The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

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Easy to make Soup

plate+of+orange+colored+soup+on+a+white+plate+with+toast+and+sour+cream+on+the+sides
I find the soup to be best served with sour cream, it adds some finishing flavor notes. Photo credit: Evgeniya Emolkina

Today we’re going to make an easy soup that can be made with almost anything you have in your fridge. Below is the basic recipe for a Russian soup. It’s great tasting on its own, but you can add olives, capers, lemon, bell peppers, a variety of smoked meats and sausages. It all depends on your imagination and taste preferences.

Preparation time: 20 min.

Overall Cooking Time: 1.5 hours.

Approx. Cost: $17

The end amount is roughly 12 portions. The best part is that you will not have to worry about making meals for the next four-five days and can focus on exams.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. of meat
  • About 5 medium potatoes
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 4 pickles in brine
  • Cured-cooked meat products (I’m using long, thin, dry-smoked sausages)
  • 1 cup of vegetable juice
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • Olive oil for frying
  • Salt and pepper to taste
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Your ingredient list may vary and expand to your cooking imagination. Photo credit: Evgeniya Emolkina

1. Wash the meat, put it in a soup pot and add about 6-8 cups of water. Put on a high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and remove the foam/scum with a sieve. Close the lid and let it cook for 1-1.5 hours. Remove the meat and set aside to cool.

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Use a bit more water as it will evaporate during the cooking process. Photo credit: Evgeniya Emolkina

2. Pour 2 tbsp. of oil in a small frying pan and add the chopped onions and grated carrots, then stir until golden brown.

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The taste of soup depends on this step: if it is not fried enough, then there will be a noticeable taste of the undercooked onions and boiled carrots in the soup. Photo credit: Evgeniya Emolkina

3. Cut the sausages and boiled meat into small cubes or slices. In general, you can use anything that is cooked meat (ham, salami, etc).

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Slice the meat first, for faster cooling down. Photo credit: Evgeniya Emolkina

4. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Then bring the broth back to high heat and add potatoes, meat, sausages and the onion-carrot mix. Boil for about 10 min, until the potatoes are ready and soft. Then add pickles, bay leaves, vegetable juice and salt/pepper. Boil for another three minutes and turn the heat off.

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Add the pickles at the very end, because it may harden the potatoes. Photo credit: Evgeniya Emolkina

It is better to let your soup stand covered for about two hours so that the taste of the ingredients unite more, but you can also serve it right after it is done.

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I find the soup to be best served with sour cream, it adds some finishing flavor notes. Photo credit: Evgeniya Emolkina
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