Soup: Solyanka

I love Russian cuisine, especially the soups. Russian soups are hearty, delicious, and are also easy to make. There are many soup varieties in Russian cuisine and one of them is a soup called Solyanka.

The main ingredients in this soup are lots of sour pickles and cold cuts or franks. Other ingredients can include olives, onions, celery, and tomatoes. When served the soup is usually topped with lots of sour cream and served with freshly baked bread on the side.

You can make Solyanka using chicken or beef stock, vegetable stock, mushroom stock, or if you don't have either, you can just use water. You can add the liquid from the sour pickles to the soup as well to make it even better.

Below is my recipe for Solyanka. Enjoy!

Solyanka

Ingredients

• cold cuts
• franks (chicken, pork, etc.)
• sour pickles
• olives
• sea salt
• peppercorns
• dried bay leaves
• fresh Parsley
• celery
• onion
• roasted sesame seeds
• water and/or your favorite stock

Instructions

1. Boil your favorite chicken franks or other franks. When done cut them into cubes. Take your favorite cold cuts (not pre-sliced) and cut them into cubes as well. Fry all these ingredients in a deep pan.
2. Peel an onion, chop and fry in a skillet until golden brown. Add to the pan with the franks and cold cuts.
3. Cut sour pickles into cubes along with fresh celery slices and add to the deep pan. Mix everything and let cook until the pickles and celery are not as firm.
4. Boil water in a tea kettle and add to the deep pan. Then add some peppercorns, some dried bay leaves, and a little bit of sea salt. Do not add a lot of sea salt because the pickles are already salty as are the cold cuts. You don't want to over salt the soup. Then wash some fresh parsley, chop, and add into the pan. Let everything cook for about fifteen minutes.
5. When serving the soup add some olives, sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds and a heaping spoon of sour cream. Serve with freshly baked bread. You can also add some cheese to the soup as well. I love to shred Parmesan Grano Padano cheese.

Solyanka