TOMATO SOUP.—­This is a very delicate soup, and the endeavour should be to try and retain the flavour of the tomato.  Slice up an onion, or better still two shallots, and fry them in a little butter, to which can be added a broken-up, dried bay-leaf, a saltspoonful of thyme, and a very small quantity of grated nutmeg, Fry these in a little batter till the onion begins to turn colour, and then add a dozen ripe tomatoes from which the pips have been squeezed.  Moisten with a very little stock or water, and let them stew till they are tender, then rub the whole through a wire sieve.  The consistency should be that of pea soup.  Add a little butter to soften the soup), and flavour with pepper and salt.

TURNIP SOUP.—­Cut up some young turnips into small pieces, throw them into boiling water, let them boil for a few minutes, take them out and strain them, and put them into a stew-pan with about two ounces of fresh butter; add a little salt and sugar.  Let them stew in the butter (taking great care that they don’t turn colour) till they become soft, then add sufficient boiling milk to moisten them, so that when rubbed through a wire sieve the soup will be of the consistency of pea soup.  Serve fried or toasted bread with the soup.

VEGETABLE MARROW SOUP.—­Take a large vegetable marrow, peel it, cut it open, remove all the pips, and place it in a stew-pan with about two ounces of fresh butter.  Add a brimming teaspoonful of powdered sugar, a little grated nutmeg, and pepper and salt.  Keep turning the pieces of vegetable marrow over in the butter, taking care that they do not at all turn colour.  After frying these pieces gently for five or ten minutes, add some boiling milk, and let the whole simmer gently till it can be rubbed through a wire sieve.  Care must be taken not to get this soup too thin, as the vegetable marrow itself contains a large quantity of water.  Season with pepper and salt, and serve fried or toasted bread with the soup.

VEGETABLE SOUP.—­(See JARDINIERE SOUP.)

VERMICELLI SOUP.—­Take a quarter of a pound of vermicelli and break it up into small pieces, throw it into boiling water, and let it boil for five minutes to get rid of the dirt and floury taste, then throw it immediately into about a quart of clear soup.  The vermicelli must be taken from the boiling water and thrown into the boiling soup at once.  If you were to boil the vermicelli, strain it off, and put it by to add to the soup, you would find it would stick together in one lump and be spoilt.

VERMICELLI SOUP, WHITE.—­The vermicelli must be thrown into white soup instead of clear soup. (See WHITE SOUP.)