Żurek Recipe - Polish Sour Rye Soup - video

Step 1

Clean a large jar with soap water then scald it with boiling water (it's not completely necessary but it prevents from growing unwanted bacteria species). Fill the jar with 3 cups of boiled and cooled water.

Step 2

Slowly add flour to the jar, stirring constantly with a whisk until combined (your whisk should be very clean or scalded). If you have small lumps, they will dissolve the next day.

Step 3

Add all the spices and cut in half garlic cloves, stir again.

Step 4

Close the jar and leave it in a dry place at room temperature (72-75°F / 22-24°C), it should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Open the jar once a day to release gases and stir the liquid with a very clean or scalded spoon.

Step 5

The rye starter should be ready after 5 days. It should have a pleasant acidic smell and taste. It tastes more sour with each day, but don't leave it longer than 7 days. When it's ready, strain the spices, and pour the liquid and flour into a small pot, cover it with plastic foil, and put in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You will need the liquid and flour for the soup, discard all the spices.

Step 6

Cook the white sausage: Heat the broth, when hot add the raw white sausages and simmer over very low heat for 15-20 minutes (if you have already cooked sausage omit this step and just slice them like in the next step).

Step 7

Chop all the meats: Take the sausages out of the broth and cut them into slices. Cut the smoked sausage into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes and bacon into small cubes. Dice the onion, press the garlic through a garlic press, peel the potatoes, and cut them into 1-inch (2.5cm) chunks.

Step 8

Brown all the meats: heat the oil in a large frying pan. When hot, add all the chopped meat and sausages. Cook over high heat for a couple of minutes until nicely browned. Add all the meats to the pot with broth.

Step 9

Cook the onions, garlic, and marjoram: Add the onions to the pan and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of marjoram and cook for 30-60 seconds more, until fragrant. Transfer the onions to the pot. Add a couple of tablespoons of broth to the pan and scrape with a spatula all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (that's where all the flavor is!), add them to the pot.

Step 10

Cook the potatoes: Add the potatoes to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Step 11

Add the sour rye starter. Stir the flour with the liquid and add to the soup (spices should be discarded). Make sure to add the starter gradually - trying the soup while you adding it, to make sure it's not too sour for you (I always add the whole batch of my sour rye starter). Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Step 12

Add the cream to the soup. Add the horseradish to your taste (I only added 1/2 of a teaspoon) - be careful when adding horseradish, it's powerful and a little goes a long way.

Step 13

Season the soup with salt, pepper, and reserved 1 teaspoon of marjoram - rub the marjoram between your palms to release its aroma.

Step 14

Serve the soup with boiled eggs.

Step 15

Enjoy!