Nouilles Soup.—Make a paste with the yolks of 4 eggs, the white of 1, a pinch of salt, the least drop of water, and as much of the finest flour as will give a very stiff paste. When worked quite smooth, roll it out as thinly as possible without breaking it; then cut out each sheet of paste into strips or lozenges, and spread them out to dry on a cloth. In 2-3 hours’ time throw the nouilles into some fast-boiling, well-flavoured clear stock, and serve as soon as sufficiently done, grated Parmesan cheese being handed round with the soup.
Okra Soup.—Soak ½ pint dried okra in 3 pints cold water all night. Make some stock with a fresh shin of beef, and after adding the okra with the water in which it was soaked, let it boil at least 7 hours. After 4 or 5 hours add some tomatoes or tomato sauce. Season to taste.
Onion Soup (Cussy, à l’oignon).—(a) Boil some Spanish onions in water until nearly tender, strain off the water, and finish cooking them in milk, or in milk and water. When quite tender pass them through a sieve, and add sufficient well-flavoured stock to make the soup of the right consistency. Make the soup quite hot, add pepper and salt to taste, and just at the last stir in a small piece of fresh butter, and serve with small dice of bread fried in butter. This is very suitable for catch-cold weather.
(b) Slice 2 Spanish onions, roll them in flour, and let them take a turn or two in a saucepan, with plenty of butter. Before they begin to take colour, add as much water as you want soup, with pepper and salt to taste; let the whole boil till the onions are thoroughly done, then pour the soup into a tureen, over some small slices of stale bread; add a good sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese, and serve.
Ox-tail Soup (hochepot).—Take 2 ox tails, divide them at the joints, and put them into a saucepan with 3 qt. cold water, and salt to taste. Let it come gently to the boil, removing carefully the while any scum that rises. Add gradually the following vegetables, cut into convenient pieces: 3 or 4 carrots (according to size), 1 small turnip, 2 onions stuck with 6 cloves, about 20 peppercorns, half a head of celery, a bay leaf, and some parsley. Put in a few drops of sue colorant, and let the soup boil very gently 4-5 hours. Strain the liquor, and remove all fat. Serve with the pieces of ox-tail, omitting the largest ones.
Oyster Soup (aux huîtres).—Put 24 oysters into a stewpan in their own liquor just to get hot through, but not to boil; take off the beards, and put the oysters into the soup tureen, letting the beards remain with the liquor in a small basin till wanted. The stock for the soup should be prepared the preceding day, by placing a cowheel on the fire in a stewpan of water; when it boils, take it out, cut off the best part of the meat, and throw it into a basin of cold water to remain all night. Put the remainder of the heel back into the stewpan, both meat and bones, with a sliced carrot, some outer leaves of celery, a sprig of thyme, a blade of mace, and some parsley root; let these boil up and then simmer by the fire for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is completely separated from the bones. Then pour it off through a sieve to remain also all night. Next day prepare the oysters as described, remove the fat from the stock, and, having made a thickening of flour and butter, gradually stir the stock into it; add 2 glasses light white wine, cut the meat from the cowheel which has remained in cold water, into small pieces about the size of a bearded oyster, put them into the soup, and let all stew very gradually for 2 hours. Then stir in the strained liquor from the oysters, let it boil up once, add a little lemon juice and a very little cayenne pepper; pour it into the tureen over the oysters, and serve.
Palestine Soup (aux topinambours).—Boil till tender 40 Jerusalem artichokes in milk and a little salt; boil in milk till quite tender ½ lb. fine picked rice, pound them both together, wet with a good strong chicken or veal broth; rub through the strainer, and add more stock if not thin enough; strain the yolks of 5 eggs and ½ pint cream into the soup tureen; pour the soup in boiling hot, season with salt and pepper, and serve with fried sippets.
Parmesan Cheese Soup.—Grate 2 oz. cheese; toast thin slices of rolls; dip them in cream, cover them with the cheese on both sides; lay them in a tureen, and pour good soup over them; or, instead of the toasted roll, use thin slices of brown bread soaked in milk or cream, and covered with the grated cheese.
Pea Soup (de pois).—(a) 1 gal. any weak stock, obtained from bones or boiled meat, salt or fresh; 1½ pint split peas (previously soaked), 3 onions, 2 carrots, 3 turnips, a little salt. Simmer all well together for 2 hours, then pass once through the hair sieve, and it is ready. This makes enough for 8 people. Double the quantity in the same proportion for 16; costs 6d. per gal. This is almost the cheapest soup that can be made, as any stock does for it (even the water in which vegetables have been boiled) as a foundation.
(b) Take 1½ pint green peas, boil them in salt and water with a little mint; when thoroughly cooked, pound them and pass them through a hair sieve; put a piece of butter into a stewpan, when melted put in an onion and a carrot, cut in thin slices, fry until they begin to colour; add 1 qt. stock, a little salt, pepper, and a pinch of white sugar; leave it to boil for ¼ hour; stir in the purée of peas, let it come to the boil, strain, and serve with small croûtons of bread. (Jane Burtenshaw.)