Russian shchi
Description
Hearty and aromatic soup. Traditionally, Russian shchi were cooked in a stove, which makes sense. It's also clear that they were cooked for a long time (simmered slowly), resulting in a truly unique flavor. Let's try preparing such shchi using not only the stovetop but also the oven. Yes, indeed, the oven. It will partially replace the Russian stove for us. So, here's how to do it: ladle into bowls and serve.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
The broth will take the longest to prepare—about 2 hours—so we'll start it first. Place the washed meat with bone, peeled onion, carrot, and celery root into a pot. Add enough water to just barely cover the meat and vegetables. Set on the stove and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat; we don't need a vigorous boil. When the meat is almost cooked, add a pinch of salt.
- 2
Step 2
Place the sauerkraut in a clay pot, add water just enough to cover the sauerkraut, add butter, cover the pot with a lid, and put it in the oven to simmer at 180 degrees for about 1 hour.
- 3
Step 3
Pour hot water over the dried mushrooms and let them soak for about 30 minutes.
- 4
Step 4
Peel the potatoes, cut them into large pieces, place them in a pot, and add the soaked mushrooms. Pour in a little water, add 1-2 pinches of salt, and cook until the potatoes are done. The cooked potatoes can be mashed in the broth or left in pieces.
- 5
Step 5
Peel and chop the remaining onion and carrot: the onion into small cubes, and the carrot can be grated or thinly sliced into strips. Sauté in vegetable oil in a pan, then add tomato sauce and remove from heat after a minute.
- 6
Step 6
Just in time, our cabbage in the oven is ready. Add the sautéed mixture to the cabbage.
- 7
Step 7
Add the strained beef broth, boneless meat, mushroom broth with mushrooms and potatoes to the same pot. Add spices and salt. You can also add minced garlic. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for another 20–30 minutes.
- 8
Step 8
We serve Russian shchi with rye croutons and another dish—pickled mushrooms with onion and sour cream. Such is the tradition :)