SOUPS
O hour of all hours, the most pleasant on earth,Happy hour of our dinners!—Meredith.Soup rejoices the stomach, and disposes it to receive and digest other food.—Brillat Savarin.It is important that we relish the food we eat.—Christian Temperance.
O hour of all hours, the most pleasant on earth,Happy hour of our dinners!—Meredith.
O hour of all hours, the most pleasant on earth,Happy hour of our dinners!—Meredith.
O hour of all hours, the most pleasant on earth,Happy hour of our dinners!—Meredith.
O hour of all hours, the most pleasant on earth,
Happy hour of our dinners!—Meredith.
Soup rejoices the stomach, and disposes it to receive and digest other food.—Brillat Savarin.
It is important that we relish the food we eat.—Christian Temperance.
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Soupis easily prepared, economical, and when made from healthful materials, is a very wholesome article of diet. It adds much to the elegance and relish of a dinner, and, if taken in small quantities, is a good means of preparing the whole system to assimilate a hearty meal.
Soups afford an excellent opportunity for using left-over foods which might otherwise be wasted. A combination of vegetables left over from the previous day, such as a cupful of mashed potatoes, some stewed peas, beans, or lentils, a few spoonfuls of boiled rice, stewed tomatoes, or other bits of vegetables or grains, if in good order, make a very palatable and nourishing soup. The vegetables should be put all together in a saucepan with enough water to cover them, let simmer for an hour or two, then rubbed through a colander, and returned to the saucepan with sufficient water added to make the soup of proper consistency, reheated, seasoned, and served.
For seasoning soup, a few spoonfuls of cream, or alittle butter or nut butter may be used, though, if properly made, it is quite relishable without.
We wish all our readers success with the following simple but delicious kinds.
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BEAN SOUPFor two quarts of soup soak one pint of beans overnight. In the morning drain, and put to cook in cold water, adding one-third cup of well-washed rice if desired; boil slowly for about two hours. When done, rub through a colander, thin with boiling water, and season with a little butter and salt.POTATO SOUPPare and slice three medium-sized potatoes, and put to cook with a tablespoonful of chopped onion, or stalk of celery chopped fine, in sufficient water to cover. If celery is not at hand, one-half teaspoonful of celery salt may be used instead. Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan over the fire, then add two tablespoonfuls of flour, stir well, and cook one minute; then add gradually one quart of milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Simmer for ten minutes. As soon as the potatoes are done, and the water nearly absorbed, rub, without draining, through a colander, and add them to the hot, thickened milk. Season with salt, and serve.GREEN PEA SOUPAdd to a quart of green peas a teaspoonful of sugar and enough water to cover; cook gently until tender, and the water quite absorbed. Then rub through a colander, add a quart of milk, salt to taste, and return to the fire. Heat to boiling, then add a spoonful of flour, mixed smooth with a little butter, then to a thin paste with a little of the soup. Simmer for a few minutes, and serve with croutons. If desired, a little onion or celery may be added for seasoning during the last few minutes of cooking, and then be removed.SPLIT PEA SOUPWash one cupful of dried, split peas, and soak for several hours, or overnight, in cold water. Then put to cook in three pints of cold water, and boil slowly until thoroughly dissolved, adding more water occasionally to keep the quantity good. Stir up frequently from the bottom of the kettle. Rub through a colander; add water or rich milk to make the proper consistency, and return to the fire. Brown slightly one tablespoonful of flour in a tablespoonful of butter or cooking oil, then thin itwith a few spoonfuls of the hot soup; stir this into the boiling soup, with salt to taste; simmer for ten minutes, and serve. An onion chopped fine and browned with the flour may be used for seasoning; also a cupful of tomatoes may be cooked with the peas before straining, if desired.SPLIT PEA AND VERMICELLI SOUPMake the soup as above. Cook one-half cup of vermicelli in a cupful of boiling water for ten minutes and add to the soup.TOMATO SOUPPut a quart can of tomatoes in a porcelain stewpan, add a pint of water, and stew until well done. Brown lightly in a frying-pan a tablespoonful of finely chopped onion in a tablespoonful of butter or cooking oil; then mix in a tablespoonful of flour or cornstarch; thin this with a little of the soup, and then stir it into the soup. Simmer for ten minutes, run through a colander, reheat, add salt to taste, and serve hot with croutons.CREAM OF TOMATO SOUPTake two cupfuls of canned or fresh tomatoes, add a cupful of water, one teaspoonful of minced onion, and, if desired, a little chopped celery; stew till tender, then rub through a colander. Heat one quart of milk to boiling. Have mixed smooth one tablespoonful of butter and one level tablespoonful of flour, then thin with a little of the hot milk. Stir this into the milk as soon as it starts to boil, and cook for several minutes, adding salt to taste. Then add the tomatoes. Do not cook or let stand after the tomatoes are added, but serve at once.LENTIL SOUPCook one cupful of lentils, previously soaked an hour or two in about a quart of water, until tender. Rub through a colander; return to the fire, adding enough boiling water to make a quart in all, a small onion cut in slices, and salt to taste. When heated to boiling, thicken to the consistency of cream with browned flour. Season with a little butter or a few spoonfuls of sweet cream. If butter is used it should be mixed or braided with the flour, then thinned with enough of the soup so that it can be easily poured in. Simmer for ten minutes after adding the flour. Remove the onion before serving. The German or dark lentils are usually cheaper than the Egyptian or red lentils.LENTIL AND TOMATO SOUPSoak one cupful of lentils in cold water for a few hours, then cook in a quart of water until tender, with one small onion, three or four fresh tomatoes, or two cupfuls of stewed ones, and a tablespoonful of nut butter, if desired. Rub through a colander, add hot water to make three pints in all, reheat toboiling, and slightly thicken with a spoonful of browned flour mixed with a little cold water. Season with a small lump of butter or a few spoonfuls of cream.TOMATO AND MACARONI SOUPDrop a cupful of macaroni broken into small pieces into three or four cupfuls of boiling, slightly salted, water; boil from thirty to sixty minutes, or until tender, the length of time required depending upon whether the macaroni is fresh or stale. Have stewing one quart of fresh or canned tomatoes, and when done, rub through a colander; drain the macaroni, and add it to the tomatoes, with hot water to make about three pints in all. Reheat, season with salt and a little butter, and, after removing from the fire, add a few spoonfuls of sweet cream if convenient. Serve as soon as the cream is added.RICE SOUPWash one-third cup of rice and put to cook in about three cupfuls of water, adding a little salt; cook until tender. Then add one quart of milk, and salt to taste; reheat to boiling. Have ready a tablespoonful of butter mixed smooth with a tablespoonful of flour, then made thin with a little of the hot milk; pour this into the soup and simmer for ten minutes. Celery may be added for flavoring if desired. Also, if desired richer, a beaten yolk of egg, first mixed with a few spoonfuls of the hot soup to prevent coagulating, may be added to the soup a few minutes before serving.SAGO PEA SOUPWash, soak, and cook one cupful of split peas in plenty of water until tender; rub through a colander, return to the fire, adding enough hot water to make three pints in all, and a few slices of onion. Wash three tablespoonfuls of sago in warm water, and stir gradually into the soup; simmer for a half-hour, or until well dissolved. Remove the onion, and season with salt. Add a few spoonfuls of thin cream or rich milk to the beaten yolk of an egg, and stir into the soup a few minutes before serving.SAGO FRUIT SOUP (SUMMER)Soak one-half cup of sago for an hour in a cup of cold water; then add a quart of hot water, and simmer until transparent. In the meantime cook together one cup of prunes and one-half cup of raisins in a small quantity of water. When the sago is transparent, add the fruit, together with one-half cup of currant, plum, or some other tart fruit juice, and one-half cup of sugar. This will make three pints of soup. Serve hot with croutons.Instead of the above, rice with dried apricots, and prune or currant juice may be used.VEGETABLE SOUP (SUMMER)Take a cupful each of chopped turnips, carrots, cauliflower or cabbage, several young onions cut fine, one cupful of green peas, one tablespoonful parsley or bay leaves for flavoring, and stew together in a stewpan with water to cover for six or eight minutes; then drain, cover with fresh boiling water, and stew slowly until tender, and the water nearly absorbed. Strain through a colander. Add enough hot rich milk or cream to make quite thin, salt to taste, reheat, and serve.VEGETABLE SOUP (WINTER)Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a stewpan or soup kettle, add one onion chopped fine, and brown nicely; stir frequently to prevent burning. To this add a tablespoonful of flour, mix thoroughly, then pour in slowly a pint of hot water, stirring to keep smooth. Add to this one-half cupful each of chopped carrots, turnips, and celery, one cupful of tomatoes, a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of chopped or powdered parsley, bay leaves or thyme, and a slice of bread toasted very brown. Boil two potatoes for ten minutes, drain, and add them to the soup. Simmer all till well done, run through a colander, add hot water to make of proper consistency, a little more salt if desired, and serve hot.VEGETABLE SOUP STOCKPut into a kettle one quart of tomatoes, three pints of water, and place over the fire; add one onion, one or two pared potatoes, and one carrot, all finely chopped, one teaspoonful of celery salt, two bay leaves, and cook slowly for one hour. Run through a colander, and add salt to taste. Add to this cooked macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli, corn, or rice.BARLEY SOUPCook a cupful of pearl barley in three pints of water for several hours, adding water as needed to keep the quantity good. When done, add salt and a little cream, or the beaten yolk of an egg.NOODLE SOUPBeat the yolks of two eggs thoroughly, then add one cup of sifted flour, and knead well for five or ten minutes; divide into four parts, roll each part nearly as thin as a knife blade, and place on a clean cloth near the fire to dry. When dried sufficiently so that they will not stick together when rolled up, or be so dry as to be brittle, roll each piece up into a roll, and with a sharp knife cut or shave crosswise into very narrow slices, about one-twelfth of an inch in width. Shake out well, and let dry thoroughly. Then drop into hot salted water, and boil twenty minutes; drain off the water well, add a quart ofmilk, salt to taste, reheat, and serve. Noodles may be added to other soups instead of macaroni.ASPARAGUS SOUPTake two bundles of fresh, tender asparagus, wash, cut into short lengths, and put to cook in a quart of hot water. Let cook slowly till tender, and the water reduced one-half; rub through a colander, add three cups of milk, a spoonful or two of cream, and salt to taste. Let heat to boiling, and serve with croutons. A half cup of well-cooked rice may be stirred into the soup before serving if desired.FOUNDATION FOR CREAM OF VEGETABLE SOUPSRub one tablespoonful each of butter and flour to a cream, then slowly pour into it one quart of boiling milk, stirring well. Allow to thicken, add salt to taste, and the seasoning and ingredients, as canned corn, peas, celery, asparagus, salsify, etc., desired for the soup. To make the soup richer, a beaten egg, or a few spoonfuls of cream may be put into the tureen before turning in the soup.CROUTONS FOR SOUPCut bread into small cubes from one-half inch to an inch square, and brown in a moderate oven. A spoonful or two of the croutons may be placed in each plate, and the hot soup turned over them, or placed in a dish on the table for use as desired.BROWNED FLOUR FOR SOUPSSpread a small quantity of flour on shallow tins, and brown lightly in a moderately hot oven; stir often enough to prevent any part from scorching. A quantity may be prepared and put away in covered jars for use.SEASONING FOR SOUPSGround nuts with herbs, dried and powdered nicely, flavor and enrich vegetable soups, gravies, and sauces.HERBS FOR SOUPSHerbs, such as bay leaves, parsley, thyme, etc., are valuable for flavoring soups, savories, and gravies. They can be obtained at a druggists, and a few cents’ worth will last a long time.
For two quarts of soup soak one pint of beans overnight. In the morning drain, and put to cook in cold water, adding one-third cup of well-washed rice if desired; boil slowly for about two hours. When done, rub through a colander, thin with boiling water, and season with a little butter and salt.
Pare and slice three medium-sized potatoes, and put to cook with a tablespoonful of chopped onion, or stalk of celery chopped fine, in sufficient water to cover. If celery is not at hand, one-half teaspoonful of celery salt may be used instead. Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan over the fire, then add two tablespoonfuls of flour, stir well, and cook one minute; then add gradually one quart of milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Simmer for ten minutes. As soon as the potatoes are done, and the water nearly absorbed, rub, without draining, through a colander, and add them to the hot, thickened milk. Season with salt, and serve.
Add to a quart of green peas a teaspoonful of sugar and enough water to cover; cook gently until tender, and the water quite absorbed. Then rub through a colander, add a quart of milk, salt to taste, and return to the fire. Heat to boiling, then add a spoonful of flour, mixed smooth with a little butter, then to a thin paste with a little of the soup. Simmer for a few minutes, and serve with croutons. If desired, a little onion or celery may be added for seasoning during the last few minutes of cooking, and then be removed.
Wash one cupful of dried, split peas, and soak for several hours, or overnight, in cold water. Then put to cook in three pints of cold water, and boil slowly until thoroughly dissolved, adding more water occasionally to keep the quantity good. Stir up frequently from the bottom of the kettle. Rub through a colander; add water or rich milk to make the proper consistency, and return to the fire. Brown slightly one tablespoonful of flour in a tablespoonful of butter or cooking oil, then thin itwith a few spoonfuls of the hot soup; stir this into the boiling soup, with salt to taste; simmer for ten minutes, and serve. An onion chopped fine and browned with the flour may be used for seasoning; also a cupful of tomatoes may be cooked with the peas before straining, if desired.
Make the soup as above. Cook one-half cup of vermicelli in a cupful of boiling water for ten minutes and add to the soup.
Put a quart can of tomatoes in a porcelain stewpan, add a pint of water, and stew until well done. Brown lightly in a frying-pan a tablespoonful of finely chopped onion in a tablespoonful of butter or cooking oil; then mix in a tablespoonful of flour or cornstarch; thin this with a little of the soup, and then stir it into the soup. Simmer for ten minutes, run through a colander, reheat, add salt to taste, and serve hot with croutons.
Take two cupfuls of canned or fresh tomatoes, add a cupful of water, one teaspoonful of minced onion, and, if desired, a little chopped celery; stew till tender, then rub through a colander. Heat one quart of milk to boiling. Have mixed smooth one tablespoonful of butter and one level tablespoonful of flour, then thin with a little of the hot milk. Stir this into the milk as soon as it starts to boil, and cook for several minutes, adding salt to taste. Then add the tomatoes. Do not cook or let stand after the tomatoes are added, but serve at once.
Cook one cupful of lentils, previously soaked an hour or two in about a quart of water, until tender. Rub through a colander; return to the fire, adding enough boiling water to make a quart in all, a small onion cut in slices, and salt to taste. When heated to boiling, thicken to the consistency of cream with browned flour. Season with a little butter or a few spoonfuls of sweet cream. If butter is used it should be mixed or braided with the flour, then thinned with enough of the soup so that it can be easily poured in. Simmer for ten minutes after adding the flour. Remove the onion before serving. The German or dark lentils are usually cheaper than the Egyptian or red lentils.
Soak one cupful of lentils in cold water for a few hours, then cook in a quart of water until tender, with one small onion, three or four fresh tomatoes, or two cupfuls of stewed ones, and a tablespoonful of nut butter, if desired. Rub through a colander, add hot water to make three pints in all, reheat toboiling, and slightly thicken with a spoonful of browned flour mixed with a little cold water. Season with a small lump of butter or a few spoonfuls of cream.
Drop a cupful of macaroni broken into small pieces into three or four cupfuls of boiling, slightly salted, water; boil from thirty to sixty minutes, or until tender, the length of time required depending upon whether the macaroni is fresh or stale. Have stewing one quart of fresh or canned tomatoes, and when done, rub through a colander; drain the macaroni, and add it to the tomatoes, with hot water to make about three pints in all. Reheat, season with salt and a little butter, and, after removing from the fire, add a few spoonfuls of sweet cream if convenient. Serve as soon as the cream is added.
Wash one-third cup of rice and put to cook in about three cupfuls of water, adding a little salt; cook until tender. Then add one quart of milk, and salt to taste; reheat to boiling. Have ready a tablespoonful of butter mixed smooth with a tablespoonful of flour, then made thin with a little of the hot milk; pour this into the soup and simmer for ten minutes. Celery may be added for flavoring if desired. Also, if desired richer, a beaten yolk of egg, first mixed with a few spoonfuls of the hot soup to prevent coagulating, may be added to the soup a few minutes before serving.
Wash, soak, and cook one cupful of split peas in plenty of water until tender; rub through a colander, return to the fire, adding enough hot water to make three pints in all, and a few slices of onion. Wash three tablespoonfuls of sago in warm water, and stir gradually into the soup; simmer for a half-hour, or until well dissolved. Remove the onion, and season with salt. Add a few spoonfuls of thin cream or rich milk to the beaten yolk of an egg, and stir into the soup a few minutes before serving.
Soak one-half cup of sago for an hour in a cup of cold water; then add a quart of hot water, and simmer until transparent. In the meantime cook together one cup of prunes and one-half cup of raisins in a small quantity of water. When the sago is transparent, add the fruit, together with one-half cup of currant, plum, or some other tart fruit juice, and one-half cup of sugar. This will make three pints of soup. Serve hot with croutons.
Instead of the above, rice with dried apricots, and prune or currant juice may be used.
Take a cupful each of chopped turnips, carrots, cauliflower or cabbage, several young onions cut fine, one cupful of green peas, one tablespoonful parsley or bay leaves for flavoring, and stew together in a stewpan with water to cover for six or eight minutes; then drain, cover with fresh boiling water, and stew slowly until tender, and the water nearly absorbed. Strain through a colander. Add enough hot rich milk or cream to make quite thin, salt to taste, reheat, and serve.
Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a stewpan or soup kettle, add one onion chopped fine, and brown nicely; stir frequently to prevent burning. To this add a tablespoonful of flour, mix thoroughly, then pour in slowly a pint of hot water, stirring to keep smooth. Add to this one-half cupful each of chopped carrots, turnips, and celery, one cupful of tomatoes, a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of chopped or powdered parsley, bay leaves or thyme, and a slice of bread toasted very brown. Boil two potatoes for ten minutes, drain, and add them to the soup. Simmer all till well done, run through a colander, add hot water to make of proper consistency, a little more salt if desired, and serve hot.
Put into a kettle one quart of tomatoes, three pints of water, and place over the fire; add one onion, one or two pared potatoes, and one carrot, all finely chopped, one teaspoonful of celery salt, two bay leaves, and cook slowly for one hour. Run through a colander, and add salt to taste. Add to this cooked macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli, corn, or rice.
Cook a cupful of pearl barley in three pints of water for several hours, adding water as needed to keep the quantity good. When done, add salt and a little cream, or the beaten yolk of an egg.
Beat the yolks of two eggs thoroughly, then add one cup of sifted flour, and knead well for five or ten minutes; divide into four parts, roll each part nearly as thin as a knife blade, and place on a clean cloth near the fire to dry. When dried sufficiently so that they will not stick together when rolled up, or be so dry as to be brittle, roll each piece up into a roll, and with a sharp knife cut or shave crosswise into very narrow slices, about one-twelfth of an inch in width. Shake out well, and let dry thoroughly. Then drop into hot salted water, and boil twenty minutes; drain off the water well, add a quart ofmilk, salt to taste, reheat, and serve. Noodles may be added to other soups instead of macaroni.
Take two bundles of fresh, tender asparagus, wash, cut into short lengths, and put to cook in a quart of hot water. Let cook slowly till tender, and the water reduced one-half; rub through a colander, add three cups of milk, a spoonful or two of cream, and salt to taste. Let heat to boiling, and serve with croutons. A half cup of well-cooked rice may be stirred into the soup before serving if desired.
Rub one tablespoonful each of butter and flour to a cream, then slowly pour into it one quart of boiling milk, stirring well. Allow to thicken, add salt to taste, and the seasoning and ingredients, as canned corn, peas, celery, asparagus, salsify, etc., desired for the soup. To make the soup richer, a beaten egg, or a few spoonfuls of cream may be put into the tureen before turning in the soup.
Cut bread into small cubes from one-half inch to an inch square, and brown in a moderate oven. A spoonful or two of the croutons may be placed in each plate, and the hot soup turned over them, or placed in a dish on the table for use as desired.
Spread a small quantity of flour on shallow tins, and brown lightly in a moderately hot oven; stir often enough to prevent any part from scorching. A quantity may be prepared and put away in covered jars for use.
Ground nuts with herbs, dried and powdered nicely, flavor and enrich vegetable soups, gravies, and sauces.
Herbs, such as bay leaves, parsley, thyme, etc., are valuable for flavoring soups, savories, and gravies. They can be obtained at a druggists, and a few cents’ worth will last a long time.