minutes, and then skinned, and used either whole or cut in bits. Cold
baked beans can also be used, in which case the meat, eggs, and wine are
omitted.

PEA SOUP.

One quart of dried pease, washed and soaked over-night; split pease are
best. In the morning put them on the fire with six quarts of cold water;
half a pound of salt pork; one even tablespoonful of salt; one
saltspoonful of cayenne; and one teaspoonful of celery-seed. Fry till a
bright brown three onions cut small, and add to the pease; cover closely,
and boil four or five hours. Strain through a colander, and, if not
perfectly smooth, return to fire, and add a thickening made of one heaping
teaspoonful of flour and an even one of butter, stirred together with a
little hot water and boiled five minutes. Beans can be used in precisely
the same way; and both bean and pea soups are nicer served with
_croutons_, or a thick slice of bread cut in dice, and fried brown and
crisp, or simply browned in the oven, and put into the tureen at the
moment of serving.

ONION SOUP.

Take three large onions, slice them very thin, and then fry to a bright
brown in a large spoonful of either butter or stock-fat, the latter
answering equally well. When brown, add half a teacupful of flour, and
stir constantly until red. Then pour in slowly one pint of boiling water,
stirring steadily till it is all in. Boil and mash fine four large
potatoes, and stir into one quart of boiling milk, taking care that there
are no lumps. Add this to the fried onions, with one teaspoonful of salt
and half a teaspoonful of white pepper. Let all boil for five minutes, and
then serve with toasted or fried bread. Simple as this seems, it is one of
the best of the vegetable soups, though it is made richer by the use of
stock instead of water.

BROWNED FLOUR FOR SOUPS.

Put a pint of sifted flour into a perfectly clean frying-pan, and stir and
turn constantly as it darkens, till the whole is an even dark brown. If
scorched at all, it is ruined, and should not be used for any purpose. As
a coloring for soups and gravies it is by no means as good as caramel or
burned sugar.

CARAMEL.

Half a pound of brown sugar; one tablespoonful of water. Put into a
frying-pan, and stir steadily over the fire till it becomes a deep dark
brown in color. Then add one cup of boiling water and one teaspoonful of
salt. Boil a minute longer, bottle, and keep corked. One tablespoonful
will color a clear soup, a