Oyster Soup.
Two quarts of perfectly fresh oysters. Strain off the
juice, and add an equal amount of water, or, if they are
solid, add one pint of water, and then strain and boil.
Skim carefully. Add to one quart of milk one table-
spoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper✪ Oyster Soup, and, if
thickening is liked, use same proportions as in hasty to-
mato soup, and set to boil. When the milk boils, put in the
oysters. The moment the edges curl a little, which will
be when they have boiled one minute, they are done, and
should be served at once. Longer boiling toughens and
spoils them. This rule may be used also for stewed oys-
ters, omitting the thickening ; or they may be put simply
into the boiling juice, with the same proportions of butter,
salt, and pepper, and cooked the same length of time.
Clam Soup.
Fifty clams (hard or soft) , boiled in a quart of water
one hour. Take out, and chop fine. Add one quart of
milk, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and one teaspoonful
of salt. It will be necessary to taste, however, as some
clams are Salter than others. Rub one tablespoonful of
butter to a cream with two of flour✪ Clam Soup, and use as thickening.
Add the chopped clams, and boil five minutes. If the
128 SOUPS.
clams are disliked, simply strain through a sieve, or cut
off the hard part and use the soft only.
Puree, of Fish, Vegetables, etc. i
One pound of fresh boiled salmon, or one small can of
the sealed.
Pick out all bone and skin, and, if the canned is used,
pour off every drop of oil. Shred it as fine as possible.
Boil one quart of milk, seasoning with one teaspoonful
of salt, and one saltspoonful each of mace and white
pepper, increasing the amount slightly if more is liked.
Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of flour, and one of butter
rubbed to a cream, with a cup of boiling water ; add
thickening and salmon, and boil two minutes. Strain into
the tureen through a puree sieve, rubbing as much as pos-
sible of the salmon through with a potato-masher, and
serve very hot. All that will not go through can be mixed
with an equal amount of cracker- crumbs or mashed po-
tato, made into small cakes or rolls, and fried in a little
butter for breakfast, or treated as croquettes, and served
at dinner.
This thickened milk is the foundation for many forms of
fish and vegetable purees. A pint of green pease, boiled,
mashed, and added ; or asparagus or spinach in the same
proportions can be used. Lobster makes a puree as de-
licious as that of salmon. Dry the " coral " in the oven ;
pound it fine, and add to the milk before straining, thus
giving a clear pink color. Cut all the meat and green fat
into dice, and put into the tureen, pouring the hot milk
upon it. Boiled cod or halibut can be used ; but nothing is
so nice as the salmon, either fresh or canned. For a Puree
of Celery boil one pint of cut celery in water till tender ;
SOUPS. 129
Page 64 · 3 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1881. 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
Oyster Soup. Two quarts of perfectly fresh oysters. Strain off the juice, and add an equal amount of water, or, if they are solid, add one pint of water, and then strain and boil. Skim carefully. Add to one quart of milk one tablespoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper, and, if thickening is liked, use same proportions as in hasty tomato soup, and set to boil. When the milk boils, put in the oysters. The moment the edges curl a little, which will be when they have boiled one minute, they are done, and should be served at once. Longer boiling toughens and spoils them. This rule may be used also for stewed oysters, omitting the thickening ; or they may be put simply into the boiling juice, with the same proportions of butter, salt, and pepper, and cooked the same length of time.
Clam Soup. Fifty clams (hard or soft) , boiled in a quart of water one hour. Take out, and chop fine. Add one quart of milk, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and one teaspoonful of salt. It will be necessary to taste, however, as some clams are Salter than others. Rub one tablespoonful of butter to a cream with two of flour, and use as thickening. Add the chopped clams, and boil five minutes. If the
clams are disliked, simply strain through a sieve, or cut off the hard part and use the soft only.
Puree of Fish, Vegetables, etc. i
One pound of fresh boiled salmon, or one small can of the sealed.
Pick out all bone and skin, and, if the canned is used, pour off every drop of oil. Shred it as fine as possible. Boil one quart of milk, seasoning with one teaspoonful of salt, and one saltspoonful each of mace and white pepper, increasing the amount slightly if more is liked. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of flour, and one of butter rubbed to a cream, with a cup of boiling water ; add thickening and salmon, and boil two minutes. Strain into the tureen through a puree sieve, rubbing as much as possible of the salmon through with a potato-masher, and serve very hot. All that will not go through can be mixed with an equal amount of cracker- crumbs or mashed potato, made into small cakes or rolls, and fried in a little butter for breakfast, or treated as croquettes, and served at dinner.
This thickened milk is the foundation for many forms of fish and vegetable purees. A pint of green pease, boiled, mashed, and added ; or asparagus or spinach in the same proportions can be used. Lobster makes a puree as delicious as that of salmon. Dry the " coral " in the oven ; pound it fine, and add to the milk before straining, thus giving a clear pink color. Cut all the meat and green fat into dice, and put into the tureen, pouring the hot milk upon it. Boiled cod or halibut can be used ; but nothing is so nice as the salmon, either fresh or canned. For a Puree of Celery boil one pint of cut celery in water till tender ;
Records on this page
Oyster SoupOyster SoupClam Soup