No. 984 — Braised Wild Piglet with Cherry Sauce
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 984 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Take three or four Russian pounds of wild piglet and marinate for two or three days in vinegar boiled with spices and then cooled.
For the marinade, bring four or five glasses of vinegar to the boil with six or seven bay leaves, thirty allspice berries, thirty juniper berries and three onions. Let cool.
Line the bottom of a saucepan with very thin slices of pork fat, add the meat, sprinkle with root vegetables and spices, cover tightly and braise over low heat.
When browned, add ½ glass of broth and continue braising; add another ½ glass of broth, then ½ glass of table wine, and cook until tender.
Slice the finished roast and arrange on a dish. Mix 1½ glasses of strained pan juices with ½ glass of cherry juice for the sauce.
Half an hour before serving, sprinkle the roast with a mixture of one spoonful of grated bread, one spoonful of grated Parmesan, one teaspoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon; return to the oven to brown.
Alternatively roast by the ordinary method and pour over redcurrant or cherry sauce, Nos. 427 and 428, or serve blackcurrant salad.
To provide
3–4 Russian pounds of wild piglet ¼ Russian pound of pork fat and ½ Russian pound of carrots ½ parsley root and ½ celery root 4–5 bay leaves 15–20 allspice berries ½ glass of table wine ½ glass of cherry juice and bread | 1 spoonful of grated Parmesan 2–4 lumps of sugar and cinnamon 4–5 glasses of vinegar 6–7 bay leaves 30 allspice berries 30 juniper berries 2 onions |