Classic Rassolnik Recipe: Beef and Pearl Barley Pickle Soup
Pearl barley is the legendary army porridge grain. It has been called every name in the book: “tarpaulin”, “shrapnel”, “buckshot”. I even remember someone calling it “foam rubber”.
Pearl barley is made by rolling barley grains and stripping off their husk (the awn). There is also “Dutch” barley, almost perfectly round grains with the husk removed entirely, and barley grits, which are finely chopped grains.
What is pearl barley made of? It is whole barley grains, cleaned by polishing.
Pearl barley got its name because its colour and shape resemble river pearls. In Old East Slavic, as in Ukrainian, pearls are called “perly”.
But man does not live by porridge alone, as they say. You can make a wonderful pearl barley soup with meat. A few vegetables, some beef and pearl barley, and you get a superb soup worthy of the most refined table. At home we always add pearl barley to our beloved rassolnik, it simply tastes better that way.
Ingredients
2 servings
- Beef (boneless) 300 g
- Pearl barley 0.5 cup
- Garlic 2-3 cloves
- Celery root, parsnip 50 g each
- Carrot 1
- Potatoes 1
- Onion 1
- Tomato paste 1 tbsp
- Salted (fermented) pickles 2–3
- Butter 1 tbsp
- Spices to taste
Step-by-step recipe
- Because pearl barley is polished, be sure to rinse it under cold running water so it does not make the soup too thick. Many cooks even recommend toasting the grain a little in a dry frying pan, which makes it tastier. If the barley is going to be boiled, soak it overnight in cold water, otherwise you can cook it forever. By the way, kharcho soup can also be made with pearl barley. Grains are sometimes added to pea soup with smoked ribs as a filler.
- Carefully trim the beef of tendons, bones and membranes. Cut the beef for the soup into small pieces of 20–25 g each.
- Bring 1 litre of water to a boil in a pot. Drop the pieces of meat into the boiling water. Be sure to skim the foam off the broth. Simmer the meat over very low heat, barely at a boil. Add 1–2 bay leaves and a little salt to the broth. It is also worth adding a pinch of pepper.
- After half an hour, add the chopped celery root and parsnip to the broth. It is best to cut them into thin strips. Peel the garlic cloves and crush them slightly with the handle of a knife. Peel the carrot and dice it. Peel the potatoes and cut them the same way as the carrot. It is better not to cut the vegetables for pearl barley soup too large.
- Add all the vegetables to the pot with the meat.
- Simmer over low heat for another 20 mins.
- Fish the bay leaves out of the soup and discard them. Drain the pearl barley and add it to the soup. Stir everything well and simmer over low heat for at least an hour. During this time all the vegetables will cook through, and the barley will become soft and slightly tender.
- Peel and finely chop the onion. Fry the chopped onion in a frying pan with butter until soft. As soon as the onion starts to brown, add 1 tbsp of tomato paste and stir. Add 2–3 tbsp of water or broth. Cover and simmer for 10–12 mins.
- Coarsely grate the salted or fermented pickles and add them to the onion and tomato. Simmer for another 15 mins. By the way, if you can get good fermented pickles, I recommend making meat solyanka.
- Transfer the contents of the frying pan to the soup, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for another 10 mins.
- The pearl barley soup is ready. Serve it only hot. The soup should be neither too thick nor too thin. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley before serving.
| Yield: | 2 servings |
| Calories: | 70 |
| Prep: | 30 mins |
| Cooking: | 60 mins |
| Ready in: | 1 h 30 mins |
| Category: | Soups |
| Cuisine: | European |
| Rating: |
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4.3
(10)
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