Three pounds of lean beef. (The coarser cuts will do for this purpose.) Two pounds of lean veal. Five quarts of cold water. One fine stalk of celery, cut into inch lengths. One small carrot, cut into dice. One good-sized onion, sliced. Six cloves, six whole peppers, and six allspice. One tablespoonful of parsley. One tablespoonful of "kitchen bouquet." Half a teacupful of butter.

Cut the meat into small bits, less than an inch square. Heat half the butter in a frying-pan and fry the vegetables to a fine brown in this. Strain them out and set aside in the colander; put browned butter into the soup-kettle with the half you have not used, and when again hot add the meat. Stir briskly over hot coals to make sure that each piece is first coated with the butter, then browned, lastly not scorched. Lift from the fire and cover with cold water. Return to the range and simmer slowly for an hour, after it is smoking-hot.

Now put into the pot a gallon more of cold water, bring back, very slowly, to the boil, cover the pot and leave it to seethe and bubble leisurely for at least five hours. At the end of four hours add the browned vegetables, with the spices. By the time the six hours of slow simmering are up you should have about three quarts of strong brown stock besides the meats and vegetables. Do not remove these until the liquid is cold, but do not wait until the fat has hardened upon the surface. Strain them out then, through a colander, return the soup to the fire, with a good tablespoonful of salt, and bring to a hard boil. The salt will throw up the scum to the top. Skim this off and strain the liquid again, now through a coarse cloth, without shaking or squeezing. Keep in an earthenware crock or bowl.

This process may sound tedious, but examination of the recipe will show that the amount of time and labor expended in actual work is trifling. Most of the work is done by the soup itself if the fire be properly regulated.

As a basis for a fine gravy, and other brown soups, this stock cannot be excelled. Served alone as a nourishing bouillon, it is most satisfactory.