_Mode_.--Cut the beef up in small pieces, add the other ingredients, and boil gently for 21/2 hours. Oatmeal or potatoes would be a great improvement.
_Time_.-21/2 hours. _Average cost_, 6d. per quart.
_Seasonable_ in winter.
_Sufficient_ for 6 persons.
II.
187. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of beef, mutton, or pork; 1/2 pint of split peas, 4 turnips, 8 potatoes, 2 onions, 2 oz. of oatmeal or 3 oz. of rice, 2 quarts of water.
_Mode_.--Cut the meat in small pieces, as also the vegetables, and add them, with the peas, to the water. Boil gently for 3 hours; thicken with the oatmeal, boil for another 1/4 hour, stirring all the time, and season with pepper and salt.
_Time_.--3-1/4 hours. _Average cost_, 4d. per quart.
_Seasonable_ in winter.
_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.
_Note_.--This soup may be made of the liquor in which tripe has been boiled, by adding vegetables, seasoning, rice, &c.
TURKEY SOUP (a Seasonable Dish at Christmas).
188. INGREDIENTS.--2 quarts of medium stock, No. 105, the remains of a cold roast turkey, 2 oz. of rice-flour or arrowroot, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoonful of Harvey"s sauce or mushroom ketchup.
_Mode_.--Cut up the turkey in small pieces, and put it in the stock; let it simmer slowly until the bones are quite clean. Take the bones out, and work the soup through a sieve; when cool, skim well. Mix the rice-flour or arrowroot to a batter with a little of the soup; add it with the seasoning and sauce, or ketchup. Give one boil, and serve.
_Time_.--4 hours. _Average cost_, 10d. per quart.
_Seasonable_ at Christmas.
_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.
_Note_.--Instead of thickening this soup, vermicelli or macaroni may be served in it.
THE TURKEY.--The common turkey is a native of North America, and was thence introduced to England, in the reign of Henry VIII.
According to Tusser"s "Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry,"
about the year 1585 it begun to form a dish at our rural Christmas feasts.
"Beef, mutton, and pork, shred pies of the best, Pig, veal, goose, and capon, and turkey well dress"d, Cheese, apples, and nuts, jolly carols to hear, As then in the country is counted good cheer."
It is one of the most difficult birds to rear, of any that we have; yet, in its wild state, is found in great abundance in the forests of Canada, where, it might have been imagined that the severity of the climate would be unfavourable to its ever becoming plentiful. They are very fond of the seeds of nettles, and the seeds of the foxglove poison them.
TURTLE SOUP (founded on M. Ude"s Recipe).
189. INGREDIENTS.--A turtle, 6 slices of ham, 2 knuckles of veal, 1 large bunch of sweet herbs, 3 bay-leaves, parsley, green onions, 1 onion, 6 cloves, 4 blades of mace, 1/4 lb. of fresh b.u.t.ter, 1 bottle of Madeira, 1 lump of sugar. For the _Quenelles a Tortue_, 1 lb. of veal, 1 lb. of bread crumbs, milk, 7 eggs, cayenne, salt, spices, chopped parsley, the juice of 2 lemons.
_Mode_.--To make this soup with less difficulty, cut off the head of the turtle the preceding day. In the morning open the turtle by leaning heavily with a knife on the sh.e.l.l of the animal"s back, whilst you cut this off all round. Turn it upright on its end, that all the water, &c.
may run out, when the flesh should be cut off along the spine, with the knife sloping towards the bones, for fear of touching the gall, which sometimes might escape the eye. When all the flesh about the members is obtained, wash these clean, and let them drain. Have ready, on the fire, a large vessel full of boiling water, into which put the sh.e.l.ls; and when you perceive that they come easily off, take them out of the water, and p.r.i.c.k them all, with those of the back, belly, fins, head, &c. Boil the back and belly till the bones can be taken off, without, however, allowing the softer parts to be sufficiently done, as they will be boiled again in the soup. When these latter come off easily, lay them on earthen dishes singly, for fear they should stick together, and put them to cool. Keep the liquor in which you have blanched the softer parts, and let the bones stew thoroughly in it, as this liquor must be used to moisten all the sauces.
All the flesh of the interior parts, the four legs and head, must be drawn down in the following manner:--Lay the slices of ham on the bottom of a very large stewpan, over them the knuckles of veal, according to the size of the turtle; then the inside flesh of the turtle, and over the whole the members. Now moisten with the water in which you are boiling the sh.e.l.l, and draw it down thoroughly. It may now be ascertained if it be thoroughly done by thrusting a knife into the fleshy part of the meat. If no blood appears, it is time to moisten it again with the liquor in which the bones, &c. have been boiling. Put in a large bunch of all such sweet herbs as are used in the cooking of a turtle,--sweet basil, sweet marjoram, lemon thyme, winter savory, 2 or 3 bay-leaves, common thyme, a handful of parsley and green onions, and a large onion stuck with 6 cloves. Let the whole be thoroughly done. With respect to the members, probe them, to see whether they are done, and if so, drain and send them to the larder, as they are to make their appearance only when the soup is absolutely completed. When the flesh is also completely done, strain it through a silk sieve, and make a very thin white _roux;_ for turtle soup must not be much thickened. When the flour is sufficiently done on a slow fire, and has a good colour, moisten it with the liquor, keeping it over the fire till it boils.
Ascertain that the sauce is neither too thick nor too thin; then draw the stewpan on the side of the stove, to skim off the white sc.u.m, and all the fat and oil that rise to the surface of the sauce. By this time all the softer parts will be sufficiently cold; when they must be cut to about the size of one or two inches square, and thrown into the soup, which must now be left to simmer gently. When done, skim off all the fat and froth. Take all the leaves of the herbs from the stock,--sweet basil, sweet marjoram, lemon thyme, winter savory, 2 or 3 bay-leaves, common thyme, a handful of parsley and green onions, and a large onion cut in four pieces, with a few blades of mace. Put these in a stewpan, with about 1/4 lb. of fresh b.u.t.ter, and let it simmer on a slow fire till quite melted, when pour in 1 bottle of good Madeira, adding a small bit of sugar, and let it boil gently for 1 hour. When done, rub it through a tammy, and add it to the soup. Let this boil, till no white sc.u.m rises; then take with a skimmer all the bits of turtle out of the sauce, and put them in a clean stewpan: when you have all out, pour the soup over the bits of turtle, through a tammy, and proceed as follows:--
QUENELLES a TORTUE.--Make some _quenelles a tortue_, which being subst.i.tutes for eggs, do not require to be very delicate. Take out the fleshy part of a leg of veal, about 1 lb., sc.r.a.pe off all the meat, without leaving any sinews or fat, and soak in milk about the same quant.i.ty of crumbs of bread. When the bread is well soaked, squeeze it, and put it into a mortar, with the veal, a small quant.i.ty of calf"s udder, a little b.u.t.ter, the yolks of 4 eggs, boiled hard, a little cayenne pepper, salt, and spices, and pound the whole very fine; then thicken the mixture with 2 whole eggs, and the yolk of another. Next try this _farce_ or stuffing in boiling-hot water, to ascertain its consistency: if it is too thin, add the yolk of an egg. When the _farce_ is perfected, take half of it, and put into it some chopped parsley. Let the whole cool, in order to roll it of the size of the yolk of an egg; poach it in salt and boiling water, and when very hard, drain on a sieve, and put it into the turtle. Before you send up, squeeze the juice of 2 or 3 lemons, with a little cayenne pepper, and pour that into the soup. THE FINS may be served as a _plat d"entree_ with a little turtle sauce; if not, on the following day you may warm the turtle _au bain marie_, and serve the members entire, with a _matelote_ sauce, garnished with mushrooms, c.o.c.ks" combs, _quenelles_, &c. When either lemon-juice or cayenne pepper has been introduced, no boiling must take place.
_Note_.--It is necessary to observe, that the turtle prepared a day before it is used, is generally preferable, the flavour being more uniform. Be particular, when you dress a very large turtle, to preserve the green fat (be cautious not to study a very brown colour,--the natural green of the fish is preferred by every epicure and true connoisseur) in a separate stewpan, and likewise when the turtle is entirely done, to have as many tureens as you mean to serve each time.
You cannot put the whole in a large vessel, for many reasons: first, it will be long in cooling; secondly, when you take some out, it will break all the rest into rags. If you warm in a _bain marie_, the turtle will always retain the same taste; but if you boil it often, it becomes strong, and loses the delicacy of its flavour.
THE COST OF TURTLE SOUP.--This is the most expensive soup brought to table. It is sold by the quart,--one guinea being the standard price for that quant.i.ty. The price of live turtle ranges from 8d. to 2s. per lb., according to supply and demand. When live turtle is dear, many cooks use the tinned turtle, which is killed when caught, and preserved by being put in hermetically-sealed canisters, and so sent over to England. The cost of a tin, containing 2 quarts, or 4 lbs., is about 2, and for a small one, containing the green fat, 7s. 6d. From these about 6 quarts of good soup may be made.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE TURTLE.]
THE GREEN TURTLE.--This reptile is found in large numbers on the coasts of all the islands and continents within the tropics, in both the old and new worlds. Their length is often five feet and upwards, and they range in weight from 50 to 500 or 600 lbs. As turtles find a constant supply of food on the coasts which they frequent, they are not of a quarrelsome disposition, as the submarine meadows in which they pasture, yield plenty for them all. Like other species of amphibia, too, they have the power of living many months without food; so that they live harmlessly and peaceably together, notwithstanding that they seem to have no common bond of a.s.sociation, but merely a.s.semble in the same places as if entirely by accident. England is mostly supplied with them from the West Indies, whence they are brought alive and in tolerable health. The green turtle is highly prized on account of the delicious quality of its flesh, the fat of the upper and lower shields of the animal being esteemed the richest and most delicate parts. The soup, however, is apt to disagree with weak stomachs. As an article of luxury, the turtle has only come into fashion within the last 100 years, and some hundreds of tureens of turtle soup are served annually at the lord mayor"s dinner in Guildhall.
A GOOD FAMILY SOUP.
190. INGREDIENTS.--Remains of a cold tongue, 2 lbs. of shin of beef, any cold pieces of meat or beef-bones, 2 turnips, 2 carrots, 2 onions, 1 parsnip, 1 head of celery, 4 quarts of water, 1/2 teacupful of rice; salt and pepper to taste.
_Mode_.--Put all the ingredients in a stewpan, and simmer gently for 4 hours, or until all the goodness is drawn from the meat. Strain off the soup, and let it stand to get cold. The kernels and soft parts of the tongue must be saved. When the soup is wanted for use, skim off all the fat, put in the kernels and soft parts of the tongue, slice in a small quant.i.ty of fresh carrot, turnip, and onion; stew till the vegetables are tender, and serve with toasted bread.
_Time_.--5 hours. __Average cost_,3d. per quart.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
_Sufficient_ for 12 persons.
HODGE-PODGE.
191. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of shin of beef, 3 quarts of water, 1 pint of table-beer, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 1 head of celery; pepper and salt to taste; thickening of b.u.t.ter and flour.
_Mode_.--Put the meat, beer, and water in a stewpan; simmer for a few minutes, and skim carefully. Add the vegetables and seasoning; stew gently till the meat is tender. Thicken with the b.u.t.ter and flour, and serve with turnips and carrots, or spinach and celery.
_Time_.--3 hours, or rather more. _Average cost_, 3d. per quart.
_Seasonable_ at any time. _Sufficient_ for 12 persons.
TABLE BEER.--This is nothing more than a weak ale, and is not made so much with a view to strength, as to transparency of colour and an agreeable bitterness of taste. It is, or ought to be, manufactured by the London professional brewers, from the best pale malt, or amber and malt. Six barrels are usually drawn from one quarter of malt, with which are mixed 4 or 5 lbs. of hops. As a beverage, it is agreeable when fresh; but it is not adapted to keep long.
FISH SOUPS.
FISH STOCK.