Cabbage soup

[flying_unicorn]

Russkie schee s miasom:

The recipe is very simple, but I will give a lot of detail, because I've been cooking it for 30 years and have a lot of knowledge about it, don't be put off by the length, this is my baby.

Stock:

1. Couple of soup bones.
2. 1 piece of meat. (beef only, I usually buy whatever is on sale for 1.99/lbs like chuck roast, I like a lot meat in my schee, because it makes it a complete meal, but if you don't like a lot of meat in your soup, just use the soup bones, it's just as delicious).
3. 3-4 carrots., depending on the size of the soup pot you use, I use the big one, so I put 4 large carrots (you can freeze the soup for later)
4. 1 onion.
5. ~10 pepper corns. (I love them in the soup even if I bite into them when I eat, if you don't, use less and/or take them out after cooking the soup).

Put all of the ingredients into a pot with water, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minuts. After that take everything out and put into a large ball, except for the onion, just throw it out (my mother likes oniony taste, so instead of putting the onion into stock, she fries it and ads it in the end of cooking, if you like onions this is the way to go, but I put it into stock, so I just have a touch of onion flavor). Add salt after you took everything out, taste the stock for salt content, it should be up to your taste.

Cabbage. Have one small cabbage head chopped ready by that time, put it into the stock, turn up the heat to bring to a boil and then turn it down to medium heat and let it cook for 15 minutes, I like the pieces pretty big, because after the cabbage cooks it becomes soft, so it's important not to shop the cabbage into tiny pieces that turn to mush after cooking.

Tomato. While the cabbage is cooking, chop 1 tomato and throw that in, (for stronger tomato taste use one 16 oz can (or even more depending on your taste) of diced tomatoes, I do it either way, sometimes I use fresh, sometimes canned, that's the beauty of the recipe, you can make it tailor made just the way you prefer or alternate so it's not the same every time.

Meat and carrots. Take the cooked meat and clean it from all the fat, and everything else, so you just have meat, cut or just tear it into small pieces, slice the carrots and put back into the stock.

Spices. Chop Fresh parsley and fresh dill (fresh only, that's the staple of this soup, that, and the cabbage, that give it its distinctive taste), throw that in. Add 3 medium bay leaves.

Put 1 Table spoon of sour cream into the bowl, chopped green onions (optional, I do it with or without depending on the mood), and serve with black bread.

Though it takes 1.5 hours all together to make it, the real cooking time is starting the stock - 5 minutes, then you can forget about it for an hour, then start chopping the cabbage and then spend 15 minutes putting the rest of the ingresients in, and you're done. Let me know if you have any questions, I never wrote a recipe before, they are all in my head, it took me at least 30-45 minutes to write this one, let me know how clear was I. Enjoy!

[Mariboulg]

See my grandmother does it nearly like yours.

My mother is a bit different I think.
She puts the ingredients and does not add water, she just lets them be slightly cooked a bit on very low heat and then adds the meat stock. At the last minute she adds the parsley because she thinks that it is much nicer when the green of the leafs is still there.
And she also adds a bit of tomato paste. The rest is almost the same.



But your recipe is very clear thanks !!!!

[flying_unicorn]

Mariboulg, have your mother or grandmother ever cooked the schee with sour crout instead of fresh cabbage? When there wasn't fresh cabbage available, my mom made "kislye schee", it was also good. What you said about parsley is correct, I serve fresh parsley with almost everything I eat, I am a parsley freak, that's why I don't watch for it not to be overcooked in the soup, but your remark is right.

Do you have a recipe for kholodets or salad "Stolochniy" by any chance?

[Mariboulg]

With sour crout no my mother does not do it and my grandmother I dont know for sure...

Kholodets is my fathers speciality !!!

I don’t know how to do it myself, but here is a recipe I found a while ago but I am not sure if my father does it like this, I can ask him for his own recipe later.

Holodetz
Description
Chicken or Veal in Aspic “Holodets” is a perfect appetizer for the holiday and the best snack with vodka. Holodets can be also called Studen, there is no difference between these two dishes. Holodets is served with horseradish sauce.

Ingredients (They put chicken here but I we never use chicken)
2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound), or 1 pound boneless veal.
2 pounds calf or pork feet.
1 pound beef round.
1 onion.
1 carrot.
1 parsley root.
2 ounces celery root.
1/2 teaspoon salt plus additional salt to taste.
10 black peppercorns.
5 allspice berries.
2 bay leaves.
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped.
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced Horseradish or Mustard.

Method
Serves 8-12 as an appetizer or 6 as an entree

Rinse the calf or pork feet, put in a 4-quart pot, and add 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 4 hours. The stock should have reduced by half, and gristle should fall away from the bones.
Add the beef, onion, carrot, parsley and celery root, and ? teaspoon salt to the pot, bring to the boil, lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes. Add the chicken breasts, peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaves, and continue to simmer until the beef and chicken are tender, about 20 minutes. Cool, then refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
Remove all the fat from the top of the aspic. Melt the aspic over low heat. Remove the calf’s feet, beef, and chicken, add the garlic and salt to taste to the broth. Skin and bone the chicken. Remove the meat from the calf’s feet, discarding the bone and the gristle. Cut all the meat into 1-inch pieces and place in a 2- to 21/2-quart serving dish or in individual 1- to 1 1/2 cup dishes. Strain the broth over the meat, discarding the vegetables and spices. Top with slices of hard-boiled egg and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
Cut the meat into as many slices as you will need and serve from the dish, accompanied by horseradish.

[flying_unicorn]

WOW! Thanks, Mariboulg!!!! I never tried it with chiken either, but I will try it. I am on a restricted diet right now for health reasons, but I am seeing my doctor tomorrow and ask him if I can resume spicy foods (love it the horse radish or freshly mixed powdered mustard!), this talk about my favorite recipes is turning into a torture!

[LovelyLenore]

Thanks, unicorn!!

I appreciate the recipe; I will try it soon. It sounds delicious.

L.Lenore

[flying_unicorn]

If you will have any questions, just post them. It should turn out, the only people who did not like it when I made it, are the people who are afraid of cabbage, they think of it as beans! Where I work, right across the street we have a smal soup shop (just like in Sienfeld, except run by Russian people), it is very popular even at the rediculous price of $8.00 per coup, $17.00/QT, but they are so delicious (served with the homemade bread of your choice and one piece if Russian candy (mostly Mishka Kosolapyi). I go there about once a week when they have my favorite soup or when I am in the mood. I asked them once why they never have cabbage soup, and they said they did but very few people bought, "Americans are afraid of cabbage", that's what they said.