No. 1 — Basic Yellow Broth, Medium Strength
A complete English translation of historical recipe No. 1 from Elena Molokhovets’ 1901 cookbook, retaining the original quantities and method.
Take 3 Russian pounds of fresh beef from the thigh; rinse off dust and dirt in cold water, without squeezing the meat. Use a stoneware or other pot intended for soup. Put the beef in it and pour in six full deep plates, that is, nine glasses, of cold water. Measure the water level with a shaved wooden splinter, then add another six glasses of water. Cover and let it come to a boil three times over a high heat, each time moving the pot aside and removing the scum into another pot with a spoon rather than a skimmer.
Raise the beef on a large kitchen fork and, holding it above the pot, pour spoonfuls of broth over it several times to wash away the remaining foam. Move the meat into another pot or glazed earthenware vessel and strain the broth into it through a soup strainer. Wash the first pot thoroughly, return the beef and broth to it, and add 1½ teaspoons of salt.
Take an onion, two carrots, one parsley root, one-third of a celery root and one leek. Peel and wash them; cut the first four lengthwise in half. Fry one half of each in butter or braise, that is, fat skimmed from the broth. Alternatively, put the cut surfaces against a hot stove plate until darkly browned. Add them to the broth with the remaining roots and a bunch of parsley, celery and leek greens.
Cover loosely and cook over low heat for 2–3 hours, allowing it to simmer gently on one side; reduce to the level marked with the splinter. One and a half hours before serving, move the pot to the edge of the stove and let it settle. Remove the fat once more with a large soup spoon. Take out the beef, carefully pour the broth into another pot through a fine soup strainer or a cloth, reheat and add salt if needed. If desired, clarify this broth with egg whites, as described in the general notes.
This is the basic, clear yellow broth. It can be served on its own, poured over finely chopped dill in a soup tureen, or used for most other clear soups. For further details see the general notes on soups in the Russian original.
To provide
3 Russian pounds of beef from the thigh. ¾ Russian pound of the main soup roots: 2 carrots, 1 parsley root, ⅓ celery root, 1 leek, 1 onion and ½ turnip. | ½ Russian pound of potatoes. A bunch of parsley, celery and leek greens, and fresh dill. |
Broth gains considerable flavor from potatoes of a good, firm, non-mealy variety cooked separately in some of it. These potatoes may then be served as a second course with butter.
If boiled beef (bouilli) is to be served as the second course, make enough broth for two days from 5–6 Russian pounds of beef, preferably the middle part of the rump; less choice cuts such as the round and related cuts can be used for simpler bouilli. On the first day serve the boiled beef as the second course, and on the next day serve another roast dish. Serve the broth with its various accompaniments on the first day and make another kind of soup from it on the second. Broth kept until the following day should always be strained to remove the roots and covered with muslin; otherwise, the author warns, it may turn sour.
Original note: additional flavorings
Depending on taste and means, some or all of the following may be put into this broth:
- Trimmings of veal reserved for another dish, heads and feet of chicken or turkey, and similar pieces—the more, the better in the author's view.
- Cracked bones remaining from the preceding day's broth; cook these from the beginning so the scum can be removed and the liquid strained.
- One or two onions baked rather than raw.
- One or two clean dried mushrooms.
- One calf's kidney.
- ½ tablespoon of the finest washed and dried green peas.
- One swede added two hours before serving.
- Extra carrot, parsley root or celery root added ¾ hour before serving.
All these ingredients are cooked until it is time to serve and are then strained out.
Ways to serve the broth
The broth may be varied in the following ways:
- Clear, with only chopped dill and parsley, accompanied by little pies or fillings baked in shells, Nos. 322–376, except for cheesecakes and the layered pancake loaf.
- With little croutons No. 216, or croutons sprinkled with Dutch cheese, No. 220. The original suggests one Polish-style bread roll.
- With carrots and spinach leaves cut in half, blanched for a few minutes in salted boiling water (¼ Russian pound of spinach and two evenly cut carrots); compare No. 274.
- With meatballs, Nos. 223–225, or quenelles, Nos. 226–232, using a fourth or third Russian pound of beef for these additions.
- With dumplings, Nos. 276–286.
- With Smolensk-groat porridge, No. 381.
- With homemade noodles, No. 245, or vermicelli, No. 244 (⅓ Russian pound of flour).
- With lazanki, No. 247 (⅓ Russian pound of flour).
- With semolina, No. 243 (½ glass).
- With rice, No. 240; rice porridge, No. 382; or rice croquettes, No. 376.
- With sago, No. 242 (½ glass).
- With oatmeal, No. ½ glass; the book also mentions Hercules oats.
- With pearl barley, No. 241 (½ glass).
- With neatly shaped soup roots (1 Russian pound, peeled), accompanied by little pies.
- With shaped roots (1 Russian pound, peeled) and potatoes.
- With roots (1 Russian pound, peeled) and cabbage.
- With Brussels sprouts, No. 261, and quenelles, No. 226 (½ Russian pound each of cabbage and meat).
- With green peas, cauliflower and asparagus, No. 272 (1 Russian pound in total).
- With fresh young vegetables, No. 273 (1 Russian pound, peeled).
- With dried roots and vegetables, No. 275 (two full spoonfuls).
- With pelmeni, No. 294, made with ⅓ Russian pound of flour.
Final note
This basic yellow broth, No. 1, may also be made by the simpler method of No. 2, or by the more elaborate method of No. 3, a clear yellow broth of double strength known as consommé.