Bowl of Mixed Meat Solyanka
(click to enlarge)

Mixed Meat Solyanka


Russia   -   Solyanka Sbornaya Myasnaya
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 10 cups
***
1-3/4 hrs
Best		 Solyanka (sour soups) are very popular in Russia, made with Fish, Meat, Sausages or Mushrooms. They are delicious and very easy to make.

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Beef Stock (1)
Beef Kidney (2)  
Ham, cooked
Sausages (3)
Onions
Tomatoes
Potatoes (4)
Dill Pickles (5)
Capers
Olives (6)
Mushrooms,
    marinated
Lemon
Tomato Paste
Flour
Oil (7)
Oil (more)
Bay Leaf
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnish
Dill, fresh
Parsley

This mixed meat Solyanka is even better rested overnight and reheated. The mix of meats and their proportions can be changed as desired.

Prep   -   (45 min - excluding making Beef Stock)
  1. Make the BEEF STOCK if you don't have it on hand.
  2. Slice KIDNEY about 3/8 inch thick. Trim off all fat, membranes and plumbing. Cut into largish bite size pieces.
  3. Dice HAM and FRANKFURTER about 3/8 inch or however you like. Mix.
  4. Chop ONIONS small.
  5. Scald TOMATOES 1 minute in boiling water, quench in cold water, peel and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
  6. Peel POTATOES and cut into about 1/2 inch cubes. Put them in a pan of cold water, bring to a boil and simmer until almost cooked through. Drain and add to Tomatoes. This pre-cook helps keep the broth clear.
  7. Cut PICKLES into matchsticks about 1 inch long. Drain CAPERS. Pit OLIVES if needed and slice. Mix all with Tomatoes.
  8. Drain MUSHROOMS. Cut in half if large. Mix with Tomatoes.
  9. Cut two 1 inch thick slices from the LEMON. Mix with Tomatoes along with Tomato Paste.
  10. Chop Dill and Parsley small for Garnish. Mix.
Run   -   (1 hr)
  1. Lightly dust Kidneys in Flour.
  2. In a suitable skillet heat 1-1/2 T Oil. Fry Kidney slices until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
  3. Scrape excess debris out of the skillet. Add 1 T Oil and fry Onion stirring until lightly browned. Add to the Kidneys.
  4. In a pot or large sauce pan, bring Beef Stock to a boil. Stir in Kidney mix, Ham mix and Bay Leaf. Bring back to a boil and simmer about 15 minutes.
  5. Stir in Tomato mix, bring back to a boil and simmer another 10 minutes.
  6. Season with Salt and Pepper. Be cautious with the Salt, as some will have already come from the Olives and Ham.
  7. Serve hot, garnished with Dill mix. Note that some ingredients sink to the bottom, and others float, so you have to be careful when ladling to get a bit of everything. It becomes much more even when reheated a day later.
NOTES:

  1. Beef Stock:

      If you don't have this made from beef bones and offcuts, you can make a batch by our recipe Boiled Beef & Stock and have a big chunk of beef left for other recipes. For further details see our recipe Soup Stock / Broth.

  2. Beef Kidneys:

      This is an important part of the soup, but not much available in the big chain supermarkets. Ethnic markets of many kinds have them. For details see our Beef Kidneys page.

  3. Sausages:

      Various sausages are used. The pattern recipe called for Frankfurters (presumably Russian style), and the photo example was made with Veal Frankfurters. Polish Kielbasa is also often used.

  4. Potatoes:

      I use White Rose, which hold up well in recipes of this kind. Avoid Yukon Gold types which disintegrate to mush if cooked a little beyond the minimum. Potatoes were not in the pattern recipe, but I found they work very well with the wild flavors of this soup. For details see our Potatoes page.

  5. Pickles:

      These should be fairly sour Dill Pickles, as they are supposed to sour the soup.

  6. Olives:

      Weight is without pits. Most modern recipes call for pitted green olives, but older cookbooks call for black, which you pit yourself. If using Black Olives, they should be salt cured Mediterranean type, not canned salad olives. For the photo example, I bought small, pitted Kalamatas.

  7. Oil:

      The pattern recipe called for Butter, but that proved very difficult due to its low smoke point, especially with the kidneys. It is difficult enough to see their browning point without browned butter interfering. A faster, higher temperature fry works much better. Avocado oil, which has a buttery taste, is a good compromise, but Pure Olive Oil (not Virgin) works fine.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove, in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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