GOOD SOUPS TO EAT


ASPARAGUS SOUP~--Take three pounds of knuckle of veal and put it to
boil in a gallon of water with a couple of bunches of asparagus, boil
for three hours, strain, and return the juice to the pot. Add another
bunch of asparagus, chopped fine, and boil for twenty minutes, mix a
tablespoonful of flour in a cup of milk and add to the soup. Season with
salt and pepper, let it come to a boil, and serve at once.


~BEAN SOUP~--One-half pound or one cup is sufficient for one quart of
soup. Soups can be made which use milk or cream as basis. Any kind of
green vegetable can be used with them, as creamed celery or creamed
cauliflower. The vegetable is cooked and part milk and part water or
part milk and part cream are used.


BISQUE OF CLAMS~--Place a knuckle of veal, weighing about a pound and
one-half, into a soup kettle, with a quart of water, one small onion, a
sprig of parsley, a bay leaf, and the liquor drained from the clams, and
simmer gradually for an hour and a half, skimming from time to time;
strain the soup and again place it in the kettle; rub a couple of
tablespoonfuls of butter with an equal amount of flour together and add
it to the soup when it is boiling, stirring until again boiling; chop up
twenty-five clams very fine, then place them in the soup, season and
boil for about five minutes, then add a pint of milk or cream, and
remove from the fire immediately, and serve.


BISQUE OF LOBSTER~--Remove the meat of the lobster from its shell and
cut the tender pieces into quarter-inch dice; put the ends of the
claw-meat and any tough portions in a saucepan with the bones of the
body and a little cold water and boil for twenty minutes, adding a
little water from time to time as may be necessary; put the coral to dry
in a moderate oven, and mix a little flour with some cold milk, and stir
the milk, which should be boiling, stirring over the fire for ten
minutes, then strain the water from the bones and other parts, mix it
with milk, add a little butter, salt, pepper and cayenne to taste, and
rub the dry coral through a fine-haired sieve, putting enough into the
soup having it a bright pink color. Place the grease fat and lobster
dice in a soup tureen, strain the boiling soup over them, and serve at
once.


BLACK BEAN SOUP~--Wash one pint of black beans, cover with one quart of
cold water and let soak over night. In the morning pour off the water
and pour over three pints of cold water. Cook, covered, until tender,
four or five hours, add one tablespoonful of salt the last hour, rub
through a strainer, add the strained beans to the water in which they
were boiled, return to the soup kettle. Melt one tablespoonful of flour,
stir this into the hot soup, let boil, stirring constantly; add a little
pepper, slice thinly one lemon, put all the slices into the tureen and
pour the soup over. Serve very hot.


CHESTNUT SOUP~--Peel and blanch the chestnuts, boil them in salted
water until quite soft, pass through a sieve, add more water if too
thick, and a spoonful of butter or several of sweet cream. Season to
taste and serve with small squares of bread fried crisp in butter or
olive oil.


CHICKEN GUMBO, CREOLE STYLE~--For about twelve or fifteen, one young
hen chicken, half pound ham, quart fresh okra, three large tomatoes, two
onions, one kernel garlic, one small red pepper, two tablespoons flour,
three quarts boiling water, half pound butter, one bay leaf, pinch salt
and cayenne pepper. To mix, mince your ham, put in the bottom of an
iron kettle if preferred with the above ingredients except the chicken.
Clean and cut your chicken up and put in separate saucepan with about a
quart or more of water and teaspoonful of salt; set to the side of the
fire for about an hour; skim when necessary. When the chicken is
thoroughly done strip the meat from the bone and mix both together; just
before serving add a quart of shrimps.