The Pytchley book of refined cookery and bills of fare

Wash and soak in two quarts of cold water two ox tails for one hour, take them out and cut them in lengths of one inch. Put them in a stewpan with two quarts of Consomme (No. 2), two carrots sliced in quarters, two onions, one turnip, a dessert-spoonful of salt, a small stick of celery. Let them stew until tender ; when done take out the tails, strain the soup through a tammy cloth, let it cool, and remove all fat and grease, and if necessary, clarify as in Consomme (No. 1) ; cut up in shapes the carrots and celery. Put the tail and cut vegetables in the soup, boil up and serve, and add salt and sugar to taste. TURTLE SOUP. No. 96. In selecting the dried turtle, be careful to pick the thickest pieces. Boil half a pound for six hours in water and throw the water away, or soak it in cold water for three days, changing the water daily. Then stew the turtle in one quart of Consomme (No. 1) and one quart of Con- somme (No. 3) mixed, until quite soft — it will take several hours — when soft, take out the turtle, cut it in pieces an inch square ; add to the soup a wine-glassful of sherry and serve with lemon and cayenne handed round. The greatest care should be taken to have the turtle quite soft, and as some pieces take longer than others it must be watched. MOCK TURTLE SOUP. No. 97. Procure half a calfs head blanched, remove the brain and bone, and put it in cold water to soak and get thoroughly clean. Put it in a stewpan with three quarts of water, two carrots, one onion, a table-spoonful of salt and let it boil until quite tender. Take out the head and put k 2 132 THE PYTCHLEY COOKERY BOOK. it between two dishes, and press the head until it is quite cold. When cold, cut off the turtle part, which is the glutinous matter over the fat and meat. Cut this into squares of an inch, and if there is not sufficient meat a part of the tongue, and put in a stewpan into which put one quart of Consomme (No. i) and one quart of Consomme (No. 3), one wine-glassful of sherry, one spray of basil, one ditto of marjoram, salt and sugar to taste. Let it simmer for half an hour, bring it just to the boiling point, stirring it until it arrives at that point, and serve with cayenne and lemon. The rough parts of the head stewed in some of the stock in which it was boiled, strained and cleaned from all fat, coloured, and flavoured with tarragon, will make an excellent hash. THICK SOUPS. PUREE OF ARTICHOKE A LA CRAME. No. 98. ‘ To half a stick of celery, one turnip sliced, one onion sliced, add two ounces of butter, and stew in a stewpan, stirring all the time for a quarter of an hour ; add to three pounds of artichokes well washed and pared, and cut in thinnish slices, a pint of new milk, a table-spoonful of white sugar, a dessert-spoonful of Searcy Salt, and one quait of White Stock (No. 3). Let it simmer until the vegetables are soft, strain, beat the vegetables through a wire and then a hair sieve, return to the stock, add half a pint of good cream, let the whole simmer for five minutes, add salt to taste, and serve with fried croutons of bread. PUREE OF ASPARAGUS. No. 99. Wash and clean one hundred of green asparagus, a pint of spinach, a small bundle of parsley and chives, or green onions. Cut the hard part of the stalks of the aspaiagus THICK SOUPS. 133