RUSSIAN WEDDING SOUP
The next time the President of Russia and his wife visit the USA, the White House needs to serve them this special soup. The W.H. Chefs need to follow the directions precisely. The soup, not the meat, will be the star of this banquet! Steve made the first half then I made the second half–on Labor Day!
Sauteed cabbage, onion and mushroom mixed with roasted peppers in a stewed tomato broth with beets and potatoes. Seasoned with tarragon, thyme, Hungarian paprika and a hint of hickory smoke. Each bowl is drizzled with a White Zinfandel wine, topped with a dollop of Paprika Dill Soy Sour Cream with lemon zest. Served with hot pumpernickel rolls spread with Sharon’s Tofu Butter Spread!
Makes about 21 cups
SHARON’S TOFU BUTTER SPREAD
Makes 1-¾ cups
12.3 oz. pkg. extra firm Silken-type tofu, rinse, then roll in several layers of paper towels and squeeze to extract liquid
½ t. salt
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 sm. tub Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread (vegan), softened at room temperature
Place tofu and salt in food processor and process till smooth, scraping down insides of container with spatula.
Add rice vinegar and process again till whipped like mayonnaise.
Next, add softened margarine. Process again, this time for about a minute till whipped.
Transfer to jar and refrigerate till ready to use.
Notes: SHARON’S TOFU BUTTER SPREAD is always soft. So you don’t have to deal with spreading hard margarines on your breads or toast. Top your bowl of soup with a tablespoon to add a rich buttery flavor, or spoon some into your sauces and gravies just before serving.
Plain margarine is all fat. Adding the tofu increases the nutritional value and you can use more. It’s thick, whipped consistency, much like creme fraiche, is a pure delight! Use only Silken-type tofu.
STEVE’S HALF OF THE SOUP:
2 T. corn oil
2 lbs. fresh green cabbage, cored and cut into 1 inch squares, leave out the thick white pieces near the core
sea salt
2 T. corn oil
8 sm. yellow onions, peeled, ends removed and cut from top to bottom into 8ths
sea salt
2, 7.5 oz. (5.4 oz. dr. wt) jars sliced mushrooms; drain and save liquid
12 oz. jar red roasted peppers; drain and save liquid, cut into ½-3/4 inch squares
28 oz. can stewed tomatoes including liquid
28 oz. can tomato puree
1 bunch scallions, sliced into ½ inch pieces, green and white part
1 T. margarine
1 t. raw sugar
freshly ground black pepper
In lg. skillet, over medium-high heat, melt the oil, then add cabbage and a little salt. Saute till tender, then transfer to an extra-large soup pot.
Add 2 more T. oil to skillet.
Add onions and drained mushrooms and a little salt. Saute over medim-high heat till tender and caramelized but not mush.
Add roasted peppers, saute another 5 minutes, then transfer to soup pot.
To the soup pot add stewed tomatoes with liquid, tomato puree, liquid from the mushrooms and roasted peppers. Stir well.
Add scallion, raw sugar and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well, heat till very hot then turn heat off and let set till you’re ready to finish the soup. Letting it set a few hours is good. You can even refrigerate it in the pot to finish the next day.
SHARON’S HALF OF THE SOUP:
to the pot of vegetables add:
2 c. water
3 c. fresh carrot juice
14.5 oz. can vegetable broth
14.5 oz. can sliced beets with liquid
15 oz. can sliced potatoes with liquid
4 T. Hungarian sweet paprika
2 t. dried tarragon, crushed
½ t. dried thyme, crushed
1 t. garlic powder
2 T. walnut oil, a good flavorful one
1 T. liquid smoke
1-2 t. sea additional salt
lots more of freshly ground black pepper
Stir well, bring to soft boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook exactly 30 minutes. Don’t boil it while it simmers. Check now and then and stir.
While soup cooks make: Paprika Dill Soy Sour Cream with lemon zest
16 oz. container plain soy sour cream
2 t. sweet paprika
½ t. sea salt
½ t. garlic powder
½ t. dill weed
½ t. raw sugar
salt to taste
1 t. finely grated lemon rind (zest)
Place all ingredients in bowl. Stir well and refrigerate till ready to serve.
pumpernickle (black bread) rolls, heated in 325 degree oven till hot
White Zinfandel wine
Ladle 1 cup servings into soup bowls. Drizzle 1 T. Zinfandel wine into each bowl.
Top with 1 T. Paprika Cream.
Sprinkle cream with a little dill weed and fresh cracked pepper.
Cut rolls while hot and liberally spread with Tofu Butter. Serve with the soup. Or, let your guests spread their own rolls.
Notes: WOW is all I can say! Steve and I worked separately on this soup with neither of us knowing what the other was going to do. He made a perfect base and I made the perfect finish.
