Potage à la Ménagère.—There are really two forms
of this—a more or less clear, and a thick one. Both
are distinctly economical, as the clear one is made
with the second stock from consommé materials,
clarified, and served with tiny lozenges of carrot and
wee Brussels sprouts previously cooked separately,
and small round croûtons, grated cheese being
handed round. For the second form of this soup
you take about a pint or so of the stock left over
from the first kind, together with the meat used in
clarifying it, add another pint of water, and after
bringing all this to the boil, allow it to simmer
steadily at the side of the fire for an hour and a half,
then lift out the meat, cut it into little pieces, and
add to it 3oz. or 4oz. of onions, 2oz. each of leeks, carrots, and turnip,
1oz. of celery, and a small bouquet; melt an ounce
of good dripping (or butter), and fry all the vege
tables in this till they begin to colour. As soon as
they reach this point add to them about a tumblerful
of the hot, but not boiling stock, bring it to the boil,
and then simmer it all till the vegetables are soft
enough to pulp through a sieve. Now in a clean
pan melt half an ounce of butter and stir into it half
an ounce of flour, and cook them together for four
or five minutes; then add the pulped vegetables,
with enough stock to bring it all to the consistency
of thin cream, again boil it up, and then pass it
once more through a sieve. When wanted for table
re-heat, and add to it a liaison made of one egg
yolk carefully beaten up, with a spoonful or two of
milk or single cream.