Miss Parloa's New Cook Book Part 14

Spring Soup.

Half a pint of green peas, half a pint of cauliflower, one pint of turnip, carrot, celery and string beans (all the four vegetables being included in the pint), half a cupful of tomato, half a pint of asparagus heads, two quarts of soup stock--any kind will do; three table-spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, three table-spoonfuls of flour, and salt and pepper. Cook all the vegetables, except the peas and tomato, in water to cover one hour. Cook b.u.t.ter and dry flour together until smooth, but not brown; stir into the stock, which has been heated to the boiling point. Now add the tomato and simmer gently fifteen minutes; then strain. Add the peas and cooked vegetables to the strained soup, and simmer again for thirty minutes. Serve small slices of toasted bread in a separate dish.

Spring and Summer Soup Without Stock.

Quarter of a pound of salt pork, or three large table-spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter; three large young onions, half a small head of cabbage, three potatoes, half a small carrot, half a small white turnip, three table- spoonfuls of flour, two quarts of water, six large slices of toasted bread, salt, pepper, one small parsnip. Cut the pork into thin slices; place these in the soup pot and let them fry out slowly. Have the vegetables (except the potatoes), cut quite fine, and when the pork is cooked, put the vegetables into the pot with it. Cover tightly, and let cook very gently, on the back of the stove, one hour. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Add the water, which should be boiling.

Let simmer gently for one hour, and then add the potatoes, cut into slices, and the flour, which has been mixed with a little cold water.

Season with salt and pepper, and simmer gently an hour longer. Have the toasted bread in the tureen. Turn the soup on it and serve. A pint of green peas, cooked in the soup the last half, is a great addition.

When the b.u.t.ter is used, let it melt in the soup pot before adding the vegetables.

Giblet Soup.

The giblets from two or three fowl or chickens, any kind of stock, or if there are remains of the roast chickens, use these; one large onion, two slices of carrot, one of turnip, two stalks of celery, two quarts of water, one of stock, two large table-spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, two of flour, salt, pepper. Put the giblets on to boil in the two quarts of water, and boil gently until reduced to one quart (it will take about two hours); then take out the giblets. Cut all the hard, tough parts from the gizzards, and put hearts, livers and gizzards together and chop rather coa.r.s.e. Return them to the liquor in which they were boiled, and add the quart of stock. Have the vegetables cut fine, and fry them in the b.u.t.ter until they are very tender (about fifteen minutes), but be careful they do not burn; then add the dry flour to them and stir until the flour browns. Turn this mixture into the soup, and season with pepper and salt. Cook gently half an hour and serve with toasted bread. If the chicken bones are used, put them on to boil in three quarts of water, and boil the giblets with them.

When you take out the giblets, strain the stock through a sieve and return to the pot; then proceed as before.

Potage a la Reine,

Boil a large fowl in three quarts of water until tender (the water should never more than bubble). Skim off the fat, and add a teacupful of rice, and, also, a slice of carrot, one of turnip, a small piece of celery and an onion, which have been cooked slowly for fifteen minutes in two large table-spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter. Skim this b.u.t.ter carefully from the vegetables, and into the pan in which it is, stir a table- spoonful of flour. Cook until smooth, but not brown. Add this, as well as a small piece of cinnamon and of mace, and four whole cloves. Cook all together slowly for two hours. Chop and pound the breast of the fowl very fine. Rub the soup through a fine sieve; add the pounded breast and again rub the whole through the sieve. Put back on the fire and add one and a half table-spoonfuls of salt, a fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper and a pint of cream, which has come just to a boil. Boil up once and serve. This is a delicious soup.

Tomato Soup.

One quart can of tomato, two heaping table-spoonfuls of flour, one of b.u.t.ter, one teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, a pint of hot water.

Let tomato and water come to a boil Rub flour, b.u.t.ter and a table- spoonful of tomato together. Stir into boiling mixture, add seasoning, boil all together fifteen minutes, rub through a sieve, and serve with toasted bread. This bread should first be cut in thin slices; should be b.u.t.tered, cut into little squares, placed in a pan, b.u.t.tered side up, and browned in a quick oven.

Mock Bisque Soup.

A quart can of tomato, three pints of milk, a large table-spoonful of flour, b.u.t.ter the size of an egg, pepper and salt to taste, a scant teaspoonful of soda. Put the tomato on to stew, and the milk in a double kettle to boil, reserving however, half a cupful to mix with flour. Mix the flour smoothly with this cold milk, stir into the boiling milk, and cook ten minutes. To the tomato add the soda; stir well, and rub through a strainer that is fine enough to keep back the seeds. Add b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper to the milk, and then the tomato.

Serve immediately. If half the rule is made, stir the tomato well in the can before dividing, as the liquid portion is the more acid.

Onion Soup.

One quart of milk, six large onions, yolks of four eggs, three table- spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, a large one of flour, one cupful of cream, salt, pepper. Put the b.u.t.ter in a frying-pan. Cut the onions into thin slices and drop in the b.u.t.ter. Stir until they begin to cook; then cover tight and set back where they will simmer, but not burn, for half an hour. Now put the milk on to boil, and then add the dry flour to the onions, and stir constantly for three minutes over the fire.

Then turn the mixture into the milk and cook fifteen minutes. Rub the soup through a strainer, return to the fire, season with salt and pepper. Beat the yokes of the eggs well; add the cream to them and stir into the soup. Cook three minutes, stirring constantly. If you have no cream, use milk, in which case add a table-spoonful of b.u.t.ter at the same time.

Potato Soup.

A quart of milk, six large potatoes, one stalk of celery, an onion and a table-spoonful of b.u.t.ter. Put milk to boil with onion and celery.

Pare potatoes and boil thirty minutes. Turn off the water, and mash fine and light. Add boiling milk and the b.u.t.ter, and pepper and salt to taste. Rub through a strainer and serve immediately. A cupful of whipped cream, added when in the tureen, is a great improvement. This soup must not be allowed to stand, not even if kept hot. Served as soon as ready, it is excellent.

Asparagus Soup.

Two bundles of asparagus, one quart of white stock or water, one pint of milk, and one of cream, if stock is used, but if water, use all cream; three table-spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, three of flour, one onion, salt and pepper. Cut the tops from one bunch of the asparagus and cook them twenty minutes in salted water to cover. The remainder of the asparagus cook twenty minutes in the quart of stock or water. Cut the onion into thin slices and fry in the b.u.t.ter ten minutes, being careful not to burn; then add the asparagus that has been boiled in the stock. Cook five minutes, stirring constantly; then add flour, and cook five minutes longer. Turn this mixture into the boiling stock and boil gently twenty minutes. Rub through a sieve, add the milk and cream, which has just come to a boil, and also the asparagus heads.

Season with salt and pepper, and serve. Dropped eggs can be served with it if you choose, but they are rattier heavy for such a delicate soup.

Green Pea Soup.

Cover a quart of green peas with hot water, and boil, with an onion, until they will mash easily. (The time will depend on the age of the peas, but will be from twenty to thirty minutes.) Mash, and add a pint of stock or water. Cook together two table-spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and one of flour until smooth, but not brown. Add to the peas, and then add a cupful of cream and one of milk. Season with salt and pepper, and let boil up once. Strain and serve. A cupful of whipped cream added the last moment is an improvement.

Pumpkin Soup.

Two pounds of pumpkin. Take out seeds and pare off the rind. Cut into small pieces, and put into a stew-pan with half a pint of water.

Simmer slowly an hour and a half, then rub through a sieve and put back on the fire with one and a half pints of boiling milk, b.u.t.ter the size of an egg, one tea-spoonful of sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and three slices of stale bread, cut into small squares. Stir occasionally; and when it boils, serve.

Cream of Celery Soup.

A pint of milk, a table-spoonful of flour, one of b.u.t.ter, a head of celery, a large slice of onion and small piece of mace. Boil celery in a pint of water from thirty to forty-five minutes; boil mace, onion and milk together. Mix flour with two table-spoonfuls of cold milk, and add to boiling milk. Cook ten minutes. Mash celery in the water in which it has been cooked, and stir into boiling milk. Add b.u.t.ter, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain and serve immediately.

The flavor is improved by adding a cupful of whipped cream when the soup is in the tureen.

Tapioca Cream Soup.

One quart of white stock, one pint of cream or milk, one onion, two stalks of celery, one-third of a cupful of tapioca, two cupfuls of cold water, one table-spoonful of b.u.t.ter, a small piece of mace, salt, pepper. Wash the tapioca, and soak over night in cold water. Cook it and the stock together, very gently, for one hour. Cut the onion and celery into small pieces, and put on to cook for twenty minutes with the milk and mace. Strain on the tapioca and stock. Season with salt and pepper, add b.u.t.ter, and serve.

Cream of Rice Soup.

Two quarts of chicken stock (the water in which fowl have been boiled will answer), one tea-cupful of rice, a quart of cream or milk, a small onion, a stalk of celery and salt and pepper to taste. Wash rice carefully, and add to chicken stock, onion and celery. Cook slowly two hours (it should hardly bubble). Put through a sieve; add seasoning and the milk or cream, which has been allowed to come just to a boil.

If milk, use also a table-spoonful of b.u.t.ter.

Cream of Barley Soup.

A tea-cupful of barley, well washed; three pints of chicken stock, an onion and a small piece each of mace and cinnamon. Cook slowly together five hours; then rub through a sieve, and add one and a half pints of boiling cream or milk. If milk, add also two table-spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter. Salt and pepper to taste. The yolks of four eggs, beaten with four table-spoonfuls of milk, and cooked a minute in the boiling milk or cream, makes the soup very much richer.

d.u.c.h.ess Soup.

One quart of milk, two large onions, three eggs, two table-spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, two of flour, salt, pepper, two table-spoonfuls of grated cheese. Put milk on to boil. Fry the b.u.t.ter and onions together for eight minutes; then add dry flour, and cook two minutes longer, being careful not to burn. Stir into the milk, and cook ten minutes. Rub through a strainer, and return to the fire. Now add the cheese. Beat the eggs, with a speck of pepper and half a teaspoonful of salt.

Season the soup with salt and pepper. Hold the colander over the soup and pour the eggs through, upon the b.u.t.ter, and set back for three minutes where it will not boll. Then serve. The cheese may be omitted if it is not liked.

Yacht Oyster Soup.

A quart of milk, one of oysters, a head of celery, a small onion, half a cupful of b.u.t.ter, half a cupful of powdered cracker, one teaspoonful of Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce, a speck of cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Chop onion and celery fine. Put on to boil with milk for twenty minutes. Then strain, and add the b.u.t.ter, cracker, oyster liquor, (which has been boiled and skimmed), and finally the seasoning and oysters. Cook three minutes longer, and serve.

Lobster Soup with Milk.