KIDNEY-PICKLE SOUP
- FOR THE BEEF BROTH
- 10 cups (2½ quarts) cold water
- 2 pounds meaty beef bones
- 2 celery stalks with leaves
- 1 carrot, scrubbed and trimmed
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- FOR THE KIDNEYS AND KIDNEY BROTH
- 1 beef or 2 veal kidneys (some recipes use 2 pounds of chicken gizzards)
- FOR THE SOUP
- 1 cup barley
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 parsley root, peeled and diced (or substitute parsnip)
- 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
- 1 bay leaf
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 large dill pickles, peeled and diced
- Fresh herbs and spices to taste (thyme, parsley, coriander, etc.)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sour cream and chopped fresh dill, for garnish
Instructions:
RASSOL’NIK , it’s complicated to make and must be prepared in stages, but is well worth the trouble. Please feel free to use prepared beef stock to eliminate the first step altogether.
- TO PREPARE
-  Two hours ahead, place the cold water and bones for the broth in a large soup pot. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, skimming as long as necessary, then add the celery, carrot, and onion. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and let simmer for at least 1 hour. Strain, discarding the vegetables and bones.
- Also 2 hours ahead, cut all the fat from the kidneys and place in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil over medium heat, partially covered, and let boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain, discarding the broth with its impurities, and wash the kidneys well. Return to the saucepan with fresh water to cover, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Reserve both the kidneys and the broth. Remove the kidneys from the broth, let cool, then cut away any last scraps of fat, and cut into bite-size pieces.
-  Prep the remaining ingredients as directed in the recipe list.
- TO COOK
-  Put the beef stock, kidney broth, kidney pieces, and the barley in a large soup pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for at least 1 hour.
-  Heat the butter or oil in a skillet over low heat. Toss in the onion, carrot, and parsley root and sweat, covered, until the onion is soft and yellow. Scrape into the simmering soup.
-  Add the potato, bay leaf, and pepper to the soup and simmer until the potato is soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
-  Meanwhile, sweat the pickles, covered, over low heat in the skillet you used for the vegetables and add them to the soup when the potatoes are soft. Add the herbs and spices; simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and taste for seasoning—the broth should have a strong sour note but not be flagrantly sour. If you like, add some pickle juice to get the right flavor.