Georgian Soup “Harcho”

This soup is one of the delicious soups for friends and family gathering. It did come to Russian Culinary from Georgian Cuisine, and started to be very popular in Russia.

This is my Family Recipe, how my darling mother cooked it. She had taught me and my sister Victoria, how to cook it. My husband loves, when I am cooking it. And, of course, he loves to help me (if I will give him this chance! Ha-ha-ha, I am joking!)

This soup is good to cook from lean beef or lamb (for your preference). My family prefers to cook it from lean lamb. 

            Ingredients:  – 1.5 lb raw lean lamb (or beef, for your   peference), sliced in small  pieces

                                  – 2 onions, cleaned and sliced in thin pieces

                                  –  2-3 garlic cloves, grated         

                                 – ½ lb fresh tomatoes, sliced

                                – 1 can (8oz) tomato sauce (I prefer it with basil)

                                – ½ cup dried prunes

                                – 1 cup non cooked rice

                                – salt, hot red paprika for taste

                               – olive oil (1-1.5 tablespoons, for your taste)

                              – chopped parsley, cilantro, dill (for taste)

Like I mention before, for my Family Recipe lean lamb is preferable, it gives better taste, for my opinion.

Clean needed amount of lamb or beef (for your preference) and slice it. Put in cooking pot, add water and cook it around 1.5-2 hours.

Put in cooking soup grated garlic, rice, dry prunes, salt, and pepper. Cook it 30 min more.

While it’s cooking, clean and thinly slice onion. Put it in frying pan, adding olive oil to cook. Add fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce. Sauté it with onion in olive oil around 5 min.

Add it to the cooking soup. Cook it 5 min more.

You could sprinkle this soup, before serving, with freshly chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill). The soup is ready!

To take care about cholesterol level:  To low cholesterol level, better to use law fat lamb or beef pieces for this soup. We always prefer to use olive oil to sauté cooking dish. 

Family cooking together: If your family will help you to cook this soup, it will save cooking time! And it will make your family fill warm and happy together! You could help to clan and slice, chop fresh vegetables. Please, help to clean and slice fresh beef or lamb for soup. Clean the raw rice too. All this will bring you  around  2 hour to cook this soup. 

And this soup will be nice beginning for your friends and family gathering. This soup is tasty addition to your table in winter time! 

PRIYATNOGO APPETITA! ENJOY!