Cookery for every household

Use only the red outside part of the carrot, as it will give more colour to the soup. Wash the lettuce and cut it in very fine shreds and not too long. Melt the butter in a stewpan, add all the vegetables except the lettuce, and sprinkle them with the sugar. Put the lid on the pan and cook slowly until all the butter is absorbed (about 15 minutes), shaking the pan frequently to prevent browning. This preliminary cooking may be done in the oven. Then add the clear soup and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Add the shred lettuce about 10 minutes before serving, as it does not require long cooking. A few crofttons of bread cut in Julienne shreds, dusted with castor sugar, and lightly browned in the oven, may be served with the soup or put in the soup tureen. Notes. — Other vegetables may be added according to the season of the year, such as a few fresh green peas, some young French beans cut in shreds, part of a spring cabbage cut in thin shreds, or some asparagus points. Half a dozen leaves of sorrel or spinach cut in shreds might also be added along with or instead of the lettuce, or a few fine leaves of tarragon and chervil. Many cooks boil the vegetables in water for this soup and then add them to the consomme, which of course makes a clearer soup, but this method is not so satisfactory in its results, as the vegetables are entirely lacking in taste. Others again cook them entirely in the clear soup, but this is extravagant, as the liquid is reduced unnecessarily. Probable cost, 2s. 6 d. to 3s. Quantity, 3 pints. E 127. Macedoine Soup (Consomme h, la Macedoine) Prepare in the same way as clear soup a la jardiniere, cuttingthe vegetables in any fancyshapes with small cutters. Fancy Cutters for Vegetables 128. Clear Soup with Noodles (Consomme aux Nouilles) 2 pts. clear stock or I Noodles. consomm6. [ Some light stock. Make the noodles as directed in Recipe 1623. Cook them in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain and let them simmer in light stock from 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are cooked. When ready, strain and add them to the hot soup. Probable cost, 2s. Quantity, 2 pints. 129. Clear Soup aux (Eufs Files (Consommd aux (Eufs Files) 1 qt. clear stock or consomme. 1 egg. 1 dessert-sp. flour. 1 table-sp. cream. Salt. Pepper, milk or Put the flour, pepper, and salt into a basin, drop in the egg and mix well with a wooden spoon until perfectly smooth. Then pour in the milk, and if time permits allow this batter to stand a short time before using. Put the clear soup into a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Strain the batter through a fine strainer into it and cook about 10 minutes. The batter should look like golden threads in the soup. Probable cost, 2s. Quantity, 2 pints. 130. Clear Soup with Poached Eggs (Consomme h l lmperatrice) 1 qt. clear stock or consomme. 4 eggs. Poach the eggs lightly (see Recipe 1321 ), throw them in cold water for a moment and then trim them neatly. Heat the consomme and pour it boiling hot over the eggs in the soup tureen, or the eggs may be served separately with just enough hot soup to moisten them. Serve the soup with small round croutons or straws of cheese pastry (see Recipe 1305). Note. — One egg and half a pint soup should be allowed per person. Probable cost, 2s. Quantity, 2 pints.