110.—CELERY SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Céleri.) (Good.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of white stock, 1 pint of milk, 1 large or 2 small heads of celery (the white part only), 2 small onions, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 oz. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of rice, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash the rice well, slice the celery and onions. Melt the butter in a stewpan, and fry the vegetables in it for 10 minutes without their changing colour. Put in the stock, bouquet-garni, rice, salt and pepper, and simmer gently until tender, then strain. Rub the rice and vegetables through a hair sieve, return the soup and purée to the stewpan, add the milk and bring to the boil. Season to taste, stir in the cream, and serve.
Time.—1 to 1¼ hours. Average Cost.—1s. 9d. Seasonable from September to February. Sufficient for 6 persons.
Celery (Fr.: Céleri) is native to Britain, and in its wild state grows by the side of ditches and brooks, and along the seashore and in saline situations in England and Ireland. In this state it is called smallage, and is to some extent a dangerous narcotic. Celery has long been cultivated as a salad and culinary vegetable. Its thick leaf stalks, which have been brought to the fine flavour which renders this plant so agreeable an adjunct to the table, are blanched by piling soil over the stalks during their growth and thus excluding the light. Celery acts as a diuretic.
111.—CELERY SOUP. (Fr.—Purée de Céleri.) (Economical.)
Ingredients.—2 pints of water, 1 pint of milk, 2 ozs. of lean bacon or ham, 1 oz. of butter, 1½ tablespoonfuls of flour, 1 large head of celery, 2 onions, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the ham into dice or cubes, slice the onion and celery. Melt the butter in a stewpan, fry the vegetables without browning, put in the bacon, salt, pepper and water, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the celery is tender. Strain, rub through a fine sieve, return to the saucepan, add the milk and bring to the boil. Mix the flour with a little milk, stir and cook for 5 or 6 minutes, then season to taste, and serve.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 6d. to 8d. Seasonable from September to February. Sufficient for 6 persons.
112.—CHANTILLY SOUP. (Fr.—Potage Chantilly.)
Ingredients.—2 quarts of second stock, 1 quart of shelled peas, a handful of spinach, 2 or 3 sprigs of parsley, a sprig of mint, 1 small onion sliced, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, salt and pepper.
