No. 803 — German Sour Roast
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 803 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Wash and dry six Russian pounds of lean tender beef. Rub it with butter and brown it well on all sides over high heat, then cool.
Put into a glazed earthenware pot and cover with strong beer vinegar. Add six bay leaves, twenty whole peppercorns, a dessertspoon of salt, ¼ grated nutmeg and, if desired, four shredded onions. Cover and leave for eight days in a wine cellar in winter or an icehouse in summer.
Drain the marinade and leave the beef in a sieve for an hour. Brown it again in butter over high heat until dark, add one peeled medium turnip, cover and continue roasting gently until cooked through.
For the gravy, take three parts good beef broth and one part of the marinade vinegar, mix with the roasting butter, boil several times and serve separately.
The author claims that this roast keeps for a long time.
To provide
6 Russian pounds of beef and bay leaves 20 peppercorns and nutmeg | 4 onions and 1 turnip 1½–2 historical bottles of vinegar and ½ Russian pound of butter |