Instructions

Solyanka is made with four to five types of meat. For a concentrated broth, you should use veal brisket and pork ribs. This guarantees a delicious broth and plenty of meat. For frying onions and cucumbers, it is best to use smoked bacon or ham, from which you can melt a little fat. And, of course, milk sausages and lean ham are essential for solyanka.



In the end, you will need to add more ingredients to the first dish. First, capers are the salted or pickled buds of the Mediterranean shrub. They are often added as pizza toppings. Second, add a few slices of lemon and a handful of pitted olives to the mix. And, finally, pickled or salted cucumbers. Not pickled, but fermented – not soft, but dense.



Put the meat for broth in a saucepan and add 1.5 litres of cold water. The pot should be put on the fire and the water should come to a boil. Remove all the foam, which may be abundant. This is essential. If you do not, the broth will turn cloudy.



Next, add a peeled carrot and one onion, cut crosswise, to the broth. The broth should be cooked for at least 1.5 hours at a very low boil. The liquid should barely boil, or “stir.” Boiling water should not be violent.



Cut smoked ham or bacon into small pieces and remove the skin, like you would with carbonara pasta. Fry the bacon in a dry and not very hot pan, stirring constantly. The fat must be melted to fry the product. Take the bacon cubes out of the fat and put them on a plate.



Cut the second onion into cubes. Then fry the onion in the fat until it turns a nice golden color. You have to try so that the onion does not start to brown too much. The onion should become soft and start to change color. Peel the pickled cucumbers and cut them into large cubes. Add chopped cucumbers to the onions and fry for a few minutes.



Add full 1 tbsp. l. tomato paste. Mix the onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes and add 1–2 ladles of broth. Simmer for 10 minutes.



Remove the carrots and onions from the broth. They are not used. Pull out all the meat and let it cool a little. Remove the meat from the bones and cartilage and then cut it into cubes. If the ham has any skin, take it off. Free the sausages from their cellophane case. Cut the sausages and ham into small pieces or strips.



The prepared tomato dressing should be added to the meat broth with onions and cucumbers. Bring to a boil and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pepper to taste. As pickled cucumbers and smoked meats will add enough salt to the dish, Solyanka is not salted.



The chopped meat, pork, beef, sausages, and ham should be added to the pot with the broth. Add the fried bacon that you had set aside. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes.



The pan should be removed from the heat and added with 2-3 bay leaves. The first dish should be left to stand for at least 10 minutes. You should throw away the bay leaf.



Pour into plates. Spread all the meat evenly. Add 0.5 tsp. capers, olives, and pitted olives — black or green. Put a circle of lemon slices. It is recommended that you remove the zest from the lemon. Add sour cream and sprinkle with greens and serve immediately.



Homemade meat brine is a fantastic dish, hearty and tasty. The aroma and taste of smoked meats create an unparalleled range even without additives, so you should not add extra spices to the soup.



Meat solyanka in a rich broth with smoked meats is a delicious first course before lunch.

Bon appetit!