The Rocky Mountain Cook Book : For High Altitude Cooking. Caroline Trask Norton

in small pieces and washed clean. Soup meat, when cooked, has no nutrition left in it. If properly made, the goodness of the meat is in the stock.

      Use one quart of cold water to every pound of meat and bones. Add seasoning in the following proportions:

      For every quart of water, one even teaspoonful of salt, three peppercorns, or a little ground pepper, two cloves, a celery root or the outside stalk, a sprig of parsley, a tablespoonful each of onion, carrot and turnip, a part of a bay leaf, a pinch of sage, summer savory, thyme and marjoram. It is not necessary to have all the herbs. A very nice flavored soup can be made with the vegetables alone.

      If you wish to have a dark-brown stock, reserve part of the lean meat and part of the vegetables, and brown them in a little fat taken from the meat. A tablespoonful of browned sugar or caramel will also give a brown color to the stock. Do not remove the scum from the soup while it is cooking, as that is the albumen of the meat. As soon as the soup is done strain at once and set aside until cold and the fat has formed a cake on top. Remove the fat and reheat.

      Soup stock should cook from six to eight hours.

      Whole rice is sometimes served in a white soup. Boil the rice until tender then add to the soup.

      CARAMEL FOR COLORING SOUPS AND GRAVIES.

      Melt one cup of sugar with two tablespoonfuls of water in a sauce pan. Stir until it is a dark brown color. Add one cup of boiling water, let simmer for fifteen minutes. Bottle for use, when cool.

      TO CLEAR SOUP STOCK.

      Remove the fat. Allow the white of an egg to every quart of stock. Mix the beaten white with the cold stock. Set on the fire, stirring all the time until it reaches the boiling point, then let it boil without stirring for ten minutes, draw it on the back of the stove and add one-half cup cold water. Let it stand for ten minutes, strain through a cheese cloth and colander.

      GARNISHES FOR SOUPS.

      Croutons.—Cut stale bread into cubes and brown in butter in an omelet pan, or butter first, cut in cubes and brown in the oven. Serve with thick soups.

      Egg Balls.—Rub to a paste with a wooden spoon the yolks of bard-boiled eggs. Season with salt, pepper or paprica and melted butter, add enough raw yolk or white to mould them. Roll them in white of egg, slightly beaten, and dip in flour. Have them about one-half the size of a yolk. Fry them in butter. Serve one to each person.

      Marrow Balls.—Melt a tablespoonful of the marrow, beat it until creamy, then add to it a well-beaten egg and a little salt and pepper and as much soft bread crumbs as it will take. Mould in little balls and cook them in boiling water for ten minutes. Place them in the tureen first before serving.

      Noodles.—Two eggs slightly beaten, mix with them two tablespoonfuls of water, one-quarter teaspoonful of salt and enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead it well for fifteen minutes, then cut off small pieces at a time and roll them as thin as wafers. When very thin sprinkle with flour and roll into a tight roll, cut from the end into thin slices or threads for the soup. Let them dry in a slightly warm oven for an hour. These can be cut before rolling into fancy shapes with the vegetable cutter. Before serving put them in boiling salted water and let them boil for fifteen minutes. Serve in thin soups.

      Lemon cut in thin slices is served, a slice to each person.

      Macaroni, Spaghetti and Vermicelli is broken in three or four-inch lengths and put on to cook in boiling salted water until tender, then remove from the water in a colander; let the cold water run through. Place on a board and cut in one-inch pieces. If the large-size macaroni is used, cut into one-fourth inch pieces, thus forming rings. Put in the tureen just before serving.

      ROYALE CUSTARD TO SERVE WITH CONSOMMÉ.

      2 yolks.

      1 egg.

      1/4 teaspoonful salt.

      Little pepper.

      1/2 cup beef stock.

      Beat the eggs slightly or until well mixed, add the seasonings and the clear stock. Pour into a dish so it will be about one inch thick. Set it in a pan of hot water and place in a moderate oven until it is firm. Do not let it brown on top. When cold cut it into cubes or into fancy shapes with the cutter. Place carefully in the tureen after the soup is in it. Allow four or five pieces to each person.

      FORCE MEAT BALLS.

      Chop any cooked meat very fine, season highly with onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper, add enough yolk to hold them together. Mould in little balls, roll them in egg and flour, fry them in butter. Serve in the soup.

      Grated cheese may be passed with the soup.

      Butter crackers and brown them in the oven. Pass with soup.

      Serve popcorn with any kind of soup.

      BROWN SOUP STOCK.

      3 lbs. shin of beef.

      3 quarts cold water.

      9 peppercorns.

      5 cloves.

      3 teaspoonfuls salt.

      1 good-sized onion.

      1 good-sized carrot, or 2 small ones.

      1 turnip.

      3 sprigs of parsley.

      Celery root or stalks and herbs, if you like.

      Put half the meat and the bones in the water, brown the rest of the meat and vegetables and add them.

      WHITE STOCK.

      3 lbs. knuckle of veal, or one fowl.

      Herbs.

      3 teaspoonfuls salt.

      Peppercorns.

      1 onion.

      2 celery roots or 4 stalks.

      1 turnip.

      1 good-sized carrot.

      3 quarts water.

      WHITE SOUP.

      Three tablespoonfuls of butter and flour. Melt the butter and stir into it the flour. Add slowly one quart of the white stock and one pint of cream. Season to taste.

      CONSOMMÉ.

      2 lbs. skin of beef.

      2 lbs. knuckle of veal or a small fowl or hen.

      3 quarts of water.

      6 peppercorns.

      4 cloves.

      1 tablespoonful salt.

      2 onions.

      2 carrots.

      1 turnip.

      2 roots of celery.

      3 sprigs parsley.

      Brown half the meat and the vegetables, simmer for eight hours. Strain. When cold remove the fat and clear. Add thin slice of lemon to each serving.

      JULIENNE SOUP.

      Julienne soup is made by adding to the plain consommé stock, vegetables cut in thin strings or fancy shapes. Add salt and hot water to the vegetables. Cook until tender, then add to the stock and serve.

      MACARONI OR VERMICELLI SOUP.

      Cook the macaroni or vermicelli in boiling salted water until tender,