The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c

GAME SOUP. — Game soup is now supplied in tins, and, like all other kinds of tinned soup, possesses the great advantage of being ready at a few moments’ notice. The tin can be heated by being kept in boiling water for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, and can then be opened and the contents poured into a tureen, or the tin can be opened cold and its contents poured into a saucepan and warmed up over the fire. The soup can be served just as it is, but as tastes differ I will describe a few different ways in which the soup can be altered both in appearance and flavour. First of all it can be increased in quantity by having a little good stock added to it. It can be made thicker, and also be made richer in colour by the addition of a small quantity of brown roux, say a dessert-spoonful. This must be added to the soup, and dissolved in it, and the soup allowed to boil, as it will not thicken till after it has boiled. Whenever brown roux is added to any kind of soup cooks should bear in mind that it is made from a mixture of butter and flour, or sometimes lard or dripping and flour. Con- sequently, after the soup has turned thick, a certain amount of grease in the shape of cither fat or butter will float to the top. The soup will, therefore, require skimming. This is best done when it is simmering by the side of the fire. By simmering 1 mean when it is in that state in which a few bubbles rise occasionally ; it is no use skimming soup when it is boiling furiously. Should you wish to give the soup a still stronger gamey flavour, I would recommend you to add a small pinch of aromatic flavouring herbs, a description of the way to make which was given under the heading of CLOVES, Ground. A small pinch of these herbs, barely sufficient to cover a threepenny-piece, will be found sufficient to bring out the flavour of game in the soup to a very remarkable extent. Another great improvement to game soup is the addition of a small quantity of port wine. All kinds of game are improved by the flavour of port wine — such as roast hare, hare soup, jugged hare, venison, hashed venison, venison soup, etc. As a rule, when port wine is used red-currant jelly can be used with it. Some cooks add a little redcurrant jelly to game soup. If the soup is made from hare or venison, undoubtedly red-currant jelly is a great improvement, but if the game soup is made from grouse, partridge, or pheasant, I am not sure that the addition of red-currant jelly is desirable. As a rule tinned soups do not contain sufficient pepper. This is as it should be, cayenne pepper not being liked by all. It is easily added, but it is impossible to subtract it. Cooks, therefore, who know the tastes of their masters, should add pepper accordingly. Cayenne pepper is by far the best to be added to all kinds of game soup. When stock is added to the soup, if the stock be somewhat poor add a small teaspoonful of extract of meat, which will greatly improve the soup both in richness and flavour. GENOA MACARONI.— See Macaroni. GHERKINS, PICKLED.— Pickled gherkins are very largely used for cooking purposes — far more frequently than as a pickle by themselves. Pickled gherkins are used in making sauce piquant, which is made by chopping up pickled gherkins and French capers, and placing them in a stewpan with a little vinegar, which