Green Russian-style Meat Soup

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• 3 lbs beef heart (or just beef)
• 12 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach (or 2 bunches fresh sorrel, chopped, or 2 jars schav, or some combination of these)
• 1 lemon, juice of (less, if using sorrel instead of spinach)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons flour
• salt
• 6 eggs, hard-boiled
• 1 bunch scallion, chopped
• 12 tablespoons parsley, chopped (optional)

Recipe

• 1 cut away as much fat and tough-looking parts from the meat as you can.
• 2 optionally, quickly brown the meat. you can add a piece or two of onion, while browning, to improve the flavor.
• 3 add the water and bring to the boil. skim foam. lower the heat, add the bay leaves, and simmer for 2-3 hours (or until the meat is tender when pierced).
• 4 while the meat is cooking, heat the oil in a skillet. add the onions and cook until golden and just beginning to turn brown.
• 5 add the flour to the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions are coated, and the flour is beginning to brown. take off the heat.
• 6 when the meat is done, take it out, cut it into bite-size pieces, and put back into the soup.
• 7 add the frozen spinach to the soup and raise heat to high. heat to boiling, while breaking up the spinach. lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the spinach is separated, 3-5 minutes.
• 8 add lemon juice and salt to taste. the soup should be slightly sour.
• 9 add the fried onions to the soup. cook 1 minute.
• 10 pour the soup into bowls. put into every bowl some chopped scallions (and some chopped parsley, if using) and half a boiled egg.
• 11 some people like to add sour cream or plain yogurt.