Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

Reserve half a pint of the peas, and put the remainder of the contents of the two cans into a stew-pan with the onion, pepper, salt, and sugar. Tie the herbs and mace together, and add them also. Cover the stew-pan, and simmer for half an hour, being careful not to burn ; then mash the onion and peas very fine, and add the stock to them. Let the soup heat to the boiling-point, and add the flour and butter, rubbed together until light and creamy. Stir well, and cook ten minutes longer; then rub through a fine sieve. Return to the fire, and add the milk and remainder of the peas, well drained. Cook ten minutes longer, and then satisfy yourself that there is sufficient seasoning. Serve with toasted bread. Green Pea Soup. This soup is made of a can of peas, a quart of chicken stock, a cupful of cream or milk, two table-spoonfuls of butter, two of flour, an onion, and salt and pepper. Cook the onion, peas, and stock together for twenty minutes ; then remove the onion, and rub the peas and stock through a sieve. Return the soup to the stew-pan, and let it simmer for ten minutes. Rub the butter and flour to a cream, and gradually add to this half a cupful of the soup; then pour the mixture into the stew-pan. Add the pepper and salt and cupful of cream ; and after the soup has boiled for three minutes, it will be finished. A much more delicious soup can be made of fresh green peas when they are in season. Asparagus Soup. Use a can of asparagus, a pint of white stock, a pint of cream or milk, two table-spoonfuls of butter, one of chopped onion, two of flour, one teaspoonful of sugar, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, and one-eighth of a teaspoonful of pepper. Cut off and lay aside the heads of the asparagus, and cut the stalks into short pieces, and put them on to boil in a stew-pan with the pint of stock. Put the butter and onion into a small frying-pan, and cook slowly for ten minutes ; then add the flour, and stir until the mixture is smooth and frothy, being careful not to brown. Add this, together with the sugar, salt, and pepper, to the stock and asparagus, and simmer for a quarter of an hour ; then rub the soup through a sieve, and return it to the stew-pan. Add the cream and asparagus heads, and after boiling up once, serve without delay. In case fresh asparagus be substituted for canned, use two bunches. Cook them in the stock or water for twenty minutes. Remove the heads for later use, and proceed with the cooking the same as when canned asparagus is used. Sorrel Soup. This palatable spring soup requires a quart of sorrel, three table-spoonfuls of butter, two table-spoonfuls of flour, a teaspoonful and a half of salt, a quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper, a teaspoonful of sugar, half an onion, half a cupful of water, a pint of milk, and a pint of cream.