CHAPTER II.
Soups.—General Remarks on Cooking Soups.—Soups made of Meat, Vegetables, Deer's Heads, Small Game, Rice, Fish and Turtle.
Soups should be made in camp as often as the materials are at hand. They are wholesome and invigorating, and not difficult to prepare; and so many different kinds can be made that no camper's appetite need be cloyed by lack of variety. Most canned soups are excellent, and the directions for cooking which come with them should be closely followed.
The time given for cooking soups in the recipes that follow may seem unnecessarily long, but if it is done in a less time, it is at a loss in the flavor. Fast boiling drives off considerable of the aroma of the ingredients used, the water evaporates fast and requires constant replenishing with boiling water, which compels the cook to have an additional vessel always on the fire. Constant skimming is necessary, and an occasional slight stirring will prevent any of the vegetables from burning on the pot where but little water is used.
Campers do not commonly have fresh meat in camp, unless in a portion of the country where venison, buffalo or bear meat form a part of the larder. With any one of these, or with beef, we can make what I will call
Meat Soup.
Use one pound of lean meat (cut into pieces the size of an egg) to a quart of water. Put on the fire with the water cold, and let it heat gradually and simmer rather than boil, skimming it constantly and keeping the cover on the pot when this operation is not being performed. If any cooked meat or bones are to be added, this should be done after the soup has cooked three-quarters of an hour. From four and a half to five hours are necessary for the soup to cook. Just before it is done, season with salt and pepper. If made in an iron pot it should be transferred as soon as done to a tin or earthen vessel. In cold weather this soup may be kept fresh and sweet for a week and "warmed over" as long as it lasts.
Vegetable Soup.
Onions, potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets, parsnips, cabbage, cauliflower, pumpkins, squash, etc., should be picked over, washed, pared, and cut into small pieces from a quarter to a half-inch thick, put into a pan of cold water, rinsed and drained. Tomatoes should be scalded, peeled and sliced. Prepare a meat soup as above, and when it has cooked four hours put in all your vegetables except potatoes, which should be put in only about thirty minutes before the soup is done. Stir the soup occasionally to prevent the vegetables from scorching or sticking to the bottom of the pot, and skim frequently. When done take out the vegetables, mash and return them to the soup, boil one minute, season and serve. Canned corn or tomatoes may be used in this soup the same as fresh vegetables.
Deer's Head Soup.
Skin the head and split it in pieces, remove the eyes and brains, and wash thoroughly in cold water. Then cook same as meat soup.
Small Game Soup.
Squirrels, rabbits, and small game generally can be cleaned and split and made into soup as above. When vegetables are added to soup made of small game, the latter should be removed and strained, and the good meat returned to the pot just before the vegetables are put in, leaving out all the bones, skin, gristle, etc.
Rice Soup.
Make a meat soup, with the addition of one sliced onion. Prepare the rice (one-half pound to a gallon of water) by picking it over, washing and draining, and stir it into the soup half an hour before it is done, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Bean Soup.
Pick over two quarts of beans, wash, and soak them over night in cold water. Scrape clean one pound of salt pork, and cut into thin slices. Drain the beans, put them into six quarts of cold water, with one tablespoonful of soda, and let them boil gently for half an hour, skimming constantly. Then drain off all the water and put in the same amount of fresh boiling water. Boil slowly for an hour and a half, stirring frequently; then put in the pork. When the beans have become tender enough to crack, take out the pork and mash the beans into a paste with a wooden masher or the bottom of a large bottle. Then put all back and boil slowly an hour longer. If no soda is used, longer boiling will be necessary. Bean soup will burn if not constantly stirred. Not much salt, but plenty of pepper should be used for seasoning.
Pea Soup.
Treat the peas exactly the same as the beans in the above recipe, except as to the preliminary boiling in water with soda. Make the same way as bean soup. Pea soup cools and thickens rapidly, therefore if squares of fried bread are thrown upon the surface before serving, it should be done quickly and while the bread is hot. Use more salt than with the bean soup for seasoning, and boil gently or it will surely burn.
Fish Soup.
Cut up large fish, after it has been cooled from a previous cooking, into small pieces, and stew it with a piece of salt pork for two hours.
Turtle Soup.
Snapping turtles, "mud turtles" and all tortoises can be made into appetizing soup. Cut their throats to kill them and then let them bleed. Break the shell on the under side, cut out the meat, rejecting the entrails, head and claws, and boil slowly for three hours with some sliced onion.