Original White House Cookbook

water, in a covered pot, and allowed to simmer slowly for several hours, in order that the essence of the meat may be drawn out thoroughly, and should be carefully skimmed to prevent it from becoming turbid, never allowed to boil fast at any time, and if more water is needed, use boiling water from the tea-kettle; cold or lukewarm water spoils the flavor. Never salt it before the meat is tender (as that hardens and toughens the meat), especially if the meat is to be eaten. Take off every particle of scum as it rises, and before the vegetables are put in. • • Allow a little less than a quart of water to a pound of meat and bone, and a teaspoonful of salt. When done, strain through a colander. If for clear soups, strain again through a hair sieve, or fold a clean towel in a colander set over an earthen bowl, or any dish large enough to hold the stock. As stated before, stock is not as good when made entirely from cooked meats, but in a family where it requires a large joint roasted everyday, the bones and bits and under-done pieces of beef, or the bony structure of turkey or chicken that has been left from carving, bones of roasted poultry, these all assist in imparting a rich dark color to soup, and would be sufficient, if stewed as above, to furnish a family, without buying fresh meat for the purpose ; still, with the addition of a little fresh meat it would be more nutritious. In cold weather you can gather them up for several days and put them to cook in cold water, and when done, strain, and put aside until needed. Soup will be as good the second day as the first if heated to the boiling point. It should never be left in the pot, but should be turned into a dish or shallow pan, and set aside to get cold. Never cover it up, as that will cause it to turn sour very quickly. Before heating a second time, remove all the fat from the top. If this be melted in, the flavor of the soup will certainly be spoiled. Thickened soups require nearly double the seasoning used for thin soups or broth. Coloring is used in some brown soups, the chief of which is brown burnt sugar, which is known as caramel by French cooks. Pounded spinach leaves give a fine green color to soup. Parsley, or the green leaves of celery, put in soup, will serve instead of spinach. Pound a large handful of spinach in a mortar, then tie it in a cloth, and wring out all the juice ; put this in the soup you wish to color green five minutes before taking it up. Mock turtle, and sometimes veal and lamb soups, should be this color. Okra gives a green color to soup. To color soup red, skin six red tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds, and put them into the soup with the other vegetables — or take the juice only, as directed for spinach. For white soups, which are of veal, lamb or chicken, none but white vegetables are used ; rice, pearl barley, vermicelli, or macaroni, for thickening. Grated carrot gives a fine amber color to soup ; it must be put in as soon as the soup is free from scum. Hotel and private-house stock is quite different. Hotels use meat in such large quantities that there is always more or less trimmings and bones of meat to add to fresh meats ; that makes very strong stock, which they use in most all soups and gravies and other made dishes.