The Myrtle Reed Cook Book Part 42

ONE HUNDRED SIMPLE SOUPS

_BEEF SOUPS_

BARLEY SOUP

Cook one cupful of barley slowly until soft. Drain, and add to beef stock made according to any preferred method. Serve very hot.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Soak two cupfuls of black beans in cold water over night. In the morning, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water. Boil until tender, add four cupfuls of beef stock, and two cupfuls of boiling water. Rub through a fine sieve, return to the fire, and bring to the boil.

Season with salt, pepper, and a winegla.s.sful of sherry. Cut into slices one lemon, and two hard-boiled eggs. Put into a tureen, pour the hot soup over, and serve.

BOSTON SUMMER SOUP

Cook together one cupful of peas and one cupful of tomatoes. Rub through a sieve, and add to four cupfuls of beef stock. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold stock.

Simmer fifteen minutes, add two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and three tablespoonfuls of cooked peas. Season with salt and pepper, reheat and serve.

CREOLE SOUP

Half a can of tomatoes, three tablespoonfuls of rice, one half can of okra, and a red pepper, added to two quarts of beef stock. Simmer until the rice is cooked. Blend together two tablespoonfuls of flour, mix with a little cold stock, pour into the soup, and stir until it thickens. Season with salt and serve at once.

ENGLISH SPINACH SOUP

Cook half a peck of spinach, rub through a fine sieve, add six cupfuls of strong beef stock, season with salt, pepper, sugar, and mace, thicken with b.u.t.ter and flour, bring to the boil, and serve immediately.

ENGLISH TOMATO SOUP

Add one can of tomatoes to four cupfuls of beef stock, and simmer together for an hour, with a small onion cut fine. Rub through a sieve, reheat, season with salt, pepper, and sugar, and thicken with a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, rubbed smooth with a tablespoonful of flour, boiled in the soup, while stirring. When thick, add three tablespoonfuls of cold boiled rice, reheat, and serve with croutons.

ITALIAN ONION SOUP WITH CHEESE

Slice four large onions very thin, fry brown in b.u.t.ter, and add to four cupfuls of beef stock. Put into an earthen pot and arrange slices of toast on top, liberally sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve from the dish with one slice of toast for each person.

JULIENNE SOUP

Cut into thin, match-like strips carrots, turnips, and celery, having half a cupful of each. Cover with boiling water, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft. Add to two quarts of boiling beef stock.

SOUP OF MIXED VEGETABLES

One cupful each of chopped onion, carrot, celery, and tomatoes; one-half cupful each of chopped turnip, parsnip, and cabbage. Fry the onions and carrot in a little b.u.t.ter, then add four cupfuls of boiling water and four cupfuls of beef stock. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt, pepper, sugar, and minced parsley.

NOODLE AND TOMATO SOUP

Add a five-cent can of tomato paste to three pints of boiling beef stock. Season to taste, and cook in it noodles made according to directions given elsewhere. Serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese.

QUICK BEEF SOUP

Cook together in two quarts of water for half an hour, half an onion, three stalks of celery, and a sliced carrot. Season with salt, pepper, and mace. Strain, and add to the water two tablespoonfuls of extract of beef. Stir until dissolved, reheat and serve.

RICE AND CURRY SOUP

Melt in a saucepan two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, add a chopped onion, and a tablespoonful of chopped raw ham. Fry for three minutes. Add one tablespoonful of curry powder and two tablespoonfuls of flour. Mix thoroughly, add three quarts of beef stock, boil for one hour, skim, and press through a fine strainer into another saucepan. Add a pint of rice which has been cooked in stock, reheat, skim, and serve.

SPANISH ONION SOUP

Chop fine five onions and fry brown in b.u.t.ter, adding a teaspoonful of sugar. When brown, pour over eight cupfuls of hot beef stock. Add a bay leaf, half a dozen pepper-corns, and a tablespoonful of minced parsley. Simmer fifteen minutes, strain, and serve with dice of fried or toasted bread.

VEAL SOUP

Put a knuckle of veal into three quarts of cold water, with a teaspoonful of salt, and a tablespoonful of uncooked rice. Simmer gently for four hours, take from the fire, and strain through a colander. Beat the yolk of one egg with a cupful of milk, add a teaspoonful of b.u.t.ter, and strain the hot soup upon it, stirring constantly. Pour into the tureen and serve immediately.

WREXHAM SOUP

One pound of lean beef chopped fine. Peel and slice one large carrot, one large turnip, six small onions, a stalk of celery, and two cupfuls of tomatoes. Tie up in a muslin cloth a small bunch of parsley, six cloves, six pepper-corns, and a sprig of thyme. Put all these ingredients into a bean-pot, with a tablespoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of sugar and a pinch of pepper. Cover with five pints of cold water, and bake very slowly for five hours. Take out the bag of spices, and serve the soup with croutons.

_BISQUES AND PUReES_

BISQUE OF CLAMS

Reheat four cupfuls of veal stock, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, blended with two tablespoonfuls of flour, and rubbed smooth in the stock, while boiling. Add a small can of minced clams with their liquor, or twenty-five clams, chopped very fine. Season to taste, add two cupfuls of boiling cream, and serve immediately.

CRAB AND TOMATO BISQUE