Sanction Barrier Soup

Ingredients

• 600 g beef stew meat
• 2 medium onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 medium red beets
• 3 large carrots
• 2 waxy potatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1.5 liters beef stock
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh dill for garnish

Method

1. Bring the beef, stock, bay leaves, and 1 onion to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour.
2. Peel and cut the beets into thin strips. Finely chop the remaining onion and garlic.
3. Sauté onion and garlic in oil, add beets, vinegar, and sugar. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Peel and cut carrots and potatoes into strips 6-8 cm long and 1 cm thick.
5. Remove meat from broth, cut into strips. Add beet mixture, carrot, and potato to the broth. Cook for 15 minutes.
6. Return the meat, season with salt and pepper.
7. Hard-boil the eggs, peel and halve lengthwise.
8. Ladle soup into deep bowls. Arrange four egg halves per bowl as a gate. Lay three carrot sticks horizontally against them as a barrier.
9. Garnish with fresh dill.

Serving notes

• Serve with rye bread for an extra Eastern European touch.
• Place carrot sticks firmly against the eggs for a real barrier effect.