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Pickle Leningrad with meat and pearl barley

Leningrad Rassolnik with Beef and Pearl Barley

Hearty, rich, for anyone who loves good food! Leningrad rassolnik (a Russian pickle soup) is made on meat broth. Its essential ingredients are pickled cucumbers and the brine they're packed in. The soup is very easy to make and a hit with grown-ups and kids alike. Serve the rassolnik with sour cream and a pinch of allspice.

Pearl

Recipe author

Pickle Leningrad with meat and pearl barley

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Beef

300

Potatoes

Carrots

Leek

Pearl barley

0.5

Pickles

Brine (to taste)

0.5

Vegetable oil

Spices dry

Salt

Water (the amount of water can be more or less, depending on how thick you want the soup to be in the end.)

2.5

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 22 % 2 g

Fats 22 % 2 g

Carbohydrates 56 % 5 g

47 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make Leningrad rassolnik? Get all the listed ingredients ready.
Step 2:

First, make the broth. For the rassolnik I used boneless beef and bone-in meat. Rinse the meat and put it in a pot. Wash one carrot well, trim the ends, and add it to the beef. Pour in the water and set the pot over the heat. After it boils, skim off the foam, turn the heat to its lowest, and cook the broth for about two hours with the lid slightly ajar.
Step 3:

Meanwhile, rinse the pearl barley and cover it with cold water. Leave it like this for 1.5 to 2 hours so it swells.
Step 4:

After that, rinse the barley again until the water runs clear. Cover it with boiling water and leave for 20 to 25 minutes.
Step 5:

Cut the pickled cucumbers into small pieces — cubes, sticks, or thin half-moons. Put them in a skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and simmer, covered, over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, opening the lid now and then to stir the cucumbers.
Step 6:

Peel the potatoes, rinse them, and cut into small sticks.
Step 7:

Take the meat and carrot out of the pot. Add the pearl barley to the broth. Cook at a gentle boil for about 20 minutes.
Step 8:

Meanwhile, make the sautéed vegetables. Peel the carrot. Rinse the leek and carrot under cold running water — you can use a regular onion instead of leek. Cut the carrot and onion however you like. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet and fry the onion and carrot for a few minutes, stirring.
Step 9:

After the time is up, add the potatoes and bay leaf to the pot. Cook for about 15 more minutes.
Step 10:

Next, add the sautéed vegetables to the soup.
Step 11:

After 3 to 5 minutes, add the cucumbers to the rassolnik and pour in as much brine as you like. Stir and taste. Add salt and spices to taste. At the end, sprinkle in fresh herbs, boil for a minute, and take the pot off the heat.
Step 12:

When serving, offer everyone meat and ground black pepper in their bowl.

You can put the meat into the pot at step 11, or serve it portioned into each bowl. Rassolnik is delicious with sour cream and a crust of dark bread. Enjoy!
Important! Whether or not the recipe gives an amount of water for the soup, it's best to go by your own preference (thick or thinner soup), the size of your pot, and the ingredients you're using. Keep in mind that the author has their own idea of how much meat, potatoes, grain, and other ingredients belong in the soup, and it may not match yours. In practice, if you're cooking it for the first time, don't make a whole pot at once. Make a small batch to taste — for one or two people. To do that, scale all the recipe's ingredients down to 1–2 servings, and figure the water at about one cup per serving for a very thick soup, up to 1.5–2 cups for a thinner one. Don't forget that some of the liquid boils off as it cooks. After tasting a small portion, you can adjust both the amount of liquid and the proportions of ingredients to your liking. From then on, like most experienced cooks, you'll be able to add water and ingredients by eye.
Important! For pearl barley dishes that always come out tasty, read the article on the finer points of choosing and cooking pearl barley.
For cooking, it's better to use filtered or bottled water with a neutral taste. Tap water can give the dish an unpleasant off-flavor.