The old-fashioned idea that uncooked meat must form the basis of all soups is an exploded one. Many delicious vegetable soups may be made without any meat, and the bones, scraps and ragged ends of yesterday's roast should always be saved for the soup pot, as they make quite as good soup, if properly combined with vegetables and seasoning, as the raw "soup- meat" which used to be considered necessary. So, we see that soups may be quite inexpen- sive, and, being nourishing and easily ab- sorbed, make a valuable addition to a dinner. Soup should, however, be served in small por- tions, lest the stomach be overloaded with it and filled with gases ; and as everything we eat should be masticated to some extent, soup stocks, croutons or toast, should be served with it. THE PHYSICAL CULTURE COOK BOOK. 7 1 Iii making soup, always put cold water on the ingredients and simmer long and very slowly, to draw out the juices. It is better, too, to make it the day before it is needed, or a least to prepare the stock; let it cool, and take all the grease or fat from the top. Much depends on the seasoning of soup. Onions, carrots, tomatoes, some herbs are nearly always good. Celery is useful, and it is a good plan to save all the tops of the celery used, dry them on the plate warmer or in the oven, and keep in a glass jar, ready for use. 1. Soup Stock (i). — Cover the bones and ragged ends of a roast of beef, veal or lamb with cold water, and simmer very slowly four or five hours. Then add one onion, a little celery, one carrot scraped and cut into pieces, salt, and cook two hours longer. Let cool, skim off the fat, and keep in a cold place. 2. Soup Stock (2). — Or take two pounds beef and soup bone and put into two and a half quarts cold water, and proceed as above. 3. Vegetable Stock. — Put two onions, two carrots, a little celery, one potato into two quarts of water, and cook slowly three hours. 72 THE PHYSICAL CULTURE COOK BOOK. With this stock, milk or cream is generally used. 4. Soup Maigre, a vegetable soup. — Melt two t'ablespoonfuls of butter in a pan and fry in it two small carrots, two onions, one turnip, washed, peeled and cut up. Boil the pods of two quarts green peas in one and a half quarts of water for twenty minutes, and strain the liquid into the soup pot. Add the browned vegetables, a little celery, one-half bay leaf, and simmer three hours. (The peas may be added, but are unnecessary, and could be served as a vegetable instead.) 5. Green Pea Soup. — Cover one quart green peas with hot water and boil twenty to thirty minutes ; mash, and add one point of water in which the shells have been boiled, two cups of milk, one tablespoonful butter, salt to taste. Thicken with one tablespoonful flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, boil up once, stir- ring constantly, and serve. ij 6. Potato Soup. — Six boiled and mashed po- tatoes, one quart milk. Season with salt. Mash and add butter and pour in gradually the boil- ing milk. Stir well and strain through a sieve ; heat once more. Beat up an egg, put in the THE PHYSICAL CULTURE COOK BOOK 73 tureen and pour over it the soup when ready to serve.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The old-fashioned idea that uncooked meat must form the basis of all soups is an exploded one. Many delicious vegetable soups may be made without any meat, and the bones, scraps and ragged ends of yesterday's roast should always be saved for the soup pot, as they make quite as good soup, if properly combined with vegetables and seasoning, as the raw "soupmeat" which used to be considered necessary. So, we see that soups may be quite inexpensive, and, being nourishing and easily absorbed, make a valuable addition to a dinner. Soup should, however, be served in small portions, lest the stomach be overloaded with it and filled with gases ; and as everything we eat should be masticated to some extent, soup stocks, croutons or toast, should be served with it. In making soup, always put cold water on the ingredients and simmer long and very slowly, to draw out the juices. It is better, too, to make it the day before it is needed, or a least to prepare the stock; let it cool, and take all the grease or fat from the top. Much depends on the seasoning of soup. Onions, carrots, tomatoes, some herbs are nearly always good. Celery is useful, and it is a good plan to save all the tops of the celery used, dry them on the plate warmer or in the oven, and keep in a glass jar, ready for use. 1. Soup Stock (i). — Cover the bones and ragged ends of a roast of beef, veal or lamb with cold water, and simmer very slowly four or five hours. Then add one onion, a little celery, one carrot scraped and cut into pieces, salt, and cook two hours longer. Let cool, skim off the fat, and keep in a cold place. 2. Soup Stock (2). — Or take two pounds beef and soup bone and put into two and a half quarts cold water, and proceed as above. 3. Vegetable Stock. — Put two onions, two carrots, a little celery, one potato into two quarts of water, and cook slowly three hours. With this stock, milk or cream is generally used. 4. Soup Maigre, a vegetable soup. — Melt two t'ablespoonfuls of butter in a pan and fry in it two small carrots, two onions, one turnip, washed, peeled and cut up. Boil the pods of two quarts green peas in one and a half quarts of water for twenty minutes, and strain the liquid into the soup pot. Add the browned vegetables, a little celery, one-half bay leaf, and simmer three hours. (The peas may be added, but are unnecessary, and could be served as a vegetable instead.) 5. Green Pea Soup. — Cover one quart green peas with hot water and boil twenty to thirty minutes ; mash, and add one pint of water in which the shells have been boiled, two cups of milk, one tablespoonful butter, salt to taste. Thicken with one tablespoonful flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, boil up once, stirring constantly, and serve. ij 6. Potato Soup. — Six boiled and mashed potatoes, one quart milk. Season with salt. Mash and add butter and pour in gradually the boiling milk. Stir well and strain through a sieve ; heat once more. Beat up an egg, put in the tureen and pour over it the soup when ready to serve.

Physical culture cook book