No. 41 — Shchi from Young Green Cabbage Seedlings
English translation of the original Russian recipe No. 41 in Molokhovets’ 1901 cookbook, with historical quantities and source references.
Make stock from 2–3 Russian pounds of fatty beef with one onion, a bunch of herbs and vegetable-root trimmings, and strain.
Take 2 Russian pounds of fresh young seedlings, remove their stalks and wash them. Stack several leaves at a time and shred finely. Place in a bowl, scald with strongly boiling salted water, cover and leave for half an hour. Drain in a sieve, squeeze out the water and put the greens into the boiling broth.
Fry one spoonful of flour in butter, dilute with broth and bring to the boil; add to the shchi, boil again and serve with sour cream.
To provide
2–3 Russian pounds of beef, or 2 pounds of beef and ¼ pound of ham; optionally 2 onions 1 lot or more of dill (a whole handful); 10–12 allspice berries 2 Russian pounds of nettles — this is what the printed ingredient box says, although the title and preparation specify seedlings | ½ spoonful of butter and 1 spoonful of flour Fresh parsley and dill; ½–1 glass of sour cream 6 eggs or 1 Russian pound of pork sausages, or small pies |