Take at their fullest size, but before they are of bad colour or worm-eaten, three pints of fine large peas, and boil them as for table (see Chapter XVII.) with half a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda in the water, that they may be very green. When they are quite tender, drain them well, and put them into a couple of quarts of boiling, pale, but good beef or veal stock, and stew them in it gently for half an hour ; then work the whole through a fine hair-sieve, put it into a clean pan and bring it to the point ©f boiling ; add salt, should it be needed, and a small teaspoonful of pounded sugar ; clear off the scum entirely, and serve the soup as hot as possible. An elegant variety of it is made by adding a half pint more of stock to the peas, and about three quarters of a pint of asparagus points✪ Excellent Green Peas Soup, boiled apart, and well drained before they are thrown into it, which should be done only the instant before it is sent to table. Green peas, 3 pints : boiled 25 to 30 minutes, or more. Veal or beef stock, 2 quarts (with peas) : \ an hour. Sugar, one small tea- spoonful ; salt, if needed. Obs. — When there is no stock at hand, four or five pounds of shin of beef boiled slowly down with three quarts of water to two, and well seasoned with savoury herbs, young carrots, and onions, will serve instead quite well. A thick slice of lean, undressed ham, or of Jewish beef, would improve it. Should -a common English peas soup be wished for, make it some- what thinner than the one above, and add to it, just before it is dished, from half to three quarters of a pint of young peas boiled tender and well drained. GREEN PEAS SOUP, WITHOUT MEAT. Boil tender in three quarts of water, with the proportions of salt and soda directed for them in Chapter XVII., one quart of large, full grown peas; drain and pound them in a mortar, mix with them gradually five pints of the liquor in which they were cooked, put the whole again over the fire, and stew it gently for a quarter of an hour; then press it through a hair-sieve. In the mean time, simmer in from three to four ounces of butter,* three large, or four small * Some persons prefer the vegetables slowly fried to a fine brown, then drained on a sieve, and well dried before the fire ; but though more savoury so, they do not improve the colour of the soup. 40 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. i. cucumbers pared and sliced, the hearts of three or four lettuces shred small, from one to four onions, according to the taste, cut thin, a few small sprigs of parsley, and, when the flavour is liked, a dozen leaves or more of mint roughly chopped : keep these stirred over a gentle fire for nearly or quite an hour, and strew over them a half- teaspoonful of salt, and a good seasoning of white pepper or cayenne✪ Green Peas Soup, Without Meat. When they are partially done drain them from the butter, put them into the strained stock, and let the whole boil gently until all the butter has been thrown to the surface, and been entirely cleared from it ; then throw in from half to three quarters of a pint of young peas boiled as for eating, and serve the soup immediately.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Take at their fullest size, but before they are of bad colour or worm-eaten, three pints of fine large peas, and boil them as for table (see Chapter XVII.) with half a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda in the water, that they may be very green. When they are quite tender, drain them well, and put them into a couple of quarts of boiling, pale, but good beef or veal stock, and stew them in it gently for half an hour ; then work the whole through a fine hair-sieve, put it into a clean pan and bring it to the point of boiling ; add salt, should it be needed, and a small teaspoonful of pounded sugar ; clear off the scum entirely, and serve the soup as hot as possible. An elegant variety of it is made by adding a half pint more of stock to the peas, and about three quarters of a pint of asparagus points, boiled apart, and well drained before they are thrown into it, which should be done only the instant before it is sent to table. Green peas, 3 pints : boiled 25 to 30 minutes, or more. Veal or beef stock, 2 quarts (with peas) : \ an hour. Sugar, one small teaspoonful ; salt, if needed. Obs. — When there is no stock at hand, four or five pounds of shin of beef boiled slowly down with three quarts of water to two, and well seasoned with savoury herbs, young carrots, and onions, will serve instead quite well. A thick slice of lean, undressed ham, or of Jewish beef, would improve it. Should a common English peas soup be wished for, make it somewhat thinner than the one above, and add to it, just before it is dished, from half to three quarters of a pint of young peas boiled tender and well drained. GREEN PEAS SOUP, WITHOUT MEAT. Boil tender in three quarts of water, with the proportions of salt and soda directed for them in Chapter XVII., one quart of large, full grown peas; drain and pound them in a mortar, mix with them gradually five pints of the liquor in which they were cooked, put the whole again over the fire, and stew it gently for a quarter of an hour; then press it through a hair-sieve. In the mean time, simmer in from three to four ounces of butter,* three large, or four small * Some persons prefer the vegetables slowly fried to a fine brown, then drained on a sieve, and well dried before the fire ; but though more savoury so, they do not improve the colour of the soup. [chap. i. cucumbers pared and sliced, the hearts of three or four lettuces shred small, from one to four onions, according to the taste, cut thin, a few small sprigs of parsley, and, when the flavour is liked, a dozen leaves or more of mint roughly chopped : keep these stirred over a gentle fire for nearly or quite an hour, and strew over them a half teaspoonful of salt, and a good seasoning of white pepper or cayenne. When they are partially done drain them from the butter, put them into the strained stock, and let the whole boil gently until all the butter has been thrown to the surface, and been entirely cleared from it ; then throw in from half to three quarters of a pint of young peas boiled as for eating, and serve the soup immediately.

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