Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil Institutions

1 8 Have ready a spatula, or a piece of board the shape of a cricket-bat, about six inches wide, tapering towards the top as a handle (which must be from one foot and a half to two feet above the surface of the vessel), to stir with; take twelve pounds of solid meat, or sixteen pounds with the bones (legs or clods of beef are excellent for the purpose, but any kind of edible meat, from beef to doe venison will do), cut in pieces about one inch square; put the dripping[41] in the boiler; light the fire; when the fat is melted, add the onions: fry ten minutes, stirring it all the time; add the vegetables and the meat; fry for twenty minutes, or until a thick glaze is produced; then add the salt and sugar, and four gallons of cold water; then add the flour; keep stirring quickly, until quite smooth; add the barley, and fill by degrees with hot water;[42] boil for three hours, or until the barley is quite tender, and serve.[43] In case either the barley or rice does not produce the thickness required (as those ingredients may differ in quality), then add, if too thin, a few pounds of flour or oatmeal, previously mixed with cold water, to make it in a liquid batter, and pour it in when boiling about twenty minutes before serving it out. But the proper thickness is easily ascertained when the soup hangs lightly on the back of the spatula or ladle, and near the consistence of a thin stirabout. NO. 2.--FOR TWO GALLONS. Quarter of a pound of beef, at 4d., cut into pieces of one inch square 1 Two ounces of dripping, or melted suet 0½ Quarter of a pound of turnips or carrots, cut into dice half an inch square 0¼ Four drops of essences 0¼ One and a half pound of maize flour 3 Three ounces of salt } Quarter ounce of brown sugar } 0¼ One teaspoonful of black pepper, ground fine } Fuel 0¾ -- 6 Take two ounces of either dripping,