The victory cookery book

‘CHAPTER II Soups In these days meat soups (unless the potau-feu or the Scotch broth, which is meat and soup in one) cannot be permitted; therefore, when a clear soup is required, it must be a clear vegetable soup (see p. 22). All bones, gristle and skin, however, should be used for stock in which to cook cereals and pulses, and to make a foundation for thick soups, gravies and sauces. A thick soup is a good beginning to a meatless dinner, and, provided there is a good supply of vegetables, a clever cook will seldom _ find herself unable to serve an appetising soup. When bread is mentioned, rice or dumplings might in many cases take its place. Bone Stock If bones, raw or cooked, are available for stock, break them small, place in cold water, allowing about 1 quart water to 1 lb. of bone, and for every quart of stock to be produced add 1 oz. of salt. Bring to the boil and skim, then simmer on a slow fire with the lid on the pan until all gristle and meat adhering to the bones falls off easily. This may take as long as 12 hours in the case of beef bones, 4 hours for veal bones, 2 hours for chicken bones; it is therefore impossible to give one time for stock-making. Vege- — tables should be added only during the last hour of simmering, for if they were allowed to cook for as long as the bones their flavour would be entirely lost, and they would be useless for other purposes. Vegetables — added during the latter part of the cooking © flavour the stock fully, and are then still available for the table either as they are or > in pies, salad, etc. The correct quantities of vegetables to use - per quart of stock produced are 2 02, carrot, — 14 oz. turnip, 2 oz. onion stuck with a clove, 2 oz. leek, 4 oz. celery and 4 oz. of parsnip, also 1.dozen peppercorns and a savoury faggot of half a bay leaf, an equal amount of thyme and about 4 oz. of parsley stalks — tied together. . Trimmings of vegetables should be used for stock, but only such as will not destroy ——— the stock flavour. Carrot trimmings or peelings, outside pieces of celery, are good, and even onion peeling may be used. The green tops of celery should be carefully used, or the flavour would overpower all the other flavours. The peelings of turnip are useless for stock, and the dark green of the leeks would also destroy all other flavours. This also applies in the preparation of vegetable stock. When the stock is finished the fat should always be skimmed off first and carefully placed in a basin with water, left until cold, then removed and cleared for use. The stock is then strained. All gristle and meat must be carefully taken off the bones, and should, when spiced and seasoned, be used for patties, pies and potted meat, so that nothing whatever is wasted. There is a good deal of food value in this gristle, and yet more often the stock, with hardly any nutriment, is used and the remainder is thrown away as waste. This stock is then available for soups and sauces, and can be used in any of the recipes mentioned, instead of water, to the advantage of the dish both as regards flavour and nutriment. Fish Stock