Shchi – Cabbage Soup

The trees are still bursting with bright colors here in Northwest and I savor every sunny day with a walk in the neighborhood parks. There is nothing better than a cup of hot soup after that. Growing up, we have had soup for lunch all the time. ”If you don’t eat soup your stomach will ache” my mom used to say.  Soup is still part of my weekly cooking routine.
I will start my soup series with a tradition cabbage soup: shchi. It is usually made with sauerkraut during fall and winter and fresh greens like sorrel and green cabbage during summer time. In my soup I use
homemade porchini stock that ads smoky flavor and celery root instead of
potatoes for a touch of sweetness.

Cooking time: 25 min + 1.5 hours for stock
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

For the beef stock (if making one, otherwise use a store bought) 

For the soup

Directions

If you making your own beef stock place everything but the stew meat in a large stock pot. Add
cold water, bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for
45-50 minutes then add the stew meat. Cook for another 40 minutes. Remove from
the heat and strain the liquid discarding the bones and vegetables but keep the stew meat chunks. Slice them thingy and add to the soup at the very end.

If not, soak the mushrooms in about a cup of cold water
and heat it gently till it about to boil. Remove from the heat and Let it stand
for 20 minutes.

Prepare the vegetables by dicing the onion, carrots and
celeriac. Take a 6-quart pot and sauté
the carrots and onion in a vegetable oil for 5 minutes till the onions get
translucent. Add the sauerkraut and let it soften for another 5 minutes or so. 

Drain the mushrooms and thinly slice them. Keep the mushroom stock .After that, pour all the liquids: mushroom stock, beef broth
and rassol. Bring the pot to the boil and let it simmer 10-15 minutes until the
celeriac gets soften. 

Press the garlic gloves and throw a bay leaf with peppercorns in the pot. Add reserve meat if you were making your own stock. Simmer 5 more
minutes.

As any peasant  dish
the soup tastes better the next day. Serve it with sour cream, rustic bread and
fresh parsley.