Foods, their selection and preparation

If meat is not used in soup, make it into hash, creamed dishes, or croquettes that may have flavor added. Simmering • Use a heavy kettle with rack and close-fitting lid for simmering. It may be iron or heavy aluminum u.s D.A. 7. Clarify the stock for any of the clear soups . Special stocks are prepared for the various clear soups. Directions for these and for clarifying soup stock are given below: Brown stock. Brown stock is made from beef or other meat. All the meat is cut off the bone and well browned. The browning develops both flavor and color. Let the meat stand in cold salted water before simmering, to help dissolve off the browned part. White stock. White stock is usually made from veal or chicken. The procedure is the same as for brown stock except that the meat is not browned and vegetables and seasonings which give a delicate flavor are used. Lamb or mutton stock. Both meat and bone are used but the fat is discarded. At least part of the meat may be browned. This stock is usually called broth and is the basis of the Scotch broths. The meat, cut in cubes, is served in the broth together with barley and vegetables. Scotch broth is quite thick. Bouillon. Bouillon is a clear beef soup made from brown soup stock, freed of fat, seasoned with herbs and spices, and clarified. Consomme. Consomme is another clear soup. The stock is made from a combination of two or more kinds of meat, such as beef, veal, and fowl. It is highly seasoned, strained, and clarified. Jellied soup. A jellied soup made from meat containing large amounts of bone and connective tissue will form a gel when it cools. By adding gelatin to make a one per cent solution, jellied bouillon or consomme may be made from stock which will not solidify by itself. Clarifying soup stock. To make any of the clear soups mentioned above, or their variations, the stock must be clarified. It should be strained through several thicknesses of cheesecloth and then chilled as rapidly as possible to prevent spoilage. After the stock is cold and before it is used, the fat which has solidified into a cake on top can be removed easily. This fat may be used for frying or for seasoning vegetables. The soup should be dipped from the top, so the sediment in the bottom of the kettle will not be disturbed. This is coagulated protein and can be used in other soups or in gravies. If a sparkling soup is desired, the stock is clarified still more, according to the following procedure: Remove the cake of fat from the stock and wipe the top with a warm damp cloth to take off any remaining bits of fat. Add to each quart of cold stock the white of one egg, beaten slightly and mixed with the crumpled shell. The stock then should be heated very slowly to the boiling point, with constant stirring. As the egg coagu¬ lates, it collects the fine particles which were not removed by straining through cheesecloth. As soon as the boiling point is reached, the stirring should be discontinued and the soup allowed to boil for five minutes. Then strain again through several thicknesses of warm damp cheesecloth. This should result in a clear, spar¬ kling soup such as is served as an appetizer at dinner. If the soup is to be kept hot for some time before serving it should be placed over hot water, rather than over the direct flame, to prevent cloudiness.