Consomme

Recipe No. 525 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Soups. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Veal bones (part knuckles) — 32 pounds
• Water — 8¼ gallons (33 No. 56 dippers)
• Salt — 4 ounces (8 mess kit spoons)
• Beef cubes, raw — 7 pounds
• Fat (for frying) — 8 ounces (¼ No. 56 dipper)
• Ham cubes, raw — 1½ pounds
• Onions, diced — 1 pound (1 No. 56 dipper)
• Celery leaves — 4 ounces (½ No. 56 dippers)
• Carrots, diced — 1 pound (¾ No. 56 dipper)
• Pepper — (⅓ mess kit spoon)
• Cloves, ground — (¼ mess kit spoon)

Directions

1. Saw bones into pieces.
2. Cover bones with water; add salt.
3. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer 1 to 2 hours or until meat is tender. Remove bones.
4. Fry beef cubes in fat. Add to soup stock.
5. Add ham cubes, onions, celery leaves, carrots, pepper and cloves; mix well.
6. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer about 3 hours. Strain.
7. Cool as quickly as possible. Refrigerate until needed.
8. Before using, remove layer of hardened fat from surface of soup.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Veal bones (part knuckles) — 2 lb 9 oz Water — 2⅔ qt Salt — about 2 tsp Beef cubes, raw — 9 oz Fat (for frying) — ⅔ oz Ham cubes, raw — 2 oz Onions, diced — 1¼ oz Celery leaves — about 2 tsp Carrots, diced — 1¼ oz Pepper — scale to taste ((⅓ mess kit spoon)) Cloves, ground — scale to taste ((¼ mess kit spoon))

Save hardened fat for frying or shortening.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 525, Soups. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.