The commonality with minestrone is sausages and pickles, and sort of utilize of the leftovers type of soup. But solyanka is more about meats. It’s like adding a minestrone on top of a very intense beef broth. All meats should be cut into bite size pieces and put back into the soup. Back in Russia chicken gizzards were added too, but it’s very optional. Though it does add some extra richness and along with sausages different texture of the “meat” bites.
Ingredients:
- Beef/veal bone for the broth
- Chicken gizzards (optional)
- Carrots
- Parsnip
- Sausages
- Smoked sausage
- Small or medium onion
- Sweet pepper
- Chili pepper
- Tomato sauce/paste
- Pickled cucumbers, olives, capers
- Salt, pepper, parsley
Directions:
- Cook the broth: place your meats into a pot, pour cold water, bring to a boil.
- Scoop the foam
- Season with salt and continue cooking the broth on a low heat till meats are fully cooked.
- Add you flavorings – chopped carrots and parsnips.
- When meat is cooked through fish it out of the pot, let it cool down, cut into about half an inch (bite size) cubes and put back into the pot.
- Season with salt and pepper, keep it a little undersalted, because pickles are coming
- In a separate pan start frying thinly diced onion, then add diced sausages.
- Fry sausages till golden brown stirring occasionally
- Add chopped sweet peppers, chili peppers
- Add tomato sauce and/or tomato paste
- Mix to combine, bring the mixture to a boil and take off the heat and add it to the pan with your broth
- Slice thinly pickled cucumbers, olives, capers – add them to the pot.
- Wait till your soup comes to a boil (still on low heat) and taste for seasoning
- Serve very hot, garnish with parsley, fresh tomato slices and enjoy!
