Ludmila Savelyeva's 24-Hour Shchi

Ludmila Savelyeva's 24-Hour Shchi

2 pounds beet (brisket or flank)
2 pounds lean pork (from neck or rump)
2 or 3 marrow bones
About 3 qts. water
1 small package soup greens (celery knob, parsnip, carrot, parsley)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional)
6 peppercorns, crushed
Salt to taste
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
3 carrots, scraped, in one-inch pieces
1 pound sauerkraut (soak well to remove brine, squeeze well)
4-6 dried mushrooms, optional
4 small, ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Sour cream

Lay beef, pork and marrow bones in large stock pot. Add water, soup greens, bay leaf, dill, peppercorns and let simmer, skimming off foam and scum as needed, for about 2 hours. Salt to taste, adding onion, potatoes, carrots and sauerkraut to broth. Cook 1 hour longer. Add mushrooms (soaked in 1 cup of cold water about 4 hours), and tomatoes sauteed in butter. Cook 20 minutes longer. Correct seasonings. Cool to room temperature, refrigerate. Skim off fat that has congealed on surface. Reheat. Ladle soup into soup plates, garnish with minced parsley and dill and pass side dish of chilled sour cream. Sense with thick slabs of dark pumpernickel bread and sweet butter. Serves 6-8.