FoodNetArchive

The household cook book

1902

Page 14

Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Flavorings — Add vegetables used for flavoring about an hour before serving soup; that is, do not add them until the juices are nearly extracted trom the meat. Wash and pare the vegetables, cut them into small pieces, and keep them in cold water until ready to add them to the soup. They can be first blanched or parboiled if very strong or old. If desired^ a part or all of the vegetables can be fried before being added to the soup; potatoes, cabbages and onions are better for being boiled in separate water before being added. Pars- ley, summer savory and celery are also often used; onions and garlic we speak of in a following paragraph. Some cooks occasionally use cloves, basil, bay leaf, nutmeg, etc. For a variety, try a little caraway seed in potato soup. Just before serving, add the salt and pepper. Sweet Basil is a tender annual, a native of Asia. The leaves and leafy tops are highly aromatic, and their basil. flavor resembles that of cloves. It is much used in French cookery, but not much by English or American cooks. The flavoring of all food is an important matter and should never be slighted. For soups and stews the best rule is to combine several flavors without having any one of them too prominent. As boiling spoils the flavor of wines and catsups, if they are added, it should not be until just before serving. Unless the soup is to be thick, no flavor should be added, but if some of the meat and vegetables used are fried, it will improve the color and flavor, but be sure nothing, either meat or vegetable, is added, which will have the taste of being smoked or burnt. Great richness may often be given to soups by the addition of fried cucumbers. Cut ofp celery leaves, dry them, and put them in a tin can, and you will have them the year round to flavor soux^s. Using Onions. — Onions, garlic and shallot are disliked by so many people, that, in making stock, or any of the quickly made soups, it is better to leave them out; but as many people consider soup flavor- less without those vegetables, a dish of stewed onions, garlic or shal- xot may be cooked separately, and on serving it, a little can be added to the soup given to those who like such flavors. In this way, soup either with or without onions can be served from the same tureen. Onion juice for flavoring can easily be obtained by peeling and mincing an onion and squeezing it in an ordinary lemon squeo"er. or cheese=cloth. The odor can be removed from the squeezer and knife by washing them in cold water. 24 SOUPS Tne Chite is a plant belonging to the same family as the leek and onion, being the smallest of the onion tribe. Its properties are similar to the onion, and it is used like that in soups, sauces, salads, etc., but it is much stronger, and only about % as much is needed. The Shallot, Shalot ob Eschalot is a native of Pales- tine. It was introduced into Europe by the Crusaders. It belongs to the same family as the common onion, but its fla- vor is stronger, and it does not leave an unpleasant odor behind. The leaves of the plant may be cut while growing, and used like young onions. It is used for high flavored soups and gravies, and is excellent when pickled. Shallot vinegar is used for flavoring soups, sauces, hashes, etc.