No. 113 — Purée Soup from Ordinary Dried Peas
Complete English translation of recipe No. 113 in Elena Molokhovets’ 1901 Russian cookbook, preserving the historical preparation, quantities and sources.
Bring 2 Russian pounds of beef to a boil over high heat, skim off the scum, and add a bunch of greens and ½–1 Russian pound of fatty raw smoked ham, scraped clean of soot, or simply a piece of rind from smoked baked ham.
Soak 1 pound of dried peas in cold water for several hours and drain on a sieve. Put into a saucepan, add cold water just to cover, ½ spoonful of table butter and a little grated stale bread roll. Cover, boil over high heat, then move to the edge of the stove and cook slowly until very soft, without salt, stirring with a spatula.
Rub the peas through a sieve while hot. Reheat the purée, gradually dilute with the hot strained beef broth and boil well, then strain. Add ham cut into neat pieces and, if desired, another ½ spoonful of butter. Salt, heat until very hot and serve.
Some cooks add fresh dill to the tureen, season the soup with fried bulb onion or green onion, or stir in sour cream towards the end and bring it once to the boil.
To provide
1–3 Russian pounds of beef and ½–1 pound of ham, according to the ingredient list A bunch of greens and 1 Russian pound of dried peas ½ French bread roll and fresh dill | ½ spoonful of table butter; optional ½ spoonful of butter and onion Optional ½ glass of sour cream |
Serve with croutons No. 216.