One thousand simple soups

Front matter

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Contents

SOUPS AND SOUP-MAKING ; OR, THE TECH

NIQUE OF THE TUREEN TWENTY-FIVE SOUP-STOCKS FIFTEEN GARNISHES FOR SOUPS THE BAI,I,AD OF THE EMPTY I^ARDER AND

THE SEVEN GUESTS Two HUNDRED BEEF SOUPS ONE HUNDRED AND TEN MUTTON SOUPS ONE HUNDRED VEAI. SOUPS ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY CHICKEN SOUPS ONE HUNDRED FISH SOUPS FIFTY CHOWDERS ....

Index

9 23

139 171 217 249 265 276

313 326

343 344 355

SOUPS AND SOUP-MAKING; OR,

THE TECHNIQUE OF THE

TUREEN

Soups are as difficult to classify as hash, being made of almost any substances which teeth, either human or store, are accustomed to act upon. The soup-kettle has been aptly termed "the kitchen waste-basket," receiving many a choice culinary manuscript which might otherwise go for naught.

With an energetic and active soup-kettle, true household economy is possible. The failure of yesterday may easily become the triumph of to-day, and experiments which a disdainful family sneered at, and refused to include, are often sent rejoicing down " the little red lane," when presented in the guise of soup.

What keener pleasure may life hold for a housewife with a sense of humor than to see a family refuse sausages one day and gladly eat soup based upon those selfsame sausages the very next night? "Consistency," Emerson said, "is the hobgoblin of little minds," but one would hesitate, under such circumstances, to demonstrate the inconsistency to a trusting family. Some jokes, of necessity, must be enjoyed alone, though most pleasures are doubled by sharing.

Monday's disconsolate fried egg, Tuesday's tough and world-weary steak, Wednesday's sad lamb chop, Thursday's disappointing codfish ball, and Friday's stewed tomatoes, may all fulfil a designed destiny in Saturday's soup, to the inner satisfaction of the unsuspecting, and the secret amusement of the artist.

For cookery, when all is said and done, is an art, as Dionysius has it :

** Know on th3'self thy genius must depend ; All books of cookery, all help^ of art, All critic learning, all commenting notes Are vain, if void of genius thou wouldst cook."

A famous artist once told an inquiring guest that he mixed his paints with brains. Likewise, good cooking requires intelligence, talent, and inspiration. It is impossible to compose a successful salad with one's mind far afield upon alien subjects. To be both cook and writerine demands that the mind drive a tandem rather than a span. This philosophy is derived from actual experience with a gas-range and a typewriter.

Soups auD Soups/lftaliins 3

A certain Chinese sage, known as Yuan Mei, has observed that " cookery is like matrimony — two things served together should match." But Chinese matrimony is not like ours, neither is Celestial cooking wholly heavenly, as any one who has spent the night sitting up with chopsuey and a hot-water bag will gladly testify.

Our ideas are more in the way of compensation. One does not go to the pantry with a strip of cold ham, trusting blindly to meet an egg face to face, but rather balances the alkali offish with the acid of lemon, the smoothness of oil with the tang of vinegar, the thin and watery substance with a thickening of flour or corn-starch. For matrimonial illustrations the reader is referred to Schopenhauer, as this is a cook-book.

Further differences might be pointed out, as, for instance, Dr. Johnson's candid remark to the effect that " women can spin very well, but they cannot make a good book of cookery." This pleasant gentleman was married once to a lady who painted her face, and after her death he made two or three ineffectual passes at matrimony, each charmer eluding him successfully in favor of a man with less intellect and more winning ways.

Returning, for the nonce, from the altar to the tureen, soup is of ancient origin. When too ostensibly ancient it should be thrown away,

4 One Zbou6sint> Simple Soups

though many soups are better the second day, when one is more used to the flavor. Originall}', the word was **soppe," referring to the piece of bread which, before the Ladies' Home Journal was published, was put to soak in the soup. A fifteenth-century cook-book defines it thus: " Soupe— a sop or peece of bread in broth, also pottage or broth, wherein there is store of sops or sippets."

The eating or drinking of soup is a fine test of table manners. To sip silently from a spoon, with apparent pleasure, a sizzling hot liquid which one does not like, is as fine a tribute to one's host as that paid by a foreign diplomat to a Washington lady, when he nobly ate the small green worm which was fain to share his salad.

Yet there are so many soups that he wh(» likes none of them is indeed hard to please. When the flavor of a wild beast is uu pleasing, i tame one may be relished, and vice verse. Even the meek and lowly vegetarian need not sit hungry during the soup course, since there are many soups made wholly of fruits ar.d vegetables and cabbage, which it is impossible to classify under any known head except its own.

One who will take the life of a cabbage need not hesitate at chicken or turkey, for cabbfge has life — triumphant, dominant, compelli.'ig,

Soups anD Soups/lftakin^ 5

penetrating life. Any one who lives in a flat may prove it by cooking a cabbage and listening in the court for remarks made by the other tenants. Anything lifeless could never be so forceful and powerful as cabbage even in its last moments.

Sheridan has observed that " even an oyster may be crossed in love." This may be what worries cabbages.

All of which is respectfully submitted by

O. G.

*My way is to begin with the beginning." Byron : Don Juan.

TWBNTY-FIVK SOUP-STOCKS

Six pounds of the shin of beef, one small slice of ham, two tablespoonfuls of butter, two large onions, sliced, six cloves, one turnip, sliced, three carrots, one head of celery, twelve pepper-corns, one blade of mace, a pinch each of savory, thyme, and sweet marjoram.

Cut the meats into small bits, break the bones into small pieces, rub the butter on . the bottom of the soup-kettle, put in all the ingredients with one cupful of cold water, cover, and place over a very hot fire. Stir occasionally until well browned, then add four quarts of cold water, and simmer gently for six hours. It must not boil. When nearly cooked, add a tablespoon ful of salt. As the scum rises, remove it carefully.

Strain the soup-stock through a fine hair sieve and set away to cool. When cool, remove the fat which has formed upon the top. This stock will keep almost indefinitely in a cool place.

lo One ^bousanO Simple Soups

II

Use a knuckle of veal weighing about six pounds. Cut the meat in small pieces and break the bones. Add three small slices of lean ham and the seasonings given in the recipe above. Proceed in the same manner. This stock is very light-colored, and is used for white soups. Trimmings of chicken or turkey may be used instead of the ham.

Ill

Use four pounds of the neck of beef. Cut the meat in small pieces, and break the bone. Add four quarts of cold water, and place over the fire to heat gradually. Simmer for two hours, skimming whenever necessary. Add one carrot, one turnip, and one large onion, leaving the vegetables whole. Add six whole cloves, a stalk of celery, a bay-leaf, and a small bunch of parsley. Simmer slowly for two or three hours after adding the vegetables. Strain through a hair sieve, or cheese-cloth, into an earthen bowl. Set away to cool, and when cooled, remove the cake of fat which has formed upon the surface.

IV

Take three pounds of lean veal, cover with three quarts of cold water, and simmer slowly

^wentgsstive Soup^Stocfts n

for two hours and a half. Season with salt and pepper and simmer half an hour longer. Strain through cheese-cloth into an earthen bowl, and cool.

V

Use a shin of beef and a knuckle of veal. Cut the meat into small bits and break the bone. Brown in the soup-kettle a sliced onion, one tablespoonful of butter, and two tablespoonfuls of sugar. When browned, put in the meat, and one quart of cold water for every pound of meat and bone. Bring slowly to the boiling point, skim, and simmer for three hours. Add an onion, ten cloves, a bay-leaf, a sliced carrot, a pinch of celery seed, and half a dozen pepper-corns. Simmer an hour longer, strain, and set aside to cool. When cold, take the fat from the surface.

VI

Brown in a soup-kettle one large onion, sliced, one tablespoonful of butter, and two tablespoon fuls of sugar. Add a shin of beef cut into bits and broken, and the meat and bones of a cold roast or boiled fowl. The feet and trimmings may also be used. Add four or five quarts of cold water, simmer gently for four hours, season, and proceed according to directions given above.

12 ®ne ^bousan^ Simple Soups

VII

Four pounds of beef from the round, one shin-bone, one large onion sliced, six cloves, one teaspoonful of salt, four pepper-corns, and one quart of cold water for each pound of meat and bone. Cut the meat into large pieces, and crack the bone. Add the cold water, cover closely, and let stand an hour in a cool place. Heat gradually, and simmer for six hours, or until the meat has fallen from the bones. Strain and cool as usual.

VIII

Take two calves' feet and one quarter of a pound of lean veal. Add one quart of cold water for every pound of meat and bone, and simmer slowly until it is reduced half. Season with salt, mace, and nutmeg, strain and cool is usual.

IX

Cut a pound and a half of lean beef into small bits, cover with one quart of cold water, boil half an hour, season to taste, skim and strain.

Put into a saucepan three cupfuls of water, a large onion, peeled and quartered, two cloves,

a bunch of parsley, a stalk of celer5^, or a pinch of celery seed, and a teaspoonful of gelatine. Boil slowly until the onion is very thoroughly cooked. Press through a fine sieve and add one heaping teaspoonful of beef extract. Stir until dissolved, boil up once, and the stock is ready for use.

XI

Put two pounds of lean beef into a soup-kettle with five pints of cold water and a tablespoonful of salt. Bring to the boil, then add half a cupful of cold water and simmer slowly. Add a small turnip, a carrot, three cloves, a stalk of celery or a pinch of celery seed, half a dozen pepper-corns, and a bruised clove of garlic. Simmer for six hours, add a tablespoonful of burned sugar, and strain and cool as usual.

XII

Break a shin of beef into small pieces, and add one quart of cold water for every pound of meat and bone. Bring slowly to the boiling point, skim thoroughly, and place where it will simmer but not boil. Chop together two onions, half a carrot, half a turnip, and two stalks of celery. Brown in four tablespoonfuls of butter. Add to the soup-stock. Add also six cloves, a stick of cinnamon, twelve pepper-

14 ©ne tlbousanD Stmple Soups

corns, two tablespoon fuls of salt, a bay-leaf, and a pinch each of thyme, savory, and sweet marjoram. Simmer for eight hours, strain and cool. Set over night in a cool place, skim off the fat, turn out the jelly, and scrape off the sediment. This jelly keeps well, and needs only to be heated to give a clear, well-flavored soup-stock.

XIII

Four pounds of beef bones well broken. One pound each of lean beef and veal, one onion, one carrot, one turnip, and a tablespoonful of celery seed. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for six hours. Set away to cool and strain the following day.

XIV

Break a knuckle of veal into small bits, and cover with three quarts of cold water. Add a sliced onion, a bay-leaf and a teaspoonful of celery seed, or two stalks of celery cut into small bits. Bring slowly to the boil, simmer for six hours, season with salt and pepper, strain, and cool.

XV

Use the bones and trimming from roasts, steaks, chops, and poultry. Cut the meat into small bits and break the bones. Cover with cold water in the proportion of one quart to every pound of meat and bone, add onion, turnip, celery, or celery seed, and any bits of vegetables, either canned or fresh, which may be left over. Simmer slowly until reduced half, season to taste, and strain. This stock ma}' be made richer by the addition of a little beef extract.

XVI

Three pounds of meat and one pound of bones well broken, two quarts of cold water, two teaspoonfuls of salt, a small bay-leaf, ten pepper-corns, four cloves, two teaspoonfuls of sweet herbs, and two tablespoon fuls each of finely minced onion, carrot, turnip, and celery. Bring to the boil, skim, simmer six hours, strain, and cool.

XVII

To make chicken stock, prepare as above, using chicken instead of meat.

XVIII

Use a neck of mutton, wash in cold water, and cut into small pieces. Add one quart of cold water for every pound of meat and bone, bring to the boiling point, and skim. Add an onion, a turnip, a stalk of celery, and a carrot, cut fine, a bay-leaf, and six pepper-corns. Simmer for three hours, strain, and season with salt and pepper.

i6 ®nc ^bousanD Simple Soups

XIX

Use two and one half pounds of lean beef cut from the round. Cut the meat into dice and brown with a sliced onion in one tablespoon ful of butter. Add one pound of broken bones, three cloves, two quarts of cold water, and simmer four hours. Add one tablespoonful each of chopped carrot and turnip, and two tablespoonfals of celery finely minced. Add a small bay-leaf, two sprigs of parsley, half a dozen pepper-corns, and simmer one hour. Strain, cool, and add a tablespoonful of sherry.

XX

One shin of beef, cut and well broken, one onion, one carrot, one turnip, two bay-leaves, two sprigs of parsley, one dozen cloves, a teaspoonful of celery seed, and one tablespoonful of salt. Put the meat and bone into the soup-kettle with five quarts of cold water. Cover closely, let stand one hour, then place over a hot fire. Just before it reaches the boiling point, add one cupful of cold water and skim. Simmer for four hours, add the vegetables, and simmer one hour and a half longer. Strain through a fine sieve or cheese-cloth, and cool quickly.

XXI One pound of lean beef from the round, and

^wentgtffive Soup^Stocks 17

one pound of lean beef minced fine. Four pounds of beef bones broken into small bits. Six quarts of cold water, two teaspoonfuls of kitchen bouquet, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the meat and the bones with the water and let it stand an hour and a half. Simmer six hours and a half, take from the fire, add the seasoning, and let stand all night in a cold place. Remove the fat, and strain.

XXII

Slice a large onion into a deep granite- ware pan. Add a thick slice of turnip, cut fine, a large carrot, sliced, three stalks of celery, including the green tops, three dozen pepper-corns, six cloves, a stick of cinnamon, three bay-leaves, and sprigs of parsley, thyme, and summer savory. Cover with cold water, bring to the boiling point, and simmer slowly until the vegetables are cooked to pieces.

Strain through coarse cheese-cloth, pressing hard, and measure the liquor. For each quart of liquor, use one heaping teaspoonful of beef extract. Dissolve the extract in a little of the liquor, add to the rest, boil up once, and cool.

XXIII

Use four pounds of lean beef, cut, preferably, from the top of the round. Cut fine, and cover i8 One Cbou6anD Simple 5oup^

•with three quarts of cold water. Bring to the boil slowly and simmer two hours. Add one onion finely chopped, a teaspoonful each of cloves and pepper-corns, and half a bay-leaf. Simmer two hours longer, strain, and cool.

XXIV

Take eight pounds of the rump of beef, and cut into small bits. Cover with five quarts of cold water, bring slowly to the boil, and skim. Add two carrots, two leeks, one onion, a bunch of parsley, one turnip, a bunch of celer\', a bruised clove of garlic, three cloves, twelve pepper-corns, one fourth of a cabbage, and a tablespoon ful of salt. Simmer for four hours, and strain through cheese-cloth.