With this basin of stock to work
on, many dainty tit -bits are possible which could not be
made without it. How often has the cookery book been
searched for " something nice " and laid down with a sigh
when half a pint of gravy has been found necessary to
concoct the desired dainty ! But with a basin of stock on
hand, all these things are procurable, and it certainly does
not take more than ten minutes to break up the bones,
skim the pot, and stmin it, and last of aU it costs nothing.
In cases of sudden emergency, when stock is wanted and
is not to be had, the recipe for Quick Beef Tea answei-s very
well, using one quart of water instead of one pint, and
by adding a few vegetables ; this is made in five minutes.
262 THE AET OF LIVING IN AUSTRALIA.
White soup is looked upon as quite a high-class soup, but
it is just as easy to make as any other kind. A piece of
stewed veal or mutton, or a boiled chicken, gives the stock
at once, or the bones of mutton, veal, or pork alone will
form the foundation. J^ever throw away the water in
which carrots, parsnips, celery, or even cauliflowers have
been boiled. Vegetables contain a great deal of potash,
which is a valuable food for the blood. A great deal of
this potash comes out in the water during the process of
cooking ; if this liquor is used as a foundation for soup,
we utilize this. For this reason vegetable soups, and stews
containing plenty of vegetables, are such a good diet for
anyone suffering from or subject to diseases of the blood
and boneg. These simple facts seem to be overlooked ;
but if Australia is to become in the future, as we all hope
it may, a power in the world second to none, the wives
and mothers of her husbands and sons must understand
the necessity of providing them with a diet which shall make
them strong and brave, and root out what now seems to be
the curse of the land — dyspepsia — brought on in a great
measure by badly cooked and therefore indigestible food.
The remedy for this is in the hands of the women of Aus-
tralia, and if they will rise to their position and importance
and do their work with a high and holy motive, they will
not find it the drudgery it is often supposed to be. What
does Owen Meredith say ? —
"Wc may live without poetry, musie, and art,
Wc may live without conscience, and live without heart,
We may live without friends, we may live without books,
But civilised man cannot live without cooks.
He may live without books — what is knowledge but grieving ?
He may live without hope — what is hope but deceiving ?
He may live without love — what is passion but pining ?
But where is the man that can live without dining ? "
( 263 )
CHAPTER XVI.
SOUP.
Soup is a mucli neglected food ; there are many excuses
made for this — one says it is "expensive," another it is
" too much trouble " and " quite unnecessary."
Page 173
Presented as published in 1893. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
With this basin of stock to work on, many dainty tit -bits are possible which could not be made without it. How often has the cookery book been searched for " something nice " and laid down with a sigh when half a pint of gravy has been found necessary to concoct the desired dainty ! But with a basin of stock on hand, all these things are procurable, and it certainly does not take more than ten minutes to break up the bones, skim the pot, and stmin it, and last of aU it costs nothing. In cases of sudden emergency, when stock is wanted and is not to be had, the recipe for Quick Beef Tea answers very well, using one quart of water instead of one pint, and by adding a few vegetables ; this is made in five minutes.
White soup is looked upon as quite a high-class soup, but it is just as easy to make as any other kind. A piece of stewed veal or mutton, or a boiled chicken, gives the stock at once, or the bones of mutton, veal, or pork alone will form the foundation. J^ever throw away the water in which carrots, parsnips, celery, or even cauliflowers have been boiled. Vegetables contain a great deal of potash, which is a valuable food for the blood. A great deal of this potash comes out in the water during the process of cooking ; if this liquor is used as a foundation for soup, we utilize this. For this reason vegetable soups, and stews containing plenty of vegetables, are such a good diet for anyone suffering from or subject to diseases of the blood and boneg. These simple facts seem to be overlooked ; but if Australia is to become in the future, as we all hope it may, a power in the world second to none, the wives and mothers of her husbands and sons must understand the necessity of providing them with a diet which shall make them strong and brave, and root out what now seems to be the curse of the land — dyspepsia — brought on in a great measure by badly cooked and therefore indigestible food. The remedy for this is in the hands of the women of Australia, and if they will rise to their position and importance and do their work with a high and holy motive, they will not find it the drudgery it is often supposed to be. What does Owen Meredith say ? —
"Wc may live without poetry, musie, and art, Wc may live without conscience, and live without heart, We may live without friends, we may live without books, But civilised man cannot live without cooks.
He may live without books — what is knowledge but grieving ? He may live without hope — what is hope but deceiving ? He may live without love — what is passion but pining ? But where is the man that can live without dining ? "
( 263 )
CHAPTER XVI.
SOUP.
Soup is a mucli neglected food ; there are many excuses made for this — one says it is "expensive," another it is " too much trouble " and " quite unnecessary."