SOUPS AND STOCKS.
1477. Restorative à la Mrs. James A. Garfield.
—Neatly peel three medium-sized, sound onions, then slice them nicely, and place them at the bottom of a saucepan large enough to hold half a gallon; lay over the onions a layer of fat bacon cut in slices a quarter of an inch thick. Slice three medium-sized, fine, sound carrots, and place them over the bacon, as a third layer. Over all this place a tablespoonful of salt, one sprig of thyme, six whole peppers, four cloves, one branch of parsley, and one sprig of sweet marjoram. Upon this lay two calves’ feet, finely chopped up, and one pound of lean beef, finely minced. Cover the pan and place it on the corner of the range, and let gently simmer undisturbed for fully an hour.
Then uncover the pan and pour in boiling water sufficient to cover the contents and no more; then put on the cover, and place the pan by the side of the fire to simmer for one hour longer. Then uncover, and strain the liquor through a clean napkin, without disturbing the other contents in the pan; carefully skim off the little fat that floats over with a clean piece of blotting paper or a skimmer, and just before serving add a wineglassful of good Madeira wine.
N. B.—After the broth has been poured off, the contents of the pan must not by any means be thrown away, for you will fill up the pan again with boiling water and add a few more sweet herbs, and letting it simmer gently for two hours, will produce a second edition of the Restorative, nearly, if not quite, as good as the first.
Would urgently recommend the above soup specially to persons suffering from weakness of the stomach.
1478. Mirepoix.
—Slice up two medium-sized, sound, scraped carrots and one medium-sized, sound, peeled onion; place these in a saucepan on the fire; add a few scraps of larding pork, fry all together for three minutes; then add again one bay-leaf, three cloves, six whole peppers, a sprig of thyme, one branch of parsley, and one green leaf of celery. Cut up a ham bone, if at hand, if not, a slice of ham can be used in its place, and add it to the saucepan. Tightly cover, and let slowly cook for eight minutes. Remove the cover, add a gill of white broth ([No. 99]). Boil for two minutes longer. Transfer it into a stone jar, and use whenever required in other recipes.