Ingredients
2 l (=8 cups) water
200 g (=7 oz) meat for the stock (beef, lamb or pork)
750 g (=1.65 lb or one small head) cabbage
3 onions
1 big carrot
1 tomato (or 2 tbsp tomato paste)
2 potatoes
1 tsp caraway
2 bay leaves
10 black pepper corns
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp fresh parsley and/or dill
200 g (= 1 cup) sour cream
salt, pepper
Meat stock
(can be cooked in advance)

Directions
Place meat in a pan and add cold water to cover it. Bring to boil, removing scam as it gathers. Pour the water away and clean off any scam. Place meat in the pan, fill it with boiling water and bring everything to slow boil. Add one whole onion and bay leaves and let it simmer in the covered pan on low heat for about 2 hours.

Remove cooked onion and bay leaves. Strip meat off bones and finely chop it.
Shchi
Remove outer leaves and core of the cabbage head. Shred the cabbage.
Chop 2 onions and garlic cloves. Cut potatoes into thick chips. Grate the carrot.
Put everything in the pan with boiling meat stock (or water) and let it simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.
Wash and chop the tomato (or use tomato paste). Put tomato, pepper corns and caraway into the pan and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Add cooked meat and cook for about 5 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with lots of chopped parsley, dill and sour cream (2 tbsp per portion.)