Vermicelli Soup

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.