Tart, meaty, with just enough kick. This hot and sour soup with venison and honey mushrooms is inspired by Eastern European flavors. Make sure to top it with dill and sour cream.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: German, Russian
Keyword: Honey Mushrooms, Sweet and Sour Soup, Vension
Fresh herb of your choice for garnishing such as chives or fresh dill
½cup sour cream optional
Instructions
Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper and allow to rest in the fridge uncovered for at least a few hours, preferably overnight. This helps create the best crust.
Get a 6 qt stock or pasta pot, begin by heating the pan with half of the oil, when the oil begins to smoke lightly, add the venison and cook on medium high heat until nicely brown and colored on all sides.
Remove the venison to a cutting board to rest, then cut into 1 inch pieces for stew.
Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until its translucent, add the tomato paste, stir and cook for a minute more, then add the water or stock and remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
Cook the soup for 1.5 hours. After that, the meat should be tender and soft. Finish the soup by adjusting the salt and pepper to taste, along with the vinegar.
The soup should have just a touch of acid from the vinegar. After you've added the ¼ cup, if you think it could use a little more, add a splash, stir, and taste, and continue adjusting until it tastes good to you.
Serve garnished with some chives or chopped dill, parsley would be just fine too.
Notes
Adding a grain
This is just a basic soup, adding cooked barley, millet, kasha or rice would be great additions that will make it heartier. To add a grain, add 1 cup cooked grain of your choice at the end of cooking, or ½ cup raw when starting to cook the soup.
Different mushrooms
You could use different mushrooms here but honey mushrooms are special as they help thicken the soup. If you don't have honeys, you can substitute shiitakes, or another mushroom you like, such as chicken of the woods, which pairs great with sour flavors.