Boil the chestnuts for 15 minutes and peel them; put these with the onions (sliced) into a roomy stewpan, with the butter, and fry briskly for 5 minutes; now add the stock, with seasoning to taste, and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until onions and chestnuts are quite soft, and pass all through a hair sieve. Dilute with milk until the consistency of thin cream, and serve with croûtons.
3. Rich Gravy Soup.
To 3-pts. of haricot stock add 1 onion and 1 carrot (fried with butter until brown), 1 stick of celery, 2 turnips and 6 peppercorns, and thicken with cornflour. Boil all together for 1 hour, strain, return to saucepan, and add 3 small teaspoons of Marmite. Warm it up, but not to boiling point. Serve with fried bread dice. This soup, if well made, is equal to anything that a French chef can produce.
[4]. Mock Turtle Soup.
Fry 6 good-sized onions in 1-oz. of butter till nicely browned, then add 2 breakfastcups of German lentils, a good handful of spinach leaves, a few capers, about 6 chillies, and 3 pints of water. Let this simmer for 2 or 3 hours, then strain off, add 2 tablespoons of tapioca which has been soaked for an hour or two. Boil till perfectly clear. When ready for serving add salt to taste and 1 teaspoonful of Nutril. Some small custard quenelles should be put in the tureen—made by beating 1 egg in 2-ozs. flour and adding ¼-pt. milk. Bake until firm and cut into dice.
[5]. Brown Haricot Soup.
Boil ½-lb. beans in 2-qts. of water. When the beans crack, add a few tomatoes, 1 leek sliced, or a Spanish onion, and a bunch of herbs. Boil until the vegetables are tender, adding a little more water if necessary. Rub all through a sieve, and return to pan, adding seasoning, a good lump of butter, and the juice of half a small lemon after the soup has boiled. If a richer soup is required add two teaspoonfuls of Nuto-Cream or Marmite just before serving.
[6]. Tomato Soup.