Take about three pounds of beef, off the leg or shin, with or without the bone - if with the bone, well crack it - a pound of knuckle of ham, or gammon. More than cover them with water, and when it boils skim it, and add a tea-spoonful of pepper. The ham will probably make it sufficiently salt - if not, add a little. Let this simmer by the side of the fire until it is three parts done, which will take two hours and a half. And then well wash some cabbage plants, or small summer cabbage; cut these into small pieces, also onions cut small; a tea-cup full of rice, with a bit of eschalot; put these in the saucepan, and let it simmer a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, until the rice is boiled enough. Then take it from the fire; separate the meat, vegetables, and rice, from the soup, and eat the soup before the meat. Separate the meat from the bones, and mix it with the vegetables. If the plants are too strong-, scald them before putting them in the saucepan. In the summer, a few young peas make a great improvement. Leeks are better than onions, as you can have more in quantity of vegetables. The Spaniards use garlic. This will dine a family of seven or eight people.