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Russian Rassol'nik

Andrei Radchenko from Miami, Florida--mechanical engineer, computer professional, and long time native of Kiev--has been kind enough to share with me this extraordinary recipe for rassol'nik. Please also check out his borshch and Lenten borshch recipes, also on this site. Andy has a real passion for cooking and a sure sense of the authentic. Serve this superb and filling soup hot as a first course to 8--or as a meal with lots of bread and side dishes.
For the broth: In a 3-quart stock pot, add the cold water and the bones. Bring to a slow boil, skimming, then add the celery, carrot, and onion. Let simmer for at least an hour, then fish out the vegetables and add the kidney broth (below), the kidney pieces, and the barley and cook for at least another hour.

For the kidney:

While the broth is simmering, cut all the fat off the kidney, cover it with cold water, bring to a boil over medium heat and let boil for 10-15 minutes. Strain, discarding the broth (you want to get rid of all the poisons!), and wash the kidney well. Put it back in the pot with fresh water, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Save this broth and pour it into the beef stock. Remove any last traces of fat from the kidney and cut into bite-sized pieces.

For the rassol'nik--begin after the broth has cooked at least 2 hours:

Sweat the onion, carrot, and parsley root in the oil or butter over low heat until the onion is yellow. Add to the soup. Stir the potato, bay leaf, and pepper into the soup and simmer until the potato is soft, 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, sweat the cubed pickles in the same oil as the vegetables over low heat and add to the soup when the potatoes are soft. Add chopped herbs and spices to taste. Simmer another 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning--it should have a strong sour note, but not be strongly sour. If you like, add some pickle juice to get the right flavor.

Garnish: sour cream and chopped dill

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped dill. Wonderful!