Cookery for every household

Rinse out the saucepan and rinse and dry the pieces of tail. Put half the flour on a plate and coat the pieces of tail with it. Melt half the dripping in a saucepan, and when smoking hot, put in the pieces of tail and brown them well on all sides. Add the stock and a little salt, bring to the boil, and skim well. Prepare the vegetables and cut them in rough pieces, not too small, and when the soup has ceased to throw up any scum, add them with the herbs and peppercorns, and let all simmer slowly about 4 hours until the pieces of tail are tender without falling to pieces. Then strain through a fine sieve into a basin and if possible stand until cold. Remove all fat from the top of the soup and rinse some of the best pieces of tail for serving in it. Then melt the remainder of the dripping in a saucepan and let it brown. Add the remainder of the flour and brown that also. Next pour in the strained soup and stir over the fire until boiling. Put in the pieces of tail, the ketchup, and any other seasoning required and simmer a few minutes longer. Add the wine, and if liked some fancy shaped pieces of cooked carrot and turnip. Notes. — The wine may be omitted. The pieces of tail not used in the soup may be heated in some good sauce, such as tomato, curry, or brown sauce, and served at another meal. Time to cook, 41- hours. Probable cost, 2s. Quantity, 3 pints. 21. Peasants’ Soup (Soupe a la Paysanne) 4 pt. lentils. 2 qts. cold water. 2 pigs’ feet (salted). 1 onion. 1 carrot. 2 or 3 sticks of celery. Wash the lentils and let them soak overnight in 1 quart of cold water. Wash and blanch the feet, that is, put them into a saucepan with cold water to cover them, bring to the boil, pour the water away, and rinse the feet. Now return the feet to the saucepan with 1 quart fresh cold water and add the lentils along with the water in which they were soaked. Bring to the boil and add the vegetables, all prepared, and cut in small pieces. Allow the soup to simmer slowly until the feet and lentils are quite tender, about 2 hours. Then lift out the feet and cut the meat from them into small neat pieces. Rub the rest of the soup through a sieve or colander, return it to the saucepan to reheat, season to taste, and add the pieces of meat. Notes. — If preferred the soup may be served without sieving. Peas may be used instead of lentils, but they will require rather longer time to cook. Time to cook, 2½ hours. Probable cost, 8 d. Quantity, 3 pints. 22. Pot-au-Feu 4 lbs. shin or round of beef. 4 qts. cold water. 2 carrots. 1 turnip. 1 parsnip. 3 or 4 sticks of celery. 3 or 4 leeks. A bunch of herbs. 1 small cabbage. 20 black peppercorns. 6 cloves. 1 small blade of mace. Crushed tapioca or sago. Salt to taste. This is the French national soup, and it is very often made in a large earthenware pot, sold specially for the purpose. The liquid part is called “ le bouillon,” and the meat from which it is made “ le bouilli.”