Sheep's Head Soup

sheep's head soup

(from Godey's Ladies Magazine, edited by L.A. Godey, Sarah J. Hale, 1863)

Ingredients:

head, liver and lights of 1 sheep​

4 quarts water​

onion​

carrots​

turnips​

1/2 lb. pearl barley​

pepper and salt​

cloves​

marjoram​

parsley​

thyme​

butter​

flour​

a wineglassful of sherry​

​

sheep's heart and rump steak (optional to make pudding)​

Instructions:

Cut the liver and lights into pieces, and stew them in four quarts of water, with some onion, carrots and turnips; half a pound of pearl barley, pepper and salt, cloves, a little marjoram, parsley, and thyme. Stew all these until nearly sufficiently cooked, then put in the head, and boil it until quite tender. Take it out, and strain everything from the liquor, and let it stand until cold, them remove the fat from the top. Before serving it must be thickened with flour and butter, as though it were mock turtle. A wineglassful of sherry should be put into the tureen before the soup is poured in. The heart cut into small pieces with rump steak makes an excellent pudding.​

Note: Lights are the lungs of game or livestock, as used in cooking and butchery.