I recently ran across The Fannie Farmer Cookbook in an antique store. This book was originally published in 1896.
Stock, water enriched by the food cooked in it, is an important ingredient in numerous soups. Homemade stock brings full-bodied flavor to recipes. The recipe for the beef stock used in this recipe is found here.
This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. My husband sacrificed (😊) and fried some bacon to provide this for my soup.
To make this soup, chop enough onion for 2 tablespoons. Finely chop a green pepper to provide 2 tablespoons. Peel and chop tomatoes for 1 cup required for the soup.
Melt 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in a large saucepan. Stir in onion and green pepper. Cook on a medium low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 3 cups of beef stock or beef broth. (I used beef stock.) Heat this to gently bubbling. Then lower heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain soup and then return the broth to the saucepan. Add ½ teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 tablespoon of prepared horseradish, and ½ teaspoon of vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon of salt or salt to taste.
I’ve never tasted Creole Soup before—I loved it! This is a delicious, tangy soup.
Serve hot. This recipe makes 3 one-cup servings.
-Sandra Merville Hart
Sources
Revised by Cunningham, Marion and Laber, Jeri. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Alfred A Knopf Inc., 1983.
Sandra Merville Hart 