Olga's Sorrel Soup - Shchavlevyi Borsch

[Olga Drozd]

Olga's Sorrel Soup - Shchavlevyi Borsch

This is my son's favourite soup. He is a vegetarian so I use vegetable stock. For best flavour use homemade chicken broth. He likes his soup with lots of vegetables and sorrel.  Below you can see my frozen sorrel that I froze for the winter. This is his last sorrel soup until spring because it's my last bag! This is a very easy herb to grow in your garden, it is a perennial and it comes up every spring. Pick it and give it a good wash, drain and chop it if you wish and place in large ziplock bags and freeze it (I never chop mine, I leave it whole and then hit the bag against the wall to break it up or use the dull side of a heavy knife).  One bag is good for a pot of soup (about 4 big handfuls). Adjust this soup, you might want too add more broth and less vegetables or more sorrel. I also discovered fat garlic chives at the Chinese market to add to my soup-very tasty! 1 large onion, chopped or chopped leek, white part only or a combination 1 medium carrot, chopped 2 celery ribs, chopped (I like to use celery heart with leaves) 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into small cubes 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/4 cup chopped garlic chives (optional) 1/4 cup chopped dill 5 to 6 cups broth, (vegetable or chicken stock, canned or homemade) or more if needed 4 handfuls of whole fresh sorrel (more or less to taste) chopped (about 7 cups packed) Salt and pepper to taste Maggi Liquid Seasoning to taste (optional) Sour cream for garnish or sweet cream (optional) Sieved hard boiled egg for garnish (optional) Finely chopped garlic chives, spring onions or dill for garnish (optional) In a pot add  2 Tablespoons of oil and 2 Tablespoons of butter and start frying up the onions.  Add the carrots, celery, and chopped potatoes and fry for about 10 minutes.  Add broth and cook until the potatoes and vegetables are soft, and then add the chopped sorrel. (Make sure you wash the sorrel well in 3 changes of water before using). Add parsley, chives and dill and black pepper.  Taste for salt and add if needed. Cook for about 1/2 an hour. Some cooks like to add a beaten raw egg swirled into the soup pot. This soup tastes even better the next day. NOTE:  If you are using canned vegetable broth then dilute some of it with water because I think it tastes too strong.

Below is a good chicken stock the way my mother taught me to make. I use any kind of meat such as beef, pork and spareribs and I always prepare broth this way.

ROSIL:

2 pounds chicken parts (preferably wings and backbone or necks
8 to 10 cups cold water
1 parsley root
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 onion-whole
Salt to taste
4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 to 2 teaspoons Maggi Liquid Seasoning

Rinse meat.  Cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Cook for 5 to 10 minutes.  Pour out all water.  Rinse pot and meat.  Cover meat with fresh cold water.  Bring to a boil.  Do not cook over very high heat, so that it does not boil vigorously.  As soon as it comes to a boil turn down heat considerably.  Cook for about 30 minutes.  Skim if necessary (cook with lid partly on - if lid is on completely or if it boils vigorously, soup will not be clear. Add vegetables and rest of ingredients, with the exception of Maggi).  Add Maggi when soup is ready to serve.  Cook soup for about 1 1/2 hours in total. Strain soup if you want to have a clear broth.


VEGETABLE STOCK:

This recipe is to be used if you need a lighter soup base. For vegetarians, this stock replaces the meat stocks and is a very good substitute. If you wish you can add odds and ends of vegetables and using them up for making vegetable stock.

6 Tbsp. oil
3 large onions, peeled and chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
6 to 8 stalks celery, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 large turnips, peeled and chopped
3 leeks, well washed, trimmed, and chopped
1 bouquet garni of 6 fresh parsley sprigs, 3 fresh thyme branches, and 1 bay leaf, tied together with kitchen string
10 cups cold water
3/4 Tbsp. salt

Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat and saute onions until wilted but not brown. Add remaining vegetables and saute 10 minutes.

Add salt, bouquet garni, and water. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Uncover pot slightly and simmer 45 minutes or longer until vegetables are soft and have rendered their flavours.

Strain stock through a fine sieve, pressing down hard on the vegetables to remove all flavour and moisture before discarding. Use in recipe or freeze in 1/2, 1, 2, or 4 cups containers for future use.


Link to other variations for Sorrel Soup >> Ukrainian Sour Leaf Borshch (sorrel / Shchavlevyi Borsch)