I found this recipe on another forum - submitted by Post Captain. Message to 'our' Post Captain: are you one and the same? If so, I hope you won't mind me pinching the recipe and posting it here!
It sounds remarkably like Trafalgar Soup!
Portable Soup - A recipe from the Royal Navy which was issued to a ship by the Sick and Hurt Board and was kept by the Surgeon to give to patients who could not face the normal rigours of seaboard food.
Block of British Navy Portable Soup 250 years old - the Goverment "Broad Arrow" is clearly visible
Ingredients
1 beef shin bone(needs a good covering of meat or else you need about half a pound of stewing beef)
1 ham or bacon hock
1 oz anchovies
3 carrots, washed and sliced
1 head of celery, washed and sliced (not the green bits)
water
cayenne pepper
Ask the butcher to cut the shin bone into two or three large pieces. Put these along with the ham into a large pan. Gently heat them (and the steak if you've used it) until they are browned. You won't need any extra fat if it is heated gently. Add enough water to cover the bones, plus the carrots, celery and anchovies. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum which rises to the surface. Cover and simmer gently for about four hours. Remove the bones and strain through muslin into a clean pan. Leave it overnight and the next day remove any fat from the top of the liquid. Then boil it until it is reduced by about two-thirds. The colour should change to a rich dark brown. Add a small amount of cayenne pepper and pour the mixture into a shallow glass or earthenware bowl ( not metal, I suspect this could eat its way through stainless steel). Leave overnight then cut the soup into 'coins' about 5 cm. diameter and leave in a dry place for a few days. Keep them in an airtight container with paper between each 'coin'. N.B. Don't add any salt to the process, the anchovies provide that.
To reconstitute - place one 'coin' in a bowl and top up with boiling water. Stir well and give to your sick (or hurt) person. On no account should you touch this stuff if you're healthy!
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