No. 90 — Fresh Tomato Purée Soup

Prepare white stock from 2½ Russian pounds of beef and half a pound of veal shank with roots but no onion, adding a bunch of greens, and strain.

Wash two to eight tomatoes depending on size and ripeness, cut them open, discard the seeds and chop finely. Stew under a lid with half a spoonful of butter, stirring so they do not burn. Add strained stock, boil and rub through a sieve.

Cook half a glass of pearl barley or rice separately until tender but not falling apart. Mix with the tomato purée, add half a glass of sour cream, dilute with all the broth, bring once to the boil and serve with fresh dill.

To provide

This soup can be made without meat using the other ingredients as above. Another variation is to add chicken bones to the stock, or to thicken the stewed tomatoes with a spoonful of flour instead of rice or barley before rubbing them through a sieve.

The author notes that very sour tomatoes need only two or three for six to eight plates, while ripe sweet ones may require eight or even ten. Where tomatoes are expensive, one may suffice; in that case the seeds need not be discarded, since the tomatoes are later passed through a sieve.

Serve puff-pastry pies with brains or croutons Nos. 216–217, or, best of all in the author's view, stuffed tomatoes: mince half a Russian pound of veal and pound with ⅛ pound of washed butter, one raw egg and half a French roll soaked in milk and squeezed dry. Season with salt, six crushed allspice berries and nutmeg and rub through a sieve. Remove the centers from eighteen very small green tomatoes, fill them with the mixture, cover with stock and cook gently under a lid. Put them in the tureen.