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Inexpensive Soup
In this soup veal is substituted for chicken.
Put a large knuckle of veal in 3 quarts of cold water over a slow fire; let it simmer for three hours; skim often. Strain, and add a bay leaf, a carrot, a turnip, a blade of mace, a small onion, 2 cloves, a sprig of parsley, and a few stalks celery. Boil half an hour and strain. When it has jellied, take equal amounts of the jelly and cream, and use as in celery cream soup.
A veal-stock version of a cream soup base, built in two stages: a long plain simmer for gelatin, then a short aromatic infusion. The instruction that matters is that the vegetables go in only after the first strain, so they contribute flavour without disintegrating into the stock.
- Knuckle of vealThis is the joint end of the shank, sawn across so the marrow and cartilage are exposed. Ask a butcher for veal shank or osso buco cuts, about 2 to 3 lb, and expect to order ahead.
- "Slow fire"A bare simmer, roughly 180 to 190F, with the surface barely moving. A rolling boil emulsifies fat into the liquid and clouds the stock.
- SkimmingSkim in the first twenty minutes, when the grey protein foam rises, and again as fat collects. Chilling the strained stock and lifting the solid fat cap off is easier and more thorough.
- Blade of maceMace is the lacy covering of the nutmeg seed; a "blade" is one piece of that dried aril. About a quarter teaspoon of ground mace substitutes, added towards the end of the half-hour boil.
- The half-hour boilThirty minutes at a gentle simmer is enough for the aromatics. Keep the onion and carrot in large pieces so they strain out cleanly.
- JellyingRefrigerate overnight. Veal knuckle is high in collagen and a good stock should set to a firm jelly. If it stays liquid, reduce it further before chilling rather than adding gelatin.
- FinishingEqual parts melted jelly and cream makes a rich soup; half and half or whole milk gives a lighter result closer to modern practice. Warm the mixture gently and do not let it boil once the dairy is in.
- YieldThe recipe gives no yield. Three quarts of water will reduce over the long simmer, by an amount depending on the pot and the heat; with an equal volume of cream the finished soup serves a first course for a table of eight or so. Season at the end, since reduction concentrates any salt added early.