No. 1199 — Boiled Sturgeon with Tomato Sauce and Elaborate Garnishes
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 1199 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Clean sturgeon as in the general note and put in a fish kettle with cleaned ruffe, trimmings from white roots, champignons and salted cucumbers reserved for the garnish.
Add cucumber brine and enough cold water to cover, then salt, pepper and bay leaves. Boil until cooked; the original tests it by piercing with a kitchen needle.
Drain the broth, leaving the fish covered at the edge of the stove to keep warm. Boil the stock and use it to make tomato sauce No. 432, thick enough to coat like béchamel.
Transfer sturgeon to a platter, coat with the thick tomato sauce so it does not run and score it into portions.
Prepare the following garnishes separately: neat rounded boiled potatoes dressed with butter and chopped spring onion; peeled shallots scalded in salted water then fried in butter; sliced fried champignons No. 725; lightly fried pickled porcini; split olives and gherkins; peeled parsley and celery roots boiled until soft; crayfish tails; and salted cucumbers peeled, sliced and cooked in broth.
Surround the fish with the garnishes. Serve more tomato sauce separately, thinning the sauce remaining after coating the fish with stock until it is slightly less thick.
To provide
For 6–8 people: 3 Russian pounds of sturgeon 10–20 small ruffe ½ Russian pound of parsley and celery roots 1 Russian pound of potatoes and green dill 12–18 olives and 8–12 gherkins 15–20 peppercorns and 2–3 bay leaves 6–8 champignons | 2–3 salted cucumbers 6–8 pickled mushrooms 20 crayfish tails Green onion and ¼ Russian pound of shallots 8–12 capers 3–4 glasses of cucumber brine ¼ Russian pound of butter Double quantity of tomato sauce No. 432 |