Rassolnik with Canned Stewed Meat and Pearl Barley

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Get all the ingredients ready to make the rassolnik. The base of this soup is pickles. It's best to use ones that are tarter and saltier, so the soup has a richer flavor. And don't rush to pour out the brine — you'll need it later. Any kind of canned stewed meat works. The main thing is that the canned meat contains nothing but meat, salt, and spices, with a meat content of at least 80%. For spices, use any meat seasoning blend. The pearl barley needs to be soaked first.

2. Step 2:

   

   So the pearl barley grains cook faster and are better for you, soak the barley first. To do this, rinse it in several changes of water, cover it with warm water in a 1:3 ratio, and leave it for 1.5–2 hours. After that, drain the water through a sieve to wash off the starch, which reduces the sliminess and cloudiness that pearl barley tends to have. Leave the grains to drain while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

3. Step 3:

   

   Peel the onion and carrot. Chop the onion finely so it cooks down better. Cut the potatoes into medium pieces so they don't dissolve into the broth.

4. Step 4:

   

   If you're using cucumbers with tough skin and large seeds, you need to peel them and remove the seeds. Keep in mind this reduces the weight of the cucumbers, so take more to start with. Peel and wash the medium carrot. Grate the cucumbers and carrot on the coarse side of a grater. That way the vegetables release their juices better.

5. Step 5:

   

   Use a five-liter pot or larger. A bigger pot makes the soup easier to stir, and it won't boil over. To speed things up, bring the right amount of water to a boil in the pot over high heat, covered. Add the drained pearl barley to the water, bring it to a boil, and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the chopped potatoes to the pot and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.

7. Step 7:

   

   Make a sauté. Pour vegetable oil into a skillet heated over medium heat. To get a golden color, fry the onion first. After about 5 minutes, add the carrot, stir, and leave it for another 5 minutes. Frying brings out the flavor of the onion and carrot better.

8. Step 8:

   

   Add the tomato paste and grated cucumbers to the vegetables. Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes. This lets the cucumbers bring brightness to the flavor of the rassolnik.

9. Step 9:

   

   Then add the sauté to the pot.

10. Step 10:

    

    After the vegetables, add the canned stewed meat. Add spices and bring to a boil. After 10 minutes, taste it. If it's lacking salt and tang, add brine. Add it in small amounts and taste after each one. Overdoing the brine can easily ruin the flavor of the soup. If everything's good, take it off the heat and let it rest, covered, for about 10 minutes.