The household gas cookery book

Pigeon Soup. — Take two plump pigeons and cut them up. Prepare and cut into pieces one onion, one carrot, and two ounces of lean bacon, with a sprig of thyme, marjoram and parsley, a little piece of mace and three cloves. Place all these ingredients in a stew-pan with two ounces of butter and half a bayleaf. Let them fry till browned. Add three pints of any good stock, or stock and water. Let it gently simmer for a couple of hours, pass it through a sieve and return the soup back again into the pot. Let it simmer for another ten minutes, and strain it through a fine sieve and serve very hot. Spinach Soup. — Take 3 lbs. of fresh spinach. Re¬ move all the stalks and well wash it in several waters. Place it in a saucepan with half a teacupful of water on the gas, and when cooked strain and press the spinach through a hair-sieve. Replace it in the sauce¬ pan, adding 2 ozs. of butter, and pepper and salt to 4© taste. When the butter is melted, stir it well with a fork, and cook for two or three minutes, adding one pint of any good stock. Boil i pint of milk by itself with half a gill of cream, and add it to the spinach, let the whole simmer for a few minutes, seasoning again to taste, and serve. Green Vegetable Soup. — Boil i pint of shelled peas until nearly done, and in a separate saucepan boil i lb. of spinach until quite done. Strain off the water in both cases and place them both in a clean saucepan, to which add 2 ozs. of butter, a dessertspoonful of chopped parsley, 1 onion, 3 shallots, and a clove of garlic all chopped very fine, 1 bay leaf, a sprig of thyme and basil, and to this add 3 pints of any good stock — beef-bone stock is very good for the purpose — let the whole simmer gently for half an hour. Beat the yolk of 3 eggs in half a pint of milk, and add it to the soup. Let it simmer for a few minutes; it must not be allowed to boil ; add pepper and salt to taste, and serve. Cucumber Cream Soup. — Peel 2 cucumbers and cut them into slices, also 2 cos lettuces, washed and cleaned, and cut into shreds. Plunge the lettuces and cucumbers into some boiling salted water and let it boil for 3 minutes. Strain off the water and put the cucumbers and lettuces into a stewpan with 2 ounces of fresh butter; let it cook for 5 minutes, then add 3 pints of some veal or any white stock. Let it cook for about 25 minutes. Rub it through a fine sieve and return it to the saucepan. Beat up the yolks of 3 eggs with one gill of cream and half a pint of milk, adding it slowly to the soup. Let it simmer (but not boil) for a few minutes, adding pepper and salt to taste. Serve with fried bacon croutons. Veal Soup. — Take ij lbs. of veal, knuckle or breast. Chop it small and place it with the bones into a sauce¬ pan. Pour into the saucepan 3 pints of cold water, with a teaspoonful of salt. Bring it to a boil and remove the scum. Stand it on the simmering jets so that it will gently simmer for two hours. Add a quarter of a pound of lean ham, a blade of mace, 12 pepper¬ corns, 3 cloves, i shallot, 1 bay leaf, and 2 table¬ spoonfuls of rice. Let it simmer for another two hours. Remove the scum and strain through a colander. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a soup tureen and pour the soup into it. Serve with force¬ meat balls.