boiling water. Let them boil for five minutes, drain them off, and throw
them into cold water in order to keep their colour. Next take them out of
the water and squeeze all the moisture from them; then melt two ounces of
butter in a stew-pan, and add two tablespoonfuls of flour. When this is
thoroughly mixed together, and begins to frizzle, add the spinach, lettuce,
&c., and stir them round and round in the stew-pan till all is well mixed
together. Then add sufficient water or vegetable stock to moisten the
vegetables (add also a pinch of thyme), and let it boil. When it has
boiled for about twenty minutes add a quart of milk that has been boiled
separately, flavour with pepper and salt, and serve.


TAPIOCA SOUP.--Clear tapioca soup is made by thickening some ordinary clear
soup (_see_ CLEAR SOUP) with tapioca, allowing about two ounces of tapioca
to every quart. The tapioca should be put into the soup when it is cold,
and it is then far less likely to get lumpy. Tapioca can also be boiled in
a little strongly flavoured stock that has not been coloured, and then add
some boiling milk. Tapioca should be allowed to simmer for an hour and a
half. Of course, a little cream is a great improvement when the soup is
made with milk.


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