HOT NOURISHING SOUPS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 367, 5 July 1946, Page 26

HOT NOURISHING SOUPS

a good beginning for a meal. And if the meal is just luncheon, or a "high tea," or perhaps dinner with the main dish of "leftovers," then the soup can form a very substantial part of the meal, and provide plenty of minerals and vitamins, too. Always try to save the water from the vegetables-it won’t be too much, for nowadays we are told we should cook vegetables in just a little water, with a well-fitting lid, so that they are mostly steamed, Any odd bones and little end pieces of meat from the preparation of other dishes should be saved, and boiled up too. Here are some nourishing recipes. T cold weather, hot soup makes Cream Soups These contain the additional nourishment of milk, A good foundation is 3 tablespoons of butter or good cooking fat; 4 tablespoons of flour; % teaspoon of pepper; % teaspoon of salt; and 2 cups of hot milk. Melt the fat in a saucepan, add the flour, salt and pepper, and stir till dissolved and smooth. Add the hot milk slowly, stirring all the time, and cook on a low heat till thick. Variations Cream of Pea: Add 2 cups of pea puree-which is made from green or dried peas boiled, and strained through a fine sieve. Cream of Tomato: Add 2% cups of tomato puree, with a pinch of baking soda, a teaspoon of grated onion, and a teaspoon of sugar. Cream of Celery: Add 2 cups of celery puree. Artichoke Soup Take 5 or 6 artichokes, 1 large potato; 2 onions. Scrub the artichokes and potato well-but do not peel, as you lose the vitamins, Peel the onions, and cut up all the vegetables, and cover with water. Boil till tender, then mash and strain through a colander, Put back into saucepan the strained liquid, add a cup of milk, a teaspoon of sugar, and pepper and salt to taste; also some chopped parsley. Bring to the boil, and thicken with flour or cornflour. Fish Soup Cover with cold water 2 large schnapper heads, or several small ones. Add 2 slices of lemon, and boil 2 hours or so, Strain very well. Boil again with 2} onion cut finely, a few sprigs of parsley, pepper and salt, celery salt or some finely chopped celery, any vegetables, and a little barley. Boil an hour. Add a lump of butter, and some milk, Thicken with wholemeal, and add a little more lemon juice if liked. Vegetable or meat extract may also be added. Barley Soup _ Melt an ounce of fat in a saucepan, add a dessertspoonful of flour, cook two minutes, stirring well, then add %%4lb, of

pearl barley. After two minutes, add 114 pints of hot water, and simmer till barley is done. When done, put through a sieve, add sufficient stock or vegetable water to make it thin enough. Season with salt, sugar, and a little grated nutmeg. Windsor Soup One leek; 2 carrots; 1 onion; 4 potatoes; 3 sticks of celery; 1 pint of milk; 1 dessertspoon of chopped parsley; 2oz, butter or fat; 3 pints of water; loz. of sago, if you can; and salt and pepper to taste, Fry the sliced vegetables for 5 minutes in the fat, add the water and boil till tender. Push it through a sieve. Re-heat and add the sago and milk, Boil till the sago is transparent, add pepper, salt and parsley, and serve. If sago is not available, just thicken with cornflour. Haricot Bean Soup Half a pound of haricot beans; 2 onions; 2 or 3 sticks of celery; 20z. bacon fat; 3 pints of water; 1 pint of milk; 2 tea. spoons of sugar; 1 tablespoon of cornflour; salt, pepper, and chopped parsley. Wash the beans well in cold water. Put into a basin and pour over the 3 pints of cold water, cover, and let them soak overnight. Next day strain off the liquid, and set it aside for making the soup. Melt the bacon fat in a saucepan, put in the beans and cut-up vegetables, and cook for ten minutes without browning. Then add the water strained from the beans, and stir well for a few minutes, Put on the lid and allow to simmer for about 2 or 3 hours-until the beans are soft. Rub it through a sieve into a basin. Rinse out the saucepan, return the soup to it, add the cornflour, milk and seasonings, and cook for a few minutes longer. Serve with sippets of fned bread. Pea Soup Half a pound of dried peas; 1 onion, carrot, and turnip; a stick of celery; 3 pints of sto:k or vegetable water; luz. of flour; 1 teaspoon of sugar, some herbs tied in muslin; and seasoring. Soak the peas for 24 hours in hot weter in which half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda bas been added. Cook the peas and vegetables gently in the stock for 2 hours, When all is tender, put through a sieve. Mix the flour to a paste, add to the soup, with the seasonings, and boil for a few minutes more. Dumplings in Soup Make up little dumplings of end suet crust, flavoured with grated or sliced cheese, and grated onion. Drop into boiling soup, and boil for about 20 minutes -the last 20 minutes before taking up the soup. These are especially nice with tomato soup, and make practically a whole meal on their own, with the soup,