No. 2242 — Little Russian Borscht
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 2242 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Use nine glasses suitably sour beet kvass, diluted with boiled water if needed; simmer with a bundle of soup roots, herb bouquet, six to eight beet greens, spring onion and two onions; strain.
Squeeze and scald half a pound sauerkraut; roast a pound beets, peel and shred. Seed and slice two or three tomatoes and separately boil a quarter glass white beans.
Put cabbage into strained broth about fifteen minutes before serving; add tomatoes, beans and potatoes earlier and simmer.
Blend half a glass flour with half a glass cooled stock, add to soup with half a glass sour cream, extra kvass to taste and salt; bring to a boil.
In the soup tureen optionally add juice from grated raw or briefly boiled beets, or the shredded raw beets themselves, and dill; ladle the hot borscht over.
Serve with curd-cheese pastries No. 358, mushroom fritters No. 352 or buckwheat croûtons.
Instead of flour, the source proposes pounding together parsley, celery, a small piece fresh pork fat and quarter glass millet to season the borscht.
To provide
Bundle of soup roots Herb bouquet with green onion Beet leaves ½ pound fresh or sour cabbage 1 pound beets and kvass | ½ glass flour, ½–1 glass sour cream 5–10 allspice berries, 1–2 bay leaves 2–3 tomatoes ¼ glass beans and 6 potatoes Dill |