No. 29 — Game Broth
An English translation of original recipe No. 29 from Elena Molokhovets’ Russian cookbook (1901), with historical quantities and Russian source.
Make and strain beef broth, then add soup roots and continue cooking. Clean, draw and wash the game, roast it and drain away the butter.
Chop half the game into pieces, discarding the backs, and simmer these with the beef. Pound the other half extremely finely with ½ Russian pound of raw beef or veal. Add three beaten egg whites and ½ glass of cold water and mix smooth. Stir in one glass of hot broth and immediately pour the mixture into the boiling stock.
Cook for 1½ hours, clarify and strain as described in the general notes. Add wine and greens and serve with little pies or cheese croutons.
To provide
1½–2 Russian pounds of beef; ¾ pound of basic soup roots 1 onion; ¼ Russian pound of butter; optional 1–2 bay leaves 5–6 allspice berries; a bunch of greens | 2 hazel grouse or 2 partridges; alternatively ½ capercaillie, or 2 snipe, or 2 woodcock-like game birds (the source names ‘slomki’) 1 glass of Don wine, Muscat-Lunel or limonade gazeuse; fresh dill |
Economical household variation
The author considers hazel grouse the tastiest game for this stock. When roasting three or four grouse, carefully remove the fillets for a second course with mashed potatoes, and use the chopped bones, without the backs, in the broth. For a household dinner the clarification mixture may be omitted.