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Thursday 22 March 2018

"Broth for the Broth-el"

  One of the joys of reading old recipe books is finding little gems like this.


  There was a well-meaning old lady who, after enjoying a cup of particularly good broth, felt so sorry for people who lacked it, that she left her money to found a 'brothel' for the poor.

Among her papers was found the following broth recipe, above which was written in elegant Victorian script:  'Suggested Broth for the Brothel.'

The author of the recipe book (more about her another time) suggests that an alternative title could be:

Philanthropic Pottage...


Compose an oatmeal stock, well seasoned with salt, pepper, a blade of mace, a clove, some dried mint, dried parsley, and plenty of bruised onions, and serve very hot with toasted snippets of bread.

The author also suggests the addition of plenty of cream and grated cheese, so I am guessing that the basic broth is a bit underwhelming. 




7 comments:

  1. Does not sound that bad apart from the original title, though what is oatmeal stock? Runny porridge?

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    1. I think it could be made very simply, with water, as a kind of gruel. It could also be made more nourishing with the addition of milk. Basically a slsightly runny porridge though!

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  2. I too wondered what oatmeal stock was? How do you bruise onions?

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    1. Me too!!!! What does bruise onions mean? Bang them around, before adding to the pot????????? ,-))))))

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    2. Hello Marcia and Luna, I can only think that it must mean that they should be chopped or sliced and then sauted, but I could be completely wrong!

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  3. Oh mercy, that is so cute!

    Mmmmmm yes, something which starts with oatmeal stock, does not sound too filling. ,-) Bring on the creme and cheese!

    Thank you for your sweet "Spring Will Come comment" on my blog. -sigh- Yes, it will. It will. The little birds are fighting over territory, so they think it is near. :-)

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    1. I think she was either very sweet and had led a sheltered life, or perhaps she had a slightly wicked sense of humour... Either way, it made me smile, Luna.

      Thank you for treating us to all those wonderful paintings.

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