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Russian Cold Summer Soup - Okroshka

A refreshing and delicious soup that keeps you hydrated

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Just about a week ago the crazy heat wave we had ended.. I must admit thaat even though I love summer and I even enjoy the hot weather, but this year it was a bit too much. We had about 2-3 weeks of really warm weather, between 25-35°C, and absolutely no rain. Unfortunately, we were also really busy with work the whole time and had no time for going somewhere near water to just chill and enjoy the sunshine. Now it feels almost cold with the 20°C when compared to the weeks earlier :D And funny enough, I am finding myself wishing for the warm weather to return :D One can never be happy with the weather.. Right? :D 

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During those​ really warm days we were trying to keep ourselves well hydrated. I find that sometimes it makes it easier when you plan your daily meals also so, that they have a lot of liquid in them. Then I remembered this Russian cold soup recipe. I have been dreading to make this soup for a very very long time. Yes, you heard me right, I was dreading quite literally :D I am usually not very picky with food, but when a combination of something sounds really weird to me, it is hard for me to overcome that and give it a try. However, I decided I want to give this recipe a chance and so I did some research for recipes and as always ended up adjusting it to my liking :) That is why you have this recipe from me here today :)

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Now​ you are probably thinking "what is so weird about this soup then?". Well, the fact that it is made with sparkling water and kefir/yogurt. So the liquid in the soup is sparkling water combined with either kefir or yogurt, and that combination alone sounds really weird to me. I could not imagine the taste and so I was a bit scared of how it will turn out :D However, I must say, I was really positively surprised and my boyfriend too, which was even more surprising to me :) We enjoyed eating the soup and finished the whole big pot on our own :D I would however mention that you should use a sparkling water that is very mild and doesn´t have an overpowering taste, as otherwise the taste will come through too much in the soup (that is what happened to me). Also you might want to make the soup a day before you are going to serve it as it needs a little time to prove for the flavours to build up. One very last thing, I promise :) The sausage that you are using for this recipe should have a really strong flavour, whether that is a smoky flavour or a salty flavour. As all of the other ingredients are very mild, the sausage will be a great contrast to them. 

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I would love to hear your thoughts on this soup if you try it out, please write me a couple of lines in the comment section below :)

 

Enjoy!

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Step by Step Video

RECIPE

Okroshka Russian Cold Soup

A refreshing and delicious soup that keeps you hydrated

​INGREDIENTS

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  • 5 medium potatoes

  • 5 eggs

  • 1 cucumber (big)

  • 100-150g salty/smoked sausage

  • about 10 small radishes

  • 2-3 spring onions

  • a bunch of fresh dill

  • 1l kefir/natural flavoured yogurt (low fat)

  • 1l sparkling water (mild)

  • ½ -1 tsp salt

  • ½ tsp fine black pepper

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DIRECTIONS

  1. Boil the whole potatoes until they are cooked through. I boil mine with the skins on and I also leave the skins on in the soup. If you prefer to peel the skins of you can do that prior to boiling or after boiling the potatoes. Once boiled, drain the water and leave to cool completely.

  2. In the meantime also hard boil the eggs and leave aside to cool completely.

  3. Once the potatoes and the eggs have cooled completely you can start preparing the soup. You will need a big (5-6 litres) pot or a bowl (preferably one that has a lid) for storing the soup. Cube the potatoes, the cucumber and the sausage. Remove the greens and the ends from the radishes and slice them finely. Also slice the spring onions finely. Remove the hard ends from the dill, then slice the ends with the stalks really finely and the leafy parts more roughly. Peel and slice the eggs leaving one aside for decoration if you wish. Add all of the aforementioned ingredients to the pot.

  4. Season well with salt and black pepper.

  5. Pour over the kefir and the sparkling water and mix thoroughly.

  6. Cover the soup and chill it in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours before serving (preferably overnight).

  7. Taste whether the soup needs extra seasoning. Add some more salt and pepper if needed.

  8. Serve cold with some dark bread.

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