The Modern Housewife or, Menagere Part 11

175), stir over the fire until boiling, then season with a teaspoonful of salt, half a saltspoonful of cayenne pepper, five peppercorns, half a blade of mace, a tablespoonful of Harvey sauce, half ditto of essence of anchovies; let boil quickly at the corner for ten minutes, skim it well, add a gill of cream, if handy, strain through a hair sieve over the oysters, and serve.

201. _The Fisherman's Soup._--Put a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter into a stewpan, and when melted add six ounces of flour, stir well together over a slow fire a few minutes, when cool, add one quart of milk, and two quarts of stock (No. 175), stir over a fire until boiling; having previously filleted two soles, add the bones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs to the soup, with four cloves, one blade of mace, two bay-leaves, one spoonful of essence of anchovies, one ditto of Harvey sauce, half a saltspoonful of cayenne, a little sugar and salt if required; let the whole boil quickly at the corner for ten minutes, keeping it well skimmed; cut each fillet of sole into six pieces, put them into another stewpan, with half a handful of picked parsley, pa.s.s the soup through a hair sieve over, boil again ten minutes, add a gill of cream, if handy, and it is ready to serve.

202. _Autumn Soup._--Cut up four cabbage-lettuces, one cos ditto, a handful of sorrel, and a little tarragon and chervil, when well washed and drained, put them into a stewpan, with two cuc.u.mbers finely sliced, and two ounces of b.u.t.ter, place them over a brisk fire, stirring occasionally, until very little liquid remains, then add two tablespoonfuls of flour, stirring it well in, then pour over three quarts of stock, made as directed (No. 175), adding a quart of young and fresh green peas; half an hour's boiling will suffice for this delicious soup, and the flavor of the vegetables will be fully preserved; season with a teaspoonful of salt, and two of sugar.

203. _Hodge Podge._--Cut two pounds of fresh scrag of mutton into small pieces, which put into a stewpan, with three quarts of cold water and a tablespoonful of salt, set it upon the fire, and when boiling place it at the corner to simmer, keeping it well skimmed; let it simmer an hour, then add a good-sized carrot, two turnips, two large onions cut into small dice, and six cabbage-lettuces, if in season (the whole well washed), and let simmer until quite tender; skim off all the fat, and serve either with the meat in the soup or separately. If in season, a pint of green peas boiled in the soup is a great improvement.

204. _French Cabbage Soup._--This is a soup very much in vogue amongst the middle cla.s.ses of the French people; it is very economical, and may satisfy a numerous family at a trifling expense. Put a gallon of water into a saucepan, with two pounds of streaky pickled pork or bacon, whichever most convenient, to which add a couple of pounds of white cabbage, cut in strips (using every part but the stalk, and previously well washed), two large onions, a carrot, a turnip, and a head of celery; let the whole boil three or four hours, until the pork is tender, skimming off all the fat, season with a little black pepper, brown sugar, and salt, if required (which is not very frequently the case, the pork or bacon generally being sufficiently so), lay slices of bread in your tureen (about one pound), pour the soup over; keep the tureen covered ten minutes, until the bread is soaked, and it is ready to serve. The pork or bacon may be either served separate or cut into small square pieces, and served in the soup. A few mealy potatoes are sometimes introduced, or a quart of large green peas, or a pint of dry split peas. You must observe that vegetables in France are much more used than in this country, as there are but few poor people there who do not possess a little garden, in which they grow their own.

It is also frequently made _maigre_ by omitting the pork or bacon, adding more vegetables of all kinds, and a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, and frequently where they have nothing else but cabbage, they make it only of that; now setting all national feeling aside respecting the poverty of their meals, I have known strong healthy men make a hearty meal of it, preferring it to meat, of which they scarcely ever partake.

205. _Puree of Vegetable Soup._--Peel and cut up very finely three onions, three turnips, one carrot, and four potatoes, which put into a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, the same of lean ham, and a bunch of parsley; pa.s.s them ten minutes over a sharp fire, when add a good spoonful of flour, which mix well in, add two quarts of stock, and a pint of boiling milk, stir it until boiling; season with a little salt and sugar, rub it through a tammy, put it into another stewpan, boil again, skim and serve with croutons of fried bread as for Palestine Soup. It ought to be thickish.

206. _Palestine Soup, or Puree of Artichokes._--Have a quarter of a pound of lean bacon or ham, as also an onion, a turnip, and a little celery, cut the whole into small thin slices, and put them into a stewpan, with two ounces of b.u.t.ter; place them over a sharp fire, keeping them stirred, about twenty minutes, or until forming a whitish glaze at the bottom, then have ready washed, peeled, and cut into thin slices, the artichokes, which put into the stewpan with a pint of broth or water, and stew until quite tender, then mix in two tablespoonfuls of flour quite smoothly, add two quarts of stock made as directed (No.

175), and half a pint of milk; keep it constantly stirred until boiling; season with a teaspoonful of salt, and two of sugar, then rub it through a tammy, place it again in a stewpan; let it boil five minutes, keeping it well skimmed, and serve with very small croutons of bread (fried in b.u.t.ter, and dried upon a cloth) in the tureen; a gill of cream, stirred in at the moment of serving, is a great improvement, although it may be omitted.

207. _Puree of Cauliflower Soup._--Proceed as described for the puree of artichokes, but omitting the artichokes, and subst.i.tuting four middling-sized cauliflowers, previously boiled and chopped fine.

A puree of turnips is likewise made in the same manner as a puree of artichokes, subst.i.tuting turnips for artichokes, and adding half a tablespoonful more of flour. A puree of white Belgian carrot, called "Crecy a la Reine," is made in the same way, and is uncommon and delicate.

208. _Crecy Soup, or Puree of Carrots._--Procure five or six large carrots, as red as possible, which well sc.r.a.pe, then shave them into very thin slices, taking off all the exterior red, but not using the centre, then peel and slice a large onion, a turnip, a quarter of a pound of lean ham, a few sprigs of parsley, and two bay-leaves; put them into a stewpan, with four ounces of b.u.t.ter, fry the whole of a light yellowish color, then add the carrot, with a pint of water, and let them stew until perfectly tender, mix in two ounces of flour quite smoothly, and add five pints of stock (No. 175); season with a little salt and sugar, and stir upon the fire until boiling, a quarter of an hour, when pa.s.s it through a tammy, and finish and serve as in the preceding; no cream, however, must be added. This soup ought to be of a red color.

209. _Green Pea Soup._--Put two quarts of green peas into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, a quarter of a pound of lean ham, cut into small dice, two onions in slices, and a few sprigs of parsley; add a quart of cold water, and with the hands rub all well together; then pour off the water, cover the stewpan close, and stand it over a sharp fire, stirring the contents round occasionally; when very tender, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, which mix well in mas.h.i.+ng the peas with your spoon against the sides of the stewpan, add two quarts of stock, or broth from the Pot-au-feu, a tablespoonful of sugar, and a little pepper and salt, if required; boil all well together five minutes, when rub it through a tammy or hair sieve; then put it into another stewpan, with a pint of boiling milk; boil five minutes, skim well, and pour it into your tureen. It must not be too thick, serve with croutons of bread as for Palestine.

210. _Winter Pea Soup._--Wash a quart of split peas, which put into a stewpan, with half a pound of streaky bacon, two onions in slices, two pounds of veal or beef, cut into small pieces, and a little parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf, add a gallon of water, with a little salt and sugar, place it upon the fire, and when boiling, stand it at the side until the peas are boiled to a puree, and the water has reduced to half, then take out the meat, which put upon a dish, to be eaten with the bacon, keeping it hot, rub the soup through a hair sieve or tammy, put it into another stewpan, and when boiling, serve. The meat may also be served in the tureen if approved of. Maigre pea soup may also be made by omitting the meat, adding half a pound of b.u.t.ter, one quart of milk, and omitting a quart of water.

211. _Lentil Soup._--Cut three onions, a turnip, and the half of a carrot into very thin slices, which put into a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, a few sprigs of parsley, a sprig of thyme, and two bay-leaves, add also two pounds of leg of beef, cut into small dice; set the stewpan upon the fire, stirring with a wooden spoon, until its contents are fried rather brownish, when add one quart of lentils, and three of water, let the whole simmer until the lentils are very tender, when season with nearly an ounce of salt, and half that quant.i.ty of sugar; it is then ready to serve.

To make a puree of lentils:--when the soup is made, strain off the broth, add a good spoonful of flour to the lentils, which mash with a wooden spoon against the side of the stewpan; then again put in the broth, boil all up together, keeping it stirred with a spoon; rub it through a tammy or hair sieve, again boil and skim, and it is ready; serve with a few croutons of bread, as directed for Palestine soup.

212. _Maigre Soup._--Cut two onions into very small dice, and put them into a stewpan, with two ounces of b.u.t.ter; fry them a short time, but not to discolor them; have ready three or four handfuls of well-washed sorrel, which cut into ribands and put into the stewpan with the onions, add one tablespoonful of flour, then mix well a pint of milk and a quart of water; boil altogether twenty minutes, keeping it stirred; season with a teaspoonful of sugar and salt, take it from the fire, and stir in quickly a liaison of two yolks of eggs mixed with a gill of cream or milk (it must not boil afterwards), put the crust of a French roll, cut into strips, in the tureen, pour the soup over, and serve very hot.

213. _Onion Soup Maigre._--Peel and cut six large onions into small dice, put them into a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, place them over the fire until well fried, when well mix in a tablespoonful of flour, and rather better than a quart of water; boil until the onions are quite tender, season with a spoonful of salt and a little sugar; finish with a liaison, and serve as in the last.

214. _Hare Soup._--Put half a pound of b.u.t.ter into a stewpan, and, when melted, add three quarters of a pound of flour, and half a pound of streaky bacon, cut into very small pieces; keep stirring over the fire until becoming lightly browned. You have previously cut up a hare into neat smallish pieces; put them into the stewpan, and keep stirring round over the fire, until they are set; then fill it up with five quarts of water, add two onions, a head of celery, a bunch of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves, a blade of mace, and four cloves; when boiling, season with one ounce of salt and a little pepper, and let it simmer at the corner until the pieces of hare are done, which would be in about an hour if a young hare, but double that time if a very old one; the better plan is to try a piece occasionally. When done, take out the best pieces, and the inferior ones pound in a mortar, removing the bones, put it back in the soup, and pa.s.s all through a tammy, boil for ten minutes, and put it again into a stewpan, and serve. The above quant.i.ty would be sufficient for two tureens. A gla.s.s of wine may be added. Rabbit, pheasant, grouse, partridge, and other game soups, may be made in the same way.

215. _French Pot-au-feu._--Out of this earthen pot comes the favorite soup and bouilli, which has been everlastingly famed as having been the support of many generations of all cla.s.ses of society in France; from the opulent to the poorest individuals, all pay tribute to its excellence and worth. In fact this soup and bouilli is to the French what the roast beef and plum-pudding is on a Sunday to the English. No dinner in France is served without soup, and no good soup is supposed to be made without the pot-au-feu.

The following is the receipt:--Put in the pot-au-feu six pounds of beef, four quarts of water, set near the fire, skim; when nearly boiling add a spoonful and a half of salt, half a pound of liver, two carrots, four turnips, eight young or two old leeks, one head of celery, two onions and one burnt, with a clove in each, and a piece of parsnip, skim again, and let simmer four or five hours, adding a little cold water now and then; take off part of the fat, put slices of bread into the tureen, lay half the vegetables over, and half the broth, and serve the meat separate with the vegetables around.

CRAB SOUP.--We add to the list of M. Soyer's soups, a receipt for a purely American soup, a great favorite at the South, and esteemed a great luxury by those who have eaten of it--ED.

[Open and cleanse twelve young fat crabs (raw), and cut them into two parts; parboil and extract the meat from the claws, and the fat from the top sh.e.l.l. Scald eighteen ripe tomatos; skin them and squeeze the pulp from the seed, and chop it fine; pour boiling water over the seed and juice, and having strained it from the seed, use it to make the soup.

Stew a short time in the soup-pot three large onions, one clove of garlic, in one spoonful of b.u.t.ter, two spoonfuls of lard, and then put in the tomatos, and after stewing a few minutes, add the meat from the crab claws, then the crabs, and last the fat from the back sh.e.l.l of the crab; sift over it grated bread-crumbs or crackers. Season with salt, Cayenne and black pepper, parsley, sweet marjoram, thyme, half teaspoonful lemon juice, and the peel of a lemon; pour in the water with which the seed were scalded, and boil it moderately one hour.

Any firm fish may be subst.i.tuted for the crab.]

FISH.

Of all aliments that have been given to the human race for nourishment, none are more abundant or more easy of procuring than this antediluvian species, and yet of how few do we make use, and how slight is our knowledge of their habits, for it is only within the last few years that the idea was exploded that the herrings made an annual migration from the Arctic seas to deposit their sp.a.w.n on the sh.o.r.es of the British islands. It possesses, according to its kind, a greater or less degree of nourishment, depending, like the animal, in a great measure on those beautiful meadows at the bottom of the ocean, where it feeds; for even those which live upon some of a smaller kind, as the cod on the haddock, that on the whiting, and that again on the mussel, or other crustaceous fish, which move but little from the place where they were originally sp.a.w.ned, derive their nourishment from the herbs and the animalculae which those herbs produce that lay around them; the cod on the southeast of the Bank of Newfoundland is as fine again in flavor as that on the north-west side. Fish, of course, do not afford the same amount of nourishment as meat, as they contain but a slight quant.i.ty of osmazome; but its flesh is refres.h.i.+ng, and often exciting. A curious circ.u.mstance has been observed in respect to the animate parts of the creation which draw their nourishment from fish, as in birds and the human race, that they produce more females when doing so than males.

It ought to be made an article of diet more often than it is, as the particles it contains tend to purify the blood from the grossness it receives in partaking of animal food; and when taken at the commencement of dinner, tends to a.s.sist the digestion of those substances which form the more substantial part of the meal.

In the receipts will be found those which I consider fit for the table; but, as a general rule to be observed, as in the feathered tribe, all those of beautiful _variegated_ colors are more unfit to eat than any other; as if the great Creator of all, in order to please man, had destined some for his nourishment, and others to gratify his senses by their melodious notes and beautiful plumage.

Nothing indicates its freshness so well as fish; the merest novice ought to know it; their gills should be difficult to open, be red, and swell well; fins tight and close; eyes bright, and not sunk: the contrary to this denotes their being stale.

Of the round fish, the SALMON is considered the best and most delicate in flavor, but varies considerably, according to the river in which it is caught; for there is no doubt but that it returns to the river where it was originally sp.a.w.ned, and its time of sp.a.w.ning varies in different rivers. The male is the finest flavored fish, and has more curd than the female. Of late years it has been considered that this fish should be eaten as fresh as possible, for which purpose it is crimped when alive, that it may be flaky, and the curd in it. In former times, it was considered best to keep it two or three days; it is certain that, in keeping it, the curd undergoes a change, which produces a volatile salt, oily and balsamic particles, render it nutritive and invigorating; it is diuretic, pectoral, and restorative, and if eaten too profusely produces vomiting; but when the curd is in it, the flesh is hard and dry, lies heavy on the stomach, and produces indigestion. This fish, when out of season, may be distinguished by having large scarlet, purple, and blue spots on its sides, the male snout long, the female snout hooked. When in season, the color ought to be a silvery pink gray; when cooked, the flesh should be of a dark rose color; when out of season it is pale; small-headed fish are the best.

This fish was known to the Romans, who received it from Aquitaine and the Moselle.

216. _Salmon, plain boiled._--I prefer always dressing this fish in slices from an inch to two inches in thickness, boiling it in plenty of salt water about twenty minutes; the whole fish may be boiled, or the head and shoulders of a large fish, but they require longer boiling.

Salmon eats firmer by not being put into the water until boiling. Dress the fish upon a napkin, and serve with lobster sauce, shrimp ditto, or plain melted b.u.t.ter in a boat, with fresh sprigs of parsley boiled a few minutes in it. A salmon weighing about ten pounds will require an hour's gentle boiling; a head and shoulders weighing six pounds, half an hour; the remains may be dressed a la creme, as directed for the turbot.

217. _Salmon, Sauce Matelote._--Cook three good slices of salmon as directed in the last, or a large salmon peal trussed in the form of the letter S, dress it upon a dish without a napkin, having previously drained off all the water; have ready one quart of matelote sauce, under or over.

To broil salmon, dip each piece in flour, put it on a gridiron, fifteen minutes will give it a nice pale color; it should be served with Dutch or caper sauce.

_Cod._--This fish, like the former, belongs to the northern parts of the world; its flavor and quality, like terrestrial animals, depend greatly on its feeding-place, a few miles making a marked difference; it is exceedingly voracious. Those are best with a small head and thick at the neck.

218. _To boil Cod Fish._--Crimped cod, as I have before remarked, is preferable to the plain; it is likewise better cut in slices than cooked whole; to boil it well, have the water ready boiling, with one pound of salt to every six quarts, put in your fish, draw the fish-kettle to the corner of the fire, where let it simmer slowly from twenty minutes to half an hour, when done, the bone in the centre will draw out easily; if boiled too much, it would eat tough and stringy; should the fish not be crimped, add more salt to the water, it will cause the fish to eat firmer.

219. _Cod Fish sauced over with Oyster Sauce._--Boil three slices of the fish as above, drain and dress them upon a dish without a napkin, blanch three dozen oysters, by putting them into a stewpan, with their juice, upon the fire, move them round occasionally, do not let them boil; as soon as they become a little firm, place a sieve over a basin, pour in the oysters, beard and throw them again into their liquor, put them into a stewpan; when boiling, add two cloves, half a blade of mace, six peppercorns, and two ounces of b.u.t.ter, to which you have added a tablespoonful of flour, breaking it into small pieces, stir well together, when boiling, season with a little salt, cayenne pepper, and essence of anchovies, finish with a gill of cream or milk, and sauce over. The remains of this fish may be taken from the bone and placed upon a dish, with a little of the above sauce (to which you have added the yolks of two eggs) over, sprinkle over with bread-crumbs, and place it twenty minutes in a hot oven, till the bread-crumbs become brown.