Solyanka

Method

1. 01

   Step 1: Cut the smoked meats

   Cut all four meats into matchsticks 4–5 cm long and slice the frankfurters into rounds. The even size is not for looks: smaller pieces give up all their flavour early and turn woolly.

2. 02

   Step 2: Fry the meats

   Heat the pot with one spoon of oil and fry the meats over high heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring. They should colour lightly and release their fat — that rendered fat is what makes the soup smell like solyanka. Lift them into a bowl.

3. 03

   Step 3: Soften the onion

   In the same pot melt the butter with the rest of the oil and cook the onion over medium heat for 5–6 minutes, until soft and barely golden. Scorched onion turns bitter, and the acidity later only sharpens it.

4. 04

   Step 4: Stew the cucumbers

   Add the cucumber matchsticks and 150 ml of brine, lower the heat and stew covered for 7–8 minutes, until they go soft. Once the soup is acidic they will never soften — this is the only chance.

5. 05

   Step 5: Cook out the tomato paste

   Stir in the paste and fry for 2–3 minutes, until it darkens and stops smelling raw. It should come away from the base in one mass; that is the difference between a round flavour and a sharp one.

6. 06

   Step 6: Bring in the stock

   Pour in the hot stock, return the meats, add the bay and peppercorns. Bring to a bare simmer and cook for 10–12 minutes over low heat — a rolling boil dries the meat out.

7. 07

   Step 7: Season at the end

   Add the olives and capers, simmer for 2 minutes and only now taste for salt. The meats and the brine have already salted it; if it needs more sourness add brine, if it has too much a quarter teaspoon of sugar evens it out.

8. 08

   Step 8: Let it settle

   Take the pot off the heat, cover it and leave for 15 minutes. Ladle out and finish each bowl with a slice of lemon, a spoon of sour cream and dill — the lemon goes into the bowl, never into the pot.