Solyanka is a traditional Russian rustic smoked and sour soup, where a surprising combination of smoked meats and acidic liquids come together. What gives this soup its ultra fab smoky flavor are the hard rock variety of smoked meats like ham, salami, sausage and bacon, while the pickles, olives and lemon juice bring out the mild tartness. And if you’ve seen any of our last few Russian recipes, you have probably guessed by now that it comes garnished with a hefty dollop of sour cream.
Solyanka combines any smoked and non-smoked meats that you may have on hand at the time of making it. In fact, because there are no set rules for what exact cuts of meat can go into this soup, any soup that combined a large variety of ingredients has become known as Solyanka. Russians have even coined a phrase after this soup, “sbornaya solyanka”, which roughly translates to “everything, but the kitchen sink”!
Ingredients:
1 lb beef shank/roast
1 lb smoked cuts (bacon, ribs, ham, salami, sausage), diced
1/2 cup pickled cucumbers, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely shredded
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup olives (I used kalamata olives, but any kind will work), sliced
1 tsp smoked paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
few bay leaves and peppercorns
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
sour cream and lemon slices (to garnish)
Place beef in a soup pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and add bay leaves with peppercorns. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until fork tender. Then remove the meat and let cool.
Add onion and carrot to the hot skillet with olive oil and saute until soft and translucent. Add tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper and cook on low for 5-7 minutes.
Slice the cooked beef, discard the bones and add meat back to the pot together with the tomato sauce, pickles and the rest of diced smoked cuts.
Bring to a boil, add smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add chopped parsley, olives and lemon juice. Let Solyanka rest covered for at least 20 minutes before serving to develop the flavor.
Serve garnished with lemon slices and dollop of sour cream.
- 1 lb beef shank/roast
- 1 lb smoked cuts (bacon, ribs, ham, salami, sausage), diced
- 1/2 cup pickled cucumbers, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely shredded
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup olives (I used kalamata olives, but any kind will work), sliced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- few bay leaves and peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- sour cream and lemon slices (to garnish)
- Place beef in a soup pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and add bay leaves with peppercorns.
- Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until fork tender. Then remove the meat and let cool.
- Add onion and carrot to the hot skillet with olive oil and saute until soft and translucent.
- Add tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper and cook on low for 5-7 minutes.
- Slice the cooked beef, discard the bones and add meat back to the pot together with the tomato sauce, pickles and the rest of diced smoked cuts.
- Bring to a boil, add smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add chopped parsley, olives and lemon juice. Let Solyanka rest covered for at least 20 minutes before serving to develop the flavor.
- Serve garnished with lemon slices and dollop of sour cream.
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