Rassolniki (brine and pickled cucumber soups)

A rassolnik is a hearty soup with a predominantly sour-salty flavour. The main ingredients are sour cucumbers, potatoes and other root vegetables with a neutral taste (carrot, turnip, beetroot), grains (buckwheat, barley, rice), and a large quantity of seasonings, vegetables and herbs (onion, leek, celery, parsley, parsnip, dill, tarragon, savory, bay leaf and pepper). Offal is included, mainly beef or veal kidneys, but stomach, liver, heart, lungs, neck and feet from poultry can also be used. Beef can be included. The choice of grain largely depends on the meat chosen: pearl barley goes with kidneys and beef, rice with chicken and turkey offal, and buckwheat and rice in a vegetarian rassolnik. The seasoning varies too; rassolniki should have a mildly acid and salty taste, and a balance between the salty part (the cucumber) and the neutral components (groats, potatoes, root vegetables) is essential. The neutral vegetables should total about 125 g (4 oz) per 1½ litres (2½ pt) of soup. As is the case with most Russian soups, a rassolnik should be whitened with sour cream at the end.