Russian Okroshka Soup - the ultimate summer dish

It wouldn’t be British summer if you didn’t make one joke about the weather. So … while the terrestrial rain outside my window isn’t really screaming ‘summer’ at me, I still feel drawn to this Russian summer classic every year like clock-work! An absolute cultural icon, this soup is made all summer long, usually in big batches and all the chopping more often than not happens al fresco! The pure joy of preparing this dish can only be matched by the fresh crunch and the tang of the first tablespoon! This recipe uses chickpeas instead of meat but the classic version calls for the Doctor’s Sausage, or boiled chicken breast.

Serves 4
1 large cucumber
4 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
10 radishes
bunch of dill
bunch of flat leaf parsley
bunch of chives
200g drained canned or cooked chickpeas
800ml Kvass or Turkish ayran
4 tablespoons soured cream(if using kvass)
4 teaspoons horseradish cream
or Eastern European mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finely dice the cucumber, eggs and radishes.
Chop all the herbs and put them in a large mixing bowl together with the eggs, vegetables and chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture equally between 4 bowls, top each with 200ml kvass or ayran and add a dollop of soured cream (if using kvass) as well as a teaspoon of horseradish cream or mustard.