Dainty Dishes

SOUPS.

SOUPS, properly so called, are made from stock which may be made some days beforehand; and this, by the addition of different vegetables, or very often the same merely cut in another shape, or the flavour varied by herbs, becomes Soupe à la Julienne, Printanière, Brunoise, etc. etc. For the making of stock, and its subsequent metamorphosis into these various soups, there are so many directions given in divers excellent French cookery-books that it would be superfluous to introduce them here: the following receipts would be therefore more correctly termed Broths, as they require to be fresh-made, and have each an individual character of their own.

1. POT AU FEU.

Put in a saucepan six lbs. of beef (bones included) cut into two or three pieces; three-quarters of a 1b. of mixed vegetables, such as onions, carrots, turnips, leeks, white cabbage, and celery with its leaves left on, all cut in good-sized pieces; three small spoonfuls of salt, one of pepper, and one of sugar; add eight pints of water; let it boil gently three hours; remove the fat; add crusts of roll or slices of bread, either previously toasted or plain, and serve.

2. SCOTCH MUTTON OR BARLEY BROTH.

Soak a neck of mutton in water for an hour; cut off the scrag, and put it into a stew-pot with two quarts of water: as soon as it boils, skim it well; let it simmer for an hour and a half, then take the best end of the mutton, cut it in cutlets, trim off some of the fat, and add as many to the soup as you think proper; skim the moment the fresh meat boils up, and every quarter of an hour after; then add four or five carrots, the same number of turnips, three onions, and some celery, all cut, but not too small; four large spoonfuls of barley, previously washed in cold water. The broth should stew altogether three hours twenty minutes; before serving, some chopped parsley may be added.

3. SIR ROBERT PRESTON’S MUTTON BROTH.

Two pounds and a half of mutton boiled in two pints of water, with a little barley, very slowly for three or four hours; then strain it off and remove the fat; add three turnips and carrots, and two leeks or onions, cut very fine; put them, with three mutton chops, into the broth, and boil till tender; when nearly done, add some greens, previously blanched and well drained; boil for about ten minutes more, season with salt, and serve. The vegetables should appear quite thick in the broth, and be cut very small.

4. SHEEP’S HEAD BROTH.

Take a large breakfast cupful of barley, a sheep’s head and trotters previously prepared, and, if the broth should be wanted stronger, a neck of mutton; put them into a pot with two quarts of cold water; as soon as it comes to the boil be careful to skim it well. Cut down some carrots and turnips small, a little parsley and two onions; before you add the roots skim it again. Boil slowly till the head is quite tender; take the pot off the fire and stand it near, covered closely, for a quarter of an hour before serving. The head and trotters should be served separately with whole carrots and turnips.

TO PREPARE THE HEAD AND TROTTERS.

They should be well singed, which is best done at the blacksmith’s. Split the head down the middle of the skull; take out the brains, and rub the head all over with them; lay the head and trotters to soak in water all night; scrape and wash well before using.

N.B.—Sheep’s head is excellent eaten cold.

5. HOTCH POTCH.

Take a neck or breast of mutton; cut it into small square pieces, put them into a pot with two quarts of cold water; when it boils skim it well, and add the vegetables and a little salt and pepper; carrots, turnips, celery, young onions, and a quart of shelled peas (they should not be very young); let them boil very slowly till done. Half an hour before serving add a pint of young green peas. Almost any vegetables that are in season may be added to hotch potch with improvement, and it may be made with lamb instead of mutton. It cannot be boiled too slowly; eight hours is not too much.

6. CLEAR OR ENGLISH MUTTON BROTH.

Take a neck of mutton; cut off it as many chops as you wish to serve in the broth; put the remainder into a pan with carrots and turnips, stir it to prevent its getting thick, and skim carefully; let it boil four hours, then strain it through a sieve, and add the cutlets and carrots and turnips cut into dice or any shape you fancy, and boil till they are tender; season with pepper and salt. A little raw parsley chopped very fine may be added just before serving.

7. BEEF BROTH, OR BROTH À LA MODE.

Put into a soup-pot twelve lbs. of the sticking piece of beef from a young ox, with the kernels and sweetbreads; pour on sufficient cold water to cover the meat; set the pot over a quick fire, and carefully attend to the scum rising, so that it may all be removed before it can boil into the broth. After the first scum is removed, immediately throw in some cold water, which will cause more to rise. When this is removed, place the pot by the side of a stove to boil slowly for four hours; then strain the broth through a napkin, which should be kept for the purpose; take care of the kernels and sweetbreads, which you return to the broth, together with four carrots and turnips, a head of celery and two onions; these should be cut in good-sized pieces with a round cutter. Continue boiling the broth till the vegetables are quite tender; season and serve. Be careful to remove any fat that may rise in the second boiling.

8. COCK-A-LEEKIE.

Truss a cock as for boiling, put it into a stew-pan with a piece of lean beef, about 4 lbs.; two dozen of leeks cut in pieces about an inch long, rejecting the coarser green part; a little pepper and salt, and five quarts of water. Cover the stew-pan up closely and allow its contents to stew slowly four hours; then place the cock in a tureen; remove the beef, and pour the soup and leeks over it, and serve.

9. ANOTHER COCK-A-LEEKIE.

Put four lbs. of beef and an old fowl in a gallon of water, and when it boils throw in a good quantity of sliced leeks with plenty of the tender green part left on, a teaspoonful of ground pepper, and half a one of salt. Let all boil for four hours, then put in half a lb. of prunes, and let it boil an hour longer; take out the meat and fowl; cut off some of the best parts of the white meat from the breast of the fowl, and add it to the soup; the prunes should be left in. The leeks are improved by being soaked two hours in cold water before they are used. This is an excellent receipt.

10. FRIAR’S CHICKEN, LIÉ OR THICK.

Take a knuckle of veal, two carrots, two turnips, two or three onions, and a few sweet herbs; boil all these together to a good stock and strain it. Have ready a pair of chickens boiled tender and cut in pieces, a quart of cream and six yolks of eggs beaten together; add these to the broth and heat them up together, and send it to table. Some like a little minced parsley added just before serving

11. FRIAR’S CHICKEN, CLEAR.

Take two or three chickens cut in quarters, as for a fricassee, and a small piece of lean beef; put them in four quarts of boiling water; when nearly done enough, which will be in about two hours, add some finely-minced parsley. Do not leave it on the fire more than ten minutes after this; the minute before serving stir in quickly two eggs previously well beaten together. Attention should be paid to skimming, and it is more delicate if the skins of the chickens are removed.

12. KNUCKLE OF VEAL AND RICE SOUP.

To a knuckle of veal well scalded add three quarts of veal stock, three ounces of rice, a blade of mace, and a sprig of thyme; when it has boiled two hours and a half put into it one onion and two heads of celery cut fine; let it boil half an hour longer; season with salt, take out the large bones, and serve. A fowl and rice may be done in the same way, but will not take so long.

13. POTATO SOUP.

Grate off the skin of as many potatoes as will make the quantity of soup required, and which will partly depend upon their size, they should be of a mealy kind; wash them well in tepid water, add them to your stock previously prepared from roast beef bones; four or five onions, and some salt and pepper. Let it simmer very slowly till the potatoes are quite dissolved.

14. ANOTHER POTATO SOUP.

Cut a breast of mutton into small square pieces; put it on to boil with some good stock; let it stew gently, skimming it meanwhile carefully, for two hours; then add two dozen of potatoes peeled and washed (they should not be large ones), and two dozen button onions, or five large ones sliced. Season with salt and pepper, and stew slowly till the potatoes are nearly dissolved.

15. HARE SOUP

Should be made with a perfectly fresh hare. When skinned, take care to save all the blood. If a larger quantity of soup is required, or it is wished very strong, take two fresh hares, but on no account use any other meat. Cut the hare in pieces, and put into a dish with the quantity of water required for your soup. Let it stand an hour; then add the blood of the hare; strain it through a sieve into the soup-pot, and put all on the fire; stir it constantly till it boils, to prevent its curdling, and skim it a little; then put in a carrot, a piece of celery, two whole onions, and an ounce of black pepper tied up in a bit of muslin; a bunch of herbs, salt, and a little chopped onion. Boil it slow for three hours; take it off an hour before dinner; strain it through a sieve; take out the onions, carrot, pepper, etc., and put in some of the best pieces of the hare which you had previously kept back, cut as for jugged hare; return it to the saucepan, and let it boil. Take a tablespoonful of ground rice, and, shortly before serving, stir it well into the soup; continue stirring till it is removed from the fire.

16. SPORTSMAN’S BROTH.

Take a grouse, a blackcock, a ptarmigan, a woodcock, and any other game you have; cut them in small joints, reserving some of the best pieces; put them into a pot with water and plenty of vegetables whole. Let it stew very slowly four or five hours; then take the best pieces, season them and toss them in a little flour; brown them over a very quick fire, and add them to the strained stock, with two dozen very small onions, two heads of celery sliced, and half a white cabbage shred fine; to stew slowly till tender. Half an hour before serving, add six potatoes cut in slices. This is excellent.

17. MOORFOWL SOUP.

Remove the backs of six moorfowl; cut the best parts of the legs, wings, and breast from four of the birds; if you have any pieces of pheasant or partridge, you can add them. Stew them till quite tender, then add about three pints of veal stock, and set it on to boil very slowly for one hour. Strain it through a tammy, and skim the fat off as clean as possible; remove all but the best pieces of moorfowl; give one boil more, and skim it again; add a small lump of sugar and a glass of white wine.

18. MULLIGATAWNY.

Take a good veal stock, flavoured with carrots, turnips, onions, celery, and a little white pepper; strain it through a fine sieve; be particular in removing the scum when it first boils up. Then take two chickens, or the best part of three rabbits; put them into a stew-pan with a little butter; set it over a slow fire to stew till they become tender; take them out and wash them clean in warm water. In another stew-pan put a little butter and flour; stir it over a slow fire for five minutes, then add your veal stock; let it boil up for a quarter of an hour; now put in your chickens or rabbits, cut as for fricassee; curry powder, the quantity of which you must regulate according to taste; two large spoonfuls of rice, a little cayenne pepper, and a little salt. Let it boil till the rice is tender; skim it clean; and before serving stir in carefully a pint of good cream.

19. SOUP À LA FLAMANDE.

Take two quarts of good veal stock, put in a small handful of sliced spinach and sorrel, and let it boil till this is tender; season it with salt, and while it is boiling, but about two minutes before serving, stir into it a pint of cream previously well mixed with the yolks of six eggs.

20. TURNIP SOUP.

Slice six yellow turnips, two large onions, a carrot, and a piece of celery; stew them till tender in a quarter of a pound of butter, then add a little boiling soup, and let it boil till the vegetables are thoroughly done; rub them through a sieve, return them to the stew-pan, and add as much soup as you require for your tureen; let it boil; beat up the yolks of six eggs in a pint of cream, and just before serving stir it into the soup. Season with white pepper and salt.

21. POTAGE À LA PURÉE DE LENTILLES.

Take six heads of celery, three onions, two turnips, and four carrots; put them into a stew-pan with one pound of lentils, a large slice of ham, and a quarter of a pound of butter; set it upon a stove to stew slowly for one hour, then add two quarts of soup and let it stew for two hours; strain the soup into a dish, and put the vegetables and lentils into a mortar and pound them; then rub through a sieve with a little of the broth by means of a wooden spoon; put it again into the stew-pan with a little salt and the crust of a French roll toasted, and let it simmer for a quarter of an hour longer, and serve. It may be made without the French roll, and fried bread served with it. When celery cannot be procured, the seed, as a substitute, is almost as good, the same with chervil.

22. WHITE CELERY SOUP.

Two quarts of veal stock boiled with six heads of celery till done very tender; strain it and add six more heads of celery cut very fine, and two ounces of butter mixed with three tablespoonfuls of flour. Stew till the celery is quite tender, and just before removing from the fire add half a pint of good cream previously scalded. Season with salt, a small piece of sugar, and a very little cayenne.

23. PURÉE OF GREEN PEAS.

Take three pints of green peas, two turnips, two onions, a small bunch of mint, and one head of celery cut in pieces, and put them into a stew-pan with two ounces of butter and one quart of soup; let them stew till tender enough to rub through a tammy; when this is done add two quarts more soup. Season with salt and a small piece of sugar; let it come to the boil, and add one teacupful of spinach juice to make it a fine green colour.

SPINACH JUICE FOR GREENING.

Pound some spinach in a mortar, squeeze it through a tammy or sieve; put the juice in a stew-pan on the fire till it curdles; then pour the water off through a fine lawn sieve, and rub the green residue through with a little broth.

24. SOUP MAIGRE.

Put three pints of green peas in a gallon of water, a bunch of sweet herbs, a French roll, a blade of mace, a few cloves, and some pepper. Let these boil till it comes to three quarts; strain it, and put in a pint of young peas. Then take some lettuces, some parsley, young leeks, and celery; chop them small and fry them in brown butter, drain them, and add them to your soup. A small piece of bacon may be used to season it.

25. WHITE SOUP MAIGRE.

Take a large handful of chervil, four heads of celery, two onions, three lettuces, a little sorrel, thyme, and tarragon; boil these in a quart of water upon the stove till quite stewed down. About a quarter of an hour before dinner take it off and strain it from the herbs, and let it stand till it is cool; then add to it a pint of good cream, thickened with the yolks of three eggs; stir it well in, and put it on the fire to heat, but do not let it boil. Green peas or asparagus, sorrel or rice, may be added.

26. ANOTHER SOUP MAIGRE.

Six cucumbers, four lettuces, two onions, a good handful of spinach, a sprig of mint, and a pint of shelled peas, a small piece of ham, and a quarter of a pound of butter; put these into two quarts of water and boil for four hours, and then pass it all through a sieve. When done, put in a pint of green peas well boiled, and a few slices of cucumber or any other vegetable you like. The vegetables should be well washed, and the cucumbers and lettuces cut before being put in.

FISH SOUPS.

27. STOCK FOR BROWN OR WHITE FISH SOUP.

Take a pound of skate, four or five flounders, and two pounds of eels; clean them well, and cut them into pieces; cover them with water, and season with mace, pepper, salt, an onion stuck with cloves, a head of celery, two parsley roots sliced, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Simmer all together in a stew-pan closely covered for an hour and a half, then strain it off for use. If for brown soup, first fry the fish brown in butter, and then proceed as above. It will not keep more than two or three days, and is best used quite fresh.

28. SALMON SOUP.

Take a fowl or an equivalent piece of veal, a piece of lean ham, a few anchovies, and half a pound of salmon; put them all together in a stew-pan, with a piece of fresh butter, on the fire; let it stew for half an hour, taking care it does not brown; add three quarts of water, and skim well; add to it a head of celery, two or three onions, a little parsley, two or three cloves, and a little allspice and white pepper; let it boil an hour and a half, and strain it through a lawn sieve; then take a pan with a bit of butter and a spoonful of flour, stir them together till it comes to a light brown, then add the stock and stir till it boils; take care and skim off all the butter; now stir in a piece of salmon, previously boiled, pounded, and rubbed through a tammy with a little cream, and if you have it, some lobster spawn, which gives it a fine colour. Have ready a slice of salmon, boiled quick in water; cut it in small pieces, and add it to the soup before you serve it up.

29. SOUP À LA MELTON MOWBRAY.

Fillet two middling-sized haddocks with the skin on; lay them on a buttered sauté-pan on which you have previously sprinkled six finely-chopped eschalots, a tablespoonful of minced parsley, and a pinch of finely-powdered mace. Take the heads, bones, and trimmings, and set them in a saucepan over the fire for a few minutes, and then add two quarts of good stock; simmer for half an hour. Blanch and beard fifty oysters; add the liquor to the stock, and the oysters to the fillets; thicken the soup with roux, and, when well skimmed and clarified, add it to the fillets previously slightly fried. Let it boil five minutes; add half a pint of Madeira or dry sherry, the juice of half a lemon, and season with cayenne to taste. When haddocks cannot be procured, soles or whitings do as well. It is also excellent made with cod-sounds, well soaked and blanched, instead of fillets of fish, and cod-fish used for the stock.

30. COD’S-HEAD SOUP.

Make half a gallon of strong stock as follows:—Take two pounds of beef, half a knuckle of veal, and a pound and a half of lean ham, two large onions stewed in butter, with a little gravy to keep them from turning brown. Let it boil up, then add a bunch of sweet herbs, marjoram, thyme, and basil, two bay-leaves, a small handful of parsley, and the peel of half a lemon. Let it stew gently till the herbs are tender, then pass it through a tammy. Now take half a bottle of white wine, the eighth of an ounce of cloves, and the same quantity of black pepper, the eighth of a pound of anchovies, and a quarter of a pint of mushroom ketchup; stew all these together slowly for a quarter of an hour, strain it, and add the liquor to the stock. Season with a little cayenne pepper and salt, and thicken with a little roux. Have ready a large cod’s head stewed in a pan with a little stock till all the meat comes from the bones. Add this fish and the gravy it was stewed in to your soup, and let it boil up, with forced-meat balls and little eggs thus prepared:—

Take half a pound of cod, six large oysters, three anchovies, and a quarter of a pound of suet; season highly; add a few bread crumbs and one egg, and make into balls. The little eggs are made by beating three hard-boiled yolks of eggs in a mortar to a paste with the yolk of one raw egg. Roll into small balls, and throw them into boiling water for two minutes.

31. SCOTCH FISH SOUP.

Take four haddocks, skin them, and take out all the bones; cut them into pieces about two inches long; then put the heads, skins, and bones, after being well washed, into four quarts of good beef-stock, with three onions, and let it boil for an hour; then strain the soup into a clean saucepan, into which put two onions, chopped very small, a turnip and a carrot, which latter are to be taken out. Let it boil five minutes, then put in your pieces of fish with a handful of minced parsley, and let it boil eight minutes. Season with pepper and salt. Some add two tablespoonfuls of mushroom ketchup, but the compiler disapproves of it.

32. A MARSEILLES RECEIPT FOR BOUILLABAISE.

Almost any sort of fish may be used in making bouillabaise, and the more kinds the better. Those generally used, because caught in the Mediterranean, are whitings, red mullets, soles, gurnet, turbot, lobsters, and cray-fish. Slice two large onions, place them in a wide but deep stew-pan made of thin metal; add four or five spoonfuls of the best olive oil. Fry the onions of a pale brown colour. Next place the fish, previously washed and cut in small pieces, in the pan, and cover them with warm water, but not more than equals the depth of the contents; add salt in moderation, half a bay leaf, and the flesh of half a lemon without rind or pips, two tomatoes cut in dice and the seeds removed, a small tumbler of light white wine, a few peppercorns, and four cloves of garlic. Set it on a very hot stove, and let it boil for twelve minutes. By this time the liquor should be reduced to a third of its original quantity; add a small pinch of saffron, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and allow it to boil a minute longer; taste and correct the seasoning if required. Have ready your tureen or deep dish with two dozen slices of light French roll or bread, cut half an inch thick, laid in the bottom; pour some of the soup over, and turn the bread, so that it may be thoroughly soaked; then pour in the remainder, keeping back the inferior parts of the fish, and serve very hot.

This is sometimes varied by adding a liason made of the yolks of six or seven eggs, added to some of the soup, which is to be stirred quickly over the fire till it comes to the consistency of custard, and then poured over the slices of bread.

33. BOUILLABAISE À L’ANGLAISE.

As the preceding receipt is often considered too strong