This is inspired by a soup called Solyanka from Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking by Bonnie Frumkin Morales. New York: Flatiron Books, 2017.

I like the idea of using up leftovers from a charcuterie board, which the original recipe does. In practice, it works well as a palate cleanser in a multi-course meal. It’s a little acidic for a stand-alone dish, so I’m advising to skip the lemon juice and lemons if you want to make this a full meal.

Broth:

1/4 lb. hot-smoked salo, bacon, or other cured meat
1/4 lb. salami
1/4 lb. other cured meat
1 large onion
4 dill or Israeli pickles
1/2 c. pickled peppers (optional)
2 dozen pitted Castelvetrano (green) olives
1 ham hock
4 quarts water

To finish:

1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice (optional)
1 lemon, halved and thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 c. Smetana or sour cream
1/2 c. salo or bacon, cut into a 1/4″ dice
1/2 c. dill/Israeli pickles, cut into a 1/4″ dice
1/2 c. pickled peppers (optional)
1/2 c. thinly sliced pitted olives
1 handful parsley, coarsely chopped

To make the broth, roughly chop the meats, onion, pickles, and peppers, and toss them into a large stock pot. Add the olives, ham hock, and water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat until it’s just high enough to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for two hours.

Strain the broth, discarding the solids (they don’t retain much flavor after boiling, but you can keep some of them in if you want more filler in your soup). The broth will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or can be frozen.

Bring the broth to a simmer and whisk in the butter one pat at a time. Add the lemon juice and lemon (if you’re using it). Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well to mix everything together. Serve hot.

If you want to get fancy, arrange all the garnishes in a shallow bowl and serve the hot broth in a teapot at the table. Instruct your tablemates to pour the broth onto the composition and stir everything together themselves.