"I THINK, Cousin Emeline, there is no dish
more usually detestable in America than soup.
Were I to descri1:)e most truthfully what T have
usually found passing under that name, I should
call it greasy water, well seasoned with pepper and
salt, and having in it macaroni, rice, or stringy
bits of vegetables, — a mixture both unwholesome
and unpalatable. In my cook-book I mean to
insist that one of the cardinal virtues of good
cooking is, that food shall be so prepared as not
to taste watery. I have often dined where every
article of food upon the table could have been
properly labelled ' watery,' for the soup was
watery, the roast was watery, the vegetables were
watery, and even the pies and puddings were
watery. But this soup which Alice has served us
to-day, would silence the complaints of the most
inveterate grumbler. It is lovely to look at, being
of a rich color, between amber and ruby, and the
flavor is like a mingling of many good things,
whereby something far better has been produced,
than is concealed in any single ingredient. You
AT DINNER. 105
taste neither water, meat, vegetables, herbs, nor
spices. You cannot be sure this, that, or the
other went to make up the delicious whole. You
relish it. It is appetizing, satisfying, and worthy
of being called soup. The cook who serves a
soup like this is an artist, with fine tastes and
keen perceptions ; and although neither Alice nor
I could give the exact recipe, the general rules for
making soup are easily laid down, and each cook
must put in the delicate finishing touches accord-
ing to taste and fancy.
" In the first place a soup-kettle must be a soup-
kettle, and nothing else. And unless made with
a false bottom it should stand on a rest that raises
it from the stove, so that its contents shall not be
in danger of burning. Let the cover fit closely.
Put into it a beef bone, carefully washed and
broken ; the trimmings of beefsteak, veal cutlets,
lamb chops ; the refuse pieces of cold meat of all
sorts, roasted, boiled or fried ; also game, fresh
fish, the skeletons of roast chicken or turkey,
beefsteak bones, and all scraps that are good for
nothing else, — bearing in mind always that they
must be cleaned and not burned. Never allow
the soup-kettle to boil, but let it simmer unceas-
ingly. When all the desirable qualities are
extracted from the bones and meat by this long-
continued simmering, strain the contents of the
kettle into an earthen bowl. Cover, and set aside.
106 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING.
In cold weather, soup ^ stock,' as this preparation
is called, may be kept for many days, especially
if the surface covering of grease is not removed ;
but in warm weather it should only be kept,
and then in a cool place, from one day until the
next. Before returning the stock to the soup-
kettle, carefully remove all the grease, and add
barley, rice, macaroni, vermicelli, vegetables, or
such ingredients as desired, according to the sort
of soup to be made. The carrot I consider one
of the most important vegetables for soup, as it
has a good taste and a rich color, and is whole-
some. Tomatoes and onions come next in order ;
but the latter should be used only for flavoring,
and sparingly.
Page 43
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
"I THINK, Cousin Emeline, there is no dish more usually detestable in America than soup. Were I to describe most truthfully what T have usually found passing under that name, I should call it greasy water, well seasoned with pepper and salt, and having in it macaroni, rice, or stringy bits of vegetables, — a mixture both unwholesome and unpalatable. In my cook-book I mean to insist that one of the cardinal virtues of good cooking is, that food shall be so prepared as not to taste watery. I have often dined where every article of food upon the table could have been properly labelled ' watery,' for the soup was watery, the roast was watery, the vegetables were watery, and even the pies and puddings were watery. But this soup which Alice has served us to-day, would silence the complaints of the most inveterate grumbler. It is lovely to look at, being of a rich color, between amber and ruby, and the flavor is like a mingling of many good things, whereby something far better has been produced, than is concealed in any single ingredient. You
taste neither water, meat, vegetables, herbs, nor spices. You cannot be sure this, that, or the other went to make up the delicious whole. You relish it. It is appetizing, satisfying, and worthy of being called soup. The cook who serves a soup like this is an artist, with fine tastes and keen perceptions ; and although neither Alice nor I could give the exact recipe, the general rules for making soup are easily laid down, and each cook must put in the delicate finishing touches according to taste and fancy.
" In the first place a soup-kettle must be a soupkettle, and nothing else. And unless made with a false bottom it should stand on a rest that raises it from the stove, so that its contents shall not be in danger of burning. Let the cover fit closely. Put into it a beef bone, carefully washed and broken ; the trimmings of beefsteak, veal cutlets, lamb chops ; the refuse pieces of cold meat of all sorts, roasted, boiled or fried ; also game, fresh fish, the skeletons of roast chicken or turkey, beefsteak bones, and all scraps that are good for nothing else, — bearing in mind always that they must be cleaned and not burned. Never allow the soup-kettle to boil, but let it simmer unceasingly. When all the desirable qualities are extracted from the bones and meat by this longcontinued simmering, strain the contents of the kettle into an earthen bowl. Cover, and set aside.
In cold weather, soup 'stock',' as this preparation is called, may be kept for many days, especially if the surface covering of grease is not removed ; but in warm weather it should only be kept, and then in a cool place, from one day until the next. Before returning the stock to the soupkettle, carefully remove all the grease, and add barley, rice, macaroni, vermicelli, vegetables, or such ingredients as desired, according to the sort of soup to be made. The carrot I consider one of the most important vegetables for soup, as it has a good taste and a rich color, and is wholesome. Tomatoes and onions come next in order ; but the latter should be used only for flavoring, and sparingly.