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 a quart of 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 for
four 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 to cut up a yam and boil it in the
soup.
Oyster soup may be made in this manner.