THE MANITOBA HEALTH COOK BOOK

dete Ait Ai tile hal an

Chapter II... SOUPS

A hundred years ago Count Rumford founder of the Royal
Institution wrote, “The richness or quality of a soup depends more
upon a proper choice of ingredients, and a proper management of
the fire in combination of these ingredients, than upon the quantity
of solid nutritious matter employed; much more upon the art and

skill of the cook than upon the sum laid out in the market.”

Clear soups necessarily have less food content than those in
which vegetables, rice, barley or noodles are included, yet are
valuable as containing meat elements of definite food value.
Vegetable soups carry important vitamins and mineral values and

those in which milk is a main element are richly nutritious.

‘“Stock”’ the basis of all meat soups made from the bones and
trimmings of meat, poultry, etc., is produced by extracting as far
as possible by simmering the nutriment and flavor they contain.
Five or six hours will extract from the materials all that is necessary
and desirable for clear soup - - but to draw out all the nutritious
and flavoring elements several more hours of gentle simmering

might be required.

In making stock the meat is cut up into rather small pieces to
expose a larger surface to the action of the water. If the materials
are put into cold water and allowed to stand certain soluble sub-
stances are extracted. ‘ine dissolving and softening process begins
with the first application of heat and gradually the connective tissue
which surrounds and binds together the thread-like fibres is broken
down, the gelatin softened and the albumin and myosin slowly dis-

solved.

Purees are a class of soups thickened by the ingredients of
which they are made - - peas, beans, etc. These are rubbed through
a sieve and served in the soup itself. Croutons of bread are usually

used with purees.

13