Soups of Dried Peas or Beans.—Pick and soak split peas, dried green peas, or black or white beans overnight. Drain, measure, add 4 times as much cold water; to each quart of water, ½ onion. Simmer slowly till soft. Rub through sieve. Return to fire, season with salt and pepper; for each quart thicken with 1 teaspoon each butter and flour. Boil up again for a few minutes. Black bean soup should also have a pinch of mustard and a little lemon juice added, and slices of hard-boiled egg.
Croutons.—Trim crust from stale bread and cut in ½-inch dice. Fry golden brown in a little butter or in a kettle of smoking-hot fat. Drain and serve hot with soups. Instead of frying they may be browned in the oven.
Ox-tail Soup.—1 ox-tail, 2 pounds lean beef, 4 carrots, 3 onions, thyme and parsley, pepper and salt to taste, 4 quarts cold water. Cut tail into joints, fry brown in good dripping. Slice onions and 2 carrots and fry in the same, when you have taken out the pieces of tail. When done tie the thyme and parsley in lace bag, and drop into the soup-pot. Put in the tail, then the beef cut into strips. Grate over them 2 whole carrots, pour over all the water, and boil slowly 4 hours; strain and season; thicken with brown flour wet with cold water; boil 15 minutes longer and serve.
Fish
Directions for Preparing.—Clean fish carefully, slit it low enough so as not to have any blood on the backbone, but do not make too large a cut so as to spoil look of fish; wash thoroughly in cold water. Great care must be taken not to break gall, for it would make fish bitter. Use good dripping or lard for frying.
To Broil Fish.—Clean, wash, and wipe dry. Split so that when laid flat the backbone will be in the middle, or take the backbone out. Sprinkle with salt and lay, inside down, upon a buttered gridiron over a clear fire until it is nicely colored, then turn. When done, put upon a hot dish, butter plentifully, and pepper. Put a hot cover over it and send to table.
Boiled Bass, or other Fish.—Put sufficient water in pot to enable fish, if alive, to swim easily. Add ½ cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 onion, 1 dozen whole black peppers, 1 blade mace. Sew up fish in piece of clean net or muslin, fitted to shape. Heat slowly for first ½ hour; then boil 8 minutes, at least, to pound, quite fast. Unwrap, and pour over it cup of drawn butter, based upon the liquor in which fish was boiled, with juice of ½ lemon stirred into it.
Creamed Fish.—Steam 2 pounds codfish, break in flakes, removing bones and skin. Make 1 pint white sauce (see [Meat and Fish Sauces]). Grease a baking-dish, fill with alternate layers of fish and sauce, seasoning with salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon juice or a few drops of vinegar. Mix together 1 cup dry bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons melted butter; spread over top and brown in quick oven.
This may be varied by using tomato, bechamel, curry, or any other sauce, or by adding grated cheese or sliced hard-boiled eggs to the white sauce; by baking in shells or patty-pans in place of the deep dish, or by covering with mashed potato or biscuit crust instead of crumbs.