Rassolnik Leningradsky: legendary recipes from Soviet times

Publication in the group: First courses

Rassolnik Leningradsky is recommended to be eaten in winter, as it has a warming effect. According to the classic recipe, barley is used as a cereal, which has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, enveloping the walls of the stomach. The calorie content of the finished product is approximately 53 kcal per 100 g serving. However, when using auxiliary ingredients, the indicator will increase.

General principles of cooking

In 1918-1919 Leningradsky pickle was invented. It is based on a recipe for making Moskovsky rassolnik, which included chicken broth with kidneys, giblets, pickles, white roots and a boiled mixture of milk and eggs. The Leningradsky rassolnik additionally included carrots, potatoes and cereals. The latter was pearl barley or rice.

General principles for preparing the first course:

In order for the pickle to be moderately rich and thick, you need to use cereal. The latter would be pearl barley or rice. They definitely need to be sorted out and washed several times, constantly changing the liquid. After washing, the pearl barley is sent into a boiling liquid and boiled until half cooked. Afterwards, the water is drained, and the cereal is washed again, since the liquid from it acquires a darkish tint and a slimy texture.
The broth can be cooked using chicken or beef with the addition of kidneys. To obtain a low-calorie dish, it can be boiled in water with the inclusion of bouillon cubes. Meat must be cleaned of film and skin before cooking.
Vegetables can be cut in any convenient way. In about 10 minutes. Before the end of cooking, add tomato puree to the pickle. However, you can do without it.

Classic recipe

Leningradsky rassolnik, the classic recipe for which has a pleasant aroma and slight sourness, can be prepared on weekdays and served on holidays. Sour cream is best suited for seasoning the finished dish. You can sprinkle chopped fresh herbs on top of the pickle.

The food items that may be required to create a pickle are listed in the following list:

onion head – 75 g;
greens - to your taste;
potatoes – 500 g;
chicken meat – 400 g;
laurel leaf – 3 pcs.;
sunflower oil – 45 ml;
carrots – 75 g;
tomato-based paste – 50 g;
pearl barley – 50 g;
pickled cucumber – 360 g;
salt, pepper - as needed.

To get a more sour taste, you can add a little lemon juice or pickled cucumber juice.

For piquancy, crushed olives can be included in the product. To do this, it is best to use them without seeds.

The indicated ingredients will be enough to make 6 servings.

The process of making aromatic pickle at home is described in the following steps:

The chicken needs to be brought to a boil, adding washed pearl barley, simmering the ingredients over low heat until the porridge is ready.
Afterwards, the potatoes must be peeled, cut and sent to the rest of the ingredients.
Then the cucumbers need to be cut and fried in a saucepan for 10 minutes, adding 2 ladles of broth.
Onions will need to be peeled, chopped and fried with carrots and tomatoes, diluted with broth, in vegetable oil.
At the end, the finished frying will need to be added to the soup, add spices with cucumbers and boil for about 5 minutes. until ready.

With beef meat

Leningradsky rassolnik, the classic recipe of which includes beef broth along with leeks, becomes softer, more aromatic and satisfying. The calorie content of the finished treat is approximately 40 kcal per 100 g serving. If desired, when serving the hot dish, you can season it with sour cream or mayonnaise.

Rassolnik Leningradskiy, recipe with beef.

Making your own pickle is possible by purchasing the following products:

Required Components	Required quantity
Water	2.5 l
Beef meat	300 g
Potato	400 g
Leek	300 g
Carrot	75 g + 150 g
Pickles	480 g
Pearl barley	190 g
Brine	of necessity
Salt	to your taste
Dry spices	at your own discretion

The above components will be enough to make 12 servings.

The process of creating pickle soup with beef is shown in the following paragraphs:

Place the beef pulp in a saucepan, add water, add roots and simmer with the lid closed over low heat for at least 2 hours.
Next, you need to rinse the pearl barley, and then soak it in water for about 2 hours. After the time has passed, the ingredient will need to be poured with boiling water in an amount of 1:3, respectively, covered with a lid and kept for 25 minutes.
You will need to chop the cucumbers, peel the onions and cut them into half rings, and then fry the food in vegetable oil.
Separately, you will need to sauté peeled and chopped carrots in oil, and cut the potatoes into slices.
At this stage, steamed pearl barley should be placed in boiling broth and cooked over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Potatoes must be added to the rest of the ingredients within 20 minutes. before the end of cooking, and the contents of the stewpans 10 minutes.
At the end, you need to add salt and spices and let the treat brew for about 15 minutes.

Classic recipe for Leningrad rassolnik

The basis of the rassolnik is pickles and brine, from which the soup owes its name.

Ingredients:

1.5 liters of broth;
250 ml brine;
4 pickled cucumbers;
100 g pearl barley;
3 potato tubers;
carrot;
parsley root;
½ bunch of dill;
Bay leaf;
50 g sour cream;
30 g tomato paste;
salt, spices and sunflower oil.

Basic preparation steps:

Prepared cereal and diced potatoes are placed in the boiling broth.
Onion cubes are sauteed in a frying pan, to which carrot chips are added after 5 minutes, and after the same time - tomato paste, salt and pepper.
After the broth boils, carrot and onion dressing is added to the pan, and after 15 minutes, the stewed cucumbers are added.
5 minutes before readiness, add spices to the pickle.

To add spice to the soup, add boiled brine.

With chicken giblets

The classic recipe for Leningradsky rassolnik can be slightly modified by including chicken giblets in the form of hearts and livers. The first course can be eaten by both adults and children.

However, for baby food, you do not need to add ground pepper to the pickle. The calorie content of the delicacy reaches approximately 52 kcal per 100 g of raw material.

To make your own pickle soup based on chicken giblets, you need to purchase the following products:

water – 3 l;
onion head – 75 g;
potatoes – 200 g;
gherkins – 320 g;
chicken giblets – 30 g;
laurel leaf – 1 pc.;
sunflower oil – 45 ml;
carrots – 75 g;
pearl barley – 75 g;
spices – 3 g;
salt - to your taste;
black pepper - as needed.

A mixture of herbs in the form of basil, parsley and dill is suitable as spices. Gherkins work best as pickles because they have a firmer texture and a pleasant flavor.

The process of making a hearty dish with chicken giblets is described in the following paragraphs:

Pearl barley should be soaked for 1 night and then washed in several waters.
Chicken giblets must be cut into several pieces or strips.
Then you need to pour water into the pan, add pearl barley and boil the product until half cooked.
Next, you will need to add the washed chicken giblets, bring the contents to a boil, and then remove the foam and cook for 15 minutes.
The onions and carrots will need to be peeled and cut into strips along with the pickled cucumbers. Afterwards, the products should be fried in vegetable oil until golden brown.
Potatoes should be cut into cubes, and then placed in a saucepan along with salt and pepper, boiling until half cooked.
At this stage, you need to add the roasted vegetables, bay leaf and continue cooking the ingredients for about 10 minutes.
At the end, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Cooking with rice

Despite the fact that the classic pickle recipe contains barley, it can be replaced with rice cereal, which is more appealing to children.

Ingredients:

2 liters of water;
½ kg beef on the bone;
2 onions;
Bay leaf;
pickled cucumbers;
3 potato tubers;
tomato paste;
80-100 g rice;
salt and spices.

Progress:

The beef is boiled until cooked, after which the broth is filtered and the meat is cut into slices.
Potato cubes and washed rice are added to the boiling broth.
The onion is chopped and sauteed until transparent, after which cucumber chips and paste are added to it.
Frying and spices are laid out in a pan with ready-made potatoes.
After 5 minutes of simmering, the pickle is served to the table.

The finished beef can be divided into plates or returned to the pot of soup before serving.

With the addition of kidneys

Rassolnik can be cooked in meat broth or water, using beef kidneys. The result is a fragrant, nutritious and satisfying treat, which is served at lunchtime along with a slice of bread and sour cream. If desired, you can prepare green onion feathers.

Making your own bud-based pickle is possible if you have the following components:

water or meat broth - 2.5 l;
onion heads – 150 g;
potatoes – 500 g;
bay leaf - as needed;
sunflower seed oil – 30 ml;
carrots – 75 g;
pearl barley – 100 g;
beef kidneys – 500 g;
fresh herbs - to your taste;
sour cream - at your discretion;
soda – 10 g;
pickled cucumbers – 480 g;
salt – as needed;
tomato – 25 g;
vinegar – 30 ml;
ground black pepper - to your taste.

Instead of tomatoes, cucumber pickle will do. It will give the first dish a more sour taste and rich aroma.

The process of making pickle with kidneys at home is described in the following paragraphs:

The kidneys need to be cut into 2 parts, sprinkled with soda, sprinkled with vinegar and left in this form for about 5 minutes. Then the semi-finished product must be thoroughly washed, and then covered with water and, bringing to a boil, boil for about 3 minutes. Next, the workpiece needs to be washed again and the process repeated one more time.
After the kidney, you will need to add cold water, bring to a boil and cook over low heat until fully cooked for 1 hour.
The potatoes will need to be peeled, then washed and cut into small pieces.
Onions and carrots should be peeled, then finely chopped and grated on a coarse grater, respectively.
The kidneys need to be cooled, fat and ducts removed, then cut into medium-sized pieces.
Pearl barley must be washed and drained in a colander.
At this stage, you need to bring water or meat broth to a boil, and then add potatoes, pearl barley and kidneys to it. You will need to cook the ingredients over medium heat with the lid closed for 20 minutes.
The cucumbers will need to be chopped or cut into cubes using a knife.
Onions and carrots should be fried in vegetable oil for 3 minutes. Then you need to add the tomato, pickles and stir, simmering the food for another 5 minutes.
After frying, place it in the soup, add salt and pepper, bay leaf and cook the dish over medium heat under a closed lid for 7 minutes.
After the time has passed, the treat must be removed from the heat and left for 20 minutes.

Leningrad rassolnik with kidneys

Peculiarities. There are several variants of Leningrad rassolnik. Thick soup is prepared based on beef and pork. Sometimes they put rice, wheat or oatmeal in it. But the most common is rassolnik with kidneys, barley and pickles. Initially, the broth is boiled, and the soup itself is finished cooking the next day.

Compound:

beef (veal) kidneys - 600 g;
pearl barley - 160 g;
water - 2.5 l;
beef bones - 400 g;
pickles - three pieces;
potatoes - five tubers;
beef pulp - 300 g;
margarine - 45 g;
onion - one;
tomato paste - 45 g;
herbs, spices.

How to cook

Start preparing Leningrad rassolnik by cooking the meat broth. Fill the beef bones and pulp with water and place on the stove.
Over high heat, bring the contents of the pan to a boil.
Continue cooking for approximately three hours at the lowest simmer.
Periodically remove foam from the surface.
Be sure to strain the finished broth through cheesecloth.
Clean the kidneys from films and excess fat. To eliminate the specific smell, soak them for two to three hours, changing the water periodically.
Let the offal boil in clean water.
As soon as the liquid boils, drain it.
Rinse the kidneys, fill them with fresh water, and continue the cooking process.
Cut the finished product and set it aside.
Place the meat and bone broth cooked the day before on the fire and boil.
Add the swollen cereal (pre-soaked in water) and chopped potatoes.
Chop the onion, grate the carrots.
Saute the vegetables in margarine.
Add tomato paste to the mixture. Cut the pickled cucumbers here too.
Add spices to the pan and stir.
Simmer the dressing under the lid.
Transfer the finished tomato mixture to the soup.
Boil for a few minutes, remove from heat.
Place boiled kidneys in each plate, add chopped herbs and a spoonful of sour cream.

With meatballs

Rassolnik Leningradsky, the classic recipe of which can be supplemented with beef meatballs, becomes very satisfying and rich. Before serving, it is best to season the first dish with mayonnaise and sprinkle chopped parsley leaves on top. It is advisable to do this when the soup is poured into portioned plates.

Leningradsky rassolnik with meatballs can be made from the following products:

minced beef – 400 g;
onion head – 75 g;
greens - as needed;
potatoes – 400 g;
carrots – 75 g;
pearl barley – 120 g;
sour cream - to your taste;
pickled cucumber – 250 g;
salt, pepper - as needed.

Rice is suitable instead of pearl barley. To make minced meat, you can use not only beef, but also pork. From the above ingredients you can make about 10 servings.

The step-by-step process of making aromatic pickle with meatballs is described in the following paragraphs:

You will need to add salt and pepper to the ground beef, add herbs and mix thoroughly, forming the resulting mass into meatballs.
Then you will need to place water on the fire, bring it to a boil and add the prepared meat product with pearl barley into it, boiling the ingredients for 15 minutes.
Next, you should peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes and add them to the pan, boiling the contents until the vegetable is ready.
Afterwards you need to peel the onion and carrots, chop and grate them accordingly, and chop the cucumbers with a knife and fry everything in vegetable oil.
At this stage, you need to add the frying, stir and cook for about 5 more minutes.

With rice cereal

Leningradsky rassolnik, the classic recipe for which allows you to use rice cereal instead of pearl barley, does not require too much time to cook. Especially if you use chicken rather than pork to cook the broth. The calorie content of the finished dish will be minimal. There are approximately 38 kcal per 100 g serving.

Pickle with rice can be made from the following ingredients:

water – 2 l;
peppercorns – 2 pcs.;
greens – 30 g;
potatoes – 300 g;
laurel leaf – 1 pc.;
onion – 75 g;
oil – 25 ml;
carrots – 75 g;
pork meat – 250 g;
tomato-based paste – 50 g;
rice – 100 g;
pickled cucumber – 360 g.

For cooking, it is imperative to use pickled cucumbers rather than pickled ones. If you lightly fry them with vegetables, their flavor will become more intense.

It is recommended to take short-grain rice. Instead of tomato paste, tomato juice or sauce is suitable.

The amount of ingredients is designed for approximately 5 servings.

The step-by-step process of making pickle with rice is described in the following steps:

You will need to place the washed and chopped meat in a saucepan, fill it with water and bring to a boil. Add salt with bay leaf, peppercorns into the container and simmer over low heat until fully cooked.
Potatoes should be peeled, washed, cut into cubes, and then placed in the broth.
Rice should be washed in several waters, and then placed with other products after 5 minutes. after laying the potatoes.
The onions and carrots must be peeled, rinsed, and then chopped into cubes and grated on a coarse grater, respectively.
Next, you need to fry the onion in vegetable oil. Then you need to add the carrots and sauté the vegetables for 5 minutes. over medium heat.
You will need to chop or chop the pickled cucumbers on a coarse grater, add them to the saucepan and continue cooking the ingredients for a few more minutes.
At this stage, you will need to add tomato paste and a small amount of broth, stir everything thoroughly and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes.
Remove the meat from the pan, cool it, and then cut it into pieces.
Afterwards, the contents of the saucepan need to be placed in a saucepan, add the meat and cook the dish until the potatoes are soft.
At the end, you need to add spices with salt, chopped herbs and bring to a boil, removing the pan from the heat and letting the treat sit for 10 minutes.

With kidneys and pearl barley

Rassolnik with kidneys is considered one of the most ancient dishes that was served during the Tsarist reign in Rus'.

To complete the recipe you will need:

600 g beef kidneys;
the same amount of potatoes;
3 pickled cucumbers;
bulb;
carrot;
150 g pearl barley;
a piece of margarine;
50 g tomato paste;
50 g sour cream;
2 liters of meat broth;
salt, spices and herbs.

To prepare rassolnik soup with barley:

The offal is well soaked and boiled for about 20 minutes, after which the water is replaced.
Once the buds are cooked, they are removed, crushed and set aside.
Barley and potato wedges are added to the broth and boiled until soft for about 15 minutes.
At this time, carrots and onions are sautéed in a frying pan, to which tomato paste and cucumbers are added.
After 5 minutes, the dressing goes into the pan.
After a similar period of time, the soup is poured into plates, where pieces of kidneys are already laid out, and seasoned with sour cream.

Important! To prevent the potatoes from hardening, cucumber dressing is added to the soup only after the first vegetable is completely cooked.

Useful tips and tricks

To simplify the process of preparing the first course, it is recommended to follow these useful culinary tips:

in the absence of margarine, which is used to make frying, you can use vegetable or butter, as well as a mixture based on these ingredients;
It is recommended to add salt to the dish just a few minutes before the end of cooking, since if this is done before adding the brine, there is a risk of over-salting the treat;
pickled cucumbers are different from pickled cucumbers, so using them when making pickle soup is highly not recommended, since the soup will lose its characteristic flavor;
to speed up the process of preparing pearl barley, it must first be soaked in cool water;
Read also: The simplest recipes for delicious hodgepodge in a slow cooker
when using beef kidneys in a dish, they should first be soaked in cold water to remove the unpleasant odor for 3 hours, changing the water at least 3 times;
when using tomato paste during the preparation of a dish, it should first be fried;
Ingredients such as broth, pearl barley, poached pickles and sautéed vegetables are prepared separately from each other, and then combined and brought to readiness.

Rassolnik Leningradsky, made according to the classic recipe, is not too high in calories, but at the same time it has a warming effect. There are many variations in making the first dish. Therefore, everyone can choose the cooking option that they like best.