75. Vegetable Soup

There are numerous methods of making this soup, the variations depending upon the omission or addition of certain vegetables, and in the mode of serving the soup with them or without them. The following is as simple and as palatable as any.

Collect whatever vegetables are in season, take equal quantities, turnips, carrots, cabbage, spinach, celery, parsley, onion, a little mint, etc, add plenty of herbs, cut them fine, put them into the stewpan, in which has previously been placed some oil; stew gently until the vegetables become tender, then add two quarts of boiling water; stew a quarter of an hour and serve.

Some cooks advocate the introduction of peas, green or white, to this soup: where they are used, they must be boiled until tender in very little water, then mashed into a very loose paste; the vegetables having been scalded are then added, and two hours will suffice for stewing, season it with salt and pepper.

Be careful that it does not burn while cooking, or the whole is spoiled.

76. Artichoke (Called Palestine) Soup

About six pounds of Jerusalem artichokes, pared and cut into small pieces, three turnips, a head of white celery, put sufficient good white stock to cover the artichokes, let it boil until quite tender, then rub all through a tammy; if too thick, thin it with good sweet milk; boil all together, add half a pint of cream, season with sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper.

Send upon a napkin some nice fried bread, cut in small dice, hot.

77. Asparagus Soup With Green Peas

Make a soup of roots, and when strained, boil a pint of green peas in the liquor. Choose some middling sized asparagus, cut them in pieces about three inches long, blanch them in boiling water, and then throw them into cold water; drain them and tie them in small bunches, split the tops and boil them with the peas. When done, make a puree of them and mix it with the root soup, and garnish with the asparagus. Good meat broth may be used instead of the root soup.

78. Soup De L'Asperge

Cut into thin slices half a pound of bacon, lay them in the bottom of a stewpan, cut into lumps six pounds of lean beef and roll it well in flour, cover the pan close, shake occasionally until the gravy is all drawn, then add half a pint of old ale and two quarts of water, throw in some whole peppers and a spoonful of salt, stew gently for an hour, skim the fat, and when an hour has elapsed strain off the soup, then put in it some spinach, two cabbage lettuces, the leaves of white beet, a little mint, powdered sweet aroma and sorrel, boil them, then put in the tops of asparagus cut small, when they are tender the soup is done, serve up hot with a French roll in the middle.

79. Asparagus Soup (Clear)

Blanch two hundred tops of asparagus and boil them in a good gravy, serve with sippets of bread just hardened by the fire.

80. Cabbage Soup

Cut your cabbage into four parts, then let them be partly boiled, squeeze them dry and place them in a large brass pan or dish, so that there may be room betwixt each piece of cabbage to take up soup with a large spoon, then let them boil with as much gravy or stock as will cover them; let them stew for two hours before dinner, then put a quarter of a pound of butter and a handful of flour into a saucepan, set it over a fire and, keeping it stirred, add two onions minced and stir it again, then add a quart of veal gravy, boil it a little and pour it all over the cabbage. If you choose you may force pigeons with good force-meat made of veal; fry them, and then stew them with the cabbage,' putting in with them a little bacon stuck with cloves, when it has stewed away take off the fat, soak bread in your dish with gravy or stock, place your fowl in the middle and the cabbage all round, garnish the dish with slices of bacon and a little cabbage between each slice.