Up in the hierarchy of comfort soups that are elegant and full of flavor, should be kharcho.

What is Kharcho?

Kharcho ( pronounced with a deep “h” sound Harcho) is a beef and rice soup from Georgia, but keep in mind that kharcho is a catchall phrase encompassing many stewed meat dishes. Megrelian kharcho for example is a thick stewed beef dish with walnuts and is enjoyed with a ghomi, a type of Georgian polenta.

This specific soup, Beef Kharcho is variable across regions and kitchens. It has been adopted and adapted in Ukrainian kitchens for generations, after all, Georgia is a stones throw from several Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea.

Fun fact: Georgia is a grape growing region and commonly referred to as the “cradle of wine”. There is evidence of Georgia being the oldest wine producer, and of course I’m linking you to this article to enjoy in your spare time: Georgia’s Ancient Wine Culture has Lasting Relevance.

Since we’re cooking Georgian inspired, it follows suite to pair along a Georgian wine. There are many to pick from and it can be overwhelming. Much like any French or Italian wine, each bottle is label will offer some information on the wine inside.

Georgian Wine:

As a quick and dirty beginners guide to Georgian wine, I’m going to focus on a few common words, phrases and wine varietals you may come across. The name of the wine often either reflects the grape, style of wine or region of production.

Qvevri/ Kvevri

The spelling is variable and notes the winemaking method. A qvevri is a large clay vessel in which the wine is made. The shape of the qveveri and method of burying the clay vessels creates a distinct flavor and offers a natural filtration of the wine itself. Not all wines produced in Georgia use this method. The oldest Qvevri was discovered in Georgian from 6000BC.

Wine name: Kindzmarauli (KindZ-mara-ou-li)

Semi–sweet red wine.

Grape: Saparevi

Region: Kakheti. Mountainous wine region which also includes the following wine appellations

Teliani Valley

Alizani Valley

Tsinandali

Pairing: Grilled food, heavier creamy cheese dishes as well as items that fall along the sweet spectrum as either savory or dessert sweets like chocolate.

Wine name: Khvanchkara (Hvan-chi-ka-rah)

Probably one of the more well known and famous of Georgian wines. It is a deep red semi sweet blended wine, with round tannins and lots of fruit.

Grape(s): Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli

Region: Racha region including the village of Khvanchkara along the Rioni river.

Pairing: Smoked items, stewed beans and heavier braised dishes.

Wine name: Alazani Valley

Grape: Rkatsiteli

One of the oldest of grape varieties.

Region: Alanzani Valley along the Alazani River that flows through the Caucasus of Georgia.

Alazani wine can be either white or red.

White Alazani wine is sweet, floral and fruity. Most common descriptors are of melon and quince.

Pairings: Solid drinking wine, appetizer wine and a great addition to a cheese board.

Red Alazani wine is medium sweet and delicious with : lamb, grilled beef, eggplant, mushrooms, duck and aged cheeses.

Wine name: Tsinandali/ Telavi/ Rkatsiteli

Grape(s): Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane

Often produced using the underground qvervi method. Orange to pale straw in color. Slightly acidic with apricot, fruits and fresh finish.

Region: Tsinandali

Pairing: Dumplings, tomato based lamb stew, wine based stews, braised onions, french onion soup, savory galettes.

This is not a complete list, but a great place to start and explore Georgian wine.

Let’s cook:

Now that you have an idea of which wine you’d like to try here is a adapted version of Beef Kharcho.

It makes use of the Instant Pot to cut down on cooking time, and traditional Georgian spice blends to give you and your family a beautiful meal.

The spice blend is called Khmeli Suneli. It is one of the staple seasonings found in Georgian cuisines and it traditionally a mix of : fenugreek, basil, savory, bay leaf, corriander, clove, dill, and marigold. The flavor is bright and has a citrus herby kick and rounded off with smokey cloves and deep bayleaf.

It is a friend to eggplants, walnuts, mushrooms, beef, lamb, and chicken. In Delicious in both tomato based dishes or creamier sauces of walnuts and garlic.

What if I can’t find Khmeli Suneli?

I am a big fan of substitutions, but in this case there is none. You could try and make your own blend, but if you’re unfamiliar with the final flavor, it is hard to tell if you’ve made it correctly.

Check your Georgian deli/grocery or even restaurants. Sometimes restaurants will offer imported items from Georgia for sale. Eastern European grocery stores and often small Turkish boutique stores may have it available. If all else fails, order online.

Beef Kharcho

Ingredients:

2lbs beef ribs, cut into individual ribs. ( optionally 1 lb cubed chuck roast or pork ribs could work as well) browned and pressure cooked with 2 bay leaves, 1 whole onion, 3 garlic cloves in 3 cups water for 25 minutes in an instant pot pressure cooker.

1/2 cup long grain rice

1 tbsp Khmeli Suneli

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 medium onion diced

1 cup carrots cut on a the diagonal, and into matchsticks

1 tbsp sweet pepper paste ( omit if you don’t have ) optionally grate the meat off the inside of a fresh red sweet pepper and brown with vegetables before adding liquid.

1/4 cup fresh adjika or 1 tablespoon adjika paste

1 8oz can of spanish style tomato sauce

2 garlic cloves sliced

2 small bay leaves

1 packed cup of coarsely chopped dill, parsley and cilantro

Method:

1. Set meat to brown in your Instant Pot. Season with 1 tsp salt, garlic, 3 pepper corns, onion and bay leaves and cover with water. Cook for 25 minutes. Use immediately or cool over night. Cooling will solidify the fat and give you control over how much fat is in the final soup. Remove onion, bay leaf, pepper corns and garlic from the broth. Reserve both meat and broth for the kharcho.
2. In a large deep pan, soften onions and carrots in 1 tbsp nuetral oil, until onions are translucent and just browning around the edges.
3. Stir in paste and tomato sauce along with Khmeli-Suneli seasoning. Cook until fragrant and slightly thickened. Running a spatula through this mix should leave a clean trail.
4. Combine meat and broth with the tomato base. Allow the beef, broth and tomato to come to a soft boil and cover to simmer for 10 minutes on medium low.
5. Rinse the rice under cold water.
6. Remove lid and increase cooking temperture until soup is a gentle boil. Stir in rice.
7. Cook stirring occasionally until rice is fully cooked, about 10minutes. Add water and adjust salt if soup begins to become too thick.
8. Add fresh herbs, stir, cook for 2 additional minutes and remove from heat. Serve immediately or the next day with more fresh herbs.

My favorite wine to serve with this meal:

Saparevi wine like Kindzmarauli or a Red Alazani Valley.

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