Few meat stocks have of themselves more flavour than vegetable stock, that is, the water in which vegetables have cooked. The water in which rice, onions, leeks, celery, beans, cabbage, etc., have boiled is valuable in Vegetarian cookery, and the wise cook will use it in many ways to enhance the flavours of soups and sauces.

A simple way of preparing a rich, clear consommÉ is to wash well ½ cup of German lentils, drain them and toss them for ten minutes in a saucepan in which 1 tablespoon of butter has been melted. Then pour on them 5 cups of cold water, set them over a hot fire, and let them boil rapidly about half an hour only. Drain, and strain through a fine cloth, and return to a clean saucepan with 1 bay leaf, 1 slice of onion, 2 cloves, and ½ teaspoon of celery seed; simmer slowly for fifteen minutes, season with salt and pepper, and add a little sherry if liked.

If the lentils are cooked longer, it will make a cloudy soup, which will be stronger but not clear.

There are various vegetable extracts in the market which, when diluted, make delicious stock, or clear soup. If these are not available, a clear vegetable broth may be made as follows:

Wash 3 cups of any dried beans or lentils, and put them to soak in a covered earthenware dish with 10 cups of water for twelve hours or so. Then empty with that same water into a kettle, and let come slowly to the boiling point, skim frequently, and do not let it actually boil. When clear, and there seems no further need of skimming, add 1 cup each of cut onions, carrots, turnips, 1 tablespoon of parsley, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 clove of garlic, and 1 teaspoon of thyme, etc., 1 tablespoon of celery seed, and 1 bay leaf.

Let boil up once, and then place on the back of the stove to barely simmer for two hours; then strain through a fine sieve, and a good broth is made. The beans, etc., can be utilised in a deep pie, or with brown or white sauce in crust cups, in a curry, or many other ways.

To make this into a strong, clear soup put 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add ½ cup each of chopped onions, carrots, turnips, and celery, 2 cloves, and a bit of parsley; fry until somewhat browned, then cover with 6 cups of the broth, and let simmer very quietly for two hours. Skim often, drain, let cool, remove any grease from the top, and to clarify add to it, when cold, the slightly beaten yolk of 1 egg and the whites of 3, then set over a hot fire and stir vigorously, watching for the first sign of boiling. At this, remove to a place where it cannot even simmer, but will be warm for half an hour, and strain through a fine, clean cloth. A wineglass of sherry may be added if to be served in cups.

Scrape and slice enough Jerusalem artichokes to make 2 cups, and cover them with cold water. Let them stand for fifteen or twenty minutes, and put them in a saucepan with 2 quarts of cold water or milk, or 1 quart of each, and let them cook for an hour or until thoroughly soft. Now rub them through a sieve with 2 cups of the stock in which they cooked, and return to the fire. When boiling add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 of flour, rubbed together, and 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 saltspoon of pepper, and cook about ten minutes before adding 2 cups of hot milk, or 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of cream. Stir well and let boil up once before serving. A teaspoon of chopped parsley or chives improves the appearance and taste of almost any cream soup.

Make the plain cream of artichoke soup as in preceding recipe, and add before straining 1 handful of nasturtium leaves and blossoms; or, instead, add 1 tablespoon of these, finely minced, to the soup before serving.

Use 1 can of asparagus, cut off the tips, and lay them aside. Cut up the stalks, cover with 4 cups of cold milk (or use half water and half milk), and let cook slowly in a double boiler for half an hour; then strain, pressing the asparagus well to extract the flavour. Return to the saucepan, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter, into which 1 teaspoon of flour has been made smooth, season generously with salt and pepper, add the asparagus tips, 1 cup of milk, and, just before serving, 1 tablespoon of whipped cream. A tablespoon of minced onion fried for ten minutes in butter is sometimes added to the stalks while cooking.

Cook 1 can of tomatoes and 1 chopped Spanish onion together for fifteen minutes, then rub through a wire sieve; add 3 tablespoons of pearl barley, 1 tablespoon of butter, some pepper and salt, and cook for one hour, until the barley is soft. Re-season before serving.

Soak 2 cups of beans for twelve hours or more, and then drain them and put into 8 cups of cold water; add 3 whole cloves, 3 whole allspice, and 3 whole peppers, salt well and boil gently for two hours, rub through sieve, and reheat. Mix 1 tablespoon of thickening flour, and 1 tablespoon of butter and water, and stir into the soup at boiling point; season afresh and pour into a tureen in which are placed, neatly sliced, 1 hard-boiled egg and half a dozen seeded slices of lemon. This soup is improved by adding 1 wineglass of sherry, or one may substitute for it a few drops of Tomato Chutney or Worcestershire sauce.

Take 4 cups of diced turnips and put them in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of butter, and stir for ten minutes over a slow fire; then stir in 2 cups of water, 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, and plenty of pepper and salt, and let simmer for another ten minutes; add 2 cups of milk thickened with 1 tablespoon of flour, let boil up, stirring constantly, and serve with croutons.

Wash 2 cups of any sort of dried beans and soak twelve hours or more in cold water. Before using, strain them and cover with 8 cups of cold water. Put over the fire and let cook gently for four hours, then rub them through a sieve into their own stock, season with 1 tablespoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper and 1 tablespoon of butter, and let them cook ten minutes longer. Serve with half-inch squares of toast in the tureen.

Take 1 cup of brown beans and ½ cup of German lentils, wash well and put in a saucepan with plenty of cold water, 2 or 3 chopped onions, 1 stalk of celery, 1 bay leaf, and simmer together for three hours, then strain. If a thin soup is wanted, do not press any of the pulp through the strainer, but if it is liked somewhat thick, do so. Return the strained soup to the saucepan and thicken with 1 teaspoon of thickening flour. This is now delicious soup stock, and can be served plain, or varied by adding peas, diced carrots, spaghetti, a few drops of sauce, a little sherry, tomato catsup, or curry powder. Season well with salt and pepper before serving.

Soak for 8 hours or more 2 cups of red beans, then put them in a large saucepan containing 8 cups of cold water, 1 cup of milk, and 2 onions halved, each having 4 cloves stuck in it. Let cook for two hours, then press through a sieve, reheat, adding just before serving 1 wineglass of claret and fresh seasoning of salt and pepper. 1 hard-boiled egg chopped fine is an improvement to this soup.

Soak 2 cups of dried lima beans for several hours and then put them in a saucepan with 1 cup of cold water and 1 cup of milk and let them cook for two hours, adding salt when they have partly cooked. Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan, and when melted add 1 onion chopped fine. Let cook slowly until browned, then scrape the contents of the frying pan into the saucepan containing the beans, and add 1 tablespoon of tomato catsup or chutney and press all through a sieve, and re-season before serving. If liked a little thick, use 1 tablespoon of flour, made smooth in ½ cup of milk or cream, to thicken. A tablespoon of whipped cream in the tureen is always an improvement to a cream soup.

Make exactly like Cockie-Leekie soup, using the water in which a cabbage has boiled for stock and adding ½ cup of finely chopped cabbage instead of using any of the barley to return to the strained soup. Those who like caraway seed will enjoy the addition of 1 teaspoon of these to the soup. If used, add them with the chopped cabbage after the other seasoning has been removed.

Put 1 cup of tomato pulp in a saucepan and with it 1 bay leaf. When hot add to it 1 saltspoon of soda, and as it foams stir slowly into it 3 or 4 cups of milk, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of butter, and 1 saltspoon of salt. Let boil up once and serve with croutons.

The water in which rice has boiled or any vegetable stock may be substituted for milk and the soda then omitted.

Put 2 cups of finely shredded cabbage in enough water to boil and let cook slowly until tender, which should be in about three quarters of an hour. When the cabbage has been cooking half an hour, add a cup of milk, and when it is nearly done put in 2 cups of milk; let boil up once, then season with salt, black pepper, and pour in a hot tureen, in which should be laid 1 teaspoon of butter. Those who like oyster crackers served in or with milk stews can use them with this soup which greatly resembles an oyster stew in flavour.

Scrape and cut 3 or 4 large carrots (or more of the small French sort) in eighths lengthwise and boil them until tender. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add 1 scant half cup of oatmeal to it, putting in 1 tablespoon at a time and stirring carefully with a wooden spoon until all the butter is taken up; then put in 1 ladle of stock in which the carrots have been cooked, and continue stirring; then another ladle of stock, and so on until a cup and a half of stock has been added during ten minutes’ slow cooking. Now put in another cup of stock and let cook ten minutes; then, as the soup will be getting too thick, add another cup of stock and so on, thinning the soup with additional stock until the oatmeal is thoroughly cooked. If Quaker Oats is used, the soup will only have to cook about forty minutes, and it is best to strain it before serving; fine Scotch meal will take longer, but does not need to be strained and thickens somewhat better.

When the soup is half cooked add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 saltspoon of pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. (Serve the carrots with a plain sauce or warm them up next day in some of the ways mentioned under Carrots.)

Take 2 cups of grated carrot and 1 chopped onion and fry for ten minutes with 1 tablespoon of butter and then cover with 4 cups of cold water and let boil. Add salt and pepper and in twenty minutes 1 cup of milk in which 1 tablespoon of flour has been dissolved.

Put 2 cups of grated carrot with 1 pint (2 cups) of cold water in a double boiler, and when heated add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let cook for an hour, then add ½ cup of stale bread crumbs and 2 cups of water, and let cook half an hour longer. Rub the contents of the double boiler through a fine sieve, add 1½ cups of hot milk, 1 tablespoon of salt and a saltspoon of pepper, and return to the boiler. Beat 2 egg-yolks in ½ cup of milk, and when the soup boils again stir them into it. Stir hard for one minute and serve.

Put 1 quart (or 4 cups) of milk in a double boiler, and put with it ¾ of a cup of grated cheese, 1 teaspoon of grated onion, 1 teaspoon of some piquant sauce, ¼ teaspoon of salt, a dash of cayenne pepper, and 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 of butter rubbed together. Stir until smooth, then beat the yolks of 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons of milk, put in the tureen, and pour the boiling soup over them, stirring during the process. Add a little salt and serve with croutons.

Take a good-sized cauliflower, and let it soak in cold water, which is slightly salted, for half an hour; then drain it and put it, head upwards, in a saucepan which is not over large, and let it cook for half an hour uncovered. Put in a double boiler 1 quart of milk (4 cups), 1 onion and 1 bay leaf, and let them cook together while the cauliflower is boiling. Drain the cauliflower when done, and reserve ½ cup of the little sprays which form the head, mash the remainder in a wooden bowl, and add to it 2 cups of the stock in which it boiled and put in with the boiling milk; stir well, and let cook five minutes, then put through a sieve and return to the fire with a thickening of 1 tablespoon of flour rubbed together with 1 tablespoon of butter, season lightly with salt and pepper and a dash of nutmeg, add the ½ cup of cauliflower as a garnish, and let cook ten minutes more before serving. A tablespoon of whipped cream is an addition if added at the last.

Peel and blanch 1 quart of Italian chestnuts and chop them fine, then boil for half an hour in 2 quarts of water. Strain the chestnuts and crush them to fine pulp in a mortar, and gradually stir on this 1 quart of the stock in which the chestnuts cooked, and then rub all through a sieve. Return to the fire in a saucepan with 1 cup of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 saltspoon of pepper. Cook for half an hour, then strain again, and add 2 cups of milk and a grating of nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon of browned butter, and reheat to boiling point.

Wash and scrape and cut into half-inch pieces what will make 1 cup of celery; put it into 1 quart of boiling salted water and cook for nearly an hour or until very soft, then mash it in the water in which it was boiled. Put 1 teaspoon of chopped onion, 2 bay leaves, some mace, and 2 cloves into 2 cups of milk, let simmer for ten minutes, and add it to the celery pulp. Now press through a sieve and return to the double boiler in which the milk was cooked. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and blend it with 1 tablespoon of flour until smooth, and stir it into the boiling soup; then season with salt and pepper. Boil five minutes and strain into a hot tureen in which a pat of butter and 1 tablespoon of whipped cream have been put. The addition of 1 tablespoon of chopped chives is an improvement to the appearance and taste, or parsley may be used if preferred.

Shell and blanch and cut in quarters 2 cups (1 pound) of Italian chestnuts and cover them with 2 cups of boiling water. Add 1 slice of onion (or a drop of onion juice extract), ¼ cup of chopped celery (or 1 teaspoon celery seed), 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of parsley, and 1 saltspoon of paprika. Cover and boil until the chestnuts are tender,—about half an hour. Then grind in a mortar, or press through a colander or vegetable mill, and add 1 quart (4 cups) of milk, and 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 of flour rubbed together, and cook for three minutes; then add 1 teaspoon of salt, and press all through a fine sieve and reheat before serving.

Put 1 quart of milk and 1 can of corn in a double boiler and let boil; mix 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 of cornstarch or potato-flour together, and add to the corn; season with salt and pepper, and stir for one minute; then press through a sieve and add 1 tablespoon of minced green peppers.

Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and when melted stir in, a spoonful at a time, 1 cup of pearl barley, taking ten minutes to add it all; then cover with 8 cups of carrot or onion broth (or use water), and add 2 bay leaves, 1 onion with 4 cloves stuck in it, a bouquet of herbs and parsley, 1 stalk of celery, and let simmer for one hour and a half, then strain, reserving some of the barley. Prepare leeks by washing and cutting into 2-inch lengths (using some of the green), and slicing lengthwise, and add them to the soup; put in the barley, and let cook twenty-five minutes and season with salt and pepper.

Put 1 can of tomatoes, 1 quart of water or vegetable stock, 1 sliced onion, and 1 small sliced carrot, and 1 chopped green pepper together in a saucepan, and let cook for half an hour, then rub through a fine strainer. Return the strained mixture to the double boiler and put in 2 scant tablespoons of boiled rice, 1 teaspoon of salt, ? teaspoon paprika, 1 tablespoon of sugar. Cream 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of flour, and stir into the soup; let boil up once and serve.

Put 1 quart (or 4 cups) of milk in a double boiler with 1 onion with 4 cloves stuck in it, and when hot thicken it with 1 tablespoon of thickening flour rubbed smooth with 1 tablespoon of butter; add 2 tablespoons of boiled rice, and 1 hard-boiled egg chopped fine, and 2 teaspoons (more if liked) of curry powder or paste. Remove the onion and serve with croutons. One tablespoon of chopped chives or pimentos is an addition to the soup.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and put into it ¾ of a cup of finely chopped onions and stir over a moderate heat about five minutes and then add 2 full cups of very thinly sliced turnips; stir these with the onions for another five minutes and then add 2 tablespoons of flour and gradually add 2 pints of boiled milk mixing all well together; watch it till it boils and then let simmer gently, stirring frequently during twenty minutes or half an hour, until the onions are quite soft. Then add 2 more cups of milk, and when this boils add 1 cup of tomato puree (either canned tomato soup or canned tomatoes), or 1½ cups of sliced fresh tomatoes, using a pinch of soda to prevent curdling. Now press the contents of the saucepan through a fine sieve, add a heaping teaspoon of butter, reheat, and serve with croutons and 1 tablespoon of whipped cream.

Take 3 quarts of water in which vegetables have been boiled (preferably onions or leeks) and let simmer. In another enamelled pan put 1 tablespoon of butter; when melted stir in slowly with a wooden spoon ½ cup of barley, adding a little at a time, until butter is well “taken up.” Let it cook for five minutes, stirring constantly, then add (a ladle at a time) 6 or 8 ladles of the hot stock, putting in this amount during ten minutes of stirring. Add ½ the remaining stock, and salt, pepper, and some nutmeg, and let simmer twenty minutes; then the remaining stock and simmer another one-half hour. Peel ¼ pound mushrooms and cut in 4 or 6 pieces each; fry them in butter for five minutes, and add to soup ten minutes before serving and season afresh.

Strain any clear vegetable soup, and to each 2 cups of broth add ½ cup of dried “Julienne;” season with salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of browned butter.

Soak 2 cups of Egyptian lentils in water for eight or ten hours, then drain and shake dry. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and when melted add ? of the lentils and stir well with a flat-ended wooden spoon, letting them cook very slowly; then add another third, and after stirring a few moments, add the remainder. Pour on 6 cups of cooled water in which leeks or onions have boiled, and let simmer for an hour or until the lentils are tender; press through a sieve and return to the fire to reheat. Smooth 1 teaspoon of flour with 1 teaspoon of butter and add to the soup, season with salt and pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Instead of the flour and butter 1 well-beaten egg may be vigorously stirred into the soup after removing it from the fire.

If Egyptian lentils cannot be obtained, canned or dried red kidney beans may be substituted.

Wash 2 cups of Egyptian lentils, then let them soak in 2 quarts of water for twelve hours or more and put them, in this same water, where they will simmer gently over a slow fire. Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan, and when melted add to it 2 large onions, sliced, 2 carrots and 1 turnip diced, and fry until a delicate brown; add these to the lentils and let cook slowly for about two hours. Press through a sieve, return to the fire, add 2 cups of milk and just before serving, 1 tablespoon of whipped cream, and season with salt and pepper.

Put 1 cup of German lentils in a saucepan with 2 cups of cold water or vegetable stock, and let boil for an hour. If the water is absorbed before the lentils are tender, add a little more. At the end of the hour pour over them 6 cups of hot water or stock.

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan, and when melted add 1 small onion chopped fine and 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 clove of garlic. When browned add this to the soup and at the same time put in ½ cup of diced potatoes. Let simmer gently for half an hour, then press through a sieve, return to the fire, season well with salt and pepper, and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or reduced vinegar before serving.

Put 1 can of tomatoes in a saucepan and with it 2 cups of strong vegetable broth, 1 stalk of celery, 1 slice of onion, 1 bay leaf, 3 allspice, 3 cloves, salt and pepper, and let cook slowly for half an hour. Pour the liquid through a sieve, pressing with it as much of the tomato as will go, reserving the celery. Return to the saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of reduced vinegar, 1 tablespoon of boiled peas, 1 tablespoon of canned string beans, split in half, and the cooked stalk of celery shredded into thin strips two inches long; let simmer for five minutes, season with salt and pepper, add 1 tablespoon of butter, remove from the fire, and beat vigorously into the soup 1 well-beaten egg.

Cut up with a silvered knife about 1 cup of fresh mushrooms, wash and drain, toss about in 2 tablespoons of melted butter for ten minutes, then stir in 1 tablespoon of flour made smooth in a little milk, and add 1 quart of milk and let simmer half an hour. Season with salt and paprika, and press through a sieve, reserving half the mushrooms. Add these to the soup, and serve with croutons.

Take ¼ of a pound of fresh mushrooms, ¾ of a cup of small white beans, the rind of half a lemon, 1 Spanish onion in which 5 cloves have been stuck, a small piece of mace, some parsley and thyme, and, after preparing for cooking, let boil for an hour or more in 2 quarts of water; then press all but a few of the mushrooms through a wire strainer, return to the saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of butter, pepper, and salt, ½ teaspoon of soup browning, and, after cutting them in several pieces, add the reserved mushrooms and serve.

Select mushrooms that are white and firm and small, wash them carefully one at a time with the hands, and put 1 heaping cup of them into 4 cups of milk and let heat, without boiling, for 15 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon of butter, plenty of salt and pepper, and serve in a hot tureen with crisp crackers.

Strain any one of the vegetable soups for stock, add ½ cup of noodles or “alphabets” fifteen minutes before serving.

Chop enough onions to make 4 cups, and put them in a large saucepan with 2 tablespoons of butter and stir them for five minutes; then add 1 small onion with 4 cloves stuck in it, a sprig of parsley, and a bay leaf, cover with 6 or 7 cups of water, add salt and pepper, and let cook gently for three quarters of an hour. Press all through a sieve, and return the liquid to the saucepan; add 1 tablespoon of flour blended with 1 tablespoon of butter, also 2 cups of milk (or half cream), and let boil up once before serving. One tablespoon of chopped chives may be added, also 1 tablespoon of whipped cream.

Cut into small pieces 2 cups (1 can) of okra, use 1 can of green peas, 1 of green corn, 1 cup of shell beans, 2 onions, 1 slice of carrot, 1 slice of turnip, 2 tomatoes, and some celery, or use celery salt. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, and when melted add the chopped onion, carrot, and turnip, and cook ten minutes; then put with the okra, celery and beans into 4 cups of water. Cook for one hour, then add salt and pepper and the tomatoes, corn, peas, and celery, and simmer for half an hour. Do not strain to serve, but if too thick, thin with stock or water.

Slice 6 ordinary onions or 3 large Spanish ones, and put in frying pan with 2 heaping tablespoons of butter, and let fry very slowly until the onions are a rich dark brown,—about fifteen minutes; then scrape the contents of the pan into a large marmite, add 1 large tablespoon of butter, some pepper and salt, and nearly fill the casserole with tepid water, or with water in which onions have boiled; cover and let cook slowly half an hour, and then stir in 2 teaspoons of soup browning. Take 4 thick slices of dry rye bread, spread them thickly with grated cheese, and lay these in the soup pot; remove the cover and let cook five minutes more, and serve in the marmite.

Shell half a peck of peas and wash the pods. Put the pods in a large kettle and almost cover with boiling water; let them simmer for half an hour, then strain these out, and put the peas in this water to boil until tender. The length of time this takes depends on the freshness of the peas. Save out 1 cup of the peas and press the remainder, water and all, through a sieve, and add to them 1 pint of milk, then return to the fire. Rub together 1 tablespoon of flour and one of butter and stir into the boiling soup; then add the reserved cup of peas, season with salt and pepper, and serve. If the flavour of mint is liked, put 3 or 4 mint leaves, or 1 teaspoon of chopped mint, into the tureen. If mint is not used add a little chopped parsley.

Put 1 can of peas, 1 chopped onion, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan, and cook twenty minutes. At the same time put 1 quart of milk on the fire in a double boiler. When the milk is hot stir in 1 tablespoon of butter, and as it boils, 1 tablespoon of flour which has been dissolved in a quarter of a cup of milk. Rub the peas through a fine sieve, stir into the milk, season with salt and pepper, add 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley, and serve. Instead of the parsley, chopped mint can be used if the flavour is liked, or 1 or 2 mint leaves laid in the tureen before the soup is poured in give a delicate flavour.

Soak 2 cups of peas for twelve hours or more, and then drain and toss them for ten minutes in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of chopped onion; then add 4 cups of hot water and let cook two hours, and press through a sieve with the water in which they cooked. Add 1 cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of chopped mint (fresh or dried), and 1 tablespoon whipped cream. Season well with salt and pepper.

Slice 3 onions and cook in a scant half cup of butter for ten minutes. Add 1 quart of hot milk and cook slowly another ten minutes. Strain into double boiler, thicken with 1 teaspoon of flour dissolved in a little milk, and just before serving add 2 teaspoons of finely chopped canned pimentos, and salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of cream in serving.

Wash 6 to 9 potatoes and put them in boiling water and boil them from twenty minutes to half an hour, the time depending on their size. Use 1 large onion quartered, with cloves stuck in it, and 2 pieces of celery (or ¼ teaspoon of celery salt or celery seed), some mace, 1 bay leaf, and 6 peppercorns, and put in a double boiler with 1 quart of milk, from which reserve 1 small half cup. Mix 1 tablespoon of flour with the reserved milk, and stir slowly into the milk when it boils, and let cook ten minutes longer. When the potatoes are done pour off the water, peel them and mash until light, then add to the boiling milk, stir well, season with salt and pepper, and rub all through a sieve. Return to double boiler, add 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 teaspoon of minced parsley, boil up once, and serve.

The German potato soup is made by rubbing 6 or 8 well-boiled potatoes through a sieve together with enough of the water in which they were cooked to make sufficient soup, and adding 1 tablespoon of chopped chives (or shallot or onion), 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley, ½ cup of sour cream containing a little lemon juice, or, instead of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of reduced vinegar can be used, with ½ cup of fresh cream. Let simmer for fifteen minutes and serve very hot with croutons.

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when melted add 1 large onion chopped fine, stir until browned, then add 3 cups of thinly sliced potatoes and 6 cups of cold water; when the potatoes are cooked to a mush press them through a sieve, add a small piece of butter, pepper, and salt, and 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley.

Put ½ cup of rice into 1½ pints of boiling water, and add 2 onions into which 4 cloves are pressed, a piece of celery (or ¼ teaspoon celery seed), one bay leaf, 1 sprig of parsley, 4 peppercorns, and a bit of mace. Let simmer gently for one hour, then turn the soup into a large bowl, pouring it through a fine sieve, and pressing as much through the sieve as possible. Return the contents of the bowl to the saucepan and add 1 pint of milk, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1 scant tablespoon of flour dissolved in a little milk. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped Spanish pimentos, 1 teaspoon finely chopped chives, let simmer five minutes, add 1 tablespoon of whipped cream, and serve.

Boil 1 cup of rice in 2 quarts of water. Heat the contents of 1 can of tomatoes with 1 bay leaf, 2 slices of onion, and, after fifteen minutes’ cooking, press through a sieve and put in double boiler, and to this add 1 pint of water in which rice has been boiled. When hot put in 1 teaspoon of butter, some pepper, salt, and a dash of celery salt, and 2 tablespoons of the cooked rice, and serve. The boiled rice can be utilised for the same meal, or used later.

Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan, and when melted add 1 sliced onion and let simmer for five minutes; then stir in 1 tablespoon of flour, and when smooth and browned add 6 cups of water; season well and let cook slowly for three quarters of an hour. In another saucepan put ¼ cup of rice and 2 cups of sliced okra, and strain the hot stock over the rice and okra, season well with salt and pepper, cover closely, and let simmer gently for an hour. If fresh okra is not available the canned okra is a very good substitute; but if it is used, do not add it to the rice and stock until twenty minutes before removing the soup from the fire.

Use enough salsify to make 4 cups when sliced. Soak in cold water for an hour, then scrape and put in fresh water, containing some lemon juice, for fifteen minutes. The salsify must not be left out of the water, or it will turn dark. Cut in thin slices, and put into a saucepan containing 4 cups of water and ½ cup of milk, and let cook slowly for about an hour, adding 1 teaspoon of salt when it has cooked half the time. Reserve ¼ of a cup of the salsify, and press the remainder, with the stock, through a sieve; return to the saucepan, add 1½ cups of milk and 1 cup of cream, and 1 tablespoon of butter rubbed together with 1 tablespoon of flour (or less if a thick soup is not liked), a little salt, a dash of paprika and pepper, and serve very hot with small crackers.

Put 1 tablespoon of butter into the frying pan, and when melted add 1 onion chopped fine, and let cook slowly for ten minutes. Put 1 cup of cold prepared spinach into the butter and onion and 1 cup of tomato sauce or tomatoes, and let heat through. Put 2 cups of milk in a double boiler with 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 of butter rubbed together. Add a pinch of soda to the tomato-spinach mixture, press it through a sieve, and stir the purÉe into the milk when it boils. Season with salt and pepper and add 1 tablespoon of cream.

Put the contents of 1 can of spinach in a chopping-bowl and chop it to a fine pulp; then put it in a double boiler with 2 tablespoons of onion juice (grated onion), and some salt and pepper, and 5 or 6 cups of milk. Let all cook together for twenty minutes, then pour through a sieve, pressing the spinach to extract the juice. Return the soup to the double boiler, add 1 tablespoon of butter, re-season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg or mace, and some celery salt. A tablespoon of whipped cream added at the last is an improvement, or 1 tablespoon of finely chopped white and riced yolk of hard-boiled egg can be added. The spinach itself can be prepared next day in any of the ways described for serving spinach.

Wash 1 quart of sorrel and put it to cook in cold water, remove from the fire in ten minutes and drain and chop fine. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and fry in it when melted 1 small onion chopped fine; then add the sorrel to this and stir for three or four minutes and add 2 cups of cold milk and let simmer for five minutes. Dissolve in 1 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of potato flour (or other thickening), and add to the boiling soup; then strain, reheat, and serve with the addition of 1 tablespoon of whipped cream.

The Germans enrich the above soup by pouring it upon a ½ cup of milk in which the yolks of 2 eggs have been beaten. Do not reverse the process, as it will curdle the soup.

Take 2 cans of peas, reserving ½ cup of them, and put them in a double boiler with 1 onion cut in 4 pieces with a clove stuck in each, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 saltspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 bay leaf, and a sprig of parsley; cover and let cook for half an hour, then mash the contents of the double boiler with a potato-masher, and add to them 6 cups of water, and when this boils add to the soup 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 of flour rubbed together; stir well and cook fifteen minutes, then press through a sieve. Return to the double boiler, add 2 cups of milk, the ½ cup of peas drained dry, and reheat, seasoning afresh before serving with croutons.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan, and add to it 1 thinly sliced onion, 2 slices of carrot, 2 slices of turnip, ½ cup of chopped celery (or 1 teaspoon of celery seed may be used instead), and let cook very slowly. Stir frequently, and at the end of ten minutes add 2 cloves, 10 or 12 peppercorns, a small piece of cinnamon, and 1 large bay leaf, and 8 cups (or 2 quarts) of cold water. Cover the saucepan and let the soup cook slowly three quarters of an hour, then strain carefully and return to the saucepan. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt, and add ½ cup of spaghetti broken into inch-long pieces. Cover the saucepan and let the soup simmer for an hour, as this will draw more flavour from the spaghetti than rapid boiling, and is the better way for a soup, since the object is to extract the flavour of the ingredients. Grated or Parmesan cheese served with this soup is an improvement.

Put 2 quarts of water in kettle, and when at boiling point add ½ cup of pearl barley, which has been tossed in hot butter in a frying pan for five minutes, and let cook slowly. Cut up 2 carrots, 2 turnips, and 3 large onions, and fry in 2 tablespoons of butter. Chop a sprig of parsley very fine, and put with the other vegetables into the barley and water. Let cook slowly for two hours, season with pepper and salt, and serve. A ½ teaspoon of soup-browning improves the appearance of the broth.

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when melted stir into it 3 onions thinly sliced, and let simmer for ten minutes; then add to them the juice from 1 can of tomatoes and 2 of the tomatoes, and let cook slowly for twenty minutes; strain, pressing through a sieve, return to the fire, add 1 tablespoon of butter, some pepper and salt, and stir in 2 well-beaten eggs. Do not let the soup boil after adding the eggs.

Put 2 quarts of water into a double boiler, and when it boils add ½ cup of tapioca. Slice 6 large tomatoes (or use 2 cups of strained canned tomatoes), cut 2 onions fine, and fry together until a light brown in 1 tablespoon of butter. Scrape the contents of the pan into the kettle and let simmer slowly for an hour and a half, then season well and serve.

Take 2 cups of canned tomatoes, juice and all, mash the large pieces to a pulp, and place in a saucepan with 1½ cups of hot water and a piece of butter the size of an egg, a pinch of pepper, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1 bay leaf. Let come to a boil, and then add ¼ teaspoon of carbonate of soda, stir for one minute, and add 2 cups of milk. Let boil up and pour in tureen in which is a ½ cup of cracker crumbs very finely rolled. Use this way for ordinary use, or strain to serve in cups.

Put 1 quart of milk and 1 can of corn in a double boiler and let simmer fifteen minutes; then add 1 teaspoon of butter, season well with salt and pepper, and press through a sieve, and put back into the double boiler. Add ½ cup of boiled tomatoes which have been pressed through a sieve, stir together, reheat, and serve.

Put 1 can of tomatoes, 1 sprig of parsley, 1 onion with 4 cloves stuck in it, 1 tablespoon of salt, 6 peppercorns, and 6 cups of cold water in a saucepan, and let cook slowly for three quarters of an hour; then strain and return to the saucepan, and when boiling again, add ½ cup of macaroni which has been broken into small pieces, and cover and cook for half an hour. Season afresh before serving. Spaghetti or noodles may be used instead of macaroni.

Let 1 quart can of tomatoes, 2 cups of water (or rice stock), a sprig of parsley, 1 bay leaf, and 1 onion simmer together for fifteen minutes, then press through a sieve and return to the fire to boil. Rub 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of flour together, and stir into the boiling soup until smooth. Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of soda, and serve immediately with croutons. If water in which rice has boiled is used omit the flour and the soda.

Into 1½ quarts (6 cups) of boiling water put ½ cup of rice; cover and let boil fifteen minutes, then add the contents of 1 can of “tomato-okra” and cook ten minutes more. Reserve 2 okra pods, 2 tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon of rice, and press all the rest through a sieve. Return to the fire, season with salt and pepper, and add the rice and tomatoes and the okra cut in thin slices.

Make as above, but strain, reserving a little rice and a little tomato to add later; stir 1 tablespoon of curry paste (or powder) into the soup, reheat, and serve.

Cut in tiny squares 1 potato, 1 onion, ½ turnip, 1 carrot, and 1 root of celery. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan, add all the vegetables except the potato, and fry until a delicate brown. Then scrape the contents of the frying pan into a kettle containing 2 quarts of cold water, 1 teaspoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of rice, 1 bay leaf, and a bunch of soup herbs. Let cook slowly for one hour and a half, and then add the potatoes and boil twenty minutes more. Add pepper, a little fresh salt, and 1 teaspoon soup-browning, and, if a thin soup is preferred, strain out most of the vegetables and rice. These may be served with brown sauce and put in individual crust cups made hot in oven after being filled.

When seasonable another vegetable soup may be made, proceeding as above, but adding cauliflower and young onions instead of carrots, etc., and thinning with 1½ cups of hot milk and adding at the last ½ cup of boiled young peas. Add butter, pepper, and salt, and a spoonful of cream, before serving.

Put 1 generous tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan, and fry in the butter when melted ½ cup of chopped onion, and when a golden brown stir in carefully 1 tablespoon of flour, and when smoothed pour on slowly 2 cups of hot water or vegetable stock. Now put in ½ cup each of chopped carrot, turnip, parsnip, and 1 cup of celery, and dredge well with pepper and salt, and cover with boiling water, and let simmer for one hour. Then put in 2 cups of parboiled potatoes, and when the vegetables are soft press through a sieve with the stock in which they have cooked.

A much more simple but very palatable vegetable soup is made by taking 1 cup of diced carrots and 1 cup of parsnips and 1 can of peas (or fewer peas can be used), covering them with cold water, and after one hour’s boiling adding 2 cups of milk, to which should be added when it boils 1 teaspoon of potato-flour, or other thickening, and, before serving, pepper, salt, and a small piece of butter.

Slice and cut in fancy shapes 1 turnip, 1 carrot, 1 sweet potato, the corn from 1 ear of corn, or use 2 tablespoons of canned corn, and strain ½ can of peas, or ½ cup of fresh peas may be used. Put 3 quarts of water in a saucepan, and when boiling add 1 tablespoon of rice and the carrot; let boil for half an hour, then put in the other vegetables and cook for half an hour longer, and add 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley before serving; also season highly with salt and pepper.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and add 3 tablespoons each of chopped celery, turnip, and carrot, and 1 tablespoon of minced onion, 4 bay leaves, and 4 blades of mace. Cook together very slowly for twenty minutes, stirring frequently to prevent browning; then shake in 3 tablespoons of flour, and when blended put the contents of the frying pan into a little less than 3 pints of milk made hot in a double boiler. Cook twenty minutes longer, and then season well with salt and pepper, and pour into a saucepan containing 2 egg-yolks, beaten with ½ cup of cream or milk. The soup can then be strained and served without any, or with only a few, of the vegetables, or it is delicious served without straining. It can be made at any time that is convenient and reheated for serving.

Slice 3 onions and cover with 2 quarts of cold water, and when it boils add a large vegetable marrow, cut in thin slices. Let simmer slowly for two hours, then rub all through a sieve; mix 1 tablespoon of ground rice, 1 cup of milk, and 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and when hot add to the soup. Finish with 2 tablespoons of boiled flageolets, or peas, and season well with salt and pepper.