Wash and peel ten red and sweet beet roots, cut them in slices of one eighth of an inch in thickness; put them into an earthen pot, or a wooden bucket; wet them plentifully with luke warm water, mix a handful of bread-crumbs (the addition of bread-crumbs is to hasten fermentation), cover with a linen and leave it thus stand for a few days. When the borsch is well acidulated, take off the crust of fermentation which lies at the surface; strain the liquid, put it into an earthen pan or into an enameled iron saucepan; garnish it with a piece of fresh pork, knuckles of veal, breast of beef, a chicken or a duck; put it on the fire, and as soon as it commences to boil, skim it, and garnish with a few celery roots, parsley, onions, leeks, salt and whole pepper, dry mushrooms (Gribouis). Cover and boil slowly as for a pot-au-feu; take out the meat when cooked. Cut the beet roots which have been used to make the sour juice, in the shape of Julienne, and an equal quantity of onions, leeks and carrots; fry them in butter and wet with the broth of the borsch. Then add finely shredded cabbage and the mushrooms, and let all cook slowly.

When all is cooked cut the breast of beef in squares of three-quarters of an inch, put some Frankfort sausages in boiling water for ten minutes, take off the skin, cut them in squares of three-eighths of an inch add them to the soup, as well as some small round raviolles. These raviolles are made with chopped cooked meat, well seasoned, and to which has been added a little brown sauce. When ready to serve this soup, put a little broth into a saucepan, add to it some well colored and grated beet roots, and let boil, remove it then from the fire as soon as it boils, pass it through a linen into the soup: add to this soup some fennel or chopped parsley, salt and black pepper. This soup must be a little acid; should it not be acid enough, add a little vinegar. If this soup is to be served at fine dinners, you may add garnishing of marrow quenelles (No. 352), of the size of an olive, some hard boiled eggs, cut lengthwise in two, and stuffed with the yolks which have been removed, crushed fine and seasoned with salt, pepper, grated horseradish and chopped parsley, and after being stuffed sprinkle them with melted butter, bestrew on them some bread-crumbs and put into an oven to color. This soup can be thickened with sour cream (the Russian smitane), to suit the taste.

The borsch can also be served in cups at receptions and evening parties, in preparing it in the following manner: Take off the grease of the borsch and strain it, and then clarify it by adding to each gallon one pound of lean meat of beef chopped and mix with a bottle of good Bordeaux wine, and leave it at the corner of the stove, without letting it boil; strain it through a napkin and serve very hot in cups.