Specialized culinary reference booksHomemade rassolnik is characterized as a hot soup based on vegetables, cereals and pickles. Some add regular cucumber brine instead of the latter, which is where the name of the dish actually comes from. However, a combination of these two ingredients is quite acceptable. Each recipe is a separate story of cooking a dish with its own nuances and subtleties, let's look at some of them. In the old days, aromatic soups, which were later called "rassolniks", were called kalya. They added several types of meat - fatty pork, tender beef, smoked chicken - as well as lemon juice and brine. The tradition of preparing the dish with pickled cucumbers appeared a little later. Today, each housewife has her own recipe: some prefer the classic version with pearl barley, others put rice. Ideally, rassolnik turns out to be quite thick, because it consists of a fairly large number of ingredients. Of the vegetables, these are carrots, onions, fresh or dried herbs, olives. As for meat products, you can use several types of meat, sausages, salami, or all together. In general, there are a lot of options. The dish is perfect for a family dinner, because it is so nice to gather with loved ones at a large table full of aromatic and incredibly appetizing dishes. If you have never made rassolnik, it's time to start. The soup is worthy of appearing in your home, so choose a recipe and learn the basics of its preparation with us.

Classic recipe for a new way: rassolnik without meat

Rassolnik is considered a traditional Russian dish.In its traditional version, its basis is a broth made not from meat, as many are used to doing, and not even from bones. In the old days, the soup was cooked from the giblets of young lambs, calves or poultry: usually these were geese, chickens or turkeys. In addition, it should be taken into account that about a quarter of the liquid according to the canons was cucumber brine. Today, there are many variations of the dish, but we suggest right now to take a closer look at the classic recipe for vegetable rassolnik made from pearl barley. This dish will surely appeal to all vegetarians. Ingredients:

• table salt - to taste
• one and a half to two tablespoons of pearl barley
• three medium carrots
• vegetable oil - for cooking zazharka
• onions - one piece
• three large potatoes (choose vegetables that boil well, then the dish will come out more thick and tasty)
• 0.5 small spoonfuls of flour
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil - for broth
• two large pickled cucumbers
• three bay leaves
• sweet pepper and other spices - if desired
• 20 milliliters of cucumber brine

Method of preparation:It may seem at first glance that the soup recipe is very complicated and understandable only to experienced cooks. In fact, everyone can cook it, as they say, if there is a desire. Therefore, carefully read the instructions, buy all the necessary products and start cooking without any hesitation. You will see, the soup will turn out right the first time. An incredibly appetizing and satisfying dish will appeal not only to adults, but also to children. About seven to eight hours before cooking (you can do this overnight), soak the cereal in warm water. The next day, remove excess liquid, rinse the swollen pearl barley well and pour in a new portion of water, previously mixed with a third cup of vegetable oil. Put on low heat and cook until the mixture begins to bubble. In the meantime, take care of the remaining ingredients: peel the onion and carrot and cut them into medium cubes. Place the vegetables in a preheated saucepan with vegetable oil and fry, stirring constantly, and when they become soft and change color, add wheat flour. Work thoroughly with a spoon to get rid of lumps. If the mass turns out to be too thick, dilute it with a small amount of liquid in which the cereal is cooked. If desired, you can change the recipe by excluding flour from it, then the dish will not be as thick, but will remain just as appetizing. Place the resulting frying in a saucepan with pearl barley, add a few peas of black pepper, bay leaf, and salt to taste. Now peel and cut the potatoes into medium cubes, after about 20-25 minutes, when the cereal becomes soft, add it to the future soup. As soon as all the ingredients are well boiled, put in small pieces of cucumbers and chopped greens. Season the broth with spices if desired. If you think the dish is too thick, dilute it with boiling water. For spiciness, add some brine, which can be replaced with tomato paste or lemon juice. As you can see, the recipe is quite simple. The advantage of the soup is its economy, because you do not have to buy expensive meat and sausage, and the cooking procedure is quite simple.

Chicken rassolnik with ham and celery

No matter what they tell you, you have to master iteveryone can cook a delicious rassolnik. As mentioned above, the classic dish is cooked with offal, beef heart, kidneys, but in the process of its development, new combinations of products appeared. So, today fish is often added to the soup, for example, pike perch, catfish or eel. Some housewives really like the recipe for mushroom rassolnik, because it is much more economical and requires a minimum of time. But about this next time, and now we will learn how to make soup with ham, chicken and vegetables. Ingredients:

• salt
• 110 grams of chicken fillet
• ten grams of flour
• 40 grams of parsley root
• 45 grams of any ham
• fifteen grams of celery
• two pickled cucumber
• a large spoon of melted butter
• 25 grams of parsnip (take the root)
• bulbous bulb
• laurel and a few peas of sweet pepper

For decoration:

• a tablespoon of fatty sour cream
• greenery

Method of preparation:This recipe includes chicken, so you can use fillet to save time cutting and cooking it. Cut it into large pieces and put it on medium heat. This version of rassolnik will be more tender and less fatty. If you want to cook a rich, hearty soup, we recommend buying domestic chicken, but keep in mind that in the latter case the cooking procedure will take longer and will take from twenty minutes to half an hour. So, while the broth is simmering, cut the peeled onion and celery into small cubes, and chop the parsnips and parsley as finely as possible. Cut the ham into medium pieces with a knife. Now melt a small piece of butter in a frying pan, in principle, both butter and vegetable oil will do for frying, the choice is yours. Put the vegetables in the dish and sauté them until done, then add a little flour and mix thoroughly. The last ingredient should acquire a delicate golden hue. Dilute the sauté with two spoons of broth and add the ham. Keep the dish on the stove for another three to four minutes, then put it in the pan with the chicken. At the very end, add the cucumbers, cut into small pieces. Cover the dishes with a lid and cook the soup for a while. Then divide it into portioned plates, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve with sour cream. Enjoy! As you can see, the recipe does not require the use of cereals and potatoes, which is why you can eat the dish in any quantity without worrying about your figure. If you want to make it more filling, add one and a half or two tablespoons of rice or pearl barley. Are you making broth from homemade chicken or turkey? To balance and “muffle” the fat content of the dish, add 40-50 milliliters of pre-strained cucumber brine. It will give your creation an exquisite piquant taste.

Fish eel out of eel

Have you ever made fish rassolnik?In vain, because the dish turns out incredibly appetizing. Thanks to the cucumbers, it has a piquant and rather unusual taste. Flour gives it thickness, and bay leaf and spices - a special aroma. The recipe exists in different interpretations: catfish or red fish are often added to the soup, but we will use eel. What will come of it, you will find out after mastering the preparation of rassolnik. Ingredients:

• half a glass of homemade pickled cucumber
• a little more than a pound of eel
• five medium pickled cucumbers
• fifteen grams of white flour
• two bay leaves
• parsley - at your discretion
• ten peas of black pepper
• two medium sized potatoes - optional

Method of preparation:First, put the water on medium heat, as soon as it starts to boil, pour allspice, bay leaf into the pan, salt the liquid to your taste and put the eel in there, gutted and thoroughly cleaned in advance. Cook the broth on minimum heat. If you want to make soup with potatoes, add the vegetable about 20 minutes after the start of cooking, otherwise it will boil over. Strain the hot broth, then add the specified amount of brine and put it back on the stove. Dissolve the flour in warm water, thoroughly rub the resulting lumps with a fork and pour the mixture into the dish. Then cut the cucumbers into cubes and put them in the pan. As for the eel: it can be served whole directly in the soup or cut into small pieces, put on plates and pour the broth over it. Homemade sour cream or mayonnaise are suitable as an addition to the fish rassolnik.

Soup with salted cucumber and brisket

Tens of years ago, it was a mandatory componentboiled beets were the main ingredient of rassolnik — every housewife used this recipe. Today, potatoes, turnips, rutabagas and other root vegetables with a neutral taste have replaced the vegetable. To make the dish more rich, thick and appetizing, celery, olives, leeks, carrots are added to it, bay leaves, dried spices and peppercorns are added for flavor. Depending on the meat ingredients, the cereal is also selected: for example, pearl barley is added to meat rassolnik with beef and kidneys, but if chicken is used, it is better to take rice. Buckwheat and barley are ideal for preparing a vegetarian dish. The following recipe does not require adding cereals, we will get by with just potatoes. Ingredients:

• 650 grams of beef (or other meat)
• four pickled cucumbers
• 90 grams of fatty smoked bacon
• ten milliliters of vegetable oil
• two large potatoes
• large carrot
• one onion
• ten grams of not too sour tomato paste (you can replace it with fresh tomato or usual tomato juice)
• red bell pepper - one piece
• Salt, as well as seasoning - all at your discretion
• a few sprigs of fresh parsley

Method of preparation:First, a few tips on how to cook rassolnik correctly. Or rather, how you can diversify the dish using certain ingredients. First, if you don’t want to add potatoes, replace them with cereals. Rice is perfect for soup with smoked brisket and beef. Soak it in cold water for a while, then rinse well and pour it into the pan with the other ingredients. If you don’t have tomato paste, take a regular tomato. It can be slightly bruised and soft, which is even better — the vegetable will give more juice. Grate it, throw away the skin, and sauté the pulp in a frying pan along with the vegetables. And one more nuance — you can add pickles by cutting them into cubes or grating them on a medium grater. The culinary excursion is over, now let’s get down to business. Put a piece of meat in a pan, fill it with water and cook until fully cooked. On average, it will take from half an hour to 45 minutes. Do not forget to periodically remove the foam. Add some fine table salt, bay leaf and pepper to the hot broth. When the meat is soft and changes color, take it out and cut into pieces. Now peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes, peel the carrots and onions, grate the former, and finely chop the onion. Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan and fry the last two ingredients in it, when they change color, add pieces of brisket. Now add tomato paste, juice or fresh tomato (how to cut it is indicated above) to the frying. Remove the core from the sweet pepper, cut into pieces and put it in a saucepan. Stew the vegetables for another four to five minutes, then put them in a saucepan and add diced potatoes and meat here. Cook the soup until done, when all the ingredients are soft enough, turn off the burner and cool the dish. Rassolnik is usually served with homemade sour cream, cream, and each portion is sprinkled with fresh chopped herbs for decoration - parsley or dill. Instead of bell peppers, you can add olives, which, by the way, are always included in the classic recipe. When using cereals, skip the potatoes, and if you take both ingredients, put them in small quantities, otherwise the soup will be too thick. Experiment with the ingredients of rassolnik and discover new variations with us.

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