Vegetable Soup I is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic soup of carrots, parsnips and potatoes cooked until very soft that are thickened with a butter and flour blend, flavoured with mustard and served in a tureen poured over egg yolks. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Vegetable Soup I.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
159. INGREDIENTS.—7 oz. of carrot, 10 oz. of parsnip, 10 oz. of potato, cut into thin slices; 1-1/4 oz. of butter, 5 teaspoonfuls of flour, a teaspoonful of made mustard, salt and pepper to taste, the yolks of 2 eggs, rather more than 2 quarts of water.
Mode.—Boil the vegetables in the water 2-1/2 hours; stir them often, and if the water boils away too quickly, add more, as there should be 2 quarts of soup when done. Mix up in a basin the butter and flour, mustard, salt, and pepper, with a teacupful of cold water; stir in the soup, and boil 10 minutes. Have ready the yolks of the eggs in the tureen; pour on, stir well, and serve.
Time.—3 hours. Average cost, 4d. per quart.
Seasonable in winter.
Sufficient for 8 persons.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
210g carrots, scraped and thinly sliced
300g parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
300g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
37.5g butter
5 tsp plain flour
1 tsp prepared mustard
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 egg yolks
2.2l water
Method:
Bring the water to a boil in a large stockpot, add the vegetables and cook for 150 minutes, stirring often (add more water if it boils away too quickly). By the end of the cooking time there should be 2l of soup left.
In the meantime, use a fork or spoon to mix together the butter, flour, mustard and seasonings in a bowl along with 200ml of water. Add this mixture to the soup, return to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add the egg yolks to the base of your tureen.
As soon as the soup has thickened take off the heat and carefully pour it over the egg yolks. Stir well to combine then serve immediately.
