Solyanka with Mushrooms and Olives

Solyanka is one of Russia's great soups — tangy, salty, smoky, and layered with bold flavors that hit every corner of your palate. The traditional meat version is legendary, but this fasting mushroom solyanka holds its own with authority. Pickled cucumbers, capers, olives, and tomato paste create a concentrated sour-savory broth that demands thick slices of dark bread and nothing else.

This is not a delicate soup. It is aggressively flavored and unapologetically hearty.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Oil (for strict oil-free days, sweat the vegetables in vegetable broth instead of oil)

SERVINGS: 6
TIME: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
- 400 g mixed mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake), sliced thickly
- 3 brined pickled cucumbers, diced (reserve the brine)
- 80 g pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1.5 litres water or mushroom broth
- 100 ml pickle brine
- 1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds, for serving
- Fresh dill and parsley, chopped, for serving
- Salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook without stirring for 4-5 minutes until deeply browned on one side. Stir and continue cooking until golden all over, about 8 minutes total. Remove to a plate.
2. In the same pot, add onion and carrots. Cook for 5-7 minutes until softened.
3. Add tomato paste and smoked paprika. Stir for 1-2 minutes until the paste darkens and becomes fragrant.
4. Add diced pickles, olives, and capers. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring.
5. Pour in water or mushroom broth and pickle brine. Add bay leaves and return the mushrooms to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add garlic, salt, and pepper. Simmer 2 more minutes. Remove bay leaves.
7. Taste and adjust sourness with additional pickle brine if needed.
8. Serve in deep bowls with a thin lemon round floating on top and a generous scatter of dill and parsley.

NOTES:
- The lemon slice in the bowl is traditional for solyanka and not merely decorative — squeeze it into the soup as you eat for bursts of brightness.
- Capers are the secret weapon here. Their briny punch amplifies the sour-savory character enormously.
- Use the best olives you can find. Cheap canned olives will not deliver the same flavor.
- For added protein, stir in a drained can of white beans or chickpeas in step 5.
- This soup improves significantly after resting overnight. Make it a day ahead if possible.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 155 | Protein: 6 g | Carbohydrates: 14 g | Fat: 9 g | Fibre: 4 g