Stock
From Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book, 1884
Serves 8
Use beef, mutton, veal, and poultry together or separately. Avoid mutton fat due to its rankness.
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation below, not the original instructions.
A modern interpretation · AI-generated from the original record
Ingredients
Method
As published
This recipe was extracted from Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book (1884) by Lincoln, Mary Johnson Bailey "Mrs. D. A. Lincoln,", page 76. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.
stock should contain gelatine,, osmazome^ and a small amount of fat. The Boston Cook Book, 123 Gelatine is found in the bones, skin, tendinous and gristly portions of flesh, especially in veal. It is this which causes the stock to become a jelly. But a soup which forms a jelly, or is made principally from bones, is not the most nutritious. The jelly of bones and sinews boiled into soup can furnish only jelly for our bones and sinews. It is use- ful in convalescence, for then the portions of the system in which gelatine is needed have been wasted ; but in other cases, though easily digested, it is unwholesome, for it loads the blood with disturbing products. It is entirel}' destitute of flavor, and therefore we need with it meat con- taining osmazome. Osmazome is that part of meat which gives to each of the various kinds its distinctive flavor. It is more abundant in brown than in white meats, and in the meat of old rather than in that of young animals. It is found largely in lean beef, mutton, and fowls. Osmazome is more highly developed in roasted meals ; therefore all the bones and remnants of roasts which cannot be utilized in entrees^ should be put into the soup-kettle. We need also the alkaline and acid salts found in the blood and juices of the flesh ; therefore a small portion of raw^ lean meat should form a part of all stock. Fat is necessar}', as an element of perfect food, and should alwa3's be used in making stock. It adds to the flavor, and all that is not absorbed in the stock may be re- moved when cold. The marrow^ found in the shin bone, is the best form of fat. The browned fat of roast beef gives a fine flavor, and occasionally a bit of ham or bacon may be used. But all mutton fat should be avoided, be- cause of its rankness. These four kinds of meat — beef, mutton, veal, and poul- tr}' — may be used together or separatel}'. It is better to use mutton, if in a large quantity, by itself, as the flavor is disagreeable to many. After having extracted all the nutriment from the meat in its juices, fat, albumen, and flavor, do not attempt to make further use of the worthless residue of muscular fibre. It is not only harmful, but dry, 124 The Boston Cook Book. tasteless, and utterly useless as food. It needs the addi- tion of many other materials to make it palatable even, and it is cheaper to get the fibrine we need from meat cooked in other ways, directions for which will be given under Boiling Meats and Stews. Therefore do not liesi- tate, as a matter of economy, to throw away this useless meat. When fresh meat is bought expressl}' for stock, select a piece from the shin or lower part of the round of beef or veal. This has bone with marrow, a large proportion of gelatine, more or less osmazome, according to the amount of flesh, and costs less than other parts. In mutton, pieces from the neck and forequarter are the best. Fowls are better than chickens. With this fresh meat may be used the bones and trimmings from steak or chops, and the flank ends of roasting pieces, which yield more nutriment if added to the stock pot before being cooked. Add also any remnants of roasted or broiled meat, bone, fat, gristle, anything except mutton fat. In families where large roasts of beef and poultry are often used, there should be mate- rial enough for stock, without bu^^ing new meat, except for the nicest of clear soups, which the French call Consomme. The proportions of bone and meat should be about equal by weight. When ready to begin the stock, wipe the fresh meat with a clean cloth wet in cold water. Never put the meat in a pan of cold water to soak. It takes out all the juices that you wish to save. Wipe hefore cutting. The inside is clean. But rinse the cloth and scrub the outside thoroughly. Cut away the parts that are tainted or dis- colored by rusty meat-hooks, etc. Examine all the odds and ends of cooked meat, and remove any smoked or burned parts from ham or broiled meat, also the stuffing and skin from roast poultry, if you wish to have the stock clear. Scrape the meat clean from the bones and cut into inch pieces. Break or saw the bones as small as you con- veniently can. Remove the marrow (a soft, fatty sub- stance, which you will find in the hollow of the bones) and put it in the soup kettle to keep the bones from sticking. The Boston Cook Book. 125 Put in the bones and pack the meat around them. Place your kettle on the back of the range before adding the water, so that there need be no heav}^ weight to lift. Allow one quart of fresh cold water to every pound of meat and bone
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Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.