Un- less the above has been placed on the fire early in the morning, it will be necessary to continue the operation of extracting the flavour and goodness from the meat, herbs, etc., the following day, in which case recollect that the whole must be turned out into a large basin at night, and covered over with a cloth. Inexperienced cooks would do well to bear in mind the following maxim : — If soup he left in the saucepan all night, it will be utterly spoilt. When the above has simmered long enough, and has been reduced by this means to about two quarts. TURTLE SOUP. 163 it must be carefully strained into a basin, and all the fat removed in the usual way. We would then recom- mend as follows, premising that it is not absolutely necessary, though a great improvement, mentioning this as in some parts of the country the ingredient could not be obtained. Get, if possible, a couple of pounds of conger-eel, and boil it in the stock for an hour or more ; this had better be done where conger-eel is readily obtained, and cheap. Where, however, it is not, get for the previous day s lunch, or dinner, a pound or a pound and a half of the ordinary fresh eels ; cut them into small pieces about two inches long, and let them boil gently in the stock till they are quite tender. Take them out with a strainer, throw them into a saucepan of boiling water for a minute, and then place them in a dish with enough boiling water to cover them, throw- ing in a couple of sprigs of fresh parsley. It is an exceedmgly nice dish, often served at fish dinners, and called eel souchet. Brown bread and butter should be handed with it. By this means the soup gets a fish stock added to it, and there is no waste, as the fish is eaten. Of course the ordinary method of cooking the fish is to boil it in water. When this is done it will be found that the water in which the fish is boiled, when it is cold, becomes quite a jelly. Now all this glutinous substance helps the soup. The soup must be again carefully strained, and, if it is necessary, cleared with a couple of whites of eggs, and then run through a jelly-bag a few times in front of the fire The soup must then be placed in an enamelled saucepan! and the turtle-flesh added to it and boiled till it is as tender as thoroughly-cooked calf’s head ; during this process of boiling, the soup will probably reduce itself to the desired quantity— viz. about three pints ; to this must be then added a claret-glassful of madeira. i64 practical HOME COOKERY. which can now be obtained really good at forty shillings a dozen from any respectable wine merchant. If, however, it is not thought necessary to have madeira bought on purpose — and it is a somewhat rare wine in the present day — a similar quantity of good golden sherry will do. The soup is now done, and only requires a few drops of lemon-juice✪ Turtle Soup added to it after it is put in the tureen.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Unless the above has been placed on the fire early in the morning, it will be necessary to continue the operation of extracting the flavour and goodness from the meat, herbs, etc., the following day, in which case recollect that the whole must be turned out into a large basin at night, and covered over with a cloth. Inexperienced cooks would do well to bear in mind the following maxim : — If soup be left in the saucepan all night, it will be utterly spoilt. When the above has simmered long enough, and has been reduced by this means to about two quarts. it must be carefully strained into a basin, and all the fat removed in the usual way. We would then recommend as follows, premising that it is not absolutely necessary, though a great improvement, mentioning this as in some parts of the country the ingredient could not be obtained. Get, if possible, a couple of pounds of conger-eel, and boil it in the stock for an hour or more ; this had better be done where conger-eel is readily obtained, and cheap. Where, however, it is not, get for the previous day s lunch, or dinner, a pound or a pound and a half of the ordinary fresh eels ; cut them into small pieces about two inches long, and let them boil gently in the stock till they are quite tender. Take them out with a strainer, throw them into a saucepan of boiling water for a minute, and then place them in a dish with enough boiling water to cover them, throwing in a couple of sprigs of fresh parsley. It is an exceedingly nice dish, often served at fish dinners, and called eel souchet. Brown bread and butter should be handed with it. By this means the soup gets a fish stock added to it, and there is no waste, as the fish is eaten. Of course the ordinary method of cooking the fish is to boil it in water. When this is done it will be found that the water in which the fish is boiled, when it is cold, becomes quite a jelly. Now all this glutinous substance helps the soup. The soup must be again carefully strained, and, if it is necessary, cleared with a couple of whites of eggs, and then run through a jelly-bag a few times in front of the fire. The soup must then be placed in an enamelled saucepan! and the turtle-flesh added to it and boiled till it is as tender as thoroughly-cooked calf’s head ; during this process of boiling, the soup will probably reduce itself to the desired quantity— viz. about three pints ; to this must be then added a claret-glassful of madeira. i64 practical HOME COOKERY. which can now be obtained really good at forty shillings a dozen from any respectable wine merchant. If, however, it is not thought necessary to have madeira bought on purpose — and it is a somewhat rare wine in the present day — a similar quantity of good golden sherry will do. The soup is now done, and only requires a few drops of lemon-juice added to it after it is put in the tureen.

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Turtle Soup

Practical home cookery