The Skilful Cook Part 77

1 egg.

Pepper and salt.

_Method._--Split open the head, and clean it thoroughly.

Remove the tongue and brains, and blanch the head by putting it into cold water and bringing it to the boil.

Throw the water away, and rinse the head well.

Put it into a large saucepan with the three quarts of water and the vegetables, cut in small pieces.

Boil gently for five hours.

Then strain into a basin, and rub the meat and vegetables through a wire sieve.

When cold, remove the fat from the stock, and add the pulped vegetables and meat.

Make the soup hot, and stir in a thickening made of the flour.

Boil the flour well, stirring all the time.

Serve the soup with forcemeat b.a.l.l.s in it.

_To make the Forcemeat b.a.l.l.s._--Boil the tongue and brains separately.

Chop them up; mix them with the bread-crumbs, pepper, salt, and the minced parsley, and bind with the egg.

Make into b.a.l.l.s, and roll them in flour; place them on a greased baking-sheet and bake until brown.

Put them in a soup-tureen, and pour the soup over them.

Tapioca Soup.

_Ingredients_--2 oz. of tapioca.

4 pints of second stock.

_Method._--Wash the tapioca well, and throw it into the stock when boiling.

Simmer gently for half an hour, stirring occasionally.

Ox-cheek Soup.

_Ingredients_--1 ox-cheek.

Some cold water, allowing 1 pint to every pound of meat and 1 quart over.

2 carrots.

2 turnips.

2 onions.

Half a head of celery.

1 sprig of parsley, thyme, and marjoram.

2 bay leaves.

Pepper and salt.

Flour.

If possible, a ham-bone.

A few drops of lemon juice.

_Method._--Cut up the cheek, and put it with the bone and vegetables into a stockpot to boil gently for five hours, skimming occasionally.

Then strain the stock into a clean pan and set it aside to get cold.

When cold, carefully remove all the fat.

Put the stock into a stewpan on the fire to boil.

When boiling, stir in a thickening made of the flour, mixed smoothly with cold water. Use one ounce of flour to every pint of stock.

Stir and boil the flour in the stock for three minutes.

Add to it a squeeze of lemon juice, and serve the soup with neat pieces of the cheek, about one inch in size, in it.

The remains of the cheek may be reboiled, with fresh vegetables, to make a plain second stock.

Giblet Soup.

_Ingredients_--2 sets of goose or 4 sets of duck giblets.

of a head of celery.

1 carrot.

1 turnip.

1 onion.

2 cloves.

1 blade of mace.

1 sprig of parsley, thyme, and marjoram.

2 quarts of second stock.

A few drops of lemon juice.

Pepper and salt.

_Method._--Clean the giblets thoroughly, and cut them in pieces.

Put them into a saucepan, with the vegetables sliced, and the stock, and simmer gently for two hours.

Then take out the best pieces of giblet, trim them neatly, and set them aside.

Simmer the soup for half an hour longer.

Then add to it a thickening of flour, using one ounce of flour to every pint of stock.

Boil and cook the flour well, and add pepper and salt to taste.