Cold Meat and Vegetable Soup

Okroshka is Russia’s most popular cold soup and one of the easiest to prepare. The basic recipe calls only for chopped meats and vegetables doused with a liberal amount of kvass. But since such a sour taste is not always to Western liking, I have opted instead for a version of okroshka as prepared by Russians living in Central Asia. There, a mixture of kefir and water is substituted for the kvass, making an attractive, refreshing soup.