Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

Soup for a Soup Kitchen. — This soup has been much approved of, so the recipe may be of use. Take three ox-cheeks, and three sheeps’ heads, and put them to soak in cold water all night. In the morning wash them thoroughly, and put them into the copper with fifteen gallons of water. Add two pounds of pearl barley, six carrots, six leeks or onions, four heads of celery, and a couple of turnips, if they are not old. Cut all the vegetables into inch pieces. Season to taste with pepper and salt. Bring to a gentle boil, and then let the soup simmer for seven hours. About half an hour before serving out put into the soup four quartern loaves that have been cut into pieces about an inch and a half square. (It is a mistake to soak the meat in cold water all night. It should be put on in cold water, slowly brought from cold to cool, cool to warm, warm to hot, and the vegetables added when the soup comes to the boil.) Soup for the Poor. — ( Family Recipe.) — To each pound of neck of beef allow a quarter of a pound of rice, the same quantity of dried split peas, three onions, three carrots, any sort of herbs, seasoning of salt and pepper, and one loaf of bread. Wash the rice and the peas, wash and cut up the vegetables, and cut the loaf up small. Stew for at least five hours in eight quarts of water. Strong Broth. — ( Family Recipe .) — Put three pounds of gravy beef and one calf’s foot into three quarts of water. Just let it boil up so as to skim it clean. When skimmed add one onion, one carrot, and one young turnip, also three spoonfuls of washed rice or pearl barley. Put in also a very little browning of sugar and water, which makes the taste softer and rather darkens the colour. Now let the broth simmer for five hours. Before it is done the calf’s foot becomes quite a pulp, almost like hasty pudding. When the simmering is done, the meat, bones, and vegetables are taken out with a spoon, but the rice or barley is left in. The strength of the broth is judged of when cold ; if right it will be quite a jelly. Heat up enough for a broth basin as wanted, and do not add salt till then. PUREES. Purees are among the best of soups, as they are among the easiest to make. But, as with most things, time and patience are needed if a satisfactory result is to be obtained. Tough game and old poultry can be made into excellent Purees. Shell-fish make a better Puree than other fish. A good broth is essential to a Puree. This, in the case of game and poultry, must be made from the crushed bones, giblets, and scraps of the birds. Por vegetable Purees vegetable stock, or second stock, must be used, and for Purees of fish the broth must be made of the trimmings and bones of fish. All Purees must have a liaison — that is, a thickening or binding together of the materials used. If this is omitted the Puree will look like a wretchedly thin soup with all the pulp soddening at the bottom of the tureen, because the stock aud the pulp have never been incorporated with each other. French cooks use cream, eggs, and milk as a liaison for Purees, PUREES