Brown Rabbit Soup

Ingredients

• 2 whole rabbits
• 3 whole onions
• 7 pints water
• 1 large teaspoonful salt
• 1 faggot parsley
• 4 whole carrots
• 1 small teaspoonful peppercorns
• sippets of fried bread
• rice-flour or wheaten flour
• 1 spoonful or two mushroom catsup or Harvey's sauce
• a few drops eschalot-wine or vinegar

Instructions

1. Cut the rabbit into joints and lightly flour.
2. Fry the rabbit pieces lightly in a pan.
3. Fry the onions separately to a clear brown colour.
4. Add the fried onions to the rabbit and combine with any rendered fat.
5. Gradually pour in the boiling water.
6. Add the salt.
7. As the soup comes to a boil, skim off all the scum that rises to the surface with care.
8. Add the faggot of parsley, carrots, and peppercorns.
9. Boil the whole very gently for five to five and a half hours.
10. Taste and add more salt if needed.
11. Strain the soup into a clean pot and allow it to cool sufficiently for the fat to rise and set on top.
12. Skim the fat cleanly from the surface.
13. Reheat the soup.
14. If desired, thicken with rice-flour or browned wheaten flour mixed with mushroom catsup or Harvey's sauce and a few drops of eschalot-wine or vinegar.
15. Send to table with sippets of fried bread.