SOUPS

1. Asparagus Veloute

2 tins Asparagus Tins
3 tblsp. butter
3 tblsp. flour
3 cups white stock or chicken consommé or chicken stock
4 egg yolks )
1 cup cream ) liaison
2 oz. butter
salt to taste

Cut the tips of the asparagus from 1 tin and keep aside. Keep the liquid of both tins. Chop the remaining asparagus well. Melt 3 tblsp butter and when frothy, add flour and blelnd well. Aadd asparagus liquid and stock. Whisk until smooth. Add chopped asparagus and bring to the boil. Then simmer gently for 15 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve and correct seasoning. Just before serving bring the soup to the boil. Beat the egg yolks into the cream, add about 2 tblsp of soup to the liaison, beating all the time. Remove the soup from the fire, gently pour in the liaison, whisking vigourously all the time and add the asparagus tips as garnish with the 2 ozs. of butter. Serve immediately.
Note - The mixture of liaison with the soup must be done very carefully. The soup should never be allowed to boil or cook for a long time or it will curdle. Therefore it is best to bring the soup to the boil just before adding the liaison, mixing well and serving immediately afterwards.

2. Cream of Carrot Soup

1 Large onion
8 oz carrots
1 1/2 oz butter
1 1/2 pint stock
1 small clove of garlic ( chopped or crushed)
A pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper
1/4 pint creamy milk
1 tblsp. rice (cooked)
1 dsp. Mint (chopped)

Chop oinion finely, slice carrots and cook both in 1oz of butter in a pan for about 10 minutes to soften. Add the stock and the garlic. Simmer for 30-40 mins., then rub through a sieve or mix in an electric blender. Add sugar and seasoning to taste. Add milk and reheat soup; whisk in the rest of the butter, add rice and mint.
Thicken soup, if necessary, with a little arrowroot slaked in cold water before adding remaining butter. Croutons may be used instead of rice.

3. Consomme

12 oz. shin of beef
2 pints good stock
seasoning
1 onion
1 carrot
a small piece of celery
a sprig of parsley
bay leaf

Cut the meat into small pieces and put in a saucepan along with the other ingredients. Simmer very gently for one hour and strain through layers of muslin. To make a clear consomme, put in a stiffly beaten egg white and clean egg shell, gently simmer for half an hour and restrain.

From Cookery In Colour by Marguerite Patten

4. Cream of Mushroom Soup

8 oz. mushrooms
2 oz. butter
2 oz. flour
1 pint water or stock
1/4 pint milk
seasoning
parsley to garnish

Chop mushrooms finely. In a pan melt butter, fry mushrooms for 5 mins. stirring constantly. Add in the flour and cook for another couple of minutes. Remove the pan from the fire and add in gradually water and milk. Bring to a boil and cook until the soup thickens. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley and serve.

From Cookery In Colour by Marguerite Patten

5. Lobster Bisque

½ large lobster or 1 small lobster
1 pint water or fish stock
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 oz. flour
1/2 pint milk
2 oz. butter
2 tbsp. cream
seasoning
paprika to garnish

Remove flesh from lobster and cut into small pieces. Save a few of the pieces for garnish. Put the shell – well washed and crushed – into a large saucepan. Cover with water or stock, add lemon juice and simmer gently for 30 mins. Strain carefully through a fine sieve and return the pan together with lobster meat. Blend the flour with milk and stir it into the soup together with butter.
Bring slowly to boil and cook stirring all the time until thickened. Add cream and seasoning, reheat (but do not allow to boil) and serve. Garnish with paprika pepper and the pieces of lobster.

From Cookery In Colour by Marguerite Patten

6. Potato and Green Pea Soup

1 lb. green peas
good handful young pea pods
12 oz. potatoes
1 1/4 ping white stock or water
seasoning
½ tsp sugar
sprig mint
1/2 pint milk

Put the peas, pods, diced potatoes, stock, seasoning, sugar and mint into a saucepan and simmer for 45 mins. Remove the mint. Pass the liquid through a sieve. Reheat with milk.

From Cookery In Colour by Marguerite Patten

7. Brown Onion Soup

4 large onions
2 oz. butter
½ oz. cornflour
3/4 pint brown stock
seasoning
few drops Worcestershire sauce
1 tblsp. sherry (optional)

Cook the onions in the water until tender. Chop finely. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add in cornflour and cook for 2 mins. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the stock. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and sherry if used. Add onions and serve.

From Cookery In Colour by Marguerite Patten

8. Leek and Potato Soup

3 good sized leeks
1 ½ oz butter
1 lb. potatoes. sliced
1 1/2 pjint white stock or water
seasoning
4 tbsp. single cream or evaporated milk
parsley to garnish

Slice the leeks along with part of the green to give it colour. Now heat butter in a pan and cook leeks for 5 mins. Take care that the leeks do not discolour. Add the sliced potatoes, stock and seasoning. Cook steadily for about 30 mins. Sieve, return to pan, adding milk and cream and reheat without boiling. Pour in soup bowls and garnish with parsley.

From Cookery In Colour by Marguerite Patten

9. Chestnut Soup

1 lb. Chestnuts
1 pint white stock or water
2 oz. butter
1/2 pint milk
good pinch of salt
cayenne pepper
sugar (if liked)
croutons

Split the skins of the chestnuts, cover with water and cook for 15 min. Peel the nuts while still hot, then return to the saucepan with stock or water. Simmer gently for 45 mins. Strain the chestnuts through a sieve. Put the puree into the pan together with butter, milk and seasoning. Heat slowly and serve with crisp toast or croutons.

From Cookery In Colour by Marguerite Patten

10. Oxtail Soup

1 small oxtail
2 oz. butter
1 small turnip sliced
3 medium sized carrots sliced
1 large onion sliced
3 pints stock or water
good pinch of mixed herbs
seasoning
2 oz. flour

Cut the oxtail into pieces, soak in water for one hour. Discard the water. Heat butter and fry vegetables for 5 mins. Add stock, oxtail, herbs, lots of seasoning and simmer gently for 3 hrs. Blend the flour with stock or water and stir into the soup. Bring to boil and cook for 10 mins. Take out pieces of oxtail and cut the meat from the bones. Return the meat to the soup and reheat. This soup contains a lot of fat, so it is best to prepare it a day in advance and remove the fat top layer from the soup before serving.

From Cookery In Colour by Marguerite Patten