The humble soup. To this day, a revered dinner-party staple and 'user upper' of all things fresh that might be neglected in the bottom of the fridge and yet can be quite simply converted into this relatively cheap, comforting and nutritious meal. The particular selection of receipt compilations I am currently studying has quite the plethora of C17th-18th recipes for soups that seem to befit just about any occassion.
I am struck, in the recipes below, by the way in which meat features so heavily in some of these 'soups'. This may perhaps be due to the regionality of the writer, or more likely, influenced by there being little or no concept of the 'stew' or 'casserole' at that time. The introduction of the 'stew' or 'casserole' into English food vocabulary therefore, may well then have led to what we see now, that is, in terms of modern understandings of soup dishes to be largely vegetarian, or if not, at least of a smooth texture - i.e. Cream of Chicken, Oxtail etc.
As I am currently (attempting!) to write a paper which seeks to look at the influence of continental techniques, customs and ingredients in Early Modern English food, I am also particularly interested in the oft repeated serving suggestion or inclusion of a specifically French 'role' to accomanpany soup in the middle of the bowl...
The Cook - Bernado Strozzi c. 1620
Image Source: admiralsmallhat.blogspot.com
To Make a Soop – Mr Jepson
Take Six Pounds of the best end of a Brisket Beef, & Six Mutton Chops of the Loyn, put ‘em into a Soop Pot at nine o’clock with two Onions cut in half, a small Bunch of Parsly & time ty’d together, & a handful of salt, & Six Quarts of Water, as soon as it Boyls take care to Skim in Clean, & take of all the fat, let it Boyl till one o’clock upon a very slow fire, then take Six Turnips, three large Carrots, cut ‘em in dice & half a Cabbidge put them into the Pot & let ‘em Boyl till half an hour after two, then put in the Crust of a French Role, Let it Boyl till three when it will be Ready.
Be sure keep it skim’d very often & take all the fat of the Beef you serve to Table in your Soop, the Mutton you take out.
A Cream Soop – Countess of Ferrers
Take a Pint of Peas Boyl them well, then Mash ‘em, & put ‘em through a Sieve, mix the Pulp into the Same Water they were Boyl’d, then put in 2 Ozs: of Bacon a Bunch of Mint, (an Onion if you Please) one Quart of young Peas, and when well Boyl’d put in half a Pint of Cream, with some Parsly cut very Small, then Boyl it a Smalltime.
To Make Peas Soop for Lent or any fasting Day – Mrs Eyre
Put a Quart of Good Breaking Peas to Six Quarts of Water, & Boyl ‘em till they are tender, then take out Some of the Clear Liquor, & Strain the Peas as Clean as you can from the Husks: take come Butter & Boyl it & it Breaks in the Middle, put to it an Onion, some mint cut very Small, Spinage & Sorrell & a Little Cettery Cut large, Stir it often & let it Boyl about a Quarter of an hour, then Shake in Some flower with one hand & Some of the thin liquor with the other, the put in the thick Straind Liquor, some Pepper, mace & Salt, & Boyl it an hour longer, then put into as Much as will make a Large Dish one Pint of Sweet Cream, put in a French Role Crisp’d and Dip’d in the Middle of the Dish.
To Make a White Soop
Take a Small Knokle of Veal, Set it on the fire in 2 Gallons of Water, a Little Mace, whole Pepper, & Onion, boyle it to 2 Quarts, then Strain it off, & have ready Some Boyl’d Rice, & Scall’d Spinage, & Put in what Quantity you like, put in ½ a Pint of Cream, & ¼ of a lb: of Butter, rub it in flower to prevent it oyling, boyl it alltogether then Serve it up.
To Make a green Peas Soop
Take a Peck of Peas, & in Shelling Seperate the young from the old, Boyl the old one soft enough to Strain through a Cullender, then put the young ones into the Liquor which Should be a Pint of Peas, & when they are Boyl’d enough you must put in a Quarter of the Juice of the Shells of the Peas, & Spinaage which must be Pounded & Strain’d to green the Soop, Strain it through a cloth, & put in a Sprig or two of Mint, & Pepper & Salt to your tast, & a Little of the Green of an Onion, when all is Boyl’d Enough, then take ½ a lb: of Butter, & work it into it with a Spoon, a good deal of flower, then put it into a Stewpan, with a Pint of the Soop & let it Boyl till its very thick, Stirring it all the time, then put it in your Soop & Just let it Boyl up, & then it is Enough.
You may out in some Spinage of Lettice in Whole Leaves, & a French role fry’d in Butter in the Middle, a Peck of Peas will make near 2 Quarts of Soop.
To Make a Solid Soup – Mrs Heneage
Take a Leg of Veal, or any other young meat, Because if it be old you cant reduce it to a Jelly, & make a Strong Broth of it in the common way. Strain the Broth & Put it into a Wide Silver Bason, the wider the Better, & let it Simmer over a Gentle even Charcoal fire, stir it often, Both to Keep it from Burning & to Break the film that Gathers on the top, which will hinder the Avaparation, Proceed thus till you Bring it to a Jelly, then remove it from over the fire, & Place it over a Vessel with Boyling water, which is Both more even & less Violent heat, let it be cover’d with a tinn cover having a Nose like a Still which will keep in the heat, & let out the Moisture, but take it of now & then, to stir it for the reason abovementioned, it must Simer over this water ‘till it become as hard as Glew which will require Severall hours to Perform, by this Process all the good of the meat will be brought into a Narrow Compass, & a very Small piece put into hot water will make Good Broth, it will keep an East Indies Voyage, if it be not laid in a Moist Place.
Proceed Just in the same manner with juice of lemons & instead of a Glew you will have a Substance, like a very thick Surrup, the least Speck of which make anything very sour this will keep for ever in a flint Vial without Growing Musty like Surrup of Lemons.
