CHANTILLY SOUP.
123. INGREDIENTS.—1 quart of young green peas, a small bunch of parsley, 2 young onions, 2 quarts of medium stock No. 105.
Mode.—Boil the peas till quite tender, with the parsley and onions; then rub them through a sieve, and pour the stock to them. Do not let it boil after the peas are added, or you will spoil the colour. Serve very hot.
Time.—Half an hour. Average cost, 1s. 6d. per quart.
Seasonable from June to the end of August.
Sufficient for 8 persons.
Note.—Cold peas pounded in a mortar, with a little stock added to them, make a very good soup in haste.
Parsley.—Among the Greeks, in the classic ages, a crown of parsley was awarded, both in the Nemaean and Isthmian games, and the voluptuous Anacreon pronounces this beautiful herb the emblem of joy and festivity. It has an elegant leaf, and is extensively used in the culinary art. When it was introduced to Britain is not known. There are several varieties,—the plain-leaved and the curled-leaved, celery-parsley, Hamburg parsley, and purslane. The curled is the best, and, from the form of its leaf, has a beautiful appearance on a dish as a garnish. Its flavour is, to many, very agreeable in soups; and although to rabbits, hares, and sheep it is a luxury, to parrots it is a poison. The celery-parsley is used as a celery, and the Hamburg is cultivated only for its roots, which are used as parsnips or carrots, to eat with meat. The purslane is a native of South America, and is not now much in use.