Shchi with sour cabbage and dill
The national Russian soup: a broth of long-simmered sauerkraut, perfumed with dill, served piping hot with a spoonful of smetana that melts into it. Tangy comfort for long winters.
The national Russian soup: a broth of long-simmered sauerkraut, perfumed with dill, served piping hot with a spoonful of smetana that melts into it. Tangy comfort for long winters.
Say what you will about French potages, but without shchi a Russian is not at home. On my land at Troitskoye, I have it served to my people as to myself: sour cabbage from the barrel, set to cook gently all morning, until the sharpness becomes mild. Dill is thrown in at the end, never before, and each person melts a spoonful of smetana into their bowl. Here, taste: this is what warms a people when the snow lasts four months.
- •Sauerkraut (fermented sour cabbage) — a good full amount (acidity, base)
- •Beef or game meat — a piece (broth)
- •Onion, carrot, roots — in proportion (aromatic base)
- •Fresh dill — a handful (fragrance)
- •Smetana — for serving (roundness, softening)
Shchi with sour cabbage and dill
The national Russian soup: a broth of long-simmered sauerkraut, perfumed with dill, served piping hot with a spoonful of smetana that melts into it. Tangy comfort for long winters.
Why this dish? Retiring from time to time to her estate of Troitskoye, Dashkova led a simpler life, overseeing her lands and her people. Shchi, the everyday soup of all ranks in Russia, also graced the masters' table.
Say what you will about French potages, but without shchi a Russian is not at home. On my land at Troitskoye, I have it served to my people as to myself: sour cabbage from the barrel, set to cook gently all morning, until the sharpness becomes mild. Dill is thrown in at the end, never before, and each person melts a spoonful of smetana into their bowl. Here, taste: this is what warms a people when the snow lasts four months.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sauerkraut (fermented sour cabbage) — a good full amount (acidity, base)
- Beef or game meat — a piece (broth)
- Onion, carrot, roots — in proportion (aromatic base)
- Fresh dill — a handful (fragrance)
- Smetana — for serving (roundness, softening)
Ingredients
- Raw sauerkraut — 400 g (fermented acidity)
- Beef brisket or chuck — 500 g (rich broth)
- Onion — 1 (base)
- Carrot — 1 (sweetness)
- Bay leaf, peppercorns — 1 leaf, 5 berries (seasoning)
- Fresh dill — 1 bunch (final fragrance)
- Crème fraîche / smetana — 4 tablespoons (serving)
Method
- Cover the meat with cold water, skim, then let simmer for 1.5 hours with onion and carrot.
- Add the rinsed and drained sauerkraut, simmer for another hour over low heat.
- Season with salt and pepper, remove the bay leaf; shred the meat and return it to the soup.
- Off the heat, sprinkle with chopped dill.
- Serve very hot, each guest adding their spoonful of smetana and rye bread on the side.
How it was made : Shchi was prepared in the Russian oven, in an earthenware pot left for hours in gentle heat that softened the cabbage's acidity. It was said that good shchi should be able to be reheated for several days, even frozen in winter and cut with a knife for travel.
The contemporary twist : A cold version, in the style of a tangy gazpacho, topped with dill and a drizzle of oil, to transpose this winter classic into a summer starter.
Ekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova · Charactorium
