Name: Solyanka
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 130 min
Total time: 160 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Ukrainian
Ingredients: 500 g Beef brisket on the bone; 2.5 l Water; 2 leaves Bay leaves; 1 tsp Whole black peppercorns; 2 tsp Fine sea salt; 2 tbsp Sunflower oil; 2 medium Onion; 1 medium Carrot; 2 tbsp Tomato paste; 1 tsp Caster sugar; 200 g Cornichons (small pickled gherkins); 1 tbsp Capers; 150 g Smoked kielbasa sausage; 150 g Cooked ham; 100 g Bacon rashers; 80 g Green olives, pitted; 2 tbsp Lemon juice; 120 g Sour cream, to serve; 4 sprigs Fresh dill

About this dish

Solyanka takes its name from 'sol', salt, and began as a salty, sour stew of the kind eaten in Russia from the 17th century, often made with fish or mushrooms and pickled vegetables. The meat version, the 'sbornaya' or mixed solyanka, became a staple of Soviet restaurants and home kitchens, and it is just as common across Ukraine, where it is a favourite way to use up cured meats and the brine from the pickle jar. Its character comes from balance: smoke from the sausage, sour from the pickles and lemon, salt from the olives and capers, and a spoonful of sour cream to soften it all.

Gluten-free
Not vegetarian because of Beef brisket on the bone, Smoked kielbasa sausage, Cooked ham, Bacon rashers
Contains dairy because of Sour cream, to serve

Ingredients

6servings

500gBeef brisket on the bone
2 ½lWater
2leavesBay leaves
1tspWhole black peppercorns
2tspFine sea salt
2tbspSunflower oil
2mediumOnion
1mediumCarrot
2tbspTomato paste
1tspCaster sugar
200gCornichons (small pickled gherkins)
1tbspCapers
150gSmoked kielbasa sausage
150gCooked ham
100gBacon rashers
80gGreen olives, pitted
2tbspLemon juice
120gSour cream, to serve
4sprigsFresh dill

Instructions

Put the brisket in a large pot with 2.5 litres of cold water, the bay leaves, the peppercorns and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a bare simmer and cook for 90 minutes, skimming the foam in the first ten.
90 min
Tip: Cold water and a gentle simmer pull the flavour out of the meat and keep the broth clear; a hard boil turns it cloudy and greasy.
Lift the brisket out, let it cool a little, then cut it into thin strips and strain the broth into a clean pot.
10 min
Tip: Straining removes the peppercorns and fine scum so the soup is clear and tastes clean; cutting across the grain keeps the meat tender in the bowl.
Fry the finely chopped onions and the carrot, cut into thin matchsticks, in the sunflower oil over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft and golden.
8 min
Tip: Slow softening turns their starch into sweetness, which balances the salt, sourness and smoke that follow.
Stir in the tomato paste and the sugar and cook for 3 minutes, until the paste darkens and smells sweet.
3 min
Tip: Cooking the paste first removes its raw, metallic edge and gives the soup its warm red colour.
Cut the cornichons into thin strips, add them to the pan with 100 ml of their brine and the capers, and simmer for 10 minutes.
10 min
Tip: The brine is the soup's main sour note; simmering the pickles mellows their sharpness instead of leaving it harsh.
Cut the sausage, ham and bacon into strips and fry them in a dry pan for 6 minutes, until the fat runs and the edges colour.
6 min
Tip: Browning the smoked meats first releases their fat and smoke into the pan, which is where most of a solyanka's depth comes from.
Add the fried vegetables, the browned meats, the beef strips and the olives to the broth. Simmer for 20 minutes, then season with salt and the lemon juice.
20 min
Tip: Salt only now: the sausage, ham, olives and brine are all salty, and it is easy to over-season earlier.
Rest the soup off the heat for 10 minutes and serve hot, each bowl topped with a spoonful of sour cream and chopped dill.
10 min
Tip: A short rest lets the smoke, sour and salt knit together, and the soup tastes better than it did straight from the pot.