Jane Hamilton's recipes

a very little thickening, salt and red pepper to the taste. It takes two large pods of red pepper to make the soup hot. This will make four quarts of very fine soup. Some persons prefer this soup without the tomatoes and carrots. ¥¥¥ OKRA GUMBO. Take a chicken, cut it into pieces, dust them with flour, put a large spoonful of good butter in a frying pan with a slice of good ham, put in the chicken and let it fry to a light brown. Add the okra and let it fry a short time (the okra is cut in slices a quarter of an inch thick), then put in enough warm water to make two quarts of soup, a large silver onion chopped fine and fried. Let it boil until a few minutes before dinner, then thicken with browned flour and season with salt and red and black pepper. ¥¥¥ OYSTER. Wash the oysters well, first in the liquor, then in a little water; add the water to the (20) liquor, strain it through a cloth, and pour it back on the oysters. Put the oysters over the fire and let them stew five minutes, then put into two quarts of oysters, one quart of milk, six ounces of butter, and a large slice of loaf bread cut in little squares. Season with salt and black pepper and let all stew twenty minutes from the time you put them on the fire. You may leave out the slice of loaf bread. If you like the soup rich, you must put in more than six ounces of butter. If you get good, living oysters they may be kept in a cellar four or five weeks and fatten. Place the oysters with their mouths or shells up, and feed once a day with water made slightly brackish or water to which a little meal has been added. 99 & OYSTER GUMBO. Take one chicken, one pound of lean beef, and a slice of fat ham, cut them into pieces, dust them with flour, and fry a light brown (21) with some good, fresh butter. Then pour on sufficient warm water to make about two quarts of soup. Add a large silver onion (some fry the onion). Let all boil until half ,an hour before dinner, then add from a quart to half a gallon of oysters well drained, some thyme and parsley tied in a bunch, and season with black pepper and salt. Just before you pour it into the tureen, after it is off of the fire, sprinkle in the fillet until it is as thick as you like, stirring it well. The above will make from three to four quarts of soup. SALSIFY. Scrape the salsify and wash it, boil it until it is nearly done, then cut it into very thin slices and put it back in the water in which it was boiled. Take about three-quarters of a quart of this sliced salsify, a pint of cream, a large slice of butter, a little thickening, and season with salt and pepper. The soup is nicer if about half of the salsify is mashed up. (22) TOMATO. Take a good large chicken, put it in sufficient water to make two quarts of soup; after it has boiled about an hour put in two dozen large tomatoes, and let them boil about fifteen minutes before serving up the soup. Strain the soup through a colander and put in a pint of cream, a large spoonful of butter, two of brown sugar, a little thickening, two onions chopped very fine, and salt and black pepper to the taste. Toast some bread nicely, cut it into small pieces, and put it in the tureen, pour the soup over it, and serve it up.