NordenBladet – Solyanka is a Russian national dish that is very popular in Estonia as well. I make solyanka from different meats, but solyanka is also very tasty when prepared with chicken, fish or mushrooms. The best soup is made when you don’t follow the exact recipe, but you do what’s left in the fridge from previous meals. There are a lot of onions in the Estonian-style solyanka, but there is no definite rule here. If you like, you can also add potatoes and carrots.
You will need:
400–500 g of onions (approx. 4–5 onions)
3 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of oil
2 tablespoons of flour
150 g of concentrated tomato paste
1–1.5 l of hot beef broth (2 bouillon cubes can also be dissolved in hot water)
3 bay leaves
10 grains of black pepper
4 sour pickles or marinated pickles
300 g of wieners
300 g of half-smoked sausage
50 g of olives
If you wish, leftovers / shashlik from the previous day
For serving:
sour cream 20%, green onion, dill
Preparation (40–50 min):
Chop the onions and fry in heated oil in a soup pot and mix with flour. Add heated water, a pinch of salt, bay leaves, pepper and braise for about 15 minutes. Now add the tomato purée, chopped garlic and pitted olives, mix everything well and let braise for a few minutes. Then put in a pot pickles and minced meat (wieners, smoked sausage, shashlik). Mix everything well and let it boil. Then reduce the heat and let it braise for a while.
Photos: NordenBladet/Helena-Reet Ennet
Source: NordenBladet.ee (Helena-Reet’s recipe collection)