Pickled cucumber stew

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 500 g chicken giblets
• 1 parsley root(s)
• 2 potatoes
• 1 carrot(s)
• 1 onion(s)
• 100 g pearl barley
• 4 pickled gherkins (salted and dill gherkins)
• 1 bunch of parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp oil
• Bay leaf
• pepper
• Carnation(s)

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 10 minutes

Rassolnik, a tasty stew with pickled cucumbers and pearl barley, Ukrainian cuisine

Place the chicken giblets in a pot with water. Spoon off any foam before bringing to a boil. Add the finely chopped root vegetables and simmer for about an hour. Remove the chicken giblets from the pot, remove the meat from the bones, chop them up, return them to the pot and bring to a boil. Peel and chop 2-3 potatoes, add them, and bring to a boil. For the roux, grate a carrot, dice an onion, fry in a pan with a little oil, season, simmer briefly, add to the stew, and bring to a boil. Add a handful (about 100 g) of pearl barley to the stew and bring to a boil. Dice 3-4 pickled cucumbers and add them, adding the salted water if desired. It is very important to use salted dill cucumbers and not pickled gherkins. Season with bay leaf, pepper, and cloves. After turning off the heat, add the finely chopped parsley. Note: This stew is available in many Eastern European countries, albeit with slight variations in the recipe. Rassolnik is often prepared in winter/spring, when pickles need to be used up. In Ukraine, this stew is cooked with pearl barley and perhaps served with a generous dollop of sour cream. The pickle stew has a very intense, peppery, and slightly sour flavor.