Beef, Barley And Pickle Soup (Rassolnik)

• 12 cups water
• 1 lb lean beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup barley, rinsed
• 1/2 tablespoon salt, more to taste
• 3 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced into rings
• 6 baby pickles (about 1 1/2 cups diced)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 celery ribs, finel sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste or 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 2 tablespoons dill, but very nice (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• sour cream, and extra dill to serve

1. In a large pot, partially cover with lid and cook 12 cups water, beef and barley with 1/2 Tbsp salt (30 min). Skim off any impurities that rise to the top to keep your soup clear.
2. Sautee pickles with 1 Tbsp oil for a few minutes on medium/high heat. Add pickles, potatoes and sliced carrots to the pot and cook for an additional 10 min while making your Mirepoix "zazharka" in step.
3. Mirepoix/Zazharka: Add 3 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and saute onion (2 min), then add grated carrot and sliced celery and continue to saute until carrots are soft (5 min). Stir 1 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup into the pan and add this mixture to the soup pot.
4. Toss in 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 Tbsp dill and more salt to taste. Continue to simmer for another 2 minutes or until your potatoes are fully cooked and can be easily pieced with a fork.
5. Some people eat it with a dollop of sour cream,.

water, lean beef, barley, salt, potatoes, carrot, pickles, olive oil, carrot, onion, celery, tomato paste, dill, bay leaves, fresh ground black pepper, sour cream

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/beef-barley-and-pickle-soup-rassolnik-517432 (may not work)