Ingredients.—2 lb. of shin or neck of beef, 1 lb. of knuckle of veal, 3 or 4 lb. of bones (beef and veal), the necks, cleaned feet, the gizzards and livers of a chicken or a fowl, 2 carrots, 2 onions, 1 turnip, a strip of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme bay-leaf), 12 peppercorns, 4 cloves, 1 tablespoonful of salt, 8 quarts of water.
Method.—Cut up the meat, and break the bones into small pieces; cover with cold water, put in the salt and let it stand for an hour, then bring gently to boiling point. Remove the scum as it rises, and when quite clear put in the herbs and vegetables, which should previously have been prepared, and cut into large pieces, or if small, left whole; if they are cut small and break up, they are apt to make the stock cloudy. Let the stock boil up after putting in the vegetables and skim well, then put on the lid, draw to the side of the stove and simmer VERY GENTLY for 5 or 6 hours. Any fat which rises to the surface during the process of simmering should be carefully skimmed off with a spoon. When sufficiently cooked, strain the stock through a hair sieve into a basin, and when cold take off the fat, which can be clarified and used for frying. The meat and bones should be covered with water and boiled down for "second" or "ordinary" stock.
Stock made according to this recipe could, after being cleared, be used for any clear soup, which would take its name from the garnish served with it.
Time.—6 hours. Average Cost, 1s. per quart.
This should produce about 6 quarts of stock.
3.—BROWN STOCK. (Economical).
Ingredients.—4 lb. of raw or cooked bones, the neck, cleaned feet, gizzards and liver of a chicken, the bones and rind of ham or bacon, 2 onions sliced, 2 carrots sliced, 1 turnip sliced, a strip of celery cut into small pieces, 2 ozs. of butter or sweet dripping, 12 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 1 tablespoonful of salt, and 1 quart of water to each lb. of meat and bone.
Method.—Clean and peel the vegetables. Make the fat hot in a large stewpan, chop or break the bones into small pieces, drain the vegetables thoroughly. Place the bones, herbs and vegetables in the hot fat, put on the cover of the stewpan, and fry gently until the whole is quite brown, stirring and turning the ingredients occasionally to prevent anything becoming overcooked. Put in the cold water, salt, peppercorns and cloves, let it come gently to the boil, and remove the scum as it rises. When clear, put on the cover and simmer gently for 5 or 6 hours. Some of the fat used in frying will rise to the surface during the process of simmering and should be taken off with a spoon. When done, strain through a sieve into a large basin, and when cold, remove the fat.
Soup made from this stock may not have the transparent brilliancy of that made from the previous recipe, but if gently simmered and carefully cleared it is quite good enough for ordinary purposes. Frying the bones and vegetables before adding the water greatly improves the flavour and colour.
Time.—6 hours. Average Cost, 6d. per quart.
1 lb. of solid material employed for stock should produce about 1½ pints of stock.
4.—BROWNING FOR STOCK.
The best way to get brown stock is to fry the meat and bones in a little fat, as directed in the foregoing recipe. Another way to colour stock or any kind of soup or sauce is to add a few drops of caramel. This is obtained by boiling ½ a lb. of loaf sugar with ½ a gill of water until it is a dark brown, almost black colour. Then add a gill of cold water, and boil again till it acquires the consistency of thick syrup. Put it in a bottle and use as required; it will keep for any length of time.
5.—FISH STOCK.
Ingredients.—2 lb. of any inexpensive white fish, such as plaice or flounders (the bones and trimmings of fish will serve), 1 onion sliced, a blade of mace, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 12 white peppercorns, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 2 quarts of water.
Method.—Put all the ingredients together into a clean stewpan, and simmer gently for 1 hour from the time the stock begins to cook, when all that is desirable will have been extracted. Further cooking sometimes imparts a disagreeably bitter taste to the stock. The stock should be well skimmed, strained, and put into a basin. For thick soups and sauces it is ready for immediate use, but for clear fish stock (which is very rarely used), it would be necessary to clarify it with the whites and shells of eggs, allowing 4 to each quart of stock.
Time.—1 hour. Average Cost, 6d. per quart. Quantity, about 3 pints of stock.
6.—GRAVY STOCK.
Chop up, rather small, some bones from roast meat, fry them till brown in a pan with a little dripping; pour off all the fat, and add enough stock or water to cover the bones. Season with salt and pepper, and boil for half an hour. Strain and use as required.
7.—SECOND STOCK.
The bones and meat used for making stock, and the meat used for clearing consommé (clear soup) should be covered with cold water and cooked for several hours to make what is known as "second," or "ordinary" stock. Neither seasoning nor flavouring is added, as this second stock forms the basis of soups, stews, and sauces which have a distinct flavour of their own.
8.—VEGETABLE STOCK.
Ingredients.—3 carrots, 2 onions, 1 turnip, 2 tomatoes, 1 stick of celery, 1 head of lettuce, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), a blade of mace, 12 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 3 ozs. of butter, 2 quarts of water, 1 teaspoonful of salt.
Method.—Cut the onions, turnips and carrots into thin slices, and the celery into small pieces. Make the butter hot in a stewpan, put in the vegetables and fry gently for ½ an hour, keeping the stewpan covered. In the meantime shred the lettuce, and when the vegetables are sufficiently cooked, add it, together with the tomatoes (sliced), herbs, flavourings, seasonings and water, and bring gently to the boil. Skim off the scum as it rises, then cover and simmer gently for 1½ hours, strain, and it is ready for use.
Time.—2 hours. Average Cost, 5d. per quart. Quantity, about 2 quarts.
9.—WHITE, or VEAL STOCK. (Fr.—Blond de Veau.)
Ingredients.—4 lb. of knuckle of veal, the neck and cleaned feet of a chicken, the bones of a chicken (or one shilling's worth of veal bones and an old fowl), 2 carrots, 2 onions, 1 turnip, 1 strip of celery, bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 12 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 1 tablespoonful of salt, 1 quart to each lb. of meat and bone.
Method.—Cut up the meat and break the bones into small pieces, put them into a large stewpan with the salt and water, and let them stand for about 1 hour. Bring gently to boiling point, remove the scum as it rises, and when the stock is quite clear put in the herbs and vegetables, which should previously have been prepared and cut into large pieces, or if small left whole. Let the stock boil up after putting in the vegetables and skim well until clear, then put on the cover, draw the pan to the side of the stove and simmer VERY GENTLY for 5 or 6 hours, taking care to skim off the fat as it rises. When sufficiently cooked, strain off, and when cold remove the fat.
Time.—6 hours. Average Cost, 1s. per quart. Quantity,—4 quarts.
Note.—The liquor in which chicken, veal, rabbit, calf's head or mutton has been boiled makes excellent stock for white soups; and the cold remains of any of these ingredients may be made into second stock, which, if not very rich, is obviously better than water in making the inexpensive white soups.
10.—TO CLARIFY STOCK FOR CLEAR SOUP, or CONSOMMÉ
The following is a simple way by which any cloudy stock can be clarified or rendered transparent. Peel, wash and cut up small the following prepared vegetables: ½ an onion or ½ a leek, 1 small carrot, a piece of celery or some celery leaves; put these into a clean and dry stewpan, with a sprig of thyme and marjoram, a sprig or two of tarragon, chervil, 6 peppercorns, the white and shell of an egg (the egg shell must be clean), a little lemon-juice and a teaspoonful of vinegar. Stir this with a whisk, and add ¼ to ¾ of a lb. of finely-chopped lean beef, moistened with a little cold water, then put in the stock (2 to 3 quarts), which should be cold and free from fat. Bring it to the boil whilst whisking, remove from the fire, and let it simmer gently for about 20 to 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt, etc., and strain through a cloth.
Average Cost, 1s. 6d. per quart.
The Laurel, or Bay (Fr. laurier).—There are two varieties of the laurel chiefly cultivated in gardens, the sweet bay—the noble or victor's laurel, whose berry-bearing sprays were used in classic times to decorate competitors in the national games—and the common or cherry-laurel, which is not a true laurel, whose leaves are employed for their kernel-like flavour, for blanc-manges, custards, puddings, etc. By the action of water upon the leaves of the cherry-laurel prussic acid is developed; care should therefore be taken to use the leaves with great moderation.
Broths.
11.—BEEF BROTH. (Fr.— Croûte-au-pot.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of good first stock (see Recipe No. 3, p. 139), 1 carrot, 1 turnip, ½ a cabbage, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 dinner roll, parsley or chives, pepper, salt, and nutmeg to season.
Method.—The stock should be made from beef and veal bones, well skimmed, but not necessarily clarified. The vegetables, after being washed and pared, may be cooked whole in the stock-pot.
Cut the carrot and turnip into round slices, drain the cabbage and cut it into small pieces. Put all the vegetables in a stewpan with the butter, cover, and cook slowly for about 10 minutes. Season with pepper, salt, and a little grated nutmeg. Strain the stock on to the vegetables, let them simmer for about 30 minutes, and skim occasionally. Cut the roll into thin round slices, place them on a baking sheet, bake them on both sides a golden brown in a moderate oven, put them in a soup tureen, moisten with a little stock, pour the soup over, sprinkle over with a little chopped parsley or chives, and serve.
Average Cost.—2s. 6d. Seasonable at all times. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons.
The Carrot (Fr. carotte) is a biennial plant of the natural order Umbelliferae. In its natural state the root is small, tapering, of a white colour, and strongly flavoured. It is indigenous to Britain and most parts of Europe, was cultivated in England as early as the sixteenth century, and has also been grown in North America and China. The cultivated variety of the carrot varies in colour from pale-yellow to orange-red, the latter being the more esteemed. The carrot is not very nutritive, containing but few flesh-forming constituents; it has, however, a large proportion of saccharine matter. It is slightly laxative. The leaves of the carrot have an elegant feathery appearance, and a pretty winter ornament may be made by placing the cut top of a carrot in a shallow vessel of water, when the young leaves will spring forth, and grow with a pleasant freshness.
12.—BOUILLON (BEEF BROTH).
This is the same as Pot-au-feu (see Recipe No. 17, p. 144), using the broth, which should be seasoned and served in cups, with a few thin sippets of bread, and a little finely-chopped parsley.
13.—CHICKEN BROTH. (Fr.—Bouillon de Volaille.)
Ingredients.—1 chicken, 2 quarts of cold water, 1 small onion, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, 1 blade of mace, 1 tablespoonful of rice (this may be omitted), salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the chicken into small pieces, break the bones, scald and skin the feet and gizzard, and wash the neck and liver. Put these into a stewpan, add the water and ½ a teaspoonful of salt, bring to the boil, and skim. Add the onion and mace, and cook slowly for 3 hours, Strain, return to the stewpan, bring to the boil, sprinkle in the rice, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the parsley, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—3¾ to 4 hours. Average Cost, 3s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
14.—CHICKEN BROTH, CHIFFONADE STYLE. (Fr.—Consommé de Volaille à la Chiffonade.)
Ingredients.—A small fowl, 3 quarts of white stock (see Recipe No. 9, p. 141), 3 ozs. of butter, 2 leeks, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 long lettuce, a handful of sorrel, ½ a handful of chervil, pepper and salt.
Method.—Cut the fowl into small joints, put 2 ozs. of butter in a stewpan, when hot put in the pieces of chicken, season with salt and pepper and fry slightly brown, add the stock, boil up and skim. Next add a small bunch of parsley, the bouquet-garni, and the leeks (previously dressed). Simmer gently for 2 hours. Wash the sorrel, chervil and lettuce (use the tender leaves only of the latter), cut all these vegetables into very fine strips, put them together with 1 oz. of butter in a stewpan, stir gently over a fire for 10 minutes, moisten with some of the broth, skim and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the remainder of the broth into this and season to taste. Cut some neat pieces of chicken and put into a tureen, pour in the soup, and serve.
Time.—3 hours. Average Cost.—6s. Sufficient for 8 persons.
Chervil (Fr. cerfeuil).—The leaves of this plant are used for salads and as an ingredient in soups. It is native to some of the countries of Europe, and has become naturalized in England. There are different varieties of the chervil, the parsnip-chervil, sweet chervil, anise chervil, great chervil. Cultivated chervil may be distinguished from the common wild chervil, which is poisonous, by the pleasant aromatic fragrance of its leaves, those of the wild variety having a disagreeable smell.
15.—COCKIE LEEKIE. (Fr.—Soupe aux Poireaux.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of good white stock, 1 small fowl, a bunch of leeks, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), salt and pepper, 2 tablespoonfuls of cooked, well-dried rice, 2 ozs. of butter.
Method.—Cut the fowl into small joints. Melt the butter in a stewpan, and fry the pieces of fowl until nicely browned. Pour off the butter, add the stock, boil up slowly, and remove the scum as it rises. Wash the leeks, cut off the green parts, parboil them in salt and water, and drain well. Strain the soup after it has cooked for ½ an hour, return it to the saucepan, add the leeks, herbs, and the meat of the fowl cut into dice or cubes. Simmer gently for 1 hour, then take out the herbs. Skim off the fat, add the cooked rice, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 3s. to 3s. 6d. without the stock. Seasonable in the Autumn. Sufficient for 10 persons.
Note.—Without the fowl the above, which would then be merely called leek soup, is very good, and also economical.
The Leek (Fr.: Porreau).—This is a perennial culinary vegetable of the genus Allium or onion but of a milder flavour. The stem of the leek is somewhat tall, and its large compact balls of flowers are supported on purple peduncles. The leek has been cultivated in Britain from the earliest times, and was a favourite article of food of the ancient Egyptians. It is specially cultivated in Scotland and Wales. The leek is the badge of the Welsh, tradition ascribing to St. David, the patron saint of Wales, its introduction to that part of Britain. The leek is a most wholesome vegetable, and is largely used for soups and stews.
16.—FRENCH FAMILY SOUP. (Fr.—Croûte au Pot.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of good beef stock, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, ½ a small cabbage, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, 2 ozs. of butter, salt and pepper, nutmeg, 1 dinner roll.
Method.—Parboil the cabbage, carrot and turnip, and drain well. Cut the cabbage into small pieces, and the other vegetables into small rounds or squares. Melt the butter in a large stewpan, put in the vegetables, season with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg, cover and cook slowly for about 10 minutes. Add the stock and simmer gently for ½ an hour. Cut the roll into thin round slices, brown them in the oven, then put them into the tureen, and add the chopped parsley. Season the soup if necessary, and serve.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 8 persons.
Parsley (Fr. persil).—This well-known culinary vegetable, with its fresh crisp aromatic leaves, has been long cultivated for seasoning and garnishing dishes. Its native country is uncertain, but it was known to the Greeks, who awarded a crown of parsley to victors in the Nemaean and Isthmian games; and the poet Anacreon uses this herb as the symbol of joy and festivity. It was probably introduced into Britain during the sixteenth century. There are several varieties of parsley, the curled-leaved, celery-leaved, and Hamburg-parsley; the more curled varieties are used for garnishing. Celery-leaved parsley is sometimes grown for its leaf stalks, which are blanched and used in the same manner as celery. Hamburg parsley is cultivated only for its roots, which are eaten with meat as parsnips or carrots.
17.—FRENCH HOTCH POTCH. (Fr.—Pot-au-Feu.)
Ingredients.—5 quarts of cold water, 4 lb. of brisket, rump, or leg of beef (not the shin, which is too tough for this purpose), 3 onions, 2 leeks, 2 carrots, 1 turnip, 1 parsnip, 1 small head of celery, 1 small cabbage, 20 peppercorns, 4 cloves, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 dessertspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, salt and pepper, 1 or 2 French rolls.
Method.—Tie the meat to keep it in shape, and put it and the water into a large stewpan (an earthenware one with a close-fitting lid answers admirably). When it boils, add a dessertspoonful of salt and let it simmer gently for 2 hours. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables, but leave the carrots, turnip, and parsnip whole, unless very large, when they should be cut into 2 or 3 pieces. Quarter the celery, and remove the outer stalks, cut the cabbage in two, trim, and wash it well, then tie the two halves together. When the meat has been boiling for 2 hours, put in the bouquet-garni, cloves (stuck in one of the onions) peppercorns, and all the vegetables, but only a few at a time so that the temperature of the stock is not too much reduced. Cut the crust of the French rolls into small rounds, and either fry them or crisp them in the oven. Continue the cooking for 2 hours, after adding the vegetables, then strain some of the soup into a tureen, cut a little carrot, turnip, and leek into dice or cubes, and add them, with the chopped parsley and fried bread, to the soup in the tureen, and serve. Place the meat on a hot dish, and garnish with the rest of the vegetables. Serve the cabbage separately in a vegetable dish.
Time.—4 to 4½ hours. Average Cost, 3s. to 3s. 6d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 8 or 10 persons.
The pot-au-feu figures as a standing dish in France, Germany, and Switzerland. It is really the stock-pot, and is in use from early morning until dinner-time, therefore the basis of a pot-au-feu is the stock already in the pot, which is daily being added to and taken from. The meat and soup are not necessarily served at one meal or served up in the manner described, for the meat is sometimes cut into rather thick slices and served covered with a good brown or piquant sauce.
18.—HOTCH POTCH. (Fr.—Hotch Potch à l'Anglaise.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of water, 2 lb. of neck of mutton, 1 onion, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, ½ a pint of shelled peas, 1 small cauliflower, 1 good lettuce, 1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the meat into neat pieces, put it into a stewpan with a teaspoonful of salt and the cold water, bring slowly to the boil, and skim well. Meanwhile, shred the lettuce finely (taking care to shorten the filaments by cutting them across), cut off the stalk of the cauliflower, and break the flower into small sprigs, cut the turnip, carrot, and onion into dice or cubes. Let the meat simmer gently for 1 hour, then put in the onion, carrot, and lettuce; ½ an hour afterwards add the turnip, peas, and cauliflower, and cook slowly for 1 hour, or until all the vegetables are tender, then add the chopped parsley, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 3 hours. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 2d. Seasonable in Summer. Sufficient for 6 persons.
19.—LEEK SOUP. (Fr.—Potage aux Poireaux.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of sheep's head broth (see recipe No. 26, p. 148), 6 leeks finely shredded, 1 good tablespoonful of medium or coarse oatmeal, salt and pepper.
Method.—Make the broth as directed, then strain and replace it in the saucepan. Bring to the boil, sprinkle in the oatmeal, add the prepared leeks, and boil gently until quite tender. Season to taste, and serve.
Time.—From ¾ to 1 hour. Average Cost, 6d., exclusive of the stock. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons. Seasonable in winter.
20.—MUTTON BROTH. (Fr.—Bouillon de Mouton.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of cold water, 1½ lb. of neck of mutton, 1 small carrot, ½ a turnip, 1 onion, 1 strip of celery, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, 1 tablespoonful of rice or pearl-barley, salt and pepper.
Method.—Remove all the fat and cut the meat into small pieces. Put the water into a stewpan, add the meat, bones and a little salt, bring slowly to the boil, and skim well. If pearl-barley is used, blanch it by putting it into cold water and bringing to the boil. Cut the vegetables into rather small dice or cubes, and add them to the broth when it has cooked for 1 hour: add also the pearl-barley. When the broth has simmered gently for 3 hours, strain and return to the saucepan. Carefully remove any fragments of bone from the meat, vegetables and pearl-barley, and return. When boiling, sprinkle in the parsley. Season to taste, and serve.
Time.—3 to 3¼ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 1d. to 1s. 3d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
21.—MUTTON BROTH. (Fr.—Bouillon de Mouton.) (Another Method.)
Ingredients.—3 quarts of cold water, 3 lb. of the scrag end of the neck of mutton, 1 onion, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, 2 strips of celery, 2 or 3 sprigs of parsley, 2 ozs. of pearl-barley, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the meat into small pieces, put them into a stewpan with the vegetables (cut up small), parsley, water, and a teaspoonful of salt, and simmer for 3 hours. Blanch and parboil the pearl-barley; cut one or two nice turnips into small dice (about ½ a pint). Strain the broth, return it to the stewpan, add the pearl-barley and turnip dice, and cook very gently for 40 to 60 minutes. Cut some of the best pieces of mutton into neat squares, and add them to the broth to re-heat. Season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 4 hours. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons.
22.—OKRA SOUP.
Ingredients.—1 lb. buttoek steak, 2 oz. of butter, 1 onion, 1 pint of okras, 2 quarts of stock.
Fry 1 lb. of buttock steak, cut into small pieces, in butter or dripping. To this add a few slices of onion, fry both a nice brown. Next add 1 pint of okras (sliced), and moisten with 2 quarts of stock or water. Simmer for 2 hours, season, strain and serve.
Time.—2½ hours. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 6 persons.
23.—PAN KAIL. (Fr.—Soupe Maigre aux Choux.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of boiling water, 3 ozs. of butter or fat, 1 small cabbage shredded, 1 heaped tablespoonful of medium or coarse oatmeal, salt and pepper.
Method.—Melt the butter or fat in a saucepan, stir in the prepared cabbage, cook for 5 minutes, then add the boiling water. Bring to boiling-point, add a seasoning of salt and pepper, sprinkle in the oatmeal, and boil gently for 15 or 20 minutes, or until the cabbage is sufficiently cooked. Add more seasoning if required, then serve.
Time.—About ½ an hour. Average Cost, 4d. to 5d. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.
The Savoy (Fr. chou de Savoie) is one of the numerous cultivated forms of the cabbage, and is characterized by its wrinkled leaves. It is close-hearted, sweet and tender, especially the middle leaves. The savoy is in season from late autumn to spring, and is improved in flavour by frost.
24.—RABBIT BROTH. (Fr.—Bouillon de Lapin.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of water, 1 rabbit, 1½ lb. of bacon or pickled pork, 2 onions, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, 1 strip of celery, 1 tablespoonful of rice, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash the rabbit, and if it is to be served separately, keep it whole and truss for boiling (see Chapter on trussing); if not, cut it into small joints, and remove the liver, etc., If bacon be used, let it be well scraped, and soaked in warm water for 1 or 2 hours. Cut the vegetables into small dice or cubes. Put the water into a large stewpan, add the bacon and rabbit, bring slowly to the boil, remove the scum as it rises, and when the rabbit has cooked for 1 hour put in the vegetables, rice, and a little salt, and continue the cooking for another hour. Take out the rabbit, and if it is to be served separately, have ready some onion sauce, or white sauce, to serve with it. (See Sauces.) If the rabbit has been cut into joints, take them out of the stewpan, remove the meat from the bone, cut it into small dice, and return to the broth to be re-heated. Cut a little of the bacon also into dice: the rest can be used cold. Season to taste, and serve.
Time.—2¼ to 2½ hours. Average Cost, 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. Seasonable in Winter. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
25.—SCOTCH BROTH. (Fr.—Bouillon Ećossais.)
Ingredients.—3 quarts of cold water, 3 lb. scrag end of mutton, 1 onion, 1 leek, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, a strip of celery, 1 dessertspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, 2 tablespoonfuls of Scotch barley, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the meat into small pieces, put them into a stewpan with the water and a teaspoonful of salt, and cook gently for 2 hours. Wash the barley, cut the vegetables into dice, add them to the broth and cook for another hour, making 3 hours in all. Strain and return the broth to the stewpan. Cut the meat into small pieces, carefully remove any fragments of bone from the vegetables and barley, and add them to the broth. When quite hot, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 4 hours. Average Cost, about 2s. Seasonable in Winter. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons.
The Sheep (Fr. brebis) has from the earliest times been one of the most useful of animals to man, its wool, skin and flesh supplying him respectively with material for clothing, leather and food; its milk in some countries is used for making butter and cheese. There are numerous varieties of the domestic sheep, a ruminant quadruped of the genus Otis: wild sheep are found chiefly in mountainous districts. The principal breeds of English sheep are the Southdown, Leicester, Cotswold, Cheviot and the Welsh. Of the numerous foreign breeds, the fat-tailed sheep of Asia and Egypt, the Astrakan, the Cretan, the Iceland and the Merino, are the most noticeable, the last named originally belonging to Spain, but now extensively bred in other countries of Europe and in Australia and New Zealand, furnishing the valuable merino wool. The flesh of the sheep, or mutton, is tender and easy of digestion, and possesses highly nutritive properties. Large quantities of foreign mutton are now imported into England principally from Australia and New Zealand by means of cold storage in transit. The New Zealand mutton is of excellent quality, and has an extensive sale. The small Welsh mutton is much esteemed. The quality of the flesh of the sheep is largely dependent on the pastorage and food stuffs on which it is fed.
26.—SHEEP'S HEAD BROTH. (Fr.—Potage de Tête de Mouton.)
Ingredients.—3 quarts of water, 1 sheep's head, 2 carrots, 2 onions, 1 turnip, 2 strips of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), salt, 1 tablespoonful of rice.
Method.—Remove the brains and tongue, and soak the head in salt and water for 12 hours, changing the water repeatedly. Put it into a large saucepan with a good handful of salt, cover with water, bring to the boil, strain, and wash well. Return it to the saucepan, add the water, and bring to the boil, skim thoroughly, add a teaspoonful of salt, then simmer for 3 hours. Meanwhile cut the vegetables into dice, and now add them and the rice to the broth. Continue the cooking for another hour, then take up the head, cut the meat into dice and return it to the broth and simmer for a few minutes. Take out the herbs, add seasoning to taste, and serve.
The brains can be used for brain cakes, and the tongue cooked and served separately. Only a small portion of the head need be served in the broth; the rest could be served separately, garnished with the tongue, and covered with brain sauce.
Time.—About 4 hours. Average Cost,—1s. to 1s. 2d. Seasonable at any time, particularly in Winter. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
27.—SCOTCH KAIL. (Fr.—Potage au choux écossais.)
Ingredients.—3 quarts of cold water, 3 lb. of mutton, 3 onions (cut into dice or cubes), 2 leeks when procurable, the hearts of 2 white cabbages, salt and pepper, 1 oz. of pearl-barley.
Method.—Keep the meat whole, and put it into a stewpan or earthenware stew pot with the water, onions, leeks, and a teaspoonful of salt, and cook gently for about 3 hours. Blanch the pearl-barley and add it when the meat has cooked for 1 hour. Wash the cabbages, shred them finely, and put them into the stewpot 1 hour before the meat is to be served. Take up the meat, cut some of it into small pieces, and place these in a soup tureen. Season the broth, and serve.
Time.—About 3½ hours. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.
Note.—Scotch Kail is the Pot-au-feu of Scotland, and like its Continental prototype may have the meat served separately, or in the broth. But it differs from Pot-au-feu in having only the green vegetables from which it derives the name of "kail".
28.—VEAL BROTH. (Fr.—Bouillon de Veau.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of cold water, 1½ lb. of neck or knuckle of veal, 1 small carrot, ½ a turnip, 1 onion, 1 strip of celery, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, 1 tablespoonful of rice or pearl-barley, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the meat into small pieces, put them with the water into a stewpan, and bring slowly to the boil. Skim, add a little salt, and simmer gently for 1 hour, then add the rice or pearl-barley (the latter must be blanched), and the vegetables cut into dice. When the broth has cooked gently for 3 hours, strain and return to the stewpan. Add the meat to the broth. Carefully remove any fragments of bone from the vegetables and pearl-barley, then return them to the broth. When boiling, sprinkle in the parsley, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—3 to 3¼ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 2d. to 1s. 3d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
Clear Soups.
29.—BRUNOISE SOUP WITH TAPIOCA. (Fr.—Consommé Brunoise au Tapioca.)
Ingredients.—1 carrot, 1 small turnip, 1 lettuce, 1 leek, ½ an onion, 2 ozs. of butter, 3 pints of consommé (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), lemon juice, 1 oz. crushed tapioca, seasoning.
Method.—Prepare the vegetables and cut them into very small dice or cubes. Fry lightly in the butter, add a good pinch of castor sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Moisten with some of the consommé. Cook gently for about ½ an hour, skim, add the remainder of the consommé, and boil gently until the vegetables are tender. Soak the tapioca in tepid water, strain and put it in a stewpan with a little consommé, cook till tender, and mix it with the remainder of the soup a few minutes before sending to table, when a few drops of lemon juice should be added.
Time.—1½ hours. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. per quart. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Tapioca (Fr. tapioca) is a preparation of cassava meal, made from a South American shrub of some 8 feet in height, with broad, shining leaves, and handsome white and rose-coloured flowers. The nutritious starch is obtained from the thick, fleshy, parsnip-like roots by the process of washing, maceration and pressure to express the juice, which, in its natural state, is poisonous. The cassava meal, while in the moist state, is made into flat cakes and heated and dried on hot plates.
30.—CLEAR BRUNOISE SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé Brunoise.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of clear soup (see Recipe 42 page 156), 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 turnip, ½ an oz. of butter, pepper and salt.
Method.—Prepare the vegetables and cut them into very small dice or cubes, melt the butter in a stewpan, put in the dice of vegetables with a little salt and pepper, and fry very gently for a few minutes, shaking and tossing them frequently to prevent them taking colour. Drain well to free them from butter, add them to the hot soup and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Skim well.
Time.—To prepare and cook the vegetables, ½ an hour. Average Cost, 3s. 6d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
31.—CLEAR COLD CHICKEN SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé de Volaille Frappé.)
Ingredients.—1 old hen, 1½ lb. of knuckle of veal, 1½ lb. of shin of beef, salt, soup vegetables, 2 cloves, a few peppercorns, 1 oz. of butter, 1 glass of sherry.
Method.—Pluck and truss the fowl as for boiling, put the butter in a stewpan, and add the fowl whole as soon as the butter is hot; let it get a nice brown, then add the meat. Pour on about a gallon of water and set it to boil—it must come slowly to the boil, and remove the scum. Have the vegetables ready and well washed (they should include 1 onion stuck with 2 cloves, ½ a head of celery, 2 carrots, 1 leek, 2 small turnips, 1 bay-leaf, and a parsley root, and put them in the stock. Add a little salt and the peppercorns, simmer gently for about 4 hours, or longer; skim occasionally. The fowl may be taken out after 2 hours cooking, and can be made use of for the cutlets. When the stock is finished carefully remove the fat from the top, and strain it through a fine hair sieve. If carefully cooked it will be quite clear, otherwise it will have to be clarified. Season to taste at the last and allow it to get cold, then stand it on the ice until required. The sherry should be added just before sending it to the table. This soup is, as its name implies, quite cold (iced). A handful of Royal Custard may be served in the consommé if liked.
Average Cost.—5s. 6d. Sufficient for 8 or 10 persons. Seasonable at any time.
Basil (Fr. basilie).—This aromatic plant is a native of the East Indies, its perfume resembling that of cloves. It is cultivated as an aromatic pot-herb, and its leaves are used for flavouring soup and as a salad, especially by French cooks.
32.—CLEAR DUBOURG SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé à la Dubourg.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of clear soup, a small savoury custard (see recipe for Consommé à la Royale, p. 155), 1 tablespoonful of cooked rice, 1 tablespoonful of cooked green peas.
Method.—Prepare the custard as directed, and add it with the peas and rice to the soup a few minutes before serving.
Time.—To prepare and cook the garnish, ½ an hour. Average Cost 2s. 9d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
33.—CLEAR GAME SOUP, PALERMO STYLE. (Fr.—Consommé de Gibier à la Palermo.)
Ingredients.—For consommé: 1 grouse, ½ a rabbit, 2 lb. of shin of beef, 1 lb. of lean veal, ¼ lb. of raw ham, 2 ozs. of dripping or butter, the bones and trimmings of the above meat, poultry, or game, soup vegetables, 2 blades of mace, 2 cloves, peppercorns, a small bunch of herbs (bouquet-garni), salt, 2½ quarts of water, cayenne pepper.
For Garniture.—½ a head of celery, 2 ozs. of macaroni, game quenelles, cooked ham, 1 French roll, grated Parmesan cheese.
Method.—Remove the breasts from the grouse, and use for quenelles. Cut up the bird and rabbit into joints, and the beef and veal into pieces. Melt the dripping in a large stewpan, put in the bird, the rabbit and the meat, and fry till brown over a quick fire; pour off the fat, add the water and the ham, let it come to the boil, and skim. Put in the soup vegetables, consisting of a small onion stuck with cloves, a carrot, a turnip, and a few leaves of celery or leek, together with any trimmings or bones of meat, etc. Now add the bouquet of herbs, mace, peppercorns, and a tablespoonful of salt, simmer gently for about 3 hours or longer; take out the ham when done, as some of it will be required for garnish. Special attention must be paid to the simmering and occasional skimming of the soup in order to keep it clear, otherwise it will require clarifying. Strain the soup through a cloth into a clean stewpan, and keep hot.
Prepare the garniture as follows: Cut the white portion of the celery into small dice or strips, cook in slightly salted water containing a small piece of butter. Cook the macaroni in salted water, cool and strain, then cut it into short pieces. Prepare some small quenelles with the breast of grouse and panada (a culinary paste of flour and water), and poach in a little stock. Cut the cooked ham into strips or dice the same as the celery, and put these into the consommé to get thoroughly hot. Stamp out some small rounds of bread crust cut from the roll, put these in the soup tureen, pour over the consommé. Hand round the grated cheese on a plate.
Time.—About 3 hours. Average Cost, 3s. 8d., without the game. Sufficient for 8 persons.
34.—CLEAR JARDINIERE SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé à la Jardinière.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of clear soup (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 2 carrots, 1 turnip, ½ a cucumber, salt.
Method.—Scrape the carrots, pare the turnip, but leave the skin on the cucumber, as the green has a pleasing effect when mixed with the other vegetables. Cut the vegetables (with a round cutter sold for the purpose) the size and shape of peas, and boil them separately in slightly salted water until tender, taking care not to cook them too much. Drain well, add the vegetables to the boiling soup, simmer for a few minutes, then serve.
Time.—To prepare and cook the vegetables, ½ an hour. Average Cost, 2s. 4d. Seasonable in Spring. Sufficient for 6 persons.
35.—CLEAR JULIENNE SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé à la Julienne.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of clear soup (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 1 carrot, 1 onion, ½ a turnip, a strip of celery, pepper and salt, ½ an oz. of butter.
Method.—Prepare the vegetables and cut them into fine strips like small matches, melt the butter in a small saucepan, put in the strips of vegetable with a little salt and pepper, and fry gently for a few minutes, shaking frequently to prevent browning. Drain well to free them from butter, add them to the hot soup, and simmer gently for 15 or 20 minutes, keeping the soup well skimmed.
Time.—To prepare and cook the vegetables, 40 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 4d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Note.—A tablespoonful of cooked green peas, and the same quantity of cooked French beans cut in narrow strips, may be added to the other vegetables. Instead of frying them in butter they (the turnip, carrot, onion, celery) may be parboiled in salt and water, and afterwards simmered until tender in the stock.
36.—CLEAR LEAFY SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé aux Mille Feuilles.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts consommé (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 1 oz. soft breadcrumbs, 1 oz. grated Parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, grated nutmeg, pepper and salt.
Method.—Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese in a basin, beat up the eggs and stir them into the above; beat up well for a few minutes, and add the seasoning. Drop the mixture by means of a funnel into the boiling consommé, and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes. By this time the broth will become clear again. It is then ready for serving.
Time.—About ½ hour. Average Cost, 3s. Sufficient for 8 persons.
37.—CLEAR MOCK TURTLE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Tortue Fausse Clair.)
Ingredients.—½ a calf's head, 5 quarts of clear second stock (see Recipe No. 7, p. 140), (or water), 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 turnip, 1 strip of celery, bouquet-garni (parsley, basil, marjoram, thyme, bay-leaf), 12 peppercorns, 4 cloves, 2 blades of mace, 2 glasses of sherry, 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice, ½ a lb. of lean beef, ½ a lb. of lean veal, the whites and shells of 2 eggs, salt.
Method.—Soak the head 24 hours in salt and water, changing it frequently. Then bone the head (the brains and tongue may be used for some other purpose), tie the meat in a thin cloth and break the bones into small pieces; put them into a stewpan, cover with cold water, add a tablespoonful of salt, let it boil up, strain, and wash the head in cold water. Return the meat and bones to the stewpan, put in the stock and a dessertspoonful of salt, boil up, and skim well. Now add the prepared vegetables, herbs, peppercorns, cloves and mace, and when boiling, remove the scum, put on the cover and cook slowly for about 3 hours, according to the size of the head. Strain, put the meat aside, and when the stock is cold remove the fat, and clarify with the coarsely chopped beef and veal, and whites of eggs, see recipe No. 10. Return to the saucepan, with the sherry, the lemon-juice and a little of the meat of the head, cut into small pieces. Add necessary seasoning, boil up and serve.
This recipe may be thickened with a tablespoonful of arrowroot when a thicker soup is required.
The remainder of the calf's head can be used for an entrée.
Time.—To prepare the stock, 3½ to 4 hours. To clarify and re-heat, 40 to 60 minutes. Average Cost. 5s. 9d. with stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 12 or 14 persons.
Marjoram (Fr. marjolaine). The common marjoram is indigenous to Britain, and grows on chalky soils. Its flowers are reddish in colour, growing in clustered spikes. It possesses balsamic, aromatic and bitter properties, and from the plant is obtained "oil of thyme." Sweet and pot marjoram, natives of southern Europe, are cultivated in gardens for culinary use; the young tops and leaves, both green and dried, are used for seasoning.
38.—CLEAR MULLIGATAWNY. (Fr.—Consommé à l'Indienne.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of second stock (see Recipe No. 7, p. 140), 2 onions, sliced, 1 apple, sliced, 1 tablespoonful of mild curry powder, ½ a tablespoonful of salt, the whites and shells of 2 eggs, the juice of 1 lemon.
Method.—Put the stock, onions, apples, curry powder (previously mixed smoothly with a little cold water), and salt into a well-tinned stewpan, put on the cover and simmer gently for 1½ hours, then strain. When cold, add the egg-shells crushed and the whites stiffly whipped, let the soup boil up again and simmer for a few minutes, then strain, re-heat, add the lemon-juice and any necessary seasoning, and serve, with boiled rice, handed round separately or put in the soup.
When convenient, a little cooked chicken should also be served, cut into dice or cubes, and warmed in the soup a few minutes before serving.
Time.—To make the soup, 1¼ to 1½ hours. To clear and re-heat the soup, 30 to 40 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
39.—CLEAR MULLIGATAWNY. (Fr.—Consommé à l'Indienne.) (Another Method.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of second stock, 2 small onions, sliced, 1 sour apple, sliced, 2 oz. of lean raw ham or bacon, the bones of any roast game or poultry, 1 dessertspoonful of mild curry powder, 1 dessertspoonful of curry paste, 1 teaspoonful of chutney, 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice, 1 teaspoonful of salt, the whites and shells of 2 eggs, 1 oz. of butter.
Method.—Fry the onions, apple, curry powder, ham (cut into small pieces), bones and any trimmings of poultry there may be, in the butter until nicely browned, then add the stock, salt, curry paste, chutney, and simmer gently for about 1 hour; strain, and when cold remove the fat. Clarify with the shells and whites of eggs as in the preceding recipe, re-heat, add the lemon-juice, and serve with boiled rice.
Time.—To make the soup, 1¼ to 1½ hours. To clarify and re-heat, 30 to 40 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
40.—CLEAR OXTAIL SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Queue de Bœuf, clair.)
Ingredients.—1 oxtail, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, 1 onion, 1 strip of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 6 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 1 blade of mace, 3 quarts of CLEAR second stock, salt, the whites and shells of 2 eggs.
Method.—Cut the tail into short lengths, cover with cold water, add a little salt, bring to the boil and strain. Return to the saucepan with the vegetables, flavourings, and seasonings, simmer gently for four hours, keeping the stewpan covered, strain, put the meat aside, and when the stock is cold remove the fat. Clarify with the whites and shells of the eggs, strain, re-heat, and serve garnished with pieces of the tail, and a little carrot and turnip cooked and cut into some fancy shape. A glass of sherry is sometimes added when re-heating, also a tablespoonful of arrowroot, previously mixed smoothly with a little stock, when a slightly-thickened "clear" soup is desired.
Time.—To make the soup, from 4 to 4½ hours. To clarify and heat, 30 to 40 minutes. Cost.—2s. 9d. to 3s. 3d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 9 or 10 persons.
Note.—The larger pieces of tail should be re-heated in brown sauce, or a good curry sauce, and served as a dish for luncheon.
41.—CLEAR ROYAL SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé à la Royale.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of clear soup (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 1 egg, 1 tablespoonful of milk or white stock, salt and pepper.
Method.—Beat the egg, add the milk, salt and pepper to taste, and pour the custard into a well-buttered plain mould. Have ready a small stewpan half full of boiling water, put in the custard, cover the top of the mould with greased paper, put on a close-fitting lid to keep in the steam, and cook VERY SLOWLY for 15 minutes, or until the custard is firm. When cold, cut into strips, rounds, diamonds or any fancy shape, rinse in warm water, then put them into the tureen and pour in the hot consommé. Or to make a change, use one yolk and the whites of 2 eggs. To the yolk and each white add a dessertspoonful of good white stock or milk, season to taste, and colour one white of egg with carmine or cochineal. Cook in 3 separate small timbals or dariol moulds, and use as directed above.
Time.—To prepare and cook the custard, ½ an hour. Average Cost, 3s. 4d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
42.—CLEAR SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of brown stock, 1 lb. of neck of beef (lean) finely chopped, or passed two or three times through the mincing machine, the whites and shells of 4 eggs, 1 carrot, cut in two or three pieces, 1 onion (left whole), a strip of celery, 12 peppercorns, 6 allspice, 2 cloves, salt.
Method.—The stock should be cold and quite free from fat. Put it into a clean well-tinned stewpan, add the vegetables, flavourings, seasonings, the shells of the eggs crushed and the whites stiffly whipped, and whisk all together over a gentle fire until just on boiling point, then let it simmer about ½ an hour. Strain through a clean dry cloth, re-heat and season to taste before serving. A glass of sherry, a dessertspoonful of French vinegar or lemon-juice and a pinch of castor sugar, are frequently added when re-heating the consommé.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 3s. to 3s. 6d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 8 or 9 persons.
43.—CLEAR SOUP, PORTUGUESE STYLE. (Fr.—Consommé à la Portugaise.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts consommé, 1 large ripe tomato, ½ an oz. of butter, 12 French plums, 1 small leek, a pinch of cayenne.
Method.—Wash the plums, put them in cold water with a little salt, bring to the boil, strain, and rinse in cold water; return to the stewpan in which they were blanched, add sufficient clear stock to well cover, and cook slowly till tender. Wash and clean the leek, cut it into fine shreds or Julienne shaped strips about 1 inch long, wash well in cold water, drain, and cook for a few minutes with the butter, pour in some clarified stock or consommé, and cook slowly till tender. Carefully remove all the fat, pour in the consommé, and let it simmer for a few minutes. Put the plums in the soup tureen. Blanch and skin the tomato, cut it up into very small pieces or dice, free from pips, and put these also into the soup tureen. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste, pour on the consommé, and serve.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 4s. 2d. Sufficient for 8 persons.
44.—CLEAR SOUP WITH FRIED QUENELLES. (Fr.—Consommé aux Quenelles Frites.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of clear soup (see Recipe No. 42), ¼ of a lb. of leg of veal, or raw chicken, ½ an oz. of flour, ¼ of an oz. of butter, a tablespoonful of good white stock, a teaspoonful of cream, ½ an egg, salt and pepper to taste.
Method.—Mince the veal finely, or pass it through the mincing machine 2 or 3 times. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour, add the stock, and cook until it leaves the sides of the saucepan clear and forms a compact mass round the bowl of the spoon: this is called a panada. Let it cool slightly, pound it and the veal well together, add the half egg and seasoning, pound until well mixed together, then rub through a wire sieve. Mix in the cream, shape into small marbles, fry in a little hot butter or fat, drain well, and add them to the soup just before serving.
Time.—To make and cook the quenelle mixture, 30 to 40 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 9d. to 3s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Note.—This mixture may also be shaped in small teaspoons or eggspoons, and poached in a little boiling water before being added to the soup.
45.—CLEAR SOUP WITH ITALIAN PASTE. (Fr.—Consommé aux pâtes d'Italie.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of clear soup (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 1 tablespoonful of Italian paste (bought in packets).
Method.—Sprinkle the paste into the boiling soup, and cook it for a few minutes before serving. Crushed tapioca, sago or Florador may be used instead of the paste, also macaroni, vermicelli or spaghetti, but these must be cooked and cut into short lengths before being added to the soup.
Time.—To cook the Italian paste, 10 minutes. Average Cost, 3s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
46.—CLEAR SOUP WITH RIBBON MACARONI. (Fr.—Consommé aux Nouilles.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of clear soup, 4 ozs. of fine flour, 1 dessertspoonful of grated Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, 1 saltspoonful of salt.
Method.—Mix the flour, cheese and salt well together, add half the egg and, if necessary, a little water. Knead it vigorously with the palm of the hand until a fairly stiff but smooth paste is formed; it must not be too moist, and should have a tenacious elastic consistency. Wrap in a floured cloth and let it stand for 1 hour or more, then roll out VERY thinly on a floured board, cut into narrow strips, and cook a few at a time, in salted boiling water. Strain and drain and add a handful to the consommé a few minutes before serving.
Time.—½ an hour to cook the paste. Average Cost, 3s. 3d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Note.—The remainder of Nouilles or Ribbon Macaroni can be heated up with White Sauce, and done au gratin, to be served for a luncheon or supper dish.
47.—CLEAR TURTLE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage Tortue Clair.)
Ingredients.—½ a lb. of the best sun-dried turtle, 1 small tin of turtle fat (this may be omitted), ½ a lb. of lean neck of beef, ½ a lb. of lean veal, the whites and shells of 2 eggs, 5 quarts of good stock, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 turnip, 1 strip of celery, bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf, basil, marjoram), 12 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 1 blade of mace (tied in muslin), 2 glasses of sherry, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice, salt.
Method.—Soak the turtle for 3 days, changing the water frequently. Put the stock, turtle, and a dessertspoonful of salt into a large stewpan and bring to the boil, then add the prepared vegetables, herbs, bag of peppercorns, etc., and when the stock boils remove the scum as it rises. Put on the cover and cook gently for 8 or 9 hours, adding more stock if that in the pan reduces very much. Strain, put the pieces of turtle aside, and remove the fat from the soup when cold. Pass the beef and veal 2 or 3 times through the mincing machine, and add them together with the shells and stiffly-whipped whites of the eggs to the soup, and whisk until it boils. Simmer gently for ½ an hour, then strain and return to the stewpan with the turtle and turtle fat cut into small squares, adding sherry, lemon-juice, and the necessary seasoning, and cook gently for a few minutes. Lemons cut in quarters are sometimes handed separately with this soup for those who prefer a stronger flavour of lemon.
Time.—To make the stock, 9 to 10 hours. To clarify and re-heat, 1¼ to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 8s. 6d. without stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 10 persons.
48.—COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP.
Ingredients.—A small fowl for boiling, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 1 onion, 2 cloves, 1 small bunch of young leeks, 2 ozs. of rice, salt and pepper.
Method.—Truss the fowl for boiling, put it in a large stewpan or stock-pot, with enough water to well cover it, add a little salt, and let it come to the boil. Remove the scum, then add the carrot, turnip (previously cleaned), and the onion, peeled and stuck with the cloves. When the fowl is tender take it out. Wash the leeks, trim off the roots and outside leaves, and cut into 1-inch lengths. Strain the broth (which should measure about 3 pints) into another stewpan, add the leeks and the rice, previously washed and blanched. Boil for about ½ an hour, season to taste, cut the fowl in half, divide one half into very small pieces and put these with the soup. Use the remainder for some other purpose. Before serving, add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley to the soup. If preferred, the fowl need not be served in the soup, but it is essential that this soup should be made from chicken stock.
Time, about 1½ hours. Average Cost, 2s. 10d. Sufficient for 6 persons.
49.—CUSTARD FOR SOUP. (Fr.—Garniture Royale.)
Ingredients.—2 whole eggs, 2 yolks of eggs, 1 gill of white stock, salt and pepper.
Method.—Beat up the eggs in a basin, add the stock, and season with salt and pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Strain this into a well-buttered plain tin mould; stand it in a stewpan containing a little boiling water, cover the mould with a buttered paper, and let it poach in a moderately heated oven for 20 minutes. When done, take out the mould and put in a cool place. Turn out when cold, and cut the custard into dice, cubes, or other fanciful shapes (known as Royal). Use for garnish in clear or thick soups.
Time.—20 to 30 minutes. Average Cost, 6d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 quarts of soup. Seasonable at any time.
50.—PRINCE'S SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé aux Navets.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of boiling clear soup, (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156.) ¼ of a pint of turnip garnish, 2 tablespoonfuls of cooked green peas, 1 dessertspoonful of finely-shredded truffle, salt and pepper.
Method.—Scoop the turnip into rounds the same size as the peas, and cook them until tender but not broken. Season the stock to taste, add the prepared turnip, peas and truffle, make thoroughly hot, and serve.
Time.—½ an hour. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
51.—RICE SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé au Riz.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of consommé, (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 2 ozs. of Patna rice, salt and pepper.
Method.—Throw the rice into boiling water, let it cook rapidly for 5 minutes, then wash and drain it well. Bring the stock to boiling-point, add salt and pepper to taste, and put in the rice. Simmer gently until the rice is quite tender, then serve.
Time.—From 15 to 20 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
52.—SAGO SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé au Sagou.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of consommé (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 1½ oz. of fine sago, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash the sago in 2 or 3 waters. Boil up the stock, sprinkle in the sago, boil gently until it becomes transparent, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 20 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
53.—SEMOLINA SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé au Semoule.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of consommé (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 1½ oz. of semolina, salt and pepper.
Method.—Boil up the stock, and sprinkle in the semolina. Cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring almost continuously, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 30 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
Semolina—(Fr. semoule). A wheat meal, prepared from the large grains of the hard wheats of southern Europe by a special process of milling, which produces a very white coarse flour, rich in gluten, rendering semolina a valuable flesh-forming food. It is used for thickening soups, puddings, etc.
54.—SOLFERINO SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé Solferino.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of clear soup, (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 2 ozs. of choux paste.
Method.—Make the stock and choux paste as directed, and season the latter well with salt and pepper. Have ready a deep pan of hot fat, dip into it the bowl of a small teaspoon, fill it with choux paste, and smooth the surface with a knife previously dipped into the hot fat. As the shapes are formed drop them into the fat, and fry them slowly until crisp and lightly browned. Drain well, and add them to the soup when on the point of serving.
Time.—About 15 minutes, to fry the shapes. Average Cost, 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
55.—SPRING SOUP. (Fr.—Potage Printanière.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of unclarified stock, ¼ gill each of green peas, french beans, asparagus tops, and chopped lettuce, 1 young carrot, 1 small onion, a bouquet garni, ¼ lb. of gravy beef, the white of 1 egg; seasoning.
Method.—Prepare the vegetables, and scoop out some small pea shapes of carrot. Cook all the vegetables separately in salted water. Put the stock into a pan with the onion, herbs, finely minced meat, seasoning and white of egg. Whisk till it boils, then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and reheat. Add the prepared vegetables and serve.
Time.—1 hour. Average Cost, 2s. 9d. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable in April and May.
56.—TRANSPARENT SOUP.
Ingredients.—4 lb. of knuckle of veal, 2 ozs. of blanched almonds finely-chopped, 1½ oz. of vermicelli crushed, 1 blade of mace, salt and pepper, 3 quarts of water.
Method.—Cut the meat into small pieces, break up the bones, put both into a large stewing-jar, and add the water, prepared almonds, mace, and a little salt and pepper. Cook slowly on the stove or in the oven until reduced to ½ the original quantity, then strain. When cold, remove every particle of fat, boil up the stock, sprinkle in the vermicelli, simmer gently for 10 or 15 minutes, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—To prepare the stock, 8 hours. Average Cost, 2s. 9d. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
57.—VERMICELLI SOUP. (Fr.—Consommé Vermicelle.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of consommé, (see Recipe No. 42, p. 156), 2 ozs. of vermicelli, salt and pepper.
Method.—Crush the vermicelli between the fingers into short lengths. Bring the stock to boiling point, sprinkle in the vermicelli, boil gently for 15 minutes, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 30 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
Vermicelli (Fr. vermicelle) is a preparation of macaroni in a fine, thread-like form, with the addition of the yolk of eggs, sugar, saffron, and cheese.
Thick Soups.
58.—BARLEY SOUP. (Fr.—Potage Crême d'Orge.)
Ingredients.—1 pint of white second stock, 1 pint of milk, 1 dessert spoonful of flour, 1 oz. of butter, salt and pepper, croûtons of fried or toasted bread, 2 tablespoonfuls of fine crushed barley, sold in packets under the name of "Crême d'Orge."
Method.—Boil the stock and milk together in a saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the flour, add the stock and milk and stir until it boils. Sprinkle in the barley, stir and cook until the mixture becomes transparent (about 10 minutes). Season to taste, and serve. The croûtons (small slices of bread cut into shapes) should be either fried in hot fat or cut from thin slices of toast. They should be handed separately, unless directions are given to put them into the soup before serving.
Time.—20 to 30 minutes. Cost, 4d. to 5d. without the stock. Seasonable at all times. Sufficient for 4 persons.
Note.—Rice and tapioca, finely crushed and ground, may also be bought in packets, and will be found useful preparations for soups of this class. When not easily obtainable, ground rice, Florador, or Semolina will be found good substitutes. The well-known "Potage Crême de Riz" can be made from this recipe, using crême de riz instead of crême d'orge; and either soup can be made richer by omitting the flour, and butter, and in their place using the yolks of 2 eggs, and 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, which should be added to the soup a few minutes before serving.
59.—BARLEY SOUP. (Another Method). (Fr.—Potage Crême d'Orge.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of white second stock, 1 pint of milk, 1½ ounces of pearl-barley, 1½ oz. of butter, 1 oz. of corn-flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, croûtons of fried or toasted bread.
Method.—Wash the pearl-barley until the water is clear, drain, put it and the stock into a stewpan, boil up, and simmer gently for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Rub through a hair or fine wire sieve, return to the stewpan, add the milk and seasoning, and bring to the boil. Knead the corn-flour and butter together, put the mixture into the soup and stir until it becomes smoothly united with it. Add the nutmeg if liked, place the croûtons of fried bread in the tureen, pour in the soup, and serve.
Time.—3½ to 4 hours. Average Cost.—4d. to 5d. without the stock. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Barley (Fr.: Orge).—This well known plant, which is a genus (hordeum) of the order Graminæ, or Grasses, is probably the first cereal cultivated by man. It was grown in Egypt and Palestine in the earliest recorded times, and Homer makes reference to it. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Germans made beer from barley. The grain is principally used for making malt, from which beer, porter, and whiskey are manufactured. Scotch barley is prepared by removing the husks of the grain and pearl-barley by the further process of polishing and rounding the grain. Barley-water, a concoction of pearl-barley, owing to its emollient and diluent properties, forms a valuable medicine, for patients of weak digestion. The constituents of barley in 100 parts are:—Starch, 79; glutin, 6; sugar, 7; husk, 8.
60.—CABBAGE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage aux Choux.)
Ingredients.—2 small young cabbages (finely shredded), 1 tablespoonful of finely chopped onion, 1 teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley, 2 pints of boiling water, 1 pint of milk, 2 tablespoonfuls of crushed tapioca (sold in packets), or fine sago, 1 teaspoonful of salt, ¼ of a teaspoonful of pepper, 1 oz. of butter.
Method.—Cover the shredded cabbage with boiling water, bring to the boil and strain. Return the cabbage to the saucepan, add to it 2 pints of boiling water, the milk, onion, parsley, butter, salt and pepper, and boil gently for 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the tapioca and cook for about 10 minutes longer, or until the tapioca becomes transparent, then serve.
Time.—About ½ an hour. Average Cost, 6d. to 7d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 8 persons.
Cabbage (Fr.: Chou).—This valued vegetable, so largely used for culinary purposes, is cultivated in almost every temperate region of the globe, and in its wild state grows on the rocky shores of our own island, and still more extensively on the shores of Southern Europe. There are numerous varieties or "sports" of the common cabbage, as the Savoy cabbage, kohl Rabi, the Portugal cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and seakale, which are grown for the table, and cooked in various ways. Red or purple cabbage is used for pickling. The cabbage is one of the least nutritious of vegetables, as it contains about 90 per cent. of water. Sauer-kraut, a popular dish in Germany, is prepared by packing white cabbages, cut into small pieces, into a cask with layers of salt, mixed with caraway and juniper berries. When fermented, it is eaten with meat.
61.—CALVES' TAIL SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Queue de Veau.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of second stock, 2 calves' tails, 2 ozs. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, 1 onion sliced, 1 small carrot sliced, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), a small blade of mace, 2 cloves, 1 glass of sherry, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash, blanch and dry the tails, and divide them into sections. Boil the stock, add the prepared tails and vegetables, season to taste, put in the mace and cloves, and cover closely. Simmer very gently from 1¼ to 1½ hours, or until the tails are sufficiently cooked. Meanwhile melt the butter in a stewpan, add the flour, and stir and cook slowly until it acquires a nut-brown colour. Strain the stock and add it to the flour, and stir over the fire until the whole is well blended. Add the pieces of tail, a few shreds of onion and carrot, the sherry, and more seasoning if required. Make thoroughly hot, then serve.
Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. to 2s., exclusive of the stock. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
Calf (Fr. veau).—The name given to the young of cattle. When under two months of age the flesh is called veal, and yields a large quantity of soluble extract, and is, therefore much used for broths and soups.
62.—COTTAGE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage à la Paysanne.)
Ingredients.—2 lb. of lean neck of beef, ¼ of a lb. of streaky bacon, 1 onion, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, 2 lb. of potatoes, 2 ozs. of dripping, 1 tablespoonful of rice, salt, pepper, and 2 quarts of water.
Method.—Cut the meat into thin slices, the bacon into dice or cubes, and the soup vegetables into thin slices. Melt the fat in a stewpan, fry the bacon, meat and onion until nicely browned, then add the sliced vegetables, the water, salt and pepper, cover closely and simmer for 1 hour. Meanwhile the potatoes should have been prepared, and if very large, cut in two. Add them to the soup, and when they have been cooking ½ an hour sprinkle in the rice. Cook gently for another ½ hour (2 hours altogether), and if the potatoes and rice are tender, season the soup to taste and serve.
Time.—2¼ hours. Average Cost,—1s. 9d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
63.—ENDIVE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage au Chicorée.)
Ingredients.—1½ lb. of knuckle of veal, free from bone, poultry giblets (9d. or 1s. worth), 1 onion, 2 cloves, 1 turnip, 1 carrot, 1 small bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 2 endives (large heads), 2 ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, yolks of 2 eggs, 1½ gills of cream, seasoning, nutmeg, salt and pepper, ground mace, paprika pepper.
Method.—Cut the meat into pieces, wash and clean the giblets; put all in a stewpan with sufficient water to cover, about 2 quarts, add a teaspoonful of salt, and bring to the boil. Skim well. Peel the onion, insert the cloves, peel or scrape the turnip and carrot; add these to the above, also the bouquet-garni. Boil for about 1½ hours or longer, and strain. Trim, wash and drain the endives, cut them into fine shreds, blanch and drain. Melt 1 oz. of butter in a stewpan, add the endives, and stir over the fire for 5 minutes. Moisten with sufficient stock, and cook until tender, then put it into the prepared stock. Allow this to boil up. Melt the remainder of the butter, stir in the flour, cook a little, and moisten with a little cold milk. Pour this into the soup, and continue to cook the whole a little longer, then pass through a fine sieve. Return to the stewpan, season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg, also a tiny pinch of ground mace and paprika. Put the cream and egg-yolks into the soup tureen, beat up well, and pour the boiling soup gradually into the tureen. The soup is then ready for table.
Average Cost.—3s. 6d. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable from October to April.
Endive (Fr. chicorée). The curled leaves of this plant known also as "garden succory"—when blanched are used for soups, stews and in salads. The endive, which belongs to the Chicoraceae or Lettuce division of the Compositae, is a native of China, but grows well in Britain, where it was introduced in the sixteenth century. From one species the chicory used in the adulteration of coffee is obtained.
64.—FLEMISH SOUP. (Fr.—Potage à la Flamande.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of boiling stock or water, ½ a pint of milk, 2 lb. of potatoes sliced, ½ a head of celery cut into short pieces, 2 onions sliced, 3 ozs. of butter or fat, salt and pepper.
Method.—Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the prepared vegetables, cover closely, and cook gently for ½ an hour, stirring or shaking the ingredients occasionally. Add the boiling stock or water and a seasoning of salt and pepper, boil gently until the potatoes are soft, then rub the whole through a wire sieve. Re-heat, add the milk, season to taste, make thoroughly hot, and serve.
Time.—From 1½ to 1¾ hours. Average Cost, 8d., exclusive of the stock. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
65.—GIBLET SOUP. (Fr.—Potage aux Abatis.)
Ingredients.—The giblets of a goose, turkey, ducks, or chickens, to one set allow 1 lb. of lean beef, and 3 pints of stock or 2 pints of water, ½ a carrot, 1 small onion, 1 strip of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 oz. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, ½ a glass of sherry, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoonful of macaroni, cooked and cut across into tiny rings.
Method.—Skin the gizzard, scald and skin the feet, wash the neck and liver, dry and cut into small pieces. Melt the butter and fry the giblets, meat and sliced vegetables until brown, then add the stock, herbs, salt and pepper, and when boiling skim well. Cook gently for 2 hours, then strain and return to the stewpan. When boiling, mix the sherry and the flour smoothly together and add to the soup, also the macaroni and any necessary seasoning, simmer a few minutes longer, and serve.
Time.—2¾ to 3 hours. Cost, exclusive of the giblets and stock, 1s. to 1s. 2d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
66.—GOOD WOMAN'S SOUP. (Fr.—Potage à la Bonne Femme.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of white stock, 1 white-heart lettuce, 1 thick slice of cucumber (the length of which must equal the breadth of the cucumber, so that a square block may be cut), a little tarragon and chervil (these may be omitted when not easily procurable), 1 oz. of butter, the yolks of 2 eggs, ¼ of a pint of cream or milk, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash and shred the lettuce finely, cut the block of cucumber lengthwise into thin slices, and the slices into match-like strips. Melt the butter, and fry the vegetables for 5 or 6 minutes, then add the stock, salt and pepper, and boil slowly until the lettuce is tender (10 to 15 minutes). Beat the yolks of the eggs, add to them the cream or milk. Let the soup cool slightly, then pour in the yolks and cream, and stir until the soup thickens, but it MUST NOT BOIL or the eggs will curdle.
Time.—To prepare and cook, about 40 minutes. Cost, 2s. to 2s. 3d. Seasonable almost at any time. Sufficient for 4 persons.
67.—GRAVY SOUP. (Fr.—Potage au Jus.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of second stock or gravy stock, 1 lb. of neck or shin of beef (lean), 1 carrot, 1 onion, ½ a turnip, 1 strip of celery, bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 8 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the meat into small pieces. Make the butter hot in the stewpan, put in the meat and sliced vegetables, and fry until brown. Add the stock, herbs, peppercorns, cloves, and seasoning, and cook very gently for 2½ to 3 hours, strain, return to the saucepan, boil up, mix the flour smoothly with a little cold stock, pour it into the soup, simmer 5 minutes longer, add seasoning to taste, and serve.
Time.—3½ to 4 hours. Average Cost, 10d. to 1s. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 4 persons.
68.—GUMBO SOUP. (Fr.—Potage Gombo.)
Ingredients.—1 quart okras, 3 pints beef stock (see Recipe No. 3, p. 139), 6 tomatoes, ¼ pint Lima beans, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley.
Method.—Mince the okras, and cook them in the stock with the sliced tomatoes and the beans. When tender, rub all through a fine sieve, re-heat, season with salt and pepper, and add 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley.
Time.—1 hour. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. to 3s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
69.—HARE SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Lièvre.)
Ingredients.—3 quarts of second stock, 1 hare or the bones and inferior parts of a hare, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 tablespoonful of cornflour, 1 small onion, 1 small carrot, ½ a small turnip, 1 strip of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 12 peppercorns, 1 glass of port wine, salt.
Method.—Wipe the hare with a clean damp cloth and cut it into small joints. Melt the butter in a stewpan, put in the hare, the vegetables sliced, and the herbs, and fry until brown. Add the stock, salt and peppercorns, and simmer gently for 3 hours. Strain, remove the meat from the bones, and pound it well in a mortar. Rub it through a fine sieve, then return it and the stock to the stewpan, and when boiling add the wine and the cornflour, previously mixed smoothly together. Stir and cook for a few minutes, season to taste, and serve.
Time. 4 hours. Average Cost, 4s. to 5s., when made from a whole hare, not including the stock. Seasonable from August to March. Sufficient for 10 persons.
70.—HARE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Lièvre.)
Ingredients.—A hare fresh killed, 1 lb. of gravy beef, ½ lb. of raw lean ham, 1 oz. of butter, 1 tablespoonful of well-browned flour, 1 medium-sized onion stuck with 3 cloves, 1 small carrot sliced, ¼ of a pint of port wine or ½ pint of good stout, salt and pepper, 3 quarts of water.
Method.—Skin and paunch the hare, saving as much blood as possible. Divide it into small pieces, put them into a stew-jar, add the beef and ham cut into small pieces, the blood and liver of the hare, the water, onion, carrot, and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Cover closely, and cook gently, either on the stove or in the oven, for 5 or 6 hours. Meanwhile brown the flour either in a clean frying-pan or on a plate in the oven, let it cool, then blend it smoothly with the butter. Form into small balls, and add them with the wine or stout to the contents of the stew-jar about 1 hour before serving. Strain, add the best parts of the hare, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—From 5½ to 6½ hours. Average Cost, 6s. to 8s. Sufficient for 8 or 10 persons. Seasonable in winter.
The Common Hare (Fr. lièvre) is found in all parts of Europe, and in some parts of Asia. Its fur is tawny-red in the back and white underneath; in winter the colour of the mountain hare of Northern Europe changes to white. The average length of the hare is about two feet, and its weight varies from 8 lb. to 14 lb. The flesh is dark and dry, and devoid of fat, but its flavour is much esteemed. When old the ears of the hare are dry and tough, the haunches thick, and the claws rugged and blunt. The ears of young hares tear easily, and its claws are both smooth and sharp. The hare is noted for its timidity, but, as a protection from its enemies, it possesses great acuteness of hearing, and remarkable swiftness of foot. The hare and rabbit are typical examples of the rodent quadrupeds of the genus Lepus.
71.—HUNTER'S SOUP. (Fr.—Potage à la Chasseur.)
Ingredients.—5 pints of second stock or water, the remains of pheasants, partridges or other game, 4 ozs. of raw lean ham, 3 ozs. of butter, 1½ oz. of flour, 1 onion sliced, 1 small carrot sliced, 1 or 2 strips of celery shredded, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), salt and pepper.
Method.—Heat half the butter in a stewpan, add the game divided into small pieces, the ham, the prepared vegetables, and the bouquet-garni, and cook slowly for ½ an hour, turning or shaking the ingredients frequently. Add the stock or water and seasoning of salt and pepper, cover closely, and simmer gently for 2 hours. Meanwhile heat the remainder of the butter, add the flour, and cook gently until it acquires a nut-brown colour. Strain the stock on to it, stir and boil gently until quite smooth, then garnish with a few strips of game and vegetables, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 3 hours. Average Cost, 8d., in addition to the game and stock. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable in winter.
72.—KIDNEY SOUP. (Fr.—Potage aux Rôgnons.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of second stock or water, ½ lb. ox kidney ½ lb. of lean beef, 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, 1 tablespoonful of coarsely chopped onion, ½ a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the meat and kidney into very small pieces. Melt the butter in a stewpan, and fry the meat, kidney, parsley, and onion until brown. Put in the stock or water, salt and pepper, bring to the boil, skim well, then cover, and simmer gently for 3 hours. Strain, pound the meat if convenient, if not, rub as much as possible of it through a wire sieve. Return the soup to the saucepan, and when boiling add the purée of meat, and the flour (previously mixed smoothly with a little water), simmer for a few minutes, and serve. If preferred, the soup may be garnished with a little carrot and turnip, cooked and cut into some small fancy shape.
Time.—From 4 to 4½ hours. Average Cost, 10d. to 1s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 4 persons.
73.—LIEBIG SOUP.
Ingredients.—1 pint of stock, 1 teaspoonful "Lemco" salt and pepper, any garnish that is seasonable or liked.
Method.—This can be made thick or clear. It is quickly prepared, and is very tasty as well as nourishing. To every pint of thick or clear soup add 1 teaspoonful of Liebig's Extract of Meat, called "Lemco," stir until it boils, and serve hot. This soup may be varied to any extent by adding such vegetables as carrots, turnips, celery, green peas, asparagus, vermicelli or macaroni as a garnish. Bone stock or gravy stock does well for this soup.
Time.—5 minutes to make the soup. Average cost, without garnish, about 6d.
74.—MACARONI SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Macaroni.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of stock made from the bones and trimmings of meat (see Bone Soup), 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, 2 ozs. of macaroni, salt and pepper.
Method.—Put the macaroni into boiling salted water and boil quickly until tender (20 to 30 minutes), then cut it into short lengths. Boil the stock, knead the flour and the butter together, add the compound to the stock, and stir until it becomes smoothly mixed with it. Season to taste, put in the macaroni, cook for 5 minutes, and serve.
Time.—40 to 50 minutes. Average Cost, about 2d. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Macaroni (Fr. macaroni).—In Italy, and especially with Neapolitans, macaroni is a popular article of food. It is prepared from hard varieties of wheat, which is ground to a fine meal and made into a stiff paste with a small quantity of water. The mass, placed in a hollow, cylindrical vessel, is squeezed through apertures of various sizes by means of a powerful screw. That pressed through fine holes is called vermicelli. While issuing from the holes, the macaroni is partially baked by a fire placed below the cylinder, and at the same time it is drawn away and hung over rods to dry either by artificial heat or in the sun; the sun-dried macaroni is esteemed the best. Macaroni is a nutritious and wholesome food, and is used for thickening soups, for puddings, and other forms of cookery. Macaroni paste rolled out into flat cakes is cut into various shapes and devices, and sold under the designation of "pastes."
75.—MILK SOUP. (Fr.—Potage au Lait.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of boiling milk, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, ½ a small white cabbage finely shredded, salt and pepper.
Method.—Heat the butter in an enamelled or well-lined saucepan, add the cabbage, and let it cook gently for 15 or 20 minutes. Now add the boiling milk, simmer gently for about 10 minutes, then stir in the flour, which must previously have been smoothly blended with a little cold water. Stir and boil gently for 6 or 7 minutes, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 40 minutes. Average Cost, 8d. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
76.—MULLIGATAWNY SOUP. (Fr.—Potage à l'Indienne.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of water, 2 lb. of mutton (a tin of Australian mutton may be used), 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 apples, 1 small turnip, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1 tablespoonful of curry powder, the juice of ½ a lemon, salt.
Method.—Remove the fat from the mutton and melt it in the saucepan. Have the apples and vegetables ready sliced, and when there is sufficient liquid fat to fry them, take out the pieces of fat, put in the vegetables, and cook them for 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and curry powder, fry for a few minutes, then add the meat in small pieces, a teaspoonful of salt, the herbs and water. When the compound boils, remove the scum as it rises, then cover and cook gently for 3 hours. Strain, rub the meat through a wire sieve, and return to the saucepan. When boiling, add the lemon-juice, season to taste, and serve. Well-cooked rice should be handed round with this soup.
Time.—4 to 4½ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. to 1s. 8d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Note.—The bones and remains of any kind of meat or poultry may be used instead of Mutton. The soup would take its name from the materials employed as
- Oxtail Soup, Indian Style. (Fr.—Queue de Bœuf a l'Indienne.)
- Rabbit Purèe, Indian Style. (Fr.—Purèe de Lapin a l'Indienne.)
- Oxtail Soup, Indian Style. (Fr.—Queue de Bœuf a l'Indienne.)
77.—OX CHEEK SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Moufle de Bœuf.)
Ingredients.—5 quarts of water, 1 ox cheek, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 turnip, 1 strip of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, basil, marjoram, bay-leaf), 12 peppercorns, 4 cloves, 2 blades of mace, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of flour.
Method.—Soak the cheek in salt and warm water for 5 or 6 hours, changing it 2 or 3 times. Prepare the vegetables and cut them into thick slices, melt the butter in a large stewpan, add the vegetables to it, and fry until brown. Well wash the ox cheek, break the bones into small pieces, and put them into the stewpan; also put in the herbs, seasonings, meat and water. Bring slowly to the boil, skim well, put on the cover and simmer gently for 3 hours, or according to the size of the cheek, strain, return the soup to the saucepan, and bring to the boil. Mix the flour smoothly with a little cold water or stock, pour it into the soup, stir and simmer for 5 or 6 minutes. Cut the smaller pieces of meat into dice and add them to the soup, also cut a few dice of cooked celery and carrot. Season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 4 hours. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. Seasonable in winter. Sufficient for 12 persons.
Thyme (Fr. thym).—There are numerous species of this aromatic plant, which are native to the temperate regions. The wild variety in Britain is characterized by its well-known fragrant smell. The cultivated garden-thyme is indigenous to the south of Europe; its young leaves and tops are used for flavouring soups and sauces, and as an ingredient in stuffings. From the essential oil contained in thyme a flavouring essence is prepared.
78.—OXTAIL SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Queue de Bœuf.)
Ingredients.—1 oxtail, 2 quarts of second stock or water, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 turnip, 2 strips of celery, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of lean ham or bacon (cut into dice or cubes), a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 12 peppercorns, 2 cloves, salt, 1 glass of sherry, 1 tablespoonful of cornflour.
Method.—Cut the tail into small joints, put it into a stewpan, cover with cold water, boil up and strain. Dry the pieces of oxtail, roll them in flour, put them with the ham and sliced vegetables and butter into the stewpan, and fry until brown. Then add the stock, herbs, peppercorns, cloves, and salt, boil and skim well. Put on the lid and cook very gently for about 4 hours. Strain, remove the fat, return to the stewpan, and when the soup boils add the sherry and cornflour smoothly mixed together, stir and cook for a few minutes. Serve the smaller pieces of the tail in the soup, the remainder may be re-heated in a good brown sauce and served as an entrée.
Time.—5½ to 6 hours. Average Cost, 2s. 9d. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
The Ox (Fr.: Boeuf).—The name of various breeds of ungulated or "hoofed" ruminants of the sub-family Bovidae. Like the sheep, the ox (including under this designation also the cow) in its domesticated state is one of the most valuable of animals for its flesh and the various products of its skin, horns, hair, bones and milk. So highly was the ox prized by the ancient Egyptians that it was regarded as a special object of worship, and at the present day the cow is still venerated by the Hindus. It forms one of the signs (Taurus) of the Zodiac. Oxen and sheep have from the earliest ages been used for religious sacrifices. They also constituted the wealth of the earlier races. The original stock of existing breeds is unknown. The Chillingham cattle are a type of the older wild ox and are supposed to be the descendants of the Urus, or "mountain bull," inhabiting the forest districts of Britain at the time of the Roman invasion. The Aurochs, or Lithuanian bison, is also an example of the wild variety. The chief breeds in Britain are the Ayrshire, Alderney, Kyre, and Durham short-horn, with crosses between these varieties, bred for food or the dairy. A large quantity of beef is now imported from America and Canada. Beef constitutes the principal article of animal food, and is highly nutritious, but less digestible than mutton. It's constituents are: In 100 parts: Water, 72.0; proteids, 21.0; fats, 6.0; salts, 1.0.
79.—PARTRIDGE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Perdrix.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of second stock, 1 cold roast partridge, or the remains of two or three, ¼ of a lb. of calf's or chicken's liver, 2 ozs. of lean bacon or ham, 2 ozs. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, 1 bouquet-garni (parsley, basil, marjoram, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 glass of port or sherry, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut a teaspoonful of small dice from the breasts of the birds and put them aside. Cut the remainder of the birds into small pieces, the liver into thin slices, and the bacon into dice. Fry all these together in 1 oz. of butter until brown, then add the stock, bouquet-garni, seasoning, and simmer gently for 1½ to 2 hours, keeping the compound well skimmed; strain, pound the meat in a mortar and rub it through a sieve, or, when pounding is inconvenient, rub as much as possible through a wire sieve. Melt the remaining oz. of butter, stir in the flour, and cook until brown. Pour in the stock, stir until it boils, add the purée of meat, wine, seasoning if necessary, the dice of partridge, simmer for a few minutes, and serve.
Time.—2½ to 3 hours. Average Cost, 9d. without stock and partridge. Seasonable from September 1 to February. Sufficient for 6 persons.
The Partridge (Fr. perdrix).—The common partridge is in Britain the most abundant of the game birds, and belongs to the same family as the grouse. Its general colour is ash-grey, varied by brown and black. The male partridge is about 12 inches in length; the female is somewhat smaller. It feeds principally on grain and insects. The eggs are olive-brown, and the young brood is known as a "covey." A characteristic of the partridges is their habit of associating together and frequenting their native locality. The French partridge, or red-legged variety, a native of southern Europe, is larger than the English variety, and is numerous in the eastern counties of England. It is stronger on the wing than the English bird, and does not fly in coveys. The eye is pencilled in front and behind by a white line, and its eggs are yellowish white marked with brown. In the United States several species of quail are called partridges.
80.—QUEEN SOUP. (Fr.—Potage à la Reine.)
Ingredients.—1 chicken, 3 quarts of white stock, 4 ozs. of bacon, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 bunch of parsley, thyme, bay-leaf, 3 ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of almonds, 4 ozs. of breadcrumbs, chicken quenelles, seasoning, ½ a pint of milk.
Method.—Slice the bacon and put in a stewpan together with the vegetables, herbs, etc. Place the chicken, previously trussed as for boiling, on top, season with pepper and salt, pour in 1 quart of stock, cover with a lid, and let it reduce slowly; add the remainder of the stock, boil slowly, skim, and continue to boil until tender. Remove the chicken, free it from skin and bones; pound the meat in a mortar with breadcrumbs, season with salt and nutmeg, moisten with all the stock, and rub through a fine sieve. Return to the stewpan. Peel and pound the almonds, boil in milk and pass through a tammy. Add this to the soup together with the butter just before serving. Serve the soup with a garnish of small chicken quenelles, also a handful of freshly cooked peas or asparagus points.
Average Cost.—6s. 10d. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
81.—RABBIT SOUP WITH SORREL. (Fr.—Potage de Lapin à l'Oseille.)
Ingredients.—3 quarts of water, 1 rabbit, ½ a lb. of shin of beef, 2 ozs. of lean bacon, 1 onion, 1 small carrot, a few leaves of sorrel, 10 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 2 blades of mace, 2 ozs. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, 1 dessertspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, 1 teaspoonful of lemon-juice, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the bacon into dice or cubes, the beef into small pieces, and the rabbit into small joints: from the back cut one or two nice fillets. Melt the butter in a large stewpan, and fry the beef, bacon, and rabbit until brown; put the small fillets aside, to be used later as a garnish. Add the water, sliced carrot, the onion, into which the cloves should be stuck, peppercorns, mace and salt, bring slowly to the boil, and skim well. Cook slowly for 3 hours, then strain. Put the beef into the stock-pot. The meat of the rabbit and the bacon pound well, and rub through a fine sieve. Re-heat the soup, mix the flour smoothly with a little cold stock, add it to the soup, stir and cook for a few minutes. Put in the purée of meat. Wash the sorrel, cut it into fine shreds, blanch, strain, and put into the soup. Cut the fillets of fried rabbit into dice, and add them, together with the lemon-juice, parsley, and any necessary seasoning, to the soup, and serve.
Time.—About 4 hours. Average Cost. 2s. 4d. to 2s. 6d. Seasonable from September to March. Sufficient for 10 persons.
82.—RABBIT SOUP (WHITE). (Fr.—Potage de Lapin.)
Ingredients.—1 rabbit, 3 pints of second stock, 1 pint of water, 4 ozs. of gammon of bacon, 1 onion, a piece of celery, 1 small bunch of savoury herbs, 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, ½ a pint of milk, seasoning.
Method.—Skin the rabbit, wipe it with a damp cloth, and cut it up into small pieces. Put it in a stewpan with 3 pints of stock and 1 pint of water, bring it to the boil, skim, and add the bacon, the onion (stuck with a clove), celery and herbs. Cook gently for 1½ hours, or until the meat is quite tender. Remove the best pieces of rabbit (these can be used for croquettes, etc.), and the bunch of herbs. Melt the butter, add the flour, mix well, stir in the milk, and boil. Stir into the pan containing the soup, simmer for 20 minutes, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and rub through a sieve. Re-heat, and add, if liked, a cupful of cream. Serve with fried bread croûtons.
Time.— 1½ to 2 hours. Average Cost, 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable from October to January.
83.—RABBIT SOUP (BROWN.)
This is made in a similar manner as explained in the foregoing recipe, the only difference being that the rabbit is fried after it is cut up, and brown stock should be used. The bacon and rabbit should be fried in dripping until they acquire a brown colour, after which the flour used for thickening must be fried also. The stock and water is then added, with the vegetables, etc. Cook gently for 1½ hours, and strain, season to taste, then serve. This soup should be of a dark fawn colour. It is best to omit the cream mentioned in the foregoing recipe.
84.—RICE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage au Riz.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white second stock, 1 pint of milk, the yolks of 2 eggs, salt and pepper, 3 tablespoonfuls of rice.
Method.—Boil the stock, add the rice, previously well-washed, and simmer gently for about ½ hour, or until the rice is thoroughly cooked. Rub through a hair sieve, return to the stewpan, add the milk, and boil. Beat the yolks of the eggs with a little milk or cold stock, let the soup cool slightly, then pour in the eggs and stir until the soup thickens. Season to taste, and serve.
Time.—½ to 1 hour. Average Cost, 5d. to 6d. without the stock. Seasonable all the year. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Rice (Fr.: Riz).—This important food-plant, which belongs to the natural order of the Grassel, was long known in the East before it was introduced into Egypt and Greece, and forms the principal article of diet of the Hindus and Chinese. It is now extensively cultivated in the low grounds of the tropical and sub-tropical districts of South-East Asia, Egypt, China, Japan, Java, Central America, and grows luxuriantly in the rich alluvial deposits of the Nile. The stalk of the rice plant varies from one to six feet, and is erect, round, and jointed; its leaves are large, firm, and spear-shaped; the seeds are white and oblong, varying in form according to the different varieties, as the Carolina, Rangoon, Patna, and other kinds. Rice in the husk is called "paddy." It is a light and wholesome food, but is very poor and deficient in proteids, fats, and salts, and therefore contains only a small proportion of nitrogenous or flesh-forming matter, 5 in 100 parts, and should be used in combination with meat, peas, or beans to supply the proteids, fat, and common salt.
85.—SAGO SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Sagou à la Crême.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of second stock, 1 pint of milk, ¼ a pint of cream, 3 ozs. of fine sago, the yolks of 3 eggs, 1 bay-leaf, sugar, salt and pepper.
Method.—Put the stock and bay-leaf into a stewpan, when boiling sprinkle in the sago and cook gently for 20 minutes, or until the sago is transparent. Add the milk, a good pinch of sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and continue to simmer a few minutes longer. Beat the yolks of the eggs and the cream together, add these to the soup, and stir until it thickens, but it must not be allowed to boil or the eggs will curdle. Remove the bay-leaf, and serve.
Time.—40 minutes. Average Cost, 10d. to 1s. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 8 persons.
Note.—This Soup, the principal ingredients of which are sago and eggs, has always been considered very beneficial to the chest and throat. In various quantities and in different preparations, sago and eggs have been partaken of by many famous singers, including the celebrated "Swedish Nightingale," Jenny Lind, with considerable benefit to the voice in singing.
Sago (Fr.: Sagou).—A farinaceous food obtained from the cellular starchy pith of several species of a genus of palms, especially Sagus Laevis and Sagus Rumphii, the latter yielding the finest kind of sago. Both of these species are natives of the Malay Archipelago. The Malay word sagu means "bread," from the circumstance that sago forms the chief farinaceous diet of the Malays. To procure sago the trees, which grow to a height of about thirty feet, with a diameter of about one and a half feet, are felled, with their flowering spike forms. From the stems, which are cut into convenient sections, the pith is extracted, and beaten in receptacles of cold water to separate the starch granules from the woody filaments with which they are associated. After washing and straining, the meal is dried. For exportation the moist sago is dried and rubbed to smaller granular pellets, and according to the size of these is designated "pearl," "medium," or "bullet" sago. An imitation is made from potato starch, but is easily detected by the microscope. A common variety of sago is made in India and Ceylon from various palm-trees. Sago, from its ready solubility, is easy of digestion, and is a valuable light, nutritious, farinaceous food. It is largely used in the preparation of soluble cocoas.
86.—SHIN OF BEEF SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Bœuf.)
Ingredients.—2 lb. of shin of beef, 3 quarts of water, 2 ozs. of butter or dripping, 1 oz. of flour, 1 onion sliced, 1 carrot sliced, ¼ of a turnip sliced, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 6 peppercorns, salt.
Method.—Heat the butter in a saucepan, put in the prepared onion, carrot and turnip, and fry them brown. Add the water, the meat cut into small pieces, the bouquet-garni, peppercorns, and a little salt, and simmer gently for 3 or 4 hours. Strain, skim well, re-heat, and stir in the flour previously mixed with a little cold water. Boil gently for 5 or 6 minutes, then serve garnished with a little cooked vegetable, macaroni, or other farinaceous substance.
Time.—From 3½ to 4½ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 3d. to 1s. 5d. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
87.—SOUP WITHOUT MEAT. (Fr.—Soupe Maigre.)
Ingredients.—2½ quarts of boiling water, 4 ozs. of butter, 2 onions cut into dice, 1 head of celery cut into dice, 2 lettuces shredded, 2 handfuls of spinach, 2 or 3 sprigs of parsley, 2 or 3 teaspoonfuls of vinegar, the yolks of 2 eggs, salt and pepper.
Method.—Heat the butter in a stewpan, add the prepared vegetables, cover closely, and cook very slowly for about ½ an hour. Now add the boiling water and a seasoning of salt and pepper, and simmer gently until all the vegetables are tender. Beat the yolks of eggs slightly, add gradually a few tablespoonfuls of the boiling soup, and when thoroughly blended add the preparation to the contents of the saucepan. Stir and cook gently for a few minutes to cook the eggs, then add salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste, and serve.
Time.—From 1¼ to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 3d. Sufficient for 7 or 8 perons. Seasonable at any time.
Lettuce (Fr.: Laitue).—A herbaceous annual plant of the genus Lactuca of the order Compositæ which includes the chicory tribe, with small pale yellow flowers. It grows in the temperate regions, and the garden lettuce is cultivated as a salad herb. The lettuce was known to the Greeks and Romans, and has been in use in England since the time of Elizabeth. There are various gardeners' varieties of the lettuce—modifications of the cabbage variety, and that with long oblong leaves. The lettuce should be eaten while young; when in flower it possesses narcotic and poisonous properties. From the characteristc milky juice of the lettuce, Lactucorium, or "lettuce opium," used medicinally as an anodyne, is prepared.
88.—SPRING SOUP WITHOUT MEAT. (Fr.—Potage Printanière Maigre.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of water, 1 head of lettuce, ¼ of a white-heart cabbage, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 1 onion, 2 leeks, ½ a head of celery, 1 small cauliflower, 4 ozs. of butter, croûtons (or small slices) of toasted bread, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the flower of the cauliflower into small pieces and put them aside, cut the tender part of the stalk into small pieces. Prepare the rest of the vegetables and shred them finely, melt the butter in a large stewpan, put in the shredded vegetables and the stalk of the cauliflower, and cook without browning for 20 minutes. Add to them the water, salt and pepper, and cook gently until tender (about 1 hour); 20 minutes before serving, put in the sprays of cauliflower. Cut 2 or 3 slices of very thin well-browned toast into small dice, and put them into the tureen. Add any necessary seasoning to the soup, and serve.
Time.—About 1½ hours. Cost, 10d. to 1s. Seasonable in spring. Sufficient for 6 persons.
89.—TAPIOCA CREAM SOUP. (Fr.—Potage au Tapioca.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of white stock, or half stock and half milk, ¼ of a pint of cream, the yolks of 3 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of fine sago or crushed tapioca, salt and pepper.
Method.—The stock should be well flavoured, otherwise it must be simmered with a little onion, carrot, celery and herbs, and then strained for use. Bring the stock to boiling point, sprinkle in the sago, or whatever is used in its place, and stir and cook until it becomes transparent, then let the soup cool slightly. Mix the yolks of the eggs and the cream together (a ¼ of a pint of milk may be substituted when it is not convenient to use cream), add to the soup and stir till it thickens: it should have the consistency of single cream. When a thicker soup is desired, mix a teaspoonful of flour or cornflour with a little milk, and add it to the soup at the same time as the sago. Season to taste, and serve.
Time.—20 to 30 minutes. Cost, about 9d., not including the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 8 persons.
90.—TOMATO SOUP. (Fr.—Potage aux Tomates.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of second stock or water, 2 lb. of tomatoes, either fresh or tinned, 2 ozs. of lean ham (this may be omitted when using stock), 1 oz. of butter, 1 tablespoonful of fine sago, 1 onion, 1 carrot, or bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), salt, pepper, castor-sugar.
Method.—Slice the tomatoes, onion and carrot; cut the ham into small dice cubes. Melt the butter, add to it the ham, carrot and onion, fry for 5 minutes, put in the tomatoes and herbs, and cook for 15 minutes longer. Pour in the stock or water, and cook gently until the vegetables are tender, then rub the ingredients through a wire sieve. Return the soup to the stewpan, and when boiling sprinkle in the sago and cook until it becomes transparent. Season to taste, add a good pinch of sugar, and serve. Croûtons, or small slices of fried or toasted bread, should be served separately.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 9d. to 10d. without the stock. Seasonable at any time, but more especially in summer. Sufficient for 6 persons.
91.—TOMATO SOUP (without meat). (Fr.—Potage de Tomate Maigre.)
Ingredients.—2 lb. of fresh tomatoes, 1 Spanish onion, a small bunch of mixed herbs, 3 pints of water, salt and pepper, 1 oz. of crushed tapioca or semolina, 2 ozs. of butter.
Method.—Peel and slice the onion, cut the tomatoes into small slices. Fry the onion a nice light brown in the butter, add the tomatoes, and fry them a little, then put in the water and the bunch of herbs. Allow all to cook till tender, rub through a hair sieve, return to the stewpan, season to taste with salt and pepper. When boiling, gradually add the tapioca or semolina, and cook for 10 minutes longer. Serve with small croûtons of fried bread.
Time.—One hour. Average Cost, 1s. 3d. to 1s. 7d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
92.—TOMATO AND LENTIL SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Tomates et Lentilles.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of stock or water, 1 pint of milk, ½ a pint of lentils, 2 ozs. of lean bacon or ham, 1½ ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, 1 lb. of tomatoes (fresh or preserved), 1 onion, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, 1 small leek, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 12 peppercorns, 2 cloves, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash and soak the lentils for 12 hours, and drain well before using. Slice all the vegetables, and cut the bacon into dice. Melt the butter in a stewpan, put in the ham and all the vegetables, except the tomatoes, and cook slowly for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and lentils, cover closely, and steam the contents of the stewpan for 15 or 20 minutes. Add the stock or water, bouquet-garni, peppercorns, and cloves, and simmer for 3 hours, or until the lentils are tender. Strain, return to the saucepan, and when boiling add the milk. Mix the flour smoothly with a little stock or milk, and add it to the boiling soup. Stir and simmer for a few minutes to cook the flour, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—4 to 4½ hours. Average Cost, 11d. or 1s. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
93.—TURKEY SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Dinde.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of white second stock, the remains of a cold roast turkey, 2 ozs. of cooked macaroni, 1½ ozs. of crème de riz (rice-flour), 1 small onion, 1 bay-leaf, 1 small blade of mace, salt and pepper.
Method.—Divide the remains of the turkey and the bones into small pieces, put them into a stewpan with the onion, bay-leaf, mace, and a little salt and pepper or peppercorns, add the stock, and simmer gently for 3 hours. Strain, return to the saucepan, add the crème de riz, previously blended smoothly with a little cold stock or milk, stir and boil gently for 7 or 8 minutes. Have the macaroni ready boiled and cut into very short lengths, put it into the soup, season to taste, make thoroughly hot, and serve.
Time.—About 3½ hours. Average Cost, 4d., in addition to the stock and turkey. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable in winter.
The Turkey (Fr.: Dindon).—This well-known bird is a native of North America, where it abounds in a wild state. It was introduced into England in the sixteenth century. The plumage of the wild male bird is a golden bronze, shot with violet and green, banded with black. The turkey is much esteemed for the excellence of its flesh and eggs. In its domesticated state it is a very delicate bird and difficult to rear.
94.—TURTLE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage Tortue.) (Founded on M. Ude's Recipe.)
Ingredients.—A very small turtle, 6 slices of ham, 2 knuckles of veal, 1 large bunch of sweet herbs, 3 bay-leaves, parsley, green onions, 1 onion, 6 cloves, 3 blades of mace, ¼ lb. of fresh butter, 1 bottle of Madeira, 1 lump of sugar.
For the Quenelles à la tortue 1 lb. of veal, 1 lb. of breadcrumbs, milk, 7 eggs, cayenne, salt, spices, chopped parsley, the juice of 2 lemons.
Method.—To make this soup more easily, cut off the head of the turtle the preceding day. In the morning open the turtle by leaning heavily with a knife on the shell of the animal's back, while you cut this off all round. Turn the turtle upright on its end to drain out all the water, etc., then cut the flesh off along the spine with the knife sloping towards the bones, so as to avoid touching the gall, which sometimes may escape the eye. When all the flesh about the members is obtained, wash these clean, and let them drain. Have ready, on the fire, a large vessel full of boiling water, into which put the shells; when you perceive that they come off easily, take them out of the water, and prick them all, with those of the back, belly, fins, head, etc. Boil the back and the belly until the bones can be taken out, without, however, allowing the softer parts to be sufficiently done, as they will be boiled again in the soup. When these latter come off easily, lay them on earthen dishes singly for fear they should stick together, and put them to cool. Keep the liquor in which you have blanched the softer parts, and let the bones stew thoroughly in it, this liquor being valuable for moistening sauces.
All the flesh of the interior parts, the four legs and head, must be drawn down in the following manner: Lay the slices of ham on the bottom of a very large stewpan, over them the knuckles of veal, according to the size of the turtle; then the inside flesh of the turtle, and, over the whole, the members. Now moisten with the water in which you are boiling the shell, and draw it down thoroughly. You may now ascertain if it be perfectly done by thrusting a knife into the fleshy part of the meat. If no blood appears, it is time to moisten it again with the liquor in which the bones, etc., have been boiling. Put in a large bunch of all such sweet herbs as are adapted for the cooking of a turtle—sweet basil, sweet marjoram, lemon thyme, winter savory, 2 or 3 bay-leaves, common thyme, a handful of parsley and green onions, and a large onion stuck with 6 cloves. Let the members be thoroughly cooked, probe them to see if they are done, and if so, drain and send them to the larder, as they are to make their appearance only when the soup is absolutely completed. When the flesh is also completely cooked, strain it through a silk sieve, and make a very thin white roux (i.e., a preparation of butter and flour), for turtle soup must not be thickened very much. When the flour is sufficiently done on a slow fire, and has a good colour, moisten it with the liquor, keeping it over the fire until it boils. Ascertain that the sauce is neither too thick nor too thin; then draw the stewpan to the side of the stove and skim off the white scum, and all the fat and oil that rises to the surface of the sauce. By this time all the softer parts will be sufficiently cold; they must be cut about 1 or 2 inches square, and thrown into the soup, which must now be left to simmer gently. When done, skim off all the fat and froth. Take all the leaves of the herbs from the stock—sweet basil, sweet marjoram, lemon thyme, winter savory, 2 or 3 bay-leaves, common thyme, a handful of parsley and green onions, and a large onion cut in 4 pieces, with a few blades of mace. Put these in a stewpan, with about ¼ of a lb. of fresh butter, and let it simmer on a slow fire till quite melted, then pour in 1 bottle of good Madeira, adding a small piece of sugar, and let it boil gently for 1 hour. When done, rub it through a tammy-cloth, and add it to the soup. Let this boil till no white scum rises; then with a skimmer remove all the bits of turtle out of the sauce, and put them in a clean stewpan; when you have taken all out, pour the soup over the pieces of turtle, through a tammy-cloth, and proceed as follows:—
Quenelles à la Tortue.—Make some quenelles à la tortue, which do not require to be very delicate, being substitutes for eggs. Take from the fleshy part of a leg of veal about 1 lb., scrape off all the meat, without any sinews or fat. Soak about the same quantity of crumbs of bread in milk. When the bread is well soaked, squeeze it, and put it into a mortar with the veal, a small quantity of calf's udder, a little butter, the yolks of 4 eggs, boiled hard, a little cayenne pepper, salt and spices, and pound the whole very fine; then thicken the mixture with 2 whole eggs and the yolk of another. Next try this farce or stuffing, in boiling hot water, to ascertain its consistency; if it is too thin, add the yolk of an egg. When the farce is perfected, take half of it, and put into it some chopped parsley. Let the whole cool, then form it into the shape and size of the yolk of an egg; poach them in salt and boiling water, and when very hard drain on a sieve, and put it into the soup. Before serving, squeeze the juice of 2 or 3 lemons upon a little cayenne pepper and pour into the soup. The fins may be served as an entrée with a little turtle sauce; if not, on the following day you may warm the turtle in the bain marie, and serve the members entire, with a matelote sauce, garnished with mushrooms, cocks' combs, quenelles, etc. When either lemon-juice or cayenne pepper has been introduced no boiling must take place.
Note.—It is necessary to observe that the turtle prepared a day before it is used is generally preferable, the flavour being more uniform. Be particular, when you dress a very large turtle, to preserve the green fat in a separate stewpan (be cautious not to turn it a brown colour—the natural green of the fish is preferred by every epicure and true connoisseur), and also when the turtle is entirely done, to have as many tureens as you mean to serve each time. You cannot put the whole in a large vessel, for various reasons: first, it will be long in cooling; secondly, when you take some out, it will break all the rest into rags. If you warm it in a bain-marie (a vessel immersed in another outer vessel of water), the turtle will always retain the same taste; but if you boil it often it becomes strong, and loses its delicacy of flavour.
The Cost of Turtle Soup.—This is the most expensive soup brought to table. It is sold by the quart—one guinea being the standard price for that quantity. The price of live turtle ranges from 8d. to 2s. per lb., according to supply and demand. When live turtle is dear, many cooks use the tinned turtle, which is killed when caught, and preserved by being put into hermetically-sealed canisters, and so sent over to England. The cost of a tin, containing 2 quarts, or 4 lb., is about £1, and for a small one, containing the green fat, 3s. 6d. From these about 6 quarts of good soup may be made. Sun-dried turtle is also sold, and answers very well. It requires to be soaked as well as stewed for a long time, and put into good stock.
The Green Turtle (Fr.: Tortue) is the best known of the various species of turtles, from the fact that its flesh furnishes the materials for the rich soup so highly prized as a table delicacy. The fat of its upper and lower shields is considered the richest and most delicate part. The green turtle is an inhabitant of the warm seas of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and is common at the Antilles and round the coast of Ascension Island. It attains the dimensions of five to seven feet, and often weighs about 700 pounds. The eggs of the green turtle are esteemed a delicacy. Turtles are amphibious and feed upon marine plants. The turtle as an article of luxury is popularly associated with the Lord Mayors' banquets.
95.—VEGETABLE SOUP (Fr.—Potage aux Légumes.)
Ingredients.—2 carrots, 1 turnip, 1 onion, 1 leek, 2 strips of celery, 1 dessertspoonful of finely chopped parsley, 2 ozs. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, 1 pint of boiling water, 1 pint of milk, salt and pepper.
Method.—Prepare the vegetables and cut them into strips about the size of a short and rather thick match. Melt the butter in a stewpan, and fry the vegetables very slowly until the butter is absorbed, then add the water, ¾ of the milk, salt and pepper, and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender (5 to 10 minutes). Mix the flour and the rest of the milk smoothly together, pour the mixture into the saucepan, stir and cook for a few minutes, then serve.
Time.—To prepare the vegetables, 20 to 30 minutes. To make the soup, 25 to 30 minutes. Cost, about 5d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 4 persons.
96.—VEGETABLE SOUP (THICK). (Fr.—Potage aux Légumes, Liè.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of water, 1 pint of milk, 1 onion, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, 4 tablespoonfuls of lentils, 2 tablespoonfuls of pearl-barley (rice, sago or tapioca may be used instead), 1 tablespoonful of flour, ½ a teaspoonful of salt, ¼ of a teaspoonful of pepper.
Method.—Wash the lentils in two or three waters, then put them and the water into a saucepan and cook gently. Cut the vegetables into dice or cubes. Blanch the barley by putting it into cold water and bringing it to the boil, strain, wash well, and add it to the lentils. When the lentils and barley are cooked, put in all the vegetables, salt and pepper, simmer gently for 20 minutes, then add the milk. Mix the flour smoothly with a little water, pour it into the soup, and stir until it boils. Simmer a few minutes longer, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—1 to 2 hours. Average Cost, 4d. to 6d. Seasonable at any time, but more particularly so in winter. Sufficient for 6 persons.
97.—WHITE OR MILK SOUP. (Fr.—Potage au Lait.)
Ingredients.—2½ pints ot milk, 3 tablespoonfuls of cooked rice, 1½ ozs. of flour, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped onion, 1 saltspoonful of finely-chopped lemon-rind, ¼ of a saltspoonful of ground mace, salt and pepper.
Method.—Mix the flour smoothly with a little cold milk or water, add it to the milk when quite boiling, and stir until it thickens slightly. Put in the onion, lemon-rind, and a seasoning of salt and pepper, simmer gently for 15 minutes, then add the prepared rice, and serve.
Time.—About an hour. Average Cost, 6d. Sufficient for 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.
98.—WINTER SOUP. (Fr.—Potage d'Hiver.)
Ingredients.—1 small white cabbage, 1 small onion, 1 leek, 1 oz. of butter or dripping, 1 pint of milk, 1 oz. of sago or rice, salt and pepper, 1 slice of toasted bread, 1 quart of water.
Method.—Wash and trim the cabbage, cut the leaves into very fine shreds, put them into salted boiling water and cook for 10 minutes; take up and drain. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and leek (previously peeled, cleaned and cut into thin slices), cook a little, then add the cabbage, and stir the whole over the fire for a few minutes longer. Moisten with a quart of water, boil, skim, and simmer gently until all the vegetables are tender; season with pepper and salt, add the milk (boiling), put in the sago or rice, and cook for another 20 minutes. Serve with small sippets of toasted bread.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 6d. to 8d. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable in winter.
Purées.
99.—ALMOND SOUP. (Fr.—Potage d'Amandes à la Crême.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of milk, or half milk and half white stock, ¼ of a lb. of ground almonds, 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour or cornflour, 1 onion, 2 strips of celery, salt and pepper.
Method.—Mince the onion and celery finely, put them into a stewpan with the ground almonds, cover with cold water and simmer gently for ½ an hour, then rub through a fine sieve: rub the yolks of the eggs through at the same time. In the meantime make the milk hot in the saucepan, add to it the purée of almonds, onion, celery, and egg, and boil up. Knead the butter and flour together, put these into the soup and stir until smoothly mixed with it, cut the whites of the eggs into dice, add them with the necessary seasoning to the soup, and serve.
Time.—1 to 1¼ hours. Average Cost, 10d. to 1s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Almond (Fr.: Amande).—This tree is indigenous to the northern parts of Asia and Africa, but it is also cultivated in Europe, especially in the south of France, Spain, and Italy. It grows to about twenty feet in height, and is allied to the peach, natural order Rosaceae. Its flowers, of a beautiful pink, appear before the leaves are produced; these are oval shaped, with serrated edges. The fruit is ovoid in form, and covered with down, encasing the almond in a wrinkled shell. There are two varieties of the almond-tree, one sweet and the other bitter. The chief kinds of sweet almonds are the Jordan or Syrian, which comes from Malaga, the Valencian, and the Italian. Bitter almonds are imported from Mogador, and in addition to a fixed oil, consisting chiefly of olein, which is common to both varieties, bitter almonds contain a substance called emulsin and a bitter crystallizable body named amygdalin; the latter by its action on the former produces by distillation the essential oil of almonds, the principal constituents of which are prussic acid, benzoic acid, and hydride of benzoyl. The essential oil is used for perfuming soap, for flavouring confectionery, and in cookery; but great care is necessary in its use owing to the presence, as mentioned above, of the highly poisonous substance prussic acid.
100.—APPLE SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Pommes.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of second stock, 2 lb. of cooking apples, 3 cloves, ¼ of an inch of root ginger, salt and pepper.
Method.—Peel, quarter, and core the apples, cut them into thick slices, and add them with the cloves and ginger to the boiling stock. Simmer gently until tender, then pass the whole through a fine sieve. Re-heat, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 6d. to 8d., exclusive of the stock. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
Apple (Fr.: Pomme).—The apple is the most widely distributed of all the fruit-trees, and belongs to the temperate regions, where it flourishes best; it also grows in India, Persia, Arabia, Australia and New Zealand. The original of all the varieties of the cultivated apple is the wild crab-tree (Pyrus malus), the fruit of which is small and very sour. The apple-tree is of moderate height, with oval leaves and pinkish white flowers. There are numerous varieties of the cultivated apple, and new ones are continually being added by cultivators. The various kinds are maintained and propagated by grafts, cuttings and budding. The wood of the apple-tree is hard and close-grained, and is used for cabinet work and turnery. The apple is of great antiquity, and was brought from the East by the Romans, who esteemed it highly, and by them was probably introduced into Britain. Large quantities of apples are imported into Great Britain from the Continent, the United States, Canada and Australia. From the fermented juice of the apple cider is produced. Apples dried in ovens are termed "biffins." The apple contains a large percentage of water, and also malic acid, which is used for medicinal purposes.
101.—ARTICHOKE SOUP. (Fr.—Purée à la Palestine.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white second stock or water, 1 pint of milk, 2 lb. of Jerusalem artichokes, 2 onions, 1 strip of celery, 1 oz. of butter, pepper and salt.
Method.—Wash the artichokes, put a tablespoonful of vinegar into a basin of water and keep the artichokes in it as much as possible while paring them, to preserve their whiteness. Cut the onions, celery, and artichokes into slices, make the butter hot in a stewpan, fry the vegetables for 10 or 15 minutes without browning; then pour in the stock and boil until tender. Rub through a fine sieve, return to the saucepan, add the milk and seasoning, bring to the boil, and serve.
Time.—About 1¼ hours. Cost, 8d. to 10d. without the stock. Seasonable from October to February. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Note.—When a thicker soup is desired a dessertspoonful of cornflour or flour should be blended with a little milk or stock, and added to the soup a few minutes before serving.
Bread (Fr.: Pain).—The use of bread is of the greatest antiquity, and is common to the most primitive races. The earliest kind consisted of raw grain softened with water, pressed together, and then baked. Cakes and similar forms of this unfermented bread made with bruised grain are still used in the rural districts of northern Europe, and in other parts of the world. All the cereal grains, as millet, rice, maize, rye, barley and oats are utilized more or less by the inhabitants of the countries where these are cultivated, but wheat is the most suited for the purpose of making the best qualities of bread. Wheaten flour contains in slightly varying proportions, according to the kind of wheat from which it is manufactured, starch, gluten—a grey, viscid, elastic, nitrogenous substance, consisting chiefly of vegetable fibrine—sugar, gum, mineral matter and water. The various kinds of bread are of two classes, unfermented or unleavened, as biscuits, Scotch bannocks, the corn bread of the United States, Australian "dampers"; and fermented or leavened bread of the ordinary household, and fancy varieties. Fermentation is usually produced by means of leaven or yeast, or by baking powders. Aerated bread is made with aerated water, which is strongly impregnated with carbonic acid under pressure. By law, all bread except fancy bread and rolls, must be sold by weight.
102.—BREAD SOUP. (Fr.—Soupe au Pain.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of stock, broth, or pot-liquor, 1 lb. of breadcrusts, salt and pepper.
Method.—Break the bread into small pieces, and place them in a basin. Boil up the stock, pour sufficient over the bread to cover it, let it remain closely covered until the bread is quite soft, then beat out the lumps with a fork. Add the bread thus prepared to the remainder of the stock, boil up, simmer gently for 10 or 15 minutes, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 1s. 2d. when made of second stock. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
103.—BROAD BEAN SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Féves.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of second stock or water, 1 pint of beans shelled, 2 ozs. of lean bacon or ham (this may be omitted when using stock), 1 dessertspoonful of chopped onion, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, a dessertspoonful of flour, 1 oz. of butter, salt, pepper, sugar.
Method.—Boil the beans in salted water for 10 or 15 minutes, then drain and remove the skins. Melt the butter in the stewpan, add the bacon in small pieces, the onion, and parsley, and fry for about 5 minutes, then put in the stock, and when boiling add the beans. Simmer gently until the beans are tender (20 to 30 minutes unless very old), then rub through a fine sieve. Return to the stewpan, and when boiling, add the flour, previously blended with a little stock or water, and stir until it is mixed smoothly with the stock. Season to taste, add a good pinch of sugar, and serve. Croûtons, or small slices of fried or toasted bread, should be handed separately.
Time.—From 40 to 60 minutes. Cost, about 6d. Seasonable from June to August. Sufficient for 6 persons.
104.—BRUSSELS SPROUTS SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Choux de Bruxelles.)
Ingredients.—1½ lb. of Brussels sprouts, 3 pints of good stock, 1 gill of cream, a small piece of soda, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
Method.—Wash and trim the sprouts, cook them in salted water containing a very small piece of soda (to preserve the colour) till tender. Drain well and rub through a sieve. Put the purée in a stewpan with the stock, boil, and let it simmer for a few minutes, skimming meanwhile. Season to taste, add the cream, keep hot until wanted for table, but on no account let the soup boil after the cream is added.
Time.—½ hour. Average Cost, 2s. 0d. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable from September to February.
105.—CARROT AND LENTIL SOUP. (Fr.—Crécy aux Lentilles.)
Ingredients.—3 quarts of stock or water, 1 pint of lentils, 4 carrots sliced, 2 onions sliced, 1 good lettuce shredded, 2 tablespoonfuls of cooked rice, 2 ozs. of butter or fat, salt and pepper.
Method.—Let the lentils soak all night, then wash and drain them well. Heat the butter or fat in a saucepan, put in the vegetables, and let them fry slowly for 15 minutes. Now add the lentils and stock or water, season with salt and pepper, cover closely, and simmer gently from ½ hour to 1 hour, or until the lentils are tender. Pass the whole through a sieve, return to the saucepan, make thoroughly hot, then add the cooked rice, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—From 1½ to 2 hours. Average Cost, 8d., when made of water. Sufficient for 10 persons. Seasonable in winter.
106.—CARROT SOUP. (Fr.—Purée à la Crécy.) (Economical.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of second stock or water, 1 pint of milk, 3 large carrots, ½ a turnip, 1 onion, 2 strips of celery, 1 oz. of butter or dripping, 1 tablespoonful of flour, salt and pepper.
Method.—Prepare the vegetables, cut them into small pieces, and fry without browning for about 15 minutes in the hot fat. Add the stock and simmer until the vegetables are tender (not less than 40 minutes, and longer if the vegetables are old), then rub through a fine sieve. Return to the saucepan, add the milk, salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Mix the flour with a little milk or water, pour it into the soup, stir and cook for 10 minutes, and serve. Croûtons or small pieces of fried or toasted bread should be served separately.
Time.—1 to 1½ hours. Average Cost, about 6d without stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
107.—CARROT SOUP WITH RICE. (Fr.—Purée Crécy au Riz.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white second stock, 1 pint of milk, 5 large carrots, 1 onion, 1 strip of celery, 1 leek (the white part only), 1½ ozs. of butter, 1 tablespoonful of cornflour, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, 2 tablespoonfuls of cooked rice, salt, pepper, sugar, nutmeg.
Method.—Use only the outer red part of the carrots. Cut all the vegetables into small pieces, and cook them for 10 or 15 minutes in hot butter without browning. Add the stock and simmer until the vegetables are tender (about 40 minutes), then rub them through a fine sieve. Return to the stewpan, add the milk, salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg, and bring to the boil. Mix the cornflour with a small quantity of stock or milk, pour it into the soup and stir for a few minutes, then add a good pinch of sugar, the cream, and the rice (which should be nicely cooked, and dry), and serve.
Time.—1¼ to 1½ hours. Average Cost, about 9d. or 10d. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
108.—CAULIFLOWER SOUP. (Fr.—Crême de Choufleur.)
Ingredients.—2 small cauliflowers, 1 oz. of ground rice (crême de riz), 1 gill of cream, 1½ pints of white stock, 2 ozs. of crushed tapioca, ½ an oz. of castor sugar, nutmeg, 1 pint of milk, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash and trim the cauliflowers, cook them in salted water till tender, drain (keep the water), and rub the flower through a fine sieve. Bring the water in which the cauliflower has been cooked to the boil, stir in the crushed tapioca, and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix the crême de riz, or ground rice, with a little cold milk, boil up the remainder of the milk with the stock, stir in the ground rice, and cook, for a few minutes, stirring all the while; add the cauliflower water, season with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg to taste, bring it to the boil, put in the cream and stir a little longer, but do not let it boil again. The purée is now ready for serving.
Time.—One hour. Average Cost, 2s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
109.—CELERY CREAM WITH CROÛTONS. (Fr.—Crême de Céleri aux Croûtons.)
Ingredients.—3 heads of celery, 4 ozs. of butter, 3 ozs. of flour, 2 quarts of first stock, 1 pint of milk, ½ a pint of cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg, ½ a teaspoonful of castor sugar, croûtons of fried bread.
Method.—Trim the celery, pare off the green parts and wash thoroughly, cut it into small pieces, and blanch in slightly salted water. Drain well, and return to the stewpan with 3 ozs. of butter. Cook for a few minutes over a brisk fire without allowing the ingredients to brown; moisten with a little stock, add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste, cover, and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. Mix the flour with the remainder of the butter in another stewpan, and cook a little without browning. Dilute with the milk, add the stock and partly cooked celery. Let it simmer until the celery is tender, then pass the whole through a fine sieve. Boil again, skim, add the sugar and more seasoning if needed, and lastly the cream. Re-heat the compound, without allowing it to boil and pour into a soup tureen. Serve the bread croûtons separately.
Time.—About 1½ hours. Average Cost, 4s. Seasonable from September to February. Sufficient for 8 to 10 persons.
110.—CELERY SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Céleri.) (Good.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white stock, 1 pint of milk, 1 large or 2 small heads of celery (the white part only), 2 small onions, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 oz. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of rice, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash the rice well, slice the celery and onions. Melt the butter in a stewpan, and fry the vegetables in it for 10 minutes without their changing colour. Put in the stock, bouquet-garni, rice, salt and pepper, and simmer gently until tender, then strain. Rub the rice and vegetables through a hair sieve, return the soup and purée to the stewpan, add the milk and bring to the boil. Season to taste, stir in the cream, and serve.
Time.—1 to 1¼ hours. Average Cost.—1s. 9d. Seasonable from September to February. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Celery (Fr.: Céleri) is native to Britain, and in its wild state grows by the side of ditches and brooks, and along the seashore and in saline situations in England and Ireland. In this state it is called smallage, and is to some extent a dangerous narcotic. Celery has long been cultivated as a salad and culinary vegetable. Its thick leaf stalks, which have been brought to the fine flavour which renders this plant so agreeable an adjunct to the table, are blanched by piling soil over the stalks during their growth and thus excluding the light. Celery acts as a diuretic.
111.—CELERY SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Céleri.) (Economical.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of water, 1 pint of milk, 2 ozs. of lean bacon or ham, 1 oz. of butter, 1½ tablespoonfuls of flour, 1 large head of celery, 2 onions, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the ham into dice or cubes, slice the onion and celery. Melt the butter in a stewpan, fry the vegetables without browning, put in the bacon, salt, pepper and water, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the celery is tender. Strain, rub through a fine sieve, return to the saucepan, add the milk and bring to the boil. Mix the flour with a little milk, stir and cook for 5 or 6 minutes, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 6d. to 8d. Seasonable from September to February. Sufficient for 6 persons.
112.—CHANTILLY SOUP. (Fr.—Potage Chantilly.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of second stock, 1 quart of shelled peas, a handful of spinach, 2 or 3 sprigs of parsley, a sprig of mint, 1 small onion sliced, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, salt and pepper.
Method.—Place a few peas aside to be used as garnish, put the remainder into the boiling stock, add the spinach, parsley, mint and onion, and boil gently until the peas are tender. Rub the whole through a wire sieve, re-heat, season to taste, add the cream and the whole peas, which must have been previously cooked, make thoroughly hot, and serve.
Time.—From ¾ to 1 hour. Average Cost, from 1s. to 1s. 3d., exclusive of the stock. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons. Seasonable in summer.
113.—CHESTNUT SOUP (Fr.—Purée de Marrons.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white stock, 1 pint of milk, 1½ pints of chestnuts, 1 oz. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, sugar, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut off the tops of the chestnuts and roast or bake them for 20 minutes, then take off the outer and inner skins. Put the stock, chestnuts, salt and pepper into a stewpan and simmer until tender (about 45 minutes), then rub through a fine sieve. Return to the stewpan, add the milk, and boil up. Knead the butter and flour together, add the mixture to the soup, and stir until it becomes smoothly mingled with it. Season to taste, add the cream and a good pinch of sugar, and serve.
Time.—1½ to 1¾ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 10d. Seasonable from November to January. Sufficient for 6 persons.
The Chestnut (Fr.: Marron), which belongs to the order Cupuliferae, is allied to the beech. The common sweet, or Spanish chestnut, is supposed to have been introduced into Sardinia from Sardis in Asia Minor, of which it is probably a native, and has long been naturalized in Europe; the Romans are said to have brought it into Britain, where it is now widely distributed. The chestnut attains a great size and age, and its large serrated dark leaves form a pretty object in parks and the open country. As an article of food the chestnut is the least oily and most farinaceous of all the nuts, and for this reason is the most digestible. It was much eaten by the Romans, and is still commonly used as a comestible, both raw and roasted, in France and Italy. The wood of the chestnut-tree, although inferior to the oak, which it much resembles in appearance, when old is used for various purposes. The horse-chestnut, the fruit of which is similar to the edible chestnut, is quite a different tree, and has no connexion with the genus Castanea, to which the Spanish chestnut belongs.
114.—COCOANUT SOUP. (Fr.—Potage au Noix de Coco.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of second stock, 4 ozs. of grated cocoanut, preferably fresh, 2 ozs. of rice flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, mace, salt and pepper.
Method.—When desiccated cocoanut is used it should be previously soaked for 2 or 3 hours in a little of the stock. Boil the stock, add a small blade of mace and the cocoanut, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Mix the rice flour smoothly with a little stock, boil the remainder, add the blended rice flour, and stir and boil gently for about 10 minutes. Season to taste, stir in the cream, and serve.
Time.—About 1¼ hours. Average Cost, 9d., exclusive of the stock. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
The Cocoa-nut or Coco-nut (Fr.: Noix de coco).—This is the fruit of a species of palm, a native of the Indian coasts and the South Sea Islands, from whence it has been introduced and become naturalized in most parts of the tropical regions. It flourishes best in the vicinity of the sea-shore. The tree grows frequently to the height of 50 to 100 feet. The trunk is straight and naked, and is about two feet in diameter, the feather-shaped leaves forming the top or crown, from which the nuts hang in clusters. The fruit itself, covered by a hard shell, is inclosed in a fibrous husk; within the nut is a clear sweet liquid. Few plants possess so many and useful properties as the cocoa-nut. From its wood the natives obtain the building material for their houses and canoes. The leaves are used for thatching roofs, making baskets and articles of clothing. Coir for making ropes, brushes, and mats is obtained from the fibre of the husks. The hard shells are polished and made into drinking cups, lamps, and various domestic and other useful articles; the hard wood of the tree, known as "porcupine wood," is employed for a variety of ornamental purposes. The kernels, dressed in various ways, are used as food, and the expressed oil of the nut is exported for use in the manufacture of candles, soap, and pomades; the oil when fresh is used in cookery. In southern India and other countries the cocoa-nut forms one of the staples of life. From the white sweetish sap toddy is made, and from it by distillation 2 variety of the spirit arack is obtained. Vinegar and sugar are also products of this juice. The terminal buds of the cocoa-nut tree when boiled resemble cabbage. The milk of the cocoa-nut supplies a refreshing beverage.
115.—CORN SOUP.
Put the corn removed from 3 cobs of corn (or Indian maize) into 1 pint of fast-boiling water, and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain them and cook till tender in 2 pints of stock and ¾ of a pint of milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add a small piece of butter just before serving.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. to 1s. 9d. per quart. Sufficient for 5 persons. Seasonable at all times.
116.—CUCUMBER CREAM. (Fr.—Crême de Concombre.)
Ingredients.—1 large or 2 small cucumbers, 2 lettuces, 3 ozs. of fresh butter, 1 quart of white stock, the yolks of 3 eggs, 1 gill of cream, 1 tablespoonful of patent cornflour, salt and pepper, a handful of fried bread croûtons.
Method.—Peel the cucumbers and cut them into slices. Trim, wash, drain, and coarsely shred the lettuces; blanch the cucumber and lettuces in salted water containing a very small piece of soda. Strain off the water, and put the vegetables in a stewpan with the butter; stir for a few minutes, then add the stock. Mix a tablespoonful of cornflour with a little cold milk, and stir into the soup. Cook for about 30 minutes, rub it through a fine sieve, then return to the stewpan and reheat. Stir the yolks of the eggs and the cream together, pour this into the soup, and stir over the fire for a few seconds longer. Season to taste with pepper and salt. Put the fried bread croûtons in a soup tureen, pour the soup over them, and send to table.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 2s. 9d. per quart. Seasonable, May to September. Sufficient for 5 persons.
117.—CUCUMBER CREAM, INDIAN STYLE. (Fr.—Crême de Concombre à l'Indienne.)
Ingredients.—1 cucumber, 2 onions (medium size), 1 calf's brain, 2 quarts of stock, 1 teaspoonful of mulligatawny paste, ½ a gill of cream, 1 oz. of fresh butter, the yolks of 3 eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Method.—Peel the cucumber, cut it up into short pieces, and cook in salted water till tender; peel the onions, slice them, and cook them in the same manner as the cucumber. Blanch the calf's brain and cook likewise. Drain the onions and the brain, and pound them together in a mortar, add the mulligatawny paste and the butter. Put this in a stewpan with the stock, add the cucumber, and boil for 20 minutes. Rub the whole through a sieve, return to the stewpan, re-heat, add the yolks of eggs and the cream, season to taste with salt, pepper, a tiny pinch of sugar, and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir long enough to bind the eggs, and serve.
Time.—1 hour. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. to 3s. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable from May to September.
118.—CUCUMBER SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Concombres.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white stock, 1 pint of milk, 2 large cucumbers, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of flour, the yolks of 2 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, salt and pepper.
Method.—Peel the cucumbers, cut into thick slices, quarter them and remove the seeds. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water, put in the cucumber and a little salt, boil for 10 minutes, then drain. Melt 1 oz. of butter in a stewpan, put in the cucumber, cover and let it steam in the butter for about ½ an hour, then rub through a hair sieve. Melt the remaining oz. of butter in the stewpan, add the flour, pour in the stock and milk (hot), and stir until boiling. Add the purée of cucumber, simmer for a few minutes, then let the soup cool slightly. Beat the yolks of the eggs and cream together, pour the mixture into the soup and stir until it thickens, taking care that it does not boil, or the eggs will curdle. Season to taste, and serve with croûtons of fried bread.
Time.—1 to 1¼ hours. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. Seasonable from May to September. Sufficient for 6 persons.
The Cucumber (Fr.: Concombre).—This plant or fruit belongs to the order of the Cucurbitaceae or gourds. It is of great antiquity, and is a native of Egypt and Asia. As in ancient times, in Egypt and the East the cucumber, with other fruits of its class, constitute a large portion of the food of the people. It was cultivated in England in the fourteenth century, but it is only since the reign of Henry VIII. that the cucumber came generally into use as a table vegetable. It is much used as a salad, and young cucumbers, known as "gherkins," are made into pickles. The cucumber in its raw state is not very digestible.
119.—EGG SOUP. (Fr.—Potage aux Œufs.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of good white stock, ¼ of a pint of cream, the yolks of 4 eggs, salt and pepper.
Method.—Beat the yolks of eggs slightly and add the cream. Bring the stock nearly to boiling-point, add the liaison, or binding mixture, of eggs and cream, and stir by the side of the fire until the soup thickens, but do not allow it to boil, or the eggs may curdle. Season to taste, and serve with croûtons of fried or toasted bread.
Time.—About 20 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. Sufficient for 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.
120.—GREEN PEA SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Pois Verts.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white stock, ½ a pint of water, 1 quart of peas (shelled), a handful of spinach (to improve the colour), a little mint, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, salt and pepper.
Method.—Melt 1 oz. of butter in a stewpan, put in the peas, spinach, and mint, put on the cover and let them steam in the butter for 15 or 20 minutes. Add the stock and water, and some of the pea-shells if young and soft (they should of course be first washed in cold water), boil quickly until tender, strain and rub the vegetables through a fine sieve. Melt the remainder of the butter in the stewpan, sprinkle in the flour, add the stock and purée, and stir until boiling. Season to taste, and serve with croûtons of fried bread. If preferred, a few cooked green peas, and a little cream may be added to the soup before serving.
Time.—1¼ to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s. 0d. Seasonable from June to September. Sufficient for 6 persons.
121.—HARICOT BEAN SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Haricots.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of stock or water, 1 pint of milk, ½ a pint of small haricot beans, 1 oz. of butter, 1 onion, 1 strip of celery or ½ a teaspoonful seeds (tied in muslin), salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash the beans, and soak them in water for 12 hours. Melt the butter in a stewpan, put in the onion and celery sliced, fry for a few minutes without browning, then put in the beans, cover closely, and let them steam for 15 or 20 minutes. Add the stock or water, ½ a teaspoonful of salt, and simmer until tender (2½ to 3 hours). Strain, and rub the vegetables through a wire sieve. Return to the stewpan, add the milk, and boil up. Season to taste, and serve.
Time.—3½ to 4 hours. Average Cost, 6d. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons.
Note.—Haricot-bean, lentil and pea soup are often substituted for meat by those catering for the poor, and the usual allowance is 1 pint per head.
122.—LENTIL SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Lentilles.) (Good.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of second stock or water, 1 pint of milk, ½ a pint of brown lentils, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 strips of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 oz. of butter, 1 tablespoonful of flour, salt and pepper, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream.
Method.—Wash the lentils, soak them for 24 hours, and when ready to use, drain well. Melt the butter in a stew-pan, put in the vegetables, sliced herbs, and lentils, cover closely and let them steam in the butter for 15 or 20 minutes. Add the stock, salt and pepper, and cook gently for 2 hours, or until tender, then rub through a fine sieve. Return to the saucepan, add the milk and bring to the boil. Mix the flour with a little milk or stock, add it to the soup, stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste, add the cream, and serve. Croûtons of fried or toasted bread should be handed separately.
Time.—2¾ to 3 hours. Average Cost, 8d. to 9d. without the stock. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
The Lentil (Fr.: Lentille) belongs to the natural order Leguminosae or pulses, and is of the same genus as the tares. The lentil is an annual plant, growing in height to about eighteen inches, with pale blue or whitish flowers. Its short, smooth pods contain two seeds each, and these form in Egypt and Syria, Bengal and other Eastern countries, an important article of food. There are two cultivated varieties of the lentil, the large garden lentil and the field lentil. Its nutritive properties are of a high order, and lentils cooked whole or in the form of meal are readily digested. Lentils form the basis of many of the prepared foods for invalids owing to the fact above mentioned. The constituents of lentils in 100 parts are:—Water, 12.5; proteids, 24.8; fats, 1.8; carbohydrates, 58.4; salts, 2.5.
123.—LENTIL SOUP (Fr.—Purée de Lentilles.) (Economical.)
Ingredients.—3 quarts of water, 1 pint of lentils, 1 carrot, 1 strip of celery, 1 oz. of dripping or bacon fat, salt and pepper, 1 tablespoonful of flour.
Method.—Wash the lentils the day before the soup is wanted, strain, and spread on a dish. Cover with another dish and let them remain until ready for use. Slice the vegetables and fry them in the hot fat for a few minutes, as this improves the flavour of the soup. Add the water, and, when boiling, put in the lentils and boil gently for 2½ to 3 hours, or until the lentils are tender. If convenient rub them through a wire sieve, if not, crush them by pressing them at the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Mix the flour with a little cold milk or water, add it to the soup, stir and simmer for about 10 minutes, season to taste, and serve.
Ham or bacon bones greatly improve the flavour of lentil soup; it may also be improved by using less water, and adding a corresponding quantity of milk a few minutes before serving.
Time.—3½ to 4 hours. Average Cost, 3d. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons when followed by other substantial dishes.
124.—ONION SOUP. (Fr.—Purée aux Oignons.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of white stock, 1 pint of milk, 3 Spanish onions, 3 potatoes, 1 strip of celery, 1 oz. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, salt and pepper.
Method.—Peel and slice the vegetables. Make the butter hot in a stewpan, and cook the vegetables in it for 15 minutes, but VERY SLOWLY, and stirring frequently to prevent them taking any colour. Add the stock and simmer gently until tender (about 1 hour), then rub through a fine sieve. Return to the stewpan, put in the milk and bring to the boil. Mix the flour smoothly with a little milk, pour it into the soup, stir and simmer for a few minutes, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—1½ to 2 hours. Average Cost, 7d. without the stock. Seasonable in Winter. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Onion (Fr.: Oignon).—The well-known root of a liliaceous plant of the genus Allium, which from the earliest times has been known and cultivated. By the ancient Egyptians it was so highly valued that it was elevated into an object of worship, its concentric rings being regarded as the symbol of eternity. The onion is eaten raw, roasted, boiled, pickled, and as a flavouring for soups and stews. Its strong odour and pungent taste are due to the presence of a superfluous volatile oil. There are many varieties of the onion, the Spanish, Portugal and Strasburg being the most esteemed. The onion possesses highly nutritive properties.
125.—ONION SOUP. (Fr.—Purée aux Oignons.) (Another Method.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of water, 1½ pints of milk, 3 Spanish onions. ½ a turnip, 2 strips of celery, 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, the yolks of 2 eggs, salt, pepper and bay-leaf, a blade of mace.
Method.—Cut the turnip and celery into small pieces, peel the onions, put them into cold water, bring to the boil, cook for 10 minutes, then drain and chop coarsely. Put 2 pints of boiling water into the stewpan, add the onions, celery, turnip, bay-leaf, mace, salt and pepper, and simmer until tender (about 1 hour). Rub through a fine sieve, return to the saucepan, add the milk, and when boiling stir in the flour and butter, previously kneaded together. Simmer a few minutes to cook the flour, then let the soup cool slightly. Beat the yolks of the eggs with a little milk, pour them into the soup, and stir until they thicken. Season, and serve with fried or toasted croûtons of bread.
Time.—About 1½ hours. Average Cost, 8d. or 9d. Seasonable in Winter Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
126.—PARSNIP SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Panais.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of second stock, 1 pint of milk, 3 or 4 parsnips, 1 onion, 2 strips of celery, 1 oz. of butter, the juice of a lemon, or 1 tablespoonful of vinegar, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, salt and pepper.
Method.—Slice the vegetables, and fry them in the butter, without browning, for about 15 minutes. Add the stock, and simmer until the parsnips are tender (about 40 minutes), then rub through a wire sieve. Return to the stewpan, add the milk, salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Mix the flour with a little milk or water, pour it into the soup, stir, and cook for 5 or 6 minutes. Add the lemon-juice and serve with croûtons of fried or toasted bread. The lemon-juice is added to correct the sweetness of the parsnips, and is simply a matter of taste.
Time.—1½ to 1¾ hours. Average Cost, about 7d. without the stock. Seasonable from October to April. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Parsnip (Fr.: Panais).—This is a biennial plant with bright yellow flowers and a root resembling the carrot, which in saccharine and nutritive matter it nearly equals. Like the carrot, it grows wild in Britain, but only the cultivated parsnip is edible. It is generally distributed over most parts of Europe, and in Roman Catholic countries forms with salt fish a Lenten dish. A beverage is made from parsnips in conjunction with hops, and also a wine of agreeable flavour. The parsnip contains in 100 parts:—Water, 82.5; proteids, 1.3; fats, 0.7; carbo-hydrates, 14.5; salts, 1.0.
127.—PEA SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Pois.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of stock or water (if water is used, ham or beef bones, either cooked or uncooked will improve the soup), 1 pint of dried split peas, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 small turnip, 2 strips of celery, 1 dessertspoonful of dried mint, salt and pepper, 1 oz. of flour.
Method.—Wash the peas and soak them for 12 hours in water. Put them into a stewpan with the bones (if any) and the stock, and bring to the boil. Slice the vegetables and add them to the stock when it boils, and simmer for at least 3 hours. Then rub through a wire sieve, return to the saucepan, add the flour mixed smoothly with a little water, and boil. When the purée is thoroughly incorporated with the soup, season to taste, and serve. The dried mint should be placed in the tureen and the soup poured on to it.
Time.—3½ to 4 hours. Average Cost, 4d. when made with water. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Note.—When making pea soup in large quantities, the process of rubbing the vegetables through the sieve is omitted, and the turnips, carrots, etc., are cut into small pieces and added to the soup about 1 hour before serving.
The Pea (Fr.: Pois).—The native country of the pea is unknown, but it is supposed to be indigenous to South-Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It was well known to the Romans, and has been cultivated from remote antiquity. The pea, a leguminous plant of the genus Pisum, has many varieties, including the garden pea and the field pea. When soft and juicy in the pods, peas are used for the table under the designation of "green peas." When hardened, peas become farinaceous, and a whitish and a blue variety which splits readily when subjected to the action of mill-stones specially constructed for that purpose is used largely for soups. There are some varieties of peas which have no inner filmy lining in their pods, known as "sugar-peas." The pods of these when young are frequently eaten cooked in a similar manner to kidney-beans. By the Hindus peas parched and ground and mixed with flour form an important article of diet. The pea is rich in nitrogenous matter, containing legumin or vegetable casein, and is therefore useful as a flesh-forming food. The following are the constituents of peas in 100 parts:— Water, 15.6; proteids, 22.0; fats, 2.0; carbo-hydrates, 58.0, salts, 2.4.
128.—POTATO SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Pommes de Terre.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of white second stock, or water, ½ a pint of milk, 1 lb. of potatoes, 1 onion, 1 strip of celery, 1 oz. of butter, 1 tablespoonful of fine sago, or crushed tapioca, salt and pepper.
Method.—Slice the potatoes, onion, and celery. Make the butter hot in a stewpan, add the vegetables, fry and cook until the butter is absorbed, stirring frequently to prevent them browning. Add the stock, and simmer until the vegetables are tender (about 1 hour). Rub through a fine sieve; return to the saucepan, add the milk and bring to the boil. Sprinkle in the sago, cook until transparent, add seasoning to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 1½ hours. Average Cost, 9d. to 1s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
The Potato (Fr.: Pomme de terre).—Next to the cereals, the potato constitutes one of the most important articles of vegetable food. It belongs to the natural order Solanaceæ, which includes the nightshade, henbane, and tobacco, and is a native of the region of the Andes of South America, where it grows wild; but in the uncultivated state its tubers are watery and tasteless. It was first introduced into Europe in the early part of the sixteenth century by the Spaniards, and in England by the Elizabethan adventurers, Sir John Hawkins, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir Walter Raleigh. It was grown on the estate of the last-named at Youghal, near Cork, and eaten as a food prior to its use in England. The potato is rich in starch, of which it contains about 15 per cent., and combined with wheaten flour makes excellent farinaceous foods. A strong coarse spirit, "British brandy," is obtained from the potato by distillation. The skin of the potato contains "Solanine," a poisonous substance, which is dissipated by boiling or steaming. Not being rich in flesh-forming constituents, the potato is best used as an adjunct to meat or nitrogenous foods. The potato contains in 100 parts:—Water, 74.0: proteids, 2.0; fats, 0.20; carbo-hydrates. 21.8; salts, 1.0.
129.—PURÉE OF ASPARAGUS. (Fr.—Purée d'Asperges.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white second stock or water, 1 pint of milk, 50 heads of asparagus, 1 Spanish onion, 1 strip of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1½ ozs. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of cornflour or flour, the yolks of 2 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, pepper and salt.
Method.—Cut off the heads of the asparagus and put them aside, trim the stalks, cut them and the onion and celery into small pieces. Melt the butter in a stewpan and fry asparagus, celery and onion for 15 minutes, but slowly, so as not to brown them at all. Sprinkle in the cornflour or flour, let it cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the stock, milk, bouquet-garni, salt and pepper, and cook slowly for about 40 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve, return the soup to the stewpan, and stir until it boils. Have ready a small saucepan of boiling water, put in a little salt and the asparagus points, and cook for 10 or 15 minutes. Let the soup cool slightly, beat the yolks of the eggs and the cream together, pour them into the soup and stir until it thickens, taking care that the mixture does not boil, or the eggs will curdle. Put the asparagus points in the tureen, and pour in the soup.
Time.—1¼ to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 2s. 9d. to 3s. 6d., exclusive of stock. Seasonable from March to July, but in full season in May, June and July. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Asparagus (Fr.: Asperge).—A favourite culinary vegetable belonging to a genus of plants of the order Liliaceae. It is indigenous to Britain, and grows extensively in the southern steppes of Russia, in Poland, and in Greece, and was used as a vegetable by the Romans. The asparagus is raised from seed, and the young shoots of the plant only are used for the table. It possesses valuable diuretic properties.
130.—PURÉE OF ASPARAGUS. (Fr.—Purée d'Asperges.) (Another Method.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white second stock or water, 1 pint of milk, 50 heads of asparagus, 1 lb. of spinach, 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut off the points of the asparagus and put them aside, trim the stalks and cut them into small pieces; wash and pick the spinach. Put the stock or water into a stewpan, and when it boils add the asparagus and spinach, and cook until tender (about 40 minutes), then rub through a fine sieve. Have ready a small saucepan of boiling water, put in a little salt and the asparagus points, and cook for 10 or 15 minutes. Melt the butter in the stewpan, sprinkle in the flour, add the milk and stir until it boils, then put in the stock and purée of asparagus and spinach, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Place the asparagus points into the tureen, add the cream and necessary seasoning to the soup, and serve.
Time.—1 to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. to 3s., exclusive of stock. Seasonable from March to July. Sufficient for 6 persons.
131.—SORREL SOUP. (Fr.—Crême d'Oseille.)
Ingredients.— ¼ of a lb. of sorrel, picked and washed, 1 small cabbage lettuce, 3 or 4 sprigs of tarragon, a few sprigs of chervil, 1 oz. of butter, 1½ pints of white stock, 1 gill of cream, ½ a pint of Béchamel sauce (see Sauces), yolks of 3 eggs.
Method.—Wash the sorrel and the lettuce, cut both up small, and put in a stewpan with the butter. Cook whilst stirring for about 5 minutes, then add the stock. Let the whole simmer gently for about ½ an hour, and rub through a fine sieve. Return the purée to a clean stewpan with the Béchamel sauce, season to taste with salt, pepper and a grate of nutmeg, re-heat, add the tarragon and chervil cleaned and cut into shreds, and cook for a few minutes longer. Add the cream and the egg-yolks, previously beaten with a whisk, stir over the fire for a few moments to cook the eggs, then serve.
Average Cost.—2s. Sufficient for 4 persons. Seasonable in spring and summer.
132.—SPINACH SOUP. (Fr.—Purée d'Epinards.)
Ingredients.—1 pint of white second stock, 1 pint of milk, 2 lb. of spinach, 1 oz. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, pepper and salt.
Method.—Wash the spinach, remove the stalks, and put it into a saucepan with just sufficient water to cover the bottom of the pan to prevent it burning. When tender, drain and rub through a hair sieve. Melt the butter in a stewpan, sprinkle in the flour, cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the purée of spinach and the stock, a little at a time. Boil, add the milk, simmer a few minutes, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 9d. to 1s. without the stock. Seasonable from March to December. Sufficient for 4 persons.
133.—SPRING SOUP. (Fr.—Purée Printanière Maigre.)
Ingredients.—1 pint of boiling water, 2 pints of milk, 2 carrots, 2 onions, 2 potatoes, 1 turnip, 2 leeks, 1 good lettuce, 1 bunch of watercress, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, salt and pepper. (The yolks of 2 eggs and 2 tablespoonfuls of cream improve the soup.)
Method.—Cut a tablespoonful each of carrot and turnip into small dice, or cubes, and the rest into slices; also cut up the leeks, onions, and potatoes, shred the lettuce finely, and cut off some of the stalks of the watercress. Melt the butter in a stewpan, put in all the vegetables, except the dice of carrot and turnip, cover and let them steam in the butter for 15 or 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the boiling water, and cook gently for 1 hour, then rub through a fine sieve. Have the milk boiling in the stewpan, put in the purée, with any liquor remaining with it, and boil. Meanwhile cook the dice of turnip and carrot separately in a little salt and water (allowing 25 minutes for the carrot, and 15 minutes for the turnip), and strain. Mix the flour smoothly with a little milk, add it to the soup, stir and cook for at least 5 minutes. Add the dice of carrot and turnip, cream and eggs if used, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—1¾ to 2 hours. Average Cost, about 1s. without cream and eggs. Seasonable in Spring. Sufficient for 6 persons.
134.—TRUFFLE SOUP. (Fr.—Crême aux Truffes.)
Ingredients.—1 quart of rich, white stock, 1 pint consommé, 1 glass sherry or Marsala, ½ lb. fresh truffles, 3 button onions, 1 carrot, bouquet garni, 1½ oz. butter, 1 oz. flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, 2 yolks, ½ gill cream.
Method.—Wash and brush the truffles, and cut them into slices; put them in a basin, pour over a glass of sherry or Marsala wine, and cover. Peel and chop the button onions, fry them a golden brown in the butter, stir in the flour, then add the truffles, and moisten with a quart of rich veal stock. Bring it to the boil, whilst stirring, add a small bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), and 1 sliced carrot, and cook slowly for 30 minutes. Strain the soup, pound the truffles in a mortar, and rub through a fine sieve. Put the truffle purée in a stewpan with a pint of consommé, boil for 10 minutes; add the strained soup, and when boiling incorporate the egg-yolks mixed with the cream. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a grate of nutmeg. The soup is then ready for serving.
Time.—40 minutes to 1 hour. Average Cost, 9s. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable in winter.
135.—TURNIP SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Navets.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white second stock or water, 1 pint of milk, 4 large turnips, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, nutmeg, salt, pepper and sugar.
Method.—Peel the turnips and cut them into thin slices. Melt the butter in a stewpan, add the turnips and let them cook very gently for 15 or 20 minutes, then put in the stock and simmer for 40 minutes or until the turnips are tender. Rub through a hair sieve, return to the saucepan, add the milk and boil up. Mix the flour smoothly with a little stock or milk, pour into the soup, stir and cook for 5 or 6 minutes, then add a good pinch of sugar, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Time.—1¼ to 1½ hours. Average Cost. 8d. to 9d. without stock. Seasonable in Winter. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
The Turnip (Fr.: Navet).—The Greeks and Romans cultivated the turnip for table use and for feeding cattle. Nothing is known of its introduction into England, but two varieties, one annual the other biennial, of the wild turnip are found in Britain. In the reign of Elizabeth boiled turnips was a favourite dish. The turnip is much esteemed as a culinary vegetable; its nutritive properties however, are small, as water constitutes about 91 parts in 100. The leaves and flower shoots of the turnip are often used as greens, and are called turnip tops.
136.—VEGETABLE SOUP, GREEN. (Fr.—Purée de Légumes Verts.)
Ingredients.—2½ pints of stock or water, ½ a pint of cream or milk, 1 lb. of spinach, ¾ of a pint of shelled peas, 1 onion (sliced), a little green mint, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), the yolks of 2 eggs, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of rice-flour or ground-rice, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash and pick the spinach, put it into a saucepan with a little salt, adding a small piece of soda, if hard water is used; cover with cold water, bring to the boil, strain, and press as dry as possible. Melt the butter, put in the spinach, ½ a pint of the peas, the onion, mint, herbs, and a little salt and pepper, put on the cover, and let the vegetable steam in the butter for at least 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle in the rice-flour, mix it well with the vegetables, and then add the stock or water. Simmer for 35 or 40 minutes, rub through a fine hair sieve, and return to the saucepan. Bring to the boil, simmer for a few minutes, then let the soup cool slightly. Have the rest of the peas ready cooked, and add them to the soup. Beat the yolks of eggs with the cream (or milk), add it to the soup, and stir until it thickens, without boiling. Season to taste, and serve.
Time.—1¼ to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 10d. to 2s. with cream, not including the stock. Seasonable July to September, with tinned peas at any time. Sufficient for 6 persons.
137.—VEGETABLE MARROW SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Courge.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white second stock or water, 1 pint of milk, 1 large vegetable marrow, 1 onion, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of flour, salt and pepper.
Method.—Mince the onion finely, cut the vegetable marrow into small pieces and remove the seeds. Melt 1 oz. of butter in a stewpan, put in the vegetables, put on the lid, and let the ingredients steam in the butter for 15 or 20 minutes. Add the milk and water, and cook gently for about 40 minutes, or until tender, then rub through a hair sieve. Melt the remaining oz. of butter, stir in the flour smoothly, add the soup, and stir until it boils. Simmer for 5 minutes, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—1¼ to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 8d. to 10d. without the stock. Seasonable from August to October. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Vegetable Marrow (Fr.: Courge).—This is a species of gourd, belonging to the natural order Cucurbitaceae, which includes the gourds, melons, cucumbers, marrows, etc. It is cultivated as a culinary vegetable. The vegetable marrow contains a large percentage of water, it is not therefore very nutritious, but forms a useful adjunct to flesh foods.
Fish Soups.
138.—BOUILLABAISSE. (A kind of Fish Stew.)
Ingredients.—1 red mullet, 1 sole, 1 whiting, 1 small eel, 1 small lobster, 6 mussels, 1 quart of fish stock, ¼ of a pint of salad oil, ½ a gill (⅛ of a pint) of claret, 3 small tomatoes, 2 small onions, 1 oz. of butter, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), a clove of garlic, 2 cloves, a pinch of spinach, saffron, cayenne, salt and pepper, a croûte of bread, parsley.
Method.—Slice the onions and fry them brown in the oil. Mix the saffron with a little water; mince the garlic finely; steam the mussels and remove them from the shells; skin and fillet the sole, wash and cut the other fish into pieces convenient for serving. Pour away a little of the oil, add the stock, claret, herbs, garlic, cloves, bouquet-garni, saffron, cayenne, salt and pepper, and bring nearly to boiling point; then put in all the fish and cook slowly for 20 minutes. Meanwhile trim the croûte of bread to the size of the dish, fry golden-brown in hot oil or fat, then fix it firmly in the centre of a deep dish by means of white of egg. Cut the tomatoes ACROSS in halves, squeeze out a little of the juice, and fry them slightly in hot butter. Arrange the pieces of fish on and around the croûte, garnish with the tomatoes and parsley, and serve very hot with some of the liquor, well skimmed and strained, poured round it.
Time.—Altogether, 1 hour. Average Cost, 4s. to 5s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 10 or 12 persons.
Note.—Bouillabaisse can be made of fresh-water fish, but is not so delicious as when made with sea-fish. It is of southern origin, and ought to be a highly seasoned dish. This soup is well-known to all readers of Thackeray by reason of his ballad in which, when visiting Paris as an "old fogey" he recalls his remembrances of younger and more jovial days.
This Bouillabaisse a noble dish is,
A sort of soup, a broth, a brew,
A hotch-potch of all sorts of fishes,
That Greenwich never could outdo.
Green herbs, red peppers, mussels, saffron,
Soles, onions, garlic, roach and dace;
All these you eat at Terré's tavern,
In that one dish of Bouillabaisse.
139.—BOUILLABAISSE. (Another Method.)
Ingredients.—3 pints of fish stock, 1 Spanish onion, 2 tablespoonfuls of salad oil, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, the yolks of 2 eggs, 2 ozs. of crême de riz (or rice-flour), 1 glass of white wine (if liked), salt and pepper, fillets of fried fish.
Method.—Slice the onion finely and fry until golden brown in the salad oil. Stir in the crême de riz, add the stock, and stir until it boils; remove the scum as it rises, then cover, simmer gently for ½ an hour, and rub through a tammy-cloth or fine hair sieve. Return to the saucepan, and bring nearly to boiling point. Beat the yolks of eggs, add to them the cream, strain into the soup, and stir by the side of the fire until the soup thickens slightly, but without boiling, or it may curdle. Add the wine, and season to taste. Have ready some SMALL fillets of sole, turbot, cod, or other white fish, fried in a little salad oil; place them in the tureen and pour the soup over them. Serve with fried croûtons, and cut lemon.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, From 1s. 9d. to 2s. per quart. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
140.—CRAYFISH SOUP. (Fr.—Bisque d'Ecrevisses.)
Ingredients.—20 to 30 crayfish, 2 boned anchovies, 4 ozs. of butter of rice, 1 French dinner roll, 1 small onion, 2 cloves, 2 quarts of fish stock, ¼ of a pint of milk, about ¼ of a pint of cream, 1 teaspoonful of lemon-juice, salt and pepper.
Method.—Remove the gut from the centre fin of the tail of each crayfish. Shell the fish, and pound the shells, half the tails, and the anchovies, in the mortar, with the butter. Place the pounded materials in a stewpan, stir until hot, then add the rice, previously washed and drained, the onion and cloves. Fry for about 15 minutes, then pour in the stock, bring to the boil, and simmer until the rice is tender. Meanwhile soak the crumb of the French roll in the milk until soft and add it to the soup. When the rice is sufficiently cooked rub the soup through a tammy-cloth or fine sieve, and return it to the stewpan. Re-heat, season to taste, add the lemon-juice, cream, and the remainder of the crayfish tails. Serve with croûtons of fried or toasted bread.
Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 3s. Seasonable all the year. Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons.
The Crayfish or Crawfish (Fr.: Écrevisse), or river lobster, is a long-tailed, ten-footed crustacean resembling the lobster, and similar to it in its habits. It was considered a delicacy by the Greeks and Romans, and was eaten by them seasoned with pepper and other condiments. Crayfish are best preserved alive by keeping them in baskets with fresh grass or plants such as the nettle, or in a vessel containing only a slight depth of water. As the crayfish requires a quantity of air, the water should be frequently renewed.
141.—EEL BROTH. (Fr.—Bouillon d'Anguille.)
Ingredients.—1 medium-sized onion, 1 oz. dripping or butter, 1 skinned eel, 3 pints stock or water, 1 tablespoonful of crushed tapioca or sago, salt, pepper, chopped parsley.
Method.—Peel and slice the onion, and fry it in hot fat till pale-brown, but not burnt. Cut up a skinned eel, put it into the pan containing the fried onion, add 3 pints of stock or water, boil, skim, and simmer gently for about 1 hour. 20 minutes before serving, strain, replace in the stewpan, sprinkle in the tapioca or sago, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a little chopped parsley put in at the last moment.
Time.—1 to 1¼ hours. Average Cost, if made with stock, 2s. per quart. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable from September to May.
142.—EEL SOUP. (Fr.—Soupe aux Anguilles.)
Ingredients.—2 lb. of eels, 1 onion, 2 ozs. of butter, 3 blades of mace, 1 bunch of sweet herbs, ¼ an oz. of peppercorns, salt to taste, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, ¼ of a pint of cream, 2 quarts of water.
Method.—Wash the eels, cut them into small pieces, and put them in the stewpan with the butter; let them simmer for a few minutes, then add the water, the onion cut in thin slices, the herbs, mace, and seasoning. Simmer till the eels are tender, but unbroken. Dish carefully and keep hot. Mix the flour to a batter with a little water, stir it into the soup, and boil. Add the cream, pour over the eels and serve.
Time.—1 hour, or rather more. Average Cost, 2s. Seasonable from June to March. Sufficient for 8 persons.
143.—HADDOCK SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Merluche.)
Ingredients.—1 fresh haddock, 2 ozs. of butter or dripping, 1 oz. of flour, 1 pint of stock or water, 1 pint of milk, 1 onion, seasoning.
Method.—Wipe the fish, remove the fins and eyes, and cut it into pieces. Boil it in stock or water, and add the milk and onion (peeled and stuck with a clove). Melt the butter or dripping, stir in the flour, and cook for a few minutes without browning. To this add by degrees the fish stock and fish, and let the preparation simmer for 30 minutes. Pass the soup through a sieve, return to the stewpan, season to taste with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Serve with fried bread croûtons.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 1s. Sufficient for 5 persons. Seasonable at all times.
144.—LOBSTER SOUP. (Fr.—Bisque de Homard.)
Ingredients.—1 large lobster, 1 quart of stock (preferably fish), ½ a pint of milk, 2 ozs. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, 1 carrot, ½ a turnip, 1 or 2 strips of celery, 3 or 4 shallots, or 1 small onion, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 teaspoonful of anchovy essence, salt and pepper, small quenelles of whiting or other white fish.
Method.—Slice the vegetables and fry them in the butter until pale brown, then stir in the flour, add the stock, and stir until it boils. Remove the shell of the lobster, cut the meat from the claws into dice or cubes, and set it aside until wanted. Add the bouquet-garni, the rest of the lobster, and the pounded shell to the stock, simmer for ½ an hour; then take out the shell and rub the rest through a fine sieve. Return to the saucepan, add the milk, and when near boiling point put in the quenelles, anchovy-essence, and necessary seasoning. Place the dice of lobster in the tureen, and pour in the soup.
Time.—1½ hours. Average Cost, 2s. 9d. to 3s. Seasonable from April to October. Sufficient for 6 persons.
145.—OYSTER SOUP. (Fr.—Potage aux Huitres.)
Ingredients.—1 lb. knuckle of veal, 1 lb. of plaice, 2 ozs. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, ½ a pint of milk, ¼ a pint of cream, 18 oysters, 1 onion, 1 bay-leaf, 1 teaspoonful of anchovy essence, salt and pepper.
Method.—To 1 quart of cold water add the veal cut into small pieces, the onion and bay-leaf. Simmer gently for 3 hours, then strain, and when cold remove the fat. Fillet the plaice, remove the black skin, and simmer the fish in 1 quart of cold water for about 1 hour, or until it is reduced to shreds, then rub through a fine sieve. Simmer the beards of the oysters in ½ a pint of the fish stock, add the liquor from the oysters, strain, and put aside. Mix together the veal and fish stock, and bring to boiling point. Melt the butter in a stewpan, stir in the flour, cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then pour in the hot stock and stir until it boils. Now add the milk, oyster liquor, anchovy-essence, and season to taste. If the oysters are large, cut them in halves, and put them into the boiling soup just before serving, but they must not be allowed to cook. Stir in the cream at the last moment.
Time.—2 hours, after veal stock is made. Average Cost, 3s. 6d. Seasonable from September to April. Sufficient for 10 persons.
146.—SKATE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage de Raie.)
Ingredients.—1 skate, weighing from 1½ to 2 lb., 1 onion sliced, 1 strip of celery in small pieces, 1 bay-leaf, 2 ozs. of vermicelli, 2 yolks of eggs, ¼ of a pint of cream, salt and pepper, 3 pints of water.
Method.—Clean the skate thoroughly, and let it hang at least a day, and in cold weather even longer. When ready to use, remove the skin, divide the flesh into fillets, which put aside. Put the bones and trimmings into a saucepan, add the water, onion, celery, bay-leaf, white pepper or peppercorns, and a little salt, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Strain, return the stock to the saucepan, bring to the boil, and add the fillets of fish. Continue to cook slowly for 10 minutes, then sprinkle in the vermicelli, and after 5 minutes further cooking, add the yolks of eggs and cream previously well beaten together. Stir and cook gently until the soup thickens slightly, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 1½ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable in winter.
Miscellaneous.
147.—BAKED SOUP. (Fr.—Potage cuit au four.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of cold water, 1 lb. of lean beef or mutton, ½ a pint of split peas, 1 tablespoonful of rice, 1 onion sliced, 1 carrot, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash the rice and peas, put them into a stew-jar with the vegetables and the meat, cut into small pieces, season with salt and pepper, and add the water. Cover closely, cook in a rather slow oven for 3 or 4 hours, skim, and turn the whole into a soup tureen, and serve.
Time.—From 3 to 4 hours. Average Cost, about 1s. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable in winter.
148.—BAKED SOUP OR COTTAGE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage Paysanne.)
Ingredients.—1 lb. of lean beef, 1 onion sliced, 1 carrot sliced, ¼ of a turnip sliced, 2 tomatoes sliced, 2 or 3 strips of celery shredded, 2 ozs. of rice blanched, salt and pepper, 4 pints of cold water.
Method.—Cut the meat into small pieces, put it into a stewjar with the prepared vegetables, water, and a good seasoning of salt and pepper, cover closely, cook in a slow oven for 4 hours, adding the rice about 1 hour before serving. Turn the whole into a soup tureen, or serve in the pot in which it was cooked.
Time.—4 hours. Average Cost, 1s. Sufficient for 4 persons. Seasonable at any time, especially in winter.
149.—BAKED SOUP OR COTTAGE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage Paysanne.) (Another Method.)
Ingredients.—1 lb. of lean beef, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, ½ a head of celery, 2 tomatoes, 2 ozs. of boiled rice, seasoning.
Method.—Cut the meat into dice-shaped pieces, peel the onion, carrot and turnip, clean the celery, and cut up each into slices or small pieces. Slice the tomatoes. Put all the ingredients, including the rice, in layers, into an earthenware soup-pot with 4 to 5 pints of water. Season to taste, and cover the pan; when it boils, skim and place the pan with the lid on in the oven. Allow it to cook in the oven for about 2 hours, or longer. Serve the soup in the soup-pot in which it is cooked.
Time.—3 hours. Average Cost, 1s. 2d. Sufficient for 5-6 persons. Seasonable at all times.
150.—BENEVOLENT SOUP.
Cheap soup, suitable for a soup kitchen.
Ingredients.—½ an ox-cheek, 4 celery tops, 2 large carrots, 4 large onions, 2 large turnips, 1 cabbage, salt and pepper, a bunch of herbs, 10 quarts of cold water, 1½ pints dried peas or lentils.
Method.—Bone the ox-cheek, cut up the meat into small pieces, put all into a large boiler, add the cold water; when it comes to the boil skim, then throw in the vegetables, which have been cleaned and cut in quarters, the bunch of herbs, pepper and salt. Let these ingredients simmer gently for 4 hours. Add the cabbage an hour before serving. If peas or lentils are used soak them over night, then cook them with the above ingredients. Season the soup again just before serving.
Time.—6 or 7 hours. Average Cost, 2d. per pint. Seasonable at any time.
151.—BONE SOUP.
Ingredients.—3 lb. of bones, cooked or uncooked, 2 carrots, 2 onions, 1 turnip, 1 strip of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf) 12 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 2 tablespoonfuls of fine sago, crushed tapioca, semolina, or Florador, 2 oz. of fat, salt, 5 pints of water.
Method.—Break the bones into small pieces, and fry them in the hot fat until well browned. Put in the water and a dessertspoonful of salt, bring to the boil and skim well. Add the prepared vegetables (cut into thick slices), herbs, peppercorns, and cloves, and cook gently for about 5 hours, skimming occasionally. Strain, return to the saucepan, season to taste, and when the soup boils sprinkle in the sago, or whatever farinaceous substance is used, simmer for 10 minutes longer to cook the sago, then serve.
Time.—About 6 hours. Cost, 9d. to 1s. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons.
Note—The stock for this soup could be made the day before the soup is wanted, and the sago sprinkled in when re-heated.
152.—BRILLA SOUP.
Ingredients.—3 quarts of cold water, 2½ lb. of shin of beef, 1 onion, 1 carrot, ¼ of a turnip, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 tablespoonful of fine sago, salt and pepper.
Method.—Place the meat and water in an earthenware stewing-jar, add a little salt, cook gently on the stove, or in a moderate oven, for 4 hours, then strain off the liquor. When cold, remove the fat from the surface, and boil up the stock. Meanwhile cut the vegetables into small dice, add them to the stock when boiling, put in the bouquet-garni, and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender. 10 minutes before serving sprinkle in the sago, and stir occasionally to prevent it sinking to the bottom of the pan. When ready, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About ½ an hour, after the stock is made. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. to 1s. 8d. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.
153.—COW-HEEL SOUP.
Ingredients.—1 cow-heel, 3 pints of water, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 strip of celery, 1 tablespoonful of sago or crushed tapioca, chopped parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper, grated nutmeg.
Method.—Clean and scald one cow-heel, divide into 4 parts, and put them in a stewpan with the cold water. Add a good pinch of salt, boil up, skim, and add soup, vegetables (onion, carrot and celery). Let these simmer gently for 3 hours or longer, then strain and season. Remove some of the meat from the bones and cut it into very small pieces; put these with the broth, let it boil, and stir in a tablespoonful of sago or crushed tapioca. Boil for another 25 minutes, then serve, adding a little chopped parsley and lemon-juice just before sending it to table. This soup, when well made, is considered very delicious as well as nourishing.
Time.—3 to 4 hours. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. Sufficient for 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
154.—SOUR CHERRY SOUP. (Fr.—Soupe aux Cérises.)
Ingredients.—1 lb. of sour cooking cherries (stoned), 3 or 4 Invicbachs (rusks), 3 pints of water, 2 inches of cinnamon, lemon-rind, ¼ of a lb. of loaf sugar, ¼ of a pint of white or red wine, 1 oz. of butter, ½ an oz. of flour, a pinch of salt.
Method.—Put the stoned cherries in a stewpan. Break the cherry stones and remove the kernels, add them to the cherries, put in the water and the broken pieces of rusks, cinnamon and lemon rind. Cook slowly for 20 minutes, then rub all through a sieve. Melt the butter in another stewpan, add flour, and fry a chestnut-brown colour. Moisten with the wine and a little water. Add the cherry pulp, etc., sugar, and a small pinch of salt. Boil again, and serve hot or cold.
Time.—40 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable in June and July.