Lenten Shchi

Ingredients

• 400 g (14 oz) sauerkraut, rinsed if very sour
• 30 g (1 oz) dried mushrooms, soaked in 500 ml (2 cups) hot water
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1 onion and 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 bay leaves and 5 peppercorns
• Dill, garlic and salt

Method

1. Lift the mushrooms from their soaking water, chop them, and strain and keep the liquid.
2. Fry the onion and carrot in the oil, add the sauerkraut and tomato paste and stew 15 minutes.
3. Bring 1.5 litres (6 cups) of water plus the mushroom liquid to a boil with the potatoes, mushrooms, bay and pepper. Cook 10 minutes.
4. Add the sauerkraut mixture and simmer 20 minutes. Finish with garlic and dill.

Tip. A monastery soup. Russians say shchi is always better the next day.