The best known Russian soup outside the country is borscht, which is often regarded as the Russian national dish. However, Russians are equally fond of two other soups—shchi and solyanka. Solyanka is a spicy broth served in cheap cafés and most expensive Russian cuisine restaurants. There are quite a few versions.
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Ingredients:
1 pound, 2 ounces stew meat
1 marrowbone
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
1 small leek
4 ounces smoked sliced bacon
3 shallots
2 frankfurters
4 pickled gherkins
3 tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons butter
2 bay leaves
Salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped parley
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
Directions:
Boil the meat together with two bay leaves and marrowbone in three pints of water. Reduce the heat and skim off the foam with slotted spoon. Cook meat for one hour. Meanwhile clean the carrot, celery, and leek. Peel and dice the celery. Remove outer skins from the shallots and the leek. Cut the leek in half lengthwise and wash.
Put one tablespoon butter in a frying pan. Gently cook the vegetables in the butter for a minute or two. After the meat stock has cooked for 45 minutes, add the vegetables and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In the meantime, cut the frankfurters into slices and chop the bacon into small bits. Wrap both in aluminum foil and refrigerate.
After about an hour, when the meat is soft, strain the stock through a sieve into a bowl. Cut the meat into pieces. Finely slice four gherkins and three shallots. Cut three tomatoes into quarters. Then brown the diced bacon and the shallots in a saucepan, together with one tablespoon of butter.
Dilute three tablespoons tomato puree with some of the stock and add to the bacon and shallots, stirring continuously. Add the tomatoes, gherkins, and vegetables but not the leek. Finally, add the frankfurter meat, pour in the stock, and leave to cook for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and dill. This soup can be reheated the next day, though you should take care not to boil it.
Servings: Serves about six.
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