Chapter 59
Woman's Inst.i.tute Library of Cookery.
Vol. 3.
by Woman's Inst.i.tute of Domestic Arts and Sciences.
PREFACE
This volume, which is the third of the Woman's Inst.i.tute Library of Cookery, includes soups and the high-protein foods, meat, poultry, game, and fish. It therefore contains information that is of interest to every housewife, for these foods occupy an important place in the majority of meals.
In her study of _Soup,_ she will come to a thorough appreciation of the place that soup occupies in the meal, its chief purposes, and its economic value. All the different kinds of soups are cla.s.sified and discussed, recipes for making them, as well as the stocks used in their preparation, receiving the necessary attention. The correct serving of soup is not overlooked; nor are the accompaniments and garnishes so often required to make the soup course of the meal an attractive one.
In _Meat,_ Parts 1 and 2, are described the various cuts of the different kinds of meat--beef, veal, lamb, mutton, and pork--and the part of the animal from which they are obtained, the way in which to judge a good piece of meat by its appearance, and what to do with it from the time it is purchased until all of it is used. All the methods applicable to the cooking of meats are emphasized in this section.
Supplementing the text are numerous ill.u.s.trations showing the ways in which meat cuts are obtained. Besides, many of them are so reproduced that actual cuts of meat may be readily recognized. Equipped with this knowledge, the housewife need give no concern to the selection, care, and cooking of every variety of meat.
In _Poultry and Game,_ the selection and preparation of all kinds of poultry receive attention. While such food is somewhat of a luxury in a great many homes, it helps to relieve the monotony of the usual protein foods, and it often supplies just what is desired for special occasions.
Familiarity with poultry and game is a decided a.s.set to any housewife, and success with their cooking and serving is a.s.sured through a study of this text, for every step in their preparation is clearly explained and ill.u.s.trated.
In _Fish and Sh.e.l.l Fish,_ the other high-protein food is treated in full as to its composition, food value, purchase, care, and preparation. Such interesting processes as the boning, skinning, and filleting of fish are not only carefully explained but clearly ill.u.s.trated. In addition to recipes for fresh, salt, smoked, and canned fish are given directions for the preparation of all edible sh.e.l.l fish and recipes for the various stuffings and sauces served with fish.
Too much cannot be said about the importance of the subjects covered in this volume and the necessity for a thorough understanding of them on the part of every housewife. Indeed, a mastery of them will mean for her an acquaintance with the main part of the meal, and when she knows how to prepare these foods, the other dishes will prove a simple matter.
SOUP
SOUP AND ITS PLACE IN THE MEAL
VALUE OF SOUP
1. SOUP is a liquid food that is prepared by boiling meat or vegetables, or both, in water and then seasoning and sometimes thickening the liquid that is produced. It is usually served as the first course of a dinner, but it is often included in a light meal, such as luncheon. While some persons regard the making of soup as difficult, nothing is easier when one knows just what is required and how to proceed. The purpose of this Section, therefore, is to acquaint the housewife with the details of soup making, so that she may provide her family with appetizing and nutritious soups that make for both economy and healthfulness.
2. It is interesting to note the advancement that has been made with this food. The origin of soup, like that of many foods, dates back to practically the beginning of history. However, the first soup known was probably not made with meat. For instance, the mess of pottage for which Esau sold his birthright was soup made of red lentils. Later on meat came to be used as the basis for soup because of the agreeable and appetizing flavor it provides. Then, at one time in France a scarcity of b.u.t.ter and other fats that had been used to produce moistness and richness in foods, brought about such clear soups as bouillon and consomme. These, as well as other liquid foods, found much favor, for about the time they were devised it came to be considered vulgar to chew food. Thus, at various periods, and because of different emergencies, particular kinds of soup have been introduced, until now there are many kinds from which the housewife may choose when she desires a dish that will start a meal in the right way and at the same time appeal to the appet.i.te.
3. VALUE OF SOUP IN THE MEAL.--Not all persons have the same idea regarding the value of soup as a part of a meal. Some consider it to be of no more value than so much water, claiming that it should be fed to none but children or sick persons who are unable to take solid food. On the other hand, many persons believe that soup contains the very essence of all that is nouris.h.i.+ng and sustaining in the foods of which it is made. This difference of opinion is well demonstrated by the ideas that have been advanced concerning this food. Some one has said that soup is to a meal what a portico is to a palace or an overture to an opera, while another person, who evidently does not appreciate this food, has said that soup is the preface to a dinner and that any work really worth while is sufficient in itself and needs no preface. Such opinions, however, must be reconciled if the true value of this food is to be appreciated.
4. Probably the best way in which to come to a definite conclusion as to the importance of soup is to consider the purposes it serves in a meal.
When its variety and the ingredients of which it is composed are thought of,
But in its second purpose, the real value of soup is evident. Whenever soup contains enough nutritive material for it to take the place of some dish that would otherwise be necessary, its value cannot be overestimated.
If soup is thought of in this way, the prejudice that exists against it in many households will be entirely overcome. But since much of this prejudice is due to the fact that the soup served is often unappetizing in both flavor and appearance, sufficient attention should be given to the making of soup to have this food attractive enough to appeal to the appet.i.te rather than discourage it. Soup should not be greasy nor insipid in flavor, neither should it be served in large quant.i.ties nor without the proper accompaniment. A small quant.i.ty of well-flavored, attractively served soup cannot fail to meet the approval of any family when it is served as the first course of the meal.
5. GENERAL CLa.s.sES OF SOUP.--Soups are named in various ways, according to material, quality, etc.; but the two purposes for which soup is used have led to the placing of the numerous kinds into two general cla.s.ses.
In the first cla.s.s are grouped those which serve as appetizers, such as bouillon, consomme, and some other broths and clear soups. In the second cla.s.s are included those eaten for their nutritive effect, such as cream soups, purees, and bisques. From these two cla.s.ses of soup, the one that will correspond with the rest of the meal and make it balance properly is the one to choose. For instance, a light soup that is merely an appetizer should be served with a heavy dinner, whereas a heavy, highly nutritious soup should be used with a luncheon or a light meal.
6. ECONOMIC VALUE OF SOUP.--Besides having an important place in the meal of which it forms a part, soup is very often an economy, for it affords the housewife a splendid opportunity to utilize many left-overs.
With the French people, who excel in the art of soup making chiefly because of their clever adaptation of seasoning to foods, their _pot-au-feu_ is a national inst.i.tution and every kitchen has its stock pot. Persons who believe in the strictest food economy use a stock pot, since it permits left-overs to be utilized in an attractive and palatable way. In fact, there is scarcely anything in the way of fish, meat, fowl, vegetables, and cereals that cannot be used in soup making, provided such ingredients are cared for in the proper way. Very often the first glance at the large number of ingredients listed in a soup recipe creates the impression that soup must be a very complicated thing. Such, however, is not the case. In reality, most of the soup ingredients are small quant.i.ties of things used for flavoring, and it is by the proper blending of these that appetizing soups are secured.
CLa.s.sIFICATION OF SOUPS
7. The two general cla.s.ses of soup already mentioned permit of numerous methods of cla.s.sification. For instance, soups are sometimes named from the princ.i.p.al ingredient or an imitation of it, as the names potato soup, beef soup, macaroni soup, mock-turtle soup testify. Again, both stimulating and nutritious soups may be divided into thin and thick soups, thin soups usually being clear, and thick soups, because of their nature, cloudy. When the quality of soups is considered, they are placed in still different cla.s.ses and are called broth, bisque, consomme, puree, and so on. Another important cla.s.sification of soups results from the nationality of the people who use them. While soups are cla.s.sified in other ways, it will be sufficient for all practical purposes if the housewife understands these three princ.i.p.al cla.s.ses.
8. CLa.s.sES DENOTING CONSISTENCY.--As has already been pointed out, soups are of only two kinds when their consistency is thought of, namely, _clear soups_ and _thick soups._
CLEAR SOUPS are those made from carefully cleared stock, or soup foundation, and flavored or garnished with a material from which the soup usually takes its name. There are not many soups of this kind, _bouillon_ and _consomme_ being the two leading varieties, but in order to be palatable, they require considerable care in making.
THICK SOUPS are also made from stock, but milk, cream, water, or any mixture of these may also be used as a basis, and to it may be added for thickening meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, or grain or some other starchy material. Soups of this kind are often made too thick, and as such soups are not appetizing, care must be taken to have them just right in consistency.
9. CLa.s.sES DENOTING QUALITY.--When attention is given to the quality of soup, this food divides itself into several varieties, namely, _broth, cream soup, bisque, chowder,_ and _puree._
BROTHS have for their foundation a clear stock. They are sometimes a thin soup, but other times they are made quite thick with vegetables, rice, barley, or other material, when they are served as a substantial part of a meal.
CREAM SOUPS are highly nutritious and are of great variety. They have for their foundation a thin cream sauce, but to this are always added vegetables, meat, fish, or grains.
BISQUES are thick, rich soups made from game, fish, or sh.e.l.l fish, particularly crabs, shrimp, etc. Occasionally, vegetables are used in soup of this kind.
CHOWDERS are soups that have sea food for their basis. Vegetables and crackers are generally added for thickening and to impart flavor.
PUReES are soups made thick partly or entirely by the addition of some material obtained by boiling an article of food and then straining it to form a pulp. When vegetables containing starch, such as beans, peas, lentils, and potatoes, are used for this purpose, it is unnecessary to thicken the soup with any additional starch; but when meat, fish, or watery vegetables are used, other thickening is required. To be right, a puree should be nearly as smooth as thick cream and of the same consistency.
10. CLa.s.sES TYPICAL OF PARTICULAR COUNTRIES.--Certain kinds of soup have been made so universally by the people of various countries that they have come to be regarded as national dishes and are always thought of as typical of the particular people by whom they are used. Among the best known of these soups are _Borsch,_ a soup much used by the Russian people and made from beets, leeks, and sour cream; _Daikan,_ a j.a.panese soup in which radishes are the princ.i.p.al ingredient; _Kouskous,_ a soup favored by the people of Abyssinia and made from vegetables; _Krishara_, a rice soup that finds much favor in India; _Lebaba,_ an Egyptian soup whose chief ingredients are honey, b.u.t.ter, and raisin water; _Minestra,_ an Italian soup in which vegetables are combined; _Mulligatawny,_ an Indian rice soup that is flavored with curry; _Potroka,_ another kind of Russian soup, having giblets for its foundation; _Soljinka,_ an entirely different variety of Russian soup, being made from fish and onions; and _Tarhonya,_ a Hungarian soup containing noodles.
STOCK FOR SOUP
USES AND VARIETIES OF STOCK
11. MEANING AND USE OF STOCK.--In order that soup-making processes may be readily grasped by the housewife, she should be thoroughly familiar with what is meant by _stock,_ which forms the foundation of many soups.
In looking into the derivation of this term, it will be found that the word stock comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning to stick, and that while it has many different uses, the idea of fixedness is expressed in every one of them. As is generally known, a stock of anything means a reserve supply of that thing stored away for future use. When applied to soup, stock is similar in meaning, for it refers to material stored or prepared in such a way that it may be kept for use in the making of certain kinds of soup. In a more definite sense, soup stock may be regarded as a liquid containing the juices and soluble parts of meat, bone, and vegetables, which have been extracted by long, slow cooking and which can be utilized in the making of soups, sauces, and gravies.
12. Soups in which stock is utilized include all the varieties made from beef, veal, mutton, and poultry. If clear stock is desired for the making of soup, only fresh meat and bones should be used and all material that will discolor the liquid in any way carefully avoided. For ordinary, unclarified soups, the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs and bones of roast, steak, or chops and the carca.s.s of fowl can generally be utilized. However, very strongly flavored meat, such as mutton, or the fat from mutton should be used sparingly, if at all, on account of the strong flavor that it imparts.
13. VARIETIES OF STOCK.--Several kinds of stock are utilized in the making of soup, and the kind to employ depends on the soup desired. In determining the kind of stock required for the foundation of a soup, the housewife may be guided by the following cla.s.sification:
FIRST STOCK is made from meat and bones and then clarified and used for well-flavored, clear soups.
SECOND STOCK is made from the meat and the bones that remain after the first stock is strained off. More water is added to the remaining material, and this is then cooked with vegetables, which supply the needed flavor. Such stock serves very well for adding flavor to a nutritious soup made from vegetables or cereal foods.
HOUSEHOLD STOCK is made by cooking meat and bones, either fresh or cooked, with vegetables or other material that will impart flavor and add nutritive value. Stock of this kind is used for ordinary soups.
BONE STOCK is made from meat bones to which vegetables are added for flavor, and it is used for making any of the ordinary soups.
VEGETABLE STOCK is made from either dried or fresh vegetables or both.
Such stock is employed in making vegetable soups.
GAME STOCK is made from the bones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of game to which vegetables are added for flavor. This kind of stock is used for making game soups.
FISH STOCK is made from fish or fish tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs to which vegetables are added for flavor. Sh.e.l.l fish make especially good stock of this kind.