Russia · Soups
Solyanka
Solyanka is a thick Russian soup built from several kinds of cured meat, brined pickles, olives, capers, and lemon.
Ingredients
- beef or pork on the bone600-700 g
- smoked ribs300 g
- ham200 g
- smoked sausage200 g
- onions2
- pickled cucumbers2-4
- pickle brine (from the jar)100-150 ml
- olives100 g
- capers50-70 g
- tomato paste or ketchup2 tbsp
- vegetable oil2 tbsp
- butter1 tbsp
- bay leaves1-2
- allspice peas3
- fresh parsley1 bunch
- lemon1
- sour creamto serve
- salt and freshly ground pepperto taste
Method
- 1Place beef and smoked ribs in a pot, pour 2.5-3 liters of water, add one whole peeled onion and bring to a boil. Remove foam, reduce heat and cook on low heat for 2 hours.
- 215 minutes before the broth is ready, add the allspice. When the meat is ready, remove it, separate from the bones, and cut into small pieces; dice the ham and smoked sausage the same way. Remove the onion from the broth.
- 3In a mix of vegetable oil and butter, fry the finely chopped onion until golden, then stir in the tomato paste (or ketchup) and cook for a few minutes. Add the sliced pickles and a little broth, and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
- 4Add the prepared meats (beef, smoked ribs, ham, smoked sausage), the fried onion mixture and the bay leaf to the broth. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the pickle brine to taste, then add the olives and capers for the final 2-3 minutes only — longer cooking turns them bitter. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- 5Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley, with sour cream and a slice of lemon.