Soups―Old and New

New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 886, 27 July 1956, Page 32

Soups―Old and New

FORGET who said "Soup rejoices the stomach, and disposes it to receive and digest other food," but most people agree that soup is a good beginning for a meal. However, the old-fashioned stockpot, which was kept simmering on the back of the coal-range, and into which all bones, less tender bits of meat, and the tougher, outside pieces of vegetables, were put, is now quite out of date. Nevertheless, some of the old traditional soups are still much to the fore in a family dinner. For example, Scotch broth and Cock-a-Leekie, the fish soups of the North of England, oxtail soup, rabbit soup, all of which contain various vegetables besides rice, barley and sago, and some of the meat put back after straining. Often, too, tiny suet dumplings are popped in the soup for the last 20 minutes of boiling. Sometimes, the soup used to be served as a first course, and the pieces of meat (or in the case of Cock-a-Leekie, the whole fowl) made a nourishing and pleasant second course, with a green vegetable. A dessert is then hardly necessaryfresh fruit, especially apples, taking its

place, and perhaps a little cheese and some nuts. Soup Food Values

People often wonder if there is much food value in soup. Well, as an American student of food value has said, no one claims that soup is a complete food. But when you consider what goes into its making-calcium and gelatine from meat bones, and essences from the meat, minerals, soluble proteins and vitamins from vegetables, fish, cereals like rice and barley, and dried vegetables such as beans, and peas and lentils-you will see that it is a very practical form of nourishment, besides being savoury, appetising, and last but not least, hot. Cream and Milk Soups These soups contain the additional nourishment of milk, or, if possible, cream, These are made by straining the stock obtained by boiling. cracked bones and cut-up shin of beef, or neck.of mutton, or any of the cheaper cuts of meat, or mixed vegetables, through a wire strainer, and then mixing the resultant liquid or puree with an equal quantity of milk, and thickening with arrowroot or cornflour. Alternatively, you may thicken the milk first, by melting a little

butter in a small pan, adding an equal quantity of flour, and cooking together for a few minutes till thoroughly blended, and then stirring in gradually the warmed milk, making really a sauce. This is less likely to curdle than plain milk, when added to the stock, but most busy housewives find it much easier and more practical to use the first method. And there’s no extra saucepan to wash up! Artichoke Soup About 6 artichokes and 2 onions. Melt 1 oz. butter in stew-pan, add cut-up onions and simmer a few minutes without browning. Add about 2 pints water, and the artichokes cut up finely. Cook all gently for 40 minutes or so. Strain through sieve, pressing well, Return to pan, add equal quantity of milk, bring to boil, and thicken with flour or cornflour. Season to taste. Scotch Broth Two or three pounds neck of mutton, 4 pints cold water, 1 turnip diced, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 1 carrot diced, 3 tablespoons pearl barley soaked overnight, 1 good-sized onion ciced, pepper and salt, 2 leeks chopped small, a small cauliflower (or 4% small cabbage) cut up small. Cut mutton into small pieces, put in saucepan with the cold water, bring slowly to the boil, then skim. Add the prepared vegetables and barley. Simmer gently 2 to 3 hours, with

lid on. Just before serving, add parsley and season to taste with pepper and salt. Rabbit Soup Cut up a rabbit, cover with water, add a cut-up onion and carrot or two, and boil until the meat leaves the bones. Spring onions may be used, and also a turnip if liked. Strain, rand return to saucepan. Add ¥% pint of milk, thicken with flour or cornflour, and season to taste. Some of the rabbit meat should be put back into the soup. Good and nourishing. Shin of Beef Soup Two pounds shin of beef, 1 quart water, 2 cut-up onions, pepper and salt. Take the marrow out of the bone and put in saucepan. When hot put in the cut-up meat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, Then add the water, the onions and bone. Boil 2 hours. Scottish Pot-au-Feu Remove the fat as far as possible from about 3 lb. of neck or forequarter of lamb or mutton, but keep the meat in a single piece. Place it in a deep saucepan with about 2 quarts cold water, 3 medium onions, peeled and diced, and 4 tablespoons pearl barley soaked overnight, 3 teaspoons salt. Cover closely and cook gently about 242 hours. After an hour put in a cauliflower, broken into small flowerettes, At serving time, remove tlie meat, cut off a little and put small

pieces back into the tureen with the | soup. Serve the meat as a second course | with any desired fresh vegetables. Ox Tail Soup ) One ox tail, a slice of ham, 1 carrot, 1 | turnip, 2 small onions, 142 quarts of | water, I oz. butter, 1 leek, 1 head of | celery, 1 bunch herbs, 1 bay leaf, 4 cloves, 12 peppercorns, 1 dessertspoon salt, or to taste. Cut the tail into pieces and fry in pot with butter and sliced | onion. Shake the pot occasionally to prevent sticking. Then add the sliced vege- | tables, the herbs, peppercorns and a cup | of water. Cook for about 10 minutes, | stirring occasionally. Then add rest of | cold water and salt. Simmer gently 2 or 3 hours, or until the tail is tender, Take | out the tail, strain the soup, thicken | with flour, and put back some of the | pieces of the meat. Re-heat. Fish Soup ) Some fish heads and bones, bought | cheaply from fishmonger, cover well with water and boil for about half an hour, | Strain through fine sieve into clean saucepan (to make sure there are no scales), Acd an equal quantity of milk, a little grated onion and carrot to taste, chopped parsley, pepper and _ salt. Thicken to required consistency with | cornflour mixed with a little milk, just | before serving add a good knob of but- | ter, which makes a smoother soup. Serve very hot. Minestrone Soup Cut into small dice 2 small leeks, 1 small onion, 1 small carrot, 3. small turnip, % stick celery, 1 small potato, also 1 oz. lean bacon and % oz. fat bacon. Crush one clove of garlic, and fry all gently in 1 oz. butter. Shred 2 oz. cabbage, and cook with rest of vegetables in 2 pints.of good stock till soft. Simmer 30 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons cooked green peas, 1 oz, rice or small macaroni, and continue to cook slowly for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Season to taste. Put in bottom of soup tureen 1 teacup of cream or top milk, pour in soup. Sprinkle % oz. grated cheese into soup. ee : we