No. 89 — Cherry Soup with Smolensk Groats
English translation of original recipe No. 89 from Elena Molokhovets’ 1901 cookbook, with the historical preparation and exact source references.
Prepare and strain white beef stock from two Russian pounds of beef. Remove the stones from ripe cherries and put the cherries in a saucepan with one Russian pound of veal, a piece of cinnamon, cardamom, half a spoonful of butter and enough stock to cover; simmer gently until done.
Pound a few cherry stones in a mortar, put them into a separate small saucepan with stock and cook under a lid for a quarter of an hour; strain through a sieve into the cherries. Add half a Russian pound of grated sweet-and-sour bread and a little stock; cook until the purée thickens.
Just before serving pass the purée through a sieve, dilute with stock, add sugar and salt to taste and combine with separate fluffy porridge made from Smolensk groats.
For that porridge, rub half a glass of Smolensk groats with one egg, dry in the oven and sift through a coarse colander to separate the grains. Bring about two-thirds of a glass of water to the boil with half a spoonful of butter and one-eighth spoon of salt, pour in the grains, stir briskly and cook over high heat for five minutes, then cover and cook gently for about ten. Stir to separate the grains and finish in the oven until lightly browned.
To provide
- 2 Russian pounds of beef; 1 carrot and a bunch of greens
- 1 Russian pound (about 3 glasses) of cherries, cinnamon
- 1 Russian pound of veal and 2–3 cardamom seeds
- ½ spoonful of butter; ½ pound of bread; ½ glass of sugar and salt
- For porridge: ½ glass of Smolensk groats, 1 egg, ¾ glass of water and 1 spoonful of butter