Welcome to Celtnet's Hannah Glassse's Recipes for Of Soups and Broths — This page gives you the entire contents of the Sixth Chapter: Of SOUPS and BROTHS from Hannah Glasses's 1747 volume,
The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. Each recipe is given here in its original form, with a link underneath to the modern redaction, should you wish to replicate it. This is the first time that Hannah Glasse's book has been made available in its entirety on the internet. Enjoy...
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Hanna Glasse's Sixth Chapter
CHAP. VI.
Of SOUPS and BROTHS.
To make ſtrong broth for ſoups and gravy.
Take a leg of beef, chop it to pieces, ſet it on the fire in flur gallons of water, ſcum it clean, ſeaſon it with black and white pepper, a few cloves, and a bundle of ſweet-herbs. Let it boil till two parts is waſted, then ſtrain it off, and keep for uſe.
When you want very ſtrong gravy, take a ſlice of bacon, lay it in a ſtew-pan ; take a pound of beef, cut it thin, lay it on the bacon, ſlice a good piece of carrot in, an onion ſliced, a good cruſt of bread, a few ſweet-herbs, a little mace, cloves, nutmeg, and whole pepper, an anchovy ; cover it, and ſet it on a ſlow fire for five or ſix minutes, and pour in a quart of the above beef-gravy ; cover it cloſe, and let it boil ſoftly till half is waſted. This will be a rich, high brown ſauce for fiſh or fowl or ragoo.
Gravy for white ſauce.
TAKE a pound of any part of the veal, cut it into ſmall pieces, boil it in a quart of water, with an onion, a blade of mace, two cloves, and a few whole pepper-corns. Boil it till it is as rich as you would have it.
Gravy for turkey, fowl or ragoo.
Take a pound of lean beef, cut and hack it well, then flour it well, put a piece of butter as biga as a hen's egg in a ſtew-pan ; when it is melted, put in your beef, fry it on all ſides a little brown, then pour in three pints of boiling water, and a bundle of ſweet-herbs, two or three blades of mace, three or four cloves, twelve whole pepper-corns, a little bit of carrot, a little piece of cruſt of bread toaſted brown ; cover it cloſe, and let it boil till there is about a pint or leſs ; then ſeaſon it with ſalt, and ſtrain it off.
Gravy for a fowl, when you have no meat nor gravy ready.
TAKE the neck, liver, and gizzard, boil them in half a pint of water, with a little pice of bread toaſted brown a little pepper and ſalt, and a little bit of thyme. Let them boil till there is about a quarter of a pint, then pour in half a glaſs of red wine, boil it and ſtrain it, then bruiſe the liver well in, and ſtrain it again; thicken it with a little piece of butter rolled in flour, and it will be very good.
An ox's kidney makes good gravy, cut all to pieces, and boiled with ſpice, &c. as in the foregoing receipts.
You have a receipt in the beginning of the book, in the preface for gravies.
To make mutton or veal gravy.
CUT and hack your veal well, ſet it on the fire with water, ſweet-herbs, mace, and pepper. Let it boil till it is as good as you wuld have it, then ſtrain it off. Your fine cooks always, if they can, chop a partridge or two, and put into gravies.
To make ſtrong fiſh-gravy
TAKE two or three eels, or any fiſh you have, ſkin or ſcale them, and gut them and waſh them from grit, cut them into little pieces, put them into a ſauce-pan, cover them with water, a little cruſt of bread toaſted brown, a blade or two of mace, and ſome whole pepper, a few ſweet-herbs, and a very little bit of lemon-peel. Let it boil till it is rich and good, then have ready a piece of butter, according to your gravy ; it a pint, as big as a walnut. Melt it in the ſauce-pan, then ſhake in a little flour, and toſs it about till it is brown, and then ſtrain in the gravy to it. Let it boil a few minutes, and it will be good.
To make plum-porridge for Chriſtmas.
TAKE a leg and ſhin of beef, put them into eight gallons of water, and boil them till they are very tender, and when the broth is ſtrong ſtrain it out ; wipe the pot and put in the broth again ; then ſlice ſix penny loaves thin, cut off the top and bottom, put ſome of the liquor to it, cover it up and let it ſtand a quarter of an hour, boil it and ſtrain it, and then put it into your pot. Let it obil a quarter of an hour, then put in five pounds of currants clean waſhed and picked ; let them boil a little, and put in five pounds of raiſins of the ſun, ſtoned, and two pounds of prunes, and let them boil till they ſwell ; then put in three quarters of an ounce of mace, half an ounce of cloves, two nutmegs, all of them beat fine, and mix it with a little liquor cold, and put them in a very little while, and take off the pot ; then put in three pounds of ſugar, a little ſalt, a quart of ſack, a quart of claret, and the juice of two or three lemons. You may thicken with ſago inſtead of bread, if you pleaſe ; pour them into earthen pans, and keep them for uſe. You muſt boil two pounds of prunes in a quart of water till they are tender, and ſtrain them into the pot when it is boiling.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Hannah Glasse's To make plum-porridge for Christmas.
To make ſtrong broth to keep for uſe.
TAKE part of a leg of beef and the ſcrag-end of neck of mutton, break the bones in pieces, and put to it as much water as will cover it, and a little ſalt ; when it boils, ſkim it clean, and put into it a whole onion ſtuck with cloves, a bunch of ſweet-herbs, ſome pepper, and a nutmeg quartered. Let theſe boil till the meat is boiled in pieces, and the ſtrength boiled out of it ; then put to it three or four anchovies, and when they are diſſolved, ſtrain it out, and keep it for uſe.
A craw-fiſh ſoup.
TAKE a gallon of water, and ſet it boiling ; put in it a bunch of ſweet herbs, three or four blaces of mace, an onion ſtuck with cloves, pepper, and ſalt ; then have about two hudred craw-fiſh, ſave about twenty, then pick the reſt from the ſhells, ſave the tails whole ; the body and the ſhells beat in a mortar, with a pint of peaſe green or dry, firſt boiled tender in fair water, put your boiling water to it, and ſtrain it boiling hot through a cloth till you have all the goodneſs out of it : ſet it over a ſlow fire or ſtew-hole, have ready a French roll cut very thin, and let it be very dry, put it to your ſoup, let it ſtew till half is waſted, then put a piece of butter as big as an egg into a ſauce-pan, let it ſimmer till it is done making a noiſe, ſhake in two tea-ſpoonfuls of flour, ſtirring it about, and an onion ; put to them a pint of good gravy, let it boil for four or five minutes ſoftly, take out the onion, and put to it a pint of the ſoup, ſtir it well together, and pour it all together, and let it ſimmer very ſoftly a quarter of an hour ; fry a French roll very nice and brown, and the twenty crawfiſh, pour your ſoup into the diſh, and lay the roll in the middle, and the craw-fiſh round the diſh.
Fine cooks boil a brace of carp and tench, and may be a lobſter or two, and many more rich things, to make a craw-fiſh ſoup ; but the above is full as good, and wants no addition.
A good gravy-ſoup.
TAKE a pound of beef, a pound of veal, and a pound of mutton cut and hacked all to pieces, put it into two gallons of water, with an old cock beat to pieces, a piece of carrot, the upper cruſt of a penny loaf toaſted very criſp, a little bundle of ſweet-herbs, an onion, a tea-ſpoonful of black pepper and one of white pepper, four or five blades of mace, and four cloves ; cover it, and let it ſtew over a ſlow fire till half is waſted, then ſtrain if off, and put it into a clean ſauce-pan, with two or three large ſpoonfuls of raſpings clean ſifted, half an ounce of truffles and morels, three or four heads of celery waſhed very clean and cut ſmall, an ox's palate, firſt boiled tender and cut into pieces, a few cocks-combs, a few of the little hearts of young ſavoys ; cover it cloſe, and let it ſimmer very ſoftly over a ſlow fire two hours ; then have ready a French roll fried and a few force-meat balls fried, put them in your diſh and pour in your ſoup. You may boil a leg of veal, and a leg of beef, and as many fine things as you pleaſe ; but I believe you will find this rich and high enough.
You may leave out the cocks-combs, and palates, truffles, &c. if you don't like them ; it will be good ſoup without them ; and if you would have your ſoup very clear, dont put in the raſpings.
Obſerve, if it be a china diſh not to pour your ſoup in boiling hot off the fire, but ſet it down half a minute, and put a ladle-ful in firſt to warm the diſh, then put it in ; for if it be a froſt, the bottom of your diſh will fry out. Vermicelli is good in it, an ounce put in juſt before you take it up ; let it boil four or five minutes.
You may make this ſoup of beef, or veal along, juſt as you fancy. A leg of beef will do either without veal, mutton, or fowl.
A green peas ſoup.
TAKE a ſmall knuckle of veal, about three or four pounds, chop it all to pieces, ſet it on the fire in ſix quarts of water, a little piece of lean bacon, about half an ounce ſteeped in vinegar an hour, four or five blades of mace, three or four cloves, twelve pepper-corns of black pepper, twelve of white, a little bundle of ſweet-herbs and parſley, a little piece of upper cruſt toaſted crisp ; cover it cloſe, and let it boil ſoftly over a ſlow fire till half is waſted ; then ſtrain it off, and put to it a pint of green peas and a lettuce cut ſmall, four heads of celery cut very ſmall, and waſhed clean ; cover it cloſe, and let it ſtew very ſoftly over a ſlow fire two hours ; in the mean time boil a pint of old peas in a pint of water very tender, and ſtrain them well through a coarſe hair ſieve, and all the pulp, then pour it into the ſoup, and let it boil together. Seaſon with ſalt to your palate, but not too much. Fry a French roll criſp, put it into your diſh, and pour your ſoup in. Be ſure there be full two quarts.
Mutton-gravy will do, if you have no veal, or a ſhin of beef chopped to pieces. A few aſparagus-tops are very good in it.
A white peas ſoup.
TAKE about three pounds of thick flank of beef, or any lean part of the leg chopped to pieces ; ſet it on the fire in three gallons of water, about half a pound of bacon, a ſmall bundle of ſweet-herbs, a good deal of dried mint, and thirty or forty corns of pepper ; take a bunch of cleery, waſh it very clean, put in the green tops, and a quart of ſplit peas, cover it cloſe, and let it boil till two parts is waſted ; then ſtrain it off, and put it into a clean ſauce-pan, five or ſix heads of celery cut ſmall and waſhed clean, cover it cloſe and let it boil till there is about three quarts ; then cut ſome fat and lean bacon in dice, ſome bread in dice, and fry them juſt criſp ; throw them into your diſh, ſeaſon your ſoup with ſalt, and pour it into your diſh, rub a little dried mint over it, and ſend it to table. you may add force-meat balls fried, cocks-combs boiled in it, and an ox's palate ſtewed tender and cut ſmall. Stewed ſpinach well drained, and laid round the diſh is very pretty.
Another way to make it.
WHEN you boil a leg of pork, or a good piece of beef, ſave the liquor. When it is cold take off the fat ; the next day boil a leg of mutton, ſave the liquor, and when it is cold take off the fat, ſet it on the fire, with two quarts of peaſe. Let them boil till they are tender, then put in the pork or beef liquor, with the ingredients as above, and let it boil till it is as thick as you would have it, allowing for the boiling again ; then ſtrain it off, and add the ingredients as above. You may make your ſoop of veal or mutton gravy if you pleaſe, that is according to your fancy.
A cheſnut ſoup.
TAKE half a hundred of cheſnuts, pick them, put them in an earthen pan, and ſet them in the oven half an hour, or roaſt them gently over a ſlow fire, but take care they don't burn ; then peel them, and ſet them to ſtew in a quart of good beef, veal, or button broth, till they are quite tender. In the mean time, take a piece of ſlice of han, or bacon, a pound of veal, a pigeon beat to pieces, a bundle of ſweet-herbs, an onion, a little pepper and mace, and a piece of carrot ; lay the bacon at the bottom of a ſtew-pan, and lay the meat and ingredients at top. Set it over a ſlow fire till it begins to ſtick to the pan, then put in a cruſt of bread, and pour in two quarts of broth. Let it boil ſoftly till one third is waſted ; then ſtrain it off, and add to it the cheſnuts. Seaſon with ſalt, and let it boil till it is well taſted, ſtew two pigeons in it, and a fried French roll criſp ; lay the roll in the middle of the diſh, and the pigeons on each ſide ; pour in the ſoup, and ſend it away hot.
A French cook will beat a pheaſant, and a brace of partridges to pieces, and put to it. Garniſh your diſh with hot cheſnuts.
To make mutton broth.
TAKE a neck of mutton about ſix pounds, cut it in two, boil the ſcraig in a gallon of water, ſkim it well, then put in a little bundle of ſweet-herbs, an onion, and a good cruſt of bread. Let it boil and hour, then put in the other part of the mutton, a turnip or two, ſome dried marigolds, a few chives chopped fine, a little parſley chopped ſmall ; then put theſe in about a quarter of an hour before your broth is enough. Seaſon it with ſalt ; or you may put in a quarter of a pound of barley or rice at firſt. Some love it thickened with oatmeal, and ſome with bread ; and ſome love it ſeaſoned with mace, inſtead of ſweet-herbs and onion. All this is fancy and different palates. If you boil turnips for ſauce, don't boil all in the top, it makes the broth too ſtrong of them, but boil them in a ſauce-pan.
Beef broth.
TAKE a leg of beef, crack the bone in two or three parts, waſh it clean, put it into a pot with a gallon of water, ſkim it well, then put in two or three blades of mace, a little bundle of parſley, and a good cruſt of bread. Let it boil till the beef is quite tender, and the ſinews. Toaſt ſome bread and cut it in dice, and lay it in your diſh ; lay in the meat, and pour the ſoup in.
To make Scotch barley-broth.
TAKE a leg of beef, chop it all to pieces, boil it in three gallons of water with a piece of carrot and a cruſt of bread, till it is half boiled away ; then ſtrain it off, and put it into the pot again with half a pound of barley, four or five heads of cleery waſhed clean and cut ſmall, a large onion, a bundle of ſweet-herbs, a little parſley chopped ſmall, and a few marigolds. Let this boil an hour. Take a cock or large fowl, clean picked and waſhed, and put into the pot ; boil it till the broth is quite good, then ſeaſon with ſalt, and ſend it to table, with the fowl in the middle. This broth is very good without the fowl. Take out the onion and ſweet-herbs, before you ſend it to table.
Some make this broth with a ſheep's head inſtead of a leg of beef, and it is very good ; but you muſt chop the head all to pieces. The thick flank (about ſix pounds to ſix quarts of water) makes good broth ; then put the barley in with the meat, firſt ſkim it well, boil it an hour very ſoftly, then put in the above ingredients, with turnips and carrots clean ſcraped and pared, and cut in little pieces, Boil all together ſoftly, till the broth is very good ; then ſeaſon it with ſalt, and ſend it to table, with the beef in the middle, turnips and carrots round, and pour the broth over all.
To make hodge-podge.
TAKE a piece of beef, fat and lean together about a pound, a pound of veal, a pound of ſcraig of mutton, cut all into little pieces, ſet it on the fire, with two quarts of water, an ounce of barley, an onion, a little bundle of ſweet-herbs, three or four heads of celery waſhed clean and cut ſmall, a little mace, two or three cloves, ſome whole pepper, tied all in a muſlin rag, and put to the meat three turnips pared and cut in two, a large carrot ſcraped clean and cut in ſix pieces, a little lettuce cut ſmall, put all in the pot and cover it cloſe. Let it ſtew very ſoftly over a ſlow fire fiver or ſix hours ; take out the ſpice, ſweet-herbs, and onion, and pour all into a ſoup-diſh, and ſend it to table ; firſt ſeaſon it with ſalt. Half a pint of green-peas, when it is the ſeaſon for them, is very good. If you let this boil faſt, it will waſte too much ; therefore you cannot do it too ſlow, if it does but ſimmer. All other ſtews you have in the foregoing chapter ; and ſoups in the chapter of Lent.
To make pocket-ſoup.
TAKE a leg of veal, ſtrip off all the ſkin and fat, then take all the muſcular or fleſhy parts clean from the bones. Boil this fleſh in three or four gallons of water till it comes to a ſtrong jelly, and that the meat is good for nothing. Be ſure to keep the pot cloſe covered, and not to do too faſt ; take a little out in a ſpoon now and then, and when you find it is a good rich jelly, ſtrain it through a ſieve into a clean earthen pan. When it is cold, take off all the ſkin and fat from the top, then provide a large deep ſtew-pan with water boiling over a ſtove, then take ſome deep china-cups, or well-glazed earthen-ware, and fill theſe cups with the jelly, which you muſt take clear from the ſettling at the bottom, and ſet them in the ſtew-pan of water. Take great care that none of the water gets into the cups ; if it does ; it will ſpoil it. Keep the water boiling gently all the time till the jelly becomes as thick as glue, take them out, and let them ſtand to cool, and then turn the glue out into ſome new coarſe flannel, which draws out all the moiſture, turn them in ſix or eight hours on freſh flannel, and ſo do till they are quite dry. Keep it in a dry warm place, and in a little time it will be like a dry hard piece of glue, which you may carry in your pocket without getting any harm. The beſt way is to put it into little tin-boxes. When you uſe it, boil about a pint of water, and pour it on a piece of glue about as big as a ſmall walnut, ſtirring it all the time till it is melted. Seaſon with ſalt to your palate ; and if you chuſe any herbs or ſpice, boil them in the water firſt, and then pour the water over the glue.
To make portable ſoup.
TAKE two legs of beef, about fifty pounds weight, take off all the ſkin and fat as well as you can, then take all the meat and ſinews clean from the bones, which meat put into a large pot, and put to it eight or nine gallons of ſoft water ; firſt make it boil, then put in twelve anchovies, an ounce of mace, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, an ounce of whole pepper black and white together, ſix large onions peeled and cut in two, a little bundle of thyme, ſweet-marjoram, and winter-ſavoury, the dry hard cruſt of a two penny loaf, ſtir it all together and cover it cloſe, lay a weight on the cover to keep it cloſe down, and let it boil ſoftly for eight or nine hours, then uncover it, and ſtir it together ; cover it cloſe again, and let it boil till it is a very rich good jelly, which you will know by taking a little out now and then, and letting it cool. When you think it is a thick jelly, take it off, ſtrain it through a coarſe hair bag, and preſs it hard ; then ſtrain it through a hair ſieve into a large earthen pan ; when it is quite cold, take off the ſkum and fat, and take the fine jelly clear from the ſettlings at bottom, and then put the jelly into a large deep well tinned ſtew-pan. Set it over a ſtove with a ſlow fire, keep ſtirring it often, and take great care it neither ſticks to the pan or burns. When you find the jelly very ſtiff and thick, as it will be in lumps about the pan, take it out, and put it into large deep china-cups, or well-glazed earthen-ware. Fill the pan two-thirds full of water, and when the water boils, ſet in your cups. Be ſure no water gets into the cups, and keep the water boiling ſoftly all the time till you find the jelly is like a ſtiff glue ; take out the cups, and when they are cool, turn out the glue into a coarſe new flannel. LEt it lay eight or nine hours, keeping it in a dry warm place, and turn it on freſh flannel till it is quite dry, and the glue will be quite hard ; and put it into clean new ſtone pots, keep it cloſe covered from duſt and dirt, in a dry place, and where no damp can come to it.
When you uſe it, pour boiling water on it, and ſtir it all the time till it is melted. Seaſon it with ſalt to your palate. A piece as big as a large walnut will make a pint of water very rich ; but as to that your are to make it as good as you pleaſe ; if for ſoup, fry a French roll and lay it in the middle of the diſh, and when the glue is diſſolved in the water, give it a boil and pour it into a diſh. If you chuſe it for change, you may boil either rice or barley, vermicelli, celery cut ſmall, or truffles or morels ; but let them be very tenderly boiled in the water before you ſtir in the glue, and then give it a boil all together. You may, when you would have it very fine, add forcemeat balls, cocks-combs, or a palate boiled very tender, and cut into little bits ; but it will be very rich and good without any of theſe ingredients.
If for gravy, pour the boiling water on to what quantity you think proper ; and when it is diſſolved, add what ingredients you pleaſe, as in other ſauces. This is only in the room of a rich good gravy. You may make your ſauce either weak or ſtrong, by adding more or leſs.
Rules to be obſerved in making ſoups or broths.
FIRST take great care the pots or ſauce-pans and covers be very clean and free from all greaſe and ſand, and that they be well tinned, for fear of giving the broths and ſoups any braſſy taſte. If you have time to ſtew as ſoftly as you can, it will both have a fine flavour, and the mat will be tender. But then obſerve, when you make ſoups or broths for preſent uſe, if it is to be done ſoftly,don't put much more water than you intend to have ſoup or broth ; and if you have the convenience of an earthen pan or pipkin, ſet it on wood embers till it boils, then ſkim it, and put in your ſeaſoning ; cover it cloſe, and ſet it on embers, ſo that it may do very ſoftly for ſome time, and both the meat and broths will be delicious. You muſt obſerve in all broths and ſoups that one thing does not taſte more than another ; but that the taſte be equal, and if has a fine agreeable reliſh, according to what you deſign it for ; and you muſt be ſure, that all the greens and herbs you put in be cleaned, waſhed, and picked.
Back to the contents of Hannah Glasse's 1774 book
The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy
