GUMBO SOUP
- 1 quart okra
- 1 chicken
- 2 onions
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoonful flour
- 2 tablespoonfuls melted butter
- 1 quart tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- ½ lb. sliced ham
- ¼ lb. chopped bacon
- 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley
- 1 head celery
- 3 pints (6 cups) strained stock
- 1 pint (2 cups) plain boiled rice
Chop the onions and the garlic, roll them in the flour, then brown them in the butter, and add the tomatoes. Cut the heads off the okra, split each four times and cut into dice, add it to the tomatoes in the casserole, add the parsley, salt and pepper, and the celery, bacon, and ham chopped; brown all together.
Cut up the chicken and fry it for a few minutes, then add it with the stock, and simmer until thick.
Serve with plain boiled rice. One pint of cooked crab meat, cooked shrimps, or oysters, may be added with the chicken if liked.
LENTIL SOUP
- ½ lb. (1 cup) lentils
- 3 stalks celery
- 4 springs parsley
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 turnip
- 1 crust stale bread
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoonful whole peppers
- 1 blade mace
- 1 teaspoonful salt
- ¼ pint (½ cup) cream
- 3 pints (6 cups) water
- ½ pint (1 cup) milk
- 1 heaping tablespoonful (1 oz.) butter
- 1 heaping tablespoonful (1 oz.) flour
Wash the lentils and put them to soak in cold water overnight. In the morning drain them and put them into an earthenware pan with the water, bring slowly to the boil, and skim well; then add the vegetables cut into small pieces, the mace, bay leaf, whole peppers, and bread, simmer for one and a half hours. Strain the soup, rubbing as much of the pulp through the sieve as possible.
Melt the butter in the pan, stir in the flour, add the milk, and boil for four minutes. Add the soup, and season it nicely. Divide the cream into earthenware cups and pour the soup over it.