Jane Hamilton's recipes

ASPARAGUS. Take a chicken, or about two pounds of good veal or lamb, and put it on in sufficient water to make the soup. Cut into slices about half an inch thick some fresh asparagus. To make two quarts of soup take three-quarters of a quart of sliced asparagus. When the meat and asparagus are done, or about ten minutes before serving up the soup, add a little thickening, a pint of rich milk, a large slice of butter, and season with salt and black pepper. BEEF. Take the shin of a hind quarter of fat beef, break the bone in two or three places, and put it on with a sufficient quantity of water six hours before dinner. Keep it (13) boiling constantly. About two hours before dinner take a good head of cabbage, strip off the outer leaves and cut it all into shreds except the stalk, then put it in the soup. Take six small turnips, cut them into little pieces and add to the soup. About fifteen minutes before dinner put in a very little thickening and season with salt and black pepper. This will make four quarts of rich soup. Another way of making beef soup is to take about four pounds of good beef, cut it into little pieces, and put it on in water sufficient to make two quarts of soup. Boil for about four hours. Thicken with brown flour, add the salt and black pepper, and season with thyme ; or a large silver onion chopped fine and two tablespoonfuls of pounded allspice and half a tablespoonful of powdered cloves. BLACK. Take the neck and shanks of a fat veal and half a pound of fat bacon and boil them for (t4) about three hours. Then add the following ingredients for seasoning : two large onions, chopped fine; three tablespoonfuls of allspice. Beat very fine a little thickening, and salt and pepper to your taste. Let it boil until the onion is done. This will make two quarts of good soup. The meat when it is cooked enough to separate from the bone is taken off and cut up into little pieces and boiled to shreds in the soup. Take out the bacon when the soup is served up. CATFISH CHOWDER. Take as many catfish as will weigh three pounds. Put about a pound of fat bacon on the fire with as much water as will be sufficient for the chowder. Put this on two hours before dinner. Dip the fish in hot water and take off the skin; then put them back on the fire in the pot with the bacon, after cutting them into small pieces, and boil them until they are done. Then take out every bone and add two large onions, chopped very fine, a little thickening, and season with salt and pepper. As soon as the onion is done, add half a pint of milk with the yolks of two eggs beat up and stirred in it, and a large slice of butter. Parsley is thought by some to be an improvement to the chowder. As soon as the milk, eggs, and butter are stirred in serve up the chowder. Chowder is very good made without the eggs and milk and with a rather large piece of bacon cut into little pieces. The above will make two quarts of good chowder. DRIED PEA.