_Maigre, or Vegetable Soup._--Proceed as for _julienne_ in every
particular, except that water is used instead of broth. Four ounces of
butter may be used instead or two.
_Beef and Mutton Soup._--Take three pounds of beef and two pounds of
breast of mutton; put both pieces in a crockery kettle with four quarts
of cold water, salt, and pepper, set on a slow fire; skim carefully,
then add half a carrot, two turnips, two onions with one clove stuck in
each, two stalks of celery, two leeks, one sprig of parsley, and one
clove of garlic. Simmer four or five hours; dish the meat with carrots,
turnips, and leeks around, to be served after the soup if you choose;
strain the broth, skim the fat off, put back on the fire, give one boil;
have _croutons_ in the soup-dish, pour over them, and serve.
_Mock Turtle._--Put two ounces of butter in a saucepan and set it on the
fire, when melted, add a tablespoonful of flour, stir, and when turning
brown, add three pints of broth (either beef-broth or broth made by
boiling a calf's head, according to taste); boil five minutes then add a
liquor glass of brandy or rum, from one to three glasses of Madeira,
Port, or Sherry wine, about four ounces of calf's-head (the skin only)
cut in dice, mushrooms or truffles, or both, also cut in dice; boil five
minutes. While it is boiling, cut two hard-boiled eggs and half a lemon
in dice and put them in the soup-dish; turn the broth over, and serve.
Made with beef broth it is certainly richer than when made with
calf's-head broth, the latter is gelatinous but less nourishing than the
former.
_Mock Turtle with consomme._--Use _consomme_ instead of broth, and you
have as rich a soup as can be made.
Mock turtle is an English soup, very rich and very good.
_Au Chasseur (Hunter's or Sportsman's Soup)._--A potage _au chasseur_ is
always made with game, such as rabbit, prairie-hen, grouse, venison,
wild turkey, wild pigeon, etc., but never with aquatic birds. It might
be made with quail, but that bird is really too delicate to make soup
with. A whole bird or animal is never used, but the bones and trimmings
only. After having cut off the fleshy parts, the bones are cracked and
used to make the potage.
Take the bones of two prairie-hens after having cut off the flesh on
both sides of the breast-bone, also the legs; cut the bones in pieces
about half an inch long and set them on the fire with half an ounce of
butter, stir for two or three minutes, cover with broth, or game broth,
and boil gently till well cooked, or about two hours.
Put in another pan, and set it on the fire at the same time as the
above, half a head of cabbage, one carrot, one turnip, and one onion,
all cut fine; about half a pound of lean salt pork; cover with cold
water, and boil gently for about two hours also.
In case the water or broth should boil away, add a little more.
After having boiled both vegetables and bones about two hours, take off
the salt pork from the pan in which the vegetables are, and turn what
you have in the other pan over the vegetables, through a strainer; add
some broth if it is too thick; boil ten minutes, and serve.
Proceed as above with the bones and trimmings of other birds.
_Turtle or Terrapin._--Cut the turtle in dice, throw it in boiling water
for two or three minutes, and drain; put it in a stewpan with onions and
ham, also cut in dice; season with thyme, parsley, bay-leaf, salt,
pepper, and a wine-glass of Madeira wine or of good brandy; wet with
_Espagnole_ sauce or with _consomme_, set on a good fire, boil about
half an hour. Ten minutes before taking from the fire, chop the eggs of
the turtle, after having boiled them, and put them in a stewpan; if the
turtle has none, chop and use hard-boiled eggs instead. When done, throw
away parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf, turn into bowls, add a little chopped
chervil, and a quarter of a rind of lemon, also chopped; the latter is
enough for six persons. Serve warm.
It may be strained before putting it in bowls, according to taste.
Turtle-steaks are prepared like beef-steaks.
_With Rice and Milk._--Wash half a pound of rice in cold water. Set it
on the fire with about one pint of milk, boil gently till done, filling
with more milk, so as to keep the rice always covered. When cooked, add
a little butter, milk according to taste, sugar or salt, or both, and
serve. It will not take more than two quarts of milk.
The French name for the above is _riz au lait_.
_With Okra._--Okra or gumbo is little known here; yet it is good in
pickles, used like cucumbers. It is much used for soup in the Southern
States and in the West Indies.
When green and tender, cut it very fine, cook it in broth, add a few
tomatoes or tomato-sauce, according to taste; season with salt, pepper,
and a pinch of sugar. When the tomatoes are cooked, serve warm.
If dry, make a potage like that of tapioca, to which you add a little
tomato-sauce and pepper.
_With Onions._--Put two ounces of butter in a saucepan, and when melted
add a tablespoonful of flour, stir, and when turning rather yellow add
also four or five onions sliced, stir till fried, when you add broth to
taste (about one quart); boil gently about fifteen minutes; mash through
a colander, put back on the fire; give one boil, salt and pepper to
taste; turn into the soup-dish, in which you have some _croutons_, and
serve.
More or less onions may be used, according to taste.
_Ox-Tail._--Chop the ox-tail in pieces about one inch long, set them on
the fire, with about one ounce of butter, stir till it turns rather
brown, and turn the fat off. Then add broth to taste, boil slowly till
the pieces of tail are well done; add salt, pepper, and when handy add
also three or four tomatoes whole; boil gently about fifteen minutes
longer, turn into the soup-dish, and serve meat and all.
Some add wine and liquor, the same as to the mock-turtle soup, but this
is according to taste. The soup is excellent served without wine or
liquor.
When no tomatoes are used, it is not necessary to boil fifteen minutes
longer, serve as soon as done.
_Simple._--Use water instead of broth; season with carrot, turnip,
parsley, leek, onions, cloves, salt, and pepper. Serve as the above.
_Ox-cheek._--An ox-cheek soup is made the same as an ox-tail soup. The
broth is made with ox-cheek instead of with other parts of the beef, and
the potage or soup made with the broth. A little wine--Madeira, Port, or
Sherry--is sometimes added, as for mock-turtle.
_Sheep's-tail._--Proceed as for ox-tail in every particular.
_Sheep's-neck._--Made the same as ox-cheek soup.
_Sorrel._--Put two ounces of butter in a saucepan, set it on the fire,
and as soon as melted, put a good handful of sorrel in, stir for about
one minute; then add a pint and a half of water, salt; boil two or three
minutes; add again a little butter, give one boil and turn into the
soup-dish in which you have _croutons_.
As soon as taken from the fire, two, three, or four yolks of eggs,
beaten with a tablespoonful of water, may be added.
Broth may be used instead of water.
_Oyster._--Put one quart of oysters with their liquor in a saucepan,
with one pint of cold water, and set it on a good fire. Take from the
fire at the first boil, and skim off the scum. Take the oysters from the
pan with a skimmer and put them in the soup-dish. By keeping the
soup-dish in a warm but not hot place, the oysters will not harden. Add
to the juice in the saucepan a gill of white wine; give one boil, and
take from the fire. Mix two ounces of butter with two tablespoonfuls of
flour in a bowl; turn the juice and wine into the bowl also, and mix the
whole well; put the mixture back in the saucepan, and set it on the
fire, adding about half a dozen mushrooms, two or three stalks of
parsley, and pepper to taste. Boil two minutes, turn over the oysters
through a strainer, and serve.
The mushrooms may also be turned into the soup-dish.
_Cabbage._--Put in a kettle with two quarts and a half of water a pound
of salted pork, same of breast of mutton; also, if handy, the remains of
a roasted piece; set on a slow fire; skim before it boils, and then boil
for about an hour and a half; strain, to remove the small bones, if any;
put back in the kettle broth and meat, also one middling-sized cabbage,
which you must have previously thrown in boiling water and boiled ten
minutes; add then two carrots, one turnip, two leeks, half a head of
celery, one onion with a clove stuck in it, a little salt and pepper,
and about half a pound of sausage (not smoked); then boil gently about
two hours, strain the broth, pour it on _croutons_ in the soup-dish, and
serve.
The pork, mutton, and sausage, with the cabbage around, may be served
on a dish after the soup at a family dinner, or kept for breakfast the
next day.
_Cauliflower._--Clean and cut in small pieces three middling-sized
cauliflowers. Put in a stewpan two ounces of butter, and set it on a
moderate fire; when hot put the cauliflowers in; stir now and then till
it turns brown, then add a sprig of thyme, same of parsley, a bay-leaf,
one onion with a clove stuck in it, salt, and white pepper; simmer
gently till the whole is well cooked, throw away the onion, clove,
thyme, and bay-leaf; mash well the cauliflowers, strain and put back on
the fire with the broth; give one boil, pour on _croutons_, and serve.
_Cheese._--Put four ounces of butter in a soup-kettle, with an onion
chopped fine; set on a brisk fire, stir now and then till it has a
yellow color, then sprinkle on it half a tablespoonful of flour, keep
stirring till it turns brown; then add two quarts of water, salt, and
pepper; boil about five minutes. Have prepared in the soup-dish the
following: a thin layer of grated cheese, Gruyere or pine-apple cheese;
on it a layer of thin slices of bread, then another of cheese, again
another of bread, etc., three or four of each; strain, and pour the
liquor in the kettle on the whole; keep in a warm place five minutes,
and serve.
_Milk._--Put a quart of milk in a tin saucepan and set it on the fire;
when it begins to rise, sweeten it to taste; give one boil, pour on
toasted bread, or on _croutons_, or on two ounces of boiled rice, and
serve.
Yolks of eggs may be stirred in, just before turning the milk into the
soup-dish, and when taken from the fire.
_Maigre_ (called _Soup aux Herbes_, _Herb-Broth_, etc.).--Wash, drain,
and chop fine a handful of sorrel, a dozen sprigs of chervil, and half a
head of lettuce; put an ounce of butter in a stewpan, set it on a good
fire; when melted, put the sorrel, chervil, and lettuce in, add salt
and pepper, stir till the whole is cooked; then cover with lukewarm
water; boil three minutes, beat well three yolks of eggs with a
tablespoonful of water, take from the fire and put the eggs in while
stirring; pour immediately on _croutons_, and serve.
_With Leeks._--Clean six leeks; cut them in pieces about half an inch
long, then fry them with a little butter till turning rather yellow; add
then about a pint and a half of water, boil gently till the leeks are
perfectly cooked, salt to taste, and it is ready for use.
This broth may be taken warm or cold.
It is a demulcent, and at the same time the most refreshing drink that
can be taken.
_With Clams._--Wash and clean the clams well. Then put them in a
saucepan with half a pint of water (say one quart of clams), set on the
fire, and at the first boil, take off and drain. Put the pan back on the
fire with two ounces of butter in it; when melted, fry a chopped onion
in the butter, add then the liquor drained, a pint of water, salt,
pepper, parsley chopped fine, and the clams; boil two minutes, add also
a little butter, and when melted and mixed, turn over some _croutons_ in
the soup-dish, and serve warm.
_With Muscles._--Proceed as for clams in every particular.
_Allemande, or German Soup._--Soak four ounces of pearl-barley in tepid
water for eight or ten hours, and strain. Put it in a saucepan with one
quart of broth, a piece of leek, one of celery, and boil gently about
one hour and a half. While it is boiling, mix well together in a bowl
one tablespoonful of flour and half a gill of broth, which turn into the
saucepan, also grated nutmeg and sugar to taste; boil ten minutes
longer, and serve.
_Another, called a la Maria Theresa._--Proceed as for the above, except
that you mix in a bowl six yolks of eggs with half a gill of broth, and
no flour; and finish as in the preceding.
_Another way._--Instead of using pearl-barley, use flour that you have
dried in a bakepan till it turns yellow.
_Indian, or Curry._--Put in a saucepan one ounce of butter and set it on
the fire; when melted, fry in it two large onions, one carrot, and half
a turnip, all sliced; also one leek, a stalk of celery, and four of
parsley, all cut fine. When the whole is fried, cover with about one
quart of broth, season with two cloves, a bay-leaf, half a teaspoonful
of cayenne pepper, same of pimento, two stalks of thyme; boil gently
about one hour and a quarter, and drain. Put the liquor back in the
saucepan and add four ounces of boiled rice, a little saffron to color,
simmer about fifteen minutes longer, and serve.
This soup is good and healthy for southern countries, but is too highly
spiced for this climate.
_Polish, or Barscz._--Peel and clean fifteen or twenty red beets, split
them in two or four lengthwise, and put them in an earthen vessel with a
pail of water and about a pound of rye bread; cover the vessel as
air-tight as possible, and set it in a warm place (about 80 degrees
Fahr.) for about eight days. After that time the liquor is rather sour,
then drain.
Put in a saucepan four pounds of lean beef, one pound of smoked pork,
half a pound of ham, four onions, two leeks, and about four quarts of
the liquor made as above. Simmer till the whole is done; skim off the
scum that may gather on the surface, and then strain.
Roast till half done, three chickens, or one chicken and one rabbit, or
one chicken and one duck; put them on the fire in a saucepan with the
liquor strained from the beef, pork, etc., as described above. Boil
gently about half an hour, strain the liquor again. Then cut the beef,
smoked pork, and ham, in small dice, put the whole in the soup-dish,
with the strained liquor, and serve warm, as soup.
The chicken, or chicken and rabbit, or chicken and duck, are generally
served separately, with some of the beets used to make the liquor, and
with the addition of mushrooms, parsley, celery, onions, and sausages,
raw or cooked, according to taste; and salt, pepper, and spices,
according to taste also.
The poorer classes make this soup with water instead of beet-juice, and
very often with mutton instead of beef; but proceed as described above
in every other particular.
_Russian, or Uka._--The _uka_ is made in Russia with sterlets. It may be
made here with the sturgeon of the lakes, or with salmon or trout.
Cut the fish in pieces about two inches long, and put them in salt water
for one hour, and drain. Cut in small pieces two roots of parsley and
two of celery, throw them into boiling water five minutes and drain
them. Then fry them with a little butter till they turn yellow, when add
a gill of broth, and boil gently till it becomes rather thick. Put the
pieces of fish in also, add salt and pepper, to taste, cover the whole
with fish-broth, boil gently till the fish is cooked, and serve warm.
Some _caviare_ may be added just before serving.
_Another, or Tstchy._--Put four pounds of beef in a soup-kettle (the
poorer classes always use mutton), with a chicken or a duck, half a
pound of smoked pork, same of smoked sausages, four carrots, four
cloves, twelve pepper-corns, salt, two leeks, two onions, four stalks of
parsley, and one of celery; cover the whole with fish-broth, and set on
a good fire. Skim off the scum carefully, and boil gently till the whole
is done. As soon as either the chicken or duck, etc., is done, take it
from the kettle. When the whole is cooked, drain.
Put the liquor back in the kettle with a middling-sized head of cabbage
cut in four, or about the same quantity of sour-krout, slices of carrots
and onions, pearl-barley, _semoule_, or gruel; simmer about three hours,
and it is done.
It is served in two ways: first, all the meat and vegetables are cut in
small pieces and served with the broth as soup; second, the broth is
served with the vegetables cut up, and the meat is served after and
separately, as a _releve_.
Nothing is thrown away but the pepper-corns and cloves.
_Spanish, or Olla Podrida._--Put four ounces of lean and fat salt pork
into a saucepan and set it on a good fire; when partly fried, add half a
pound of beef, same of mutton, same of veal (occasionally a chicken or
partridge is added also), and four ounces of ham. Just cover the whole
with cold water, and skim carefully as soon as the scum comes on the
surface. When skimmed, add a gill of dry peas, previously soaked in
water for an hour, half a small head of cabbage, pimento to taste, one
carrot, one turnip, two leeks, three or four stalks of celery, same of
parsley, two of thyme, two cloves, two onions, two cloves of garlic, ten
pepper-corns, and some mace; fill up with water so that the whole is
just covered, and simmer for about five hours.
In case the water should simmer away too much, add a little more.
When done, dish the pork, beef, mutton, veal, ham, and chicken. Put the
peas, cabbage, carrots, turnips, leeks, celery, and onions on another
dish.
Strain the liquor, pour it on _croutons_ in the soup-dish, and serve the
three dishes at the same time.
The Spanish peasantry and the lower classes in cities, serve the whole
in the same dish, and generally omit the beef and veal. The better class
serve the soup first, and then the meat and vegetables afterward.
_Another._--Chop very fine two onions, one cucumber peeled and seeded, a
little pimento, two cloves of garlic, four sprigs of parsley, same of
chervil, and mix the whole in a bowl with the juice of four tomatoes,
and to which add two or three tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs. Then
season with oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, and water to taste, and
serve.
The Spanish call it a cool and refreshing soup.