Shchi with Sauerkraut on Chicken Broth

Place the chicken offal in a three-liter pot, fill with water, but not to the brim — leave room for cabbage. Bring to a boil and carefully skim off the foam.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add finely chopped onion for flavor and clarity of the broth. Simmer for approximately 1 hour over low heat covered.

While the broth is cooking, finely chop 3–4 large onions. Place them in a pan with olive oil and fry over medium heat until transparent.

Add sauerkraut to the onion. If the cabbage is very sour, rinse it in a colander with cold water first. Cover with a lid and fry over low heat until light brown, approximately 1–1.5 hours. Stir occasionally. When the liquid evaporates, add hot water from the kettle.

Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms, cover with a lid, and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and chop them. Strain the infusion and set aside — it will be needed when assembling the shchi.

When the broth is ready, remove the chicken offal and set aside in a separate dish. Cover and refrigerate.

Put the roasted cabbage with onions into the hot broth. Add mushroom infusion and oatmeal flakes — they will give the soup thickness and body, and then will completely dissolve.

Add sliced mushrooms. Add coarsely chopped potatoes to taste. Bring to a boil.

Cover the pot with a lid and place it in a preheated oven to 180–200°. Immediately reduce the temperature to 105–110° and leave for 4–5 hours or overnight. The cabbage soup should barely simmer.

Remove the pot from the oven. Add the chopped chicken offal. If the soup has boiled down, add the reserved broth. Bring to a boil over low heat, then return to the turned-off oven to let the soup cool.