No. 30 — Young Turkey Soup with Morels, Meatballs or Quenelles
An English translation of original recipe No. 30 from Elena Molokhovets’ Russian cookbook (1901), with historical quantities and Russian source.
Make stock from beef and some veal bones with a baked onion and, if desired, unbrowned soup roots. Take a lean turkey weighing 3 Russian pounds, remove its breast fillets and simmer the rest in the broth.
Clean and wash 6–12 morels and lightly fry them in butter. Sprinkle with one spoonful of flour, add an onion and 5–6 peppercorns, pour over strained broth and cook.
Fry the turkey liver, cool and grate it. Chop and pound the breast fillets; mix with a small amount of finely chopped veal kidney fat, one spoonful of melted butter, two eggs and a further two or three yolks, 2–3 spoonfuls of cream, salt, nutmeg and enough grated stale bread to form a thick mixture.
Shape into meatballs, No. 223, or quenelles, Nos. 226–227, and cook separately in stock shortly before serving. Combine the prepared elements and serve.
To provide
1 turkey weighing 3 Russian pounds; beef and veal bones (the printed ‘1–1 pounds’ is unclear) 1 onion; optional basic soup roots; 6–12 morels; nutmeg ⅛ Russian pound of kidney fat; 1 spoonful of butter | 2–3 spoonfuls of cream; 2 spoonfuls of flour; ½ stale bread roll 4–5 eggs in total; dill and parsley Alternatively make the quenelles as described in No. 227 |