7.  SHORTENED BREAD.

Into 1 lb. wholemeal flour rub 4 ozs. nutter or 5 ozs. butter.  Mix to a stiff dough with cold water.  Knead lightly but well.  Shape into small buns about 1 inch thick.  Bake for an hour in a moderate oven.

II.—­SOUPS.

Soups are of three kinds—­clear soups, thick soups, and purees.  A clear soup is made by boiling fruit or vegetables (celery, for example) until all the nourishment is extracted, and then straining off the clear liquid.  A little sago or macaroni is generally added and cooked in this.  When carrots and turnips are used, a few small pieces are cut into dice or fancy shapes, cooked separately, and added to the strained soup.  Thick soups always include some farinaceous ingredients for thickening (flour, pea-flour, potato, etc.).  Purees are thick soups composed of any vegetable or vegetables boiled and rubbed through a sieve.  This is done, a little at a time, with a wooden spoon.  A little of the hot liquor is added to the vegetable from time to time to assist it through.

1.  BARLEY BROTH.

1 carrot, 1 turnip, 4 leeks or 3 small onions, 4 sprigs parsley, 4 sticks celery, 1 tea-cup pearl barley, 3 qts. water. (The celery may be omitted if desired, or, when in season, 1 tea-cup green peas may be substituted.)

Scrub clean (but do not peel) the carrot and turnip.  Wash celery, parsley, and barley.  Shred all the vegetables finely; put in saucepan with the water.  Bring to the boil and slowly simmer for 5 hours.  Add the chopped parsley and serve.

2.  CREAM OF BARLEY SOUP.

Make barley broth as in No. 1.  Then strain it through a wire strainer.  Squeeze it well, so as to get the soup as thick as possible, but do not rub the barley through.  Skin 1/2 lb. tomatoes, break in halves, and cook to a pulp very gently in a closed saucepan (don’t add water).  Add to the barley soup, boil up once, and serve.

In cases of illness, especially where the patient is suffering from intestinal trouble, after preparing as above, strain through a fine muslin.  It should also be prepared with distilled, or clean boiled rain-water.

3.  CLEAR CELERY SOUP.

1 head celery, 2 tablespoons sago, 2 qts. water.

Wash the celery, chop into small pieces, and stew in the water for 2 hours.  Strain.  Wash the sago, add it to the clear liquid, and cook for 1 hour.

For those who prefer a thick soup, pea-flour may be added.  Allow 1 level tablespoon to each pint of soup.  Mix with a little cold water, and add to the boiling soup.  One or two onions may also be cooked with the celery, if liked.

4.  CHESTNUT SOUP.

1 lb. chestnuts, 1-1/2 oz. nutter or butter, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon wholemeal flour, 1-1/2 pints water.

First put on the chestnuts (without shelling or pricking) in cold water, and boil for an hour.  Then remove shells and put the nuts in an enamelled saucepan with the fat.  Fry for 10 minutes.  Add the flour gradually, stirring all the time, then add the water.  Cook gently for half an hour.  Lastly, add the parsley, boil up, and serve.