Peel the onions and slice them very thin. Fry them slowly in the fat until they are a uniform golden brown, using a kettle deep enough to hold the water afterwards. When the onions are thoroughly fried add the hot water, cover and let simmer at least three-quarters of an hour, seasoning to taste. The onions will make a clean brown liquor without the use of any meat but soup stock may be used instead of water, or beef extract or bouillon cubes may be added to the water if a meat soup is preferred.
Put the soup in a hot tureen, add the toast cut into triangles and sprinkle it over with the grated cheese. Serve as soon as the toast and cheese have been added.
4 tablespoons sifted bread crumbs 4 tablespoons grated cheese 1 quart white soup stock or clear broth 3 eggs Nutmeg Salt, pepper
Beat the whites of the eggs, then beat in the yolks. Add the breadcrumbs gradually, then the grated cheese, a pinch of salt and a grating of nutmeg. These ingredients should form a thin batter.
Have the broth boiling and drop the batter into it by spoonfuls. Let it boil three or four minutes and serve immediately. The batter will poach in soft, curdled lumps in the clear soup.
This soup is much used as a delicacy for invalids. In this case the cheese may be scanted or omitted entirely. By way of variety a tablespoonful of finely chopped parsley may be added to the batter, or a half a cup of spinach drained and rubbed through a sieve may be substituted for half of the breadcrumbs.
When stock or broth is not available, it may be made from bouillon cubes and a lump of butter dissolved in boiling water and seasoned with celery salt, onion salt and pepper.
1 pint peas; fresh peas, canned peas or dried peas soaked over night 2 tablespoons oil or butter substitute 1 small onion 1 small carrot A sprig of parsley 2 oz. ham, fat and lean A piece of celery A bay leaf Salt, pepper
Chop fine or put through a meat grinder the ham, onion, carrot and celery, add the parsley chopped or clipped fine with scissors, and the bay leaf. Fry all this in the oil until it is golden brown, but not at all scorched. Add one pint of boiling water and the peas. If this cooks away add more water as needed until the peas are tender. Rub the soup through a sieve. Serve this soup garnished with croutons or toast triangles, and send a dish of grated cheese to the table with it to be added according to individual taste.