REAL RUSSIAN MEN (AND WOMEN) EAT SOUP

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REAL RUSSIAN MEN (AND WOMEN) EAT SOUP

And lots of it!

by Randy Black

Russian soups offer flavors and aromas for the under nourished palate and rescue from the Siberian cold. I wrote these words in my diary soon after arriving in Western Siberia in January 1993. Lets face it. Eating soup in the good old US of A is not a national pastime for grownups. Dont get me wrong. There were childhood days long ago that I would have killed for a good, hot bowl of Campbells Tomato Soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. It was store bought but it was soup as we knew it, growing up in the 50s and 60s.

Even our grandparents had lost some of their home cooking touch, having opted for the instant variety so as to not miss the daily dose of soap operas or ball games on the newly popular televisions that invaded American life then.

Years later, as I got off the Trans Siberian Express in this desolate, wind-blown, 45 below environment called Siberia, I thought of soup.

Its funny how, when faced with death by freezing, you go quickly back to your childhood roots. The comfort of that bowl of soup my mother served me on that long ago wintry day was almost a visible emotion.

But there I was in Siberia. Cold, tired, exhausted really, and hungry. At last, I was escorted to my small room in an aging Soviet-era dormitory at the Omsk State Pedagogical University, AKA Gorky State U. This 8 by 12 foot room was to be my new old home for the next year while I tried to teach free enterprise theory to a bunch of bright and eager Russian college students.

Almost before I could get out of my parka, gloves, ski mask, sweater, jeans, long johns, two pairs of wool socks, boots and more, a wonderful, smiling Russian babushka (grandmother) appeared in my doorway with a steaming bowl of Pokhelbka (Russian beef soup), a chunk of hard brown wheat bread, a spoon and later, a cup of hot tea. My hosts had known that Id be tired, cold and hungry and had prepared my welcome. What a blessing!

Thus, I was initiated into the first of many Russian traditions I would become accustomed to that year. Here are three recipes I picked up during that long, cold winter.

Pokhelbka (Beef Soup)

1 pound beef, cut in chunks (stew meat)
5-6 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Yellow onions
2 Tablespoon butter
1 Large carrot, diced (Russians call the larger varieties of carrot Chernobyl Carrots for obvious reasons.
1 Sprig parsley
2 Quarts water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon dry red wine

Simmer the beef in the water for about 1.5 hours to make a rich broth, or substitute 6 cups of prepared beef stock.

Chop and saut the onion until tender in the butter. Add the onion, diced potatoes, sliced or diced carrot and parsley to the broth and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the wine and garlic at the end of cooking. Do not overcook the potatoes. The secret of this dish is the preservation of the flavors of the vegetables. Side dishes may include heavy Russian-style breads, fresh dill diced and sprinkled on the dish as its served and perhaps a dollop of sour cream added to the bowl.

Ukha (Fish Soup)

This dish varies widely across Russia in its preparation and ingredients. Suffice it to say that this is a ?mans soup, meaning that men prefer to cook it over a campfire near the source of their catch of the day. This is a men will be men kind of meal. The Russian men plan their fishing expedition right down to the amount of vodka theyll require, not as bait, but as antifreeze during their outing.

2 1/2 Quarts of water
2 Pounds of fresh fish, cut into serving-size pieces(Perch, bass, flounder almost any type of fresh water fish, but NOT cod)
1 Onion, quartered
3 Sprigs parsley
2 Bay leaves
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional: add chopped tomatoes

In a large kettle place the water and the fish. Bring the fish and the water to a boil, skimming the foam from the surface. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for one hour. Serving suggestion: place a piece of fish in each bowl and pour broth over it.

Gorokhovye (Pea Soup)

Pea soup is one of Russias oldest, most venerable dishes. Since ancient times, Russians have made soup from dried peas. Fresh peas did not appear in Russian soups until the early 1900s. The reason for dried, as opposed to fresh peas, most likely is due to the short growing season and the need to preserve the peas for use throughout the long winters. Russian pea soup is an example of the outstanding ability of Russian cooks to create great soup from the simplest of ingredients.

1 Pound of smoked bacon or pork
1/2 Gallon water
8 Ounces of dried, split or whole green peas (Dried lima beans, red beans and other beans can be mixed in or cooked as a separate dish.)
1 Yellow onion, diced
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak the dried peas in water until soft. Slice the pork or bacon into small pieces.

Bring the water to a boil; add the pork and peas. Cook gently for 1 and 1/2 hours or until peas are soft and you have a broth. Dice and saut the onion and any other vegetables you like. Add to broth after the first hour.

Serving suggestion: Serve with dried croutons, sour cream, and fresh dill.

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