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Soups (Take an ox-cheek pecks)

Take an ox-cheek, 2 pecks of potatoes, 1 of a peck of onions, of a pound of salt, and 12 ounces of pepper - to be boiled in 90 pints of water, on a slow fire until reduced to 60. A pint of this soup, with a small piece of meat, is a good meal for a hearty working man. Some of every vegetable, with a few herbs, may be added.

Herring Soup.

Take 8 gallons of water, and mix it with 5 pounds of barley-meal. Boil it to the consistence of a thick jelly. Season it with salt, pepper, vinegar, sweet herbs, and, to give it a gratifying flavor, add the meat of 4 red herrings pounded.

To prepare a Nutritious Soup.

A pound of Scotch barley, with sufficient time allowed in the cooking, will make a gallon of water into a tolerable pudding consistency. A pint basin filled with it will hold a spoon upright, when at its proper degree of warmth for eating. Thoroughly steeped, it will produce a rich pulp, the form of the grains being nearly lost. Five hours' exposure, in a moderately heated oven, will be sufficient; and it may be improved by an hour or two more.

Amongst other means for such preparation, when a baker's oven has been emptied of its bread, a pan of 1 gallon size may be put in to steep its contents during the preceding night, and then renew the usual baking in the morning.

What has been lost by evaporation, may be restored by the addition of warm water. All the seasoning requisite to make it as savory as plain family dishes generally are, will be about 3 large onions, 1 ounce of salt, and of an ounce of pepper. This seasoning should be put in before sending it to the oven. Scotch Broth.

Set on the fire 4 ounces of pearl barley, with 6 quarts of salt water; when it boils skim it, and add what quantity of salt beef or fresh brisket you choose, and a marrow-bone or a fowl, with 2 pounds of either lean beef or mutton, and a good quantity of leeks, cabbages, or savoy, or you may use turnips, onions, and grated carrots; keep it boiling for at least 4 or 5 hours; but, if a fowl be used, let it not be put in till just time enough to bring it to table when well done, for it must be served separately.

A Vegetable Soup.

Take 1 onion, 1 turnip, 2 pared potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 head of celery; boil them in 3 pints of water till the vegetables are cooked; add a little salt; have a slice of bread toasted and buttered, put it into a bowl, and pour the soup over it.

Tomatoes, when in season, form an agreeable addition.

Pea Soup.

Leave 1 pint of pe peas in the pot with the water they were boiled in; make a thickening of flour, milk and butter, seasoned with salt, pepper, parsley and thyme; toast 2 or 3 slices of bread; cut it up in the tureen; and when the soup has boiled about 10 minutes, pour it over.

Children are mostly fond of pea soup, and it seldom disagrees with them. A few slices of fat ham will supply the place of butter.

Corn Soup.

To each quart of young corn, cut from the cob, allow 3 pints of water. Put the corn and water on to boil, and as soon as the grains are tender, have ready 2 ounces of sweet butter mixed with 1 tablespoonful of flour. Stir the flour and butter into the corn and water, and let it boil 10 or 15 minutes longer. Just before the soup is taken out of the pot beat up an egg, and stir into it, with salt and pepper to your taste.

Noodles for Soup.

Beat up an egg, and to it add as much flour as will make a very stiff dough. Roll it out in a thin sheet, flour it, and roll it up closely, as you would do a sheet of paper. Then with a sharp knife cut it in shavings about like cabbage for slaw; flour these cuttings to prevent them from adhering to each other, and add them to your soup whilst it is boiling. Let them boil 10 minutes.

Pepperpot.

Cut in small pieces 3 pounds of tripe, put it on to boil in as much water as will cover it, allowing a teaspoonful of salt to every quart of water. Let it boil 3 hours, then have ready 4 calves'-feet, which have been dressed with the tripe, and add as much water as will cover them; also 3 onions sliced, and a small bunch of sweet herbs chopped fine. Half an hour before the pepperpot is done add four potatoes cut in pieces; when these are tender add 2 ounces of butter rolled in flour, and season the soup highly with Cayenne pepper.

Make some dumplings of flour and butter and a little water- drop them into the soup; when the vegetables are sufficiently soft, serve it.

The calves'-feet may be served with drawn butter. Any kind of spice may be added. If allspice or cloves are used, the grains should be put in whole.

Clam Soup.

Wash the shells and put them in a kettle. Put the kettle where it will be hot enough to cause a steam from the clams, which will open them. To 1 quart of clams put 2 quarts of water, and then proceed as for oyster soup.

Oyster Soup.

To 1 quart of oysters add 1 quart of water.

Pour the water on the oysters and stir them.

Then take them out one at a time, so that no small particles of shell may adhere to them. Strain the liquor through a sieve, put it in a stew-pan over the fire with a little mace, and season with red pepper and salt to your taste. When this boils put in your oysters. Let them boil again; then add pint of cream and serve hot.

Chicken Soup.

Clean and wash a large fat chicken, put it on to boil in about 4 quarts of water, to which add a teacupful of rice, 1 onion cut fine, 4 or 5 turnips pared and cut into small pieces, 1 dessertspoonful of white sugar (a little sugar, not more than a tablespoonful to 3 or 4 quarts, may be added, scorched brown, to any soup while boiling, with advantage), a little sweet marjoram, with salt and red-pepper to taste. After boiling over a slow fire for rather more than an hour, put in 6 white potatoes, pared, washed, and cut in quarters, which, as soon as done, add a little parsley minced fine. When done, if not sufficiently seasoned, more may be added. Place the chicken on a dish, which garnish with sprigs of double parsley, the soup in a tureen, and send to table hot. Chicken Broth.

Take a nice tender chicken, and after cleaning it very nicely, cut it into quarters, and put it into a soup-kettle with 3 quarts of water, 2 tablespoonsful of rice, or pearl-barley, and salt to taste. Let it boil slowly, and as the scum rises remove it.

When thoroughly done place the chicken on a dish, garnish with double parsley, and eat with drawn butter, and serve the broth in a deep-covered china bowl or tureen, and send to table hot.

Mutton Broth.