Rakhmanov’s shchi: A soup with noble fish from a gourmet Russian landowner (RECIPE)

There’s a reason why shchi with sorrel, spinach, and expensive kinds of fish was named after Tambov landowner Mikhail Rakhmanov. In the 1850s, he became famous for being quite a character and a lover of food. The dishes served at his table usually amazed his guests because they were often marked by excessive luxury and extravagance.

People said that Rakhmanov’s kitchen was lined with Dutch ceramic tiles and filled with pyrometers. Chickens and turkeys were fattened up on a diet of porridge with truffles.

Rakhmanov was very discerning with food. When eating poularde he only ate the top part of its breast; when eating duck – the breast and the brain; when eating a pig – its udder; when eating a hog – its head. 

He loved to feast on a fatty crayfish bisque, frozen in the form of jelly. Crayfish was prepared for him according to a special method – instead of water they were boiled in cream with Parmesan cheese. Buckwheat porridge was stewed in grouse juice with Roquefort cheese. He seasoned meatless dishes with almond and pine nut oil.

Along with his chef, the landowner invented unique and delectable dishes; he taught his neighbors gastronomy and treated the never-ending stream of guests in his house to his culinary novelties.

Restaurant "Matreshka"

All of this he did on a grand scale over the course of eight years, squandering the inheritance that he had received from his uncle. Rakhmanov was unable to earn any money himself, and died in poverty and solitude. Rakhmanov’s shchi recipe and some other culinary masterpieces are all that remain of his memory.

“Rakhmanov’s shchi is essentially a very Russian dish,” says Vlad Piskunov, the chef of the Russian cuisine restaurant Matryoshka in Moscow. “In it, we can find something from the botvinya soup, something from the shchuchina soup (a pike soup), something from regular springtime green shchi. Knowing what a great deal of attention Rakhmanov paid to source ingredients to prepare his shchi, we have to find the best fish, the freshest greens, and the best country eggs. Only then will it work!”

Restaurant "Matreshka"

Vlad Piskunov shared the recipe of this enticing historical shchi. Instead of the usual cabbage, however, he uses spinach and sorrel. The centerpiece is reserved for the fish.

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• A big sturgeon or a sterlet – 1 (1.5 - 2 kg)
• Ruffes or perches – 2 kg
• Spinach – 500 g
• Sorrel – 250 g
• Leeks – 150 g
• Vegetable oil – 20 ml
• Dill – 10 g
• Eggs – 6 
• Salt to taste 

Preparation:

Restaurant "Matreshka"

1. Wash the ruffes (or perches), gut them, and remove the gills. You can leave the scales. You can also leave the fins to make the soup richer. Put the fish in a big pot, pour in cold water, and leave to boil on medium heat for 2 hours.
2. Thoroughly wash the sturgeon. Scrub its skin to remove the slime. From its original black color, the fish should turn gray. Cut off its head, tail, and fins. Take out its insides and cut off any skin growths. Put its head and fins in the pot with the ruffes. For now, put the sturgeon meat in the fridge.
3. When the stock is ready, strain it through a cheesecloth or any linen cloth. Pour the strained stock in a big pot, turn on the heat and bring to a boil. Add the sturgeon as a whole single piece. When the stock is boiling again, wait for 5 more minutes and turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid. Let it cool. Take out the sturgeon, and put it in a container and leave in the fridge, then strain the stock again.
4. Cut the light-green part of the leeks into rings or half-rings. Pour a bit of vegetable oil into a pot and saute the leeks until they’re soft. You don’t need to fry them.
5. Wash the spinach (if you don’t have fresh spinach, use frozen spinach), and chop it into large chunks. Then put it in the same pot with sauteed leeks.
6. Wash the sorrel (fresh or frozen) and chop a bit more finely; remove the stalks. When your spinach is soft, add sorrel to the pot.
7. Wash the eggs and medium-boil by first putting them in a small pot with cold water that you then put on high heat. As soon as the water begins to boil, turn off the heat and let the pot sit for 5 minutes. Then splash the eggs with cold water and peel off the shells. You should get eggs with a soft but not runny center.
8. Take the sturgeon out of the fridge and cut into portioned slices. Pour your fish stock into the pot with the greens, bring the soup to a boil, and turn off the heat.
9. Remove the hard stalks of the dill and chop finely. 
10. Pour the soup into bowls. Into each, put an egg cut in half and a piece of sturgeon. Add dill to the soup.

READ MORE: The ultimate guide to making Russian shchi (RECIPE)

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