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Rassolnik
Rassolnik (рассольник): Russian beef soup with pearl barley, pickled cucumbers and their brine
Rassol is Russian for pickle brine, and this soup makes the most of it: pearl barley, potato and beef simmered in a clear broth, then sharpened with grated salted cucumbers and a good pour of their liquor. It is a winter lunch from the Moscow region to the Urals and a canteen favourite in its Leningrad style, and many households serve it the morning after a celebration. Old recipes used kidneys; beef brisket or shin is easier and gives a rich broth. The taste is savoury and pleasantly sour, with soft, chewy barley. Where most people go wrong is cooking the barley in the soup from raw, which clouds the broth; cook it separately and add it later. Use brine-fermented cucumbers, not sweet vinegar pickles. Sour cream is traditional at the table for those not avoiding dairy. Chef's tip: add the brine little by little at the end and taste; cucumbers vary hugely in saltiness.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb beef brisket or shinin 2 pieces
- 10 ½ cups water
- 3 ½ oz pearl barleyrinsed
- 3 potatoesdiced
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 1 carrotgrated
- 3 brine-fermented cucumbersgrated
- ¾ cup cucumber brine
- 1 tsp saltto taste
- ⅓ oz fresh dillchopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put the 1 ⅛ lb beef brisket or shin in a large pot with the 10 ½ cups water, bring to the boil and skim off the grey foam for 5 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Add the 2 bay leaves and 6 black peppercorns, lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 60 minutes, until the beef is tender when pierced with a fork.
60 minStep 3: Meanwhile, cook the 3 ½ oz pearl barley in a separate pan of boiling water for 40 minutes, until soft but still chewy, then drain.
40 minStep 4: Heat the 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the 1 onion and 1 carrot for 8 minutes, until soft. Add the 3 brine-fermented cucumbers and cook for 5 minutes more, until the cucumber turns olive-green.
13 minStep 5: Lift out the beef, cut into small pieces and return it to the broth with the barley and 3 potatoes. Simmer for 12 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
12 minStep 6: Stir in the fried vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the ¾ cup cucumber brine gradually, tasting, and season with the 1 tsp salt until pleasantly sour.
6 minStep 7: Rest the soup off the heat for 10 minutes, then serve sprinkled with ⅓ oz fresh dill.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rassolnik take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 80 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of black peppercorns?
- Ground black pepper, a little less than the amount.
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