A Little Cook Book for a Little Girl by Caroline French Benton (most interesting books to read TXT) 📖

she began to arrange very easy dinners when Bridget was out, such as cream soup, beefsteak or veal cutlet, with potatoes and one vegetable, and a plain lettuce salad, with a cold dessert made in the morning. The first time she really did every single thing alone, Margaret's father gave her a dollar; he said it was a ``tip'' for the best dinner he ever ate. SOUPS

The soups in the little cook-book began with those made of milk and vegetables, because they were so easy to make, and, when one was learned, all were made in the same way. First there was—

The General Rule

1 pint of fresh vegetable, cut up in small pieces, or one can. 1 pint of boiling water. 1 pint of hot milk. 1 tablespoonful of flour. 1 tablespoonful of butter. 1/2 teaspoonful of salt. 3 shakes of pepper.

After the vegetable is washed and cut in very small pieces, put it in the pint of water and cook it for twenty minutes. Or, if you use a canned vegetable, cook it ten minutes. While it is cooking, make the rule for white sauce as before: Melt one tablespoonful of butter, and when it bubbles put in one tablespoonful of flour, with the salt and pepper; shake well, and rub till smooth and thick with the hot milk. Take the vegetable from the fire and press it through the wire sieve, letting the water go through, too; mix with the sauce and strain again, and it is done.

Almost all soups are better for one very thin slice of onion cooked with the vegetable. When you want a cream soup very nice indeed, whip a cup of cream and put in the hot soup-tureen, and pour the soup in on it, beating it a little, till it is all foamy.

Cream of Corn

1 pint of fresh grated corn, or one can. 1 pint of water. 1 pint of hot milk. 1 tablespoonful of flour. 1 tablespoonful of butter. 1/2 teaspoonful of salt. 3 shakes of pepper. 1 thin slice of onion.

Cook the corn with the water; make the white sauce with the milk; strain the corn and water through the sieve, pressing well, and add the milk and strain again.

Cream of Green Peas

1 pint of peas, or one can. Milk, water, and seasoning, as before; mix by the general rule.

In winter-time you can make a nice soup by taking dried peas, soaking them overnight, and using them as you would fresh.

All pea soup should have dropped in it just before serving what are called croutons; that is, small, even cubes of bread toasted to a nice brown in the oven, or put in a frying-pan with a tiny bit of butter, and browned.

Cream of Lima Beans

1 pint of fresh or canned beans, or those which have been soaked.

Use milk, water, thickening, and seasoning as before. Add a slice of onion, as these beans have little taste, and beat the yolk of an egg and stir in quickly, after you have taken the soup from the fire, just before you strain it for the second time.

Cream of Potato

This is one of the best and most delicate soups.

5 freshly boiled potatoes. 1 slice of onion. 1 quart of hot milk. 1 small teaspoonful of salt. 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley.

This soup has no water in it, because that which has had potatoes boiled in it is always spoiled for anything else and must always be thrown away. This is why you must take a quart of milk instead of a pint. There is no thickening in the soup, because the potatoes will thicken it themselves. Put the parsley in at the very last, after the soup is in the tureen.

The yolk of an egg beaten and put in before the second straining is nice sometimes in this soup, but not necessary.

Cream of Almonds

This was what Margaret called a Dinner-party Soup, because it seemed almost too good for every day, but, as her mother explained, almonds cost no more than canned tomatoes or peas, and the family can have the soup as well as guests, provided one has plenty of cream.

1 cup of chopped almonds. 1 quart of thin cream. Small half-teaspoonful of salt.

Get ten cents' worth of Jordan almonds, and put them in boiling water for one minute; then pour off the water and put on cold, till they are well chilled. Turn this off, and push the almonds out of their skins, one by one. If they stick, it is because they were not in the hot water long enough, and you must put them back into it, and then into the cold. Chop them while the cream heats in the double boiler, and then put them in with the salt, and simmer ten minutes and then strain.

This soup is especially delicious if whipped cream is either mixed with it at the end, or served on top.

You can also make good almond soup by using the regular rule; cooking the chopped nuts in a pint of water, adding the thickened pint of milk and seasoning, and straining twice. Then, after it is in the tureen, you must put in the egg-beater and whip well, to make it light.

Cream of Spinach

1 pint cold cooked spinach. 1 quart of milk.

Heat the spinach, using a little of the quart of milk with it, and press through the sieve; thicken the rest of the milk, and the seasoning, and strain again. It is better to use cayenne pepper instead of black with spinach.

Cream of Tomato Soup, Called Tomato Bisque.

4 large tomatoes, cut up, or 1/2 can, with 1/2 cup of water. 2 slices of onion. 2 sprigs of parsley. 1 teaspoonful of sugar. 1/2 teaspoonful salt. 1/4 teaspoonful soda. 1 quart of milk. 1 tablespoonful butter. 1 tablespoonful flour.

Cook the tomatoes with the onion, parsley, sugar, and salt for twenty minutes. Mix in the soda and stir well; the soda prevents the milk from curdling. Make the milk and flour and butter into white sauce as usual; strain the tomato, mix the two, and strain again.

Sometimes add a stalk of celery to the other seasoning as it cooks.

Cream of Clams

1 dozen hard clams, or one bunch of soft ones. 1 quart of rich milk. 1 tablespoonful butter. 1 tablespoonful flour. 3 shakes of pepper.

Chop the clams and drain off the juice and add as much water; cook till the scum rises, and skim this off. Drop in the clams and cook three minutes. Heat the milk and thicken as usual; put in the clams and juice, cook for one minute, and strain.

Notice that there is no salt in this soup. A cup of cream, whipped, either put on top or stirred in, is very nice.

Oyster Soup

1 pint oysters. 1/2 pint water. 1 quart rich milk. 1/2 teaspoonful salt.

Drain off the oyster juice, add the water, boil it for one minute, and skim it well. Heat the milk and mix it with this; drop in the oysters and cook one minute, or till the edges begin to curl, and it is done. This soup is not thickened at all; but if you like you may add two tablespoonfuls of finely powdered and sifted cracker-crumbs.

Meat Soup or Bouillon Made from Extract

This Margaret made from beef extract, before she learned to use the fresh beef.

2 teaspoonfuls of extract, or 2 capsules. 1 quart of boiling water. 1/2 an onion, sliced. 1 stalk of celery. 1/2 teaspoonful salt. 2 shakes of pepper. 2 sprays of parsley.

Simmer this for twenty minutes, strain, and pour over six thin slices of lemon, one for each plate. Serve with hot crackers.

Cream Bouillon

Make this same soup, and pour it over a half-pint of thick cream, well whipped. Do not put any lemon in it. Serve with hot crackers.

Meat Soups

You can make meat soup, or stock, out of almost any kind of meat, cooked or raw, with bones or without. Many cooks never buy fresh meat for it, and others think they must always have it. It is best to learn both ways.

Plain Meat Soup

1 shin of beef. 5 quarts of water. 1 small tablespoonful of salt. 1 head celery, cut up. 1 onion. 1 carrot. 1 turnip. 1 sprig of parsley. 2 bay-leaves. 6 whole cloves.

Wipe the meat and cut off all the bone. Put the bone in a clean kettle first, and then the meat on top, and pour in the water; cover, and let this stand on the back of the stove an hour, then draw it forward and let it cook. This will bring scum on the water in half an hour, and you must carefully pour in a cup of cold water and skim off everything which rises to the top. Cover the kettle tightly, and cook very slowly indeed for four hours; then put in the cut up vegetables and cook one hour more, always just simmering, not boiling hard. Then it is done, and you can put in the salt, and strain the soup first through a heavy wire sieve, and then through a flannel bag, and set it away to get cold, and you will have a strong, clear, delicious stock, which you can put many things in to have variety.

Clear Vegetable Soup

Slice one carrot, turnip, and one potato, and cut them either into small, even strips, or into tiny cubes, or take a vegetable cutter and cut out fancy shapes. Simmer them about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, take a pint of soup stock and a cup of water and heat them. Sprinkle a little salt over the vegetables and drain them; put them in the soup-tureen and pour the hot soup over.

Split Pea Soup

1 pint split peas. 1 1/2 quarts of boiling water. 1 quart of soup stock. 1 small teaspoonful of salt. 3 shakes of pepper.

Wash the peas in cold water and throw away those which float, as they are bad. Soak them overnight, and in the morning pour away the water on them and cover them with a quart of the boiling water in the rule, and cook an hour and a half. Put in the rest of the water and the stock, and press the whole through a sieve, and, after washing and wiping the kettle, put the soup back to heat, adding the salt and pepper.

Tomato Soup

1 can tomatoes, or 1 quart of fresh stewed ones. 1 pint of stock. (You can use water instead in this soup, if necessary.) 1/4 teaspoonful soda. 1 tablespoonful of butter. 2 tablespoonfuls of flour. 1 teaspoonful of sugar. 1 small onion, cut up. 1 sprig of parsley. 1 bay-leaf. 1 small teaspoonful of salt. 3 shakes of pepper.

Put the tomatoes into a saucepan with the parsley, onion, bay-leaf, and stock, or water, and cook fifteen minutes, and then strain through a sieve. Wash the saucepan and put the tomatoes back in it, and put on to boil again; melt the butter, rub smooth with the flour, and put into the soup while it boils, and stir till it is perfectly smooth. Then add the sugar, salt, and pepper and soda, and strain into the hot tureen. Serve croutons with this soup.

Soup Made with Cooked Meats

Put all the bones, bits of meat, and vegetables which are in the refrigerator into one large kettle on the back of the fire, and simmer all day in enough boiling water to cover it all, adding more water as this cooks away. Skim carefully from time to time. If there are not many vegetables to go in, put parsley and onion in their place. At night strain through the sieve, then through the flannel, and cool.

This stock is never clear as is that made from fresh meat, but it is almost as good for thick soups, such as pea, or tomato.

Chicken or Turkey Soup

Break up the bones and cover with cold water; add a slice of onion, a bay-leaf, and a sprig of parsley, and cook all day, adding water when necessary, and skimming. Cool, take off the grease, heat again, and strain. Serve with small, even squares of chicken meat in it, or a little cooked rice and salt. Many people like a small pinch of cinnamon in turkey soup.