No. 24 — Broth with Asparagus and Spinach Leaves
An English translation of original recipe No. 24 from Elena Molokhovets’ Russian cookbook (1901), with historical quantities and Russian source.
Make and strain yellow broth No. 1 or 3. Half an hour before serving, clean the asparagus and cut it into rounds or pieces of equal length. Bring it once to the boil in salted water, drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and transfer to a small saucepan. Cook until tender in strained stock.
Separately boil spinach leaves in salted water with ¼ small spoonful of soda. Transfer the spinach to a soup tureen with a slotted spoon, add the asparagus with its stock and fill up with the main broth. Serve.
To provide
3–4 Russian pounds of beef; ¾ Russian pound of basic soup roots 1 onion; a bunch of herbs | 1 Russian pound of asparagus; ⅛ Russian pound of spinach |