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Turkey Soup, Superior

Take the remains of a cold boiled or roast turkey, cut off the meat, mince it finely, pound till smooth, and put it aside till wanted. Break up the body of the bird into small pieces, put these into a stewpan with two quarts of nicely-flavoured white stock, and let them simmer gently for one hour and a half. Strain the gravy, let it cool, skim off the fat, and season with salt and cayenne. Cut a quarter of a pound of stale crumb of bread into thin slices, soak these for a few minutes in as much of the stock as they will absorb, let them simmer a few minutes, and afterwards squeeze the pulp in a cloth till it is quite dry. Mix this thoroughly with the flesh of the turkey which was put aside, add the soup gradually and smoothly to the paste, and rub the whole through a fine sieve with the back of a wooden spoon. Let it boil once more, add salt and cayenne as required, and just before serving add a pint of boiling cream or milk. If the soup is not sufficiently thick, it may be made so by adding an ounce of arrowroot or ground rice made into a smooth batter with a little cold milk and boiled in it before the cream is added. The soup ought to be of the consistency of thick cream. If no white stock is at hand, a little may be made as follows. Divide two pounds of the scrag-end of a neck of veal, or a calf's foot well cleaned, or a knuckle-bone of veal, into small pieces, put them into a saucepan with five pints of cold water, a slice of lean ham, a carrot, a turnip, three onions, a blade of mace, half a tea-spoonful of peppercorns, a few outer sticks of celery, a bunch of parsley, and a sprig of thyme. Let all simmer gently for three hours. Strain the soup, let it get cold, remove the fat, add a little salt, and it will be ready for use. If there be any liquor in which mutton, veal, rabbits, or chickens have been boiled, it may be stewed with the flavouring ingredients, without any meat. Time, four hours to make the stock, three hours to make the soup. Sufficient for ten or twelve persons.