Practical household cookery

Cut in small dice the red part of three carrots, two turnips, one head of celery, two leeks, and half an onion. Blanch the lot in boiling salt water; strain through a colander, and pour them into a stewpan with an ounce and a half of fresh butter. Fry gently for five minutes ; then add three pints of No 2 broth ; simmer gently for twenty minutes ; skim and pour the soup into a tureen with a few slices of bread, and serve. Two or three spoonfuls of green peas properly blanched can also be added with advantage to the other vegetables. 18. CHICKEN GRAVY. Take two quarts of chicken broth and boil in a stewpan. Meantime melt a quarter of a pound of fresh butter in another stewpan ; add a similar weight of flour and three ounces of ham cut in slices; fry all to a brown colour; pour the boiling broth over and stir with a wooden spoon till it comes to the boil; then draw the stewpan by the side of the fire, and simmer for one hour, stirring the contents about every ten minutes to prevent burning; after which, skim and pass it through a sieve into a small earthenware pan or basin. This gravy must be nearly white, thick and smooth, and can be used either with purees made of chicken or vegetables, or with soups made of yolks of eggs. A similar gravy can also be made with veal broth, and is more economical 19. GAME GRAVY. Take two quarts of game broth, and follow the same recipe as No. 18. This gravy ought to be of a nice brown colour, and can be used for strengthening game soups when required. 20. FISH GRAVY. Brown some flour in butter as in No. i8 ; then add one quart of fish broth ; let it boil, skim, and strain as above. 21. VEGETABLE GRAVY. Proceed in the same way as for fish gravy. 22. POLISH SOUP. Bake eight large potatoes in the oven, peel, and put them into a stewpan with two ounces of butter and one pint of chicken broth. Set the stewpan on the fire, and stir with a wooden spoon until the potatoes are well mashed ; then pass them through a sieve into the stewpan again with three pints of hot chicken broth ; simmer and stir gently for a few minutes. Meantime put in a basin the yolks of four eggs, two ounces of fresh melted butter, half a pint of cream, a little grated nutmeg, salt to taste, a tablespoonful of grated parmesan cheese and the same quantity of powdered sugar ; mix these well together with a whisk, and pour them into a soup- tureen with four spoonfuls of tagliatelli (see Paste) previously cooked in beef gravy; then pour the thick boiling broth over it, stir till well mixed, and serve. 23. CONDÉ SOUP. Put two pounds of coloured haricot beans if fresh, or one pound if dry, into a stewpan, together with one partridge, a slice of gammon, and three pints of chicken broth properly seasoned with salt and pepper. Set it to the boil, and after an hour or so of boiling take the partridge and ham out; pass the beans through a sieve by rubbing with a wooden spoon ; put it in the stewpnn again with the broth ; let it simmer for five or six minutes longer; then pour it into a soup-tureen with three spoonfuls of crottons * fried in butter or quenelles. Note, — If dry beans are used, take care to soak them in water at least ten hours previous to boiling. 24. purée cressy soup.