Gray shchi
Description
To prepare these shchi, you'll need shanitsa—a preparation made from green cabbage leaves. It is this ingredient that will give your shchi a special and unique flavor. Plus, we'll be cooking the shchi in the oven, trying to replicate the temperature of a traditional Russian stove. Gray shchi can be made with peas, beans, mushrooms, or prepared plain. Potatoes can be boiled separately and served hot alongside the bowl of shchi. Serve with fresh herbs and sour cream.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
If the sauerkraut is very sour, rinse it under cold water, then let the excess liquid drain off.
- 2
Step 2
Peel the onion and finely chop it.
- 3
Step 3
Peel the potatoes. You can chop them, or cook them whole in the borscht and mash them in the bowl.
- 4
Step 4
Peel the carrot and cut into small cubes. To make the shchi live up to their name—gray—you can omit the carrot.
- 5
Step 5
Cut the white part of the leek into half-rings.
- 6
Step 6
Place all the prepared ingredients into a 4-liter pot, pour in water to cover the contents, and put it on the stove. Once it comes to a boil, transfer it to a preheated oven at 70-80 degrees Celsius for about 4 hours.