Zatirka (затірка, rubbed-dough soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A wide mixing bowl for rubbing the dough
• •A sieve or colander
• •A soup pot of at least 3 litres
• •A wide pan for the zasmazhka

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the broth

   Bring the broth to a gentle simmer with the bay leaf and potatoes. Let it murmur, not crash about, until the potatoes are tender at the edges but not falling apart. Taste now, because the dough will drink the salt and make a shy broth even quieter.

2. 2

   Rub the dough

   Put the flour in a wide bowl and beat the egg with a pinch of salt. Drizzle the egg into the flour while rubbing everything between your palms and fingertips, lifting and crumbling until you have rough sandy crumbs with a few larger nubs. If dry flour sits at the bottom, flick in cold water a teaspoon at a time; if it clumps into paste, dust in more flour and rub again.

   You want crumbs, not dough. When you shake the bowl, they should roll separately and sound faintly scratchy against the flour. That is Aunt Nadia's "until it sounds right."
3. 3

   Sieve the crumbs

   Tip the rubbed dough into a sieve or colander and shake off the loose flour. Don't be too perfect about it. A little flour thickens the soup softly; too much makes the broth taste raw and dusty.

4. 4

   Make the zasmazhka

   Warm the sunflower oil or chicken fat in a wide pan and add the onion. Let it turn translucent and sweet before the carrot joins it. You're not browning anything. Cook slowly until the carrot softens, the oil turns orange, and the kitchen smell changes from raw onion to supper.

   The zasmazhka goes in at the end so its sweetness sits brightly on the broth instead of flattening into the stock.
5. 5

   Cook the zatirka

   Scatter the dough crumbs into the simmering broth with your fingers, stirring gently so they don't gather into one lump. At first they sink, then they bob up and turn tender. Taste one. It should be soft in the middle but still its own little thing, not dissolved into porridge.

6. 6

   Finish the pot

   Stir in the zasmazhka, most of the dill, and black pepper. Let the soup settle for a few minutes off the heat so the broth tastes round and the crumbs finish swelling. Ladle deep bowls, add smetana if you like, and finish with the last green fistful of dill.

Chef Tips

• •Chicken broth is generous here, but zatirka can be made with milk, water, or potato cooking liquid. A milk version is softer and childlike; a broth version has more backbone.
• •The dough step forgives uneven hands. It does not forgive wet paste. Keep rubbing in flour until the crumbs fall apart from each other.
• •If you have leftover roast chicken, shred it into the bowls at the end. A bit more modern, and very useful on a cold Tuesday.
• •Serve it the day you make it. The crumbs keep swelling as they sit, which is comforting for lunch but less lively by tomorrow.

Advance Preparation

• •The broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled, or frozen in portions for exactly this kind of quick meal.
• •Rub the dough just before cooking. If it sits too long, the crumbs take on moisture and lose their lovely rough edges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 345g)