Having put your clams into a pot of boiling water to make them open
easily, take them from the shells, carefully saving the liquor. To the
liquor of fifty opened clams, allow three quarts of water. Mix the
water with the liquor of the clams and put it into a large pot with a
knuckle of veal, the bone of which should be chopped in four places.
When it has simmered slowly three hours, put in a large bunch of sweet
herbs, a beaten nutmeg, a tea-spoonful of mace, and a table-spoonful
of whole pepper, but no salt, as the salt of the clam liquor will be
sufficient. Stew it slowly an hour longer, and then strain it. When you
have returned the liquor to the pot, add a quarter of a pound of butter
divided into four and each bit rolled in flour. Then put in the clams,
(having cut them in pieces,) and let it boil fifteen minutes. Send it
to table with toasted bread in it cut into dice.
This soup will be greatly improved by the addition of small force-meat
balls. Make them of cold minced veal or chicken, mixed with equal
quantities of chopped suet and sweet marjoram, and a smaller
proportion of hard-boiled egg, grated lemon-peel, and powdered nutmeg.
Pound all the ingredients together in a mortar, adding a little pepper
and salt. Break in a raw egg or two (in proportion to the quantity) to
bind the whole together and prevent it from crumbling to pieces. When
thoroughly mixed, make the force-meat into small balls, and let them
boil ten minutes in the soup, shortly before you send it to table. If
you are obliged to make them of raw veal or raw chicken they must boil
longer.
It will be a great improvement first to pound the clams in a mortar.
Oyster soup may be made in this manner.