Today we dive into authentic Ukrainian cuisine — delicious, generous and filled with traditions. We're making two iconic soups that warm the soul and body.
🍲 Solyanchka (multi-ingredient meat soup)
A thick, rich soup made from several types of meat, smoked meats, pickled cucumbers and capers. Has a rich, slightly sour taste with piquant notes and an incredible aroma of smoke and spices.
Ingredients:
• Beef (pulp) — 300 g
• Pork (pulp) — 200 g
• Hunting sausages or salami — 150 g
• Ham or smoked bacon — 100 g
• Pickled cucumbers — 4 pcs (medium size)
• Pickle brine — 100 ml
• Onions — 2 pcs (large)
• Tomato paste — 3 tbsp
• Capers — 2 tbsp
• Pitted olives — 100 g
• Sunflower oil — 3 tbsp
• Bay leaves — 3 pcs
• Black peppercorns — 10 pcs
• Salt — to taste
• Lemon — 0.5 pc
• Greens (dill, parsley) — 1 bunch
• Sour cream for serving — 200 g
• Water — 2.5 l
Preparation:
Cut beef and pork into cubes with sides of 1.5 cm. In a thick-bottomed pot bring 2.5 l of water to a boil, add the meat, remove the foam and simmer on low heat for 1.5 hours. The broth should become clear, the meat — soft when pierced with a fork.
Peel the onions and cut into thin half-rings 2-3 mm thick. Cut the smoked sausages and ham into strips 4 cm long and 5 mm thick. Cut the pickled cucumbers into diamonds or strips 3 cm long.
In a deep frying pan heat oil over medium heat, add onions and fry for 7-8 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden and soft. Add tomato paste, stir and simmer for another 3 minutes. The onions should caramelize, and the tomato paste — lose its raw smell.
To the pot with meat add the fried onions with tomato, sliced smoked meats, cucumbers, brine, capers and olives. Add bay leaves, peppercorns. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. The soup should thicken, and all the flavors — unite into a single symphony.
Taste for salt (saltiness is regulated by the brine and pickled cucumbers), add salt if necessary. Remove from heat, add juice of half a lemon and finely chopped greens. Cover with a lid and let it steep for 10-15 minutes. The soup should become even richer, and the greens — give off their aroma.
Serve hot in deep bowls, adding a tablespoon of thick sour cream and a slice of lemon. Serve fresh rye bread or garlic pampushky on the side.
💡 Fact: Solyanchka is the Ukrainian version of classic solyanka, which differs in a more delicate flavor and the use of homemade smoked meats. Each region of Ukraine has its own secrets of preparation: some add prunes, others — mushrooms, but the principle of layered flavors remains unchanged.
🥬 Kapusniak (sour soup from sauerkraut)
Traditional Ukrainian soup made from sauerkraut, millet and pork. Has a characteristic sour taste, thick consistency and an incredible aroma that recalls grandma's oven and a cozy hut.
Ingredients:
• Pork on the bone (ribs or neck) — 500 g
• Sauerkraut — 400 g
• Millet — 100 g
• Potatoes — 3 pcs (large)
• Carrot — 1 pc (large)
• Onion — 1 pc (large)
• Tomato paste — 2 tbsp
• Garlic — 3 cloves
• Sunflower oil — 3 tbsp
• Bay leaves — 2 pcs
• Ground black pepper — 0.5 tsp
• Salt — to taste
• Greens (dill) — 0.5 bunch
• Sour cream for serving — 150 g
• Water — 2.5 l
Preparation:
Rinse the pork, place in a pot, pour 2.5 l of cold water, bring to a boil. Remove the foam, reduce heat to minimum and simmer for 1 hour. The meat should easily separate from the bone, the broth — become rich and aromatic.
Rinse the millet in cold water 5-6 times until the water becomes clear (this is important for eliminating bitterness). Pour boiling water over it, hold for 2-3 minutes, drain the water. Squeeze the sauerkraut from excess liquid, if very sour — rinse with cold water.
Peel the carrot and grate on a coarse grater. Cut the onion into small cubes with sides of 5 mm. Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes with sides of 1.5 cm. Crush the garlic with a knife into a paste.
In a frying pan heat oil, add onion and carrot, fry over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Add tomato paste, stir, fry for another 2 minutes. The vegetables should become soft, and the tomato paste — acquire a deep red shade.
To the ready meat broth add sauerkraut and millet, simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. The millet should cook halfway and begin to release starch, making the soup thicker.
Add chopped potatoes and the fried vegetable mixture, simmer for another 15 minutes until the potatoes are done. The potatoes should become soft but not fall apart. 5 minutes before ready add bay leaves, pepper, garlic and salt to taste (carefully, the cabbage is already salty!).
Take the meat out of the soup, separate from the bone, cut into small pieces and return back to the pot. Remove from heat, add chopped dill, cover with a lid and let it steep for 15 minutes. The soup should thicken slightly, all flavors — fully unfold.
Serve hot with a large spoon of sour cream in each bowl. Serve fresh rye bread with lard or garlic pampushky on the side.
💡 Fact: Kapusniak is one of the most ancient dishes of Ukrainian cuisine, which was prepared back in Cossack times. This is a poor man's soup that could feed a large family, since the main ingredients were available to every household. In some regions instead of millet they use pearl barley or rice, but classic kapusniak — is specifically with millet.