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Classic
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page 14
however, or as a side dish, it will be well to cut away all ragged pieces and
then cut it up into smaller pieces, place it, covered with cold water, on the
back of the stove for about 1 hour, bring to a boil and then add into the soup
when the latter begins to boil; whatever a soup made in this manner lacks in
strength, may be supplied by the addition of some extract of beef.
Meats for soups should be washed very slightly and must not be laid in water, as
this would tend to lessen their strength. Whenever possible, do not wash the
meat at all, in any event it must not be kept in the water too long. When the
meat is put on the fire, good judment should be exercised as to the amount which
will boil away and the quantity of water first put into the kettle gauged
accordingly; adding water after the soup is done is very detrimental. Should it
have boiled away too much, however, then a little hot water may be added. Soups
cooked over a charcoal or peat fire are the best. Inasmuch as soups require long
cooking and lose in quantity even in a tightly covered kettle, it is easy to
oversalt, and this circumstance must betaken into consideration when the salt is
first put in. It is always easy to add more salt if needed, but over-salting is
an indiration of either negligence or ignorance.
If a good, clear, palatable soup is wanted, a thorough skimming must not be
neglected. At present many recommend that soup should not be skimmed, claiming
that skimming weakens the soup. We cannot agree with this view, the albumen
contained in the scum has hut little nutritive value and a cloudy soup is not
nearly so palatable (which should be the principal feature of a good soup) as
one that is quite clear. But the skimming should not be done too soon-not before
the meat has slowly simmered for at least 1/2 hour. Throw in a tablespoonful of
cold water, which will bring the scum to the surface, when it should be
immediately taken off.
Be careful in cooking the soup to keep the kettle closely covered, in order not
to lose the flavor of the juices, and keep it simmering slowly, but without
ceasing, until done, being careful to prevent boiling over. After cooking about
1 hour, take the precaution to pass the soup through a sieve, slightly rinse the
meat
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