The Apsley cookery book

Throw the rice into plenty of slightly salted water, and let it boil slowly for twenty minutes or until tender. It should boil quickly for two or three minutes at first. Drain it, and keep it warm until it is wanted. Slice the onions and throw them into cold water, let them first boil and then drain them. Now fry them in a stewpan in the butter, a very light yellow. Slice the tomatoes and add them to the onions, and let all simmer slowly — so that the mixture will not become dry — for half an hour. The milk — with the peppercorns tied loosely in muslin— must in the meantime be heating on the stove. Let it boil up before adding it to the onion and tomato, when all should simmer together for a quarter of an hour. Remove the peppercorns, squeezing the muslin well to extract all the flavour; pour all into a sieve and rub the tomato and onion through. Mix smoothly and return to the pan. Add the rice, with salt to taste, and let all boil up together. Serve very hot. 27. Salsify Soup. Ingredients. One pound of Salsify. One quart of Milk. Half an ounce of Butter. One tablespoonful of white Roux. One dozen white Peppercorns. Scrape the salsify and throw them into cold water in which a little vinegar has been put ; let them remain until required. Boil them in lightly salted water until tender, which should be in an hour, when they must be rubbed through a sieve. Put the peppercorns in the milk and let it boil, then simmer very slowly for half an hour. Strain out the peppercorns, and add the milk slowly to the salsify, mixing well. Now return to the saucepan, and boil up. Add the white roux and boil again. Serve with croutons of fried bread. 28. Spinach Soup. Ingredients. Four tablespoonfuls of boiled Spinach. Two ounces of Onion, One quart of Milk. One ounce of Butter. One tablespoonful of white Roux. One dozen white Peppercorns. Prepare the spinach as follows : Wash well in three or four waters, always lifting the spinach from the water with the hands to let the sand drop to the bottom of the pail. Boil it in as little water as will keep it from burning and stir frequently ; it will take from ten to fifteen minutes to cook, according to age. Drain it and rub through a sieve. What is left over after the soup is made can be used for one of the other spinach dishes for which recipes are given. Slice the onion, throw it into cold water, bring it quickly to boiling-point, then drain carefully and fry it in the butter a pale yellow. Now put it in the milk, which must have boiled with the peppercorns. Let all simmer together for half an hour, then strain out the onion and peppercorns, and add the milk to the prepared spinach. Mix smoothly and boil up. Thicken with white roux. Serve with fried croutons of bread. 29. Spinach (Puree of). Ingredients . A pint of Spinach Pulp. | Two ounces of Butter. Pepper. Boil the spinach as in preceding recipe, and when it is tender rub it through a sieve. Put the pulp in a saucepan with the butter and pepper. Stir it over the fire until it is quite hot. Serve with croutons. 30. Stock for White Soup. Ingredients . One quart of Milk. I One ounce of Butter. Two ounces of Barley Flour. | Pepper to taste.