Cooking for profit

The meats to be cooked during the day are trimmed of all the tough and gristly ends, such as are sure to be thrown away if fried, broiled or roasted, and all the bones are taken from the meat that can be without detriment to the joint, and these scraps, after washing in clear water, are put into the boiler. Then, if there is a soup bone beside, or a chicken to be boiled, or a leg of mutton it will be so much the richer stock. Some days there will be reason to choose which kind of soup to make, according to the contents of the stock boiler, which is a more economical way to look at it than if the boiler was to be furnished to suit the soup. A cream soup, for example, may be made when the stock is thin, and when it is rich as jelly make beef gravy soup or mock turtle. The available meat being in next, throw in a little vegetable seasoning. Buch as a small onion and piece of turnip and carrot. But these are not indispensible, for the soup will be seasoned afterwards. Let the boiler heat slowly and when at last it boils, skim carefully two or three times, put the lid on and let simmer 4 or 5 hours, when there will probably be 2 quarts of rich stock ready when strained, to be used in soup or to make gravies and sauces. The strainer fine enough for ordinary use is made of perforated tin, or a pan with a perforated tin bottom. Strike the edge of the pan rapidly to make the soup go through. 116 — Celery Cream Soup. 3 pints soup stock. 1 pint rich milk. Outside stalks of celery, about 4. 1 small onion, minced. Small piece of lean cooked ham. 1 tablespoon flour. Butter size of an egg, Salt and white pepper. Boil the soup stock with the onion and scrap of ham in it for flavor. Cut up the celery — about enough to fill a large cup — in dice shapes, and boil it ten minutes in water; then strain the water away. Mix the butter and flour together, and stir them into the boiling stock to thicken it slighty, then strain it into another saucepan and put in the parboiled celery and the pint of milk. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Let it simmer ten minutes or more after the celery is in. Mince a piece of green leaf of celery very fine, and sprinkle it from a knife point into the soup. This makes six or seven plates. Butter and flour for thickening ij the orthodox article (roux), but should the butter fail to arrive punctually at the time the flour can be mixed with a little water instead. The stock used should have been skimmed free from fat, if not the soup must be. Cost — 21c for 2 quarts, or 3c per plate. 117— Boiled Red Snapper— Shrimp Sauce. There should be a proper fish kettle for boiling a fish whole, having a perforated false bottom or drainer, that can be lifted out with the fish upon it when done. Where there is no such article the best substitute is a common milk pan of large size. Cover it with another pan that the fish may get steamed if not quite covered. Choose a small fish, scale it, draw, chop off the fins,wash and wipe it dry on a cloth.