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Shchi (Russian: ωθ)
An old Russian saying shchi da kasha - pishcha nasha ("Shchi and kasha are our staples" or "Shchi and kasha is the meal of Russian") reflects the place these 2 meals occupy in Russian cuizine to the best. They were most typical and popular meals in the old times in Russia and were served together. Historians suppose that shchi was known long time ago before the adoption of Christianity in Russia.
It has always been considered that cooking Shchi has requie certain skills. Another saysing "Ne ta hozaika chto horosho gotovit, a ta, chto shchi varit" ("The good wife is not that cooks well, but the one that can make shchi" or "Good wife is not the one who speaks well, but who cooks shchi well") proves this statement.
Shchi primary ingredient is cabbage or sauerkraut.
Shchi made with sauerkraut has a sour taste and is called sour shchi.
Yet one can use also use spinach, sorrel leaves or nettle leaves. The meal is then called a sorrel soup.
The base of Shchi is meet, mashrooms or fish meat stock.
Meet shchi is served with a piece of meet, fish shchi - with a piece of fish and mashroom shchi have chopped mashroms in.
Sorrel soup is topped with crumbed boiled eggs.
Shchi is coocked with popatoes or withouit as it was in Russia in old days when potations were unknown.
Recipies:
Shchi with cabbage
Ingredients:
Preparation.
Wash and peel vegetables, wash mushrooms and leave them in water for 3-4 hrs, then boil in salty water and slice. Saute onion, leek, carrots, celery, peeled and sliced mushrooms and tomatoes in bacon fat in a large kettle. Remove outer leaves and core of the cabbage head. Shred the cabbage and put it the pan with boiling meat stock (or water) and let it simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Add sauted vegetables and cook for another 15 minutes. Thiken flour browned in butter and diluted with water, with crushed bayleaves, salt and pepper, add cooked meat and simmer for 5 minutes more. Serve with lots of minced parsley, dill and sour cream
No need to thicken with flour if you add potatoes. Potatoes, then are peeled and cubed, and added about 20 min before the soup is finished cooking.
Shchi cooked on fish stock are not dressed with sour cream.
Shchi with sauerkraut or sour shchi
This is soup as well, however, there are cultural and literature references to some liquid in a bottle or a glass that was called sour shchi. This was a kind of brisk bread juice. Shchi with sauerkraut (Russian Sauerkraut Soup) is cooked this way:
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Wash and peel vegetables. Drain the sauerkraut, rinse well and squeeze dry. Then put it in pan with a spoonful of butter or fat some water or stock and smother for an hour, stirring at timers. Saute onion, leek, carrots, celery, peeled and sliced in bacon fat in a large kettle, add tomato paste and smother till they are ready. Add boiling water or stock, peeled and diced potato and boil for 15 minutes. Then add smothered sauerkraut and simmer till the soup is ready. Add salt, peter and minced bayleaves 5 min before the soup is finished cooking. Garnish with the parsley and dill and serve with the sour cream.
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