Petite Marmite
This is the national soup of France, and just now very fashionable in first-class restaurants. It is always served in the earthen pot in which it is cooked, set on a fancy plate. Each mouthful should convey a distinct taste of a separate vegetable. The marmites are sold at the crockery stores in the French quarter, but an ordinary earthen Boston bean pot will answer equally well to serve it in. The stock can be first cooked in a large kettle, used for soups, every day. Cut up 6 pounds of beef and the shin bone, an old chicken,--which can be used for croquettes or salad,--2 large carrots, 2 leeks, and 2 turnips. Add 3 cloves, a bayleaf, some parsley, thyme, and sweet marioram, 1 gallon of water. Bring it to a boil, skim it, and let it simmer 8 hours. Take off the fat, clarify it, and use it for frying or braising. Add salt and pepper sparingly, set it away overnight, after straining it. To 1 quart of this, heated in the earthen pot, add 1 cup of sliced carrots, turnips, or string beans, cut thin and cooked. Also 4 slices of toasted bread or rolls. Using this recipe for stock--it is given by a reliable chef at one of the clubs--it will make 3 1/2 quarts, sufficient for a week; 1 pint a day, with the addition of milk or vegetables or any other thickening, will do for a small family. Such concentrated stock requires an equal amount of water in cooking a second time. It may also be used in making sauces.