Chapter 60
NECESSITY FOR CAREFUL WORK
38. So that the housewife may put into practice the knowledge she has gained about soup making, there are here given recipes for various kinds of soup. As will be observed, these recipes are cla.s.sified according to the consistency and nature of the soups, all those of one cla.s.s being placed in the same group. As it is important, too, for the housewife to know how to prepare the various accompaniments and garnishes that are generally served with soup, directions for the making of these are also given and they follow the soup recipes.
39. In carrying out these recipes, it will be well to note that exactness in fulfilling the requirements and care in working out the details of the recipes are essential. These points cannot be ignored in the making of soup any more than in other parts of cookery, provided successful results and excellent appearance are desired. It is therefore wise to form habits of exactness. For instance, when vegetables are to be cut for soups, they should be cut into pieces of equal size, or, if they are to be diced, they should be cut so that the dice are alike. All the pieces must be of the same thickness in order to insure uniform cooking; if this precaution is not observed, some of the pieces are likely to overcook and fall to pieces before the others are done.
Strict attention should also be given to the preparation of other ingredients and the accompaniments. The meat used must be cut very carefully rather than in ragged, uneven pieces. Noodles, which are often used in soup, may be of various widths; but all those used at one time should be uniform in width--that is, all wide or all narrow. If different widths are used, an impression of careless cutting will be given. Croutons and bread sticks, to be most satisfactory, should be cut straight and even, and, in order to toast uniformly, all those made at one time should be of the same size.
STOCKS AND CLEAR SOUPS
40. Stock for Clear Soup or Bouillon.--A plain, but well-flavored, beef stock may be made according to the accompanying recipe and used as a basis for any clear soup served as bouillon without the addition of anything else. However, as the addition of rice, barley, chopped macaroni, or any other such food will increase the food value of the soup, any of them may be supplied to produce a more nutritious soup.
When this stock is served clear, it should be used as the first course in a comparatively heavy meal.
STOCK FOR CLEAR SOUP OR BOUILLON
4 lb. beef 4 qt. cold water 1 medium-sized onion 1 stalk celery 2 sprigs parsley
6 whole cloves 12 peppercorns 1 bay leaf Salt Pepper
Cut the meat into small pieces. Pour the cold water over it, place on a slow fire, and let it come to a boil. Skim off all sc.u.m that rises to the top. Cover tightly and keep at the simmering point for 6 to 8 hours.
Then strain and remove the fat. Add the onion and celery cut into pieces, the parsley, cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Strain through a cloth.
41. Household Stock.--If it is desired to make a stock that may be kept on hand constantly and that may be used as a foundation for various kinds of soups, sauces, and gravies, or as a broth for making ca.s.serole dishes, household stock will be found very satisfactory. Such stock made in quant.i.ty and kept in a sufficiently cool place may be used for several days before it spoils. Since most of the materials used in this stock cannot be put to any other particularly good use, and since the labor required in making it is slight, this may be regarded as an extremely economical stock.
HOUSEHOLD STOCK
3 qt. cold water 3 lb. meat (tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of fresh meat, bones, and tough pieces from roasts, steaks, etc.) 1 medium-sized onion 4 cloves 6 peppercorns Herbs Salt Pepper
Pour the cold water over the meat and bones and put them on the fire to cook. When they come to a boil skim well. Then cover and simmer 4 to 6 hours. Add the onion, cloves, peppercorns, and herbs and cook for another hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Strain and set aside to cool. Remove the fat.
42. White Stock.--An especially nice broth having a delicate flavor and generally used for special functions
WHITE STOCK
5 lb. veal 1 fowl, 3 or 4 lb.
8 qt. cold water 2 medium-sized onions 2 Tb. b.u.t.ter 2 stalks celery 1 blade mace Salt Pepper
Cut the veal and fowl into pieces and add the cold water. Place on a slow fire, and let come gradually to the boiling point. Skim carefully and place where it will simmer gently for 6 hours. Slice the onions, brown slightly in the b.u.t.ter, and add to the stock with the celery and mace. Salt and pepper to suit taste. Cook 1 hour longer and then strain and cool. Remove the fat before using.
43. Consomme.--One of the most delicious of the thin, clear broths is consomme. This is usually served plain, but any material that will not cloud it, such as finely diced vegetables, green peas, tiny pieces of fowl or meat, may, if desired, be added to it before it is served. As a rule, only a very small quant.i.ty of such material is used for each serving.
CONSOMMe
4 lb. lower round of beef 4 lb. s.h.i.+n of veal 1/4 c. b.u.t.ter 8 qt. cold water 1 small carrot 1 large onion 2 stalks celery 12 peppercorns 5 cloves 4 sprigs parsley Pinch summer savory Pinch thyme 2 bay leaves Salt Pepper
Cut the beef and veal into small pieces. Put the b.u.t.ter and meat into the stock kettle, and stir over the fire until the meat begins to brown.
Add the cold water, and let come to the boiling point. Skim carefully and let simmer for 6 hours. Cut the vegetables into small pieces and add to the stock with the spices and herbs. Cook for 1 hour, adding salt and pepper to suit taste. Strain and cool. Remove the fat and clear according to directions previously given.
44. Tomato Bouillon.--It is possible to make a clear tomato soup without meat stock, but the recipe here given, which is made with meat stock, has the advantage of possessing a better flavor. The tomato in this bouillon lends an agreeable color and flavor and affords a change from the usual clear soup. Cooked rice, macaroni, spaghetti, or vermicelli may be added to tomato bouillon to provide an additional quant.i.ty of nutrition and vary the plain soup.
TOMATO BOUILLON (Sufficient to Serve Eight)
1 qt, meat stock 1 tsp. salt 1 Tb. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper 1 can tomatoes
Heat the stock, and to it add the salt, sugar, and pepper. Rub the tomatoes through a fine sieve, and add them to the stock. Cook together for a few minutes and serve.
HEAVY THICK SOUPS
45. Julienne Soup.--A very good way in which to utilize any small quant.i.ties of vegetables that may be in supply but are not sufficient to serve alone is to use them in julienne soup. For soup of this kind, vegetables are often cut into fancy shapes, but this is a more or less wasteful practice and should not be followed, as tiny strips or dice cut finely and carefully are quite as agreeable. The vegetables do not add a large amount of nutriment to this soup, but they introduce into the soup mineral salts that the soups would otherwise not have and they also add a variety of flavor.
JULIENNE SOUP (Sufficient to Serve Six)
1 pt. mixed vegetables 1/2 tsp. salt 1 qt. stock 1/4 tsp. pepper
Cut into tiny dice or into strips such vegetables as celery, carrots, and turnips, making them as nearly the same size and shape as possible.
Put them on to cook in enough boiling salted water to cover well. Cook until they are soft enough to be pierced with a fork, but do not lose their shape. Drain off the water and put the vegetables into the stock.
Bring to the boiling point, season with the pepper, and serve.
46. Ox-Tail Soup.--The use of ox tails for soup helps to utilize a part of the beef that would ordinarily be wasted, and, as a rule, ox tails are comparatively cheap. Usually the little bits of meat that cook off the bones are allowed to remain in the soup. Variety may be obtained by the addition of different kinds of vegetables.
OX-TAIL SOUP (Sufficient to Serve Eight)
2 ox tails 1 large onion 1 Tb. beef drippings 4 qt. cold water 1 Tb. mixed herbs 4 peppercorns 1 Tb. salt
Wash and cut up the ox tails, separating them at the joints. Slice the onion and brown it and half of the ox tails in the beef drippings. When they are browned, put them and the remainder of the ox tails into a kettle. Add the water and the herbs and peppercorns tied in a little piece of cheesecloth. Bring to the boiling point, and then simmer for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat separates from the bones. Add the salt an hour before serving the soup. Remove the fat and serve some of the nicest joints with the soup. If vegetables are desired, they should be diced and added 20 minutes before serving, so that they will be cooked soft.
47. Mulligatawny Soup.--If a highly seasoned soup is desired, mulligatawny, although not a particularly cheap soup, will be found very satisfactory. The curry powder that is used adds an unusual flavor that is pleasing to many people, but if it is not desired, it may be omitted.
MULLIGATAWNY SOUP (Sufficient to Serve Eight)
3 lb. chicken 1 lb. veal 4 qt. cold water 2 onions 1 Tb. b.u.t.ter 4 peppercorns 4 cloves 1 stalk celery 1 Tb. curry powder 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 lemon
Cut up the chicken and veal, add the cold water to them, and place over a slow fire. Slice the onions and brown them in the b.u.t.ter. Add them and the peppercorns, cloves, chopped celery, and curry powder stirred to a smooth paste with a little water to the meat. Simmer together slowly until the chicken is tender. Remove the meat from the bones and cut it into small pieces. Put the bones into the kettle and simmer for another hour. Strain the liquid from the veal and bones and remove the fat. Add the salt, pepper, chicken, and the juice of the lemon. Return to the fire and cook for a few minutes. Serve with a tablespoonful or two of cooked rice in each soup dish.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 5]
48. Noodle Soup.--The addition of noodles to soup increases its food value to a considerable extent by providing carbohydrate from the flour and protein from the egg and flour. Noodle soup is a very attractive dish if the noodles are properly made, for then they will not cause the soup to become cloudy when they are put into it. Little difficulty will be experienced if the directions here given for making noodles are followed explicitly.
NOODLE SOUP (Sufficient to Serve Six)
1 egg 1 Tb. milk 1/2 tsp. salt Flour 1 qt. household stock 3 sprigs parsley 1 small onion
To make noodles, beat the egg slightly, add to it the milk, and stir in the salt and enough flour to make a stiff dough. Toss upon a floured board and roll very thin. Allow the dough to dry for hour or more, and then, as shown in Fig. 5, cut it into strips about 4 inches wide. Place several strips together, one on top of the other, and roll them up tight, in the manner indicated. Cut each roll into thin slices with a sharp knife, as shown in Fig. 6. When the slices are separated the noodles should appear as shown in the pile at the right. If it is desired not to follow this plan, the dough may be rolled into a thin sheet and cut into strips with a noodle cutter.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 6]
Such a supply of noodles may be used at once, or they may be dried thoroughly and sealed tightly in a jar for future use. The very dry ones, however, require a little longer cooking than those which are freshly made. With the noodles prepared, heat the stock with the parsley and onion chopped very fine. Add the noodles and cook for 15 or 20 minutes or until the noodles are thoroughly cooked.