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Spring Soup, Early

Take a knuckle of veal chopped in pieces, a quarter of a pound of lean ham, a quart of whole white peas, two or three turnips, a leek, and a little celery. Cut these into small pieces, and put to them four quarts of soft water. Boil till the meat has parted with all its juices and the peas have become soft. Then take out the meat and vegetables, and pulp the peas through a sieve. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Take a bunch of asparagus cut small to resemble green peas, the hearts of two or three cabbage-lettuces, and some green mint chopped fine. Stew these in the soup till the vegetables become tender, taking care to keep them of a good colour and not to permit them to remain too long upon the fire. Should the soup prove too thick, put to it some good broth, and if too thin, add a little flour and water. Should it not appear sufficiently green, pound a handful of spinach, and put the juice, when properly strained, into the soup, but it must not be boiled, for that would destroy the green colour of the spinach. Observe that when asparagus is meant to resemble green peas, care must be taken not to subject it to too much heat, it being a vegetable that soon becomes soft and loses its colour. A considerable degree of attention is required on the part of the cook, in regard to the management of the asparagus.