All green vegetable purees derive enrichment in appear-
ance by the judicious addition of " spinach-greening" which
is, in itself, the liquor obtained from spinach boiled, di-ain-
ed, worked through the sieve, and then squeezed through a
piece of muslin. I have seen people quite deceived with a
soup made with di-ied peas and coloiu^ed with " spinach-
greening" in imitation of puree de pois verts. A pinch of
sugar ought not to be forgotten in making these soups.
The enterprising cultivators of asparagus at Madras
ought now and then to indulge their guests with that
excellent soup "puree d'asperges,'' which however ranks
next, I take it, to the still more artistic "consomme aux
points d'asperges.''
You can make a capital green puree any day at Madras
with French beans ; and with one tin oi petits pois (thought-
fully assisted with spinach-greening if the peas have lost
colour) you can produce a very perfect puree of green
peas for about eight people. A very inviting-looking soup
of bright colour can be made from tomatoes, following
exactly the receijDt for " Crecy," and substituting tomatoes
for carrots.
Brown purees are, of course, those made of game such
as hares, partridges, snipe, wild duck, teal, etc. In this
way you can always advantageously dispose of tough old
birds. A good puree de gihier, of hare, or of any game-
bird, is, TN-ithout doubt, soup which is with justice widely
popular. It is essentially the soup of the hungry man.
A basin of it, to use a homely phrase, " goes a long way."
It carries your thoughts back to winter fires, to old-fashion-
ed, yet generous fare, and to the glorious appetite with
which you spread your napkin before you after a day with
the hounds, a trudge after wild partridges, or a long drive
through the keen frosty air of some by-gone Christmastide !
THICK SOUPS, AND PUREES. 51
These soups are what house-keepers call " rich," for in
their composition jou must employ port, or Madeira, red
currant jelly, butter, cream, yolks of eggs, &c. One of
the greatest cooks of the age propounds half a bottle of
old port for his hare soup ! and all game soups take a
goodly share of wine.
The points to observe in the making of these purees are,
first, to get every atom of flavour you can out of the bones,
scraps, and giblets, which is done by simmering them
watchfully in stock. Then to work all the meat you can
pick from the birds to a stiff paste in a mortar (having
first minced it in the machine) passing it through the
sieve to get rid of fibre, gristle, and so forth. Next to
blend the pulp of the game with the stock in the way I
have previously described. And lastly, to follow with
accuracy whatever recipe you have taken as regards the
flavouring elements. Do not leave out anything if you
can possibly manage it. Dried sweet herbs, (thyme and
marjoram,) are as necessary in game soups, as is basil in
turtle ; and red currant jelly is indispensable. Spice is
often mentioned in recipes for these soups. I do not recom-
mend it. In fact, beyond the two cloves inserted in the
onion used for the stock, I would carefully omit it.
Page 29
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
All green vegetable purees derive enrichment in appearance by the judicious addition of " spinach-greening" which is, in itself, the liquor obtained from spinach boiled, drained, worked through the sieve, and then squeezed through a piece of muslin. I have seen people quite deceived with a soup made with dried peas and coloured with " spinachgreening" in imitation of puree de pois verts. A pinch of sugar ought not to be forgotten in making these soups.
The enterprising cultivators of asparagus at Madras ought now and then to indulge their guests with that excellent soup "puree d'asperges,'' which however ranks next, I take it, to the still more artistic "consomme aux points d'asperges.''
You can make a capital green puree any day at Madras with French beans ; and with one tin oi petits pois (thoughtfully assisted with spinach-greening if the peas have lost colour) you can produce a very perfect puree of green peas for about eight people. A very inviting-looking soup of bright colour can be made from tomatoes, following exactly the receipt for " Crecy," and substituting tomatoes for carrots.
Brown purees are, of course, those made of game such as hares, partridges, snipe, wild duck, teal, etc. In this way you can always advantageously dispose of tough old birds. A good puree de gihier, of hare, or of any gamebird, is, without doubt, soup which is with justice widely popular. It is essentially the soup of the hungry man. A basin of it, to use a homely phrase, " goes a long way." It carries your thoughts back to winter fires, to old-fashioned, yet generous fare, and to the glorious appetite with which you spread your napkin before you after a day with the hounds, a trudge after wild partridges, or a long drive through the keen frosty air of some by-gone Christmastide !
THICK SOUPS, AND PUREES. 51
These soups are what house-keepers call " rich," for in their composition jou must employ port, or Madeira, red currant jelly, butter, cream, yolks of eggs, &c. One of the greatest cooks of the age propounds half a bottle of old port for his hare soup ! and all game soups take a goodly share of wine.
The points to observe in the making of these purees are, first, to get every atom of flavour you can out of the bones, scraps, and giblets, which is done by simmering them watchfully in stock. Then to work all the meat you can pick from the birds to a stiff paste in a mortar (having first minced it in the machine) passing it through the sieve to get rid of fibre, gristle, and so forth. Next to blend the pulp of the game with the stock in the way I have previously described. And lastly, to follow with accuracy whatever recipe you have taken as regards the flavouring elements. Do not leave out anything if you can possibly manage it. Dried sweet herbs, (thyme and marjoram,) are as necessary in game soups, as is basil in turtle ; and red currant jelly is indispensable. Spice is often mentioned in recipes for these soups. I do not recommend it. In fact, beyond the two cloves inserted in the onion used for the stock, I would carefully omit it.