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Turnip Soup
257. Take off a knuckle of veal all the meat that can be made into cutlets, &c., and set the remainder on to stew with an onion, a bunch of herbs, a blade of mace, and five pints of water; cover it close, and let it stew on a slow fire four or five hours. Strain and set it up till next day, then take the fat and sediment from it, and simmer it with
This is a two-day recipe in the classic English manner: a long veal stock made one day, degreased cold the next, then finished with the vegetable that gives it its name. The stock is the whole of the work.
- The knuckleA veal knuckle is the lower leg joint, rich in gelatine — this is what gives the finished soup body without any thickening. If your butcher does not carry it, veal shin or an osso buco cut will serve; the recipe gives no weight, but 2-3 lb is a reasonable modern equivalent.
- Five pints of waterBritish imperial pints, so 20 fl oz each: five pints is 100 fl oz, about 12 US cups or 2.8 litres. Kept covered close over four or five hours it will reduce somewhat, though how much depends on the pot.
- A blade of maceMace is the dried aril, the lacy covering of the nutmeg seed, and a "blade" is one whole piece of it. A quarter teaspoon of ground mace stands in.
- "A slow fire"A bare simmer, with the surface barely trembling — around 180-190F. A rolling boil emulsifies the fat into the liquid and clouds the stock, which defeats the point of the overnight rest.
- Setting it up till next dayThe purpose is that the fat sets hard on top and lifts off in a sheet, and the sediment settles so the clear liquid can be poured off it. Chill it in the refrigerator rather than a cold larder, and use it within three days or freeze it.
- TurnipsThe text breaks off before the turnips are specified. For a soup of this size, 1 1/2 to 2 lb of turnips, peeled and sliced, simmered until soft enough to crush, is a workable amount. Young white turnips give a milder, sweeter result; swedes will make it sharper and darker.
- YieldAbout five to six servings as a first course. Season only after the stock has reduced, since reduction concentrates whatever salt went in early.