Rakhmanovskie Shchi
6 servings
180 minutes
The name of the shchi is due to the Tambov landowner Rakhmanov, who was a great gourmet, taught serfs the art of cooking from French books and, they say, "ate up" the two-million family capital. Looking at the recipe for Rakhmanov's shchi, where the main ingredient is sturgeon, it is easy to believe. Rakhmanov's name is listed in the names of several more extravagant dishes, for example, buckwheat porridge boiled in the juice of fried hazel grouse. We took the recipe and history from the monumental work of Vlad Piskunov "Russian Cuisine. The Best of 500 Years.
1
Wash the ruffe (you can use perch instead), gut it and remove the gills. You don't need to clean the scales and it's better to leave the fins for more broth. Place the fish in a large pot, fill it with cold water, and cook over medium heat for about 2 hours.
- Ruff: 2 kg
2
The sturgeon should be thoroughly rinsed with running water. Scrub the skin with a brush or a piece of burlap to remove the slime from the surface. The fish will change from black to gray. Cut off the head, tail, and fins. Remove the entrails and cut off any parasites. Place the head and fins in a pot where perch are being cooked. Keep the sturgeon in the refrigerator for now.
- Sturgeon: 1.7 kg
- Ruff: 2 kg
3
Once the broth is cooked, strain it through linen cloth. Pour the strained broth into a large pot, place it on the heat and bring to a boil. Add the sturgeon in one large piece. When the broth boils again, wait another 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid. Let it cool down. Remove the sturgeon, place it in a container and put it in the refrigerator, then strain the broth again.
- Sturgeon: 1.7 kg
4
Slice the leek into small rings and half-rings. Pour a little vegetable oil into the pot and sauté the onion until it becomes soft. Do not fry!
- Leek: 150 g
- Vegetable oil: 20 ml
5
Meanwhile, chop the spinach. Cut it fairly large, including the stems – they will soften when cooked. Rinse the spinach in a large colander and place it directly wet into the pot where the leek has already been sautéed. Press down slightly with a spatula.
- Spinach: 500 g
6
Chop the sorrel a bit smaller and remove the stems. Add the sorrel to the same pot when the spinach is already soft. Wash the eggs thoroughly and place them in a small pot with cold water. Put it on high heat. Once the water boils, turn off the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes. No longer! Rinse the eggs with cold water and peel them. The goal is to achieve 'soft-boiled' eggs, meaning with a soft but not runny yolk.
- Sorrel: 250 g
- Chicken egg: 6 pieces
7
Take the sturgeon out of the fridge and cut it into portion pieces. Pour fish broth into a pot with greens, bring the soup to a boil, and turn it off.
- Sturgeon: 1.7 kg
- Ruff: 2 kg
8
Remove the hard stems from the dill and chop it. Pour the soup into bowls. In each bowl, place a halved egg, a piece of sturgeon, and sprinkle with dill.
- Dill: to taste
- Chicken egg: 6 pieces
- Sturgeon: 1.7 kg