ASPARAGUS SOUP.

Take eight pounds of gravy beef, with five pints of water, a few sweet herbs, and an onion shred, with a little pepper and salt; when the strength of the meat is sufficiently extracted, strain off the soup, and add to it a bundle of asparagus, cut small, with a little chopped parsley and mint; the asparagus should be thoroughly done. A few minutes before serving, throw in some fried bread cut up the size of dice; pound a little spinach to a pulp, and squeeze it through a cloth, stir about a tea-cup full of this essence into the soup, let it boil up after to prevent a raw taste.

SOUP MAIGRE.

Chop three lettuces, a large handful of spinach, a little chervil, a head of celery, two or three carrots, and four onions, put them on the fire with half a pound of b.u.t.ter, and let them fry till slightly browned, season with a little salt, sifted white sugar, and white pepper, stew all gently in five pints of boiling water for about two hours and a half, and just before serving the soup, thicken it with the beaten yolks of four eggs, mixed first with a little of the soup, and then stirred into the remainder.

SUMMER PEA SOUP.

Take a peck of peas, separate the old from the young, boil the former till they are quite tender in good stock, then pa.s.s them through a sieve, and return them to the stock, add the young peas, a little chopped lettuce, small pieces of cuc.u.mber fried to a light brown, a little bit of mint, pepper, and salt; two or three lumps of sugar give a fine flavor.

WINTER PEA SOUP.

Soak a quart of white peas in water, boil them till soft, in as much water as will cover them, pa.s.s them through a sieve, and add them to any broth that may be ready, a little piece of _chorissa_ or smoked beef will improve the flavour; this soup should be served with mint and fried bread.

GIBLET SOUP.

Add to a fine strong well-seasoned beef stock, of about three quarts, two sets of giblets, which should be previously stewed separately in one quart of water (the gizzards require scalding for some time before they are put in with the rest); white pepper, salt, and the rind of lemon should season them; when they are tender, add them with their gravy to the stock, and boil for about ten minutes together, then stir in a gla.s.s of white wine, a table spoonful of mushroom ketchup, and the juice of half a lemon; it will require to be thickened with a little flour browned; the giblets are served in the soup.

BARLEY SOUP.

Put in a stew-pan, a knuckle of mutton, or four pounds of the neck, with three quarts of water, boil it gently and keep it well skimmed; a sprig of parsley, a couple of sliced turnips, a carrot, an onion or more, if approved, with a little white pepper and salt, are sufficient seasoning, a breakfast cup full of barley should be scalded and put in the stew-pan with the meat, if when done, the soup is thin and watery, a little prepared barley, mixed smoothly, should be stirred in.

SOUP DE POISSON, OR FISH SOUP.

Make a good stock, by simmering a cod's-head in water, enough to cover the fish; season it with pepper and salt, mace, celery, parsley, and a few sweet herbs, with two or three onions, when sufficiently done, strain it, and add cutlets of fish prepared in the following manner: cut very small, well-trimmed cutlets from any fish, sole or brill are perhaps best suited; stew them in equal quant.i.ties of water and wine, but not more than will cover them, with a large lump of b.u.t.ter, and the juice of a lemon; when they have stewed gently for about fifteen or twenty minutes, add them to the soup, which thicken with cream and flour, serve the soup with the cutlets in a tureen; force-meat b.a.l.l.s of cod's liver are sometimes added.

OX TAIL SOUP.

Have two well cleaned tails and a neat's foot, cut them in small joints and soak them in water, put them in a stew-pan with a large piece of clarified suet or fat, and let them simmer for ten minutes, then put to them between three and four quarts of cold water, four onions, a bunch of sweet herbs, a carrot, a turnip, a head of celery, and season with whole pepper, allspice, two or three cloves, and salt; let it stew till the meat is tender enough to leave the bones, then remove it from them, as the bones are unsightly in the soup; thicken if necessary with browned flour, and just before serving, add a gla.s.s or more of port wine, and a little mushroom ketchup.

CHAPTER II.

Sauces.

A RICH BROWN GRAVY.

Take a little good beef consomme, or stock, a small piece of smoked beef, or _chorissa_, a lemon sliced, some chopped shalots, a couple of onions shred, a bay leaf, two or three cloves, and a little oil; simmer gently, and add a little minced parsley, and a few chopped mushrooms: skim and strain.

SAUCE PIQUANTE.

The above may be rendered a Sauce Piquante by subst.i.tuting a little vinegar, whole capers, allspice, and thyme, instead of the smoked beef and lemon; a few onions and piccalilli chopped finely, is a great addition when required to be very piquante.

A sauce like the above is very good to serve with beef that has been boiled for broth.

A GOOD GRAVY FOR ROAST FOWLS.

Take a little stock, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, add a little mushroom powder, cayenne pepper and salt; thicken with flour.

ANOTHER EXCELLENT RECEIPT.

Chop some mushrooms, young and fresh, salt them, and put them into a saucepan with a little gravy, made of the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of the fowl, or of veal, a blade of mace, a little grated lemon peel, the juice of one lemon; thicken with flour, and when ready to serve, stir in a table-spoonful of white wine.

EGG SAUCE: A FINE WHITE SAUCE FOR BOILED CHICKENS, TURKEYS, OR WHITE FRICa.s.sEES.

Beat up the yolks of four eggs with the juice of a fine lemon, a tea-spoonful of flour, and a little cold water, mix well together, and set it on the fire to thicken, stirring it to prevent curdling. This sauce will be found excellent, if not superior, in many cases where English cooks use melted b.u.t.ter. If capers are subst.i.tuted for the lemon juice, this sauce will be found excellent for boiled lamb or mutton.

CELERY SAUCE.

Cut in small pieces from about four to five heads of celery, which if not very young must be peeled, simmer it till tender in half a pint of veal gravy, if intended for white sauce, then add a spoonful of flour, the yolks of three eggs, white pepper, salt, and the juice of one lemon, these should be previously mixed together with a little water till perfectly smooth and thin, and be stirred in with the sauce; cream, instead of eggs, is used in English kitchens.

TOMATO SAUCE.

Skin a dozen fine tomatos, set them on the fire in a little water or gravy, beat them up with a little vinegar, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt; some persons like the yolk of an egg, well beaten added. Strain or not, as may be preferred.