Ural shchi
Description
Hearty and aromatic soup. I first tried Ural shchi right there, in the Urals, not in some city restaurant or cafeteria, but in a real backwater village, whose name I can't even recall now despite my best efforts. Be that as it may, I fell in love with Ural shchi from the very first spoonful, immediately learned the recipe, wrote it down in my notebook (yes, smart phones and other gadgets didn't exist back then), and have been using it ever since. Now I'm sharing it with you :) So, how are Ural shchi prepared in the Urals? Serve the soup hot.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Wash the pork belly, remove the membranes, trim excess fat, and cut into large pieces. Place the chopped pork belly together with a couple of onions and carrots into a pot, pour in water (about 4 liters), and set to cook. Simmer for about 1 hour over low heat, remembering to skim off the foam during cooking.
- 2
Step 2
Rinse the chicken gizzards thoroughly and cut into pieces of arbitrary size. Rinse the barley porridge.
- 3
Step 3
After the agreed hour of broth preparation has elapsed, remove the vegetables and meat from the meat broth. The vegetables will no longer be needed, while the meat, if desired, can be added back into the soup at the very end of cooking. To the remaining broth, add the chicken gizzards and barley, and simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat.
- 4
Step 4
After approximately 20 minutes, taste the barley. It should be almost cooked. If it's still raw, continue cooking until it's nearly done.
- 5
Step 5
While the soup is cooking, let's prepare the sauté. Slice the remaining onion into thin rings, sauté in butter until translucent, then add tomato paste and simmer for another 5–7 minutes.
- 6
Step 6
When the grain is almost ready, add the chopped potatoes to the pot.
- 7
Step 7
Bring the potato soup to a boil, then add the fried onion from the skillet when it starts boiling.
- 8
Step 8
Bring to a boil again, then immediately add sauerkraut with a small amount of brine to the soup. Cook for another 10–20 minutes until the cabbage reaches the desired tenderness—some prefer it softer, others firmer. About 5 minutes before finishing, season with salt and pepper to taste, add chopped herbs and garlic according to preference, and if desired, return to the soup the meat used to make the broth.
- 9
Step 9
Let the soup steep under the lid for about ten minutes, then ladle it into bowls and serve. Ural shchi is ready!