Beef, Barley And Pickle Soup (Rassolnik) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

12 cups water
1 lb lean beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup barley, rinsed
1/2 tablespoon salt, more to taste
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 carrot, thinly sliced into rings
6 baby pickles (about 1 1/2 cups diced)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, finely diced
2 celery ribs, finel sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste or 1 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons dill, but very nice (optional)
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
sour cream, and extra dill to serve

Preparation

In a large pot, partially cover with lid and cook 12 cups water, beef and barley with 1/2 Tbsp salt (30 min). Skim off any impurities that rise to the top to keep your soup clear.
Sautee pickles with 1 Tbsp oil for a few minutes on medium/high heat. Add pickles, potatoes and sliced carrots to the pot and cook for an additional 10 min while making your Mirepoix \"zazharka\" in step.
Mirepoix/Zazharka: Add 3 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and saute onion (2 min), then add grated carrot and sliced celery and continue to saute until carrots are soft (5 min). Stir 1 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup into the pan and add this mixture to the soup pot.
Toss in 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 Tbsp dill and more salt to taste. Continue to simmer for another 2 minutes or until your potatoes are fully cooked and can be easily pieced with a fork.
Some people eat it with a dollop of sour cream,.