Vermicelli Soup

Vermicelli soup should be poured over a French roll prior to serving.

Put from three to four pounds of knuckle of veal, one and one-half pounds of scrag of mutton and one-half pound of ham, all cut up into small pieces, into a saucepan with one-fourth pound of butter, and an onion stuck with one or two cloves, and fry them over the fire for ten minutes. Put in with the meat a bunch of sweet herbs, one anchovy, two carrots, three or four blades of mace and four heads of celery. Place the lid on the saucepan and stand it over the fire until all the gravy has been extracted from the meat. Drain the gravy into a basin, pour four quarts of water over the meat and boil slowly until reduced to three pints. Strain the soup into another saucepan, add one-fourth pound of vermicelli, a head of celery cut into small pieces and a small quantity of cayenne pepper and salt. Put a French roll into a soup tureen, pour a small quantity of the soup on it, let it soak for a few minutes, then pour in the remainder of the soup and serve.