Rassolnik with Giblets and Pearl Barley

Rassolnik with giblets and pearl barley is a delicious first course of Russian cuisine. This soup with chicken hearts and livers turns out thick and flavored. The important point in this recipe is the use of exactly barrel pickles without vinegar. You can achieve that perfect taste of a rassolnik only with such cucumbers. In addition, we will cook this soup with two kinds of broth.

Cook: 1 hr 10 mins

Servings: 5

Ingredients

• Chicken hearts – 300 g
• Chicken livers – 200-250 g
• Pearl barley – 100 g (1/2 cups)
• Barrel cucumbers – 2 pcs.
• Pickled cucumber brine – 70 ml
• Potatoes – 250 g (2 pcs.)
• Onions – 1 pc.
• Butter – 60 g
• Salt – to taste
• Pepper – to tasteFor the chicken broth:
• Chicken leg – 300 g (1 pc.)
• Onion – 1/2 pcs.
• Garlic – 1 clove
• Bay leaves – 1 pc.To serve (if desired)
• Fresh herbs

Directions

1. Rinse the pearl barley thoroughly, put it in a saucepan, and pour cold water in (500 ml – 2.5 cups). Simmer the pearl barley for 35 minutes after boiling the water.
2. Peel half the onion and garlic clove to make the chicken broth.
3. Put the chicken leg, onion, garlic, and bay leaf in the saucepan. Pour the contents of the pot with water (1 l) and bring it to a boil. Skim the scum. Without covering with the lid, cook the broth slowly for 30 minutes. Then strain the broth, we need only the liquid.

   

4. Wash and clean the chicken hearts. Pour them with cold water (700 ml). Skim the scum and cook the broth from chicken hearts for 30 minutes (along with the broth from the chicken leg).

   

5. After 15 minutes of broth cooking, peel the onions and chop them into small dice.
6. Fry the onion in butter (30 g) for 5-7 minutes in the pot in which you are going to cook your rassolnik.

   

7. Cut the pickles into strips. Add them to the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes.
8. Pour the brine into the pot and stew everything together for 7 minutes.
9. Dice the potatoes. Put them in the pot as well.
10. Pour the contents of the pot with two kinds of broth (3 cups of the chicken broth and 2 cups of the broth from the hearts).
11. Put the chicken hearts in the pot and cook the rassolnik with giblets for 15 minutes.
12. Add the cooked pearl barley to the soup and stir everything. Cook the rassolnik with barley for another 3-5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.
13. Wash the chicken livers and cut them into medium-sized pieces.
14. Fry the liver on both sides in the remaining butter in the frying pan for 7-8 minutes. Salt and pepper.

    

15. Serve the rassolnik with giblets and barley with the fresh herbs and liver pieces.

Enjoy your meal!