Spinach Soup. Time—2 hours.
3 lbs. spinach, 1 quart water or stock, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoonful flour.
Wash the spinach in several waters, strip off the leaves and place them in a saucepan of cold water with a little salt, and boil till tender (about ½ hour). Pulp through a hair sieve with the water in which it was boiled; boil it up again in a clean stew-pan, thicken carefully with the flour, cook for 10 minutes, and serve with poached eggs.
Vegetable Soup. Time—1½ hour.
1 quart water or pot-liquor, 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 2 potatoes, 2 onions, 3 sticks celery, a few sifted herbs, 1 oz. dripping, 1 tablespoonful flour, 1 teaspoonful mustard; salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare the vegetables, cut them into slices, fry them in the dripping, add the water or pot-liquor, the salt, pepper, and herbs. Boil till quite tender, mix the flour and mustard to a cream with the cold water, and add to the soup. Simmer for half an hour longer and then serve.
FISH.
Fresh fish may be known by its stiffness, firmness, bright eyes, and bright red gills.
The cheaper kinds of fish, such as herrings, mackerel, haddocks, and plaice, contain more nourishment than most of the more expensive kinds. All fish must be thoroughly cleansed in salt and water, two waters at least being allowed. It must then be very carefully dried in a coarse cloth kept specially for this purpose.