KITCHEN AND COOKERY 98 a stewpan, stir the flour in smoothly, add the stock, and stir until it boils and thickens. Drain off any liquid there is with the spinach, add it and the chopped shallot to the butter, etc. Let all boil gently for ten minutes, then rub it through a hair sieve. Put it back in the pan, add enough milk to make it the consistency of good cream. Season it to taste with salt, pepper, and a few grains of nutmeg. Serve it in a hot tureen. BONNE FEMME SOUP This is an example of a soup thickened with eggs and cream. Required : One quart of boiling white stock. One gill of milk or cream. The yolks of three eggs. One ounce of butter. Two small lettuces. Four inches of cucumber. Four leaves each of tarragon and chervil. Salt, pepper, and castor sugar. Carefully wash the lettuce, tarragon, and chervil, then cut them all into fine shreds. Peel the cucumber and cut it also into shreds. Melt the butter in a stew-pan, put in the vegetables, and toss them in the butter over a gentle heat for a few minutes, taldng care they do not colour in the least. Next add the stock and a dust of salt and castor sugar. Let the soup boil gently until the vegetables are tender ; they will probably take about half an hour. Let the soup cool shghtly, then add the beaten yolks of eggs mixed with the cream or milk. Re-heat the soup sufficiently to cook the egg, but on no account allow it to boil, or it will curdle and be spoilt. See that it is nicely seasoned and serve it in a hot tureen. SCOTCH BROTH Required : About two pounds of middle neck of mutton. Two quarts of cold water. A teacupful each of carrot and turnip, cut in dice. One leek. One onion. One small cauliflower. Half a small cabbage. Two tablespoonfuls of pearl barley or rice. One ounce of butter. One tablespoonful of chopped parsley. A small bunch of sweet herbs. Salt and pepper. Any other fresh vegetables that happen to be in season, such as peas, French beans, celery. Wipe the meat with a cloth wrung out in hot water, remove as much fat as possible, and cut the lean into dice an inch square. Chop the bones, put them with the meat and cold water in a saucepan, add a little salt, bring them to the boil, then add the barley or rice, having first washed them. Let the broth boil gently. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables, cut the cabbage and leek into shreds, break the cauliflower into small branches, and chop the onion. Melt the butter in a frying-pan, put in the onion, leek, and cabbage, and let them cook gently without browning until they have taken up all the butter. Next add them with the rest of the vege- tables and the herbs tied together. Put the lid on the pan, and let the broth boil gently for two hours, keeping it well skimmed. Before serving take out the bones and the bunch of herbs and see that the seasoning is correct, N.B. — If the broth is thicker than you like add a Uttle boiUng water, and probably it will want a little more salt. TWO VEGETABLE PUREES POTATO SOUP Required : One pound of potatoes. One pint of boiling water. Half a pint of milk. One Spanish onion. One ounce of butter or good dripping. Two sticks of celery or a little celery salt. Two ounces of macaroni. Salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Wash, peel, and slice the potatoes, and put them at once into cold water. Peel and slice the onion and chop the celery. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the vegetables, and stir them about in the butter over the fire for a few minutes, taking care that they , do not colour in the least. Add the water ] and a little salt, and cook until the vegetables 1 are soft. Rub them through a hair or fine wire sieve, rinse out the saucepan, pour back the soup, add enough hot milk to it to make it as thick as good cream. Let it reboil, and season it carefully to taste. While the soup is cooking, boil the macaroni until it is just tender in plenty of fast-boiling salted water, drain it well, and cut it into inch lengths. Just before serving add it to the soup. TOMATO SOUP Required : Two pounds of tomatoes. Two ounces of lean ham. One ounce of butter or good dripping. One small onion. Two sticks of celery. Two pints of stock. Salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cut the ham in large dice, peel and chop "* the onion, also the celery. Melt the butter in saucepan, put in the ham and vegetables, and fry them slowly for ten minutes, turning them about frequently. Next add the sliced tomatoes, let these cook for five minutes, then add the stock, and let all cook gently until the vegetables are soft. Rub the soup through a sieve, rinse out the sauce- pan, put back the soup, and let it boil for about five minutes. Season it carefully ; if it is thinner than good cream, let it boil quickly for a minute or two, without a lid on the pan, to reduce it, or add a thickening of flour, etc. Serve it in a hot tureen with neatly cut dice of toast or fried bread. N.B. — Tinned tomatoes can be used in the place of fresh^ but it will probably be neces- sary to thicken the soup with a little corn- flour or flour or crushed tapioca.
