The Book of Household Management Part 16

_Seasonable_ in the winter.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

THE PRINCE Of WALES.--This soup was invented by a philanthropic friend of the Editress, to be distributed among the poor of a considerable village, when the Prince of Wales attained his majority, on the 9th November, 1859. Accompanying this fact, the following notice, which appears in "BEETON'S DICTIONARY OF UNIVERSAL INFORMATION" may appropriately be introduced, premising that British princes attain their majority in their 18th year, whilst mortals of ordinary rank do not arrive at that period till their 21st.--"ALBERT EDWARD, Prince of Wales, and heir to the British throne, merits a place in this work on account of the high responsibilities which he is, in all probability, destined to fulfil as sovereign of the British empire. On the 10th of November, 1858, he was gazetted as having been invested with the rank of a colonel in the army. Speaking of this circ.u.mstance, the _Times_ said,--'The significance of this event is, that it marks the period when the heir to the British throne is about to take rank among men, and to enter formally upon a career, which every loyal subject of the queen will pray may be a long and a happy one, for his own sake and for the sake of the vast empire which, in the course of nature, he will one day be called to govern. The best wish that we can offer for the young prince is, that in his own path he may ever keep before him the bright example of his royal mother, and show himself worthy of her name.' There are few in these realms who will not give a fervent response to these sentiments. B.

November 9th, 1841."

POTAGE PRINTANIER, OR SPRING SOUP.

149. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 a pint of green peas, if in season, a little chervil, 2 shredded lettuces, 2 onions, a very small bunch of parsley, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, the yolks of 3 eggs, 1 pint of water, seasoning to taste, 2 quarts of stock No. 105.

_Mode_.--Put in a very clean stewpan the chervil, lettuces, onions, parsley, and b.u.t.ter, to 1 pint of water, and let them simmer till tender. Season with salt and pepper; when done, strain off the vegetables, and put two-thirds of the liquor they were boiled in to the stock. Beat up the yolks of the eggs with the other third, give it a toss over the fire, and at the moment of serving, add this, with the vegetables which you strained off, to the soup.

_Time_.--3/4 of an hour. _Average cost_, 1s. per quart.

_Seasonable_ from May to October.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

RICE SOUP.

I.

150. INGREDIENTS.--4 oz. of Patna rice, salt, cayenne, and mace, 2 quarts of white stock.

_Mode_.--Throw the rice into boiling water, and let it remain 5 minutes; then pour it into a sieve, and allow it to drain well. Now add it to the stock boiling, and allow it to stew till it is quite tender; season to taste. Serve quickly.

_Time_.--1 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 3d. per quart.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

[Ill.u.s.tration: EARS OF RICE.]

RICE.--This is a plant of Indian origin, and has formed the princ.i.p.al food of the Indian and Chinese people from the most remote antiquity. Both Pliny and Dioscorides cla.s.s it with the cereals, though Galen places it among the vegetables. Be this as it may, however, it was imported to Greece, from India, about 286 years before Christ, and by the ancients it was esteemed both nutritious and fattening. There are three kinds of rice,--the Hill rice, the Patna, and the Carolina, of the United States. Of these, only the two latter are imported to this country, and the Carolina is considered the best, as it is the dearest. The nourishing properties of rice are greatly inferior to those of wheat; but it is both a light and a wholesome food.

In combination with other foods, its nutritive qualities are greatly increased; but from its having little stimulating power, it is apt, when taken in large quant.i.ties alone, to lie long on the stomach.

II.

151. INGREDIENTS.--6 oz. of rice, the yolks of 4 eggs, 1/2 a pint of cream, rather more than 2 quarts of stock No. 105.

_Mode_.--Boil the rice in the stock, and rub half of it through a tammy; put the stock in the stewpan, add all the rice, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Beat the yolks of the eggs, mix them with the cream (previously boiled), and strain through a hair sieve; take the soup off the fire, add the eggs and cream, stirring frequently. Heat it gradually, stirring all the time; but do not let it boil, or the eggs will curdle.

_Time_.--2 hours. _Average cost_, 1s. 4d. per quart.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

SAGO SOUP.

152. INGREDIENTS.--5 oz. of sago, 2 quarts of stock No. 105.

_Mode_.--Wash the sago in boiling water, and add it, by degrees, to the boiling stock, and simmer till the sago is entirely dissolved, and forms a sort of jelly.

_Time_.--Nearly an hour. _Average cost_, 10d. per quart.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Note_.--The yolks of 2 eggs, beaten up with a little cream, previously boiled, and added at the moment of serving, much improves this soup.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SAGO PALM.]

SAGO.--The farinaceous food of this name const.i.tutes the pith of the SAGO tree (the _Sagus farinifera_ of Linnaeus), which grows spontaneously in the East Indies and in the archipelago of the Indian Ocean. There it forms the princ.i.p.al farinaceous diet of the inhabitants. In order to procure it, the tree is felled and sawn in pieces. The pith is then taken out, and put in receptacles of cold water, where it is stirred until the flour separates from the filaments, and sinks to the bottom, where it is suffered to remain until the water is poured off, when it is taken out and spread on wicker frames to dry. To give it the round granular form in which we find it come to this country, it is pa.s.sed through a colander, then rubbed into little b.a.l.l.s, and dried. The tree is not fit for felling until it has attained a growth of seven years, when a single trunk will yield 600 lbs.

weight; and, as an acre of ground will grow 430 of these trees, a large return of flour is the result. The best quality has a slightly reddish hue, and easily dissolves to a jelly, in hot water. As a restorative diet, it is much used.

SEMOLINA SOUP.

153. INGREDIENTS.--5 oz. of semolina, 2 quarts of boiling stock, No.

105, or 106.

_Mode_.--Drop the semolina into the boiling stock, and keep stirring, to prevent its burning. Simmer gently for half an hour, and serve.

_Time_.--1/2 an hour. _Average cost_, 10d. per quart, or 4d.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

SEMOLINA.--This is the heart of the _grano duro_ wheat of Italy, which is imported for the purpose of making the best vermicelli.

It has a coa.r.s.e appearance, and may be purchased at the Italian warehouses. It is also called _soojee;_ and _semoletta_ is another name for a finer sort.

SOUP A LA SOLFERINO (Sardinian Recipe).

154. INGREDIENTS.--4 eggs, 1/2 pint of cream, 2 oz. of fresh b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper to taste, a little flour to thicken, 2 quarts of bouillon, No. 105.

_Mode_.--Beat the eggs, put them into a stewpan, and add the cream, b.u.t.ter, and seasoning; stir in as much flour as will bring it to the consistency of dough; make it into b.a.l.l.s, either round or egg-shaped, and fry them in b.u.t.ter; put them in the tureen, and pour the boiling bouillon over them.

_Time_.--1 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 3d. per quart.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

_Note_.--This recipe was communicated to the Editress by an English gentleman, who was present at the battle of Solferino, on June 24, 1859, and who was requested by some of Victor Emmanuel's troops, on the day before the battle, to partake of a portion of their _potage_. He willingly enough consented, and found that these clever campaigners had made a most palatable dish from very easily-procured materials. In sending the recipe for insertion in this work, he has, however, Anglicised, and somewhat, he thinks, improved it.