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Soups (Take carrots and as many)

Take 4 carrots and as many turnips, scraped and washed; scoop them into the form of small olives or peas, with a vegetable scoop of either shape; add the white part of 2 heads of celery, 24 small onions (without the green stalk), and 1 head of firm white cauliflower, cut into small flowerets. Blanch or parboil the foregoing in boiling water for three minutes, strain them on a sieve, and then throw them into 3 quarts of bright consommé of fowl. Let the whole boil gently for half an hour by the side of the stove fire; then add the white leaves of 2 cabbage-lettuces (previously stamped out with a round cutter the size of a shilling), a handful of sorrel-leaves, snipped or cut like the lettuces, a few leaves of tarragon and chervil, and a small piece of sugar. Let these continue to boil gently until done. When about to send the soup to table, put into the tureen half a pint of young green peas, an equal quantity of asparagus-heads boiled green, and a handful of small croutons à la duchesse, prepared in the following manner: Cut the crust off a rasped French roll into strips; stamp or cut out these with a round tin or steel cutter into small pellets, about the size of a dime, and dry them in the oven to be ready for use. Before sending the soup to table, taste it to ascertain whether it be sufficiently seasoned.

Julienne Soup. ceding directions, and in addition to its contents add a pint and a half of green peas (either marrowfats or Prussian-blues). Allow the soup to boil gently until the ingredients be thoroughly done, then mix in with them one pint of purée of green spinach and parsely; taste to ascertain that the seasoning be correct, and serve.

Lettuce and Whole-Pea Soup.

Pick, wash and blanch a dozen white-heart cabbage-lettuces; cut them open and spread them on a clean napkin; season them with pepper and salt; then put two together face to face and proceed to tie them up with twine. Cover the bottom of a stewpan with thin layers of fat bacon and place the lettuce thereon; pour over them some broth from the boiling stockpot, over which lay a round of buttered paper, place the lid on the stewpan, start them to boil on the fire, and then place them on a slackened stove to simmer gently for about an hour, after which drain the lettuces on a clean napkin, untie them, and after having cut them into inch lengths lay them in the soup-tureen, together with a pint of young green peas boiled for the purpose and a small pinch of pepper. Take every particle of fat off the broth in which the lettuces have been braized and add it to the lettuces and peas already in the tureen, over which pour 2 quarts of bright, strong consommé of fowl; ascertain that the soup is palatable, and having thrown in a handful of duchess's Take 3 red carrots of a large size, as many crusts, send to table. sound turnips, and the white parts of the same number of leeks, heads of celery, and onions. Cut all these vegetables into fine shreds an inch long; put them into a convenient-sized stewpan, with 2 ounces of fresh butter, a little salt, and a teaspoonful of pounded sugar. Simmer these vegetables on a slow stove fire, taking care they do not burn.

When they become slightly brown add 3 quarts of veal gravy or light-colored consommé; let the soup boil, skim all the butter off as it rises to the surface, and, when the vegetables are done, throw in the leaves of two cabbage-lettuces and a handful of sorrel, shred like the carrots, etc.; add a few leaves of tarragon and chervil. Boil the whole for ten minutes longer, taste the soup in order to ascertain whether the seasoning is correct, and serve. Scotch Broth.

Take a neck of fresh mutton; trim it the same as for cutlets; take the scrag and trimmings, with 2 carrots, 3 turnips, 2 heads of celery, 2 onions, a bunch of parsley, and a sprig of thyme, and with these make some mutton broth, filling up with either broth from the common stockpot or with water. While the mutton broth is boiling, cut up the neck of mutton, previously trimmed for the purpose, into chops, which should have the superfluous skin and fat pared away, and place them in a three-quart stewpan, together with the red or outer part of 2 carrots, 3 turnips, 2 leeks, 1 onion, and 2 heads of celery - the whole of these to be cut in the form of very small dice; add 6 ounces of Scotch barley, previously washed and parboiled, and then pour on to the whole the broth made from the scrag, etc, when strained and the fat removed. Allow the soup thus far prepared to boil gently until the chops and vegetables be thoroughly done. Five minutes before sending the soup to table throw into it a tablespoonful of chopped and blanched parsley. Be sparing in the use of salt, so as not to overpower the simple but sweet flavor which characterizes this broth.

Hodge-Podge.

Turtle Soup.

Procure a fine, lively, fat turtle, weighing about 120 pounds, fish of this weight being considered the best, as their fat is not liable to be impregnated with that disagreeable, strong flavor objected to in fish of larger size. On the other hand, turtles of very small size seldom possess sufficient fat or substance to make them worth dressing. When time permits kill the turtle overnight, that it may be left to bleed in a cool place till the next morning, when at an early hour it should be cut up for scalding, that being the first. part of the operation. If, however, the turtle is required for immediate use, to save time the fish may be scalded as soon as it is killed. The turtle being ready for cutting up, lay it on its back, and with a large kitchen-knife separate the fat or belly-shell from the back by making an incision all round the inner edge of the shell; when all the fleshy parts adhering to the shell have been carefully cut away, it may be set aside. Then detach the intestines by running the sharp edge of a knife closely along the spine of the fish, and remove them instantly in a pail to be thrown away. Cut off the fins and separate the fleshy parts, which place on a dish by themselves till wanted. Take particular care of every particle of the green fat, which lies chiefly at the sockets of the fore-fins, and more or less all round the interior of the fish, if in good condition. Let this fat, which, when in a healthy state, is elastic and of a bluish color while raw, be steeped for several hours in cold spring-water, in order that it may be thoroughly cleansed of all impurities; then with a meat-saw divide the upper and under shells into pieces of convenient size to handle, and having put them with the fins and head into a large vessel containing boiling water, proceed quickly to scald them; by this means they will be separated from the horny substance which covers them, which will then be easily removed.

They must then be put into a larger stockpot nearly filled with fresh hot water and left to con- Make the mutton broth as shown in the pre-tinue boiling by the side of the stove-fire until the glutinous substance separates easily from the bones. Place the pieces of turtle carefully upon clean dishes and put them in the larder to get cold; they should then be cut up into pieces about an inch and a half square, which pieces are to be finally put into the soup when it is nearly finished. Put the bones back into the broth to boil an hour longer, for the double purpose of extracting all their savor and to effect the reduction of the turtle broth, which is to be used for filling up the turtle stockpot hereafter. In order to save time, while the above is in operation the turtle stock or consommé should be prepared as follows:

With 4 ounces of fresh butter spread the bottom of an 18 gallon stockpot; then place in it 3 pounds of raw ham cut in slices; over these put 40 pounds of leg of beef and knuckles of veal, 4 old hens (after having removed their fillets, which are to be kept for making the quenelles for the soup); to these add all the fleshy pieces of the turtle (excepting those pieces intended for entrés), and then place on the top the head and fins of the turtle; moisten the whole with a bottle of Madeira and 4 quarts of good stock; add a pottle of mushrooms, 12 cloves, 4 blades of mace, a handful of parsley roots and a good-sized bouquet of parsley tied up with 2 bay leaves, thyme, green onions and shallots. Set the consommé thus prepared on a brisk stove fire to boil sharply, and when the liquid has become reduced to a glaze fill the stockpot up instantly, and as soon as it boils skim it thoroughly, garnish with the usual complement of vegetables, and remove it to the side of the stove to boil gently for 6 hours. Remember to probe the head and fins after they have been boiled 2 hours, and as soon as they are done drain them on a dish, cover them with a wet napkin well saturated with water to prevent it from sticking to them, and put them away in a cool place with the remainder of the glutinous the fat (after it has been scalded and boiled in some of the sauces) in equal quantities into each basin, as also some small quenelles, which are to be made with the fillets of hens reserved for that purpose, and in which, in addition to the usual ingredients in ordinary cases, put 6 yolks of eggs boiled hard. Mould these quenelles into small, round balls, to imitate turtles' eggs, roll them with the hand on a marble slab or table, with the aid of a little flour, and poach them in the usual way. When the turtle soup is wanted for use, warm it, and just before sending it to table add a small glass of Sherry or Madeira and the juice of one lemon to every four quarts of turtle. The second stock of the turtle consommé should be strained off after it has boiled for two hours, and immediately boiled down into a glaze very quickly and mixed in with the turtle soup previously to putting it away in the basins, or else it should be kept in reserve for the purpose of adding proportionate quantities in each tureen of turtle as it is served. [For this and several other receipts in fine cookery we are indebted to Francatelli.] Mock-Turtle Soup.

Procure a scalded calf's head, or as it is sometimes called, a turtle head, bone it in the following manner: Place the calf's head on the table with the front part of the head facing you, draw the sharp point of a knife from the back part of the head right down to the nose, making an incision down to the bone of the skull; then with the knife clear the scalp and cheeks from the bones right and left, always keeping the point of the knife close to the bone. Having boned the head put it into a large stewpan of cold water on the fire; as soon as it boils skim it well and let it continue to boil for ten minutes; take the calf's head out and put it into a pan full of cold water; then get a proper sized stockpot and after having but-- parts of the turtle already spoken of. The stock-tered the bottom thereof, place in it 4 slices of raw pot should now be filled up with the turtle broth reserved for that purpose as directed above.

When the turtle stock is done strain it off into an appropriate-sized stockpot, remove every particle of fat from the surface, and then proceed to thicken it with a proportionate quantity of flour to the consistency of thin sauce. Work this exactly in the same manner as practised in brown sauce, in order to extract all the butter and scum, so as to give it a brilliant appearance. One bottle of old Madeira must now be added, together with a purée of herbs of the following kinds, to be made as here directed:

Sweet basil must form one-third proportion of the whole quantity of herbs intended to be used; winter savory, marjoram and lemon-thyme in equal quantities, making up the other two-thirds; add to these a double-handful of green shallots and some trimmings of mushrooms; moisten with a quart of broth, and having stewed these herbs for about an hour rub the whole through the tammy into a purée. This purée being added to the soup, a little Cayenne pepper should then be introduced. The pieces of turtle, as well as the fins, which have also been cut into small pieces and the larger bones taken out, should now be allowed to boil in the soup for a quarter of an hour, after which carefully remove the whole of the scum as it rises to the surface. The degree of seasoning must be ascertained, that it may be corrected if faulty. To excel in dressing turtle it is necessary to be very accurate in the proportions of the numerous ingredients used for seasoning this soup. Nothing should predominate, but the whole should be harmoniously blended. Put the turtle away in four-quart-sized basins, dividing ham, 2 large knuckles of veal, and an old hen partially roasted; moisten with 2 quarts of broth and put the stockpot on the stove fire to boil until the broth is reduced to a glaze, when instantly slacken the heat by covering the fire with ashes, and then leave the soup to color itself gradually.

Allow the glaze at the bottom of the stewpan to be reduced to the same consistency as for brown sauce, and fill up the stockpot with water leaving room for the calf's head, which separate into two halves, and pare off all the rough cuticle about the inner parts of the mouth, then place it in the stock, and after setting it to boil and thoroughly skimming it garnish with the usual complement of vegetables, 6 cloves, 2 blades of mace, a pottle of mushrooms, 4 shallots, and a good bunch of parsley, green onions, thyme and bay-leaf tied together, and a little salt. Set it by the fire to boil gently till the calf's head is done, then take the pieces of head out and place them on a dish to cool, afterward to be cut into squares and put into a basin till required for adding them to the soup. Strain the stock through a broth cloth and thicken it with some light colored browning to the consistency of thin brown sauce, let it boil and allow it to throw up all the butter and classify itself thoroughly, then add a bottle of Sherry, about a pint of purée of turtle herbs in which 6 anchovies have been mixed, a little Cayenne pepper, and the calf's head cut into squares, as also the tongue braized with it. Let these boil together for about ten minutes, then add 3 or 4 dozen small round quenelles and a little lemon-juice and send to table.

Mock-turtle Soup.

Scald a calf's head with the skin on, and take off