it, and stew it gently for an hour, keeping the pot closely
covered. Then skim it well, and pour in a quart of boiling water.
Add a head of celery cut into small pieces, and half a dozen
blades of mace. Boil it gently two hours and a half. Then put in a
quarter of a pound of butter, divided into small pieces and rolled
in flour, and half a pint of port or Madeira wine. Let it boil a
quarter of an hour longer, and then send it to table with the meat
in it.


HARE OR RABBIT SOUP.

Take a large newly killed hare, or two rabbits; cut them up and
wash the pieces. Save all the blood, (which adds much to the
flavour of the hare,) and strain it through a sieve. Put the
pieces into a soup-pot with four whole onions stuck with a few
cloves, four or five blades of mace, a head of celery cut small,
and a bunch of parsley with a large sprig of sweet marjoram and
one of sweet basil, all tied together. Salt and cayenne to your
taste. Pour in three quarts of water, and stew it gently an hour
and a half. Then put in the strained blood and simmer it for
another hour, at least. Do not let it actually boil, as that will
cause the blood to curdle. Then strain it, and pound half the meat
in a mortar, and stir it into the soup to thicken it, and cut the
remainder of the meat into small mouthfuls. Stir in, at the last,
a jill or two glasses of red wine, and a large table-spoonful of
currant jelly. Boil it slowly a few minutes longer, and then put
it into your tureen. It will be much improved by the addition of
about a dozen and a half small force-meat balls, about the size of
a nutmeg. This soup will require cooking at least four hours.