Anti-Hangover Soup

Russian soups such as shchi and borsch are well-known throughout the world. And yet, surprisingly enough, it’s another, far more modest soup, called rassolnik, which is the most Russian of all national soups. The secret of its high regard in Russian cookery is its stock, rassol. Rassol, or pickle juice, is a staple of life dear to Russian hearts and taste buds. 

But wait! Lest you dismiss rassolnik as just mere pickle juice, you should know that, in the 18th century, this historical soup was cooked with caviar to delight even the finest of palates. Sadly, due to the expense, this delicious practice was rather limited and the cooks of less wealthy Russian families decided to invent a more proletarian rassolnik that everyone could enjoy. To that end, they created an appetizing soup  which was moderately spicy with a sour taste and gave it a  suitably appealing name – rassolnik. Besides its unique flavor, this pungent concoction  is also touted as an homeopathic remedy for hangovers.

Nowadays, this intoxicating soup is found throughout Russia. Even though it is not cooked as often as shchi or borsch, it is very easy to prepare. For the bouillon any meat will do – fresh, stewed, beef or chicken, even fish – whatever you have left in your refrigerator. Pickles, however, are a must. (Purists should also be aware that in order to make a traditional rassolnik, it is common to include kidneys and pearl-barley: not the most popular items on American menus.)

Since each chef has her or his own recipe for cooking pickles and therefore her or his own recipe for the rassol, Russian cookery has  dozens of different recipes for dozens of different rassolniks:  pitersky, moskovsky, troitsky etc. Russians have even developed a taste for rassolniki made from certain types of fruit—watermelons, pears or cherries. What we offer here is the simplest recipe available.

And so, if you’ve mastered the pickles recipe published in our previous issue (see Russian Life, January 1997), and you have a hankering for rassolnik, give our sober soup a try

Rassolnik

ingredients

1/2 lb. of fresh cabbage 

3-4 medium-size potatoes 

1 carrot 

2-3 roots of barley 

1 celery root 

1 onion

2  medium-sized pickles 

2  tablespoons of butter 

1/2 cup of rassol 

1 gallon of water or bouillon

Garnish

Parsley

sour cream

Salt and spices to taste

Vegetable oil

This type of rassolnik can be prepared using any type of bouillon. 

Wash the barley, celery and onion, prior to cutting them into long strips. Chop the pickles and leave them to boil in a small quantity of bouillon for 10-15 minutes. Cut the potatoes into slices and slice the cabbage into strips. 

At this point, begin boiling the rest of the bouillon and place the cabbage into it.  Then, when it boils again – add the potatoes. Wait 5-7 minutes, after which you may  add the pickles and other vegetables (which you should first lightly fry in vegetable oil). Boil  until all the potatoes and cabbage are cooked. Five or ten minutes before you finish boiling the soup, add pickles’ rassol, salt and spices to taste.  Prior to serving the hot rassolnik, add a helping of sour cream and some finely-cut parsley. For an extra treat, serve the rassolnik with rasstegays – a type of Russian fish pie. Tempted? Dreaming of further treats? Watch this page!