Twenty Quick Soups Part 1

Twenty Quick Soups.

by Sarah Tyson Heston Rorer.

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS

Wash one bundle of asparagus, cut off the tips and throw them into a pint of boiling water, add a teaspoonful of salt, and simmer gently for fifteen minutes. Strain them and save the water; to this water add the remaining part of the bundle, cut into small pieces. Cook fifteen minutes and press through a colander. Put one quart of milk into a double boiler; rub together two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and two tablespoonfuls of flour. Add a little of the hot milk to this and work until perfectly smooth, then stir into the milk and cook five minutes.

Heat the asparagus mixture, turn the milk quickly into it, season, add the asparagus tips, and serve. This cannot be boiled or it will curdle.

CREAM OF CORN

Score each row of grains on six ears of corn; then, with the back of the knife press it out carefully and throw the cobs into a kettle; cover with a quart of water, bring to boiling point and strain. Now, add the sc.r.a.ped corn to the water. Rub together two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and one of flour. Stir it into this corn mixture and bring to boiling point, then add one pint of hot milk; season and serve.

CREAM OF LETTUCE

Wash and pull apart two good-sized heads of lettuce. Throw them into a hot saucepan, shake over the fire until the lettuce leaves simply melt.

Sprinkle over a teaspoonful of salt, then press through a sieve. Put one quart of milk in a double boiler. Rub together two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and two of flour, add it to the milk and stir until it thickens.

Chop sufficient parsley to make two tablespoonfuls and pound it in a mortar. Put this in a bowl; mix it with the lettuce that has been pressed through the sieve. Stir in the milk, then add a half teaspoonful of beef extract, dissolved in a little of the hot milk; season and serve.

CREAM OF BEETS

Take four cold, boiled beets and grate them. Dissolve a teaspoonful of beef extract in one pint of boiling water. Add it to the beets, and when they reach the boiling point add one pint of hot milk; stir in a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, palatable seasoning of salt, and when it reaches the boiling point, add tablespoonful of arrow-root dissolved in two tablespoonfuls of cold water. Bring to boiling point again, and serve.

TOMATO SOUP

Cut six large tomatoes into small pieces. Put them into a saucepan with one pint of water, or stock, add tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, slice of onion, bay leaf and a sprig of parsley. Cook slowly twenty minutes and press through a sieve sufficiently fine to remove the seeds. Return this soup to the fire, add tablespoonful of arrow root moistened in two tablespoonfuls of cold water, another tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper, and serve with squares of toasted bread.

CLEAR TOMATO WITH SAGO

Put one pint of stewed tomatoe into a saucepan, add slice of onions, bay leaf and sprig of parsley. Simmer ten minutes. Cover four tablespoonfuls of pearl sago with a pint of cold water and soak for twenty minutes.

Now, stand this over the back part of the stove until the sago is perfectly clear, and the water almost boiling hot. Add to the tomatoes one pint of boiling water and two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, then press through a sieve. Return to the fire, add a teaspoonful of salt, half teaspoonful of pepper and then the sago. Serve at once. This soup may be varied by adding, instead of the pint of water to the tomatoes, a pint of stock.

BROWN BROTH

Boil and cut into dice one young carrot, one onion and one potato. Put two ounces of b.u.t.ter in the frying-pan, throw in the vegetables and stir carefully until they are a golden brown. Then skim them out and put them in a saucepan. Cover with one quart of boiling water, add a bay leaf and simmer gently twenty minutes. Press through a puree sieve, return these to the kettle, add a teaspoonful of kitchen bouquet and palatable seasoning of salt and pepper. Serve with cheese b.a.l.l.s.

CHEESE b.a.l.l.s

Put a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and a quarter of a cup of water over the fire to boil. Stir in quickly a quarter of a cup of flour and stir for a minute. Take from the fire and add one well-beaten egg and two tablespoonfuls of grated cheese. Drop this mixture into a greased baking pan, and bake in a quick oven fifteen minutes. The paste should not be larger than a good sized bean as you drop it on the pan. A very good way to make them is to put this mixture in a pastry bag and press it through a plain tube, and cut it off into small b.a.l.l.s.

BISQUE OF CLAM

Drain fifty small clams. Bring the liquor to boiling point and skim.

Chop the clams fine, add them to the liquor and cook gently for ten minutes. Then press through a sieve. Put one quart of milk into a double boiler; add to it a bay leaf. Rub together two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and two of flour, and stir carefully into the milk. Cook slowly until it thickens. Now, add a teaspoonful of onion juice or grated onion, and turn in the clam mixture. Stir carefully for a moment, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Remember this must not be boiled after the clam has been added to the milk. If you have white stock in the house the soup is greatly improved by having instead one quart of milk, one pint of milk and a pint of stock.

CLUB CLAM SOUP

Drain fifty small clams, then chop them fine. Mix the liquor and the clams, and add one quart of cold water, about two tablespoonfuls of chopped ham, one large onion sliced thin, quarter of a teaspoonful of mace and a sprig of parsley. Bring this slowly to a boiling point. Rub together two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and two of flour. Stir them into the soup carefully, add just a dash of salt and a quarter teaspoonful of pepper. Bring to boiling point, then take from the fire and turn in one pint of hot milk, to which you have just added the well-beaten yolks of four eggs. Stir quickly and serve with squares of toasted bread.

MOCK OYSTER SOUP

Select about one dozen roots of salsify. Sc.r.a.pe them and throw at once into cold water to prevent discoloration. Cut the salsify crosswise into thin slices. Put them into one quart of cold water and add about two ounces of codfish. This is best in one solid piece. Simmer gently for thirty minutes and remove the codfish. Have ready one pint of milk heated in a double boiler. Add it to the salsify, then stir in carefully one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and two of flour that have been rubbed to a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper. Then, just as you take it from the fire, add another teaspoonful of b.u.t.ter, cut into pieces, and it is ready to serve.

CUc.u.mBER TAPIOCA SOUP

Boil three good-sized cuc.u.mbers, cut them into slices and cover them with one quart of white stock. Simmer gently for twenty minutes. Then press through a sieve. Soak two tablespoonfuls of pearl tapioca in one pint of milk in a cold place for one hour. Stand this in a double boiler and heat slowly until the tapioca is perfectly clear. Heat the cuc.u.mber mixture; add a teaspoonful of salt, teaspoonful of onion juice and quarter teaspoonful of pepper. Turn into the hot milk. Have ready in the tureen the yolks of two eggs, well-beaten. Pour the soup over gradually.

QUICK CLEAR SOUP

Put one pound of finely-chopped meat into one pint of cold water, beat it for about a minute with an egg beater, and let it stand for thirty minutes, while you prepare the flavoring. Stir one tablespoonful of beef extract into a quart of boiling water. Add a tablespoonful of grated onion and one bay leaf. Now bring the meat to boiling point. Strain in a colander. Beat the white and sh.e.l.l of one egg with two tablespoonfuls of cold water. Put the soup you have strained from the meat over the fire, and when boiling add to the egg mixture, bring to boiling point and strain through two thicknesses of cheese cloth. Then add this to the beef extract mixture, season with teaspoonful of salt and quarter teaspoonful of pepper, and it is ready to serve.

This may be served with two tablespoonfuls of boiled rice or boiled macaroni, or with fresh rings of cuc.u.mbers. To prepare these rings cut a large cuc.u.mber into slices crosswise. With a round cutter stamp them out just as much as you can to remove the skin, and then with a smaller cutter stamp out the seeds. Throw these rings into boiling salted water and boil for twenty minutes; strain and put in the soup. Or this soup may be served a la Royal.

A LA ROYAL

Beat two eggs until well mixed; add two tablespoonfuls of stock, half teaspoonful of salt and a quarter teaspoonful of pepper. Now add two tablespoonfuls of milk or cream, and turn into a small b.u.t.tered basin or mold. Stand this mold in a pan of boiling water and cook gently, either in the oven or on the top of the stove, until the custard is "set." When cold cut into blocks or into fancy shapes. Put this in the tureen and pour over the soup.

BISQUE OF SALMON

Wash well a half cup of rice. Put it into a quart of water and boil rapidly for thirty minutes. Then press it through a puree sieve and add to it the salmon from a one pound can, removing first all the bones, skin and oil. Now press this again through a sieve; add a teaspoonful of salt, bay leaf, tablespoonful of grated onion and half teaspoonful of pepper. Stand it over the back part of the stove until it is steaming hot. Heat one quart of milk in a double boiler. Rub together two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and two of flour. Stir this carefully into the milk and stir until perfectly smooth and thick. Then add a level teaspoonful of salt; turn this mixture into the other, remove the bay leaf, bring to scald-point, and serve. If you like this soup a little deeper color, add a few drops of cochineal. Halibut may be used in precisely the same way, of course, keeping the soup perfectly white.

CURRANT SOUP

This soup may be made from any sort of fresh, tart fruit. It should be served for lunch perfectly cold, in either punch or bouillon cups. Put one pint of currants and one pint of water over the fire and bring to scalding point. Add half cup of sugar. Press through a puree sieve, return to the fire and add one tablespoonful of arrow-root, moistened in two tablespoonfuls of water. Bring to boiling point until the soup is clear, then stand away to cool. If you use wine, add two tablespoonfuls of white wine. Cherries, cranberries and strawberries may be used in the same way, adding more or less sugar, according to the kind of fruit, but these soups should not be sweet. Use just enough sugar to make them palatable.

CHOCOLATE SOUP

Put three tablespoonfuls of cocoa into a double boiler, and add gradually one pint of boiling water. Stir for at least five minutes over the fire. Add four tablespoonfuls of sugar, take from the fire and add a teaspoonful of vanilla. Turn this into one pint of cracked ice, and when the soup is cold, turn into the serving cups, and put on the surface a tablespoonful of whipped cream, and serve.