No. 47 — Lazy Shchi with Fresh Cabbage
English translation of the original Russian recipe No. 47 in Molokhovets’ 1901 cookbook, with historical quantities and source references.
Prepare white broth without browned roots, using only 2–3 Russian pounds of beef breast or rump, two teaspoons of salt, a bunch of celery and parsley greens, and the trimmings of the soup roots meant to be served. Remove the core of a cabbage head, leaving 1½ Russian pounds of cabbage, and soak for half an hour in cold salted water.
Finely chop one onion and brown it in butter or fat from the stock in a medium saucepan. Cut the cabbage into six to eight pieces, blanch once in boiling water, drain in a colander and add to the onion. Pour over enough strained stock just to cover and cook at the edge of the stove or in the oven.
To provide
2–3 Russian pounds of beef; parsley and celery greens; 1 onion 1 turnip, 2 carrots and ½ celery root 1½ Russian pounds of cabbage; ¾ glass of flour | 1 spoonful of butter or fat from the broth ½–1 glass of sour cream; 5–6 black peppercorns and 1–2 bay leaves Optional tomato purée; fresh dill |
When the cabbage is half done, add the shaped roots that have first been blanched in boiling water. Strain the main broth separately. Brown flour with butter or broth fat, dilute with one glass of stock, stir, boil and strain into the main broth. Add the cooked cabbage and roots, salt to taste and cook until tender with a tightly covered lid.
Sprinkle the soup tureen with dill and a little pepper, add beef cut into portions and pour in the shchi.
For variation use two or three tomatoes, washed, cut and deseeded, finely chopped, stewed in butter, moistened with stock and rubbed through a sieve.
Serve with firm buckwheat porridge, fried croutons of buckwheat or Smolensk-groat porridge, a layered pancake loaf or thin pancake pies.