Take one or two fowls, old or young. Let them lie half an hour in cold water to cleanse from the blood, then drain and put them in a pot; fill it with water, let it boil, then skim it. Add one large carrot, or two small ones, two turnips, one onion, one head of celery, two cloves, a piece of mace, a little salt. Let it boil gently for two hours if the chickens are young; if old, three hours. When they are tender, skim off the fat, and pass the consomme through a sieve. This consomme may be considered a basis for all white soups, as well as white sauces, and should be used instead of water for filling them up.
PLAIN VERMICELLI SOUP, NO. 1
Put a soup-bone, weighing from two to three pounds, or a brisket of beef, into four quarts of water; add two onions, two carrots, and two turnips; salt to taste, and place over the fire to boil for three hours; then remove and strain; put back on the stove, and add a quarter of a pound of vermicelli, and let it boil till tender; serve with tomatoes.
VERMICELLI SOUP, NO. 2
Cut about four pounds of knuckle of veal, one pound and a half of the scrag of mutton, and a few slices of ham into small pieces; put them into a saucepan with one onion stuck with cloves, and four ounces of butter; then add the carrots, mace, bunch of sweet herbs, one anchovy, and the celery. Mix all together, cover it close, and set it over the fire till all the gravy has been extracted from the meat; pour the liquor into a bowl, let the meat brown in the pan, and add to it four quarts of water; boil it slowly till it is reduced to three pints, strain it, and stir in the gravy drawn from the meat. Set it over the fire, add the vermicelli, one head of celery cut fine, a little cayenne, and salt; boil it up for ten minutes. Lay a French roll in the tureen, pour the soup over it, and strew some vermicelli on the top.
BAKED SOUP
Cut the beef or mutton and the vegetables in pieces, season them with salt and pepper, and put them into a jar with a pint of peas and the Patna rice. Pour in four quarts of water, cover the jar very closely, and set it in the oven to bake. When done, strain it through a sieve, and serve it very hot.
VERMICELLI OR MACARONI SOUP
Swell a quarter of a pound of vermicelli or macaroni (whichever is preferred) in a quart of warm water for one hour; then add it to some good stock or plain veal, chicken or beef soup; add a spoonful of butter and half a pint of stewed tomatoes just before the soup is served. This is a very fine soup, and is especially nourishing for delicate stomachs.
GREEN PEA SOUP, WITHOUT MEAT, FOR LENT