Please allow me to let 'Manilow' , a character from Gogol's Dead Souls introduce you to Shchee........
" I humbly beg you to partake.......and you must forgive us if our dinner is not up to the standards you are accustomed to in the capital .We have simple Russian cooking here ...plain cabbage soup ...but it is offered from the bottom of our hearts .
I use a boneless piece of brisket 1 and 1/2 - 2kg.
Boil the meat in enough water to cover the meat ,( about 8 cups .) for 1 and 1/2 hours .
Then remove the meat and allow to cool .
Meanwhile ,in a large saucepan ..... saute 1/2 head of finely shredded cabbage ( I use Savoy cabbage ), 1 onion peeled and sliced in 3 tbs of ghee / butter .
Add 1 large grated carrot , 1 finely chopped parsnip and 1 turnip peeled and chopped .
Now add 1x 400gm of diced tomatoes... and continue to coo the cabbage until it is limp .
Once the meat has cooled enough slice and cut into cubes , then add to the cabbage mix in the pot .
Add another 3 cans of diced tomatoes , 1/4 cup of raisins or 10 pitted prunes finely chopped .
1 tbs of salt , 3 tbs of lemon juice and 3 tbs of honey ( I use bush honey ) and 3 tbs of brown sugar .
Stir to incorporate all ingredients and slowly bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is fall apart tender .
Season with cracked black pepper .
Shchee tastes better at least a day old , so refrigerate in the pot and leave it for 24 hours .
To serve , bring the soup to a gentle boil and ladle it piping hot into warmed soup bowls , with a dollop of sour cream in each bowl and a sprinkle of dried dill.
This is a complete meal in itself .
" I humbly beg you to partake.......and you must forgive us if our dinner is not up to the standards you are accustomed to in the capital .We have simple Russian cooking here ...plain cabbage soup ...but it is offered from the bottom of our hearts .
I use a boneless piece of brisket 1 and 1/2 - 2kg.
Boil the meat in enough water to cover the meat ,( about 8 cups .) for 1 and 1/2 hours .
Then remove the meat and allow to cool .
Meanwhile ,in a large saucepan ..... saute 1/2 head of finely shredded cabbage ( I use Savoy cabbage ), 1 onion peeled and sliced in 3 tbs of ghee / butter .
Add 1 large grated carrot , 1 finely chopped parsnip and 1 turnip peeled and chopped .
Now add 1x 400gm of diced tomatoes... and continue to coo the cabbage until it is limp .
Once the meat has cooled enough slice and cut into cubes , then add to the cabbage mix in the pot .
Add another 3 cans of diced tomatoes , 1/4 cup of raisins or 10 pitted prunes finely chopped .
1 tbs of salt , 3 tbs of lemon juice and 3 tbs of honey ( I use bush honey ) and 3 tbs of brown sugar .
Stir to incorporate all ingredients and slowly bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is fall apart tender .
Season with cracked black pepper .
Shchee tastes better at least a day old , so refrigerate in the pot and leave it for 24 hours .
To serve , bring the soup to a gentle boil and ladle it piping hot into warmed soup bowls , with a dollop of sour cream in each bowl and a sprinkle of dried dill.
This is a complete meal in itself .
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