Pick over one pint of turtle beans (which are small, black,
dried beans), wash them in cold water, and then put them
into cold water to soak over night. At least four hours
before dinner put the beans over the fire in four quarts of
cold water, heat the water gradually to the boiling-point,
and boil the beans gently for about three hours, or until
they are tender enough to be rubbed through a sieve with
a potato-masher; when they are first set to boil, add to
them the following seasonings : one level teaspoonful of
dried marjoram leaves, two heaping teaspoonfuls of salt, one
saltspoonful of pepper, and one onion peeled and stuck
with a dozen cloves. While the beans are being boiled,
boil three eggs hard, remove the shells, cut the eggs in
small slices or dice, and put them into the soup-tureen;
just before serving the soup, slice a lemon, and place it in
SOUPS 187
the tureen; when the beans are quite tender, rub them
through a sieve with a potato-masher, and return them to the
soup-kettle ; rub a tablespoonful each of butter and flour to
a smooth paste, stir them with ^e beans, add enough boihng
water to make the soup about the consistency of thick cream,
see that it is palatably seasoned, let it boil for two minutes,
and then serve it hot in the tureen, with the hard-boiled
egg and sliced lemon. A wineglassful of sherry or Madeira
added to two or three quarts of the soup will greatly improve
its flavor : the wine should not be boiled, only added to the
soup just before serving it.
OYSTER CREAM SOUP.
Carefully free a solid quart of oysters from all particles
of shell, and strain their liquor ; put the oysters over the fire
in their liquor, with enough water to make a quart of liquid,
and let them reach the boiling-point ; then rub the oysters
through a fine sieve with a potato-masher, moistening them
with the liquor, and keep them warm ; next put over the fire
in a saucepan two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour,
and stir them until they bubble ; then add a quart of boiling
milk, gradually, stirring it quite smooth, and the oyster pulp
and liquor ; when these ingredients are smoothly blended,
if they are thicker than thick cream, add a little more boil-
ing milk, season the soup palatably with salt and pepper,
let it boil once, and then serve it with very small crackers
or with small fried crusts prepared as directed in the follow-
ing recipe.
FRIED CRUSTS FOR SOUP.
Cut thin slices of bread in small even dice, rejecting the
crust; put over the fire the frying-kettie half full of fat,
9nd when it begins to smoke throw in the crusts, and fry
them golden-brown ; take them out of the fat with a skim-
1 88 PRACTICAL AMERICAN- COOKERY.
mer, lay them on brown paper for a moment to free them
from grease, and then use them for serving with soup.
OYSTER SOUP WITH EGGS. ✪ Bean Soup
Page 108 · 4 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1885. 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
Pick over one pint of turtle beans (which are small, black, dried beans), wash them in cold water, and then put them into cold water to soak over night. At least four hours before dinner put the beans over the fire in four quarts of cold water, heat the water gradually to the boiling-point, and boil the beans gently for about three hours, or until they are tender enough to be rubbed through a sieve with a potato-masher; when they are first set to boil, add to them the following seasonings : one level teaspoonful of dried marjoram leaves, two heaping teaspoonfuls of salt, one saltspoonful of pepper, and one onion peeled and stuck with a dozen cloves. While the beans are being boiled, boil three eggs hard, remove the shells, cut the eggs in small slices or dice, and put them into the soup-tureen; just before serving the soup, slice a lemon, and place it in
the tureen; when the beans are quite tender, rub them through a sieve with a potato-masher, and return them to the soup-kettle ; rub a tablespoonful each of butter and flour to a smooth paste, stir them with the beans, add enough boihng water to make the soup about the consistency of thick cream, see that it is palatably seasoned, let it boil for two minutes, and then serve it hot in the tureen, with the hard-boiled egg and sliced lemon. A wineglassful of sherry or Madeira added to two or three quarts of the soup will greatly improve its flavor : the wine should not be boiled, only added to the soup just before serving it.
OYSTER CREAM SOUP.
Carefully free a solid quart of oysters from all particles of shell, and strain their liquor ; put the oysters over the fire in their liquor, with enough water to make a quart of liquid, and let them reach the boiling-point ; then rub the oysters through a fine sieve with a potato-masher, moistening them with the liquor, and keep them warm ; next put over the fire in a saucepan two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, and stir them until they bubble ; then add a quart of boiling milk, gradually, stirring it quite smooth, and the oyster pulp and liquor ; when these ingredients are smoothly blended, if they are thicker than thick cream, add a little more boiling milk, season the soup palatably with salt and pepper, let it boil once, and then serve it with very small crackers or with small fried crusts prepared as directed in the following recipe.
FRIED CRUSTS FOR SOUP.
Cut thin slices of bread in small even dice, rejecting the crust; put over the fire the frying-kettie half full of fat, 9nd when it begins to smoke throw in the crusts, and fry them golden-brown ; take them out of the fat with a skim-
mer, lay them on brown paper for a moment to free them from grease, and then use them for serving with soup.
OYSTER SOUP WITH EGGS.
Records on this page
Bean SoupOyster Cream SoupFried Crusts for SoupOyster Soup with Eggs