Ingredients
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2 Eggs
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2 small cucumbers
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2 new potatoesboiled in their skins and peeled
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5 oz spring onions
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1/2 bunch radishes
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1 tsp sharp mustard
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1 tbsp Sugar
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1 bunch dill
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1/2 cup sour cream
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6 cups kvass
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to taste Salt
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7 oz cooked beef or vealor cooked sausages or ham
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3.5 oz salted mushrooms
Directions
Okroshka is a cold traditional Russian soup. They say okroshka originated on the banks of Volga river invented by burlaks, poor work people hired to haul barges upstream in the shallow parts of the river. For work, they were paid with kvass and dried salty fish. To make that fish edible, they’d soak it in kvass. To make it a meal, when available, they chopped vegetables into the mix.
This idea spread across the country becoming a traditional summer soup reaching the menu of Russian royalty. Apparently, Alexander III was a big fan.
Commonly eaten in the summer, cold okroshka soup delivers a refreshing taste. Okroshka is made with raw vegetables, boiled potatoes, meat or sausages, and kvass, a fermented drink made from rye bread. It’s important that the ingredients retain their shape and texture, so kvass is always added last. It’s a light soup, so it’s perfect for hot summers when you don’t want heavy food.
Preparation:
- Hard boil the eggs then cool them quickly using cold water. Remove the shells and separate the egg white from the yolks. Mash the yolks in a bowl. Add mustard, sugar, ½ cup of kvass, salt, and horseradish. Mix well until smooth.
- Finely chop the green onions and mix well with some salt. Finely chop the egg whites and other ingredients.
- Mix everything together well in a bowl, add 500 ml kvass, cover, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- Add sour cream before serving and sprinkle with dill.
- Serve some kvass separately, so that everyone can pour it over their okroshka to taste.
